Hazards on the Occult Path

Every hobby, every profession and every endeavor has some sort of hazard that simply goes right along with the territory.  Those in law enforcement are always in danger of being shot at, at some point in their career and they must accept that as part and parcel of their job.  If they cannot accept that, then they should find another job.  The path of the occult is no different in that regard. 

The occult sciences span a variety of moral codes, practices and ethics and just as one must safeguard themselves walking down the road at night, it is very easy to accidentally loose yourself and turn left down a dark alley on the wrong side of town while trying to navigate your way through this very large occult arena.  It is especially hazardous for the beginner who is without a guide and who has not yet learned the skills of discrimination and common sense. 

So often it happens that many who seek spiritual truths and spiritual disciplines are very lost to begin with.  Such a personality is often inclined to a lack of self empowerment and has an innate lack of self esteem.  Who knows why?  Many will come from abusive childhoods, relationships or families.  Some will have been religiously conditioned already and are trying to seek empowerment in another way.  In general the average occult student will arrive knocking on the door of the magical arts with a certain amount of psychological baggage.   As a result such a student becomes fresh meat for the would be predator in the occult arts or other spiritual cults.  Grand high pooh-bahs abound in every religious and spiritual arena who await to pontificate at you and give you promises of the secrets of the universe, for the sole purpose of hoping to get into your pocketbook.  That would be the best possible scenario for erringly trotting on the seedy side of the spiritual arts.  If your not lucky, your life and your physical well being could be at stake if you happen to come upon those who are more violently or criminally inclined and who wish to do you physical and mental harm for no good reason at all other then that they can. 

Have I scared you off yet?  If this makes you nervous then this path is possibly not for you.  If you are still determined to better yourself and seek personal enlightenment then you may choose to continue browsing and reading on regardless of the risks.  And that quality is what makes a very good and determined occultist. 

The risks are not only external.  Many of them are internal as well and on this path of discipline it can be very easy to be overcome by your own subconscious nature, thereby becoming your own worst enemy.  But we will assume your already halfway there anyway since the majority of non occult people are already a victim of this problem.  What the would be occultist needs to keep in mind however is that if you are already halfway there, the occult arts may emphasize and exacerbate this problem to a point of crisis.  That is actually a good thing provided your ready to handle that crisis. If you are not ready to handle that crisis, that becomes a bad thing.   The reality is that it would happen one way or the other sooner or later.  This phenomena is the essence of the first major initiation on the path of life and the inner journey.  I have written more about that in another article concerning the nature of the archetypal experience. 

I will however assume my general audience is at the beginning stages of their occult career and is in need of some common safety tips in the confines of this article.  First thing is first.

Whatever you do, educate yourself FIRST before you begin to put your hands on anything you do in this arena.  That means READ.  ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING you can get your hands on.  If your not much of a reader, I guarantee you the occult arts are probably not for you because 90% of your career should be spent with your nose in a book if you are going to learn much about the arcane arts.  The other 200% of your career will be an attempt to integrate what you have learned practically in real life.  If your lucky the remaining percent of your career will be spent briefly playing at the art of practical self defense against the boogodies that will no doubt find you at some point be they external or internal.  The amount of that remaining percentage depends on you. 

Lets start with the most common and obvious dangers.

As in life, when in doubt, use the buddy system.  If your new to the path, your going to be very frustrated with your own lack of knowledge.  Your going to have questions and at some point you will crave the company of like minded people to help you along.  Possibly you are looking to join some coven or group.  I'll say it again.  USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM, at least for the first few time you make actual contact with a new group of people.  Screen these people.  Feel free to ask them as many questions as you like, and if your gut tells you that they are hiding something from you, then they probably are.  If grand elaborate rites of secrecy abound in the dark corners of their shifty eyes... keep on moving down the road and look elsewhere.  Any group worth their salt will be right up front with you about what their agenda and gig is. 

Find out what the mythical orientation of their group is, and go home and read a little more about that mythical structure.  Find out if there is any overt political agenda's in the group.  Many Wiccan covens have very liberal politics and some are very aggressive activists.  That's fine, as long as it doesn't impede your own personal life or make you feel out of your comfort zone.  Personal politics should technically be kept separate from coven functions and any really good coven will honor this general courtesy.  If you join a coven or group that demands an active participation in the political field.... I would hesitate to join, unless you are totally on the same page with those folks without the slightest doubt.   If you are a conservationist, or an "eco-feminist" type, who is out there saving Mother Earth and hugging trees, there probably isn't a lot of harm in that and many like minded covens abound who have a collective interest in those activities to supplement their spirituality.  As long as you are not breaking the law and turning Marine World's or the local zoo's tigers loose on the city streets because you think they need to be free and doing more harm then good to the animals, yourself and putting other people in danger....You'll probably be in fairly good hands.  If however you are unfortunate enough to walk yourself into the lions den full of white supremist Nazi's who like to beat people up in the streets with clubs and deal drugs.... that's very likely going to be a big problem for you to negotiate.  There are a lot of these hiding under the bushes out there especially in some of the "left hand path" alleyways of the occult arts. 

