Saturday, May 28, 2016
Elizabeth (1/11) Movie CLIP - The Burning of Master Nicholas Ridley (199...
This is what it really means to burn at the stake.
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Clarification on the Blog requirement
just treat it like a class discussion and put in your two cents when inspired. it's fun!
The Wheel of the Year
the year is divided into quarters. this is a result of the earliest of human history, as people watched the seasons and skies to understand the wheel.
The solstices are December 21 and June 21
The equinoxes are march 21, and September 21
Notice Halloween, Christmas, and Easter's locations on the wheel.
The three harvest festivals are Lughnasadh, Mabon, and the Highest Holy Day, Samhain.
More about Samhain in another post.
The New Religions just take over the Old Religions' holidays and dieties. Usually the gods of the old religions become the devils of the new ones.
More on THE DEVIL soon.
Rose-Hip Wine for your Midsummer Celebration
3
pounds of rose hips
3
pounds of sugar
1
gallon boiling water
Wash the rose hips and cut them in half.
Put them in large bowl and pour boiling water on them.
Stir well with wooden spoon.
Cover bowl and leave for two weeks.
Strain off liquid into another bowl and add three pounds of sugar.
Stir until dissolved.
Cover bowl and leave for 5 days, stirring daily.
Bottle, remembering to cork loosely at first, and store in a cool, dark place.
Push in corks when wine has finished fermenting.
It will be ready to drink in 6 months.
Diety and Human History
The Wiccan belief system is predicated on the
concept of a God and Goddess duality.
Many Americans derive from a monotheistic (one
God) tradition. What does this mean? It means that the nature of
God according to the monotheists is generally this:
A Male
In the Catholic faith, people worship The
Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. Again, there is no feminine aspect
to the Deity.
****
"Pagan" is a term used to describe
anyone who does not subscribe to the dominant religion of a society.
Wiccans are a type of Pagans.
*****
The Pagan religions are the foundation of many
popular religions today.
Looking, for example, to the Catholic religion we can
see very clear evidence of the Pagan foundations.
For example:
Mother Mary =
Goddess/Feminine Aspect
Saints = Demi Gods (e.g.
Pagans might have prayed to the God of the Harvest, while Catholics pray to the
Saint of Good Harvest)
Incense = used by Pagans and Catholics
alike to carry their prayers to Heaven and to spiritually cleanse an area
The Chalice = The recepticle, the Feminine, the Grail
Holidays = Many of the Catholic holidays
are based on Pagan ones
*****
The Female Aspect of Deity in Wicca sees (by
most traditions, though some recently have argued for a quadruple aspect) a
Triple Goddess:
Maiden
Mother
Crone
(the fourth would be the void)
(the fourth would be the void)
The Maiden comes as the earth refreshes from the
sleep of death. The world becomes fecund and fertile once again.
The holidays Ostara and Beltane celebrate this aspect.
The Mother is celebrated in Midsummer as the
feminine aspect of birth and motherhood is represented in the abundant time of
Summer.
The Crone, who is an old, infertile woman, is
the third aspect of Deity represented by the dying of Autumn as the earth slips
into a winter's death. You can see how our "Wicked Witch" is a
direct descendant of the Crone.
The Male aspect of the year is represented in Winter. The Horned God who has masculine aspects such as aggression rules the Death half of the year.
How to Work with the Moon when Spellcasting
Wicca Lesson
A prayer is a spell. In both cases one sends his or her intention to the Universe through words and thoughts. Sending energy is really just finding some, then diverting it with an intention. The intention is the energy your mind creates.
You will find more about the Wiccan idea of Deity in the Cunningham book. In this post, I am going to explain the relationship of the moon with the Wiccan prayer. This way, you will gain a deeper understanding of the framework as you will be guided to actually work through it.
* * **
The moon cycles, waxing (growing larger), full, waning (becoming smaller), and new/dark (absent).
There are thirteen cycles in a year.
