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To: alt.magick.tyagi,alt.magick,alt.witchcraft,alt.paranormal.spells.hexes.magic,alt.religion.wicca,rec.games.frp.misc
From: lorax666 
Subject: Make-A-Witch Foundation
Date: Sat, 13 Jul 2002 10:59:07 GMT

50020713 VIIom

> I would like to know if there is a certain spell in order to  
> make you a witch. 

typically if you know spells you're already a witch, but
there are rituals and supposed things to do to become a
witch. while I clean out my library I'll check it out for
you in the grimoires I've got lying around here.

Pixaud's Practical Grimoire specifies fairly plainly the
TYPE of spell about which you're asking -- TRANSFORMATION

	_Transformation_ is a term to describe a type of
	 alteration spell, one which changes the target
	 into a different _kind_ of element, kindred, or
	 knowledge.

but transformation of what? it could be anything from all
of you (consult Wizard of Oz-types for big jobs (;>).

the 2nd edition of the Complete Wizard's Handbook for ADnD
indicates that Witches obtain their abilities entirely from
the beneficence of "extraplanar entities". this plainly
associates the Witch with the Tungus Shaman and the
various concepts of 'shamanism' which have been inspired
by indigenous religio-magic and New Age startups.

a spell to effect the transformation to Witch would, 
in this case, establish and embark the magic-user upon a 
relationship with such entities and secure the benefits 
and detriments thereof. this is the method of Faustus 
and of the Cult of the Holy Guardian Angel.

the spell to effect a summoning typically includes the name
of the being one desires to call, and the posture required
to take in establishing proper communication so as to obtain 
the result one seeks. supplication and appeasement may be
requirements of arrogant spirits, while those beneficent may 
require an ordeal or some mystical ceremony of transition
in order to make contact and/or prove oneself worthy. 

using a spell to establish some skill or ability facilitating 
the interaction with extra-planar beings (expanded perception 
into the spirit world, for example, or some kind of pact-making 
tool) would allow the Witch to be made via spell. this is the 
rationale behind the Darkside sorcerers who covet Elder Seals 
in hopes of holding at bay one of the Great Old Ones, or the 
passion of the Visionquestor, engaging the Ordeal for a 
Totem / Guardian Spirit.

it is possible that something internal to the Witch-To-Be is the
focus of the transformation -- some personal quality like a soul
or will -- in which case the spell to effect it will be mystical,
fantastic, and extraordinary, probably communicated by secret
societies or lineages of spirit-mediums, or preceded by a good
many mystical disciplines and rituals.

the Nephilim Occult Roleplaying manual is probably more
conventional where Witch-making is concerned, taking a Field
Theory of initiation (formatting oneself so as to cohere with
the Current of one's Tradition/Element/God/etc.) as a method
for alignment and resolution:

	Before working any form of magic, the Nephilim must
	undergo initiation in the form being studied. This ritual
	is required to attune the Nephilim to the currents and
	forces used in the magic. Without this attunement, the
	student can never actually cast magic, but can only study
	the [basic] skills.... Each form of magic... has its own
	initiation.
	--------------------------------------------------
	p. 141.
	==========

though there is no specific mention of Witches in the manual,
only Sorcerers, Summoners and Alchemists. this type of spell
is behind the transition of 'Coming to Power'; status and order
in a cosmic sense are what may be the focal targets of such a
spell (e.g. cast a spell to get a coven or the gods to initiate and
set one upon the Witch-Way). quite often this initiation bequeaths
its subject greater social authority and influence (an ability to
make other Witches, for example, or to create novel spells).

ARS MAGICA categorizes "witches" :: "practitioners of minor
magic -- shapeshifters, witches, shamans, and even Druids and
other Celtic mystics" and begins a suggestion which is so popular
otherwise as regards making a Witch: being born one (e.g. genetics,
potential, or destiny), in which case your criteria for establishing 
it would come into play (parents, heritage, specialness factors, etc.).

looking at this rather quickly, you'd either have to change some
kind of appearance (say, dressing more like Stevie Nicks or Willow
Rosenberg or one of the girls from "The Craft"), or change the
actual reality giving this its appearance (reach back in time and
change the circumstances of birth). the latter is notably difficult
and perhaps impossible, while the former is used all the time.

the same text (3rd edition) uses the identification of "weather-
witch" on merchant ships to assist their productive sailing. learn
to tell the changes of weather and you'll be a witch in this style
of meaning (akin to dowsing or ability to interpret signs and omens).
it also reflects a number of other magic-models by treating it as a
kind of energy to be stored and used. in order to become a Witch in
this line of thought one would have to throw a spell to facilitate
the generation of "magic", or "stored energy". a variety of how-to
books on this are of course available -- effectively they are akin
to an 'Unlocking Your Energies' spell and may be found in many coming
of age sci-fi/fantasy with 'uncovered' power and specialness.