The beginner not always but in general will be safer in the Wiccan Communities then in the high magic hermetic communities at least at first.  The High magic communities are a great deal more technical in their psychological training and technology.  Beginners should stay away from these orders until they feel certain they are capable of handling any problem that may come up.  There are many excellent orders and schools of these kinds but they require heavy commitments from their members and obligations and oaths.   There are also some very dangerous organizations that use these same systems of magic and it can be very difficult to tell the difference in some cases if your not aware of the subtleties. As well you  should have spent a great deal of time reading remember.... you are reading everything you can find, about the high magical arts and the histories of the organizations who practice them before even THINKING about joining.    You'll have your hands full in the Wiccan community as it is simply dealing with coven politics and conflicts of personality in a group structure.  Don't get in over your head just yet. 

So your reading about the orders your not ready to join and your dancing around the Wiccan campfires or getting close to dancing around the wiccan campfires in the meantime.  I hate to say this folks.  But just because they call it Wicca, doesn't always mean its Wicca.  Walk with caution to your first dance around the witches bonfire.  Use the buddy system.  When you arrive at the dark of the night on the full moon and are ushered with pomp and circumstance into your first ritual setting under the hush of expectancy... the first formal hazard you can sometimes be faced with is  after you've met the point of a double edged dagger is WHAT IS IN THE CEREMONIAL CHALICE?   There is a lot of elaborate circle casting and to do when opening a wiccan circle.  Part of that to do... is about passing the cup of wine around for everyone to drink.  

In 90% of the Wiccan community that cup is either filled with wine or fruit juice and the worst danger you face is catching someone's cold if they didn't bring a paper cup to drink out of.  In 10% of the seedy community who say they are Wiccan and are not, that cup is filled with all sorts of horrors from narcotics to baneful herbs including henbane, belladonna, or hemlock and possibly someone's drops of blood.  Remember we have communicable diseases these days AIDS being the first that comes to mind. 

Here is a hint.  If you are ever in doubt at all about what is in the cup and you do not wish to partake... it is perfectly acceptable to raise your cup ceremoniously in the air and act just like you know what you are doing with your head held high... and offer a prayer and then pour a libation to the ground to Mother Earth and pass it on.  This is a good thing to do on principle if you are coming down with a cold and don't care to share your germs with others, not to mention the polite thing to do.  If you don't drink alcohol and they are serving wine... again this is a perfectly acceptable practice and a good facilitator won't even question you or look twice.  You are still within the proper protocol of etiquette, you haven't disturbed the ceremony and you are taking care of yourself and others without any un-necessary harm or interruption to the proceedings.    You are being polite, reverent, well mannered, and observant.  There is nothing wrong with that.  When you get to know them and feel comfortable then by all means drink freely and join in the celebration.  You'll know.  Its not difficult to figure out the difference if you are observant and very very rarely will you be in any great danger.  That 10% is literally just that, 10% and such a thing rarely happens to anyone.  It doesn't hurt to always have your feelers out though. 

If anyone has a problem and insists you HAVE TO DRINK.  DON'T.... LEAVE.    Probably something is afoot and you don't want any part of it.  Once you drink something that contains that kind of poison or drug, you belong to them till the ride is over.  And sometimes after the ride is over you may find you still belong to them and we want to avoid this. 

You won't be in danger in fact because you have read this article, and every other book on witchcraft you now own, and have screened your would be group or coven thoroughly and made a nuisance of yourself in the kitchen to find out what they are pouring.  AND because you've done this, you've been able to make a decision BEFORE THE CEREMONY STARTS whether you want to stay or go.  Its always best to make up your mind before it starts. 

Usually in the beginning of the ceremony the priest or priestess of a traditional Wiccan coven will offer anyone an out at the last minute.  Its a standard procedure in most groups at all times even when its known everyone is ready and good to go.  Its a courtesy that is not overlooked in a really good group.  Even the most seasoned witches can suddenly have a bad vibe in a familiar setting and decide for whatever reason they want to opt out.  This can be personal or interpersonal and there should be no need to justify this unless you feel compelled to share your reason before leaving with the coven.  It could be as simple as the onset of a sudden headache and a feeling of fatigue that a seasoned witch has at the last minute decided she'd rather not expend herself on this occasion if she is feeling physically weak.    The traditional speal is:   "anyone not up to the work this night may leave now with no shame and no blame and take a blessing with you"  before proceeding on with the rest of the circle casting.  If your going to leave that is the time to do it. 

