Jane’s Comments (group member since Oct 01, 2014)

Jane’s comments from the Deviant Witchery group.

cool. yeah totally agree she is very opinionated.

I agree: her wording is odd and simple points are drawn out big time, which makes them less affective.

I liked the fact that she brings such emphasis on self discovery, awareness, and conscious unity of mind, words, and action in the very beginning of the book. such crucial skills to build.

... or even if you have not read all of it, I would love to know what your impressions are so far.

Hi everyone! If you have had a chance to read through part one, what is your impression so far? Are there any topics or questions you would like to discuss?

Her wording is confusing at times, so i think your idea of a diagram is great. just keep at the exercises: they are not easy to master, but try to do them as best you can- they are the first step in mastering the information presented in this book.

yey!!! just so you know, her grammar and wording is not always the best, but there really is a lot of great information here.

this is the excerpt from Witchcraft Theory and Practice by Ly De Angeles

THE CENTER
The center has been called spirit, essence, soul, consciousness. It is
the deep you that seeks to know and understand not only who you are, but
why you are here. It is the whole of you as opposed to the sum of your parts,
it is the gateway to all knowledge, and it is why this book has called to
you- like attracts like!
You are aware that you have five senses: taste, touch, smell, hearing, and
sight. The aspect of you that is termed the center is the sixth (seventh,
eighth, ninth, etc.) sense, or inner sight/sensation. It can best be accessed
by considering the other five senses as the perimeter of a circle and all things
perceived there flow inward, literally, to the center. The center is also a
doorway through which influences not instigated by the conscious mind or
from some other source can enter, be assessed, and assimilated into the
understanding.
To activate your center consciously (most are already aware of it, but this
awareness may not be conscious) it is necessary to consider the center as a
watcher. It will use all your five senses to assess not only how you react to
others, but how others react to you. It is actively telepathic when you are
clear of undisciplined attitudes and "Pavlov's dog" mentality.' It will take
note of what you are spending your time thinking about and will pass,
consciously, just exactly what is valid in terms of what you say, think, and
do. It will assess and reassess your reactions to circumstances.
Exercise
Be aware, before commencing the following, that disciplines are ineffective
unless a routine is established because the unconscious is attuned to
patterns and will respond easily once the pattern of a conscious routine is
rhythmic. Therefore, until each technique is mastered, you will continue
with the routine; proficiency is achieved when the pattern is integrated
deeply and the technique transforms itself from practice to second nature
(at which time the awareness will have become assimilated into who you are
and will become an addition to your sixth sense).
Set aside one hour each day and consciously recognize everything you
think, do, say, and feel. Imagine that you have an extra set of senses that
acts as a camera and recorder, and work at storing all input received during
this hour.
Later in the day, claim some quiet time to yourself, recall all the things
that you recorded during your designated time, and write them down in an
order such as:
• what I saw;
• what I heard;
• what I smelled;
• what I touched;
• what I tasted;
• what I thought about;
• how I was feeling.
This nonjudgmental, external consciousness is called the Nemet and is
like a beastie that sits on your shoulder. When you have continued with this
exercise for several days, you will find that you are automatically doing it all
or most of the time. You will be triggering the power of awareness,' which
will, as a matter of progression, actively trigger latent telepathic and intuitive
faculties.
Remember that the center (and its ally, the Nemet) is totally
nonjudgmental. It is an observer and a conscious purveyor of how you react
and respond within a manifest environment. It will be your task, through
your innate understanding of whether you can refine yourself, to act
accordingly to whatever the watcher has relayed to you. You may then
eliminate or add as you see fit. Take it slowly, as I have seen too many
idealists, perfectionists, and impatient people turned into tortured souls,
downright bigots, or self-righteous bores through lack of leeway and scope
and the ability, like the willow, to bend not only to circumstances, but to
ideas and principles that may have been set for you and not by you!

hey everyone! if you have the book, let's read all of part one by November 15 (or do as much of the visualization exercises as you can). if you don't have the book yet, I posted an excerpt from it onto the Deviant Witchery Facebook page. it's only a few pages, but it's enough to get you going.

here are the two books i am most interested in discussing:

1)the inner temple of witchcraft.
this goes very deeply into energy work, meditation, as well as the development of personal power and intent. this book is extremely thorough and there are a lot of energy exercises at the end. energy work is the basis of all we do within witchcraft.

2)Witchcraft: theory and practice covers many subjects. it gets into meditation (less in depth than the first book on this post), and it also introduces tools, ritual days, elements, and Wiccan deities. This book is recommended by at least one of the mods in the Deviant Witchery facebook page.

Hi Everyone!

Let's get the book discussion going! I have put just a few basic introductory books onto the bookshelf here for now, but the shelf will evolve over time. Let's vote first, but I personally think maybe if we started with at least one introductory book before delving into more advanced writings like The Horn of Evenwood or The Witches Book of the Dead, more people could join into and learn from the discussion.

let me know what you think!