Eleven Things Every Witch Should Know

1. Magic is what happens when you open yourself to the Divine. All real magic is a manifestation of the Divine - it is how you co-create reality with deity.
2. The Divine is within you and is everywhere present in the natural world. And everything is interconnected by this sacred energy.
3. Wicca is not about information -- it's about transformation, so practice, practice, practice -- and do it as much as possible in Nature! Witchcraft enables you to commune with divinity and to manifest your destiny, your desires and your highest and sacred self.
4. The real ethics of how Witches live and practice magic are simple: Witches live in a sacred manner because we live in a sacred world. We therefore treat all of life with reverence and respect.
5. Because all magic flows from our connection to the Sacred, our lives and our magic, must be guided by the sacred nature of the energy with which we work.
6. The energy Witches work with is not neutral -- it is divine love.
7. Magic often works in unexpected way because it is not a mechanical process, and the Universe is not a machine. You are living and making magic within a divine, organic, living reality.
8. Witches don't command and control -- they commune and co-create.
9. The real secret of successful spellcasting, as with all of magic, is your connection to the Divine power that dwells within you, and surrounds you. And spells do work so be careful what you ask for!
10. Nature makes the Divine tangible. By working, living, and practicing your magic in harmony with Nature, you are in harmony with the Divine.

11. The ultimate teacher is the God/Goddess inside you and in the world of Nature all around you.

Woud

Die donker woud was ‘n gevreesde plek vir oud en jonk, mens en dier.  Net diegene wat nie van beter weet nie, het in die woud gegaan. 

Muishond weet nie van beter nie.  Hy dink dat dit onnodig is om bang te wees vir die woud.  Hy loop elke dag so na as moontlik aan die gevreesde woud net om te kyk wat die ander diere se reaksies is. 

Sommige diere lag vir Muishond en sê hy is verwaand om in die woud te loop.  Ander ignoreer hom net en dink hy soek aandag.  “As Muishond iets sou oorkom, sal dit sy verdiende loon wees”, is die meeste diere se houding.  Maar dan is daar Wilde vark wat vrees vir Muishond se lewe. 

Wilde vark is baie gewild onder sy maats.  Hy is altyd opgewek en trippel die wêreld vol op soek na geselskap.  Hy geniet dit om elke dier se stories te hoor, en luister aandagtig na elkeen wat ‘n oor nodig het.  Hy is lief vir die lewe, en hy maak geen geheim daarvan nie.

Een aand, toe dit al baie donker is en almal al vas aan die slaap is, lê Wilde vark nog wakker en dink aan Muishond.  Wilde vark is nie iemand wat sy snoet in ander se sake steek nie, maar dit is miskien tyd dat iemand met Muishond moet gesels oor sy waaghalsigheid.  Wilde vark besluit daar en dan dat hy die volgende oggend na Muishond se gat toe sal gaan, en die saak met hom gaan bespreek.

Vroeg die volgende oggend is Wilde vark by Muishond se huis.  Hy klop aan muishond se voordeur, en hoor hoe Muishond vinnig skarrel om uit te kom om te sien wie dit is wat kom kuier het.

“Goeie more, Muishond!”  groet Wilde vark.  Muishond groet terug en nooi vir Wilde vark opgewonde binne.

“Waaraan het ek jou besoek te danke, Wilde vark?  Dit is nie aldag dat jy so naby die donker woud kom besoek af lê nie.  Maar dan nou weer is daar niemand wat regtig naby die woud kom besoek af lê nie!”

“Dit is juis waaroor ek met jou wou gesels, Muishond.  Ek is bekommerd oor jou, en verstaan nie waarom jy jou lewe waag deur so naby aan die woud te bly nie.  Jy weet dat ek my nie ophou met ander se doen en late nie, maar hierdie is ‘n uitsondering. Jy is my vriend, en ek is besorg oor jou”

“Ag Vark,” sê Muishond.  “Dis tog nie nodig dat jy jou so bekommer nie.  Jy weet mos die stories oor die donker woud word altyd oordryf.  Diere is net bang vir dinge wat hulle nie verstaan nie.’

Vark besef die gesprek gaan nie baie goed af nie.  Dis asof Muishond nie besef in watse gevaar hy is nie.  Hoe kan Vark sy vriend help as Muishond nie eens besef hy het hulp nodig nie?  Vark besluit om dan maar te doen wat hy nog altyd doen vir sy vriende, en dit is om te luister.

“Nee wat,” sê Muishond, “kom ek skink nog vir jou ‘n koppie tee sodat jy kan bedaar.”  Muishond drink aandagtig aan sy tee, en dit lyk of hy diep ingedagte is. 

Vark besluit om Muishond so ver te kry om oor die woud te praat, daarom vra hy: “Hoe diep was jy al in die woud, Muishond?  En wat sien jy daar?  Is dit regtig so koud en donker soos wat almal sê?”

