official newsletter of the temple of...

The Temple Bell • Lammas 2012 1

Official newsletter of the Temple of WitchcraftQuarterly Lamas 2012

From the Editor...

The bright Sun of Litha is nowwaning, even as the temperatures stillsoar. Lammas brings the dog days,named not for the panting pooch underthe front porch, but for Sirius, the DogStar, one of the brightest stars in thesky. There is a trick to its bril-liance - what the naked eyeperceives as a single star is ac-tually a binary star system, twostars doing the work of one.

Its power was both hon-ored and feared by the ancientRomans, who held the yearlyRobigalia in April to protectthe upcoming wheat harvestfrom diseases they believed tobe caused by the star’s emana-tions. The life of the commu-nity, the life of the people,were both linked intimatelyand inseparably to the bountyof the grain.

And so now is the time ofthe first gathering in, the timeof sacrifice and harvest, inex-tricable. Here is the time ofbread, the soul of the wheatand the work of hands, brokenupon our plates to nourish andserve and connect us. Ourfood - especially that most ba-sic of nourishment, bread – isour link to each other. Afterall, the word “companion” comes fromthe Latin com panis, as in “bread with.”

I have heard it said a witch is nev-er alone. Indeed, one of the great un-derstandings of this path is not only theknowledge that this is so, but a celebra-tion of the connections we share with

other witches, with our guides andguardians and teachers, and with thedifferent parts of ourselves. Thisquarter’s newsletter is a part of thatsharing. It comes with sacrifice - yes,much time and hard work go into eachpublication - but like the bread, the fruit

of the harvest, it is offered with openhands and open hearts. May it be re-ceived with the same.

In this edition, Temple Co-Found-er Christopher Penczak explains theunique spiritual and administrativestructure of the Temple in this quarter’s

Founder’s Corner column. Temple Bellco-editor Raye Snover contributes twointerviews: one with Jocelyn VanBoke-lyn on the spiritual and material harvestof her work on the farm, and a secondwith Jhenah Telydru on her women’sretreat celebrating the harvest of an au-

thentic self. Daedalus shares“grist for the mill” in his ex-ploration of how the processof transforming grain intoflour is an analogy for spiritualtransformation. Howling Hilloffers a primer on preservingthe harvest bounty throughcanning, while Shea Morgandescribes a very different kindof planting and harvesting inher piece on working with thebanes (complete with photo-graphs). Spirita Dulche cele-brates the Sabbat through lyricin her poem “Lammas” andColleen Corcoran conjuressome divine masculine energyin her “Ode to the God.” And- as always - you’ll find all youneed to stay up to date withthe Temple through its Minis-try Updates and a report onTempleFest 2012 (more pho-tographs!).

Blessed Be!

Tina

Tina Whittle is a mystery novelist/freelance writerliving and working in the Lowcountry of SoutheastGeorgia. She is currently a Witchcraft IV studentin the Temple and is co-editor of The Temple Bell.

Front page art, newsletter design and layout byDeb Brown, www.debo.com, [email protected], UX Designer.


F O U N D E R S C O R N E R

Blueprints, Foundations and ArchitectureBy Christopher Penczak

At the latest Temple of Witchcraft leadership retreat inApril, we had some time to reflect upon our past goals andsee how much we've accomplished in such a short amountof time since incorporating as an organization. Whoever saidthat organizing Pagans is like herding cats evidently didn'tmeet us (or we all happen to be a highly motivated breed ofcat). We discussed the balance between the administrativeand the mystical, and how not to lose sight of either whenworking in community. One of the proposed future goalswas to do a better job of explaining our unique structure,which is unlike most traditions, temples, and non-profits. Ifound it an appropriate objective, since for me the structureis a strong blend of both the functional administrative workand the mystical principles guiding us.

The spiritual foundation of theTemple's organization is based upon thepoetic and mystical inspiration thateventually became my book The ThreeRays of Witchcraft. In essence, it is a focuson the spiritual principles of Will, Love,and Wisdom as a path to evolution andenlightenment. In the dawning Age ofAquarius, the modeling structure ismore horizontal, based upon more later-al relationships. A circle, where each ofus is a unique point making that circle, isa great image for this type of relation-ship. Yet as we transition from the Ageof Pisces, whose hallmark is verticalstructures and relationships, we strive to find an inclusiveand effective balance of both. We have a cosmology of threeworlds, like the shamanic practitioner with an upper world,underworld, and middle world. Through this vertical struc-ture, we have the horizontal formation of three rays in eachof the three worlds, diversifying the experience. By holdingboth of these principles, we can create something appropri-ate for this time of transition.

While much of the more theological teachings can befound in the Three Rays book for practitioners, the model ofthrees, rather than twos, inspires the organization of theTemple. The dualism of most Wiccan structures, focused onGoddess and God, and thereby High Priestess and HighPriest, is the guiding force. Traditional coven structures cre-ate a family dynamic, with the HPS and HP taking on asomewhat parental role. While it might sound strange, inmany religious traditions, students goes through a breakingdown and building up in that religion's parental model, be-

coming able to eventually do the same when hiving off tocreate their own group in the tradition. After experiencingthat— to a certain extent once in Wicca, and when I startedstudying Kundalini Yoga in the Sihk tradition—I was notwilling to undergo the process to that extant again. It’s a veryPiscean procedure.

Unfortunately many who take on this parental role doso unconsciously and don't realize they are holding the spacefor others to experience the transformation. The coven dy-namic then becomes the family dynamic, and rather thanresolving issues from the birth family, such problems can bemagnified and new ones created among the members. Be-cause of this, less formal structures such as “circles,” solitarypractitioners, and public rituals have developed. These newmodels are results of exploration of different dynamics as we

shift our consciousness.

The Temple's inspiration wasbased on three: Will, Love, and Wis-dom. From the three points in the cen-ter, we work out in expansive rings,based upon the five elements and twelvezodiac signs. We work on a circularmodel moving from the inner ring out-ward and the outer rings inward. Manypeople hold dual or triple roles, one ineach of the rings.

The inner ring of leadership con-sists of the spiritual founders of theTemple of Witchcraft. Each position isakin to a foundation stone, a necessary

leg to a three-legged chair, like those tripods of the oracle ofDelphi. Each founder embodies one of the three principles,and one of the three paths detailed in the teachings of TheThree Rays of Witchcraft. Will is embodied by a figure of sover-eignty and warrior-ship. They are responsible for the protec-tion, boundaries and justice within the Temple. This founderasks, “What is the collective Will of the Temple?” The RedRay of Will is closely aligned with both the angelic realm andthe geomantic forces, or “dragon lines,” of the Earth. Loveis embodied by a seer or prophet. They bring a connectionto the otherworldly forces of nature and temper our workwith compassion, though often compassion is fierce, notsentimental. The most loving thing can be doing what is nec-essary, not what is easy. This founder asks, “Where does theheart lead?” The Blue Ray of Love is aligned with the FaeryRaces. Wisdom is embodied by a priest or priestess figure, orsorcerer-magician, putting knowledge into appropriate ac-



tion. This founder asks, “What is the wisest course to take?”The Yellow Ray of Wisdom is aligned with the Mighty Dead,the enlightened ancestors who lived a magickal life.

Currently the three founder positions are held by me,Steve Kenson, and Adam Sartwell, but can be passed on tosuccessors upon death or resignation. If other semi-autono-mous branches of the Temple were to develop in other loca-tions, at a minimum three ministers would be required toanchor these principles. Every Spring Equinox, or Ostara,the founders rotate positions, each holding a principle for ayear. Various spiritual rituals are the responsibility of eachfounder, based upon the energy of that position, for thegood of the Temple. For example the Blue Ray Founderholds the Cauldron of Siochan annually, a ritual of peace andgood will for the community and healing for all misgivings.As the body of Temple loregrows, so do these commu-nity rituals.

Legally, the Temple isrun by a Board of Directors,with the traditional roles ofPresident, Vice-President,Secretary, and Treasurer. Alllegal and fiduciary duty isheld by the Board of Direc-tors. While the Founders areresponsible for the spiritualvision and well-being of theTemple, they have no legalauthority and can only advisethe Board. The magickalsymbolism of the board isbased upon the elements,with the President represent-ing fire, and leadership, theVice-President representingwater, and support, the Sec-retary representing air, withcommunication and record keeping, and the Treasurer repre-senting earth, with financial responsibility. Additionally thereis a fifth support member of the board, an overall trouble-shooter, advisor, and aid for the element of Spirit.

Supporting the Board of Directors in the work of theTemple is a Council of Lead Ministers. Each Lead Ministerheads a branch of the Temple's ministry, based upon thetwelve zodiac signs and the twelve archetypes associatedwith them. Each ministry branch has aspects supporting thegeneral public, as well as activities both specific to the Tem-ple of Witchcraft community and the spiritual mystical sideof each signs (threes again). Each Lead Minister can autho-rize three deputy ministers to help with the work, and form

committees and volunteers as needed. The Council as awhole, or individual Lead Ministers, can make recommenda-tions to the Board.

These branches are as follows:Aries – Warrior – Develops martial arts and warrior

training, as well as outreach to Pagans within the armed forc-es.

Taurus – Steward – Educates and implements environ-mental and sustainability policies, as well as reconnects peo-ple to the mysteries of nature.

Gemini – Trickster – Fosters communication and net-working, queer mysteries, and questions authority.

Cancer – Mother – Explores women's mystery andministers to children, families, and provides “hearth” sup-

port of food and hospitality.

Leo – Artisan – Worksin the areas of graphics andmusic as mediums of thespiritual practice.

Virgo – Healer – Main-tains the healing lists andgroups, and crafts apothe-cary products for the Templegift store.

Libra – Judge – Focuseson conflict resolutionthrough mediation, publicrelations, and higher educa-tion.

