Time Witchery

י'ג בכסלו תשס"ח

My new Spiral Goddess athame is made of solid high quality Brittania pewter, with a double edged stainless steel blade. Athame hilt is a 3-dimensional archetypal goddess figure with the symbolic spiral on her belly. Hilt is heavy weight, highly polished pewter, & has a very comfortable feel when gripped.

Pewter in Hebrew is נתך. From the similarly spelled shoresh, נתך means to "dissolve and pour". With a gematria of 470, נתך has the same gematria as "time", עת.

Thus, my new athame is an instrument for dissolving, pouring out and directing the essence of time.

Barley - Evidence Of Reconnection

ז' שבט ה'תשס"ז

Note that today's Hebrew date rests like a double shabbat, a shabbat shabbaton, and like the double edges of a witch's athame, between two letters zayin (ז ... ז).

The second product of the Land that we traditionally eat during Tu B'Shevat is barley. The word in Devarim 8:8 is ושׂערה meaning "and barley", where the first [1] letter is a vav (ו) of connection called a vav hachibur. This is the vav which reconnects the letter yod to the letter chet in the word wheat (חיטה) as discussed in my previous entry, Wheat - From Galut To Geulah (from exile to redemption).

Evidence for this reconnection is found in the root שׂער of the word for barley, which implies a strong movement from within [2]. The first letter of the root is sin ("s" sound) as opposed to shin ("sh" sound), with a nikud (dot) over the left pillar as opposed to the right pillar. Consequently, we can see that the movement manifests through action of the feminine left emanation.

What is this movement? It is the movement described in Sefer Yetzirah 1:6 and 6:1 as a stormwind, the se'arah. Ruach se'arah [3] is a klipah (as I've distinguished previously here, Sufah and Se'arah), in contradistinction to ruach hakodesh or divine inspiration. Like its ezer knegdo, the shoresh "against it" (שרע), it implies stretching and extending in response to a strong inner movement. In other words, it is deliberate, measured, active work. This klipah gives the soul something to push and pull against enabling growth. As a yetziratic "agitating wind" meant to loosen distorted complexes in the soul for removal and/or reconstruction, ruach se'arah is neither as powerful nor as potentially destructive as Ruach HaShem. Ruach se'arah results when the human moves toward the divine. Ruach HaShem results when the divine bestows upon the human. Consequently, the powerful presence of the "chaotic dynamic" described here is evidence that the reconnection has been established.

In my own life, this dynamic is discussed most notably here (Soul Of A Bat Kohen) and here (Modah Ani).

Footnotes:

[1] Hebrew is read right to left, as opposed to from left to right as with English.

[2] Etymological Dictionary Of Biblical Hebrew, R' Matityahu Clark

[3] Inner Space, R' Aryeh Kaplan

Consecrating My Athame

כ"ח טבת ה'תשס"ז

Tonight is the esbat of the Dark Moon. In contrast to Rosh Chodesh, which notes the first sliver of silvery light sighted each month, the Dark Moon is fully within the Shadow of Night. Light represents activity. Darkness represents rest. In other words, while Rosh Chodesh celebrates rebirth, the Dark Moon rests symbolically as a tzelem Elohim within the Dark Essence of Ein Sof.

Consequently, with the Light resting within the completely Dark Essence of Ein Sof, the Dark Moon esbat represents a shabbat of the moon. The moon generally corresponds to soul power of Emet (אמת truth) and to the sefirah Yesod (יסוד foundation). Thus, this esbat of Tevet, my athame will be infused with the Essential Foundation of Truth and the power of shabbat consciousness.

The esbat nocturnal ritual (performed surrounding midnight):

Complete steps 1, and 3 as found in Jewitch Shabbat Ritual.

Set up altar to basically include a central black taper candle standing upon a pentagram tile, a red pomegranate votive candle, and an incense blend [2] prepared with a teardrop within cauldron censer.

Light black taper (projective energy), saying:

Beruchah at Shechinah HaShem Chai, malchat shel Shabbat v'Esbat b'laylah, who transforms darkness into brilliance.

