Like all enticements of the Goddess, it is full of risk, uncertainty, and hazard. Some of the hazards are not within the control of the artist -- they are Her will. But others, and in fact the majority, are merely a result of bad craftsmanship.

If the Goddess does not smile upon your work, even the best craftsmanship will lack the living spirit only She can bestow. If She does not love you, that is the end of your life as an artist, though you may practice your trade until your back is bent and your hair has disappeared, and no one but you and She will ever know. She will keep your secret if you will.

But bad craftsmanship is the ultimate rejection of Her. You must understand that, as you rely upon Her for life and spirit, She also relies upon you to perfect your craft, so She may become manifest in the full radiance of Her divine Beauty.

For this reason I set down these notes on the practice of casting the Goddess in bronze, for the illumination of my students and of all future artists and foundrymen.

If you look closely at the events of this world, you will perceive that everything is always, without pause, in the state of Transformation. That which lives is always being transformed into that which does not live. That which does not live is gradually coming into full life. Fullness becomes emptiness, Emptiness is becoming full. This is Her way of fulfilling all possibilities, ensuring that all things are transformed into their opposites.

In the casting of bronze, the means of transformation, at every stage, is heat. The key to your craft is the control of temperature.

When you begin to model your figure, the temperature of your wax is critical. If it is too cold, you will make an awkward and lumpy figure. If it is too warm, the figure will lack strength.

There are those who mock me for going to the trouble of making flat sheets of the beeswax before I begin to model. But I do it for the reason that the thin sheets respond to the warmth of my hands. When the wax is the proper temperature, it responds to your touch like Her living flesh.

Like all mortal women, The Goddess loves your touch. When you do not touch Her, She forgets you. She needs touching to be assured of your love.

When you model in wax, do not forget that you are making love to Her through your fingertips. Place the attention of your mind always at the point where your hands touch Her flesh.

For this reason, I prefer to do as much modeling as possible with my hands. I will use a cutting tool only when the fineness of surface detail requires it; for the rest, modeling with the bare hands is best.

Keep on your worktable a bowl of very cold water, and a bowl of very warm water. As the work proceeds, you can dip the figure into cold water if it needs more stiffness, and into the warm if you want more responsiveness. Be careful not to imprison droplets of water within the figure, or they may explode when the mold is fired.

In choosing the form you will sculpt, do not invent too much. It is better to choose the forms in which She has been revealed in the past. For example, you may use the form in which She resembles the Greek letter Phi. This is Her representation as the Full Moon. Or you may choose the form of Psi, in which She is shown as the Crescent Moon. The Crescent form, because of its relation with The Horns, and with the Double Axe, is presently in favor. It is also less stable aesthetically, and so indicates the potential of Her Ever-Changing nature.

The most sacred form of all, of course, is the Image-Not-Made-With-Hands, but that is beyond our scope as craftsmen.

Ultimately the choice of form depends on which of Her Aspects you wish to embody in the living bronze. If you are expressing Her as the All-Bountiful, I would choose the Full Moon form. If you are expressing Her as the Ever-changing, I would choose the Crescent form. Normally, the First Priestess will specify, but on occasion it will be left to the artist's judgment, when he has proven his sensitivity. That is a great privilege, as it encourages the most intimate contact between the artist and Her. Strive to make your craft worthy of such contact.

I believe that the first layers of clay-mold around the wax model should be applied by the artist, and not by the mold-makers in the foundry. Break your clay into small pieces and dissolve them in much water, until your clay solution is the consistency of very thick cream. Then, with your fingers, apply an even layer of clay around the model. Carefully work the liquid clay into all the recessed details of your model.

Remember that you must leave a hole at the bottom for the wax to escape in burn-out, and a larger hole in the top where the bronze will enter. When you have an even coverage half the thickness of your little finger, you may turn the mold over to the mold-makers to complete. Or you may complete it yourself, using a slightly thicker and drier clay for each layer. Remember always to press the clay firmly so as not to trap air between the layers. Trapped air bubbles are the largest cause of molds that explode in the kiln.

