March Totems: Goose

In our tradition we divide the year not only by eight solar and agricultural holidays, but also by the Kalends. We celebrate twelve months of the year by the common calendar, plus a special thirteenth month for Samhain.  These month cycles are associated with different totemic spirits. Each month is assigned an animal, a bird (or other flying creature), and a tree. March's totems are Hare, Birch, and Goose.

The totemic associations are as follows:

Hare (Gearr) – lunar magic, fertility, sensitivity, swiftness, intuition
Birch (Beithe) – new beginnings, healing, cleansing
Goose (Geadh) - feminine power, springtime, questing, vigilance

Goose

Frau Holt by Nigel Jackson

The goose is the companion of that ancient and powerful goddess, Hulda, as Mother Goose. The goose is a fierce defender of its family and territory, and many ancient gates and warrior's graves have been adorned with the motif of the goose. We often speak of “a wild goose chase” as geese are notoriously difficult to capture or kill.

Several goddesses and witches of folklore have been identified by their having a goose foot (La Reine Pedauque), and thus the goose is a symbol of defensive feminine power.

The call of the goose in flight is said to be the same as the baying of the Gabriel hounds of the Wild Hunt. Hulda, whose bed is made of goose feathers, is said to lead this ride.  When she shakes out her bed the snow falls from goose feathers.

The goose is a symbol of early springtime, as it denotes both snow and returning light.  The goose who lays the golden egg is laying the growing sun of spring.

Geese mate for life and are associated with marital fidelity. Geese are also known for their furious mating habits, and a “goose” is sometimes used as slang for a prostitute. Their feathers are often used in bedding to bestow blessings of fertility and fidelity on the couple who sleeps there.

Geese are the symbol of migration, and therefore represent both the changing of the seasons, and the call to quest.  It is unknown how geese navigate over long distances, returning year after year, but return they do. This is symbolic of the dedication of the initate to remain true to the path.

When flying geese travel in a V formation. This way of flying makes it easier to travel long distances without fatigue, as it puts the greatest strain on the leader who “cuts”  a path through the air for the followers to more easily travel behind. Thus, the goose can be a symbol of leadership.

Familiars and Familiar Spirits

Woodcut depicting witches giving the names of their familiars.

Witchcraft, as we have said before, is a kind of survival or revival of ancient European shamanism.  Just as shamans work with totemic spirits and spirit guides, so do we work with our familiars and familiar spirits.

A familiar is a creature that regularly helps a witch with her Craft.  A familiar can be corporeal (existing in flesh and blood in this realm) or incorporeal (a spirit or astral body).

Corporeal Familiars

The first kind of familiar is usually a common household pet that the witch has a very special kind of working relationship with.  There is a bond (an energy link) created between the witch and her corporeal familiar that is forged through mutual love and trust.  Sometimes this bond is formalized through the creation of a blood link.  This is done by feeding the creature a bit of your own blood.

In the Middle Ages, the Inquisitors of the Catholic Church believed the pets of accused witches to be possessed by demons. A witch was supposed to feed her familiar spirit with her own blood, which the animal sucked from her body at a special nipple that became known as a witch's mark. This nipple might be anywhere on the body. It was identifiable to the witch-finders of the Inquisition because it was completely insensitive to pain. A long needle might be thrust into it without the awareness of the witch, if her eyes were covered or averted during the operation.

Mr. Jinx on the main altar.

A corporeal familiar is usually a singular creature, even if the witch has a plethora of animal companions with which she is close.  This animal will make itself useful whenever the witch is practicing the ways of the Craft in its presence.  Indeed, my own precious companion gets excited whenever I even so much as approach an altar, or talk a bit about the Craft.  He is at my side now as I write this entry.  He has, in accordance with the lore of familiars, even taught me certain types of magic.

Also existing in this realm is the plant familiar.  A plant familiar is a plant grown with offerings of energy and intent to a specific purpose.  The most famous of plant familiars is the storied Aluran, which I will write about more in another entry.

Incorporeal Familiars

The spirit familiar is a creature that most witches are less... ahem... familiar with.  The spirit familiar fits the classical idea of an imp or demon spirit that the witch associates with that gives her workings special power.  The spirits of the Goetia, or the Lesser Key of Solomon, fit the requirements for a spirit familiar nicely, and many of them (Valfor, Paimon, Buer, Purson, Gaap, Malphas, Shax, Alloces, Amy, Amdusias, and Belial) specifically manifest and act as familiars.