One cycle every 28 days.
Spells are designed to follow the energy of the moon, so that, spells for growth are done as the moon waxes. Spells to energize are most powerful during the full moon (this is also a good time to recharge your tools). Spells to decrease or banish are done during the waning moon and new moon.
A prayer is a spell. In both cases one sends his or her intention to the Universe through words and thoughts. Sending energy is really just finding some, then diverting it with an intention. The intention is the energy your mind creates.
You will find more about the Wiccan idea of Deity in the Cunningham book. In this post, I am going to explain the relationship of the moon with the Wiccan prayer. This way, you will gain a deeper understanding of the framework as you will be guided to actually work through it.
* * **
The moon cycles, waxing (growing larger), full, waning (becoming smaller), and new/dark (absent).
There are thirteen cycles in a year.
One cycle every 28 days.
Spells are designed to follow the energy of the moon, so that, spells for growth are done as the moon waxes. Spells to energize are most powerful during the full moon (this is also a good time to recharge your tools). Spells to decrease or banish are done during the waning moon and new moon.
the Magic Moon Table!
| 2016 Lunar Phases — New York, N.Y. (US/Eastern) Time | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Moon | First Quarter | Full Moon | Third Quarter | ||||||||
| Jan. 2 Sa. 12:31 AM | |||||||||||
| Jan. 9 Sa. 08:31 PM | Jan. 16 Sa. 06:27 PM | Jan. 23 Sa. 08:46 PM | Jan. 31 Su. 10:29 PM | ||||||||
| Feb. 8 Mo. 09:40 AM | Feb. 15 Mo. 02:47 AM | Feb. 22 Mo. 01:20 PM | Mar. 1 Tu. 06:12 PM | ||||||||
| Mar. 8 Tu. 08:55 PM | Mar. 15 Tu. 01:04 PM | Mar. 23 We. 08:01 AM | Mar. 31 Th. 11:18 AM | ||||||||
| Apr. 7 Th. 07:25 AM | Apr. 14 Th. 12:00 AM | Apr. 22 Fr. 01:25 AM | Apr. 29 Fr. 11:30 PM | ||||||||
| May 6 Fr. 03:31 PM | May 13 Fr. 01:03 PM | May 21 Sa. 05:16 PM | May 29 Su. 08:13 AM | ||||||||
| June 4 Sa. 11:01 PM | June 12 Su. 04:10 AM | June 20 Mo. 07:04 AM | June 27 Mo. 02:20 PM | ||||||||
| July 4 Mo. 07:03 AM | July 11 Mo. 08:52 PM | July 19 Tu. 06:59 PM | July 26 Tu. 07:02 PM | ||||||||
| Aug. 2 Tu. 04:46 PM | Aug. 10 We. 02:22 PM | Aug. 18 Th. 05:29 AM | Aug. 24 We. 11:44 PM | ||||||||
| Sept. 1 Th. 05:04 AM | Sept. 9 Fr. 07:50 AM | Sept. 16 Fr. 03:07 PM | Sept. 23 Fr. 05:59 AM | ||||||||
| Sept. 30 Fr. 08:13 PM | Oct. 9 Su. 12:35 AM | Oct. 16 Su. 12:25 AM | Oct. 22 Sa. 03:16 PM | ||||||||
| Oct. 30 Su. 01:39 PM | Nov. 7 Mo. 02:52 PM | Nov. 14 Mo. 08:53 AM | Nov. 21 Mo. 03:34 AM | ||||||||
| Nov. 29 Tu. 07:19 AM | Dec. 7 We. 04:03 AM | Dec. 13 Tu. 07:06 PM | Dec. 20 Tu. 08:56 PM | ||||||||
Phases of the Moon
Understanding The Moon PhasesHave you ever wondered what causes the moon phases? We all know that its appearance changes over time. But why? The good way to understand the phases of the moon is to examine an earth-moon-sun diagram:
©MoonConnection.com
All Rights Reserved. This moon phases diagram is NOT public domain and
may not be used on websites, copied, printed or republished except by
permission. Please contact me for high resolution version available for
small license fee.
