Pagan and Wiccian rituals?

Question

I would like to know if there is a Pagan or Wiccian ritual that involves hanging a picture backwards on a wall (picture facing wall) with a pile or circle of pine cones and rocks surrounding it. Could it be a black wiccan ritual?

I am not asking this to be a smart@$$. This is a serious question. I obviously know very little about the religions except that Wiccian is earth based, and Pagan is based around women.

Thanks!

Yes, I obviously do not know much about these religions, which is why I have asked this. I do appreciate you guys correcting my mistakes in things I have heard or thought to be true. Otherwise, how do I know, right?

The reason I asked this is because my brother recently bought a house. When he was moving his stuff in, he found a photo in a storage area in the attic that was hung backwards on the wall, very close to the floor. Around the picture was a pile of rocks and pine cones in a semi-circle.

He said when they looked at the house, there was stuff like that all over the attic, and he really had no idea what to think of it. I had never heard of anything like that, but wondered if it could have been a ritual that was left behind or forgotten.

I saw my brother and his girlfriend, and they gave me more details...

The picture was of an old barn or farmhouse. It was turned backwards toward a mirrored wall. So it was facing backwards on a mirror. I told them not to move the items, but they did already. They said the people they bought the house from found those items there when they bought the house years ago, and didn't move them.

Answer 1

There are several possibilities here. First, if there were a lot of things around the attic it does sound like the person had some type of practice (perhaps folk magick). When I heard pinecones and rocks I thought about the possibility of a simple ancestral altar but with the picture turned around - that certainly implies some type of negative feelings toward the person (or that they didn't want to receive attention from that person any longer so "turned" the image away).

I don't think you need worry about the nature of that working - however, it might be prudent to get someone familiar with the Craft to help dispose of those items properly. Additionally, if there was a family tied to these items, it might be nice to try and find them to see if they want anything returned. My key reason for suggesting this is it sounds as if whoever utilized that space may have passed on - and might be strongly tied spiritually to those items. Now, I think ghosts are enjoyable to have around for the most part, but not everyone is so inclined.

If you decide to get assistance check www.witchvox.com and look up your state/city to see if you can't find a knowledgable group or person near you. Alternatively, I'd be happy to help by email. You can go to my website at www.loresinger.com and drop me a note if you wish.

Answer 2

Oh, my. Well, you admit you don't know much about these religions. . . but some (not all) of the folks answering your question would do well to admit that as well.

No, this doesn't sound like a typical wiccan ritual. It DOES sound like good, old fashioined witchcraft though. Wicca and Witch are not synonyms. A wiccan is a follower of the teachings of Gerald Gardener (whether they know it or not) and a witch is a magic user. Traditionally, the word "witch" was used to describe ONLY (you got this, guys?) negative magic users. The term has been recently reclaimed by people who apparently didn't think magician, sorceror, curandera, wizard, etc were offering enough choice in terminology.

The problem with the word "pagan" is that anymore, it could mean almost ANYTHING, anything not Christian, Muslim, or Jewish, anyway. So, it's hard to say if this ritual might have been performed by a pagan.

The elements used seem to suggest that something about the picture was being trapped. Watever it is has probably been let loose now, and I wouldn't worry about it anymore if I were you. If they were put there so many years ago, it's probably performed its function long ago. Whoever put them up would have taken care of things before they moved if it still mattered.