Spirit bottles on an altar.

In Vodoun the familiar spirit is known as the Ti Bon Ange or "little good angel".  This spirit is housed in a lidded jar draped with beads, and made offerings to maintain its energy.  This concept can be translated for our purposes by use of a spirit bottle or jar.  A suitable vessel is selected, such as a fancy sugar bowl, or an empty liquor bottle with some character to it.  If you are fortunate you may find a spirit bottle in the shape of an animal, or with a human face, or even an impish one.  Fill the spirit jar with nail clippings, a lock of your hair, and a bit of your blood (if you are a woman of childbearing age some of your menstrual blood would be ideal, as this is the very blood of life).  Add any herbs or charms you feel are appropriate for the type of spirit you want to attract.  Lodestones painted red and fed iron fillings are a good start.  Drawing powder (powdered sugar) or honey are also good additions.

When you have created a spirit jar ready to house a spirit you will need to lay a compass and tread the mill, asking the Gods of our tradition, the Ancestors, and the Mighty Dead to send forth a familiar.  Traditionally it is the Witch Father, in our tradition named Azazel or Tubal Qayn, who offers a familiar spirit to a witch. The payment for this service is determined by the stone bowl, but is traditionally a piece of silver. After receiving a familiar spirit offer it food -- your own blood is best, but milk, bread, honey, or alcohol are all acceptable.  Keep your familiar spirit's jar in a safe place, and adorn it with offerings.  Feed it on a regular schedule, at least once a month.  The familiar spirit can be sent forth to do tasks for you, can teach you the Craft through inspiration and dreams, and can add its energy to any spell as you see fit.

I have also heard of familiars being tied to pieces of jewelry, such a a ring, certain stones, and even mojo hands.  Let your intuition guide you.

In fairy tales familiar spirits come in times of need or crisis, such as Rumplestiltskin (who notably can be controlled by knowledge of his true name), and Puss in Boots (who is inherited as a kuthun and serves his master in exchange for a pair of boots).  Familiars are also alluded to in many Mother Goose rhymes, the most useful of which gives a formula for procuring a familiar spirit.

There was a crooked man, he walked a crooked mile.

He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile.
He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse.
And they all lived together in a little crooked house.

"There was a crooked man" -- there was a cunning man, or a witch.

"he walked a crooked mile." -- he tread the mill.

"He found a crooked sixpence" -- he made an offering of a bent sixpence, or silver (see Peter Paddon's Grimore for Modern Cunning Folk for an excellent explanation of this custom).

"upon a crooked stile." -- in liminal space, astral space (a stile is a structure which provides people a passage through or over a fence or boundary via steps, ladders, or narrow gaps).
"He bought a crooked cat," -- he received a familiar.

"which caught a crooked mouse." -- the familiar needed to be fed immediately.
"And they all lived together in a little crooked house." -- he took the familiar in and gave it a place of rest, such as a spirit bottle.

The Counting Out Chant

There is a certain chant in the Gardnerian Book of Shadows that begins "Eena meena mona mack..."  This is a chant with its roots in antiquity, but not because of its great magical virtue.  Rather, this chant is a variation on the Anglo-Cymric score counting out chants popular with children of all English-speaking nations.  You are probably familiar with this variation: "Eeny, meenie, miney, moe..."  Both of these chants are crude reworkings of the Welsh counting system.  They are called "scores" because they typically count up to twenty.

These old Welsh chants have a strong association with counting out rhymes to decide who is "It" in a game. Therefore they have an uncanny tie to old sacrificial rites of deciding who would be "It" (ie: the Year King, the Fool, the May Queen, the Carlin, etc. as appropriate for the rite).  Some of these counting out chants are explicitly linked with witchcraft, such as the Gardnerian variation above. Some samples for review are submitted below.

Onery, uery, ickery, see,

Huckbone, crackabone, tillibonee;

Ram pang, muski dan,

Striddledum, straddledum, twenty and one.

Eny, meny, mony, my,

Tusca, leina, bona, stry,

Kay bell, broken well,

We, wo, wack.

Intery, mintery, cutlery corn,

Apple seed and apple thorn,

Wire, briar, limber lock,

Five coneys in a flock;

Catch him Robin,

Hold him Jack,

Blow the bellows,

Old man Black.