If you are in the ceremony and the proceedings have begun and you decide you really are not in the right place after all.... its a little trickier.  There are certain considerations to bear in mind.  First of all what is going on in the coven and are your moral principles being seriously violated?  If they are, then leave... regardless of how disturbing this may be to the rest of the coven.  If an argument or fight or attempt to restrain you ensues, then you are right in your gut to get the hell out.  Fight harder and hit the door running.  This is when it is REALLY USEFUL to have a buddy system for back up.  If you are in the company of someone you trust your assertion will be that much stronger.  If you are by yourself you stand more in danger of being  manipulated blatantly or  covertly through guilt or threat to stay.  The first rule of survival in this environment is:  the more guilty or the more threatened you feel the harder you should fight to get away.  Don't cave in.  This is where a person with a serious lack of self esteem becomes easy prey to an alpha personality who is possibly versed in seduction, manipulation and coercion.  If you are in WAY over your head and are totally out alpha's you may be there for the ride.  Bide your time if you can and wait for an opportune moment. 

If you have been drugged, your kind of screwed.  Keep your marbles as best you can and hope like hell you can handle it and that will depend entirely on what the drug is.  Some drugs affect your motor coordination and can cause temporary paralysis, and some affect your state of consciousness.    You may have to sit it out if you absolutely can't get away and then go to the authorities at a later time and make a report if something truly awful has happened assuming your still alive when its all over with.   If the situation has reached this level then you have a whole other problem on your hands when you have made your report.  Retaliation.  A person would have to be fairly dense to get in this deep that quickly without having some idea of the warning signs and red flags prior to such a finally.  But if an occult  predator is really good at what they do you may not see them coming.  Get help fast and don't mess around.  This will usually only happen in a hard core satanic kind of environment of the worst possible kind.  That kind of environment is pretty difficult to get accepted into and you'd have to look pretty hard to find those folks, but it does occasionally happen on a fluke.   That kind of thing is very rare in the average bohemian magical / Wiccan community.  It may happen to one in a thousand people if that.  If you are seeking to be a left hand path practitioner intentionally then your chances of this kind of thing go up. 

If your moral principles are not being seriously violated but you are simply annoyed, bored, disillusioned or otherwise disgusted.... wait it out and educate yourself about what not to do in the future.  Mind your manners and sit thru the ordeal.  There is an actual energy that is built up in ceremony with the circle casting and the leaving of a member from that space can be very disrupting to those who are totally engaged in the operation.  When someone is in a deep trance state or altered state of consciousness and you are observing... refrain from leaving if you can stand to stay.... sounds, noises and other very seemingly insignificant things can feel like a gunshot to the person in a trance.  It is psychologically disorienting to be shaken out of an altered state and it is not always safe.  Remain quiet until the proceeding is finished and the circle has been formally open.  If you absolutely have to leave to use the bathroom other emergency, get up as quietly as possible and signal for the priest or priestess or someone to cut a hole or doorway to let you out of the circle if you don't know how to do this yourself.  This is a standard Wiccan procedure as well.  Try not to disturb anyone else or get in the way of what is happening on your way out.  And always walk clockwise on the outside of the circle if possible unless specified otherwise.  As a general rule don't ever walk through the middle of the circle or cross the space.  Always walk the perimeter in the specified direction which 90% of the time will be clockwise.  There will usually be someone on guard who is aware and watching over the members to handle just these kinds of interruptions in order to keep the flow of the ceremony moving undisturbed. 

I was at a pagan festival once not long ago and I participated in a large theatrical group ceremony.  The theme was all about death.  The Priestess of the affair had a very elaborate script and all the theatrics of looking within and facing your shadows. They had beautiful fantasy costumes and many anointing potions to dollup on our foreheads for various this's and that's.  We had drummers and we had chanters...... the problem was it was a very large public circle and the Priestess was not quite prepared to handle the taking of each participant one by one thru the trial without having thought it out. 