Diagram ExplanationThe illustration may look a little complex at first, but it's easy to explain.Sunlight is shown coming in from the right. The earth, of course, is at the center of the diagram. The moon is shown at 8 key stages during its revolution around the earth. The moon phase name is shown alongside the image. The dotted line from the earth to the moon represents your line of sight when looking at the moon. The large moon image shows what you would see at that point in the cycle. For the waning gibbous, third quarter, and waning crescent phases you have to mentally turn yourself upside down when imagining the line of sight. When you do this, you'll "see" that the illuminated portion is on your left, just as you see in the large image. One important thing to notice is that exactly one half of the moon is always illuminated by the sun. Of course that is perfectly logical, but you need to visualize it in order to understand the phases. At certain times we see both the sunlit portion and the shadowed portion -- and that creates the various moon phase shapes we are all familiar with. Also note that the shadowed part of the moon is invisible to the naked eye; in the diagram above, it is only shown for clarification purposes. Finally, please realize this diagram is only meant to demonstrate how the phases work; the small inner moons in the diagram do not show the fact that the same side of the moon always faces Earth. So the basic explanation is that the lunar phases are created by changing angles (relative positions) of the earth, the moon and the sun, as the moon orbits the earth. If you'd like to examine the phases of the moon more closely, via computer software, you may be interested in this moon phases calendar software. Moon Phases SimplifiedIt's probably easiest to understand the moon cycle in this order: new moon and full moon, first quarter and third quarter, and the phases in between.As shown in the above diagram, the new moon occurs when the moon is positioned between the earth and sun. The three objects are in approximate alignment (why "approximate" is explained below). The entire illuminated portion of the moon is on the back side of the moon, the half that we cannot see. At a full moon, the earth, moon, and sun are in approximate alignment, just as the new moon, but the moon is on the opposite side of the earth, so the entire sunlit part of the moon is facing us. The shadowed portion is entirely hidden from view. The first quarter and third quarter moons (both often called a "half moon"), happen when the moon is at a 90 degree angle with respect to the earth and sun. So we are seeing exactly half of the moon illuminated and half in shadow. Once you understand those four key moon phases, the phases between should be fairly easy to visualize, as the illuminated portion gradually transitions between them. An easy way to remember and understand those "between" lunar phase names is by breaking out and defining 4 words: crescent, gibbous, waxing, and waning. The word crescent refers to the phases where the moon is less than half illuminated. The word gibbous refers to phases where the moon is more than half illuminated. Waxing essentially means "growing" or expanding in illumination, and waning means "shrinking" or decreasing in illumination. Thus you can simply combine the two words to create the phase name, as follows: After the new moon, the sunlit portion is increasing, but less than half, so it is waxing crescent. After the first quarter, the sunlit portion is still increasing, but now it is more than half, so it is waxing gibbous. After the full moon (maximum illumination), the light continually decreases. So the waning gibbous phase occurs next. Following the third quarter is the waning crescent, which wanes until the light is completely gone -- a new moon. The Moon's OrbitYou may have personally observed that the moon goes through a complete moon phases cycle in about one month. That's true, but it's not exactly one month. The synodic period or lunation is exactly 29.5305882 days. It's the time required for the moon to move to the same position (same phase) as seen by an observer on earth. If you were to view the moon cycling the earth from outside our solar system (the viewpoint of the stars), the time required is 27.3217 days, roughly two days less. This figure is called the sidereal period or orbital period. Why is the synodic period different from the sidereal period? The short answer is because on earth, we are viewing the moon from a moving platform: during the moon cycle, the earth has moved approximately one month along its year-long orbit around the sun, altering our angle of view with respect to the moon, and thus altering the phase. The earth's orbital direction is such that it lengthens the period for earthbound observers.Although the synodic and sidereal periods are exact numbers, the moon phase can't be precisely calculated by simple division of days because the moon's motion (orbital speed and position) is affected and perturbed by various forces of different strengths. Hence, complex equations are used to determine the exact position and phase of the moon at any given point in time. Also, looking at the diagram (and imagining it to scale), you may have wondered why, at a new moon, the moon doesn't block the sun, and at a full moon, why the earth doesn't block sunlight from reaching the moon. The reason is because the moon's orbit about the earth is about 5 degrees off from the earth-sun orbital plane. However, at special times during the year, the earth, moon, and sun do in fact "line up". When the moon blocks the sun or a part of it, it's called a solar eclipse, and it can only happen during the new moon phase. When the earth casts a shadow on the moon, it's called a lunar eclipse, and can only happen during the full moon phase. Roughly 4 to 7 eclipses happen in any given year, but most of them minor or "partial" eclipses. Major lunar or solar eclipses are relatively uncommon. |
Belief Systems
Since Wicca is a religion, we must first establish what a belief system is. (Of course if you're already up on Sam Harris or Dawkins, you know this.)
