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CHAPTER 1

Course One: Wizardry

Class I: Concerning Wizards

A wizard can turn fear into joy, frustration to fulfillment.
A wizard can turn the time-bound into the timeless.
A wizard can carry you beyond limitations into the boundless.

— Deepak Chopra (The Way of the Wizard)

1. Introduction: What is a Wizard?

In the 16th and 17th centuries — the height of popularity of the village magician — it applied to a high magician but also to various popular magicians, who were known by other names as well: cunning men, cunning women, charmers, blessers, sorcerers, conjurers and witches. After 1825, Wizard became almost exclusively synonymous with Witch, but this usage died out during the 20th century. Modern Witches do not use the term.

— Rosemary Guiley (Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft, p. 389)

Here is how the word "Wizard" is defined in the dictionary:

IZARD — FROM ANGLO-SAXON WYSARD (m.), "wise one." A usually solitary practitioner of magick and repository of arcane knowledge. A lore-master. 1. a sage. 2. a magician; conjurer; sorcerer. 3. a person exceptionally gifted or clever at a specified activity (as in "computer wizard"). Usually — but not necessarily — a specifically masculine term. Wizards have also been referred to as "Natural Philosophers."

In traditional tribal cultures we find shamans, or medicine men and women, who are both gifted and learned in talents and skills of augury (foretelling the future), herbalism, hypnosis, psychic work, and sorcery. They are the village teachers, magicians, spirit guides, healers, and midwives. Among some of the Celtic tribes of Western Europe, such shamans were known as Wicce — an Anglo-Saxon word meaning "shaper" — from which comes our present term "Witch." In Renaissance days, men practicing "witchcraft" were more often called "Wizards." The term Wizard first appeared in the 15 century, and was used for both wise men and wise women. In the 20 century, most people only knew of Wizards from stories and fairy-tales. The most famous of these were J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, featuring Gandalf the Wizard, and Mary Stewart's The Crystal Cave (and other books), about Merlin. Indeed, during those years, many people forgot that Wizards had ever really existed at all! But a few of us still remained, although largely in remote areas hidden from public view.

In the ways that Guiley noted, Wizards in recent centuries seem to have served pretty much as male counterparts of the village Witch as she is commonly described by modern practitioners of the Craft: A magickal shaper of reality; a Shaman of pre-Christian European tradition. In Medieval and Renaissance times, Witches specialized in herbalism and midwifery, and were mostly women. Modern Witches may be both men and women, and their workings today are directed primarily towards healing, both of people and the Earth.

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Virtually every village or town in Britain and Europe had at least one wizard, who usually was respected and feared by the local folk. The wizard specialized in a variety of magical services, such as fortune-telling; finding missing persons and objects; finding hidden treasure; curing illnesses in people and animals; interpreting dreams; detecting theft; exorcising ghosts and fairies; casting spells; breaking the spells of witches and fairies; making amulets (charms); and making love philtres (potions). Because he was deemed the diviner of the guilty in crimes, the word of the wizard often carried great weight in a village or town.

— Guiley, p. 389

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Lesson 2: My Life as a Wizard

Now, I have lived about as rurally as it's possible to get, having spent eight years (1977–85) living in a 5,600-acre homesteading community in the Misty Mountains of Northern California. My lifemate, Morning Glory, and I moved into a completely undeveloped wilderness, where we built our own houses and barns, developed our springs, planted gardens and orchards, dug a pond, raised livestock — all without electricity, telephones, television, or even radio.

During that time, I served my community in the traditional capacity of rural Wizard, pretty much as Rosemary Guiley described above. I created and conducted rituals of all kinds, from individual divinations (readings), initiations, handfastings (marriages), baby blessings, healings, house-blessings, protections and exorcisms — to large seasonal rituals for the entire community of about a hundred families, and even larger public events in the nearby town of Ukiah. I also taught in the little community school, and mentored a number of the kids as they grew up.

But our real Work from 1979-'84 was raising unicorns. And when we traveled around the country exhibiting our living unicorns, our natural scene was Renaissance Faires, where my appropriately costumed persona ("character") was that of Wizard (as Morning Glory was an Enchantress). When we did interviews for TV, magazines, and newspapers that were not associated with the Faires, we presented ourselves as "Naturalists," which seemed pretty much the mundane equivalent.

What was it that drew me to Wizardry as a way of life, and encouraged me to choose a title that hardly anyone used in these modern times? Simply put, it's the mythology of it all! My favorite mythological references come from fantasy and science fiction literature, as well as classical mythology. Such authors as J.R.R. Tolkien, Mary Stewart, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Ursula leGuin, Peter Beagle, and T.H. White have deeply infused my concept of what a Wizard is with their depictions of the likes of Merlin and Gandalf, with whom I immediately identified upon reading those tales.