We spent THREE FLIPPING  HOURS invoking death twiddling our thumbs and waiting for our turn to symbolically die the initiatory death.  If a person started out that ceremony being anxiety ridden about dealing with  death I GUARANTEE YOU they were flat out BORED with it by the time the ceremony was over and they were cured.   We were BEGGING to die about two hours into it and afraid we wouldn't.  It was awful.  There was at least 70 people maybe more present.   I had an acquaintance with me at the ceremony who had been equally as interested in checking it out in the beginning to see what this ladies gig was all about.  He came up behind me in the dark and said..."Have you died yet?"  Yes actually I died about 20 minutes ago FINALLY and now I'm waiting for the resurrection part...  He replied that he was anxious to see just what sort of CLOSURE was going to be forthcoming in this process. 

(Our tents were looking really good about 11:30 PM and the temperature was dropping...)   Brevity is an art when doing public circles and some people don't have that skill.   But we stuck it out because it was educational.  And it was a trial.  We pulled everything out of our sleeves to get thru that ceremony as politely as possible and honor the group who facilitated it.  I sat on a rock for an hour, till my butt hurt.  I stood till my feet hurt.  I walked till I got tired of walking around the circle.  The same damn drum beat went on for that same three hours till I thought I'd choke a drummer.  And I froze.  Many people did actually leave thank the gods or we'd a been there four hours.  But my acquaintance and I had a very interesting talk about observing what to do and what not to do when facilitating ceremonies.  And this was definitely a good lesson in what not to do.  A few minor changes to the proceedings could have made all the difference in the world and given all the stander byes something constructive to do while waiting...It would have been a difference of moving a prop out of way by five or ten feet to make room around the bonfire for dancing and convincing the drummers to change a few rhythms and keep everyone actively engaged in the various stages of the process.  You don't learn these things until you do a few of them wrong, or watch it all go downhill when someone else does it.  If you do it right you can go on for hours and hours and induce some very profound trance states provided you keep the energy moving and everyone engaged.  If your loosing people out of boredom...its a different story. 

This was a well meaning unintentional situation and everyone had the option to walk away and leave.  In a more controlled environment in an intentionally unethical setting, this kind of droning on for hours on end is used on purpose as a weapon for wearing people down psychologically.  It is also a form of hypnosis when used skillfully and can very effectively control large groups of people without them even knowing it at first.    In these settings you are not allowed to leave or there is a great deal of forceful resistance  or restraint or coercion if you attempt to. 

There is a difference between a good coven of people which is badly facilitated.  And a bad coven of people which is brilliantly facilitated.  Keep that in mind. 

Now lets discuss some of the internal dangers which you only have to face yourself about. 

It should first be understood that ceremony is a sensory experience.  That is it engages your sense of smell, sight, hearing, touch and taste.  This is the framework for communicating with your subconscious mind.  In fact your sensory apparatus IS your subconscious mind since that is where cellular memory is stored of all experiences you have had.  Your sensory apparatus and in particular your sense of smell and techniques in breathing can be a profound trigger for emotional responses. 

You must be careful as a beginner to take these experiences in small doses and not over stimulate yourself.  The constant visual meditation on certain  symbols and meditative disciplines can open up a major can of emotional worms in the safest of environments let alone in unsafe ones.  There are some visual symbols that are specifically designed to trigger chemical and endocrine changes in your system over a period of time.  Tarot images are a good example of this.  Real tarot images are used for meditation, not for fortunetelling in the higher magic systems.   Meditation techniques can trigger profound physiological responses in your body and your blood chemistry leading to altered states of consciousness.  If you have not experienced these altered states before they can scare the shit out of you.  It's important to have a guide when learning these techniques if you wish to delve that deeply. 

Worst case scenario... an altered state of consciousness gone awry can leave you in a good old fashion state of shock.  Janet Farrar reminded us of this in the last workshop I attended which she and Gavin did.  Shock must be treated as a medical emergency. Do not spiritualize your way through this, do not continue invoking entities and putting faith in them... TREAT IT AS A MEDICAL PHYSICAL EMERGENCY.  That means STOP the magical  procedure and hop to it front and center be it getting on the phone or wrapping yourself up in a blanket or whatever.  This is not a laying on of hands or praying cult we participate in although we do use those technologies, but we also respect the needs of the body and that could mean medical attention in some cases. 

Its always best not to experiment alone with trance states.  Have a buddy to watch over you and attend your needs so you can be monitored.  Educate yourself on how to do basic first aid  and always have blankets handy in your ceremonial area if you are doing trance work.  It hadn't really occurred to me to make that precaution until she mentioned it.  Body temperature can drop very quickly and leave your teeth chattering if you've done it right.  Or... if you haven't done it right. 