Scorpio – Guardian –Deals with the spiritual as-pects of sexuality and death,providing support in cross-ing and grief.

Sagittarius – Teacher –Tends to the Mystery

School, Seminary, and public education series.

Capricorn – Father – Coordinates Rites of Passage andPrison outreach/education.

Aquarius – Rebel – Focuses on community buildingand social consciousness

Pisces – Ecstatic – Organizes public rituals and com-munity divination projects.

If the concentric rings can be seen as the horizontalmovement of the Temple leadership structure, another divi-sion of three can be seen as the expression of the vertical



axis. The Temple membership can be divided into threemain bodies and three main types of membership.

The Temple's largest base is what is known as the Min-isterial Church, comprised of our General Members. It pro-vides an arena for our ministers to minister to the Pagancommunity. To become a General Member, you simply needto attend three official Temple events. General members canbe consecrated and formally welcomed into the communityat a Sabbat or Moon ritual.

Students attend the Mystery School of the Temple,learning the first four degrees of the Temple of Witchcrafttradition. Each degree is based upon the elements, movingthrough fire, earth, water, and air. Enrollment in the MysterySchool, in person or online, grants Honored Membership(not Honorary). Honored Members often volunteer in someservice capacity in the Temple as a part of their learning.

Graduates of all four levels of the Mystery School canapply to the Seminary program for training as a HighPriest/ess in the Temple. While not the educational equiva-lent of a Master of Divinity, the training does provide a cur-riculum of both the inner mysteries experience and theeducation for ministering to the greater community. Gradu-ates of the program become Ministerial Members. MinisterialMembers are more likely to hold positions of leadershipwithin the Temple. We know they have done a minimumlevel of introspective work to function effectively in thecommunity.

Ministerial Members seeking legal recognition asministers—including teaching and performing spiritualcounsel—can seek legal ordination through the Temple.Many graduates never seek ordination or leadership in theTemple, and simply pursue education for their own personaldevelopment, though public service is encouraged.

We could be classified as a cooperative meritocracy.Similar to other orders and secret societies based upon merit,the Temple grants more responsibility to those who demon-strate they can handle it effectively and act in an appropriateway. Cooperation is also essential, and refers to different de-partments in the Temple working together collaboratively.Individual will and drive is important, as various membersspearhead projects important to them that fall under theTemple's overall mission, seeking support from other appro-priate areas in the Temple, and in turn offering their supportwhen asked.

The most difficult aspect of the Temple's structure isencouraging those who wish to serve, who want to be put to“work,” but who don’t know how or where to serve. As theTemple is Will-motivated, such individuals are encouraged toserve where they feel most passionate, as any Witch shouldfeel passionate about their magick and their service. Thosewishing to volunteer should seek out the Lead Minister of

the areas they are most passionate about, and ask about vol-unteer opportunities. Everything begins with Will, and thenis supported by compassion and the wisdom to adapt andchange as necessary.

Our spiritual code for ministers, and ideally for allmembers, is summed up by seven key words: Responsibility,Community, Spirituality, Reverence, Tolerance, Boundaries,Mediation, and Empowerment. The first seven principlescan be associated with the seven gates/planets/charkas ex-plored in depth in the Ministerial Training of The LivingTemple of Witchcraft Volume I. The correspondences areResponsibility — Root/Saturn; Community—-Belly/Jupiter; Boundaries — Solar Plexus/Mars; Mediation— Heart/Venus; Tolerance — Throat/Mercury; Spirituality— Brow/Moon; Reverence — Crown/Sun. Together, theirunion leads to true Empowerment. We take responsibilityfor ourselves, our thoughts and words and actions. We seekto build a cooperative community together, and relate to thegreater community around us. Active pursuit of our spiritualpath is necessary at all stages of development. We revere na-ture and spirit as both divine, and tolerate other religiousviews, Pagan and non-pagan. We always seek to maintainappropriate boundaries and seek mediation when conflictscannot be easily resolved. Ultimately the magickal path is thepath of personal, and community, empowerment, and wetake actions that empower us through Will, Love and Wis-dom.

Christopher Penczak is co-founder of the Temple of Witchcrafttradition and organization, as well as its Sagittarius Lead ministeroverseeing education in the Temple. A metaphysical author and teacher,Christopher is best known for his Temple of Witchcraft series. Hislatest book, Buddha, Christ, Merlin: Three Wise Men for our Age, isnow available. Visit www.christopherpenczak.com for moreinformation.


A R T I C L E

By Howling Hill

Lughnasadh is the celebration of the harvest. And whatbetter way to celebrate the harvest than to preserve food forthe lean months of winter and early spring when your bodymost wants those summer eats?

I did not have family members to teach me the art ofpreserving food. Not because my relatives were gone, butbecause they were skills my mother, grandmother, andmother- in-law never learned. They rejected the teaching oftheir elders because at that time, prosperity in America wasshown by buying in a store rather that making things athome. My skills come from trial and error, watching videoson YouTube, reading blogs and asking questions.

There are no "cheats" in canning. You cannot takeshort cuts. Directions are made to be followed. If you cutcorners, the possibility of poisoning those you love increas-es. Canning is easy once you get past the fear that you willfoul it up and poison yourself. So follow the directions, andyou'll have some delectable foods in March to eat.

There are two kinds of canning: water bath and pres-sure. Water bath is the method used for most vegetables andfruits. Pressure canning is use for meats, broths, and soupsand is "advanced" canning. Water bath is the method I rec-ommend for canning newbies and what I will focus on here.

Canning jars come in a variety of sizes though the mostcommon are quart and pint. The lids can be screw-on orwire. Wire topped jars aren't easy to find anymore, althoughthe opposite is true for screw-on. Most stores carry the for-mer around the time of the harvest (generally speakingaround August). I find screw-on tops at the local grocerystore, although they are also found at hardware stores andonline. My first canning jars came from Freecycle.org, so Ididn't have to pay a dime. The screw-on rings and jars arereusable, but the lids themselves are one-time-only use.Make sure you discard them after you've finished whateveryou canned in the jar.

The first thing I canned was Eden's Zucchini Pickles. Ithought it would be a nice recipe to share since it's so easy.

Supplies:

2 1/2 cups sugar (do not use sugar substitutes. Ever.)2 cups apple cider vinegar (unpasteurized works best)1 cup water1 teaspoon kosher salt (table salt is not recommend incanning)

1 teaspoon celery seed1 1/2 tablespoons mustard seed2 large green (or red or yellow or orange) pepper slicedinto strips2 medium onions sliced into strips or rings (not minced)3 1/2 pounds unpeeled, sliced zucchini (rounds or longslices, whatever fits in the jar)Five-quart pot4 one-pint canning jars with lids and screw ringsCanning pot with rackWire cookie sheet

In a five-quart pot, combine sugar, vinegar, water, salt,celery seed, and mustard seed. Bring to a gentle boil overmedium heat, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar.

Place zucchini, pepper, and onion evenly amongst ster-ilized jars.

Pour syrup over veggies leaving 1/4 inch head space.

Put lids and screw tops on jar. Tighten lightly.

Cook for 30 minutes in a water bath canner.

The water bath must be boiling for 30 minutes. So, ifyou were to put the jars in the water when the water is cold,the 30 minutes doesn't start until the water is boiling. I don'tsuggest you put the jars in the cold water. Rather, get thewater boiling, sterilize the jars, then put the veggies and syr-up in the jar, cover with sterilized lids, then put into waterfor 30 minutes (see below for further directions on sterilizingand filling).

After taking jars out of the bath, put them on a wirecookie sheet. Make sure the screw tops are tight, but BECAREFUL not to break the thin seal the lid has made. Letcool. You may well hear the lid finishing the sealing process.It has a distinctive and very, very satisfying sound. Date yourpickles and eat within six months.

Head space: the space in the jar between the top ofthe liquid/veggies and the top of the jar. Generally directionscall for one-inch head space, though it could be more or less.This leaves air in the jar which will create a vacuum duringthe cooling process.

Sterilized jars, lids, and rings: jars, lids, and ringsmust be sterilized before use to kill any germs and bacteria.Be careful when adding food to the jars once sterilized (don'ttouch the inside of your jars, or the inside of the lids, afteryou've sterilized) or you'll have to do it again.

Canning Tips


A R T I C L E

The best method for sterilizing I've found is to put therack into the canning pot and fill the canning pot withenough water to cover all the jars completely. Add jars to thepot with the lids off, allowing the water to fill each jar. Turnthe stove on high. Allow the water to boil while you're put-ting the canning recipe together.

In a separate pot, put the lids and screw tops in waterand bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn down the heat andsimmer through the remainder of the canning process.

Once the pot with the jars is boiling, take the jars out ofthe bath and pour any water inside the jars back into the pot,leaving the stove on high. Place the HOT (very, very hot!) jaron a wet facecloth in the sink (use hot water to wet the face-cloth). Then add veggies, then syrup. Put the lid and screwtop on (lightly). Put the filled jar back into the canning pot(make sure it's still boiling). There's a time component here.You don't want the jars to cool too much, or they'll break inthe canning process, so move as quickly as you can whilekeeping the syrup and jars hot.

When done, don't throw the water out. Rather, put it inyour garden, use it for a bath, or just to flush the toilet. Wa-ter is a precious commodity these days, a nonrenewable re-source. We don't want to waste a drop.

There are kits you buy which have wide mouth funnels,tongs, and other items. I recommend picking one up if onlyfor the tongs. They are, by far, the most useful tool in can-ning. Getting the jars out of the water without burning your-self, spilling hot water everywhere, and without breaking thefragile seal is so much easier when you have the right tool.