There are hundreds, perhaps thousands of variations on the Anglo-Cymric score counting out rhymes. A good selection of them is collected here.  They are of interest to the witch for the same reason that the "Mother Goose" rhymes are of such importance.  These children's rhymes contain old folklore that has survived for centuries.

You may want to consider adapting the Anglo-Cymric score rhyme format to your own personal chants. Here is one I just made up.

Onery, uery, ickery, orn,

by crooked path and old blackthorn

Hukka, pooka, waning moon, 

Red bone, red thread, twenty 'un.

The Witch's Library

I'm a librarian by trade, so surely you knew this post was coming eventually.

There are hundreds of books about witchcraft available on the market today, and it can be difficult to sort out the useful works from the tripe!  Complied below is a list that I personally recommend for beginning witches, or those looking to expand their knowledge of Craft.  This is by no means a complete list, as I can only recommend those books which I myself have read and gleaned some good from.  Please add your own suggestions in the comments.

Books Central to Our Tradition
These writings are recommended to anyone who seeks to practice AFW.

The White Goddess: A Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth by Robert Graves
Call of the Horned Piper & Masks of Misrule by Nigel Jackson
The Writings of Roy Bowers (Robert Cochrane)
The Real Mother Goose by Blanche Wright

Trad Craft Basics
These books will give you a good introduction to Traditional Witchcraft practices.

The Roebuck in the Thicket by Evan John Jones & Robert Cochrane, editor Mike Howard
Witchcraft: a Tradition Renewed by Doreen Valiente and Evan John Jones
The Forge of Tubal Cain by Ann Finnin
Grimore for Modern Cunning Folk by Peter Paddon
The Witching Way of Hollow Hill by Robin Artisson

General Witchcraft
These books, combined with a few others from each section will give you an excellent foundation in Craft.

Mastering Witchcraft: A Practical Guide for Witches, Warlocks & Covens by Paul Huson
The Rebirth of Witchcraft, Witchcraft for Tomorrow, & Natural Magic by Doreen Valiente
Witches All by Elizabeth Pepper
Witchcraft: a Mystery Tradition by Raven Grimassi
Wheel of the Year by Pauline Campanelli
Courting the Lady: A Wiccan Journey, Book One: The Sacred Path by Patrick M. McCollum

Wiccan Classics
These books are unabashedly Wiccan, in the sense that they can trace their way back to the practices of Gerald Gardner.

High Magic’s Aid, Witchcraft Today, & The Meaning of Witchcraft by Gerald Gardner
The Witches' Way, Eight Sabbats for Witches (available collected as A Witches' Bible), The Witches' God, & The Witches' Goddess by Janet & Stewart Farrar

Craft History
Many of these books were inspiration for the modern Craft movement.

The Triumph of the Moon-A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft & Stations of the Sun by Ronald Hutton
Aradia or the Gospel of the Witches of Italy by Charles G. Leland (Pazzaglini Translation)
The Golden Bough by James George Frazer
Gods of the Greeks by Karl Kerenyi
The God of the Witches by Margaret Alice Murray
Ecstasies: Deciphering the Witches' Sabbath by Carlo Ginzburg and Raymond Rosenthal

Totemic Information
If you want to know more about the totems of our tradition these are a great place to start your research.

Tree Wisdom: The Definitive Guidebook to the Myth, Folklore, and Healing Power of Trees by Jacqueline Memory Paterson
The Celtic Tree Oracle: A System of Divination by Colin Murray, Liz Murray and Vanessa Card
Druid Animal Oracle by Philip Carr-Gomm, Stephanie Carr-Gomm and Bill Worthington
Sacred Mask Sacred Dance by Evan John Jones and Chas Clifton
Animal Speak by Ted Andrews

Spellcraft
When you want to work magic this is where you should start.

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs & Book of Incense Oils and Brews by Scott Cunningham
The Element Encyclopedia of Witchcraft & The Element Encyclopedia 5000 Spells by Judika Illes
A Century of Spells by Draja Mickaharic

I also suggest you explore these trad-craft reading lists to inspire further book lust:
Probus Lecto: a Clan of Tubal Cain reading list
The Witch of Forest Grove's suggested reading list (Sarah Lawless also writes Pagan Bookworm, a witchy book-lover's blog)
The Ancient Keltic Church's reading list
Traditional Witchcraft Research Network reading list
The House Shadow Drake reading list
The White Dragon recommended reading list

The Lame Step

The "lame step" is one of the old and identifying markers of Witches and of their God. And their Goddess. Nursery rhymes show us the evidence of the lame step in magic, the Forge God (the first and mightiest God of the CRAFT) is more often lamed than not, and the Witches' Goddess  hobbled on a goose's foot.

