Your personal Book of Shadows
In the world of Charly Cutter, spells, elixirs and rituals play an important role. Therefore, many spells are revealed here that you can include in your own Book of Shadows. Charly Cutter comes into contact with magic at a very early age and records everything he reads about it or is taught by the Circle of Twelve after it is revealed to him that he has a magical past.
Charly Cutter wants to follow in his mother's footsteps, and Othilia will do everything she can to give him the training he needs to one day face her, Moira Grace Moore, herself. Because there is this self-fulfilling prophecy that sooner or later will not only mess up his life.
Good and evil must be brought back into balance after Haglot becomes the darkest point on the map of the magical world. So be prepared and collect all the important things in your personal Book of Shadows.
From now on, Emily Tabitha Frost and Marvin Faraday, as well as many other witches and wizards will reveal their knowledge here! With each release of a new Charly Cutter adventure, this Book of Shadows will also grow and you are welcome to take it over.
The mostly handwritten Book of Shadows is nothing more than a witch's diary and notebook. Every family member over the age of 11 should keep their own Book of Shadows. It goes without saying that a child will transfer the family's spells and rituals to his BDS (abbreviation for Book of Shadows), while at the same time deepening the knowledge of what his family has acquired over the years (or generations).
In Meridia there are books that are more than 350 years old. The oldest book of shadows found in Meridia belongs to the Liberum-Barum family, which is another name for such a book of shadows: Liberum Barum stands for Liber Umbarum - the black book! Her family saved and preserved the book despite all the adversity, but above all they were able to supplement it. The origin of her book lies in the year 1634 and was then extended, supplemented and sometimes even mucked out by the following generations, if this appeared necessary. Thus, in all the centuries, a book has been able to develop that has no equal.
But also the book of the Shadows of the Lockhardts could grow over two centuries and many generations. The actual content of these books is quickly explained: everything that produces a magical family is recorded in this book. These include the magical and occult laws as well as the magical and spiritual cosmology, magical exercises, rituals, spells and the classification tables, some of which I have included in this book.
Thus it is far from our intention to claim that the ancient knowledge of wise women has been irretrievably lost. With some suspicion we have observed how self-proclaimed warlocks in the 1950s and 60s claimed to have the sole heritage of that ancient knowledge. Many records have survived - not least in the form of a Book of Shadows. Nowadays, such books are also created in digital form, but the certain charm of a book is lost. However, there is no reason why new media should not be included.
I have already seen digital books in which instructions even appear as video to demonstrate the correct use of the magic tools to the children or how they have to call the four elements. With these digital books, however, I miss a clear goal of these recordings. Because they're not just to be copied, they're to become flesh and blood, and that's what happens best when a book is copied by hand and its rituals and other contents are meditated upon. It is not unusual for entire rituals to have been put on ice or thrown over the top as soon as they have been performed by the next generation.
Another important purpose should not be underestimated. In your own book of shadows you can reflect better on the progress you have made. Here you can clearly see the progress you have made, but also the failures you have taken, in your training as a witch. Speaking of training to become a witch! Many families have another book in addition to the Book of Shadows, the so-called Liber Actios - a training manual designed to help the growing witch become familiar with everything. At this point I would like to briefly mention that my husband, Magnus Lockhardt, is currently working on such a Liber Actios - in digital form. It should serve the children and young people to train themselves in magical arts and skills, even if there is no adult at hand. My husband is making this Liber Actio in collaboration with Lewis Cartwright, principal of Meridia, and Emmett Silverstone, to give a book to all those who are not fortunate enough to be taught at a magical school that will lead them step by step to magic. When exactly the book will be available outside Meridia, I will announce!
But now back to the actual purpose of keeping a Book of Shadows. A Book of Shadows is your personal companion, it tells you where you stand and how much you have developed lately. Everything you consider important belongs in this book. Sometimes these can also be recipes! And the most important thing at the end: Every family member has a right to keep a book of shadows that is not read by anyone!
The traditional witch year begins with Samhain - even if this is seen differently in many places. Because all too often people orient themselves only on a calendar, which was forced upon us centuries ago, without however taking into account the annual circle celebrations and the characteristics in the witch year. And even today, in many countries and cultures, the New Year is still celebrated on the 31st of December; but not with us - the witches! Our new year begins with death and dissolution, but also with rebirth and a new beginning; and on no other day of the year will we be as close to our ancestors as we are to Samhain (All Saints' Day). For witches, Samhain is a time when the connection between both worlds - that of the living and that of the dead - is most permeable.