The clay mold should be the thickness of three fingers around all parts of the wax model, for the heat of the melted bronze is extreme. Even application of the clay mold is essential.

Place the completed mold in a sunny place for five days. During the winter rains, or if the dew is heavy, as in early spring, bring the mold in each night so it will not absorb moisture from the air. With the clay of Kheftiu, the dried mold will be almost perfectly white. As long as there are any darker shadows on the surface, the mold is not completely dry, and will doubtless crack in the kiln. If there is any doubt whatever, allow another day or two of drying.

Before the foundrymen place the mold in the kiln, inspect it yourself. Ultimately, the responsibility for any failure lies with the artist. It is your devotion She is responding to, and She expects perfection at every stage. If your craft fails, and there is an explosion in the kiln, or the mold cracks, you must offer the appropriate sacrifice before the next firing. In the case of a small piece, a bowl of olives is sufficient. A more ambitious piece may require a hen partridge to be sacrificed.

You will have little to say about the smelting of the bronze; foundrymen are most jealous of that function. Nevertheless, you should understand the principles.

The reason the bronze of Kheftiu is superior to any in the world is that we use only the finest ores. Here we use the native copper of Kheftiu, but our nearest source of good tin is at the other end of the Sea. The tin of the Balearic Islands is by far the best, even though the sea voyage to get it is long.

I will now reveal a secret that must never be spoken of outside our craft. The proportion of tin to copper in the alloy must not exceed one to ten. If the proportion of tin is much higher, the metal will flow stiffly. If it is lower, the metal will be too soft. When the tin and copper have been alloyed, the foundryman will cast the finished bronze into the usual ingots of Double-Axe shape, weighing seventy pounds. This is a good size for handling by one man.

Your foundryman will doubtless have his special additions to the alloy, some of which will be good craft and the rest mere superstition. Do not trouble yourself over small disagreements with your foundryman, as they are set in their way of doing things and resent suggestions.

Do, however, be absolutely certain that the scum that floats to the surface as the metal is melted is skimmed off. You should be present at the pour to inspect the molten metal. No impurities may be allowed to enter the Goddess' bronze-body. Also, impurities will cause a pitted surface, and cost you many tedious hours of finishing with the emery of Naxos.

When the clay mold is placed in the kiln, the fire should be brought up to heat gradually to avoid cracking. The mold must be supported perfectly vertically to allow the wax to drain out the vent completely and evenly. Contrary to popular opinion, the wax does not disappear magically, it is vaporized by the heat, another example of the continuous Transformation-by-heat that is the art of bronze.

It is my personal practice to model of wax a small Goddess of the Kiln, to place nearby. I usually just form a rough figure from a lump of wax, no more than a minute or two. A general indication of breasts, hips and vulva is sufficient. The purpose is not artistic, it is an invocation to Her to watch over the pour. At the end of the pour, the Kiln Goddess can be thrown into the kiln, or, if beeswax is short, returned to your stock.

When the wax is melted out of the mold, The Goddess exists within -- as Nothingness. Her form is complete in every detail -- but without substance. It is Emptiness-waiting-to-become-full, as the Great Cosmos was Emptiness before She filled it with Her love and beauty.

Here is the greatest mystery, and the greatest risk. This is where your love for Her is tested, for it is in this state of Emptiness that the Goddess chooses either to enter or not to enter your work. If you have done your work well, and if She loves you, She will allow Herself to be embodied in Emptinesss, and will accept your casting as an expression of her Beauty.

The bronze must be ready for the pour at the very moment the empty mold emerges from the kiln. Do not let the mold cool too much, or the metal will curdle within. Do not let the metal be too hot, or it will bubble and burn.

Even in a small pour, I believe the metal should be poured by two men to insure an evenness of flow.

When the mold is full, the metal will first show as yellow-red at the pouring sprue, then red, then dark red, then black. When the poured bronze is black, wait a few more moments, and you may begin to chip away the mold. Use small hammers and numerous blows. Do not attempt to chip away large sections. Be patient.

If the casting is a failure, examine your craftsmanship, make the appropriate sacrifices, put the failure behind you and begin again.

Love Her, and trust that She loves you.