The Witch's Wheel

Tzav

עַד יוֹם מְלֹאת, יְמֵי מִלֻּאֵיכֶם
until the days of your consecration be fulfilled ... Vayikra 8:33

The time of consecration numbers seven days. The number eight represents the time of fulfillment.

The Hebrew words 'consecration' (מְלֹאת) and 'be fulfilled' (מִלֻּאֵיכֶם) both derive from the shoresh (3-letter etymological root) מלא meaning to 'fill to abundance', 'satisfying', 'having full value', 'equipping' and 'conferring authority'.

As I write this, I sit here in my witchy bedroom purring with a satisfied feline delight, surrounded in a sacred space filled and equipped with many magical trinkets and treasures, many of which have been handcrafted or rescued and repurposed.

This witch's wheel is one such rescued item, recrafted for use in my sacred space. It has eight wooden spokes, one spoke for each of the eight witches' sabbats. Made of wood (עץ), each spoke concentrates essential primal energy to a goal, and strengthens and stores power. The spinning wheel represents that with which the witch weaves together threads of destiny and magical power.

The Name of the Celtic spintress goddess of spellcraft and magic is Habetrot. Upon Her wheel are the fibers of All Desire spun into the fabric of time itself. Wearing clothing She makes heals All Illness.

My sacred space is equipped with the full authority to do it.

Yellow, the color of my wheel, is the color of the sun. The magical power emanating through it is one of brightness and gladness, spiritual perfection and illuminating clarity (אֶת-הָאוּרִים וְאֶת-הַתֻּמִּים).

Voice Of Adjuration - Charge Of The Goddess

Vayikra on Shabbat Sabbat Ostara

וְנֶפֶשׁ כִּי-תֶחֱטָא, וְשָׁמְעָה קוֹל אָלָה, וְהוּא עֵד, אוֹ רָאָה אוֹ יָדָע; אִם-לוֹא יַגִּיד, וְנָשָׂא עֲו‍ֹנוֹ
And if any one sin, in that he heareth the voice of adjuration, he being a witness, whether he hath seen or known, if he does not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity ... Vayikra 5:1

וְשָׁמְעָה קוֹל אָלָה

Known in Torah as the Voice of Adjuration and in Witchcraft as the Charge of the Goddess, both refer to one and the same sacred oath, as dreamt this past week in The Immortals and elucidated in Maāt Kheru, True Voice.

Charge of the Goddess
original ritual poem written by Myfanwy and inspired by Goddess
on this Shabbat Sabbat Ostara
for this upcoming Full Raven Moon Erev Pesach Esbat ritual

I hear
the Voice of Adjuration
She of old, a Witch among Witches, Who is Known
Namelessly by a feast of Names
who dance among the stars myriad
in sacred rhythm with the Lady's moon
who sings upon the earth, caressing chords yet unknown
winding deliciously through the secret places
deeply deep within a most lovely lovely Night
breathing the Soul of Life into a Universe
with artistry, She crafts
Her glorious Multiverse, a myriad myriads
Being the beginning and end of All Desire
brewing up in Beauty every Mystery
in which the Heart Rejoices, the Soul finds Pleasure,
and with which the tongue of flesh tastes Immortality,
I witness True

The Witch's Staves

Vayakhel-Pekudei

אֶת-הַבַּדִּים
with the staves ... Shemot 40:20

We saw in last week's commentary (The Witch's Mask) that the Hebrew word et (את) invokes from a core Unity the evolutionary consciousness necessary for ritually summoned magical power to be utilized and wholly expressed into a world of multiplicity. Et may also be indirectly translated as 'with'.

The Hebrew word הבדים, meaning 'the staves', is derived from the shoresh (3-letter root) בדד which means to 'be secure being alone.' Mystically, the root corresponds to the magical solitude experienced by many solitary witches, who are secure in the practice of the craft while being alone. In terms of kabbalistic meditation, the practice of this kind of magical solitude (especially out in nature) is called hitbodedut (התבודדות), a word also derived from the shoresh בדד.

Prophetic Staves

Interestingly, as taught in the practical kabbalah characteristic of many ancient Jewish mystics, the magical aim of hitbodedut is the attainment of prophecy. Correspondingly, divinatory ogham staves aim to provide the witch with practical prophetic knowledge.

Taking all this together, we can see then that with the staves, solitary witches particularly may attain practical prophetic knowledge from the world of Unity and wholly express it into a world of multiplicity.

My handmade Ogham staves.

The Witch's Mask

Ki Tisa

אֶת-הַמַּסְוֶה
with the mask ... Shemot 34:35

Last week, we saw the relevance of the witch's hat to the office of kehunah (priestesshood) and to generating the Divine occult energy through which magic may be performed. The ritually generated energy (as symbolized with the witch's hat) is perceived in the form of a cone circling up, from tav (the final lowest most differentiated magical letter of the Hebrew alphabet) to aleph (the first highest most paradoxically Divine-human magical letter of the Hebrew alphabet), from the evocative (summoning up) direction of involutionary (most outward to most inward) consciousness. This week, we shall see the relevance of the witch's mask to bringing down and utilizing that energy, from aleph to tav, from the invocative (expressive) direction of evolutionary (most inward to most outward) consciousness.

The Hebrew word הַמַּסְוֶה, meaning 'mask', begins and ends with the letter hei (ה), a grammatically feminine letter. Consequently, we can see then that we are dealing with an element of the Divine Feminine, of Goddess. That specific element is a mask of Goddess - in other words, a Goddess mask. Goddess Herself casts Her sacred circle around Her mask by encompassing, surrounding and entering into the Hebrew word for mask (namely, הַמַּסְוֶה) with two Divine feminine letters hei.

The Hebrew word et (אֶת), in this case meaning 'with', is not be translated directly through understanding but indirectly through inherently known inference and actualized association. Et is purely a grammatical word implying a global inclusiveness of everything that is and is not. Additionally, there is no 'space' separating the word אֶת from the word הַמַּסְוֶה - the two words are inseparably joined together (אֶת-הַמַּסְוֶה), Goddess and Her Mask, the witch and her mask. Et carries the connotation of all from aleph to tav, and also carries the connotation of 'coming to add'. Thus, Goddess comes to add (as symbolized by the witch's mask) Her blessing to the Divinely magical energy ritually generated (as symbolized by the witch's hat) within the sacred circle. It is with the witch's mask that Goddess Herself enters into, empowers and blesses the sacred magic conjured up within the witch's circle. The witch's mask is a vessel of Goddess, Her power and Her blessing.



Here is shown the handcrafted leather Goddess mask I've acquired following last week's Full Moon witchy Purimfest for Samhain this year. The hand tooled top quality vegetable tanned leather is painted metallic black with an overlay of shimmering iridescent purple, and embellished with black dimensional painting. All of the leather forming, painting and design work is done freehand. Black and silver satin ribbons add the perfect finishing touch. A one of a kind artful expression, my Goddess mask is exquisite and enchantingly magical.