Let's look at these examples, and then, let's look at what the lamed step signifies.

Azazel (T'Qayin)

The Forge God and the Lame Step

The lame step could be said to originate, as it relates to magic, with the God of the Forge. As Glaux pointed out in her post regarding Witch Blood and Witch Marks, the first being worshiped as a Forge God has been linked to magic. (In his book Masks of Misrule, Nigel Jackson notes his assertion that T'Qayin and Azazel are the same being.) Nearly all Forge Gods were depicted with a lame step or a misshapen leg in antiquity. The mundane reason for this was very likely due to the residual heavy metal poisoning suffered by actual smiths -- or the fact that otherwise strong men who had suffered some crippling childhood disease or injury could still be trained to blacksmith work. Whatever the case, the image of the smith is intimately linked with that of hobbled or ham-strung, yet powerful, man. A man who understands something (and potentially EVERYTHING) related to the alchemical process, and therefore magic. In the case of T'Qayin and Azazel, this image is that of a goat-footed God.

The goat-foot is one variation of lame step, and it is very intimately linked to the forge. That heavy metal poisoning we discussed bunched the muscles of the leg in a way that it pulled the smith's legs and foot up into a position like he was walking on a stiletto heel. Goat-footed God.

The Goose-Footed Goddess

Goose-Foot

The lame step appears again in the Witches' Goddess in at least one instance. In France, there is a notable story of La Reine Pedauque, the goose-footed queen. Though there is some casual optimism that her story is based a historical queen (named Berthe, who loved spinning fanciful tales for children), the goose-foot is never satisfactorily explained. What is absolutely clear is that La Reine Pedauque becomes (or always was) Mother Goose. Clearer still, with even a little digging and reflecting, is that Mother Goose, is so closely related to the Teutonic Hulda that they are reflections of one another.

Frau Hulda, Mother Hulda, Holda, Holle, Hel. She rides a goose through the night sky and is a spinner. She is the Dark Grandmother and the White Lady. In our Tradition, she sits in the Castle of Revelry at the Spring Equinox, the balance of light and dark and guards the Golden Lantern.

With her goose-foot, she shows us another aspect of the lame step.

The Lame Step in Nursery Rhymes

Cock-a-doodle-do!
Cock-a-doodle-do!
My dame has lost her shoe,
My master's lost his fiddle stick
And knows not what to do.


Cock-a-doodle-do! 
What is my dame to do?
Till master finds his fiddle stick,
she'll dance without her shoe.

Glaux and I love (and I mean LOVE) picking apart nursery rhymes for folkloric Craft clues. We'll have to do some entries dedicated to some of the goodies we've found in them. This one caught our interest on a number of levels. I'll stay away from the bits about how the magister needs his blackthorn staff (the master's fiddle stick) and just point out that the dame is inviting the lame step here. Lots of nursery rhymes feature characters with just one shoe. This forces them to hobble a bit -- like their God, like their Goddess. Here, the dame MUST, but then she goes into it gladly, dancing within the compass.

I can think of three others where characters lose a shoe. In one, the boy goes to bed in his stockings, but missing a shoe. In the second, a girl has lost one of her holiday shoes. In the third, the princess dances out of one of her shoes (and again the fiddler is mentioned). All of these not only point to the lame step, but also to the Witches' Sabbat.

What is the Significance of the Lame Step?

The lame step, we've come to realize, is a marker for those who walk between the worlds. Symbolically, it represents having one foot in consensus reality and one foot in the realms beyond the veil. The lame step is a way of showing that you are between the worlds.

Before we had even made this connection, Glaux and I had decided that the compass would be laid by treading the mill using the lame step.

Papa Ghede

Interestingly, Glaux recently had a discussion with a friend and fellow Witch about the lame step, Ghede's glasses, and bipolar disorder. It turns out that as we look around, a great many of the talented Witches that we know have bipolar, ourselves included. How much is this yet another variant on the lame step? The disorder is a hindrance in Mundania, and it is a trial, but it forces us to see things differently and to live  with a foot in two realms. It is a difficult balance, and our friend pointed out that we always have to be wary of getting too much information from one side or the other. Something to consider.