We, the living, can contact and come into contact with the dead in Samhain, especially by commemorating their dead. In many places, death feasts are celebrated. On this day, the deceased again (increasingly) come to our attention. We become aware that at the end of a life death awaits us, but that death is not goodbye forever. While adult witches get in contact with the ancestors through seances and other oracles to gain knowledge about the underworld, Samhain - also called Halloween - can be celebrated with children in a similarly ghostly way.
Last but not least, Samhain also serves to relieve our children of the horror of death that is part of our lives. Often enough death is tabooed, and silence comes up when people ask about the whereabouts of our deceased. So how can this topic be implemented with our children? First of all, it is important that we remember our ancestors, and that we don't keep them and the memories of them in dusty boxes, i.e. that our ancestors, if not all year long, should at least be the focus of attention on Samhain. Already three days before Samhain the house (or the flat) should be decorated according to the occasion - apples and hazelnuts belong in any case to it! Deceased relatives and friends find themselves now in the picture frames, which we set up in particular in the living area in large numbers (or gather there).
Two days before Samhain you can start preparing food and drinks (as long as no food or drink has a longer preparation time); and as it can be a long night, you should also make sure you have enough cakes and pastries - but please don't buy them in the supermarket! It is best to involve your children in all preparations: decorating the rooms and the altar, preparations in the kitchen and of course in the preparation of all food and drinks. If your children want to go around the houses with other children to play trick-or-treating, there's no reason why they shouldn't think about a costume together beforehand. Most Halloween costumes are of creepy nature, because you don't want to be recognized as a living person by the ghosts and wandering ancestors, who will be on the road that night. And this custom didn't just come into being in America, as is often mistakenly assumed; but this custom of dressing up as Samhain and begging for donations at the doors is an originally pagan festival that was brought to life by the Celts and expanded by the Irish with all sorts of customs. Immigrants from Ireland then brought this custom to America, where it has certainly lost its originality and spirituality. And also to us, after Meridia, this custom came in the year 1861 from Ireland and was able to remember his old roots here.
But now finally an example of how a typical Samhain festival is celebrated here: Already weeks in advance the costumes are tinkered. No child in Meridia would wear a purchased costume, and so the grannies are often hitched to sew the costumes for the children. In many places there are children's parties where the most beautiful and scariest costumes are awarded; not to mention the terrible masks! Traditionally, all kinds of undead are considered for a Halloween costume: vampires, werewolves, mummies ... but also skeletons and ghosts as well as scary figures from the underworld!
After all preparations concerning food and drinks are done, the house (or apartment) should be smoked so that everyone can get in the mood for the upcoming party. Already in the early morning of Samhain there is a pleasant smell in the air. The fresh wholemeal all sorts for the bread basket are taken out of the oven. A common breakfast strengthens for the long day. During the breakfast last things can be discussed, which one does not want to take over into the new year. Now is the best time for discussion and for clearing the table, so that the New Year can begin without resentment or old burdens.
In the morning of Samhain everyone can think about which stories to tell later. In the kitchen, all further preparations for the festival are completed, i.e. as soon as lunch and dinner have been prepared, the fireplaces (or ovens) in many households are polished, because when the ancestors visit you, everything should be beautiful and clean. After lunch has been prepared by all members of the family, the table is set and eaten. The table can be decorated with apples, nuts and willow twigs. Some families also bind a new witch's broom for Samhain, which consists of an ash tree (to protect against drowning), birch twigs (against evil spirits) and willow - and with which the kitchen and the remaining rooms are swept out the next morning. This witch broom stays in the kitchen (or in a chamber) for a year and pulls all evil out of the house. The old broom of the previous year can be burned either solemnly in the fireplace or in a ritual fire.
In the afternoon of Samhain, the first guests usually arrive who belong to the closest family circle and who often stay overnight - because who wants to be on the road that night? Cake and tea will be served. Of course the Samhain cake and Tabithas carrot cake are recommendable here; and just because of the smell: also Samhain apples (better known as baked apple)! The baked apples can also be prepared in small Roman pots directly at the table, which not least brings a certain magic to the living room.