Canning pots with wire racks are also really useful. Youdon't want the jars to sit on the bottom of the pot, so I sug-gest you pick one up. Maybe your grandmother has one or afriend's mother. Use Freecycle and yard sales before buyingnew. The exception to this rule is pressure canners. Thoseyou need to buy new because if you get a defective one, itcould quite possibly blow up if it's cracked, broken, or defec-tive in any way. I bought ours for $99.99 on Amazon a fewyears ago. It was a lot of money, but well worth it. .

Canning my own food is one of my great achievementseach year. There is nothing more satisfying than to look atmy pantry and see jars filled with yummies of all differentcolors and textures and think to myself, I made that! Canningmy own food helps reduce my carbon footprint because Ispend less at the grocery store where no one knows wherethe food came from. I know the food is organic because Igrew it myself, bought it from a local farm, or got it from myCSA. I feel good about eating, no longer thinking myselfshameful when I sit down at the table, knowing I am givingmy body good nutrition in the lean months of winter andearly spring.

Howling Hill lives in New Hampshire with her husband, Wolf, andtheir two cats. She writes about her adventures on her blog,HowlingHill.wordpress.com, on how to green up your life onTheGreenists.com, and a combination of the two on Nature.PaganNewsWireCollective.com. You can friend her on Facebook and like herAuthoress page, and get her tweets @howlinghill.


A R T I C L E

By Raye Snover

As Lammas approaches, signal-ing the start of the harvest season, wewatch as farmers bring in their cropsand in some cases start readying theirfields for the next year. In a phone in-terview from her home in New Hamp-shire, The Temple of Witchcraft’s owntreasurer and farmer Jocelyn Van Boke-lyn gives The Temple Bell some insightsinto the farming life.

TB: How long have you beenfarming?

JVB: I don’t know because youcould count having horses in my back-yard as having a little bit of that farmermentality in terms of caring for live-stock which I’ve been doing since I’vebeen seven. But I didn’t learn to drive atractor and start interacting with theland until 1994. I bought this place andstarted making hay. Then 2000, I think,I bought some cattle, which I don’thave anymore. But I’m still making hay.In between, I sort of picked up things.

TB: Such as?

JVB: Farming is not really some-thing that you learn from books . . .You can’t learn how to run this piece ofequipment or that piece of equipment,how to set up a field for a crop by read-ing a book about it. I got close with anold farmer here in town. We got hisproperty when he had to retire, but wegave him a life tenancy, so he lives rightthere which is awesome. I wasn’t reallyrealizing that when you have land, youhave to maintain it or it becomes allforest again. If you want to maintain itas crop land, you have to at least mowit. So I was pretty much focusing onhay and renovating fields for hay. In theprocess of learning how to use variouspieces of equipment like plows . . . Iwas repairing old equipment. I was go-ing to the local farmer, the old guy. Hespent a lot of time with me teaching me

how to do things properly. There arethings a book just can’t tell you.

TB: What are some of the thingshe taught you?

JVB: How a plow feels when youare plowing a field . . . how the tractorfeels . . . how to make those in time ad-justments when you adapt your speedto get the earth to turn over right. It’s aweird transition going from “O,h I cando this because I read about it in abook” to ”Oh, so that’s how it hap-pens.” It’s like witchcraft in that youcan read about it, and read about it, butuntil you practice it and do it and prac-tice it and do it, you’re not going to re-ally know it. So if I had to pick a timewhere I really understood the scope ofall of the skills that I would eventuallyneed to be a farmer, I would say it wasprobably 2004 or 2005.

TB: Do you just grow hay now ordo you grow vegetables?

JVB: Right now I’m just growinghay. I have a little flock of chickens,hens specifically for eggs. I have to kindof rebuild the infrastructure at my newplace to get set up for it again, but Iprobably pick up this summer three orfour baby pigs and one or two steer . . .just to raise them for food. I guessthere are two reasons I’m a farmer. Istarted with a little garden and a coupleof animals to eat because I wantedgood food. I was completely appalled atwhat comes out of the agribusiness . . .the way most things we call food at thegrocery store [are] produced are nothealthy. Not healthy in the final prod-uct for the people that are eating it [or]for the people that are producing it. Infact when I switched my diet over toprimarily either grown by me or grownby my tenants—we were keeping it lo-cal, keeping it “I know what land thiswas grown on”—over the course of afew years my transition [went] from

having lots of allergies to using pharma-ceuticals [only] about two weeks a year.

I started farming to get food toeat. I have deepened my knowledge andexperience and sensitivity. I feel it allthat much more, and I feel the land.You get the old farmers who did it be-cause that’s the way their Dad did it,and it’s always been done, and that’s theway they learned; the real young farm-ers are coming out of ag school, andthey’re all gung ho with these greatwonderful ideas and “Oh, I’m going todo it this way” and sometimes they fallflat on their face. If they had an olderfarmer there to say “now hold up thereson, why don’t you slow down and in-corporate some of these elements inthere.” . . . Then you get people like me.I’m not farming to make a living off it,but I basically just do what the land tellsme to do. I think I’m the only person Iknow who has ever cut hay based on atarot card reading.

TB: How do you do that?

JVB: In order to have your haycome out right you have to—you’veheard presumably to make hay whenthe sun shines? There is no truer phrasein the English language. In order forme to make hay that is nontoxic to myhorses—forget healthy, nutritious andall that, just nontoxic—I have to cutthe grass and have three days with norain in order to get it properly driedbefore I bale it and put it in the barn. Itusually takes three days in the climatethat we generate here. There are a lot offactors that go into that. I had taken acourse in tarot (from Christopher ofcourse); it was really good to get intothat by pulling a card every day. I foundsome interesting co-relations betweenwhat cards I was seeing and having myhay come out right and having theweather cooperate with me.

TB: What cards are those?

Farm Interview with Jocelyn VanBokelyn


A R T I C L E

JVB: The queen of wands is a real-ly good omen for making hay. I’m verymuch unlike any other farmer you willever meet.

Making a living off of farming isthe amount of work that I can’t believeany human wants to do. I have tenantsthat are vegetable farmers and theywork from sun-up to sundown prettymuch six and a half days a week; some-times it’s sunup to sundown seven daysa week. You cannot call in sick . . . thework has got to get done. They help meout, and I help them out. I know I cango down there and get whatever it isthat just came in and get good food.

TB: Do you find being a witch ishelpful in being a farmer?

JVB: Absolutely. It makes memore attuned and more observant. Italso makes me happier in doing whatI’m doing, even though I’m not doing itfor a living, even though I can take mytime; it’s work. It’s serious work. Butit’s the sort of thing where I can appre-ciate what I’m doing in terms of keep-ing my land suitable for humans andbalancing the needs of the land and theneeds of the humans . . . I think it’ssomewhat easier for me because I canintuitively work with my land and, be-lieve it or not, intuitively work with myequipment. When I took over doingequipment maintenance and operation,it broke less. I would catch things. Iwould touch little things before theyturned into big things. It’s weird be-cause it’s stuff like “Gee, I shouldcheck that bolt today” and that boltwould be loose.

TB: And you would have no ap-parent reason to check that bolt?

JVB: No, I would have no reasonto check the bolt, but it saved me prob-ably two hours of downtime later.That’s a big difference when you’ve gothay to bale, and the clouds are comingin, and “Oh my God it’s gonna rain intwo hours. and I really want to get thishay in.” I still have not yet learnedwelding and engine repair. I do equip-

ment repair if it’s a bolt or spring, if Ican look at it and see how it works. Ican generally fix it . . . . If somethingbreaks on a Sunday and the repair shopisn’t open, you need you know how tofix it . . .You get out your tools and youfix it.

TB: Are you organic?

JVB: I’m not certified organic. I’mkind of organic by default . . . condi-tioning with horse manure; there is ahorse boarding facility here on thefarm, and I have horses also. Prettymuch the only thing I do in my hayfields is spread that manure on it andspread lime on it because we have mag-nesium poor soil. My vegetable farmersaren’t organic. They do use some pesti-cides, and because we share lawns, Ireally can’t be organic. We swap out—there will be hay in the fields for abunch of years, and then they want tolet something go and not plant vegeta-bles on it, so we’ll plant hay, and we’llplant vegetables where the hay was ifthe hay gets too wheaty. It’s a weirdcrop rotation. It also means I can walkinto my field and grab an ear of cornwhenever I want to. One of the reasonsthat they’re not organic, and I reallywish more people would understandthis, is that worms in your corn meansthat there weren’t a lot of nasty chemi-cals put on it. If your corn has noworms, that mean that there were lotsof nasty chemicals put on it to makethere be no worms. Between you andme, I’d rather eat a worm now andthen.

TB: With hay, when do you plantand when do you harvest?

JVB: Well, hay is thankfully a pe-rennial. If I am renovating a field, I ren-ovate in August. September, I’ll plant it.Maybe I’ll get to it the following year.Maybe I’ll just rotary cut it and get to itthe year after that. It takes a bit of timeto get established. It is mostly grasses,and they do very well if you leave themalone. Right now, I look out my win-dow, and the hay is growing, and that’sgood. I go to the edge of the field, and

I pat the ground and say, “Thank youvery much for growing very nicely forme.” When it gets to a certain maturitylevel—which will be the end of May,beginning of June—we’re usually goodfrom the beginning of June to the mid-dle of July for the correct maturity tomake nutritious hay. Then it’s a matterof, do I have the right weather to cutthis? I get my equipment out, get it allready, and wait for the sun to shine. If Isee the weather forecast, and I see threedays with no rain, preferably with a lit-tle bit of heat in there, I’ll go and I’ll cuta section and let it dry and bale it overthe course of three days. Once the fieldis cut, then we start the fertilizationprocess for that year. In the Northeast,two cuttings are the most people will dounless they are very serious about it,and then they’ll do third in September.To sustain the preservation of my field,I take that first cutting off and will mowit with a rotary cutter to use the stalksand stems as fertilizer. Most farmersdon’t have the luxury to be able to dothat.

TB: What about animals?