But for me, the greatest appeal of both the historical and mythological Wizards with whom I identify, is that they were engaged in shaping the greater paradigm ("model") of the society around them. Wizards, let's face it, are natural-born meddlers! Alchemists, inventors, king-makers, prophets, seers, spell-casters, loremasters, teachers, initiators, magicians, visionaries — Wizards are perpetually engaged in world-transformation, trying to make the world a better place for everyone. This is the "Great Work." Wizards do not think small! And Wizards know that the best way to predict the future is to create it. So, in the tradition of all the Wizards who have gone before me, my wizardly "Great Work" has been that of transforming and guiding the society in which I find myself into a new phase of social, cultural, and conceptual evolution. Virtually everything I have done in my life has been towards this end — including this Grimoire.

Lesson 3: Between the Worlds of Magick and Mundane

Wizards have also impressed with their intense belief in several levels of reality — that of the ordinary world, the extraordinary world of fairies, elves and other spirit entities, the hierarchy of the angels, and the realm of the higher being. Many Wizards have attempted to rise above Earthly concerns and focus on the spiritual worlds, forging links between the world of the living and that of the dead. Angels and the fairy folk are also believed to be the allies of various Wizards. Communication with beings from other dimensions has been taken seriously, and studied in depth.

— Anton & Mina Adams (The World of Wizards, p. 7)

One of the most basic understandings of Wizardry is that we live not just in a Universe, but in a Multiverse of many worlds. Now, a "world" is not merely the same thing as a planet (though planets are also referred to as worlds — especially those that may be inhabited). A world can be any realm or state of existence that we may inhabit or even imagine. We may speak geographically of the Old World (usually meaning Europe) or the New World (the Americas). Or we may divide societies into those of the Western World (Western Europe, North America, and Australia) or the Eastern World (Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Asia). Politically, nations today are seen as belonging to the Free World, the Communist World (which used to be much bigger, during the Cold War), or the Third World. We may even talk historically of the Ancient World, or the Modern World — or even the World of Tomorrow!

But there is also the World of Music, the World of Art, and the Wide World of Sports. There is the World of Science, the World of Computers, and the Animal World. There are literary worlds — such as the World of Middle-Earth, or the World of Harry Potter. And there are the Worlds of the Imagination, the Worlds of Myth, the Worlds of Dreams, the Worlds of Magick ... It is these worlds in particular that are frequented and inhabited by Wizards, Witches, magicians, and other magickal folk — as well as elves, dragons, unicorns, faeries, gods, and spirits. This Grimoire you are holding will be your guidebook to the Worlds of Magick.

The wonderful Harry Potter books of J.K. Rowling present a mythos (that is, a foundation story) that says: "Beyond the borders of the mundane ("Muggle," as she calls it) world, there is another world — a world full of magick, and magickal people. This is a world of very different rules and principles, where Imagination, Hope, Dreams, and Love have real power to change and transform." And the thing is — as everyone who reads these books secretly hopes and suspects — this is true! This is my world; and if you wish to make it so, it can be yours.

I used the word "mundane" just now, to distinguish the ordinary, everyday, so-called "normal" world from the World of Magick. We call that world "Mundania" — and the people who live only in that world and know no other, we sometimes call mundanes or mundys. These words are not intended to be taken as insults, nor should they be used in that way. It is only a way of acknowledging that there are, indeed, different worlds.

There is no single name for the World of Magick. It has been called many names by many peoples. Mostly, magickal folk just refer to specific places — such as a particular magickal gathering- place, sanctuary, retreat center, forest, mountain, canyon, stone circle, and so on. Such places are often said to be "between the worlds." Therefore, magickal folks — such as Wizards, Witches, and Shamans — are also known as "Walkers Between the Worlds." For we are at home in any world, and frequently travel between them in the pursuit of our Work and Mission.

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Our universe is embedded in an infinitely larger and more complex structure called the multiverse, which as a good approximation can be regarded as an ever-multiplying mass of parallel universes. Every time there is an event at the quantum level — a radioactive atom decaying, for example, or a particle of light impinging on your retina — the universe is supposed to "split" or differentiate into different universes.

— Roger Highfield (The Science of Harry Potter, pp. 18–19)

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3. Glossary: "Wizards and Witches and Mages — oh my!"

Now would probably be a good time to explain some of the different kinds of magickal folks. These terms can be confusing to the unfamiliar, so here is a brief little Glossary. (Also, one essential companion to this Grimoire must be a good dictionary!) An important thing to understand here is that these categories are not mutually exclusive, and any given individual may embody a number of them ... indeed, a capable Wizard may be known by most of these terms! The primary distinction between "Wizards" and "Sorcerers" is around the issue of service: Wizards desire above all else to be of service; Sorcerers desire above all else to be served. Wizards (like Gandalf) bend all their efforts and magick towards making the world a better place — for everyone, and for all future generations. Sorcerers (like Sauron and Saruman) bend all their efforts and magick towards the singular goal of ruling the world — conquering, subduing, controlling and even enslaving everyone else.

