Lifting the Veil

"Where were you?"

"Outside on the lawn."

"Outside? At this hour?"

"There's a full Moon."

"What's that smell?"

"I've been burning incense."

"Incense? Why?"

"I told you. There's a full Moon."

"What does the moon have to do with anything? Wait. Are those candles burning out there?"

"Yes. It's perfectly safe. They're in bowls of sand."

"What are they for?"

"They create a space for me to..."

"What are you wearing under that robe?"

"I'm not wearing much. In fact, nothing."

"You were... in your altogether out under the moon?"

"It works better that way."

"What works better?"

"Making my request to the Universe."

"You are praying to the moon?"

"Not to Her exactly. To what She represents."

"The moon is a 'she?'"

"Yes, the Moon has a gender. In some traditions, though, She's a He.”

“The moon is nothing but a big rock.”

“So is the Earth, but She gives us everything we need.”

“The earth is a 'she' now, too?”

“She is our Mother. We are born from Her. Our flesh is formed from Her flesh. It only makes sense that She is a ‘She’”

“But the moon is a sterile hunk of mineral 240 thousand miles away.”

“Yet She moves the massive volume of the oceans. Why shouldn’t She affect the blood that flows through our veins as well? Blood is saline just like sea water.”

“You think that you can influence the moon?”

“No. I know I can ask Her to influence events on Earth.”

“And it responds to your requests?”

“She has in the past.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I have asked and She has given.”

“What, after you sacrificed a pigeon or something?”

“She doesn’t require any sacrifices. She wants us to be happy.”

“The moon wants you to …”

“Not the Moon. The Universe. The Divine Power behind everything. Why else would She have put us here?”

“So this divine whatever - does it have a name?”

“She has many names. I like the Welsh one - Arianrhod, ‘the Silver Wheel.’”

“So, what do you do? Light candles? Burn incense? Howl at the moon?”

“We start with candles and incense, yes, and then we invoke the Four Elements and call down the Moon so that She is present among us as Sister, Mother, Daughter. She hears our entreaties and provides what we need."

“You know this all kind of sounds kind of like a parody of Christian liturgy.”

“What we do isn’t a parody. Our tradition is the older one. We have been doing it since the first human ancestor looked up at the Moon and gave Her a name.”

“What is this ‘we?’ It sounds like you’re talking about some sort of large group.”

“We are a community. Every time the Moon is full there are individuals and small groups on every continent who look up at the night sky and call Her down.”

“Well, does this so-called community have a name? What do you call yourselves?”

“We have many names, like our mistress. And we have called ourselves a lot of different things over the centuries, but there is an old English word you might be familiar with. Witches.”

“You mean like witchcraft? Black magic?”

“Magick doesn’t have a color. It is like any source of power. Is electricity white if it heats or lights up your home but black if it's used to execute a criminal or to add lethal force to a fence?”

“So you’re telling me you actually believe in magic?”

“Why not? According to quantum physics, it’s possible to change the behavior of a photon by focusing attention on it. And once two photons have interacted with each other, they stay connected in space and time. What happens to one also happens to the other. In Magick, we call this ‘contagion.’ If it works on photons, why not bigger particles?”

“OK that all sounds very theoretical and abstract. But have you ever seen magic actually work?”

“Yes! I’ve seen it and heard it and felt it and tasted it. I don’t think Magick works. I know it does.”

“What are you talking about? When did it ever work? What are some examples?”

“Well, you remember that job I used to have that I hated?”

“You mean the shady company with the scumbag manager?”

“Yeah, I kept working there because we needed the money, but it was hell. So I called to the Moon asked the Universe to help me find a new job. A few days later, I found out about the opening at Emerald Options, a stable company with solid social values which fosters sustainability and truly does give priority to the welfare of its employees. I applied, I interviewed and I am still there.”

“You don’t think it was just a coincidence, since you were already looking for a new job?”

“I had been looking for weeks, but Emerald showed up right after I did my Full Moon ceremony.”

“Seems kind of mundane. Do you have any examples that are, I don’t know, a little more romantic.”

“Well, how about when we first met?”

“You cast a love spell on me?”

“How could I? I didn’t even know you? But I did go out on the Full Moon and ask the Universe to bring me a lover. And then... do you remember that night when you came walking past my garden?”

“Let me see. My train was delayed, so I missed the last bus and I couldn’t find any taxis, so I tried to walk home.”

“Right. And then you got lost…”

“Well I took a wrong turn and wasn’t sure how to get back to the main road and then I saw you working in your garden by twilight.”

“It’s the best time for some things. You asked me for directions and I ended up inviting you in for tea.”

“Was it magic tea? A love potion?”

“All herbs are Magickal. They are connected with each other by the laws of correspondence. And it was prepared with love. But the choice was yours. Your free will was never influenced.”

“We talked all night long.”

“Again, it was your own choice to stay until dawn. At least the buses were running again.”

“So I married a witch?”

“Should we cue the theme song for that 60’s TV series?”

“Why am I just finding out now?”

“I guess you’re not very observant. I never tried to hide it.”

“But we’ve gone to church services together.”

“My Divinity is not a jealous one. She doesn’t care who I pray to. They are all reflections of Herself.”

“I’m sorry. This is really a bit of a shock. I’m going to have to take some time to process all of it.”

“Well. I’m going to put on something more comfortable and make some tea.”

“More comfortable than that flimsy robe? Oh!”

“So, are you going to stand there staring or are you going to come and have a cup of tea? It’s your choice.”

“Is it magic tea?”

“You bet.”

“OK, I think I’m done with the processing.”

“So mote it be!”