JVB: You have to really separatewhat is your pet and what is your food.People look at you and ask, how couldyou possibly eat an animal that youhave raised? The distinction is that Iwould not have raised an animal if Iwasn’t going to eat it. That is the reasonfor this animal’s existence, and it’s partof the cycle of life. So no, I don‘t haveany problem eating my animals I’veraised.

TB: When do you do your butch-ering?

JVB: With pigs, we get them inthe early spring like March or April, andthen they’ll go to slaughter around Sam-hain . . . . It really is the festival of themeat. Cattle don’t come into their fullsize until they are two. I will raise mysteers to between a year and 18 months.It’s a balance between having your meatbe tender and have flavor.


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TB: Aside from the health bene-fits from raising your own food, what isthe biggest satisfaction or benefit youget from farming?

JVB: This is going to soundstrange—I like driving my tractoraround the field. I’m right out there,and yes, I’m using loud equipment. I’mmechanized. It’s not like I’m doing thiswith a horse drawn anything . . . buteven then the local wildlife—specifically the hawks—they know thatwhen I’m out there cutting hay, I’muncovering food for them. So they willfollow the tractor around the fieldhunting. I have seen hawks pull upsnakes, pull up other birds, pull up ro-dents. I try real hard not to hit anything.The worst experience I ever had washitting a fawn with my big hay cutter. Ididn’t even know it until I went backwith the tether that turns the hay over .. . .That was a little rough. The deerpicked the wrong spot to set their fawnthat year. There are negatives of it, andthat is one of the negatives. I do get tosee an awful lot of wildlife, and I get to

interact with the growing cycles ofgrass. It’s being outside, and it’s a dif-ferent thing every day. That’s one of thebeautiful things of it, is that haying isreally, really hard, but I work for twomonths, and then I don’t have to do itagain until next year. It’s in interestingcombination of doing what I wantwhen I want to do it and having to dosomething when the weather says do it .. . . It’s not just physically hard; it’smentally and emotionally hard. Really,everything we do is dependent on theweather.

TB: Would you recommend farm-ing to anyone?

JVB: No, you’d have to be prettymuch crazy to be a farmer. I’m prettyserious about that. There is one thing Iwould recommend, and that is having agarden. Having some chickens in yourbackyard if you can. Low investment intime and money, but it can bring youcloser to the earth, closer to your food.Even if you if have two tomato plantsin containers on your windowsill—ifyou actually grow those tomatoes and

eat those tomatoes, then you have thesatisfaction of actually nourishing your-self. Any little thing a person can do totake responsibility for their own nour-ishment is putting your own energyback into yourself . . . I think it is abeautiful thing for people to take re-sponsibility for their own nourishment.I’ve done a couple of workshops nowon why as a witch, it is important to beenvironmentally conscious. It reallycomes down to if you don’t take care ofyourself, you cannot take care of any-body else. It sounds selfish, but thestronger each individual is, the strongerthe group.

Raye Snover is a HPS in the Cabot Traditionwhose work has appeared in The New YorkTimes, The Daily News and Excalibur. Sheis co-editor of The Temple Bell and lives inManhattan.


P O E T R Y

By Spirita Dulce

With Queen Danu and great Sun God Lugh,

We rejoice at first harvest with much ado!

With breads and dollys both made of corn,

Now is not the time to mourn ~

For this Sabbat is focused on grain, fruit, and maize,

So the slaughters can wait; let the animals graze.

Loaf-Mass, Lughnasadh, call it what you will;

It’s time for the honey, and try not to spill,

Because sweet is sticky and August is hot;

But a tankard of mead should hit the right spot!

It’s time to prepare for the waning of light;

Although the Sun will still put up a fight.

The dark half is coming, no denying that,

So begins harvest season when we fill the vat

With grains and corn and breads so yummy,

They’ll put a big smile on a growing tummy!

Of the harvest Sabbats, this is the first of three,

So save up some energy and Blessed Be!

Lammas

Spirita Dulce started her studies with ChristopherPenczak in 2005, and was ordained as a Rev. HPs in2010. Currently a Ministerial member of TOW, shehas been our Raffle Queen for three years and looksforward to future projects within the Temple.


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By Shea Morgan

Photographs by Shea Morgan

The Banes. Mysterious. Witchy. Alluring. They call tous. Baneful plants are those that may have poisonous prop-erties or are harmful to consume, or in some cases, evenhandle their roots. Yet, the attraction is there. These dark,mysterious sprouts call to a deeper part of our soul thatlongs to understand that which is not seen.

Baneful plants, or simply the banes, include plants suchas Datura, Mandrake (Mandragora), Belladonna, Henbane(Hyoscyamus Niger), Nightshade, Monkshood (AconitumNapellus or Wolf’s Bane) and Foxglove (Digitalis). Theirplant spirits have a way of finding their way into your life.Years ago I had someone offer me a Datura plant. At thetime, I declined, but little was I to know how persistentDatura would be in gaining myattention.

My path with the banes of-ficially started with a visit aboutfive years ago to a local nursery.I have extensive gardens with abevy of bird and animal activity,causing some to joke that SnowWhite must live in my house.Even with my green thumb, Ihad never had any luck withgrowing Delphiniums in our hu-mid Missouri summers, though Iwanted to grow them due totheir beautiful blue flowers. As Iwalked through this nursery. I stumbled upon this gorgeous,green leafy plant with leaves similar to the structure of theDelphinium, but stronger, tougher and greener – or deeper.It would grow blue flowers! I picked it up and took it home.It was my new friend, Monkshood.

The label came with a warningabout touching it, but I dismissed it.I mean, it was a plant, how danger-ous could it be? I usually plant withbare hands as I love the feel of thedirt in my fingers and being so closewith the earth. It is an intimate rela-tionship with the soil and the plant.Clearly I had not done my witchyhomework, as Monkshood is onewhose roots are harmful to handle as

they are highly poisonous. I planted it as soon as I got home,asking the plant where it wanted to live in my garden. Itchose a spot along my driveway. With bare hands, I plantedit. Luckily, I had no adverse reactions to handling theMonkshood. It was in a root ball, which provided some pro-tection from dirt around some of the roots, and I did nothave any cuts or breaks in the skin, which would have al-lowed toxins to more readily enter my system. Though theroot is highly toxic, experts advise caution even when gener-ally handling the plant. Monkshood does not require anypruning or deadheading, which helps. If I weed around theplant, I try to use gloves and make sure I do not have anycuts on my arms that would brush up against the plant.

I made it through the experience, and the Monkshoodhas been happily ensconced in my driveway garden and inmy life ever since. The plant holds court amongst the otherflowers and with my other allies. It lives next to my Yarrowsat the entrance to my driveway garden and next to my back-

yard gate. Monkshood acts as a gatekeeper. Infact, it was the gatekeeper opening the flood-gates for me to the world of the banes.

I approached this world cautiously once Iunderstood it. These are plants where you mustbe very careful of children and pets. I do growsome of my banes inside, such as Datura, Night-shade and Belladonna, but I keep them up off ofthe floor and am very careful with picking upany plant material that drops. I also know mycats, and my cats will not bother them. Howev-er, other cats and pets – and children – might, soyou must use extreme caution.

In our Shamanic Temple of Witchcraft on-line course, over the winter of 2010-2011, I started workingto plant more of the banes. I planted two Foxglove plantsthat spring, which came back heartily this year. They are aperennial plant in our region. I planted Datura, Henbane,Belladonna and Nightshade from seed. I had good luck withthem all, but I had the most success with Datura. At the fallinitiation for our year- long Outer Temple of Witchcraft/W2class, Christopher Penczak gave us each one of his brownDatura seed pods. Similar to working with banes in general,one had better have gloves when working with Datura seedpods. The first time we “met,” when Christopher gave memy first Datura seed pod, I ended up with a splinter; Daturahad staked its claim. The other seeds were not quite so col-orful of a story, I purchased them online from a well- re-spected source.

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Many of these plants have an association with Saturn,with the deep mysteries, shadow, protection and boundaries.Some also have associations with Venus or Pluto. It is nowonder that the banes have been happiest along my drive-way and my fence line. They also are excellent plant spiritallies to work with during shadow work, which was the keygoal of the shamanic year of studies. It was clear from thebeginning that Datura in particular wanted to be my ally.

In planting these seeds, I discovered that Datura grewthe easiest. Seeds for the banes come with complex plantinginstructions all related to seed germination, oftentimes in-volving a refrigerator. I decided to just let Mother Naturetake her course. What I found is that Saturn plants or thosewith similar qualities take longer to germinate. However,with Datura, I simply stick the seeds into the dirt in pots,and it grows. Boy, does it grow! The first year, I had twohuge, Datura plants that made it through much of the win-ter. I planted more seeds in late fall last year, and they arestill growing and living in my breakfast room. Others arecoming up now as young seedlings. At this writing, I havejust planted the black seed Datura for the first time, whichwill be a new adventure for me.

I found the other baneful seeds required more time togerminate and a little more delicacy than the Datura seedsdid. For the other seeds, I use peat pots with potting soil. Igenerally water from the bottom, particularly after the seedsstart to sprout, as they are subject to “damping off” orbreaking off at the base of the plant. Letting the water soakup through the peat pots has been much more effective innursing these seedlings along. Outside it is the same story, atleast with the length of germination. The winter of our sha-manic class, I planted many of the baneful seeds outside, butmany of them did not come up. Not to worry—they havecome up this year. They are on Saturn-time as opposed tomy schedule. Patience is often needed when working withthese plants. Everything is on their schedule and will playout in its own unique way, orchestrated by the plant spirits.