Muishond kyk lank in sy teekoppie, en kyk dan op, reguit in Vark se afwagtende oë.  “Vark, kan ek jou ‘n geheim vertel?”  Vark is verbaas oor Muis se skielike geheimsinnige reaksie.  “Natuurlik Muis, jy weet mos jou geheime is veilig by my”.

Muishond lag uitbundig.  “Ja Wilde Vark ek weet.  Maar wat ek jou gaan vertel is nie so maklik om te glo nie, en sou jy dit oorvertel, is daar diegene wat mag sê dat jy nie heeltemal al jou miervreters in ‘n hok het nie!  Hulle mag dalk sê dat die sinlike Wilde Vark ook nou sy verstand verloor het na sy kuiertjie by mal Muishond.”

Vark is nou meer deurmekaar as voorheen, maar sy aandag bly vasgenael op Muishond. 

Muishond bedaar en kry weer ‘n ernstige uitdrukking op sy gesig.  Hy leun voorentoe en begin stadig fluister: ”Ek was al reg in die middel van die donker woud.  Dit is nie donker daar soos in die res van die woud nie” Muishond se oë glinster opgewonde en staar droomverlore voor hom uit.  Eers toe Vark aan sy arm vat, word Muishond bewus van waar hy is, en begin weer verder vertel.

“Daar is die heerlikste vrugte wat daar groei, en jy kan soveel daarvan eet as wat jy wil.  Jy mag net nie meer pluk as wat jy dieselfde dag gaan gebruik nie, want dit word baie gou vrot. Ek kon dus lank daar vertoef, in die middel van die woud.  Vir dae het ek net myself as geselskap gehad

Face Reading

Facial Overviews

Divide face into three horizontal sections to determine which is the most prominent. 

Top section - the forhead, from the hairline to the eyebrows:

Focus is mental, be sure to give them all the information and data available. 

Middle section – nose

Ambition, the love of status and prestage.  Any longwinded explanations wouldn’t work with them. So get to the point.  However, a sincere and well timed acknowledgement of their appreciation for quality will not be out of place.

Bottom – mouth

Earthy and well grounded.  They can’t be stampered into anything.  They make up their minds at their own speed.  Give them the space they need.  They hate feeling crowded by anyone. 

Relasionships between face features reveal their owners life story.  With practise you will stop seeing the peases of the puzzle, and start seeing each person as a whole. 

FACE SHAPE

Broad or Wide (Wide or square faced)

-       Selfconfident, great strenght (like a tiger) do not fear challenge

Narrow or thin face (Long or thin)

-       Feels fear, works best independantly

Diamond shaped face (wide cheeks, narrow chin)

-       Impatient, quick minded

Pear shaped (broadest under cheeks)                   

-       Peacemaker, but not a pushover, tramendous tenacity

Flat faced (no features protrune, plain, largly flat)

-       honest about feelings, polite, unasuming, helpful

FACE TYPES

Mental type (thin faced large forehead, small jaw and chin)

-       Intellectual, internal focus, retreating inward when troubled.

Physical type (large square faced, big jaws and chin)

-       Doer, needs space and freedom, compedative.

-       You respond to life with action, can do attitude, challenge is with expressing feelings.

Emotional type (round face and chin, full cheeks)

-       people person, likes good food, enjoys group activities.  Like sharing

Combination face types

Mental / Physical (broad forhead & square chin)

-       mecanical ability, plan projects, active doer.

Mental / Emotional (high broad forehead & round chin)

-       capable director, good manager, reserved about self.

Physical / Emotional (Square faced, round chin)

-       Energetic personality, loves people and comfort, good sense of direction.

FACIAL DOMINANCE

Large upper area (from original hairline to eyebrows, not a receiding hairline)

-       focuses on ideas and information

-       loves distinctions

Large middle area (from eyebrows to nose tip)

-       Ambitious, apreciates quality

Large lower area (from nose tip to chin)

-       wants practical applications of ideas

-       Well grounded

Small upper area

-       persistance, determined

Small middle area

-       hard worker, well respected

Small lower area

-       sensitive, not physicaly grounded

PROFILE TYPES

Combines facial features in groundings in recognisable personality types. 

Convecs – Sloping forehead, large nose with a high bridge, a mouth that pretrudes further than the chin, teeth that protrude outwards.  The eyes are full and quite prominent.

Convecs – forhead angles back, nose most forward

-       quick mind, impulsive and impatient.  Directs others.

Extreem convecs – promenant nose, extreem angle to forehead and chin.

-       observant and energetic, fluent speech, quick in action

Moderatly convecs – mild angle of forehead and chin

-       tangable results, more self restrained, gets co-operation from others

Concave – full forehead, protruding chin

Creative, problemsolving, moderate energy level.

