Scottish Witchcrafy and Wizardry, Grimoire

Grimoire or Book of Shadows:
The Grimoire or Book of Shadows is a blank book for ones own ritual use. It can be more like a diary or like a textbook.

You fill it with rituals, spells, correspondence, herbal lore, notes on myth and magic, thoughts on wizardry and witchcraft, the faith, and whatever else you feel will help guide you on your path.

Most Clans, covens and groups keep a group Grimoire or Book of Shadows. The Clan maintains a Clan book and each member keeps his or her own personal book.

We have several. Our main Grimoire is in the form of a textbook. It contains what we believe are the basic truths to our belief and a base level understanding of the magical and mythical worlds.

I have a personal diary that I make daily observations in, jot down dreams and save ideas. It is the place I argue with myself. And argue I do. I do not have all the answers and never will. I constantly ponder the meanings of my faith and examine and evaluate what I believe.

You will find that most people think you an odd ball if you tell them you believe in any pagan faith. Younger people tend to have a more open mind but even they often fail to understand how a person over half a century can be a pagan.

Generally they are the people that are pagan to rebel or to be "cool." For the most they fail to understand the deep meaning of the pagan faith.

That's why a Book of Shadows or Grimoire can be so important. Twenty years from now you can look back and see where you came from, a key element in the understanding of where you are going.

I am currently working on a volume on wand making. It will examine magical woods, the mystic of the wood. Technical elements of wood and wand making. If all goes well I hope to finish in a year or so.

Making your own Grimoire or Book of Shadows can be as easy as purchasing a pack of paper and a three-ring binder. It can be as expensive as purchasing a handmade wood or carved leather bound book for hundreds of dollars.

On the crafts page there are instructions to help you with binding your parchment into a book.

Here is a starting place if you are not so crafty. They can sell you the tools and kit to make your own. Beware, it is not cheep but it will be worth the cost when you ae done and it will be a tome tha may cross centuries and touch future generations.

Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard

A good book to purchase is the "Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard". This is more than a craft cookbook, it's a guide for life. The Grimoire is written in modern vernacular and with a sense of humor that makes learning fun.

Oberon Zell-Ravenheart has taken much of the searching and work out of the process of learning the basics of Wizardry and Witchcraft. It is a good starting place for anyone, young or old, to begin their education in the mysteries of the world.

Much of the technical teaching in this site is from or echoed in this book. I recommend anyone interested in the craft acquire this book.

About the Grimoire
(Available from Amazon.com)

With contributions and additional material from Raymond Buckland, Raven Grimassi, Patricia Telesco, Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart, and other illustrious members of The Gray Council, here is the book Merlin would have given a young Arthur...if only it had existed.

This essential handbook contains much of the information a beginning Wizard needs to know. It is illustrated with original art by Oberon and friends, as well as woodcuts from medieval manuscripts and alchemical texts-plus, charts, tables, and diagrams. It also contains: Biographies of famous Wizards in history and legend; Detailed descriptions of magical tools and regalia (with full instructions for making them); Spells and workings for a better life; Rites and rituals for special occasions; A bestiary of mythical creatures; Systems of divination; The Laws of magic; Myths and stories of gods and heroes; Lore and legends of the stars and constellations; Instructions for performing amazing illusions, special effects, and many other wonders of the magical multiverse.

Table of Contents:

Forward by Raymond Buckland
Acknowledgments
Preface: A Wizardly Soliloquy
The Calling by Jesse Wolf Hardin
Introduction

COURSE ONE: WIZARDRY
Class I: Concerning Wizards
Class II: Becoming a Wizard
Class III: Foundations of magic
Class IV: magical Arts
Class V: magical Talents
Class VI: Perchance to Dream
Class VII: Patterns of magic

COURSE TWO: NATURE
Class I:Natural Mysteries
Class II: The Soul of Nature
Class III: The Elements
Class IV: Back to Nature
Class V: Adventures in Nature
Class VI:Your magical Garden

COURSE THREE: PRACTICE
Class I: Ethics of magic
Class II: Tools of magic
Class III: Your Wizardly Regalia
Class IV: Your Sanctum Sanctorum
Class V: The magical World
Class VI: Correspondences
Class VII: Signs and Symbols

COURSE FOUR: RITES
Class I: Practical magic
Class II: Ritual Spaces
Class III: About Rituals
Class IV: Conducting a Ritual
Class V: magical Times
Class VI: The Wheel of the Year
Class VII: Spellcraft