And since people are persecuted for being "Witches," in opposition to a dominant religious order, we must understand the power of belief systems.
A belief system represents belief without evidence, or faith.
I can believe in ghosts, but I can't prove they exist.
Faith can be a comforting thing, but it can also be a scapegoat used to excuse unethical behavior.
Religion is the only thing that can make good people do bad things.
Below are some examples of the power of belief to commit heinous acts. There are many, many more examples. Please post more examples with a comment.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2013/oct/04/westgate-mall-attacks-kenya-terror
http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/article/forced-exodus-christians-middle-east
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/justice-story/justice-story-honor-killing-article-1.1510125
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/barbara-wade-rose/papua-new-guinea-witchcraft-burned-stake_b_2688403.html?just_reloaded=1
http://youtu.be/LACyLTsH4ac
* * **
If I believe that a Witch is among us, I can use that to kill her or him with "impunity."
Here's something happening right now that expresses the danger of a belief system over reason:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/15/world/africa/sudan-christian-woman-apostasy/
* * **
What if there is no God? What would make killing wrong?
To start, I could say that if there is no afterlife, then taking another's life would be the worst abomination, as the life I take would be the entirety of the being. Or, raping someone and ruining her or his soul would be the worst abomination.
The reason evidence is so important is that without it, I can inflict punishment or death on another just by having a belief about that person:
http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/salem.htm
* * **
And since people are persecuted for being "Witches," in opposition to a dominant religious order, we must understand the power of belief systems.
A belief system represents belief without evidence, or faith.
I can believe in ghosts, but I can't prove they exist.
Faith can be a comforting thing, but it can also be a scapegoat used to excuse unethical behavior.
Religion is the only thing that can make good people do bad things.
Below are some examples of the power of belief to commit heinous acts. There are many, many more examples. Please post more examples with a comment.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2013/oct/04/westgate-mall-attacks-kenya-terror
http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/article/forced-exodus-christians-middle-east
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/justice-story/justice-story-honor-killing-article-1.1510125
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/barbara-wade-rose/papua-new-guinea-witchcraft-burned-stake_b_2688403.html?just_reloaded=1
http://youtu.be/LACyLTsH4ac
* * **
If I believe that a Witch is among us, I can use that to kill her or him with "impunity."
Here's something happening right now that expresses the danger of a belief system over reason:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/15/world/africa/sudan-christian-woman-apostasy/
* * **
What if there is no God? What would make killing wrong?
To start, I could say that if there is no afterlife, then taking another's life would be the worst abomination, as the life I take would be the entirety of the being. Or, raping someone and ruining her or his soul would be the worst abomination.
The reason evidence is so important is that without it, I can inflict punishment or death on another just by having a belief about that person:
http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/salem.htm
* * **
WINNERs!!