Obviously, these desires and goals are diametrically opposed. Fortunately for all of us, the very nature of these distinctions supports the ultimate good, as Wizards cooperate and work with others, while Sorcerers are in ultimate competition (especially with each other), cannot trust anyone, cannot be trusted by anyone, and in general do not play well with others. As Gandalf said to Saruman, "There is only one Lord of the Rings, and he does not share power!"

Wizard: This is from the Anglo-Saxon wysard: "wise one." A Wizard is a lore-master, especially of arcane (that is, lost or secret) knowledge (hence popular usage such as "computer wizard"). A Wizard is also a magickal practitioner; however, the word is rarely used today to describe a practitioner of Wicca (or Witchcraft) — or a member of any particular faith. Indeed, most (but not all) Wizards tend to be solitary, though they may belong to a Wizardly Council or Order. The most famous Wizard of history was Merlin. While the vast majority of Wizards throughout history have been men, there have been a few women Wizards as well — such as Mary the Jewess and Hypatia of Alexandria.

Vizier: This title comes from Arabic, meaning, "bearer of burdens," and was given to the chief minister and adviser under the King. The most famous Vizier of ancient Egypt was Imhotep (yes, the "Mummy"), who was the Vizier of Pharaoh Djoser, and the world's first known Wizard. The title often became synonymous with "Court Wizard," especially when a Vizier was also renowned for his Wizardry — such as Imhotep or Merlin.

MMage: This term is often used as a synonym for "Wizard," especially in a complimentary sense. A Mage may also be called a Magus, which means a master of the magickal arts. The ancient Magi (like the "Three Wise Men" in the Bible) were Zoroastrian Priests originating in Media and Persia (now Iran). The Persian word magu is the root of the word magic. This term became magos in Greek, and later magus in Latin; eventually coming to be used for wise and powerful magicians of any sort.

Sage: A Sage is an elderly person of sound judgment, who has achieved wisdom through reflection and experience. The term is used for a savant, an expert, a scholar, and a learned philosopher or teacher, such as Lao-Tzu or Socrates. Sagacity means wisdom, and wise counsel is called "sage advice." Although Sages are usually considered to be men, Saga was a common Latin term for a Sorceress in the Middle Ages, and some wise women today identify themselves as Sages.

Mystic: A Mystic (from Greek mystai, meaning someone who has been initiated into secret Mysteries) is a person whose profound spiritual or "otherworldly" experiences have given them a deep intuitive comprehension or vision of hidden truths and awareness. Such experiences are usually indescribable, and therefore beyond rational human understanding and explanation.

Druid: The Druids were the priest class, the highly trained, intellectual elite of the Celtic tribes. They included both men and women.

Bard: In ancient Celtic tradition, Bards were part of the Orders that were headed by the Druids. Bards were the poets, musicians, and singers of the epic songs and tales that conveyed the history and lore of the people. At a time when very little was written down, a Bard was expected to memorize enormous amounts of poetry, songs, and stories.

Magician: Simply, any practitioner of the magickal arts. There are performance Magicians who create seemingly "impossible" illusions and feats with sleight-of-hand ("prestidigitation") and special effects. And there are Ceremonial Magicians who create elaborate rituals designed to alter and transform the consciousness of themselves and others.

Alchemist:Alchemy was the forerunner of modern chemistry, blending Egyptian metallurgy was with Greek philosophy and Middle Eastern mysticism. The goals of Alchemists were the discovery of the "Philosopher's Stone" that would transform "base metals" into gold; and the "Elixir of Life" that would heal all ills and allow one to live forever.

Sorcerer/Sorceress:Sorcery implies some sort of supernatural power over people and their affairs. People who wield such magickal charm or influence are called Sorcerers (or Sorceresses in the case of women). This term has a generally negative connotation, implying evil or "black" magick. The most famous Sorceress of legend was Circe (SUR- see). In Homer's Odyssey, she turned Odysseus' men into pigs.

Enchantress/Enchanter: Unlike sorcery, enchantment has very positive connotations. Enchantresses are "bewitching," fascinating, charming, sexy women whose magick brings delight and pleasure to others. The word is often used as a compliment for particularly attractive and charismatic Witches and Gypsies. A man who embodies those characteristics may be known as an Enchanter, though this term is rarely used for men.

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Excerpted from "Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard"
by .
Copyright © 2004 Oberon Zell-Ravenheart.
Excerpted by permission of Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC.
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