By Land, Sky & Sea (2 page)

Preface

It should be noted that while this book is divided into three parts based on the Celtic three-realm cosmology of land, sky, and sea, there are methods, techniques, and ways drawn upon and acknowledged in this book that derive from different cultures and traditions. These cultures include (among others) Greek,
[1]
Hawaiian, Hindu, Stregheria, and Wiccan, and they will be referred to respectively at the appropriate time. This is done in the spirit of our Pagan forebears, who ventured into new spiritual and cultural frontiers with fervour, a keen heart, and a desire for wisdom. This tradition of weaving together, with purpose, a variety of cultural customs and religious traditions into a new spiritual whole is called syncretism, and the best-known historical example is the mostly Kemetic-Hellenic fusion that occurred in the Ptolemaic (Greek-ruled) city of Alexandria in northern Egypt in the fourth century
bce
.

Despite my deep respect for tradition, I am also highly syncretic in my ways. I never impose on or misappropriate the various cultural and spiritual practices and traditions that I weave into my life; however, if my spirit is called by the Divine in one way or another, I will hearken to that call and follow it. This is the reason that I give reverence to deities from the Balinese, Celtic, Egyptian, and Mediterranean (Hellenic and Etruscan) pantheons. The former two are directly related to my ancestry, as my father is Balinese and my mother is of Celtic descent (Irish mostly, and Scottish), and the latter two, I believe, are connected to me because I have lived many lives in that area of the world devoted to those gods. As I have always been a highly devout person by nature, these gods have travelled with me through my multiple lives; for that, I am thankful.

I hope that this blending of cultures and traditions, as is the trend in Neopaganism, will not offend the stoic traditionalist or mislead the rampant eclectic who mixes and matches without thought or direction. Remember to always respect the origins of things and to honour your ancestors, for you are the outcome of your family’s legacy.

For those of you who derive from a mostly Wiccan background or any Neopagan tradition that celebrates and honours the harmony and balance of the four elements (made whole by the spirit), please do not feel that the elements are in any way compromised by my focus on the three realms in this book. I do acknowledge the similarities in vibration between the land and earth, the sky and air, and the sea and water. This feeling, of course, would seem to negate fire. However, it has been theorised (and it feels right to me) that where the three realms meet, a fire is lit to mark the occasion with power and celebration and in reverence of the Divine—the wholeness achieved by union of the land, sky, and sea. The Celts were a fire-oriented society, and the four main Celtic holy days are known as the fire festivals, as each one involved the lighting of balefires.

Fire has been considered for millennia to be a gift from the gods. In fact, in some cultures, fire was said to be stolen from the gods (e.g., Prometheos of the Greek myths). Fire is such a powerful and transformative force that, when placed in the wrong hands, it can cause drastic and lasting effects. However, fire is also illumination, warmth, and the inspiration of the soul. All of this would make no sense without the world tree of shamanic cosmology.

The world tree joins the three realms and makes them whole. Its roots delve deep into the dark belly of the underworld, its trunk forms the physical reality of the middleworld, and its branches stretch high into the ether of the upperworld. The world tree embodies the totality of the cosmos, and its symbolism is cross-cultural. Examples of cultural and shamanic manifestations of the world tree include Yggdrasil of the Norse, the Mighty Bile or Greak Oak (of Uisneach, County Westmeath) of the Irish, the Moon Tree of the Assyro-Babylonian cultures, and Irminsul of the Anglo-Saxon people.
[2]

It is generally believed that the world tree is a distinctly shamanic concept and that its relevance to any other tradition is moot. The world tree is a shamanic truth, and this would be a discrete thing had shamanism not formed the spiritual foundation for Paganism worldwide.

Witchcraft is a shamanistic spiritual tradition, and many of our ancient customs and practices are reflected in various indigenous shamanisms. For instance, during the persecution of Witches in Europe, many of the trial records document the folk tradition of villagers dancing around and dressing old trees with ribbon, cloth, and garlands. In fact, trees form a common theme in the Witch trials and highlight the continuance of ancient shamanic practice.

