Thursday, January 25, 2007

History of the Cone of Power

Moon Phase: 1st in Aires (enter Taurus @ 0828 EST, enters 2nd @ 1801 EST)
Planet: Jupiter
Colour: Crimson

The act of raising a cone of power is one of the oldest magical rituals known to the human race. In fact, the cone of power concept was already ancient before the great empires of Egypt, Greece, or Rome ever existed.
Stone-age cave art discovered in Spain supports this theory. Some early primitive cave art found in northern Spain depicts women dancing around the nude figure of a man. The women are wearing pointed Witch-style hats (a cone of power symbol), and appear to be raising magical energy. The nude male figure in the center may represent a spiritual leader. Or, he may symbolise the Hunter--the life-giving provider which the ancient clan depended upon for food. Considering this, we could conclude that the dancers are raising a protective cone of energy to attract a bountiful food supply.
Pre-Columbian Mexican art has also been found depicting Witch figures wearing pointed hats, indicating that the magical cone shape was also known in ancient North America since early times.
One of the most enduring rituals in history, which echoes many of the same basic elements as the cone of power, is the 700-year-old traditional dance performed by the Whirling Dervishes of Turkey. This sacred dance or rite was created by the great poet and mystic, Mevlana Caelaleddin Rumi. The ritual dance is still performed by the Whirling Dervish Order. And, although the rite is not identical to raising a cone of power, there are some fascinating similarities.
The dance is also performed in s circle, and, like the dancers in the magic circle, the dervishes achieve an altered stated of awareness. The white skirts worn by the dancers flow outward as the spin and resemble the sacred cone shape. The tall hats worn by each dervish are not pointed, but do allude to the shape of the ancient wizard's hat. And the mystical energy raised during the whirling is achieved by chanting, music, and movement--methods also found in building a cone of power.
Throughout history the cone of power has been used to raise a shield of protective energy, just one of its many uses. Perhaps the most poignant example of this took place in England during World War II. It was 1940. Nazi forces had already invaded Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. In June of that year, France surrendered to Germany. Fear swept through England that a Nazi invasion was imminent.
So, on August 1, 1940 (Lammas), covens from southern England gathered in the New Forest region to raise a cone of power which would protect their nation against the Nazi armies. A month the witches in attendance was the famous occultist, Gerald Gardner. This was one of the greatest rites in modern Witchcraft. So strong was the determination to repel the evil Nazi forces that the extraordinary ritual was performed four times.
Collectively, the covens attempted to send out a psychic message to the Nazis that they would fail if they tried to invade. The purpose of this ritual was not only to build a protective shield, but to affect the decision-making process of the Nazi High-Command.
As it turned out, the Nazis did not invade England. And we will never know for sure if the Lammas Day rite had anything to so with this outcome. But, this was one of the Craft's finest moments, and is an excellent example of how the cone of power can be used for "the good of all."

1 comment:

Andrew Fitzherbert said...

Thw Whirling Dirvishes have nothing to do with "Raisin Power" by their whirling, and certainly never heard of " A Cone of Power" There are many books, films and websites about the Whirling Dirvishes.