Answer 3

This is most likely a spell, but it isn't necessarily Wiccan or Pagan. There are Christian and other witches as well. The spell in and of itself isn't a ritual, but may have been part of a ritual. The fact that the picture is turned backwards makes me think that it it was designed to hide something from a specific person, to have something escape their notice, or to turn someone's attention from something. The circle of stuff around it may simply have been there to maintain the energy of the spell, or it may serve as a boundary in a binding spell. That is, a spell to make someone stop doing what they are doing.
It could have been a case where a particular person was proving a bother, a nosy neighbor perhaps, a gossip who sneaks around in other peoples business. The spell would encourage her to look away and bind her from causing further trouble, or it could have been directed toward an unwanted, obsessive suitor. Or this spell could have been used to bind a troublesome spirit that was haunting the house, if it was the picture of someone who is dead. Or, it could have been that the person casting the spell was doing something they shouldn't and this person was the most likely person to stop them. The spell would aim then to stop the person from discovering the wrongdoing and putting a stop to it. Another possibility is that the person herself cast the spell to stop noticing things that bothered her or to forget an act that she herself committed.

There are many possibilities here. The best thing to do is to destroy the elements of the spell by fire. I'm sure they've already served their purpose if they've been there a long time and if the person who put them there wanted to get rid of them, that is most likely how it would be done. If that person is dead, then burning them will render them available on the spirit plane. Say a little prayer to the soul of the person who put them there and let them know you are returning their things.

Answer 4

There is no such thing as a "black Wiccan" for one thing. Second, there is no uniformity to Wiccan ritual. Wiccans use symbolic methods to try to enact what they want much in the same way that Christians pray. WHere did you see this arrangement and in what context?

If it is meant to be a ritual:

A pine cone and rock formation around something suggests prominence or emphasis on the subject they are surrounding. The fact that the picture is turned to the wall suggests that the arranger wishes to avoid the subjects sight or no longer have that person in their lives any more...a defensive ritual. Since there is no destruction involved, there is no intention of harm to the subject of the picture. It strikes me that if it is a rite of some kind, the practitioner may be trying to protect themselves from someone.

Answer 5

Have you come across this arrangement of items somewhere in your life and are now wondering what it's for?
People shouldn't be leaving scraps of their rituals around where others can find them. Whoever left their stuff lying around was either careless or you have wandered into somewhere you were not meant to be.
Scott M I agree with, it's certainly an earth-based ritual so is probably about defense or protection.
Just say a little prayer for protection to your own deity or to your ancestors if you don't have a deity and leave it alone. It doesn't sound like a black ritual to me. But it's always wise to ask for a little protection every single time you cross paths with the magical world.
Don't worry! Good night, and good luck.

Answer 6

Neither are based around women, but favor the equality between women and men, hence the God AND Goddess. The "ritual" you described doesn't sound real at all, pure fiction. What do you mean "black"? Like negative? There is no such thing as a negative witch/Wiccan, and anyone who tells you otherwise is lying or is drastically misinformed. Every /real/ witch/Wiccan is positive. I recommend you visit http://www.witchvox.com or http://www.bewitchingways.com to learn more. There is a lot to know and you, sweetheart, have a lot of learning and studying to do if you really want to be involved in this religion. Blessed Be!

Answer 7

I've never heard of doing that for a ritual. It might be one, just not one I'm familiar with.

There are a lot of books out there on rituals & spells. Read some & you'll find variations on almost all of them for one thing or another. There's no right way or wrong way to do a spell or ritual, as long as your intent is good.

The information about Wicca & Pagans is vast; it's online, in books & taught through classes. You can research online & go to almost any bookstore & find Wicca & Pagan books, including Barnes & Noble.

Answer 8

You've got it backwards. Paganism is based around the earth. Wicca is based upon a guy who threw together a bunch of incompatible traditions and Aleister Crowley's mysticism (that's right, the proto-Satanist) to make an utterly absurd, insincere, inauthentic religion that has since duped countless emo teens. Wicca Wicca is little more than a hodgepodge of various traditions and beliefs ripped out of their contexts (straight from the pages of Frazer's Golden Bough) and thrown together in a sloppy, mismanaged fashion like some sort of pagan Frankenstein. Are you familiar with the saying "Jack of all trades, master of none"?

In sum: Wicca lacks depth, substance and elaboration, remaining just a plaything for those who do not or can not delve into serious religious or philosophical study.