The world tree is at the centre of the universe. The centre is in all places, in all times. Thus, it does not matter whether we find ourselves nestled within the mighty roots of a towering oak or standing on the shore, physically oriented between and wholly within all three realms. By the same token, you could simply visualise such a place and draw on that experience to guide your journeys. Essentially, you are the world tree; you are the joiner of the three realms, abiding within and sheltering them all simultaneously. You are the wandering centre that never ceases to be. May this book be a guide for your journeying, and may it inspire you to wander wisely, soar higher, and dive deeper. By land, by sky, by sea—by the ancient trinity—so mote it be!

Introduction

By all the powers of land and sea,

By all the might of moon and sun ...

—Gerald Gardner and Doreen Valiente,
The Witches’ Rune

The twenty-first century is a bleak age. Political deceit, war, greed, famine, and environmental degradation are causing unrest even in the most conservative of societies. However, the Greening Tide of nature and the cosmic evolution of consciousness are inspiring hundreds of thousands of people to ponder and engage with the mysteries of life and our planet Earth. In doing so, many of us find the wisdom of our ancestral traditions, collectively known as Paganism (at least in the West), greatly illuminating.

In the Western mystery traditions, one culture has come to the fore of the romantic imagination, and this, of course, is that of the Celts. It is important to understand the differences between the Celtic reconstructionist philosophies and the decidedly more romanticised fusions of modern strains of Witchcraft with Celtic culture. Neither one is more spiritual than the other (or more authentic); however, it is in my personality and experience to emphasise and celebrate the correlations and commonalities between both. Each serves its purpose.

When exploring Celtic spirituality, it has been a popular trend to delve into the shamanistic aspects of its mystery traditions. This has demonstrated that despite the seas that divide us, the indigenous spiritualities all stem from a common source of divine inspiration and share many marked similarities. One similarity is perhaps the most significant: the threefold division of worlds. These worlds can be generically classified as the upperworld, the middleworld, and the underworld. The upperworld corresponds with the heavenly world of the gods—the Celtic sky. The middleworld is our physical earth, the plane of mortal manifestations—the Celtic land. The underworld is the home of the ancestors and the chthonic spirits that dwell inside the land—the Celtic sea.
[1]
In various shamanic cultures, there are various realms that exist within the three worlds respectively. In Norse cosmology, for example, there are three layers to each world.

When I first envisaged writing this book, I was travelling through Ireland with two close Pagan friends. On our journey through Eire, we had been communing with the land and the spirits of place at every given chance. Once inspired, an idea firmly consolidated itself in my mind: I felt it was time for a book that brought the simple beauty of Celtic mysticism to the global Pagan community in a way that would allow for a deepening of the soul and its awareness of the mysteries. I also decided that when I returned to Australia, I would run a series of weekend courses that presented my local Pagan community with a more intensive look at techniques and traditions that exhibited our shamanic roots and would revitalise the spirit.

By Land, Sky & Sea
is an exploration of the Celtic ancient trinity with the goal of deepening one’s Pagan spirituality and Craft, although I am quite sure non-Pagans will also find many hidden rewards within these pages.

This book is divided into three parts, each part named appropriately—Land, Sky, and Sea (of course!). Part One: Land deals with the fundamentals of earth spirituality. Breathwork, affirmations of self, being and body, grounding and centring, living in the now, and knowing the lay of the land are all considered basic 101 subjects; however, they are barely considered with a passing glance by the fast-tracking Pagan. It is integral to have a deep understanding of these key principles so that evolution and deeper understanding on the magickal path may inevitably occur.

In Part Two: Sky, I cover consciousness and energy—how to expand and articulate the former and work and weave with the latter. Spirit flight, clear sight (clairvoyance), and the intimate gifts of intuition are part and parcel of becoming at one with the energy, the life force, that courses through our universe. Instead of immanence, in working with the powers of the sky we delve into that alien concept of transcendence and how it is useful.

