[Guide] Animals and Magic

[Carmacao]

NOTE: This class/discussion is no longer taught/led by a teacher. However, please feel free to read through it and ask any questions that you may have or express any thoughts/opinions you have. Just please don't ask, "Can I join the class?" Because the answer is 'no'. Thank you.

Merry Met! My name is Emmett and it is Ok to address me as such. I will be your guide for these lessons.

Magic is eternally rooted in nature.

Since the dawn of Paganism in the Paleolithic Era, people have devoted themselves to connecting with nature through magic. What better way is there to connect with nature than to interact with some of its children?

Throughout this class, we will explore the connections animals have with everyone around us. We will discuss ways in which to incorporate animals and animal imagery into our spells, sabbats and other rituals. Most importantly, we will understand how the children of nature possess as much magic, power and wonder as each of us humans have. I will post the introductory lesson tomorrow for anyone who is interested.

Edit: please PM me to sign up!

*Please note that I am not a veterinarian nor do I possess any skills thereof. I just happen to love pets. Please do not ask me about how to heal your pets or about animal problems.  

[Carmacao]

Welcome to the first (demo) lesson. Feel free to PM me if you are interested!
Table of Contents
Intro (You are here)
Lesson 1-Simple Stuff (coming soon!)

"As a horned god, Cernunnos is associated with horned male animals, especially stags and the ram-headed snake"-Wikipedia

Cernunnos, a major God aspect, is usually depicted with stag horns. He symbolizes nature, wild feelings, fertility and many other things. Many other members of pantheons around the world are often represented as part-animal.

Some of them include:
-Bastet, Egyptian cat goddess.
-Pan, Greco-Roman god of nature represented as a half-goat
-Ganesha- Elephant-headed Hindu god of intellect and wisdom
-Etc . . .
As you can see, many people's deities take on animal aspects. Animals have long been associated with nature, fertility, and intelligence. Unfortunately, people today tend to think of them as inferior, stupid creatures, when in fact they probably know more about the Earth then we do.
Next time, we will explore the simple advantages the presence of an animal can give your magic practices. Don't forget to sign up!

Classmates so far:
belle419
Oh Em Jesus
The Blessed Zelig
Redbutcheress
CosmicCrystal
`My Little p***s`
Anabel Sinclair
Starlock
the-jo87
amaya~tenshi  

[Carmacao]

Contents:
Intro
Lesson 1-Simple Stuff (you are here)
Lesson 2-Sabbats (Coming soon.
Hello! Welcome to the first official Animals and Magic!
The list of current students is in the previous post. Anyone who still wants to join is welcome.
My only rules are to follow the guild rules and the wiccan rede. Otherwise, respect others and have fun.
Simple Stuff
In this lesson, we will explore how small changes to your rituals and spells using animals can enhance your experience. First of all, I would like each classmate to introduce themselves and explain (briefly) why they chose to join this class.  

[ShadowBeast13]

name: i go by cody
age:13
magickal experience: little
reason for class: i want to learn about animals and how they can help in spells too.  

[Ms Jezebel Spirit]

Hello I am Riley.
I chose this class because I love animals deeply and believe they are very important to magical experience.  

[Redbutcheress]

Hi My name is Elle, I am now 22, I have two crazy greyhounds who I love dearly and want to make wiccans out of them biggrin rofl


This is Princess Sally of the magical foo foo pants...

This is Mr Dudwee


As you might have guess I pray to Artemis (Goddess of the Hunt and Wilderness) as she is depicted on quite a few pictures/vases/art hunting stag with Greyhounds 3nodding and I relate to her best biggrin  

[Blood_Thorn07]

My name is Sam, age 13, and I have little to no experiance in magick. And I would like to be in this class because animals are an important part of my life and I would like to know how to connect them to Wicca.  

[CosmicCrystal]

My name is Jessica and I am 22. I wanted to join this class because I feel very connected to animals, have a lot of them in my life, and thought it would be interesting to see how to make them a part of spells and rituals biggrin  

[Carmacao]

Thank you everybody!
I'm very excited to teach this class, as I have never taught anything before! sweatdrop
This is the last chance for someone to sign up, so PM me before we're too full!
Also, if you haven't yet, I suggest you should (but you don't have to) introduce yourself .

More Simple Stuff . . .
"Modern psychoanalysis defines instinct as an impulse which forces an individual to accomplish a task through pre-defined mental schemes, behaviours that are not caused by the usual learning process nor personal choice."-Wikipedia
So what causes instincts? While some people will give a scientific explanation, it just doesn't seem right that animals can just automatically make good (and sometimes bad) decisions without any thought, learning or observation. Ipersonally believe it is the influence of the Horned God.
Thus, any small change involving animals will greatly increase attunement with him and nature. For example, I take my budgie with me when I cast spells. After casting the circle, he perches on my finger and I move him around the length of the circle. This is one of the simplest ways to incorporate pets into magic.  

[Carmacao]

Also, some animal aspects exemplify certain traits or actions. Using a picture, object or words that are associated with a certain animal can enhance spell greatly. Here's a list of some creatures and their representations:
Spells relating to:
Luck or money : Toad, dragon, cricket.
Memory, knowledge: Elephant, dolphin, manta ray
Stealth, slyness, subtlety: Housecat, big cats, foxes, stick-bug, raccoon
The night/darkness : Moth, raccoon, bat.
Care, gentleness, nurturing: Bear, sloth, manatee, sparrows, small birds
Anxiety: Sloth, fish, larger dogs
Energy: Smaller dogs, small birds, squid, faeries
Sleep: Sloth, koala, whale.

Some of these associations may seem obvious, while others not. Feel free to make your own. (For example, a bat has excellent hearing, so bat spells can improve hearing spells) You could use photographs, drawings, or toys to help your spells along. If you happen to own one of the less dangerous of the animals above, have them present for the spell! Whatever your method, I hope this list helps. If you have anything to add to the list above, Pm me! Next lesson coming soon.  

[sareuhbelle]

Oh my! I'm sorry I didnt post earlier! I was over my dad's. My name is Sara. I am taking this class because I love animals and feel so connected to them, and I think I should represent them better in my Wicca.  

[_S i i lent x s k ieS_]

My name's Michelle and I'm taking this class because I have a strong connection to most animals and would like to learn more from and about them. Plus, it's something my father, who was half dog half wolf, would have wanted me to do. No, I'm not joking I consider him my dad since he was there to raise me ,using telepathy, more than my dad.  

[Aubre Lark]

Hello
Anabel Sinclair or ash
I've taken care of many animals in my life and I have a deep connection to them, something I want to deepen.  

[Oh Em Jesus]

Hello, you can call me Chris, everyone else does. I'm 14, and the reason I joined this class is because throughout my entire life I have lvoed animals. In fact at movies, I would get so sad when I horse fell down, and not sad at all when the rider died with it. So I figured if I am so close to animals, maybe I should learn mroe about their relation with wicca.  

[Carmacao]

Thanks everybody! The class is now full.
Next lesson coming tomorrow!