I keep wanting to find good material in Liber Ka, but there's no
mention of witches here that I can tell -- the clearest reflection of
Neopagan religion and occultism that I've seen so far in a role-
playing game, covering Wicca and a great deal about magic (again the 
term 'sorcery' is used as in so many role-playing game supplements
on magic), ritual, modern magico-religious, and magical theory, in 
clear and beautiful prose -- but there's nothing specifically about 
witchery, witches or witchcraft that I can find.

Liber Ka's specificity with regard to Satanism is outstanding, and
its coverage of both dark pagans and Satanist religious is lovely,
its investigation of Sorcery (third of trinity with Summoning and
Alchemy; composed of ceremonial magic, pagan religion, Satanism,
New Age magic, virtual magic, and Chaos magic) deserves special
mention for both its occult content as well as its role-playability.
but sadly, nothing about witchcraft here. :>

as usual, when seeking substance, my brother the Knight of Salad
Forks, Paul Hume, provides plenty. his answer (a general one for
those aspiring to adeptship) approximates what I've most often seen
amongst ceremonial magicians: you sieze the grade, the ordeal of
initiation will come in due time. therefore, it would be important
to discover whether becoming a Witch is like this. if so, one could
arrange a spell whereby one formally accepts the Grade: Witch, and
symbolically reifies & empowers the selection. by this school of
thought, that is *all* you'd have to do, though the intensity of
and sincerety of the declaration may be compensated with an ordeal
of greater difficulty.

Brother Hume has a page or so of ordeal ideas in The Grimoire, 
depending on the plane you're on, and whether you're a member of 
some magical group. 

a spell which *was* such an ordeal, therefore, might suffice. there
are lots of spells summoning demons and doing other silly things in
the name of ordeal. social and individual ordeals are interesting to
me, having engaged them myself and studied those of others.

Palladium's Beyond the Supernatural has a spell or two which might
fit the bill. at Level 15 you can find "Dimensional Portal". there 
are many different kinds of such portal spells, but the most powerful
are always direct linkages from one plane or world to another. they
are sometimes said to be single-transport spells, but provided some
kind of multi-universe theory one could dimensionally transport into
a reality in which you were a Witch. this would kinda throw a monkey-
wrench into the theories of born-a-witch-not-made-a-witch purists. :>

all the same, this text specifies that the term its authors prefer,
"arcanist"

	refers to all men of magic regardless of what they may call
	themselves, mage, wizard, sorcerer, witch, warlock, enchanter,
	necromancer, mystic, and so on.  The arcanist is not concerned
	with formal recognition nor career advancement, only the mastery
	of ancient knowledge, the lost arts of magic. Some of these modern
	mages are driven by power or greed as well, but most are simply
	*consumed* by the challenge to learn about primeval forces and
	become their master.

and proceeds to explain about psi powers and how these are used by
arcanists in a typical role-playing game style (as charges expended
to empower a spell). this implies that its birth-generated character
will determine ability and potential -- a Witch is born, they're saying.

so a spell which constructed or discovered the extraordinary
circumstances surrounding your birth would be valuable, and how
you are the inheritor of some longstanding wise old tradition from
an almost alien race seems popular too. this kind of magic would
seem very difficult unless one is a Witch already. and that's another
valuableafe on either side of that one. ;>

yet reflecting on this difference (tradition or wild seed), its
character is obscure. is it a difference of practical knowledge,
or of what this World of Darkness -- SORCERER: A Hedge Wizard's
Handbook calls "Awakening"? as many of the other gaming guides
like Mage the Ascension do, there is some perceptual or spiritual
as well as intellectual or at least skill-based advantage ascribed
to the Witch.

casting a spell that initiated this would be fairly easy, commencement
of a new course of personal investment, ceremony according to the
design of the new initiate. whether the fabulous condition
touted by these 'buddhist magicians' (:>) is actual is anybody's
best guess, though presumably as with other special religious
authority, only the Awakened really know what's what.

so yes, there are lots of spells you could probably throw to become
a Witch, depending on what a Witch is, of course. :>

lorax666
=============================

BIBLIOGRAPHY
------------

Pixaud's Practical Grimoire : Arcane Knowledge from the Realm of
Aysle, Greg Farshtey ed., West End Games, 1991.

The Complete Wizard's Handbook, Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 
2nd Edition Player's Handbook Rules Supplement, by TSR, 1990.

Nephilim Occult Role-Playing, Chaosium, 1994.

Ars Magica, The Storytelling Game of Mythic Magic, White Wolf, 
1992.

The Grimoire: The Manual of Practical Thaumaturgy 14th Edition, 
2050; by Paul R. Hume, FASA Corporation, 1990.

Beyond the Supernatural, McCall/Siembieda, Palladium Books, 1988.

Liber Ka: Authentic Western Ceremonial Sorcery for the Nephilim
Roleplaying Game, Chaosium, 1997.

World of Darkness: Sorcerer -- The Hedge Wizard's Handbook, 
White Wolf, 1997.

END