Use flame from the taper to light pomegranate votive (receptive energy) candle, saying:

Beruchah at Shechinah HaShem Chai, ruach shel Shabbat v'Esbat b'laylah, move through the Shadow of Night and be One with the Light.

Use flame from the taper to light the incense, saying:

Blessed are You Shechinah Acknowledger of Life, ruler of the universe, who has gifted me with a portion of Truth.

Beruchah at Shechinah HaShem Chai, malkat ha'olam, she'natnah li chemdat emet.

Wipe down both sides of the blade of the athame with a magnet.

Rinse with consecrated water [1]. Don't wipe dry.

Pass athame through incense smoke, saying:

ישמך אלהים השם חיי כאמת וחנה
Y'simech Elohim HaShem Chai k'Emet v'Chanah.

May the Goddess who acknowledges life make you as truth and favor.

Go outside and under the Dark Moon, cast the circle (step 7 here) using the index and middle fingers of the right hand.

Hold athame straight up with both hands directly over the crown of the head, saying:

With the Dance of Holy Darkness, I dedicate, consecrate, awaken, charge and infuse you.

Encircling the tip deosil overhead 8 times, saying each time:

ברוך שם כבוד מלכותה לעולם ועד
Baruch shem kevod malchutah le'olam va'ed.

Blessed is the Glorious Name, Her Kingdom stands forever and ever.

Following the eighth blessing, bring the athame parallel to the heart, point up, saying:

אמן
Amen.

Turning athame, point down, saying:

So mote it be.

Draw a pentagram invoking earth into the soil. Wipe off any dirt from the tip of the blade with the middle fingers, using the left middle finger for one side and the right middle finger for the other.

Kiss both sides of the blade near the middle and the hilt.

Bring the athame inside and place on the altar, saying:

With the Divine Shadow be embraced. So mote it be.

Allow candles and incense to burn themselves out. Leave up circle of protection. Wrap athame in black cloth and store with altar tools after the flames and incense have become dark.

Footnotes:

[1] Banished of negativity and blessed.

[2] Dragon's blood, frankincence, myrrh, pinch of salt, drop of vanilla oil, drop of olive oil, drop of red wine.

Mishkan, Circle Of Protection

Ashnistrike commented regarding my entry Athame & Mezuzah (also posted on my blogs), writing:

I'll just say that as someone who uses both an athame and a mezuzah, I'm interested in the possible connections that can be drawn between them. Do you integrate this connection into any of your practices?

In practice, I only use the athame presently. My mezuzot are stored away in a chest. When I became a ba'alat teshuvah over a decade ago, my professional livelihood was deliberately destroyed. I've stayed with relatives for the past several years. I can't put up a mezuzah.

Of course, I'm sure my enemies are quite pleased with the fact that I can't put up a mezuzah. Nevertheless, I don't need it. It's like all the other rituals tools - the only real tool a witch needs is herself. I truly know this now.

A few days ago I had a vision of a metaphysical fist being flung toward me, and of it being deflected by an invisible shield around me. I was only able to "see" the shielding force by the "reverberations" in spacetime and shapeshifting coming off the dark light (which the shield was made of) as the striking fist impacted against the field which surrounded me. I never take my circle down. It goes with me wherever I go.

And every shabbat and with every ritual, I reinforce it.

Athame Of Iron On The Altar Of The Temple

The iron blade of a witch's athame upon her altar is a perfect symbol for the rectification of evil and its elevation back into the realm of kedushah (holiness, sacredness). In the Jewish tradition, this rectification and re-elevation is called tikun olam (repair of the world).

The iron of knives and swords have historically been used to shorten life, making them typically antithetical for use upon a sacred altar, whose purpose is to enhance and lengthen life. However, in the "future world" (in Hebrew "leatid lavo" לעתיד לבא, a code for the transcendent rectified feminine sefirah Binah and her parzufim), our Sages teach that the Temple will be built using iron. Normally, it is forbidden to use tools of iron to cut stones for the Temple altar.