COURSE FIVE: SPECTRUM -PART 1
Class I: Meditation (Aqua)
Class II: Healing (Blue)
Class III: Wortcunning (Green)
Class IV: Divination (Yellow)
Class V: Conjury (Orange)
Class VI: Alchemy (Red)

COURSE SIX: SPECTRUM -PART 2
Class I: Beast Mastery (Brown)
Class II: Cosmology (Violet)
Class III: mathemagics (Clear)
Class IV: Ceremonial magic (White)
Class V: Lore mastery (Grey)
Class VI: The Dark Arts (Black)

COURSE SEVEN: LORE
Class I: The Other Worlds
Class II: Gods of All Nations
Class III: The Others
Class IV: The magical Bestiary
Class V: Wizards of History
Class VI: Modern Wizards

APPENDICES
A. History of magic Timeline
B. The Wizard's Library
C. Credits & references
D. Index

About the Grimoire Author, Oberon Zell-Ravenheart:

On April 7, 1962, inspired by Robert A. Heinlein’s 1961 science-fiction novel, Stranger in a Strange Land, Oberon co-founded the Church of All Worlds. He has served as the Church’s Primate ever since. First to apply the terms “Pagan” and “Neo-Pagan” to the newly emerging Nature religions of the 1960s, and through his publication of the award-winning Pagan magazine, Green Egg (1968-1975; 1988-2000; 2007-), Oberon was instrumental in the coalescence of the Neo-Pagan movement, which for the past third of a century has been reclaiming the religious heritage of pre-Christian Europe. (Identified as the fastest-growing religion in the English-speaking world, US membership in the Pagan community is currently estimated in the millions.)

In 1970, Oberon formulated and published the thealogy of deep ecology which has become known as The Gaia Thesis—that our entire planetary biosphere comprises the body of a single vast living organism universally identified as “Mother Earth.” He met his soulmate, Morning Glory, at the Llewellyn-sponsored Gnostic Aquarian Festival in 1973, where he was a keynote speaker on the Gaia Thesis. They were legally married on April 14, 1974, in a spectacular Pagan handfasting in Minneapolis.

For eight years (1977-1985) Oberon and Morning Glory lived in a 5,600-acre intentional community called Greenfield Ranch, in the mountains of northern California, establishing a rural homestead and a Pagan retreat center. During this period they created large festivals, vision quests, ceremonies, and ritual events on the land. This work continues to this day on Annwfn.

Oberon and Morning Glory co-founded the Ecosophical Research Association in 1977, and their research into arcane lore and ancient legends resulted in the Living Unicorn project, begun in 1980. For the next four years they traveled all over North America exhibiting their authentic Medieval-style Unicorns at Renaissance Faires, before arranging a four-year exhibition contract with Ringling Bros./ Barnum & Bailey Circus—“The Greatest Show on Earth”—which brought these legendary creatures to millions throughout the world.

In Feb. 1985, Oberon organized an ERA diving expedition to Australia and New Guinea which identified the species of the mysterious “Ri” and solved the ages-old mystery of the Mermaid; and in 1987 he conducted a research tour of ancient oracles and archaeological sites throughout Mediterranean Europe. Other magical journeys have taken Oberon to Peru, Hawaii, Alaska, back to Australia, and, in 1999, to the British Isles for the century’s last total Eclipse of the Sun.

Oberon is the author of numerous published articles on history, Gaian thealogy, magic, shamanism, mythology, anomalies, dinosaurs, archaeology, cosmology, and related topics, and has been interviewed and quoted extensively in many books on New Age religious movements and the occult. With many years of theatrical experience, Oberon has been an entertaining guest on a number of radio and television talk shows around the country (and in England, Canada and Australia), as well as being a regular featured speaker at various Pagan festivals and conventions. Oberon is also an accomplished ritualist, creating and conducting rites of passage, seasonal celebrations, Mystery initiations (such as the Eleusinia and the Panathenaia), Earth-healings and other rituals for up to 3,000 people.

Oberon’s artwork has illuminated the pages of various fantasy, science-fiction, and metaphysical magazines since the late 1960’s, as well as illustrating a number of books. His T-shirt designs may still be seen at any gathering of environmental activists. His favorite art project, however, is his ongoing sculpture series of ancient Gods and Goddesses, and of mythological creatures, currently marketed through TheaGenesis LLC, as the Mythic Images Collection. His masterwork is “The Millennial Gaia.”

