Friday 17 July 2015

Excellent video for an excellent book!


O’ Milcham-i-Azh’rail! Lift Thou Thy blade to Heaven, seven times tongued with flame, there to cut open the heart of the Sun, that its lifeblood may flow into Thy mouth; thus to empower Thee as the Messenger Divine– the catalyst for the translation of the Seeker’s Mind into the Circle of the Seven Stars.

Tuesday 14 July 2015

Two new mini articles shamelessly borrowed from elsewhere. 

 
Witch Blood - Genuine Hereditary Witchcraft

Some witches claim blood lineage from witches who have gone before. This is known as possessing witch blood. It is based on a very ancient notion from the book of Enoch that T'Qayin once mixed his seed with that of the daughters of Adam, producing a race of supernaturally gifted beings. These beings are sometimes referred to as The Watchers. It is said that this divine spark runs through the veins and sings from the bones of every witch. Remember that you are made of the same materials as the stars, and that magic lives within you. Even if you cannot trace your familial lineage to that of a known witch, know that through the forging of the Red Thread, the magical link that this tradition creates between you and the Mighty Dead, you share the blood of T'Qayin.



The Kuthun

Is is told that for a witch to pass from this life into the next, she must pass her power on to another. This provides incentive for teaching the Craft to others, ensuring that our ways do not die with us. The Kuthun is a tangible object that links the power of a witch to her descendant. It may be a beloved magical tool, a piece of jewelry or regalia, or a formal document of lineage.



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As with the 'Witch blood' below there are other ways that hereditary magic gets passed on.This time it's via a trade or Association - The Horseman's Word.
 
Here's a short article about the oath itself

"The Baron of Kilmarnock is proud to be a member of the Horseman's Word. He was initiated in Sandwick, Orkney, on 14th April 1983.
In June 1989 the local newspaper printed the Oath of the Horseman's Word, and the belief that a member was initiated 'a few weeks ago'.
The Horsemen originated in the north-east of Scotland before 1870. Much has been written about the growth and the following of the Horsemen with anecdotal versions of the initiation ceremony, the mysteries, the Oath, and versions of the 'Word' itself. For anyone keen to read such accounts, a short list of books is given below.

On a light-hearted note, from 'Scots Pegasus' by the Scottish dialect poet Alastair Mackie, ' . . the hert o the nut is this - naebody, dammt, kens the horseman's word'.

Contrary to what curious readers may find stated elsewhere on the internet, the Horsemen (as we call it) is still an active Society in Scotland (AND in East Anglia! - my addition). Competent authors such as Russell Lyon in Lanarkshire made the effort to check facts before writing "Small groups have survived, notably in Orkney where, I have been told, members are still initiated into the old secrets; and those societies which appear to have been incorporated into Masonic lodges still flourish". And indeed this is so.

Billy Rennie, from Stuartfield near Peterhead, was described by a Scotland on Sunday columnist in Dec. 2002 as 'the last known surviving member of the Horseman’s Word'. In Oct. 2009 the Buchan Observer had a local headline entry 'Horseman's Word expert publishes book' - none other than brother Rennie, initiated in Sept.1961. A deluxe limited edition (100) followed, bound in leather 'with an imprint from an actual horseshoe, with nail holes in genuine gold' and including an envelope containing 'a horsehair knotted in the special manner that signifies that it is your invitation to the mysteries of the Society of the Horseman's Word'.

 Yes, we have many more 'surviving members' . . . and that is from the horse's mouth!

Gentlemen, please raise your glasses for the toast:
'Here's to the horse with the four white feet,
the chestnut tail and mane;
a star on his face and a spot on his breast,
and his master's name was Cain.'


SUGGESTED READING
* The Society of the Horseman's Word, Ben Furnee, SEE. 2009
• Folklore, Myths and Legends of Britain, Reader's Digest Association Ltd., 1977.
• The Quest for the Original Horse Whisperers, Russell Lyon, Luath Press Ltd., Edinburgh, 2003.
• The Horseman's Word, Timothy Neat, Birlinn Ltd., 2002.
• The Pattern Under The Plough, George Ewart Evans, Faber & Faber, 1966.


<- I would love this edition

                 But I have this edition -->










(article from http://www.kilmarnock.com/word.html)