Because of this it is important to have relatively good health when operating in occult ceremonies.  Those who have nervous inclinations, who are ungrounded, low on immune system function and otherwise easily fatigued mentally or physically should probably NOT participate in these things as a general rule.  If you suffer from these conditions, you probably need some medical attention, or psychological attention and it is advisable to handle the basics of mundane life before rushing forth into an area of no man's land in the astral planes of being. If the conditions are physical your body will be easily tired and run down.  If the conditions are mental, all kind of mental aberrations can be evoked from the magical experience which can leave a person very vulnerable to serious mental illnesses in the long run.  It is possible to go to far out and not come back entirely when dealing with the world of the unseen.  You have to have a strong nerve and a sense of adventure to explore the unchartered territories of the quantum mind stuff.    The consequences to your body may be dire if you are not careful.  Physical handicaps need to be sized up and discrimination should be made about what your limitations are.  Be honest with yourself.  You can lie if you want but this is one area where it will kick you in the ass if you are not honest with yourself.

All magical traditions since the year dot in the primitive cultures have utilized drugs and herbs and narcotics to facilitate their altered states of perception and consciousness.  If you are a knowledgeable and advanced occultist who has been properly trained as an herbalist and a medicinal healer you may choose with discretion to venture into this territory.  These same states can be achieved without those things but it takes longer.  In general it is inadvisable not to mention in this day and age often times illegal.  Narcotic and synthetic drugs can permentantly damage brain cells and nerves which will hinder your long term goals of achieving a high level of altered perception.  They are clearly not recommended.  Herbs can be dangerous and highly poisonous and if you don't have your dosages down properly or the right method of preparation or ingestion,  the difference between one or two seeds of a plant or drops of an oil can be the difference in death, or a really bad hellish e-ticket trip you hope to never take again.   People metabolize differently and there are no guarantees when dealing with these more baneful witches herbs  Some in the new age community have a belief that if its herbal its natural and it cannot harm you.  HELLO!!!!  Where do you think pharmaceutical drugs come from?  HERBS!  They are just as dangerous as drugs if you don't know how to use them.   

Flying ointment is popular in some covens and is made with hemlock or other combinations of baneful herbs melted into a type of balm or lard which is then rubbed on the skin.  It produces a hallucinatory effect which is why they use it.   This doesn't guarantee you won't be poisoned to death just because you are not eating it.  Oil of hemlock from a young plant can kill you simply by picking it and handling it on your skin.  You die of suffocation in the end and a long slow process of paralysis until your lungs are paralyzed.  Not a pleasant way to go.   I'd stay away from them all personally.  The traditional baneful herbs of witchcraft are henbane, mandrake, hemlock, belladonna and the like.  They all spell very quick and painful recipes for a miserable death.  Don't use them.   If you do, then do so at your own risk and have some amount of trust that whoever prepared the concoction knew EXACTLY what the hell they were doing.  Your life will depend on their expertise. 

I had the unfortunate pleasure of being drugged by an ex reformed (however fell of the wagon on my ticket)  Satanist who was well versed in the use of narcotics for cult mind control purposes.  And he knew exactly what he was doing.  He still didn't bargain for the fact I almost overdosed in a way he hadn't intended.  He had spiked my jar of sun tea thinking I'd drink a cup maybe two a day.  He didn't have any idea I was an iced tea junkie and went thru the entire jar in about three or four hours.  I had heart convulsions and had I gone to sleep I may have never woken up again.  As it was he made sure to keep me up all night and stuff every possible bit of heavy food down my throat he could find in the house.  I in the meantime had no clue what happened still being naive that I had even been drugged in the first place.  I simply thought I was just getting really sick with the flu or something.  He never fessed up, he just monitored me and kept feeding me.  I didn't figure it out till many weeks later combined with a few more incidents to clue me in.   We were not in a cult environment, we were not in a ceremonial environment, it was one of those things that just hit me out of the blue that I found myself in.    

There is always an x factor to any operation of that kind.  The facilitator NEVER has complete control of the outcome or the goal.  He or She can only hope it goes well and they don't get a curve ball thrown at them mid operation.  I am one of those one in a thousand Wiccan statistics that this kind of thing actually happened to.   But I also had many years of occult training under my belt and it was my time to get shot at apparently.  The foundation of education I had saved my butt when things got really mentally weird. I bless Ambrose to the very ends of time itself.   That is why you should not discount the education process when you start this path.  READ READ READ READ READ READ and READ SOME MORE!!!! 