In the early evening of Samhain the children can move around the houses to play trick or treat. It is best for the children to go in small groups of 5 people each, accompanied by an older child or adult. When children come to your front door to beg for sweets, you can put homemade pastries, apples and nuts in their bags. Smaller games can often be played, such as apple dipping, in which the child has to try to dip hands behind their back for apples lying in a water tub. The fastest child gets a special reward, such as Tabitha's token!
By the way: By placing hollowed out pumpkins at your front door you not only signal to the children that they are allowed to knock on your door, but only through these shining pumpkins you enable your ancestors to find their way to you, because they are attracted especially by the yellow light of the pumpkins.
Later in the evening - it's dark outside now - the fireplace in the living room will be lit; and if you don't have a fireplace, light as many candles as possible. Burn some incense and then begin to tell you about the ancestors. You can use the many photos you have taken to remember your ancestors. But you can also sit in a circle and look at old photo albums. Then you can remember the life of your ancestors by commemorating their deeds. Maybe your ancestors left something lasting, a book, a painting or other things still in your house. Tell how the picture or the book came into being... And maybe you even have a book of shadows that has been passed down through generations, where your ancestors have immortalized themselves. Is there possibly a recipe, a spell or a ritual that comes from the ancestor's pen?
If possible, try to go back at least two or three generations. Who were your grandparents, who were your great-grandparents? It's always good to know who belongs to your family tree! By the way! Have you already created your own family tree? If not, a family tree can also be included in the preparations for Samhain. Together with your children you can browse the internet. There are good portals to help you create your own family tree! If you want to have a very special deceased person with you this evening, decorate an altar in his honor, add something the person has worn: maybe a scarf or a hat, or even a magic tool he left you, like an athame, a magic wand or a chalice ...
Cover a plate for this person as well, for every meal you eat that day, even in your circle in the evening, a place of honor should be assigned to this person - a place of honor in your midst! Put some cookies or pastries on a plate (which you will put in front of the front door just before going to sleep). Over a cup of hot chocolate or honey milk, gradually let the evening fade away. Children under the age of 13 should go to bed shortly before noon at the latest! They should also not be torn from their sleep, let alone from their sweet dreams, for any upcoming night hike.
With children over 13 years a nocturnal ritual can still be carried out: the ritual for Samhain! The ritual should be performed outdoors if possible, and preferably where three paths meet. On the way you take a hollowed out shining pumpkin as well as some food for your ancestors. Midnight is a good time, but even better are the darkest hours before dawn. If you have a grove, you should prefer this place. There you'll build (another) altar, decorated with apples, hazelnuts, a wicker basket with three painted eggs (red and black) and some fish. Depending on the tradition in which you grew up, the Samhain ritual can be different. Therefore I will give you here a ritual that has been used many times before.
On the altar there is also a photo of your ancestor with whom you want to get in touch. Red and black candles are used here. And then you are free whether you want to work with the goddess Hekate or Hel, or prefer to work with your ancestor as mediator of the underworld. I'm giving here a ritual that is connected to Hekate: For the goddess Hekate place another silver candle on the altar and burn some incense and sage or other herbs matching the goddess and the season. The ritual is performed naked, but you can also wear a black robe.
Let a chalice with a thick red herb juice (e.g. hibiscus or rose hip) go around, which you have seasoned well with cinnamon, cloves, pimento etc., take a strong sip of it. Burn some mugwort and mandrake in a kettle of iron, tin or other fireproof material. Form a circle as usual (for instructions on how to proceed with a ritual, see the chapter The Structure of the Ritual), and then summon the goddess Hekate by knocking on the earth. Whisper first, then become louder and louder ...
Hekate, Hekate, Hekate, Hekate!
Goddess of the swamp and the heathen.
Goddess of sacred crossroads.
Divine, wise old woman,
Bringer of death, soul eater,
Queen of the Night, Master of Shadows,
Mistress of the Underworld,
we call you ...
Howl now, beat on the ground and on drums, bring out the goddess from the land of the dead with your lamentation:
Sweet secret,
dark knowledge,
hidden wisdom,
Bringer of chaos and madness,
let us enter your world,
so we could get to know you,
we bring libations and gifts.
