Edgar Allan Poe's 'Our Mistress Of Witches'

Our Mistress of Witches, she who holds the torch and knife and wanders the crooked paths of the Umbric, Celestial, Earthly & dreaming realms, is the Harlot and the Virgin. She is veiled in darkness and stars, whispers into the night the secrets of all things. Her name is spoken to those of the secret way and shall remain silent among those untouched by Her spirit. She guards over the twilight doors of dusk and dawn. Her knife cuts the throats of Kings and releases the child from and into the womb. Her torch lights the dark ways into the 'other' and sets ablaze any living flesh to be turned to ash yet to be born again.

The beast of the earth, sky, and sea that are hers are the crow, cat, horse, goat and white serpent respectively. These beasts bones, skin, and companionship should be sought out by the witch or warlock for the fetishes, enchantments, and familiars of Her craft in both the living body and spirit form. The echoes of her likeness are manifest within these bestial vessels and much wisdom may be gained from their kinship. Heed their omen and know the voices of which they speak. Their tracks are the sigils of their spirit-likeness. Utilize them where the spirits deem fit for Her knowing. For these are the marks of those beasts familiar to Her; The Crooked Path of the

Serpent, The Witch Mark of the Crows Track, The Huff of the Dancing Mare and Goat, and the Stealth of the Black Cat of Night.

Her sorceries are Nefarious and Blessed, as Night and Day. For she is the Mother of two faces, harlequin, both fair and foul. Her sacrifice is of thine own blood mixed with the dark worts of 'Hels' gate' and the seed of they own creation; semen/menstruum. Her shrine is at the edge of thy dwelling, hidden, with a pit thereunder which shall be the altar and vessel of Her libations. Let no untouched cowan behold this secret place of Her spirit shrine least ye render this place unaccommodating and profane. It shall be adorned to her liking and may utilize the nature surrounding it as a natural cloak.

Let all of Her children be granted with the mark by the Witch Queen; A subtle mark upon thy body shall be her Illuminati stigmata. This Mark shall let others who she has touched know that thee are in congress of the flesh with them, for the fire is bright upon thy brow. The spiritual implications of the mark are aligned to the Cunning Fire of Faerie Wisdom and the incarnate member of the Silent Covine. This mark can not be given from man unto man, yet it is born of the flesh of this vessel and given unto the witch/warlock by the spirit herself. The Covenant of nights' mark is of the Master of Midnight, father of witches and warlocks, and shall be given witch unto warlock-warlock unto witch- upon Midnights' Door under his mantle. The Queen's Mark is given unto all of her children from birth/rebirth.

Ye shall meet Her at the liminal space where the waters meet the shore, the graveyards, places of death and dying, at three roads that lay in the land and also between dreaming, waking and spirit flight. Where life has been taken by the waters, thee shall go there and call her thrice by Her secret name; one foot in the water and one foot out. Thee should face west with a candle in thy right hand and a knife in thy left. Her name should emerge from thy feet and the vibrations whipped off from thy tongue like a snake. If thee seek her within the graveyards or places of death and dying then you shall silently call her with a whisper upon the wind from thy breath. For these are but simple ways to call her attention, and she shall come. For these places of power and spirit congress are thresholds between the worlds that are manifest into living lands. Just as mounds are used to await the Lady, or by the sleeping beneath elder or willow, the witch shall go to those places of congress in both the flesh and shadow bodies. Let her meet the lady at the secret crossroads if she is not able to go forth into the night or day to meet the Mistress in her person.

There many ways we may congress with our Lady of Witches and each have their place and reasons. Discernment and cunning be they guide. Her hours are moments of childbirth and sacrifice, joy, and sorrow. Her times of day are at all times, every second. She is calculated by the angle of the stars Os-Ta-Hua-Ku. She is the erosion of time and the moment swift change is manifested as well the long eons that give birth to new ages. These are the locks to Her doors and the key lay in the torch of thy wisdom and blade of thy knowledge.

Here follows are some historical and cultural gods/faerie-kings & goddess/faerie-queens that have deep associations with classical witches.

I present them here, with relevance, and yet the distinction should be made that the beings are not one in the same. They all stand in their own right and should be understood in their own mother-cultures. These begins should be sought out by the Witch for I only give a short inclusion here for an introduction. The relevance of my inclusion is to give thee understanding that the Queen of Witches is elusive. If one wishes to use these as Masks for the one Queen of Witches then so be it, that is not My intention her. But Cunning and

Discerning.