Kabbalistically, iron, one of the seven metals [1] corresponding to the seven mystical attributes of the heart, corresponds to the attribute of Malchut and the element of the heart most "vulnerable to negativity and egocentricity". Malchut symbolizes the feminine Kingdom of the world of action and expression (see sefirotic array here). It also symbolizes the Indwelling Divine Feminine, the Shechinah. In the supernal world of Atzilut, in Judaism, Malchut is called Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel). Other spiritual traditions have other names for it, but the message is similar - it represents the Land of the Divine Feminine.

Consequently, we can see that Jewish tradition teaches that iron found in the Land of the Divine Feminine is completely holy and invulnerable to the negativity normally associated with iron. This makes the iron blade of a witch's athame a perfect symbol for the completely holy Divine Feminine.

Footnote:

[1] Seven metal correspondences according to the Zohar, Shemot, Va'Era (hat-tip to Jack Nathanson):

silver - chesed (lovingkindness)
gold - gevurah (strength)
copper - tiferet (compassion)
lead - netzach (endurance)
iron pyrite - hod (empathy)
tin - yesod (foundation)
iron - malchut (kingdom)

Open Mysteries Of Vayechi & Filling The Athame

I engraved my athame this evening. Among the inscriptions are:

statement of intention: אתהפכא חשוכא לנהורא
my Jewitch craft name Lleucu in ogham letters
my Hebrew name in Hebrew letters לֵיאורהּ חנה
a pentacle
a magen David
mezuzah inscriptions as discussed here
a cauldron spiral triskelion
seals: so mote it be and ברוך שם כבוד מלכותה לעולם ועד, אמן
a unique alef
a 3-headed and a 4-headed shin
YHYH יהיה

The engravements look, well, handmade. Ok, this tool is definitely mine now.

AMaR - EMeT - AMeN

This shabbat (Friday night) of parashah Vayechi, I am going to dedicate my engraved athame. אמר. On the next Dark Moon (Thursday night, January 18), I am going to consecrate it. אמת. On Shabbat Rosh Chodesh Shevat (Friday night, January 19), I am going to "empower" it - prepared for Shevat as discussed here. אמן.

According to my Artscroll chumash (p. 268, Stone Edition):

In the entire Torah Scroll, Vayechi is unique in that there is no extra space between it and the preceding parashah, in contrast to the general rule that a Sidra begins on a new line or that it is separated from the previous one by at least a nine-letter space.

In other words, having no extra space, here in parashah Vayechi whose mysteries are open to the Dark Feminine "End of Days", it is filled with double blessings and brilliance. אמר אמת אמן

Chakak & Creation Making

I purchased a Dremel engraver today (like the one shown on the left) with a versa-tip as discussed by the manufacturer:

The Dremel Engraver is ideal for identifying and personalizing your valuables as well as decorative engraving. At 7,200 strokes per minute, the 115 volt motor and carbide point do more than just scratch the surface. Stroke adjustment dial on tool regulates engraving depth, from fine lines to deep grooves. Get the performance you need to engrave on metal, plastic, glass, ceramic, wood and even leather.

This is the tool I will be using to engrave my athame as posted previously. It really has a nice grip too. Boy oh boy! the things I am going to engrave! My kiddush cup is scheduled for witchy personalization too. I have so many projects in my head - I hope I am good at this. I've never "literally" engraved before in my life.

Sefer Yetzirah (R' Aryeh Kaplan translation) 1:1 teaches about engraving:

The Creator used (these) 32 paths to "engrave" so as to create His universe. The Hebrew word here is chakak (חקק). This usually has the connotation of removing material, as in the verse, "Engrave (chakak) yourself a dwelling in a rock" (Yishayahu 22:16). Derived from this root are the words chok (חוק) and chukah (חוקה), meaning "rule" and "decree", since rules and laws serve to remove some of the individual's freedom of action. Thus, the word chakak is closely related to ma-chak (מחק), meaning "to erase" as well as to the root la-kach (לקח), meaning "to remove" or "take" [1].