Successfully planting and growing these plants is allabout relationships. The better relationship you have withthe plant spirit, the better ability you will have to grow itsseeds. Any relationship takes love, and these plants are noexception. Early on in my relationship with Datura, I did ajourney with Datura. Before I planted the Datura seeds, I dida “vibrate in harmony with” meditation from The Inner Tem-ple of Witchcraft by Christopher Penczak. This is one of myfavorite meditations, and I use it to communicate with plantspirits to great effect. I closed my eyes, called on the plantspirit of Datura, and stated over and over “I vibrate in har-mony with Datura.” I then had a journey with the plant spir-it, where it would talk with me about its wants and needsand how we could partner together, and I would ask for its

help in growing the seeds. I could see, feel and hear the Spir-it of Datura.

Different from what others have experienced, to me,Datura unusually looked like a lithe, thin, black-suited trick-ster. I say unusually, as for most, Datura appears as the beau-tiful and alluring lady. Later, Lady Datura was to appear tome in that form as well. Just like deity appears to you in aform that you need to work with in a given time or situation,the plant spirits can take on different forms and appearancesas well. The spirits that I worked with through these medita-tions or journeys were not of a particular plant. Rather, theywere the overarching plant spirit of the species that came tome. By comparison, when I asked the Monkshood earlier inour story where it wanted to be planted, that was the spiritof that particular individual plant that spoke to me.

Plant spirits tend to partner with each other. Otherbanes will introduce you to more banes. They also have rela-tionships with other plants. In the pot where my Belladonnagrows, yet not in any of my other pots I have, a type ofmushroom that I have never seen before grows. I do end upremoving the mushrooms, but it is interesting. A year ago, Ihad someone work with me on an animal totem tree journeyto identify which animals were in which chakras as allies forme. In this journey, Belladonna (and Henbane) came as didMushroom; they both circled around me. Fast forward a yearlater and here they are again, growing together in the pot.That journey prompted my further relationship with theseplants.

In November, I attended a Plant Spirit Familiar classwhere Christopher guided us on a journey to meet a plantspirit familiar. In this journey, the spirits of two plant alliescame, along with a third.Yarrow, who appeared asa man to me, and Datura,who appeared to me forthe first time as this mag-netically beautiful andpowerful lady, DameDatura. They were a bal-ance of strength andbeauty. Yet, Ivy alsocame, which at first tookme by surprise as we hadnever worked together orhad a relationship,though it does tend to tryto grow on my fence line.The three plant spiritshad instructions that they would work and partner together,with me, to help form a strong shield and boundaries for me.

When I thought of the nature these plants, it made per-fect sense. In fact, I had been working with Yarrow as part


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of my shields on a daily basis, including using a plant spiritessence that I made. Yarrow is great with boundaries, but sois Datura. Datura may be beautiful and appealing, yet she isalso tough with spiky seed pods. Ivy was strong and persis-tent and helped to weave them together into an incrediblystrong boundary. This has since morphed into a new type ofa boundary in a recent working that my allies have asked meto write about in the future, as both a personalshield/boundary and as a boundary for a ritual working.Plant allies are always growing theirefforts with you as you work withthem, and increasing your ties andconnections in the plant spiritworld.

I have also found that theplant spirits, including my banefulallies, find their way into my ritualsmore and more. I have written cir-cle castings with these allies andcalled on their spirits in ritual. Ihave written prose and ritual lan-guage honoring the plant spirits andtheir gifts.

But how do you physicallywork with the plants themselves?When you look at working with thephysical plant as a gateway to theplant spirit, there are many thingsyou can do when harvesting theplants for use.

Part of our shamanic year ofwitchcraft involved making plantessences, though I took that to an additional level of effort,given my need to work more closely with my plant allies forvarious reasons last year. Now I have closet shelves beingsilently taken over by a multitude ofplant essences. I made Datura, Foxgloveand Nightshade essences on my own. Aspart of the support I needed through theprocess of distilling my shadow (i.e.working through shadow issues), I madea daily magickal essence bottle that in-cluded those essences that I had made,and also included Henbane and Bella-donna essences that I purchased from adear sister.

Those essences, among other plantessences, made up this magickal essencesupport for my shadow work. I found that these plants reso-nated with me so well that we have continued to partner to-gether in this manner. Essences are a diluted form of theplant, made by floating a few flowers on water. Through di-

lution, their physical properties are not present, yet theirmetaphysical or magickal properties are present and evenenhanced. Their use is similar to the idea of homeopathy.For more information on how to make a magickal essence,please consult The Plant Spirit Familiar by Christopher Penc-zak.

To make the essences, I would first begin by commun-ing with the plant. I would do the “vibrate in harmony with”

meditation to speak with the over-arching plant spirit. When actuallyharvesting the flowers to use forthe essence, I would commune withthe spirit of the individual plant andleave an offering of my hair afterharvesting the flowers. You canleave other offerings. This is justmy preferred offering.

Another way to work withthese plant spirits is to make a rootfetish of the plant. I had two Datu-ra plants from my first year. Thefirst one that I grew, from my veryfirst Datura seeds planted, came tome in a vision and told me that itwanted to act as a small stang onmy altar. Remember that I have hadDatura come to me in both a mas-culine and a feminine appearance. Itwas a large root, and its stem is longand in the shape of a “Y.” The oth-er Datura root wanted to be usedfor my fetish. Datura is also associ-

ated with the planet Venus. On the Venus transit, I preparedmy root fetish. This was the first one I had ever made, and itwas an incredibly powerful experience through its simplicityand the communion involved with the plant spirit. As it

turned out, Datura wanted to part-ner with another ally of mine – Ap-ple. I now have a Datura Root andApple Seed fetish that are combinedinto one. I used oils and essences toanoint them and burned a candle toVenus on my altar that was dressedup for the Venus transit.

This first experience in makinga root fetish was just over a monthago. When I was asked to write thisarticle, I thought, what do I really

know of banes? There are so many more people that knowso much more than me on this subject. They have workedwith these plants more. They have grown more of the plants.I have not worked with Mandrake, for example. I was asked


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to call on Mandrake in the Temple of Witchcraft SamhainNorth Quarter of the Underworld last fall, which was the

first time I communed with Mandrake. I called on Mandrakeleading up to that ritual to be able to carry its cur-rent in the ritual. Today, for the first time, I plant-ed Mandrake seeds.

Given this, how was I to find the current toshare of their rich story? How would I do themjustice? My first clue came when I went to Tem-plefest. Stevie Grant had made these beautifulgourds. They were meticulously and carefullycarved and then painted into beautiful works ofart. What was the gourd that appealed to me? It istitled “The Four Powers of the Underworld Mani-festing in the Garden.” It is made from an AppleGourd, with Mandrake in the North, Monkshoodin the East, Henbane in the South and Datura inthe West, with a profusion of Foxglove and aCrow overseeing it. Of course, Crow also is one ofmy allies and is an ally of my matron deity, theMorrighan.

This gourd partnered with me in this process.I used the gourd, my other allies and altars, and I

called on the banes. I went to my breakfast room and Icalled on my baneful allies residing there. I felt their energyrun through me. I took their magickal essences and called ontheir spirits to inspire me to tell their story. I planted morebaneful seeds. I watered my Monkshood outside. I called onthe banes to speak to me in my dreams. I would walk by theplants and hear their voice, though they really answered mein my dreams. I had intense dreams the weekend of writingthis article in both the evening and in naps where I called tothe plant spirits to be with me, partner with me and guideme. I dreamed of the beautiful flowers, the berries, andworking with them as allies in the form of essences, plantsand more. I also have the message that I am to write a ritualnow involving the Latin names of the banes with which Iwork.

If you call on the plant spirits of the banes with sinceri-ty, they will answer and are willing to partner with you. Butapproach them with the respect they are due as spirits and aspartners, and on a physical level approach them with thecommon sense befitting their baneful nature. Most of all en-joy the journey, as you never know where it will take you.

Shea Morgan is a Witchcraft IV student with a 20+ year career ingovernment/public affairs. She is a vociferous reader and student of allthings spiritual and has been on the path of a Witch since 2001. Shelives in St. Louis, MO with her two cats, and enjoys gardening,antiquing, hanging out with coven, friends and family, and visiting thefamily “century” farm.


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By Raye Snover

What woman hasn’t wished at some point that shecould be a Priestess of Avalon? The Priestesses of this mist-enshrouded isle were strong, confident, and venerated. Theyspent their lives working in service to the Lady with otherstrong, confident women. Jhenah Telyndru, author of AvalonWithin: A Sacred Journey of Myth, Mystery And Wisdom, is offer-ing women the chance to harvest their Divine feminine sothey can “remember, reclaim, and renew the traditions ofAvalon.” Founding The Sisterhood of Avalon in 1995,Telyndru, also the director of The Avalonian TheologicalSeminary, took some time out of her schedule to chat withThe Temple Bell about her Mystery Tradition.

The Temple Bell: How did you get involved withWomen’s Mysteries?

Jhenah Telyndru: I’ll have to say the first book I everfound about paganism was The Women’s Spirituality Book byDiane Stein back in the mid-eighties. I was always interestedin mythology and goddesses from the past and alwayswished that I had lived back then so that I could worship.When I came across her book and saw that there were wom-en doing it, it just changed my whole life. I was young, aboutfifteen. It not only got me into goddess spirituality but alsoignited a feminist spark within me. That was really the bookthat started it all for me.

TB: How did you become involved with the Welshpantheon and the Arthurian lore?

JT: I was very much into Arthurian fiction as a youth,in my teenage years as well, everything from The Once andFuture King to the Mists of Avalon and everything in between.When I went away to university on Long Island, I ran into agroup that was doing Druidic and Arthurian Avalonian-sort-of-based stuff, so that kind of started me on my path. It justfelt like home.

TB: What prompted you to start the Sisterhood ofAvalon?

JT: When I went away to graduate school, I left mywomen’s community, and this was about 1994, 1995 whenthe Internet came its way to me. I put out a preliminary web-site; you know how awful they were back then. I was hopingto connect with other women who believed as I did. Whatwound up happening was that people were emailing me ask-ing me to teach them—how to do this work, how to followthe lore of Avalon?