Part Three: Sea deals with the more commonly known shamanic talents, including trance, vision journeying, channeling, and receiving oracles. In many Celtic myths, the sea is the portal to the otherworld; therefore, it is fitting that these primal techniques are covered in this part.

It is my keen desire that this book be a helpful directive for those Pagans interested in deepening their spirituality and being rid of the limitations that impinge on their everyday perceptions. This book is not only for those of the priesthood (whatever the tradition or vocation)—this is a book for all those who wish to explore what we now call shamanism under the guise of the Neopagan traditions and to enhance and sharpen their own magickal abilities.

May the land rise up to meet you, may the all-encompassing sky bless you, and may the sea that surrounds and lies within keep you in its infinity. By land, by sky, by sea—blessed be!

The Shamanic Witch

As in the way of the shaman, so in the way of the witch.

—Ly de Angeles,
Witchcraft: Theory and Practice

Witchcraft is innately a shamanic tradition. Perhaps Witchcraft is merely a European name for the spiritual equivalent of the indigenous medicine people the world over. The word
shaman
itself derives from the Siberian Tungus dialect (
saman)
and refers specifically to a Tungus medicine healer. Of course, anthropologically and spiritually speaking, these medicine people exist in almost every indigenous culture. At the core of all of these “shamanisms” lies the same wisdom teaching—the universe/world/mystery is alive, and it is right and respectful to interact purposefully with it. The outcome of these facilitated interactions is a relationship engendered through a trust of the spirits (the Divine), which will then serve and benefit a community of beings. The various traditions of modern Witchcraft weave the mystic journey for oneness with the All and desire to aid the community of beings within place and time. A Witch has always been a friend to the elemental spirits of nature, and thus, through this working relationship, a Witch is empowered to communicate with the spirits/gods/forces to create desired change or to delve into the mysteries of the time. Of course, there is so much more to Witchcraft than spellcraft and divination, but the methodologies and talents of the Craft arise from the primal experience of the world as animate and thus responsive.

Shamanic Witchcraft is an overloaded phrase, and I’m not so sure it’s an entirely useful one. In a world such as ours, perhaps it is necessary to differentiate the Neo-Wiccan
[2]
practices from the primal, ecstasy-driven, celebratory inclinations of nature-mystic Witchcraft. This book is specifically aimed at those people who consciously aim to resurrect and enliven the deeper shamanic aspects of the Craft and therefore desire to develop the talents associated with these teachings to do so.

Witchcraft: A New Definition
[3]

Perhaps it is time that we redefine the term
Witchcraft
. In and of itself (technically speaking), the concept and phenomenon of Witchcraft will always be, to academics at least, the exercise of the magickal arts to attain and fulfil personal and communal desires. The traditions, methods, and rituals one employs to do so may differ in each case study according to cultural context and locale; however, in its essence, Witchcraft implies magick. However, what does Witchcraft mean to those who practise its arts today? Are we a religious group purposely allying ourselves with the old Pagan customs and traditions? Are we philosophers who delight in obscuring the fine lines delineating sects and spiritual groups? Or are we simply a group of people who, with wit and a touch of universal ingenuity, seek self-gratification above all? Perhaps all—and perhaps none—of the above.

I offer a new definition of Witchcraft to the Pagan community. I do not expect or desire that it be implemented as the ultimate definition above all others; I simply wish to offer insight into what we are as Witches in a world that would otherwise cast us aside with cynicism or downright self-righteous zeal. The definition I offer others, when asked what Witchcraft is to me, is this: “Witchcraft is an ecstasy-driven, earth-based mystery path (or paths).”

Witchcraft has been, throughout the ages, many different things to many different people. Anthropologically speaking, a Witch is an individual who dwells on the fringe of society in that they practise a sorcery not wholly accepted as benevolent by society. This can be seen quite obviously within some traditional African tribal communities who revere and honour the local shaman (for lack of a better term) as a healer and oracle to the spirits, and who detest the sorcerer as a foul and evil Witch perpetually bent on weaving malice in the community. However, this says nothing for truth and everything for perception. Therefore, in reclaiming the stigmatised word
Witch
, we must not seek it out in how we are viewed by others through ignorance but in the pure sense of nature, where, etymologically speaking, there are some interesting clues.