On a positive note the psychotherapeutic process can be enhanced greatly by the occult environment.  The cathartic experiences that can happen will happen quickly and powerfully.  In the right setting with the right facilitator this is a powerful healing experience.  But be prepared to have your reality turned upside down when this crisis point occurs.  You may be crying for days.  You may experience mood swings.  You may experience flashbacks and memories... any number of things can happen that would happen in the course of mainstream counseling, the thing is they will TEND to happen faster and harder in the ceremonial environment if your not careful.    This is because the sensory trigger experience bypasses completely the conscious resistances to the process.  In a counseling setting you sit and talk.  In the ceremony setting you EXPERIENCE on the sensory level.  Abuse happens at the sensory level so it is fitting that sensory experiences will bring those issues up to the surface faster then talking about them will.   Your conscious mind is engaged elsewhere and put on the shelf... your subconscious is intentionally called to the for in the magical invocations. 

You must have absolute trust in your mentor or facilitator to let yourself surrender to this type of process.  If you don't have trust in your facilitator then you should develop trust in yourself and seek assistance or experience elsewhere.  This is why you screen your occult associates before engaging with them.  This is why you learn self worth and self esteem and self assertion and think for yourself.  There is nothing more amazing then being in a room full of highly trained self empowered occult practitioners who have impeccable ethics.  Its an awesome feeling to be in their presence.  In contrast there is nothing more horrifying or intimidating then being in a room full of highly trained occultists who have criminal tendencies and no good intentions for your welfare.  That is a presence you will never forget for the rest of your life that may continue to haunt your nightmares if you don't shake it off easily.  The recovery process from such an outright attack could require some professional assistance. 

The more commonly experienced danger is the well meaning dabbler.  Your likely to find this a lot more often then the extreme mentioned above I happened across.  This is the person who says.... I wonder what happens if I push this button... and invokes an entity then is surprised it shows up.  These are the people who open floodgates to the mind, and don't know how to close them again.  And that in some cases is more hazardous then being at the mercy of a trained occult  thug.  A trained occult thug has 90% control over what he does to you and he or she usually has a modus operandi for doing it.  A modus operandi can be countered if you know your stuff.    A dabbler has no control at all what he does to himself or anyone else and you can't control what you don't even know what hell button got pushed.  For a great example of this kind of hazard check out the article in the general archives section entitled:  "Ouije board:  A true story".  Its not uploaded yet but it will be shortly.  It was a tragic example of how badly a prank can go wrong.  And it ended in a horribly violent death.

Lastly, the most common problem you will ever have in any coven of any nature is simply the problem of personality conflict.  There are many covens who glory in the politics of their group.  You are not necessarily in danger from these people but if you happen to fall in with them they can make your life very difficult on a personal level.  This is the wanna be type.  There are many different kinds of scenarios you may run across.  I'll give a few examples. 

The Veil of Secrecy:  You've contacted someone about joining a potential group and you've made an arrangement to go and meet a few of them at the appointed time and place.  You walk into the place of meeting and are met by a mysterious clad figure wearing black clothes who has a goatee beard, who hardly says two words to you.  The room is hushed.  These are the sort of people that you must jump over three bales of hay, turn around backwards five times on one toe while balancing a lampshade on your head, kiss a frog and give six passwords before anyone will talk to you openly.  Don't even waste your time.  There is nothing wrong with wearing black clothes, many of us do.  But there is a certain kind of pompous theatrics that happens when you are NOT in ceremony with some of these people that is simply silly.   Keep looking elsewhere.  Your probably too good for them. 

You will only be a real witch IF:   This is my personal favorite.  You've joined a training coven.  You've been there for a while... and its time to take your initiations through the famous three degree system of witchcraft.  Funny thing is no one informed you ahead of time that if you want to be a real witch you have to screw the priest or priestess to get initiated regardless of whether your already married or not.   I'm not kidding folks.  This will usually happen in a gardnerian style type of coven if its going to happen at all.  There are some exceptions but this is usually a gardnerian thing.   I'd like to think the Wiccan community is a little more enlightened these days.  We have Gerald Gardener to blame for this little problem plain and simple. 

For many years many witches truly believed this was how it was supposed to be done.  Gerald Gardener instilled on us the importance of reenacting the primitive herios gamos or "great rite" fertility ceremony in order to achieve the third degree of the Craft and become empowered to run your own training coven.  Don't fall for it.  Most of us have thrown that one right out the window for what it is.  An excuse to get laid by any means possible regardless of the harm it does to your personal life and relationships.  I have it on good authority that Gerald Gardner was a dirty old man and that is all there was to it.    Many good marriages have fallen apart because of the ego of a priest or priestess in a coven who meddled in a members personal life.  There simply is no good excuse for it.  There are too many good groups out there who do not participate in this nonsense to even bother dealing with this problem. 