The word chakak is very closely related to the concept of writing. The main difference between engraving (chakak) and writing is that when one writes, one adds material such as ink to the writing surface, while when one engraves, one removes material. When the Bible uses the word chakak to designate writing, it is referring to such systems as cuneiform, where the text was written by removing wedges of clay from a tablet.

To understand why the author uses the term "engraved" here, we must understand the idea of creation. Before a universe could be created, empty space had to exist in which it could be made. But initially, only G-d existed, and all existence was filled with the Divine Essence, the Light of the Infinite (Aur Ein Sof). It was out of this undifferentiated Essence that a Vacated Space had to be engraved. The process, known to the kabbalists as the tzimtzum (constriction), is clearly described in the Zohar:

In the beginning of the King's authority
The Lamp of Darkness
Engraved a hollow in the Supernal Luminescence ...

The hollow engraved in the Supernal Luminescence was the Vacated Space, in which all creation subsequently occurred.

The undifferentiated Light of the Infinite which existed before the constriction is on the level of Chochmah (Wisdom), which is pure undelineated Mind. The power of constriction is that of Binah (Understanding), this being what the Zohar calls the Lamp of Darkness. It is negative Light, or negative existence, which can engrave a hollow in the Divine Essence.

Thus, my engraving endeavors begin.

A witch's brew:



Footnote:

[1] The root la-kach (לקח) also means "receiving" (like mekubal), "learning", "assuming a right to oneself", "knowledge", and "tongs". Etymological Dictionary Of Biblical Hebrew, R' Matityahu Clark (p. 133).

original tongs, for tongs must be made with tongs ...
Pirkei Avot 5:6

Koach Ha'tfisa & The Sharpened Arrow

I acquired (koach ha'tfisa) my athame this afternoon. As yet, there is nothing inscribed into it. I laid it angled (opposite to the way a mezuzah angles on a doorpost) across the middle of the altar plate to absorb light from the shabbat candles. I lit Dragon's Blood incense.

Also on the altar for shabbat, I lit 4 black candles at the quarters, an 8 inch black taper in the center, and a 6 inch dark red pomegranate pillar behind the taper (off to the right a small bit as I faced it). A little later into shabbat (a few hours), I noticed that the northern quarter black candle wasn't burning as bright as the others, even though it continues still to burn steadily. Odd, I thought.

After noticing it, a family member came to tell me the news (koach ha'klita) - Saddam Hussein was set to be executed within the next 15 minutes by hanging.

This evening is the first time I've used both Dragon's Blood incense and pomegranate candles. It's amazing how the Dragon's Blood incense and the pomegranate pillar are of identical dark red color.

Still, the northern flame humbly burns unextinguished. Interestingly, as I write this, the flame on the southern quarter has made itself to match the northern one.

The sharpened arrow (חץ שנון): There are 300 halachot concerning "you shall not let a witch live."

R' Yitzchak Ginsburgh (The Hebrew Letters) teaches:

King Yoshiyahu, יאשיהו, one of the most righteous kings to arise from the House of David and referred to as "the mashiach of G-d", was killed - due to the great transgressions of Israel - in battle with Pharaoh Necoh by 300 Egyptian arrows. Three hundred arrows is the secret of חץ שנון, the "sharpened arrow".

Athame, Finger Of The Endless

deep deep complete
creature of the night eternal
a touch divine, a bit insane, off the edge
plunging into a cutting clarity
relentless, wild
stark and undistorted
without echo, raw tradition
a serpent song, a scorpion tale
thirsting inside out, like a finger of the endless
casting kisses
from the heart of the dark

ויקרא למשה ולאהרן לילה, ויאמר קומו צאו מתוך עמי
She called to Moshe and Aaron by night and said, "rise up, come forth from among my people ..."
Shemot 12:31

artist of painting "Athame" unknown

Mezuzah & Athame

Rabbi Yosil Rosenzweig writes regarding the mitzvah of mezuzah and the oht (sign) of blood:

The Mitzvah of Mezuzah is actually commanded in Devarim 6:9. But in Shemot 12:3-15 the reason for the Mitzvah is explained: "Speak to the entire assembly of Israel, saying: On the tenth of this month each person shall take for themselves a lamb or a kid, for each household...[on] the fourteenth of this month, the entire congregation of the assembly of Israel shall slaughter it in the afternoon. They shall take some of its blood and place it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they will eat...I shall go through Egypt on this night, and I shall strike every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from man to beast; and against all gods of Egypt I shall mete out punishment. The blood shall be a SIGN for you upon the house where you are; when I see the blood I shall PASSOVER you; there shall not be a plague of destruction upon you when I strike the land of Egypt. This day shall be a remembrance for you and you shall celebrate it..."

An Oht (a sign) is significant because it is a reminder of an act that occurred before the eyes of the entire nation.

The mezuzah (מזוזה), representing the protective blood sign, is spelled with two letters zayin. The two letters zayin united together (זוז) within one word for the Jewish ritual item upon the doorpost is like "one dagger of double edges (זוז) of her (מה)." In other words, the "blood sign" on the doorpost which protects a Jew's home in mitzrayim is a woman's double-edged dagger. The contemplative power to "connect and interrelate all elements within creation", bringing down Divine Will into Understanding, is a function of the letter vav which forms the spine of the dagger of double-edges.

The witch's double-edged ritual dagger is called an athame (pronounced a-tham-ay). Silver Ravenwolf writes regarding the Celtic history of the athame [1]:

We know from Celtic history that, for a time, their weaponry through use of iron was far superior to their contemporaries, and that they were feared because of it. We also know that such folklore practices as hanging a knife above a door to cut any negativity that might enter the home (which means that the knives were not used to physically cut, but to defend on the astral plane) were highly popular in that culture.

A witch's athame is never ever used to draw blood. If it ever does, it becomes ritually unfit and can never be used again. It must be buried. Thus, in ancient Celtic culture the protecting blood sign upon the door was a double edged dagger which never draws blood. In other words, like the mezuzah, it is a protective blood sign which never draws blood.

Putting these ideas together, we can see that the Jewish ritual mezuzah and the Celtic ritual athame both refer to the same essence of spiritual protection - to guard the house from all negative influences that might attempt to enter it. Even the construct of the word mezuzah contains within it the idea of a woman's double-edged dagger as the protective device.

Footnote:

[1] Solitary Witchcraft, Silver Ravenwolf (p. 125)

Mystical Athame

In a previous entry on my blog Walking On Fire, I wrote about the arrow which killed King Yoshiyahu in battle with Pharaoh Necoh [1]. Having survived pharaoh's arrow [2], I have captured it and transformed it into a witch's mystical tool, my athame.

An athame is a ritual black handled double-edged magnetized blade used to direct metaphysical energy, kavanah and divine shefa during the mystical workings of a witch. It is never used to draw blood. It is a sacred ritual tool associated with the element of air (avir kadmon) [3] and balance.

It can never be "used" by anyone else. Once a witch has obtained and consecrated her athame, it can never be "deconsecrated". It is a witch's tool for the duration of her life. It is used to cast a ritual circle, to invoke, summon, consecrate, bind, banish, awaken, charge and enliven.

The word athame can be etymologically translated as "arrow". Consequently, pharaoh's arrow, meant to cripple and kill, has unwittingly provided me with the material from which I have crafted a witch's most prized possession - a metaphysical athame.

I am truly an initiated Jewitch (as in Jewish witch, not Wiccan) now.

Footnotes:

[1] R' Yitzchak Ginsburgh, The Hebrew Letters, on the letter shin (p. 320)

[2] See fn.3 in previous entry (link above) regarding chemah/chomah and davah/hod.

[3] R' Yitzchak Ginsburgh on avir kadmon: "The word avir--"atmosphere" or "air"-- is composed of the three letters which spell or--"light"--together with a fourth letter, the letter yud. In Kabbalah we are taught that the or within avir represents the "impression" (reshimu) of the infinite light which shined before the primordial plan of creation (that light in which God "engraved" the plan). The yud represents the "impression" of the Divine plan itself."