The argument for the origins of the word
Witch
has been raging for decades; however, despite what many people (including renowned Witches) would have us believe, the most historically viable root is the Indo-European word
weik
,
[4]
which refers to religio-magick. A religio-magickal tradition is one that, in the eyes of academics, blends spirituality with the magickal arts. However, Witches and Pagans are not so dualistic in this interpretation, in that we do not perceive magick to be divorced from spirituality and vice versa; they are of the same and are one. In the generic Pagan view, magick is the very essence of nature, and nature is the very foundation of our spirituality, therefore one cannot be separate from the other; it would be senseless and ignorant to think so. A Witch, in the Pagan context at least, is one who honours nature as divine expression (immanence) and who weaves the energies of the natural world into rhythmic pulses of life sent forth with intent and impassioned desire to effect change in the apparent/seen world through the unseen planes; in this, we are shamanistic. The etymological origins of the word
Witch
make it clear that Witches have always been spiritual folk who desire to deepen their relationship with the natural world and the universe, which is as the microcosm to the macrocosm.

To further clarify, what I mean by Witchcraft is that I do not mean Wicca. Wicca, in its original form, is a Pagan religion that was either founded or made accessible through the late Gerald Brosseau Gardner. Its ceremonies and three-degree initiatory rites of admission and elevation are clearly Masonic in many aspects, although there is retained within them a true sense of morphic resonance (as Frederic Lamond put it so eloquently in his book
Fifty Years of Wicca
) that suggests earlier throwbacks. The Gardnerian tradition celebrates the esbats (at the full moon) and the eight solar high days we call the sabbats, and honours both a horned god and a lunar goddess. It is an oath-bound initiatory tradition whose practitioners, in my experience, are extremely devout and often very pragmatic. However, not all Witches are Wiccan, and interestingly enough, not all Wiccans claim to be Witches, though their religious rituals are inherently magickal (e.g., the casting of the circle).

The Witchcraft I practise both within my coven and on my own does not follow a religious vein. I am deeply spiritual, but I refuse to align myself with the lexicon of religion based on its current-day affiliations with orthodox, mainstream organisations and its etymological roots (i.e., the Latin
religare
, “to bind back”). The most obvious indicator of corrupt religion is hidebound dogma and its institutionalisation. This has occurred throughout history; however, it is most obvious in current-day monotheistic faiths (e.g., Christianity and Islam). It must be made clear, however, that the majority of the adherents to these faiths are, in fact, level-headed spiritual beings who simply seek a relationship with the Divine. Witches, too, seek personal relationships with the Divine; however, we do not necessarily view it as transcendent and detached from the material plane—in fact, we view it as wholly a part of it.

If a non-religious Witchcraft can exist (and it does), how is it reconciled with those in the Pagan community who view themselves as practising a religion? The Pagan community is decentralised, autonomous, and largely anarchistic—we have no authoritarian ruling body that passes edicts over us, therefore there are no problems with diversity (and it flourishes!). If one chooses to look at history’s representation of Witchcraft—and, of course, the truths that lie behind these perceptions—a vivid story unfolds: a story steeped in shadow and secrecy; dancing in groves, skyclad bodies shimmering under the radiance of the full moon; perfect love and perfect trust; Old Ones and spirits of place; parting the veil and dwelling between. We are truly denizens of an otherworldly lineage; if only we all knew how otherworldly this earth is. This is not supernatural—it’s merely an expansion of consciousness that reveals something beyond the mundane drudgery we live through day to day. There are patterns and symbols, cycles and rhythms. Witches work to attune themselves to these natural forces and tides, therefore becoming whole and at one with the Pure Will, where destiny unfolds.