Many pagans practice a polygamous lifestyle.  If everyone is agreement with this sort of thing fine.  But it is about the idea of informed consent unanimously.  If you want to take your pagan spirituality to that literal level and you have a working partner and it is comfortable to do so... then power to you.  Its a great ceremony, it really is.  As long as its done in the proper context with a great deal of respect.  But it is under no circumstances a HAVE TO thing in order to achieve knowledge of the Craft or to be initiated.  It is an ancient rite of passage ceremony that was used in fertility rites of primitive people.  Usually for those coming of age.  Your average horny Wicca will tell you anything at all in order to get down your pants if your not careful.  So just watch out for that.  Most Wiccans you will find are very well behaved.  But there is a large part of the community who has a slightly looser interpretation of the craft structure and who happen to be a great deal freer with their sexuality then most people.  Again there is nothing wrong with this as long as they are practicing informed consent. 

If you have decided you want to become a part of this sort of free love paganism you have to consider the needs of your children as well.  My personal preference is don't bring your children to these affairs.  If your children have grown up in a multi generational pagan household that is one thing.  If you are new to the craft, leave your children out of this unless they really feel comfortable and be very careful what sort of sexual energy you subject your children to by example.  Paganism is just as prone to its share of child molesters as any other sector of life not to mention bad roll modeling. . 

Children should be permitted to make up their own mind about their chosen spiritual path.  I usually would not even consider talking about witchcraft to a child until they are 16 to 18 years old.  I started on the path at 14 but I was also a very mature 14 and I had the support of at least one family member to pursue my chosen interest.   Small children are very impressionable and the sensory experience of ceremony may not be in their best interest at all.  They are also disruptive to a ceremony and their needs must always come first.  Leave them with the babysitter. 

If you are at a camping festival and want to bring your children there are usually other pagans who have brought their children as well and a special childcare tent will usually be provided to entertain the kids while the adults are off shopping at the vending booths or participating in workshops.  Usually this a community thing where the festival coordinator has created a work trade situation.  Volunteers will sign up for a number of chores that they would like to do to work off their community service hours at the festivals.  This often is mandatory at most festivals for every camper.  Vendors are usually the only ones exempt from this since they have to man their booths.  Some festivals will give you the option to buy out of your community hours and simply pay an extra small fee on top of your camp registration.   Childcare is one of those chores anyone can sign up for. 

 Parents and volunteers will sign up and change shifts taking turns looking after the kids.  Usually some pretty little tent is set up with all sorts of foofy toys and fantasy props and fairies and unicorns and its all wonderful and fun.   You may not know these people.  Hang around and make sure everything is ok before you go wandering off and leave your kids with them.  Usually its fine.  And Usually these areas are in a very central and prominently visual place not far from the vendors or out of general eyesight.   Most of these kids have a lot of fun.  Many of the volunteers play well with children and bring special things to use for entertainment.  Sometimes they will have storytelling sessions with all kinds of theatrics and dramas and its great stuff. 

You must also be aware that some of these festivals are "clothing optional" and there may be a lot of naked people walking around.  You have to decide if you want your children to be exposed to that.  You can always ask the registrar before the festival if this is going to be the case when you are sending in your payment.  Just make a simple phone call or read the website. 

 My personal experience is that at these affairs the people without clothes on are usually the ones who are better behaved then the people with clothes.   Nudist community kind of people have very few hang-ups about life in general.  I've never seen any slathering or drooling or sexual harassment while mingling with this community.  I'm sure it happens, but I have yet to see it myself.   I've seen a great deal more respect between people in these situations then I do on the street walking to the store everyday.  I think my children would be safer at these festivals then they are in your local neighborhood.  But it certainly is a visual sensory experience for the newcomer to paganism at these gatherings who may have some sexual issues to work through. 

Not all festivals will be like this.  Very few of them will actually. Sometimes only designated areas will be roped off for those who wish to go and strip but they will not be allowed to walk around other areas of the campground other then the designated space for the clothing optional corner.  These areas are so private I haven't even been able to find them myself or have any clue where they are when I'm at the festivals.  But I'm not a nudist so I don't go searching very hard either.  But that gives you some idea of how respectful the coordinators of the festival  usually are. 