In 2002, Oberon gathered together many of the best-known minds in the Neo-Pagan movement to form the “Grey Council.” In 2004 Oberon and the Council published Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard, a book filled with the accumulated wisdom and insight of dozens of the most experienced magicians, priests, artists, and authors in Pagandom. Also in 2004, Oberon created his proudest accomplishment, the online Grey School of Wizardry (www.GreySchool.com). The Grey School currently offers over 200 classes in 16 Departments, at seven levels, with over 650 students aged 11-73. The faculty number 40 highly-qualified teachers. Graduates are certified “Journeyman Wizards.” Oberon is the school’s Headmaster, and has been called “The real Albus Dumbledore.”

Oberon Zell (born 11/30/42) has accomplished many things in his long and colorful career. A modern Renaissance man, Oberon is a transpersonal psychologist, metaphysician, naturalist, theologian, shaman, author, artist, sculptor, lecturer, teacher, and ordained Priest of the Earth-Mother, Gaia. Those who know him well consider him to be a true Wizard in the traditional sense. He is also an initiate in the Egyptian Church of the Eternal Source, a Priest in the Fellowship of Isis, and an initiate in several different Traditions of Witchcraft. He holds academic degrees in sociology, anthropology, clinical psychology, teaching, and theology.

Grey School of Wizardry

This School is an outgrowth of the Grey Council, a team of two dozen mages and sages. Members of the Grey Council follow many different paths, and may have orientations and perspectives that differ from each other, but they all hope to spark the imagination, beauty, and power of the minds of seekers everywhere.

They worked together over the year 2003 to weave the best lessons from many of the magical community's most respected elders and teachers into the Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard, compiled by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart. (New Page Books, 2004).

The Grimoire, however, is only the first phase of a long-range Vision to make
available the Wisdom of the Ages for a new generation and a new Millennium. It is both an essential handbook of Apprentice-level Wizardry (like the Boy Scout Handbook) and a basic textbook for a full seven-year academic curriculum of Wizardly studies. Thus, its Lessons begin very simply and grow more complex as students advance.

The second phase of this Vision is the creation of the on-line School of Wizardry that will serve as a larger context for the Grimoire and magical teachings. Designed for students of ages approx. 11-18 (middle through high school), the Grey School of Wizardry provides an extensive program of studies in all areas of Wizardry and magic, at an Apprenticeship level. Graduates will be qualified and licensed as “Journeyman Wizards.”

Taking the Grimoire's basic curriculum as a starting point, the Grey School of Wizardry offers additional Classes, lessons and practical exercises, links to cool website's with specialized materials, etc., and lots of color graphics and images which could not be reproduced in the printed book. Class materials and lessons are provided and taught by a highly-qualified Faculty and guest lecturers. New classes will be added continually. Music, chants and songs will also be included, drawing upon the rich store of materials available in the magical community.

Both the Grimoire and the School focus on magic rather than spirituality, although a few Classes cover mythology and comparative religions.

The Grey School is highly interactive, and includes not just study materials, but four Elemental “Houses” (Sylphs, Salamanders, Undines, and Gnomes) in which students will be able to communicate directly with each other. Each House has a Faculty Head to moderate the chatrooms, etc. As suitable candidates emerge, each House will also add a Student Head.

The Grey School Library includes not only an excellent Bibliography, but also links to on-line articles and encyclopedias. Other links allow students to do independent research with various available training programs, directories, events, and stores for magical supplies. Also, there is an interactive FAQ page where students can post questions.

A special Bulletin Board is being set up with Announcements of events, opportunities, field trips, retreats, summer camps, local appearances of teachers, get-together's at festivals, etc. in which some students may wish to participate. For example, several Grey Council members are part of the Las-Vegas-based “Mystery School,” and world-famous master stage magician Jeff “Magnus” McBride has offered to create some special conjury magic retreats just for teens.

We have categorized sixteen “colors” of magic which we have designated for “Departments” of the Grey School. Each of these has its Dean, Professors, Instructors, and Classes.

If you would like to learn about Faculty opportunities at the Grey School of Wizardry, please contact the Headmaster for a copy of the Faculty Application form. If you would like to enroll as a Student in the Grey School of Wizardry, please fill out the Enrollment Form.

Oberon Zell-Ravenheart, Headmaster
Grey School of Wizardry
http://www.greyschool.com/main.asp

Mythic Images Collection

Oberon Zell-Ravenheart is the primary artist for the Mythic Images Collection. This is an ever-growing collection of God & Goddess altar figurines and wall plaques.

Some of these are accurate museum replicas,
while others are unique original designs. Cast of Acrylic resin or Hydrostone, all are beautifully hand-painted. All are originally sculpted by Oberon, Morning Glory, and Wynter-Rose, all members of the Ravenheart Family.