I never intended to found a tradition or start an organi-zation, but it became clear to me that there was a love forthis work, a love for the lore. It became my privilege to serveher (the Lady) and serve the community in this way by pull-ing together all the things I had learned in the past and oftenmy own research. My undergraduate work is in archeology,specifically on Iron-age Britain. So I drew from all of thosethings and tried to synthesize that.

TB: What women come to you? What are they lookingfor when they ask you to teach them?

JT: I think that from the feedback we get, it’s that weseek to empower women by helping them to find who theyare in truth. Consenting or challenging them to be the wom-en they were born to be. In a way we are different from oth-er traditions because we have that very reflective lookingwithin. We have a very spiritual perspective; we’re alwaystaking what we’ve learned and integrating it within and turn-ing it into ourselves. A lot of women like the challenge ofthat inner work, that deft psychology work and learning tosee the Goddess within themselves. I guess that’s the biggestfeedback—that women love that challenge of becoming whothey are and they like the fact that we are a very directed tra-dition. We work with specific goddesses; we have a very spe-cific structure. I like to think of the sisterhood as a loom,and each woman can weave on it what they wish. If theywant to honor their personal sovereignty and all the waysthat they can approach that . . . it also has a structure forthose that seek that as well.

TB: Do you find that today women have a hard timetrying to find their own sovereignty?

JT: I do, because I believe that society is bombardingus with ideas about what it is to be a woman, and it usuallyhas to do with surface things. How we look, how young weare. Feminism teaches us that to be successful women wehave to have it all. We’ve become completely career orientedor we must be a career woman, have children and have afamily. A lot of us grow up with this notion that there is acertain way to be and what we try to say is: take a step backto look at the ways in which society has told us who we areand to think about who we want ourselves to be. So yes, it’svery difficult to manifest that in the world and that challengeand service is to find that place within themselves that isuniquely and authentically them.

TB: When people apply for your tradition what aresome of the criteria you are looking for?

JT: Part of our application process is to make sure thatwe are both on the same page. That people understand what

Harvesting the Authentic Self


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kind of tradition that we are. That we are not necessarilyWiccan, but we are concentrating on the Divine Feminine,not that we don’t believe in the Divine Masculine, but com-ing from a dualistic pagan path and coming to a path justworking with Goddesses can sometimes be jarring so we tryto be really up front about that. We have a series of essayquestions to fill out, things about what Avalon is to them.What does personal empowerment mean to them? What isthe difference between victimhood and woundedness? Whatis the definition of sovereignty? Just so they have a soundsense of the self-reflective meditations that we do. That’s thefocus of our tradition—that internal work and the externalmanifestation of changes of the self.

TB: Do you think sometimes people have a hard timerelating to Avalon because it may or may not have existed?

JT: We have a pretty broad perspective of it. We try notto define for our sisters their experience of Avalon. Forsome women Avalon is simply metaphor. It’s symbolic. Forothers it was a place a women’s temple existed, if not neces-sarily in Glastonbury in some place in the British Isles. Weknow from different mythological and even historical sourc-es that the Celts did have enclaves of women, of priestessesdrawn apart that served the Goddess, several different God-desses. They were healers, they were known as shapeshifters…they would perform weather working. So there issome historical mention to that. So we have history, we havemetaphor, and then we have the legendary aspects of it; theconcept that myth endures is because it has something toteach us. We try not to say.

We recognize that there is a broad experience of whatAvalon is. The most important thing is this: inside of our-selves, Avalon represents the wholeness. A woman who isfully connected to the source—the island produces every-thing in and of itself. We use the metaphor of going toAvalon as parting the mists, the delusion preventing our-selves from being who we are. Traveling over the lake enter-ing into the unconscious where all of the gifts and all of thechallenges, all of the growth occurs deep within ourselves inorder to reach that island called us. We try not to be dogmat-ic about the definition of it as long as we all agree on theconcept that it is a place of personal growth and connectionwith the self and the Divine.

TB: I noticed that the people who come to you canbelong to other traditions.

JT: Absolutely. Believe it or not, we’ve had femaleEpiscopal priests among our membership. We have womenwho identify as witches, as other kind of Wiccans, otherkinds of pagans, others who walk a Christian and paganpath. As long as there is no conflict within the self, there isno conflict as far as we are concerned.

TB: You seem to do a lot of weekend intensives. Whenyou do an intensive, what do they entail?

JT: We have lessons Thursday through Sunday. Werent a retreat center or cabin and spend the weekend im-mersing ourselves. We have four different levels . . . we doself-exploration, we do labyrinths, we do projects and we doritual . . . . We learn the traditions from its teacher and inperson and being able to take that information back home.

TB: It’s not like you take your intensive and the nextday you are a priestess?

JT: Correct. We don’t confer priestess on anyone. Wefound that that is a personal thing between the self and God-dess. That doesn’t enter into it. We are not a degree system.All of our sisters are equal. Some have more responsibility,but we are non-hierarchal in that way.

TB: When they take this back home. do they teach it toothers?

JT: Some women will. In order to be a hearth (a teach-ing group) we have our in-person groups. We have a coupleof different manifestations of them. We have learning circles,we have novice hearths, and we have hearths. In order tohave a novice hearth, at least one woman has to have attend-ed our Seeking Avalon Within intensive. So yes, if theychoose they can go home and serve their own community bycreating a hearth group, but it is not required . . . .We alsoprovide learning support for our hearths as well.

TB: Do you find that some women who have been em-powered encounter issues when they go home, sometimes intheir marriages?

JT: Well, I think what does wind up happening, is thatthere have been women who have joined—especially longterm members—[and] when women do go home and theydo this work . . . the Cycle of Healing, which is one of thebig tools we use, and they come to a realization that they arebeing oppressed. They entered into a relationship because itwas expected of them, and it’s not a reflective of who theyare or who they need to be. Yes, women do make huge lifechanges, and it can be getting a divorce or opening up thatbusiness that they want or going back to graduate school—there any number of ways that this can manifest. I thinkwomen do accept change in their lives in many differentways. And it can have a huge affect on the difference fromwhere they’ve begun and where they’ve ended up.

TB: I sometimes find that when people do things thatare better for themselves, they upset the apple cart so tospeak.

JT: Absolutely! Especially if the people around youaren’t growing the way that you’ve grown, or they liked it theother way. We do encounter that, absolutely.


A R T I C L E

TB: Your group is going on a pilgrimage . . . where doyou go on these trips?

JT: It depends on the pilgrimage we are doing. We dotwo kinds, and sometimes we combine them. We’re not do-ing that this year, but we usually go to Wales because that iswhere our pantheon is centered, and we also go to the sacredsites that are associated with our Goddesses. One of thebeautiful things about the mythic cycle that we work with,which it the Mabinogi or Mabinogian, there are very specificplaces that are connected to our Goddesses. We bring thesewomen to these sacred sites connected with our Goddess,and we do ritual, and it’s just beautiful. Of course we do a lotof tromping through sheep poop, but this is all part of thething. We do Wales, then we come to southwest England;we stay in Glastonbury. The place we like to stay in Glaston-bury is the Chalice Well Gardens . . . The beauty of stayingthere is that you have twenty-four hour access to the gar-dens. So midnight, whenever you want to, you can just walkin the garden, go to the wellhead, immerse yourself in thewater; it’s beautiful. We go to Glastonbury. We to go Stone-henge, Avesbury, Cornwall, Tintiagel—places associatedwith Avalon, with Arthur and specifically places associatedwith Mabinogi.

TB: Do you find these pilgrimages have a transformingeffect on the women that go with you?

JT: Absolutely. Glastonbury in and of itself, even ifAvalon was never there, has a very powerful transformation-al energy. It has to do with the ley lines there. If you talk toanybody, no matter what tradition, they talk about how theenergies there are transformative. As far as the other placeswe go, a lot of women find that actually being in the land-scape and connecting with the land, places that are associat-ed with the Goddesses that we work with, has deepenedtheir connection with the living culture. The Welsh are de-scendents of the Celts of Britain. We firmly believe thatwhen you’re dealing with a living culture . . . it is importantto give back to that culture that has given you so much inspi-ration for your spiritual path. So going there, learning lan-guage, [and] giving back reties the sisterhood to museumsthat hold some of the artifacts associated with some the sitesthat we go to. We connect with people who are vocal. We tryto get immersed in some level, so we are supporting the cul-ture; we are not just taking from it. That connection is veryimportant, especially in light of the preparation issues. Thefact that we give back to these cultures and try to support itespecially in Wales, where the language and the culture strug-gle to survive, it’s been transformative. There have beenwomen who have attended every single pilgrimage because ithas been so empowering to them.

TB: What is the ultimate goal for your tradition?

JT: I think a lot of it has to do with when we have acenter, both metaphorically and literally. When we have acenter . . . when we have a place of healing, a retreat space, aplace where women came come and find themselves. Havingthat place, holding that center, is powerful in and itself, forthose in the community who master it. The reverberations ofeven people who are different from us, to know that some-one is tending her fire, is holding the space for women tocome into their sovereignty. The tradition helps women totransform themselves, and that’s where we want to go. Wewant to do our part to hold that hearth, that fire light, so thatwomen find themselves.

TB: Do you think that the internet has helped morewith this?

JT: We talked a little bit about our pilgrimages and ourintensives, but we offer a great deal of online learning andcommunity opportunities. We have our feminist program,and we offer a ton of learning opportunities online and alsocommunity sharing opportunities.

TB: What is the best advice you could give a womanwho is trying to find herself?