Some other festivals such as Ancient Ways at Calistoga Hot springs give you the run of the entire property.  The hot springs resort is run by a nudist colony mindset and the yoga and vegan people run around the headquarters without clothes all the time, all year long.  There is only one locker room by the pools and it is co-ed at that.   Since they own the joint, the entire campground is open for this.  My first experience as a vendor was to have to adjust to the fact that there were a lot of naked people shopping in my booth wearing nothing but a fanny pack and a hat.  It took me about a day to adjust and then you just don't even notice it anymore.  I've taken my clothes off at the hot springs with the best of them and for two straight years no one has even made conversation with me at the pools let alone drool slather or harass.  Most of them are there for meditation retreats and are way absorbed in their own internal world.  The pools are for quiet meditation and very little conversation happens in that designated area except at the lunch shack off to the side of the pools. 

The very worst I've ever had to deal with was when one very nice gay man suggestively asked me if I would tie his sarong for him.  I politely declined.  That was all there was to the matter, he paid for his bright purple sarong and smiled and walked away.  And yes there are many alternative sexual communities at these festivals.  You will see anything from polygamous lifestyle pagans, to S&M pagans running around with leather and chains, gays, lesbians and anything in between.  You will see straight men wearing skirts or cross dressing as well.  Usually because it is simply more comfortable and cooler for them to do so and they can get away with it in this environment without being hassled or judged by anyone.    So be discriminating with your children. 

If children are raised in bohemian lifestyle families they are usually very well adjusted to this exposure and have very few hang-ups or problems.   They are not abused children.  They are not messed up.  So don't be quick to judge.  Many children in these types of families have less abuse issues to handle then we do in our mainstream society. 

Children not raised in this kind of lifestyle can have a hard time adjusting and you should be prepared for the barrage of questions you are likely to have to address depending on their age if you bring them to these gatherings. 

I would still encourage you to not expose your small children to the ceremonial experience unless you are absolutely sure they will not be frightened or their nervous systems totally overloaded by the experience.  Some ceremonies are more conducive to children then others.  Firedance for example is a fairly good place to let children in on the activities.  Its an open ceremony with a hundred or more people... and there is something for everyone, it is so well facilitated.  No one will be worried about who is interrupting, you can't hear over the top of 80 drummers anyway, and no one cares.  What you will have to worry about is not loosing your child in the crowd in the forest in the middle of the night since its an all night gathering for three days on a large piece of forest property on top of a mountain with endless hiking trails and wildlife.  It would be fairly difficult to be lost there since all you have to do is follow your ears to the sound of 80 drummers. And if you do participate in the Santa Cruz fire dance, I'm warning you now... they are not mosquitoes, they are BIRDS OF PREY.  Bring bug spray.   

You will need a buddy system or small "tribe" to help you take care of your kids and put them on a leash if necessary, if you wish to participate in the ceremony as well.  You can't do both very efficiently you will need some relief and you can all trade off.  The kids are welcome to run around the bonfire and dance with everyone else, and the facilitators are really on top of their safety procedures so there are very few worries.  If you loose your child, probably someone else has found him or her and will straight away find a staff member to resolve the situation and make an announcement.  Everybody does a fairly good job of looking after everybody else at this gathering.   Something that well organized is pretty rare however.  Fire dance is an AMAZING community of people.  As well they provide a complete orientation for newcomers on the first night of the festival  which will explain what everyone can and cannot do and why and what the purpose of the gathering is all about. 

Most other ceremonies will not be conducive to children at all since there are protocols and sometimes extended periods of silence or stillness may be necessary to do a particular ceremony.  Most other ceremonies or festivals will also not be as well facilitated as the one mentioned above.  The firedance crew are professional entertainers, musicians and stage magicians.  They do this for a living its not a hobby.  Your child needs to be able to understand intellectually what is required and expected before you force them to sit through something like that.  It is also a courtesy to the other participants to not disturb the proceedings. 

So for a brief recap here's your homework checklist.

READ READ READ

Screen your associates before any ceremonial procedure starts.  Any seasoned witch should always be in the habit of doing this as well.

Make sure you know what your ingesting in the cakes and wine or any other food offered in a magical setting before you ingest it.

Always give yourself an out or a means of getting out and use common sense. Use the buddy system till you know your way around.

Work hard on your self empowerment and always reserve the right to disagree or think anything you like.

Be respectful to yourself, your associates and your children and other children as well as other's husbands and wives including your own. Be responsible and sexually considerate.

Keep your political agendas to yourself and respect others politics. Learn how to agree to disagree. 

Don't break the law!!!!!!  Be respectful of trespassing on private property and use common sense in your public relations.

Watch out for predators in any area of life, not just the magical life.

Have a place you can go to deal with your issues when they come up which is safe and comfortable and where you can get the assistance you need.  Practice tolerance.

Have a lot of fun. 

Light In Extension

Persephone RC

Copywrite 2004