Congratulations to Alyssa J and Megan S!
(This is one of the reasons I don't use Blackboard. Because we can have CONTESTS on Blogger!!!)
You have won the first contest in RECORD TIME.
Also, the Eye of Horus is represented on the Oujia board.
Alyssa officially wins because she came in first, but since Megan seems upset about a "Blog Presence" I want to give her a gift, too.
Women, would you email me an address to where I can send your prizes?
It won't be a Oujia Board because they freak me out.
And a blog presence just means "talk" at the end of any posts that you like. Or send in pictures. One year all the students started sending in pictures of their new ink that the course inspired. It was random and really, really special.
(This is one of the reasons I don't use Blackboard. Because we can have CONTESTS on Blogger!!!)
You have won the first contest in RECORD TIME.
Also, the Eye of Horus is represented on the Oujia board.
Alyssa officially wins because she came in first, but since Megan seems upset about a "Blog Presence" I want to give her a gift, too.
Women, would you email me an address to where I can send your prizes?
It won't be a Oujia Board because they freak me out.
And a blog presence just means "talk" at the end of any posts that you like. Or send in pictures. One year all the students started sending in pictures of their new ink that the course inspired. It was random and really, really special.
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Later Tonight
... I will be posting some videos explaining all the assigments in detail for those of you who would like some more guidance. Just take a few hours, but it will be there!
Hello,
This is where I am coming from:
1. I can't imagine not being interested in this material. Therefore, I personally would be reading, writing and discovering on my own all the time if I were you. Actually, I am constantly doing that about what I teach as it is.
2. So, what I'd like to do is have this be an ongoing discussion between us all.
3. I'd like to see you leave blog comments to one another.
4. I'd like to have you write reaction papers to things you've read, any length.
5. I'd love to see some of you become so fascinated by something, e.g. tarot, that you go off on your own and research it further, and then write up a short research paper.
6. I'd be delighted if you created a work of art, music, etc. because you were inspired by something you read or saw. (you could exchange this for four pages of writing).
All of the above can work if the following conditions are met:
a) you are interested in the material
b) you are committed to the course
Having taught for nearly 20 years, I understand that to about half of you that might seem like a lot. I have no illusions, but I'm going for it anyway.
Your assignments for these next weeks be:
50 pages + is the minimum for an A (plus the grades on the assignments)
40 pages + is the minimum for a B
35 pages + is the minimum for a C
Good?
This is where I am coming from:
1. I can't imagine not being interested in this material. Therefore, I personally would be reading, writing and discovering on my own all the time if I were you. Actually, I am constantly doing that about what I teach as it is.
2. So, what I'd like to do is have this be an ongoing discussion between us all.
3. I'd like to see you leave blog comments to one another.
4. I'd like to have you write reaction papers to things you've read, any length.
5. I'd love to see some of you become so fascinated by something, e.g. tarot, that you go off on your own and research it further, and then write up a short research paper.
6. I'd be delighted if you created a work of art, music, etc. because you were inspired by something you read or saw. (you could exchange this for four pages of writing).
All of the above can work if the following conditions are met:
a) you are interested in the material
b) you are committed to the course
Having taught for nearly 20 years, I understand that to about half of you that might seem like a lot. I have no illusions, but I'm going for it anyway.
Your assignments for these next weeks be:
- an artistic project (more on that later) 20%
- a blogging presence 20%
- papers whenever you felt like writing them, research or reaction. 40%
- spell: 20%
50 pages + is the minimum for an A (plus the grades on the assignments)
40 pages + is the minimum for a B
35 pages + is the minimum for a C
Good?
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
Color Magic
Color Magic relates to the energies given off from colors of the visible spectrum. Light has heat, which is measured in Kelvin degrees. So, daylight, or blue in the visible spectrum, is 5600 degrees Kelvin, while tungsten light is 3200 degrees Kelvin. This is how we know energy is being expressed.