Show us your dark face,
your bloody, wise secret,
lead us into the shadows,
into the darkest night.
Hekate brings back memories of past burns, torture and betrayal. She brings pain, sorrow and grief. She brings anger, fury and madness. But it also brings peace, acceptance and forgiveness. Accept everything she brings to you. Cry and howl. Scream, squirm, let go (and fall), and do whatever it triggers in you. Hekate is agony and ecstasy, the goddess of wild places. Now each of you goes to the cauldron and sits down in front of it for a while. It contains burning coals; throw some of the incense on it. Take in the holy scents. Let visions and memories rise ... Let the cross-cut apple revealing the secret and the red drink go around. Take the time to talk to others who have already passed through the veil between worlds. Remember them and bless them. Then everyone in your group offers a personal sacrifice that you do not want to take with you into the New Year: a habit, a relationship, a way of thinking (i.e. an idea that is stuck in your head and that becomes stronger the more you energize it). Write the following on a piece of paper, fold it twice lengthwise, go to the kettle with it and burn it with the words:
I clean with fire.
With fire I burn.
With the ending wheel of the year
may you end, too.
With the beginning of the new year
divorce us.
Be blessed!
Finally you thank the goddess Hekate and dissolve the circle. Carry your gifts of fish and eggs to the fork and leave them there. Then go away without looking around again. Nobody asks you to work with the gods and goddesses or even prefabricated rituals. If you live in a Wicca tradition that prefers to do without this work, you can still create your own ritual with which you can do something similar. If your family has a Book of Shadows, you will also find a ritual for Samhain in it. If you're the first in your family to be involved with the Witch Cult, create your own Book of Shadows. By the way: Rituals don't have to be reproduced verbatim, they shouldn't sound memorized. Instead, let your inner voice speak, your gut feeling! Once you have hit the right note, the rituals also work without memorizing long texts.
On November 1st you can visit your dead ancestors in the cemetery. Decorate the grave with apples and nuts. Sing songs to them and then say goodbye to them with joy for a reunion. In Meridia, in the early morning hours of the 1st of November, a druid priest brings the consecrated fire into our house, with which we light our hearth fires again. If you don't have the privilege of a druid in your neighborhood, you can also bring the consecrated fire home from your ritual. Light an orange candle at the ritual fire, which you can safely transport home in your hollowed out pumpkin. The candle should burn for several hours in the kitchen before you light the new hearth fire at dawn. And don't forget: Once you've tied a new witch broom, you'll have to solemnly hand over the old one to the fire during your ritual. You can also tie wish lists to this old broom, which will come true later this year!
No other festival is as suitable for making prophecies as the night on Halloween. So I want to give you some oracle and prophecy methods. If you're already familiar with runes, you can mark pumpkin seeds with runes on Halloween and then throw them. How to do this is explained in the appendix of this chapter. But it's not just the runes that are a good way to take a look through the veil; numerology is also a great way to create little numeroscopes for you or your friends on Halloween. In this book I will introduce you to the two most commonly used methods, but if you want to learn more about ''Magic Working with Runes & Numbers'', you should buy my husband's book: Magnus Lockhardt gives an introduction to both oracle possibilities - easy to understand and comprehensible for everyone!
I also want to bring the Tarot into conversation at this point. Although I did not explain the Tarot to you due to lack of space, but with the Tarot you can make good prophecies; with them you can take a look into your past, present and future. There are many different tarot decks on the market, from cheap variations to kitschy or even "strange" - but I noticed a tarot deck that I can only recommend to you: The DruidCraft!
This Tarot has succeeded in what no Tarot has succeeded in before; its creators Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm have combined druidism with witchcraft. Their Tarot cards, illustrated by Will Worthington, will help you find a quick introduction to this oracle, as the cards have a wealth of symbols to help you interpret them. So here's my recommendation: If you don't own a Tarot yet, buy DruidCraft - The Druid and Wicca Tarot, it should not be missing in any druid and/or witch household, as it's essential for prophecies. However, his 78 cards cannot be presented in a nutshell, so I will do without them completely here. As I said, Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm did this work for me in an impressive way. Further oracle possibilities on Halloween I will record here in due time.