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APPRENTICE
TO POWER
A Wiccan Odyssey to Spiritual Awaken.ing
By Timothy Roderick
~ THE CROSSING PRESS
~ FREEDOM, CALIFORNIA
Copyright ©2000 Timothy Roderick Halph1di.!
Cover art, Wizard, by Sw.an Dorf
Cover design by Courrnay Perry
Princcd m the U.S.A.
No part of chis puhlu:.a.tion may be reproduced or tranS1mtred m any form or by any means,
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rodenck,Timorhy, 1963 ·
Apprenuce to power : a wiccan odyssey co spiritual awakening/ by Timothy
Roderick.
p. cm.
Includes b1hlmgraph1c;il reference~.
ISBN 1-58091 -077-7 (phk.)
I. Witchcraft. 2. tviag1c. 3. Ritual. I. Title.
BFI 566 .R57 2000
I 3> .4' 3--<lc2 I 00-030854
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
Ir takes many people to write a single book. I would like to thank the
follo\ving people, who have contributed their wisdom, time, and tal
ents toward the creation of App-rentice c.o Potver.
My many thanks to Mead Hunter, n1y personal editor and good
friend. Without his gL11<lance and unfailing insight, this book ,vould
never have come to fruition. I am graceful to Caryle Hirshberg of The
Crossing Press for believing 1n this project. Thanks also goes to Lady
Varda of Crescent's Shadow for her connnued support and magical
input. My appreciatton also goes to Chan1 Beeman, who provideJ in
spiration on several occa51om, anti to Marilyn Odella for her beauti
ful photographic work. Eduardo Wa1skopf provided conttnued
support, long conversa(ion:,, and l1sten1ng ear::,. Without hii. support,
this project would have never been realued.
C ONTENTS
lncroducnon l
s
H ERMES
) l
H ECATE
59
SIN
109
M USE
FATE 135
CHAOS 159
187
PANDORA
209
SATURN
243
DEMETER
301
DIONYSUS
AppenJices 307
316
Bibliography
INTRODUCTION
A brass bell clattered against the door of the rickety old side street
shop as I entered it for the first time. The bell was hung on the inside
doorknob from a thin piece of red yarn that had a series of knots,
shells, seeds, and tiny brass trinkets tied into it. This is probably magic,
I thought, as I examined the charm. Perhaps I'm under a spell righc now.
Once l had passed through the doorway l felt that I had entered a
worlJ only talked about in fairy tales or in movies. This was the world
of enchanters, the realm of witches.
At that point in my life I was like most people in my beliefs about
\vitches. I thought they ,vere heretics, poisoners, spoilers. I thought
that they practiced black magic and engaged in unspeakable rites. A
chill went up my spine. I ,vas petrified to be standing there in the only
shop in cown chat everyone knew of, yet about which no one would
speak. Why was l there? At the time I couldn't really sc1y. I had a
vague sense that I was searching and that l was hungry for something
unnamable. Perhaps l had the courage co enter the shop chat day be
cause, beyond my fear, I felt utterly m~ mert2ed by what l saw.
I looked around the musty old room. Bundled herbs of every sort,
which filled the air with a bitter green fragrance, hung from the ceil
ing. Oversized jars filled with things such as "Dragon's Blood Reed"
and "Solo1non's Seal" cook up every inch of shelf space in the shop.
"Have you seen the back room yet?" a beautiful, dark, elfin
woman asked me.
"Yes," I lied. I didn't ,vane to speak to her any further. I was
dro,vning in a mix of emotions that ranged from fascination to dread
and the last thing I wanted was to look like a novice. The woman dis
appeared behind a dark blue beaded curtain that led co the back of
the shop. As I stood there watching the hanging strands swing and
click together l wondered to n1yself, Should I pass through the curtain or
not? Where would it lead! What would I find?
That day I took a breach, braced myself, and passed through that
mysterious threshold. To my surprise I didn't stu1nble into evil, be
devilment, or other dark doings. Instead, I wandered into a world of
wisdom, truth, beauty, an<l above all else, spintual awakening. When
I passed through the curtain that day, I rook my first steps on a mag
ical odyssey chat continues to chis day.
The book you hold in your hands chronicles my apprenticeship
along the path of Wicca, The Craft of the Wise, which is the name of
the spiritual path of contemporary witches. During the years of my
training, I learned che ways of a mystic, a healer, a seer, and a magi
cian. Through the guidance of n1y teachers and by practicing the
techniques of chi parh, J learned how to forge a close relationship
with deity and how to align myself with the spiritual power that flows
through all things.
This same spiritual journey awaits you as well.
As you read, you may choose to un<lertake your own spuitual ap
prenticeship and to awaken the magical power residing within you.
For this purpose I have provided the methods that I was taught by my
elders and that l still use today.
You rnay notice, as I did, that at times the practices and tech
niques feel peculiar and unfamiltar. This is deliberate. The Wiccan
path is not intended co soothe or coddle the apprentice. In fact, l
found that my training was at times disorienting and even a bit un
nerving. I attended 1nysterious ritual!) anJ engaged in unusual cus
toms. However, I JiscovereJ that each step of the way was purposeful
and designed. Each of the les ons th.at I encountered pushed the Ii m
ies of my perceptions, my notions, and n1y assun1ptions about life and
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