Indian slave of the Parris family. While both Sarah Osborne and Sarah Good pled their innocence, Tituba was tortured and “confessed” that there was a coven of witches at work in Salem.
A trial was convened that went on for weeks, and many of the villagers confessed to having been under the spell of the witches. In 1692, community leaders declared the need for a “witch hunt,” and while they were at it, they took the opportunity to clean up the local riffraff. Again, women were under special scrutiny, and even those not under any suspicion at all were at the mercy of the judiciary, especially women with property ripe for confiscation by greedy public officials. As always, the desired confession was gained under pain of torture. The first to be found guilty of witchcraft was Bridget Bishop; the sentence was hanging. A sort of “witch fever” spread throughout New England, followed by the Andover witch trials. Fortunately, people began to gather round to protect each other and signed petitions asserting the innocence of the accused. Finally, the newly established superior court, founded one year after the hanging of Bridget Bishop, put a stop to the conviction of witches. Unfortunately, the superior court did not act until twenty people had been executed on trumped-up charges.
Donna Read, in her masterful documentary film The Burning Times, explores the history of the Dark Ages, when an estimated three million women were burned as suspected witches. This ongoing torture and murder of millions of women begs the question: Why are women so threatening to men in power? We have seen it time and time again over the millennia, beginning with Eve being blamed for the introduction of evil (read: knowledge) into the world. The sacred feminine is mysterious, with a dark and unknowable aspect that can be threatening to those in power. Women’s wisdom, born from women’s intuition, springs from the well of the sacred feminine. This frightens people who don’t understand or embrace it. Women who spoke their mind, who challenged authority, and who espoused a spirituality outside the codified rules of any church were considered a danger to strict social order. The unknown and unknowable intimidates and is a menace to the status quo. Thus, it had to be silenced. This silencing cost millions of lives.
While we have progressed in so many ways since 1692, persecution can still happen. In May 2005, a young woman in England was dunked repeatedly in the river and nearly drowned because her family and neighbors believed she was practicing witchcraft. So while we believe these dark times are over, we must be ever vigilant. We must never forget.
I meant to find her when I came
Death had the same design.
One need not be a chamber to be haunted,
One need not be a house;
The brain has corridors surpassing
Material place.
—Emily Dickinson
Dark Moon magic embraces women’s wisdom, and in its essence is a celebration of the Dark Sacred Feminine. If you look at magical culture, men also embrace their feminine sides and fully express them. Dark Moon magic remembers the “Burning Times” with their torture and negation of the female spirit. Dark Moon magic expresses what was once made silent.
As a modern primitive or urban pagan, it is important to establish a sacred space and arm yourself with magical tools. In so doing, you can create a magical place where the mundane world is left behind. It can be in your home or your own backyard, where despite the noise of the day-to-day, you can touch the sacred. There is no need to ascend to the top of a mountain, a silent retreat, or a deep dark dungeon in search of the sacred. Nay—anywhere you choose can become the place of magic where you cast the circle.
You can create the magic circle by “casting” or drawing in the air with concentrated energy. Inside the circle you have created, rituals are performed, your spells are worked, and special energy is raised. This sacred space of your very own is where you call on the gods and goddesses and become attuned to your deities. By giving this space real attention and focus, you can make it a truly intense experience. For the first time in your life, all your senses will come alive, and you will feel, see, and hear the energies as you come into the circle because you will have created a tangible sphere of power.
Cast a circle anywhere—out in the woods, on a lakefront, or in the comfort of your own crypt. Wherever the circle is cast becomes your temple. If you are in your bedroom or living room, stack the chairs against the wall to create the limits of your circle. The Goddess tradition specifies that the circle must have a diameter of nine feet, which is the number of the Goddess. That said, a circle can be any size, accommodating a very large group with dozens of people or just yourself. Many witches only cast a circle when they are ready to engage in spell work, while many neopagans cast a circle to celebrate every sabbat holy day. Dark Moon variations on circle casting can include playing hypnotic and rhythmic music, thereby enhancing the creation of sacred space. Covens with which I am acquainted use both live and recorded music to great result and also read from their collective Book of Shadows. One group daringly holds their sabbats in a cemetery because for them the space is doubly hallowed.
Sacred Tools
Casting a circle is only limited by the imagination or by the function you ascribe to it. The magic begins at your altar with your sacred tools—athame, bolline, cord, censer, and a cauldron, among other things—for crafting rituals. To fully imbue your tools of magic and ritual with energy, they should reside on your altar. Collecting your ritual tools is best when it is a joyful and careful search—don’t rush out and get everything at once! As you work to refine your practice, your needs will undoubtedly change, so building a proper tool collection is a process that can take months or even years. Many a magician has acquired a full complement of antique ritual tools; the aforementioned Kat, for example, collects tools from New Orleans used by voodoo practitioners. Actor Nicholas Cage, who follows the teachings of Aleister Crowley, collects his writings, tarot cards, and tools, because they are imbued with the energy and magic of the founder of the Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO). So, again, the use of historic and antique tools of magic can deepen the potential for magical power in Dark Moon magic.
You can also find ritual tools in flea markets, metaphysical five and dimes, and craft fairs around the country. Always make sure you cleanse and purify your new tools of magic whether they are antiques or brand new, to ensure that the energy is yours and yours alone. Think of your ritual tools as energy conductors that absorb the energy of the ritual work that you and your circle perform. If you want to craft tools that are custom made to fit your needs, you can also take the do-it-yourself approach to making magical implements. You may well want to laminate the handle of your knife with skull beads made of bone or take a walk in the woods in search of just the right fallen branch for your wand.
Using Your Tools for Magic
Ritual tools are sacred to an individual who is performing the actual ritual act. Whether you find your tools in a store or they are given to you as a gift, each tool should hold special meaning to you and should feel absolutely perfect to you as you use it. Keep this in mind as you search for just the right tool for your Dark Moon ritual ceremonies; perhaps your athame will look like a medieval dagger or your Book of Shadows will resemble an ancient tome from the twelfth century. Usually, you are able to “recognize” tools that are meant for you with your inner knowing. I highly recommend using a pendulum while shopping!
ATHAME—YOUR DAGGER FOR DESIGNING MAGIC
Pronounced “a-THAW-may,” this is your magical knife. Even though it can be
