Contents
xi
The Power of Belief . . . 119 Need over Trivial Desire . . . 120 Clear Intent and Energy Input . . . 120 The Active Principle . . . 121 Visualisation: Magick Incarnate . . . 122 Magick: The Essence of Life . . . 124 Everyday Magick: The Charms of Life . . . 125
8: Ritualising . . . 127 Reasons for Ritual . . . 128 Personal Preparation: Harnessing Self-Awareness . . . 133 Purification: Casting the Circle . . . 134 Birthing a Universe: A Philosophy . . . 135 Which Way Is Witch? Elemental Orientation . . . 137 Quick Circle: For the Witch on the Run! . . . 141 Note for the Wayward . . . 142 Ritual Guidelines for the Practical Pagan . . . 142 Gnosis . . . 149 The Drama of Ritual . . . 151 Spontaneous Ritual . . . 155 Rites of Passage . . . 156
9: Divinity . . . 165 Painting the Gods: Defining Deity . . . 166 Pantheism: God Is All and All Is God . . . 167 Polytheism: Legacy of the Pantheon . . . 171 Animism: The Spirit Within . . . 178 Ditheism: God and Goddess . . . 181 The Archetype: A Universal Model . . . 189 Ultimate Consciousness: God and the Self . . . 195 Deity and Youth . . . 197 What I Believe . . . 199