JT: The best thing to do is to look into the places thatare the most uncomfortable to look. To praise yourself withas truthful a gaze as you can. That is difficult; it is difficult todo in a vacuum, and difficult to do without first understand-ing the ways in which we deceive ourselves about our lifesituation and who we truly are. That is part of the processthat we seek to facilitate with our process of healing. Whatthe Cycle of Healing really talks about is “aligning our naturewith Nature.” That’s a quote from Joseph Campbell, and it’ssaying what’s interesting that our process is like the way theuniverse works. The cycle of the seasons, the cycle of themoon—understand that we too ebb and flow. Sometimeswe’re filled with sorrow; sometimes we are filled with joy.Sometimes things go our way; sometimes they don’t. This isa constant flow . . . acknowledging those patterns in our liveswe begin to understand who we are, how our energy works,and begin to see ourselves for who we are. This is a complexthing, but the bottom line is, it always starts within. We al-ways have to work within first before we can make thechanges that are outside.

Raye Snover is a HPS in the Cabot Tradition whose work hasappeared in The New York Times, The Daily News and Excalibur.She is co-editor of The Temple Bell and lives in Manhattan.


T E M P L E N E W S

The third annual Templefest took place in South-ampton, New Hampshire June 23 & 24th, where the Templeof Witchcraft honored Aroxana, Queen of the Fae Folk.Dorothy Morrison, author of Sun Magic and Utterly Wicked,was the keynote speaker, and there were two days of classesincluding self-defense, Hoodoo and Conjure, Hawaiian Sha-manism and Tree Magick to mention just a few.

Dorothy Morrison and Christopher Penczak con-ducted an author’s panel where they discussed theunglamourous—though often humorous—life of a writer,

while vendors selling wares from crowns to incense to Yulelogs to wands occupied the time between classes. There wasan afternoon Summer Solstice ritual where the rain held offuntil almost the end of the circle. The festival includedcamping, a red tent, readers and drumming. Andrea John-ston, the Templefest photographer, has shared some imagesof this year’s festivities with The Temple Bell. We hope youenjoy them, and we look forward to seeing you at next year’sTemplefest.

Photography by Andrea Johnston

Templefest 2012


P O E T R Y

By Colleen Corcoran

I am the strength of man, the iron in the forge, the rock that formsthe core of the earth. I have fathered all that you know, and my seedflows through the rivers and streams of the world. All trees, rocks, andanimals are my children.

I am the hunter. I wrap myself in the skins and wear horns and runwith bare cleft feet, the hunger within me driving me to destroy. Myspear pierces the side of the animals I fathered, and I feel their warmblood drip down my chin as I take them in, and they nourish me, onlyto be reborn from my loins some day in the endless cycle of death andrebirth.

I dance with the Goddess in the midst of stars floating on a sea ofdarkness, she the Earth Mother, and I the Sky God, her full breastspressed against my chest, her softness a contrast to my hardness. I takeher, rough against soft, hair against skin, our breaths mingle and myseed finds her womb. And I am reborn again, as her son, as her childinfused with her hopes for the world, and I grow up to dance with heras her consort once again.

I am made of sky, of rock, of oak, of holly, of horn, of hoof, ofblood. I am thunder, I am lightning, I am all seasons. I can be seen inthe eyes of all men, a shadow of horns visible to those who know mysecret: I whisper to you with each gust of wind that passes over yourbody, I shout with claps of thunder, and I show my power when theworld shifts and cracks and forms chasms. To those who believe, tothose brave enough to enter the forest dressed in skins worn by yourancestors and search for me, I will be found, as a stag, as a father, as alover, as a hunter. Honor me as you do the Great Mother, and I willprotect you

Colleen Corcoran is a graduate of Christopher Penczak's Witchcraft I-V classes.She has multiple degrees in health care, but her true bliss is writing, and the goddessBrigid is her muse. She lives in Boston with her husband and three feline familiars.

Ode to the God


A R T I C L E

By Daedalus

In the Temple of Witchcraft Mystery school, we are nowat the point when climbing the Tree of Life we get to the fifthsephira—Geburah. One of the things thrown into the mix by ourteacher was the concept of "grist to the mill," how something mayneed to be transformed in order to become more useful to us.This particular saying refers to the raw grain or grist, which wecannot use in its original form. We need to transform it into flourby passing it through a process, like a mill, and grinding it into afine powder in order to utilize it. The correspondence to themagickal/spiritual side of our studies in the Mystery School is thatmany times things that are not apparently useful can, under theright circumstances and appropriate process, become just like thatgrain. They can be transformed into something that can nourishand help us grow.

When this topic was first brought up, two other con-cepts from the lower sephiroth of the TOW came to mind—The Machinery of the Universe and the two-sided questionof "what is your will, and to what end?"

Back in the time when most things were done byhand, the simple tasks required to harvest, thresh, winnowand mill grain were jobs that allowed us to engage with boththe world around us and the Earth that nourished us physi-cally and spiritually. These simple chores with their rhythmsand repetitive motions kept our bodies and rational mindsbusy while freeing our subconscious to work on other prob-lems while we entered a near-trance state.

As we delegated our labor to machines, the cost tous was twofold: an increased disconnect from our environ-ment and the Spirit of the Earth, complicated by our tradingthe near-trance "processing state" for less tiring and tedious,though more closely focused, guidance of the machines wehad developed. What does this have to do with the mill? Theanswer is found in the grain and even more specifically thething that brought the grain into being—intent.

When the milling is all done, you can evaluate theproduct and see that in order to get what you truly need, youhave to feed the mill the appropriate material, in the properquantity, at the proper consistency and rate. That materialusually required preliminary work to prepare it for the mill inorder to produce acceptable results and not damage the millitself. For grain (the grist in this case) this process entailsharvesting at the proper time and conditions, drying, thresh-ing and winnowing. All this preliminary work needs to bedone before the grain can even be transported to where themilling will take place. Very little grain ever goes from stalkto stomach on the same patch of ground.

We know that the energy and intent of everythingthat touches something that feeds and nourishes us, thatcontributes to our growth and evolution in this world, leavesan imprint on the Earth, our environment, and our physicaland spiritual lives. That being said, as we move from sticksand stones to gears, pulleys, hydraulics and microchips, onequestion remains: "What is it that powers YOUR mill?”

In the beginning, we took life much slower. Millinggrain involved just a few people, perhaps even a solitary indi-vidual beating grain into flour using wood and/or stone,while their mind processed other things as they fell into thatrhythmic, repetitive process. At the end of the day, theyhopefully had what they needed to feed their family plus atleast a little more to either sell, trade, or store as a hedgeagainst leaner times. We also learned to partner with animalsand add their power to the process.

Somewhere along the line, water power cameinto the picture. Now what an animal once didcould be done by coupling the stone wheels of thegrain mill to a water wheel. Some areas used windinstead of water power to run their mills— thewindmills of Holland are the classic example of this.Things still moved in a circular motion— they justdid it on a much grander scale. The wheels becamebigger, and the mills became larger. At some point,farmers stopped doing their own milling and beganhanding it off to someone with better equipment asthey felt these professionals could get better andmore consistent results.

Water power gave way to steam power, then internalcombustion engines and finally electric power. Even todaywhere we have microchips and hydraulic controls, we stilluse the simple, ancient process of stone-on-stone to grindappropriate material into a useable final product. Only themethods of power and control have changed.

All grain mills, regardless of power, rely on two sur-faces grinding against each other to process grain into eithermeal or flour. The simplest mills consist of a pair of stonewheels, one stationary and one rotating above the fixedwheel, pressing down on it to do the grinding. Most wheelshave grooves cut into the faces to keep the grain, meal, orflour moving and grinding. The grain enters from above andpours into the center of the upper wheel. As it is ground, itmoves outward until it falls free of the stones and the grind-ing process is done. So the process starts at center and

Running Through the Mill


A R T I C L E

moves outward until it ends with the final product. Fromthere, the end result is directed away from the stones to beput into bags or bins.

So what powers your mill? Is it individual will andintent? An ass traveling in circles? Is your mill powered byAir (knowledge and intellect) or Water (emotion)? Perhapsyour mill is powered by steam (high energy emotions) or theFire (will and passion) of an internal combustion engine orboiler? Maybe your mill is more modern and is powered byelectricity (Spirit)?

There is another aspect to the discussion—control.The miller depends on training and experience to adjust thespeed of the mill, the clearance between the wheels (factoredby the pressure from the upper wheel and the rate of grainfeed), and the grinding duration (time spent between thewheels). All these things working together affect the finaloutcome and whether the finished product is useable or not.Now if the miller lets his mind wander, and not enoughgrain is fed into those stone millwheels, they begin to grindon each other instead of the grain. This creates stone dust,which contaminates the flour. If that lapse in attention con-tinues it could also wear the millstones down, causing dam-age and shutting down the mill. Likewise if the miller feedstoo much grain into the mill, things won’t be ground finelyenough, and instead of delicate flour, the product is a coarsemeal unsuitable for use unless the process is repeated.

What really produced the end product that is sup-posed to sustain you and your family? Was it your individual

will and intent, your guides and allies, or the skills and abili-ties of another that you handed the work off to? How muchdoes Divine Will or outside influences and imprints play inwhat you intend to put to use?

Lastly, is what your mill produced what you reallyneed, or did you settle for what was handed to you? Did yousee this harvest all the way through yourself, from sowingthe seeds to reaping and preparing the grain with no cut cor-ners, or did you hand off the bulk of the work and then ac-cept a replacement you were assured was every bit as goodyour own workings? Before you leave the mill, you’ll want toopen that sack and take a look at what’s really inside. Youdon’t want to get your oven all fired up and an entirekitchen’s worth of pans prepared only to find that what youthought was finely ground wheat flour is actually moldycornmeal, now do you?