For
example, in the use of candles for spellcasting, you might use a pink
candle for friendship, a red for love, a blue for peace, white and
silver for healing, green for money, or violet for psychic vision.
Gold typically represents the God element.
Cord magic uses colored ribbons or cords of rope. You might tie a cord onto an object to bind a spell to it, or around your waist to attract the color energy you seek.
Cord magic uses colored ribbons or cords of rope. You might tie a cord onto an object to bind a spell to it, or around your waist to attract the color energy you seek.
Silver represents the Goddess.
Colors for this spell: White, Gold, Silver
White: white represents positive energy
Gold: represents the virility of the God
Silver: represents the vital aspects of the feminine
Black: emptiness
When: Seven days before the next full moon,
The
night of the Full Moon, (Full moon because it’s the most intensely lit
powerful celestial object in the sky every thirty or so days; 13 moons
per year)
Seven days after the full moon (waning)
-Seven is a magical number; most cycles run (biological) run in segments of seven to ten
Waxing moon = swelling of intention (vs. waning moon dissipates)
Objects:
One seven-day wishing knob candle in white
One seven-day wishing knob candle in black
Silver candle, Gold Candle
Herbs
Cords
Incense
Ritual:
Step by Step:
Seven days prior
Full Moon ritual
Seven days post
Cakes and Ale
John encourages us all to see a very frightening film that I'm afraid of:
You have to see it! It's a Puritan horror story (what I call "subtle
horror") that welcomes the viewer to a revised Puritan world where
witches DO exist. It has to do with witches, the Devil, and their
influences over society and individuals as a whole. It is a breakdown of
a family, a marriage; evil taking the form of animals, curses on crops
and livestock, impure thoughts, and the Devil's intent on getting
victims to sign his "book." Wonderful acting and gorgeous visuals. You
don't need to know the historical perspective to enjoy the movie. The
premise derives from the director's lifelong love of witches and he he
pulls from all aspects of witchcraft (the woods witch, the witch taking
the form of animals, the Devil, etc). It was a brilliant, beautiful
movie.
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Friday, May 20, 2016
The Story of the Double School Teacher
for more on the schoolteacher story, go to: http://marilynkaydennis.wordpress.com/2011/06/15/emilie-sagee-the-ubiquitous-teacher/
By Steven Wagner on About.com:
DO
YOU HAVE an exact double somewhere in the world? Can a person be in two
places at once? There are many intriguing accounts throughout history
of people who claim to have either encountered apparitions of themselves
- their doppelgangers - or have experienced the phenomenon of
bilocation, being in two separate locations at the very same time.
"Doppelganger"
is German for "double walker" - a shadow self that is thought to
accompany every person. Traditionally, it is said that only the owner of
the doppelganger can see this phantom self, and that it can be a
harbinger of death. Occasionally, however, a doppelganger can be seen by
a person's friends or family, resulting in quite a bit of confusion.
In
instances of bilocation, a person can either spontaneously or willingly
project his or her double, known as a "wraith," to a remote location.
This double is indistinguishable from the real person and can interact
with others just as the real person would.
EMILIE SAGÉE
One
of the most fascinating reports of a doppelganger comes from American
writer Robert Dale Owen who was told the story by Julie von
Güldenstubbe, the second daughter of the Baron von Güldenstubbe. In
1845, when von Güldenstubbe was 13, she attended Pensionat von
Neuwelcke, an exclusive girl's school near Wolmar in what is now Latvia.
One of her teachers was a 32-year-old French woman named Emilie Sagée.
And although the school's administration was quite pleased with Sagée's
performance, she soon became the object of rumor and odd speculation.
Sagée, it seemed, had a double that would appear and disappear in full
view of the students.
In
the middle of class one day, while Sagée was writing on the blackboard,
her exact double appeared beside her. The doppelganger precisely copied
the teacher's every move as she wrote, except that it did not hold any
chalk. The event was witnessed by 13 students in the classroom. A
similar incident was reported at dinner one evening when Sagée's
doppelganger was seen standing behind her, mimicking the movements of
her eating, although it held no utensils.
