14 Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard
tations are particularly used in working healing
magick. Other decorations may be added as you like.
Pretty stones (especially ones with natural holes
through them), crystals, fossils, bones, meteorites,
shells, acorns, etc. that have the kind of energy you
want can be arranged decoratively. Remember, how-
ever, that your altar is a sacred space, and never casu-
ally put mundane objects (like your hairbrush, a can
of soda, or your wallet) on a consecrated altar! Keep
your altar clean and fresh.
When you have it all set up, do a little Rite of
Consecration. Light the candle and incense (if you
are using them), and say:This altar now be sacred space
Of Spirit and of Mystery
May Magick dwell within this place
And all upon it blessed be!Lesson 7: Progression and
AdvancementInitiations
The word initiation means “beginning.” An Ini-
tiation is a formal rite of passage ritual for admitting
a new member into an existing group. Most college
fraternities and sororities have Initiation rituals, and
so do some youth groups, as well as street gangs. Some
Initiations feature challenges and ordeals, and the
tougher the ordeal the greater is the subsequent sense
of belonging to the group. Many magickal traditions
work in groups—variously called covens, lodges, or-
ders, circles, groves, nests, hearths, etc.—and most
of these have Initiation rituals. But the minimum age
of admission to these magickal groups is normally
18, as responsible groups do not accept minors. Don’t
try and run in magick until you can walk!
Initiation can be a magickal metamorphosis,
opening the door to expanded consciousness and
awareness of the next stage of your spiritual and
magickal evolution. It can so transform you that your
concept of personal and worldly reality is forever al-
tered. Initiation is more than the handing down of
“secrets” and wisdom. It can also be a way of saying
to the Universe: “I am ready to be witness to the un-
veiling of the Mysteries as revealed in my own life. I
open to and accept the challenge to be taught through
experience.”Degrees and Grades
Some magickal groups also have a number of de-
grees, or grades (like school), which acknowledge
stages in spiritual development and magickal train-
ing. You may already be familiar with the colored belt
system in Oriental martial arts; magickal degrees are
similar. The number of such degrees varies from groupto group. Some magickal societies feature ten or more
degrees, but the most common number is three. Each
system has its own name for these. In Druidry, the
three grades are Ovates, Bards, and Fili. In Witch-
craft the usual degrees are Initiate, Priest/ess, and High
Priest/ess. The Craft Guilds acknowledged Appren-
tices, Journeymen, and Masters. The tradition of Wiz-
ardry that I am offering you here recognizes Appren-
tices, Journeymen, and Adepts.
Some foolish people see attaining such degrees
as a goal in itself and may even try and collect them
by cheating! But true magickal folk know that we can
receive our degrees of training, knowledge, wisdom,
competence, and compassion only when we have truly
earned them. They may come in various and won-
drous ways—in flashes of vision and understanding,
in unexpected good fortune, and just the way you
know that your life is on the right track through
magickal synchronicity (that is, “lucky coincidences”).
This Grimoire will provide you with the tools for a
complete Apprenticeship program, and when you
complete it, you may qualify as a Journeyman Wiz-
ard. As you are taking your lessons through this book,
rather than in person, there is no way for me to evalu-
ate your progress through this Apprenticeship, and
therefore no way for me to bequeath any magickal
degrees upon you. If you ever decide someday to join
a magickal group, Lodge, or Order, you will still have
to qualify according to their program. But if you learn
these lessons well, I expect you’ll do just fine! And
perhaps someday we may meet in person....- Wizardry.p65 14 1/14/2004, 3:23 PM