Extreem concave – dish shaped profile

-       mild mannered, dreamer, procrastinator, diplomatic in speech

Balanced – neither convecs nor concave profile

-       Balance in thought, carefull in speech, versitile.  Good balance between physical & mental and emotional areas of your life. 

PROFILE COMBINATIONS

Upper face – thought processes

Lower face – implimenting thoughts into action

Convex / concave (forehead slants back, chin protrudes)

-       mentally quick, patient in action, thinks before speaking

Concave / Convex (forehead full, chin receits)

-       emotional approuch to work, may act without thinking

HEAD TYPES

Overall perpective

High crown, low forehead (highest point at crown)

-       dominating, sceptical, persistant

-       quick mind, insists on being shown

High forehead, low crown (highest point at hairline)

-       hopeful, optimistic, and trusting

-       discurraged by adversity

Round head (widest part just above the ears)

-       fearless dominating force

Square head (vertical highs above the ears with flattend top)

-       causious and prudent, dependable, might be reluctant to go to battle for your ideas.

  

FACE READING

FEATURE SUMMARY

The face is a living map and there is no unimportant part of it.  Each feature reveals something.  The following summary is a quick reference of keywords to the significant of each feature or area. 

Forehead               Thinking style

                              Mental development

Eyebrow                Mental process

                              Thinking patterns

                              Mental approach

Eyes                     Outlook on life

                             Openness to others

Emotional acceptiveness

Stress level

Deception

Eyelids                 Intimacy level

                             Degree of openness, or lack of openness

        

Eye puffs              Sensitivity to Environment

                             Discomfort

Nose                   Work style

                           Money matters

                           Job requirements

                           Trust issues

Nostrils              Generosity

                           Expansiveness

                           Energy level

Ears                   Interaction with others

                          Dependence quotient

                          Basis of reality

                          Reception of data

Mouth               Self-expression

                          Pessimist quotient

Lips                   Manifestation of thoughts

                          Sensuality

                          Sexuality

                          Emotional expressiveness

Teeth                Stubbornness

                         Gumption

                         Shyness

Smiles          Generosity

                     Coyness

                     Sincerity

Jaws              Personal strength

                      Stamina

                      Loyalty

Cheeks                  Personal power

Energy style

Healing power

Chin                     Assertiveness

                            Aggressiveness

                            Sensitivity to criticism

Dimples     Playfulness

                  Humour

                  Helpfulness

Lines           Gifts

                    Challenges met

Facial Hair         High sensitivity (read beard like chins)

Ear / eyebrow

Combos             Relationship between intake analysis and processing of information

Chin / Eyebrow

Combos               Relationship between mental perspective and final action

Face shape  Self-confidence

                    Impatience

                    Peacemaker

Face types   Mental / Physical / Emotional

Profile        Personality Gestalt

Head types  Domineering

                  Cautious

Dominance   General life focus

                 

                 

                 

                 

                 

Wear Sunscreen - by Mary Schmich

Lady’s and Gentleman, of the class of ’99

Wear Sunscreen

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. A long term benefits of sunscreen have been proven by scientists, for the rest of my advise, there is no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.  I will dispense this advice ..

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth.  Oh never mind.  You will not understand the power and the beauty of your youth until they faded.  But trust me, in twenty years you’ll be looking at photographs of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibilities lay before you, and how fabulous you looked. You are not as fat as you imagined.

Don’t worry about the future, or worry that know that worrying is as effective as solving a algebra equation by chewing bubble gum.  The real troubles in your life are abed to be things that never crossed your worried mind.  The kind that blind size you at four PM on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing everyday that scares you.

Sing

Don’t be reckless with other peoples hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss

Don’t waist your time on jealousy, sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes your behind.  The race is long and in the end, it is only with yourself.

Remember complements you receive, forget the insults (if you succeed in doing this, tell me how!)

Keep your old love letters.  Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life, the most interesting people I know didn’t know at twenty two what they wanted to do with their lives.  Some of the most interesting forty  year olds still don’t. 

Get plenty of calcium.  Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they are gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t.

Maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t.

Maybe you’ll divorce at forty.  Maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your seventy fifth wedding anniversary.

What ever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either.  Your choices are half chance.  So are everybody else’s.

Enjoy your body , use it in every way you can.  Don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it.  It’s the greatest instrument you will ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents, you never know when they will be gone for good.

Be nice to your siblings, they’re your best link to your past, and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few, you should hold on.

Work hard to fill the gaps between geography and lifestyle because the older you get the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York city once, but leave before it makes you hard.  Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths:  Prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old.  And when you do, you’ll fantasize that prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don’t expect anyone else to support you.  Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you have a wealthy spouse.  But you never know when either one might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you’re forty, it will look eighty five.

Be careful who’s advise you buy, but be patient with those who supply it.  Advise is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of wishing the past from the disposal, wiping it of, painting over the ugly parts, and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.