The
doppelganger did not always echo her movements, however. On several
occasions, Sagée would be seen in one part of the school when it was
known that she was in another at that time. The most astonishing
instance of this took place in full view of the entire student body of
42 students on a summer day in 1846. The girls were all assembled in the
school hall for their sewing and embroidery lessons.
As
they sat at the long tables working, they could clearly see Sagée in
the school's garden gathering flowers. Another teacher was supervising
the children. When this teacher left the room to talk to the
headmistress, Sagée's doppelganger appeared in her chair - while the
real Sagée could still be seen in the garden. The students noted that
Sagée's movements in the garden looked tired while the doppelganger sat
motionless. Two brave girls approached the phantom and tried to touch
it, but felt an odd resistance in the air surrounding it. One girl
actually stepped between the teacher's chair and the table, passing
right through the apparition, which remained motionless. It then slowly
vanished.
Sagée
claimed never to have seen the doppelganger herself, but said that
whenever it was said to appear, she felt drained and fatigued. Her
physical color even seemed to pale at those times.
FAMOUS DOPPLEGANGERS
There have been many cases of doppelgangers appearing to well-known figures:
- Guy de Maupassant, the French novelist and short story writer, claimed to have been haunted by his doppelganger near the end of his life. On one occasion, he said, this double entered his room, took a seat opposite him and began to dictate what de Maupassant was writing. He wrote about this experience in his short story "Lui."
- John Donne, the 16th century English poet whose work often touched on the metaphysical, was visited by a doppelganger while he was in Paris - not his, but his wife's. She appeared to him holding a newborn baby. Donne's wife was pregnant at the time, but the apparition was a portent of great sadness. At the same moment that the doppelganger appeared, his wife had given birth to a stillborn child.
- Percy Bysshe Shelley, still considered one of the greatest poets of the English language, encountered his doppelganger in Italy. The phantom silently pointed toward the Mediterranean Sea. Not long after, and shortly before his 30th birthday in 1822, Shelley died in a sailing accident - drowned in the Mediterranean Sea.
- Queen Elizabeth I of England was shocked to see her doppelganger laid out on her bed. The queen died shortly thereafter.
- In a case that suggests that doppelgangers might have something to do with time or dimensional shifts, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the 18th century German poet, confronted his doppelganger while riding on the road to Drusenheim. Riding toward him was his exact double, but wearing a gray suit trimmed in gold. Eight years later, von Goethe was again traveling on the same road, but in the opposite direction. He then realized he was wearing the very gray suit trimmed in gold that he had seen on his double eight years earlier! Had von Goethe seen his future self?
Extra help formatting the spell
When you write the spell, include an appendix with basically big footnotes explaining the reasoning behind each decision you make in the spell.
Remember, it's an important step because there is power in every intention, which is every decision.
If you made choices because of something you read somewhere, include that source in the corresponding footnote.
So that, if you have thirteen decisions compiling your spell, there will be thirteen footnotes, too.
Hanging Tree - Blackmore's Night
Tainted by truth twisted by time...
Some choose to forget
Yet it still
Weaves webs in their minds....
And it seems like she's been here forever
Her branches as black as the seas
She's been through it all
By the luck of the draw
She became the old hanging tree...
She asked for nothing
Except maybe
A little rain...
They used her strength
To help them steal lives away...
And she witnessed the sadness and sorrow
To this day she still doesn't know why
And her heart broke
When they came with the rope
To declare her the old hanging tree...
Life stranger than fiction
Can make you want to cry
Roots could never stop her
From reaching for the sky...
Those years have all past
Lucky for us lucky for her...
Now, children play at her feet
And in her arms she cradles birds...
And it seems she's been here forever
These days are the best that she's seen
But somewhere in the back
Of her mind
Is the time
She was known as the old hanging tree...