After leading a nomadic life, Daedalus and his wife Raven decided tosettle on the coast of Maine. He has devoted his life to magick andworking with his hands. He has several decades of experience making awide variety of things in wood, metal, stone and bone, up to andincluding custom motorcycles and yachts. His current focus is on tools,including ritual and shamanic tools. He and Raven are in their 4thyear of study with the Temple’s Mystery School.


T E M P L E N E W S

Each issue of The Temple Bell features updatesfrom some of the Temple’s twelve LeadMinisters. All of the Temple’s ministries arecommitted to doing important work in thecommunity! For more information on eachministry please see the Ministries page of theTemple of Witchcraft website:templeofwitchcraft.org.

Treasurer’s Report:

Treasurer’s ReportJune 2012

Account Balances:Opening Balance : May 31, 2012:$39,415.49Closing Balance: June 30, 2012 $34,714.48Petty Cash $397.40Paypal balance: $5170.29Certificate of Deposit: $2509.49

Events:Income from W 1-5 net $701.93Yoga continues with 2-3 people attendingeach time.Drum making: $60Myan ritual $175 Thanks to Aurielle fordonating her time to facilitate this ritual.Singing $80 Thanks to Krista for donatingher time.Full Moon $25Women’s Circle $21Templefest $1984Temple store @ Templefest $1500

AriesAries Ministry created a servitor spirit aspart of preparation for this summer’sTempleFest and provided security for thefestival, including the casting of wardsduring the opening ritual.

TaurusTaurus Ministry reports great attendancefor the “Witch in the Woods” series ofmeditative and prayerful nature walks ledby Wren.

Gemini

Gemini Ministry has reported a slow startto the Queer Spirit Ministry, but acontinued effort, including an onlinemailing list for distance members andstudents. Interested parties can [email protected] for moreinformation.

CancerCancer Ministry held the Temple’s first RedTent at TempleFest in June, in addition tocoordinating food vending and feedingbusy volunteers. A Children’s Ministryproject is in the works.

LeoLeo Ministry provided the artwork forTempleFest T-shirts and advertising andhandled the production of Temple logohats and water bottles for the festival.

VirgoVirgo Ministry had busy weeks leading upto TempleFest as lead minister AdamSartwell created various incenses, candles,and other goods for the Temple Storealong with restocking books. Virgo alsoprovided support for the St. Louis PaganPicnic and is working on new crafts for thisFall’s Pagan Pride events.

LibraKali Fyre has been named Libra Ministrydeputy in charge of Public Relations andhas been handling press releases andworking with the media. Interested partiescan contact her at [email protected].

ScorpioScorpio Ministry continues to holdmonthly bereavement circles and work onfunerary, crossing, and sacred sexualityeducation.

SagittariusSagittarius Ministry is handling registrationfor a new round of Mystery School classes,starting in the Fall. More information—

including registration forms—on the“Education” page of the Temple’s website.Sagittarius also continues working withCopper Cauldron Publishing on fundraiseranthologies for the Temple, the next beingThe Green Lovers, a collection of essayson plant spirits.

CapricornCapricorn’s prison ministry programincludes both answering correspondencefrom inmates and maintaining acorrespondence course for educationalpurposes.

AquariusAquarius Ministry is pleased to report thisyear’s TempleFest was our largest and mostsuccessful yet! Temple members, guests,and vendors gathered in South Hampton,NH, to enjoy the hot summer weather, afew gusty storms, and plenty of workshopsand rituals, including a talk from specialguest Dorothy Morrison! Planning forTempleFest 2013 is already underway!

PiscesPisces Ministry conducted the Midsummerritual at TempleFest and is planningLammas and the forthcoming Feast ofHecate in August.

Temple News & Updates


V O L U N T E E R I N G

The Temple and its Ministries are always in need of volunteerswilling to contribute their time, energy, and expertise to our GreatWork. You can contact the Temple Volunteer Coordinator [email protected]. Specifc volunteer opportunities includethe following:

DRUMMERSThe Leo Ministry wants more drummers for larger rituals, such asSamhain, and wants to establish a core drum group for Templeevents and to develop new music and beats. [email protected] for more information.

ENVIRONMENTALISMThe Taurus Ministry is looking for volunteers who would like toaid the Lead Minister in a variety of environmental projects andeducation. Please contact [email protected] for moreinformation.

GRAPHIC DESIGNThe Gemini Ministry is on the lookout for Temple members withgraphic design experience and resources, particularly Mac OS Xbased, and skill with page layout and desktop publishing iWorkor Adobe CS . Email [email protected] for moreinformation or to volunteer.

HEALINGThe Virgo Ministry needs a volunteer to coordinate its healingwork, including, but not limited to, organizing Reiki shares andother healing events and management of the Temple’s onlinehealing list. Experience in different healing modalities ispreferred, but not required. Email [email protected] formore information or to volunteer.

MENTORINGThe Sagittarius Ministry is looking for previous graduates ofWitchcraft III, IV, and V interested in serving as mentors inthe online education program. Mentorship includes givingfeedback on homework, answering questions and encouragingstudents in the Mystery School and Seminary. Interestedapplications should email [email protected].

RAFFLE ITEMSThe Temple runs a regular raffle at our Sabbats, and we’re alwayslooking for new and unique items to be donated for the raffle tohelp raise funds. Email [email protected] for moreinformation or to donate items.

WRITING & ARTThe Gemini Ministry needs writers and artists to work onTheTemple Bell newsletter. We’re looking for articles, poetry, art,photos, and reviews. Contact editors in chief Raye Snover and

Tina Whittle at [email protected] for completesubmission guidelines.

The Leo Ministry is looking for artists interested in creating newpagan oriented works for theTemple and its members. Contactthe Lead Minister at [email protected] for moreinformation.

You can also volunteer for work with particular ministries of theTemple by contacting the appropriate lead minister. See theMinistries page of the Temple website and Contacting Us belowfor details.

CONTACTING USFor general questions and inquiries e [email protected].

For website or technical issues, e [email protected].

For questions or inquiries related to a specific ministry, see theMinistries page or e mail that minister atministry name @ templeofwitchcraft dot org, such as

[email protected].

Send surface mail to:

Temple of WitchcraftPO Box 2252Salem, NH 03079

NETWORKINGThe Temple maintains an email notification list through ConstantContact, giving subscribers all the up to date information on ourrituals, classes, and other events. To sign up, visit our website atwww.templeofwitchcraft.org and go to the “Contact Us” page, whereyou’ll find a “Sign Up for Our Newsletter” box. Just enter youremail address to sign up.

If you are a Temple member at any level, you can also join theTemple Web, our interactive Yahoo! group email list for membersto stay in touch and network. Registration requires membershipverification, so please include your full name along with yourrequest. You can find the mailing lis s home page athttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/templeweb

You can also find and friend us on Facebook and MySpace forupdates and to help spread the word about the Temple!


D O N A T I O N S

Donating to the TempleThe Temple of Witchcraft is a 501(c)(3)e nonprofit organization, funded by thegenerous donations of its members to bring you services such as our website,

Board of DirectorsChristopher Penczak • President, FounderSteve Kenson • Vice President, FounderJocelyn VanBokelyn • TreasurerAlix Wright • SecretaryAdam Sartwell • Board Advisor, FounderMary Hurley • Board Advisor

Public RelationsFor general questions regarding theTemple, or to contactthe Board of Directors, please [email protected].

For technical or website related questions, please [email protected].

Contact [email protected] for access topromotional materials, fliers, and other media.

Temple of WitchcraftPO BOX 2252Salem, NH 03079

The Temple of Witchcraft is a 501c 3 religious nonprofitorganization based in the State of New Hampshire. Co-founded by Christo-pher Penczak, the Temple started in 1998 as a system of magickal trainingand personal development, and eventually developed into a formal traditionof Witchcraft. Now, as an outgrowth of the work of students, initiates andgraduates of the programs, the Temple of Witchcraft has evolved into anorganization based on traditions of modern magick, Witchcraft, and Neopa-ganism. The work of the Temple is both otherworldy and terrestrial, seekingto strengthen the connections between spirit and matter through inner trans-formation and public service.

The Temple of Witchcrafts goal on an individual level is to awaken thepotential of the human soul to its natural gifts of psychic awareness, commu-nion with nature and the spirits, and magick. Each individual seeks to live amagickal life. Through these awakenings, we seek an expansion of conscious-ness through the alignment of our souls with Love, Will, and Wisdom tocomplete the Great Work.

On a greater scale, we seek the restoration, maintenance, and evolutionof humanity to the Garden of the Gods, the cooperative consciousness whereall things are in harmony and community. Our myths define this awareness asthe First Garden, known as Avalon, Hesperides, Zep Tepi, Shamballa, Lemu-ria and even Eden. We manifest this vision through both our inner workingsand service to the greater community. By these actions, we plant the seedsand tend the garden of Witchcraft culture, tradition and community.

If you are interested in making a secureonline donation via PayPal includingcredit card donations , just go to the“Donations” page of our website andclick on the “Donate” button and fillout the necessary information.

We can also accept checks and moneyorders made out to “Temple ofWitchcraft” via surface mail at:

Temple of WitchcraftPO Box 2252Salem, NH 03079

As a federally recognized nonprofit,donations to the Temple are taxdeductable.

LEVELS OF DONATIONThe Temple welcomes donations inwhatever denomination contributors canoffer.We recognize five levels of donation:

Quicksilver • $5-$25

Iron • $26 -$50

Copper • $51-$100

Silver • $101-$250

Gold • $251+

A special “Diamond” level is reservedfor patrons of the Temple who establishlasting endowments and trusts. Pleasecontact us directly if you are interested indoing so.

We regularly thank members who donateto the Temple by offering special Wheel ofthe Year meditations as audio filedownloads. See the Donations page of ourwebsite for the current thank you offer andwatch our website and social networks likeFacebook for announcements concerningnew thank you meditations and specialoffers to our generous patrons.

A B O U T T H E T E M P L E

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