Friday, June 21, 2013

Solstice Blessing


Solstice Blessing

May you know peace, joy, and love.
May you experience wonder and magic even in the simplest things.
May you delight in your life and all its intricacies.
May laughter be the balm that heals all wounds.
May that which has shadowed your pain and deep sorrows
be honored and brought into the Light.
May you experience the alchemy of the Spirit.
May you ever be open to the Sacred, to the Divine, and to the Mystery.
May there be poetry and song in your life.
May you share YOUR story around the table, the hall, and the holy fire,
For this is your greatest Gift . . . .
Your own humanity.

Mystical Places - Crooked Forest

This was a little too cool not to share, or be able to look back on ...  I saw this (and shared this) on Facebook ...  

The Wry Forest in Nowe Czarnowo near Gryfino, Poland, is a forest which has over 400 pine trees that have grown crooked. They all face northwards and they are Believed to be over 100 years old, there is no known explanation or logical reason why these trees have grown this way. It is known as the crooked forest and it is said that many strange things happen there.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Litha & the Super Moon

 Just a reminder that two amazing events are coming up.  Litha ...  our Summer Solstice, and the Super Moon!!

An Ancient Solar Celebration:

Nearly every agricultural society has marked the high point of summer in some way, shape or form. On this date – usually around June 21 or 22 (or December 21/22 in the southern hemisphere) – the sun reaches its zenith in the sky. It is the longest day of the year, and the point at which the sun seems to just hang there without moving – in fact, the word “solstice” is from the Latin word solstitium, which literally translates to “sun stands still.” The travels of the sun were marked and recorded. Stone circles such as Stonehenge were oriented to highlight the rising of the sun on the day of the summer solstice.

Traveling the Heavens:

Although few primary sources are available detailing the practices of the ancient Celts, some information can be found in the chronicles kept by early Christian monks. Some of these writings, combined with surviving folklore, indicate that Midsummer was celebrated with hilltop bonfires and that it was a time to honor the space between earth and the heavens.

Fire and Water:

In addition to the polarity between land and sky, Litha is a time to find a balance between fire and water. According to Ceisiwr Serith, in his book The Pagan Family, European traditions celebrated this time of year by setting large wheels on fire and then rolling them down a hill into a body of water. He suggests that this may be because this is when the sun is at its strongest yet also the day at which it begins to weaken. Another possibility is that the water mitigates the heat of the sun, and subordinating the sun wheel to water may prevent drought.

Saxon Traditions:

When they arrived in the British Isles, the Saxon invaders brought with them the tradition of calling the month of June Aerra Litha. They marked Midsummer with huge bonfires that celebrated the power of the sun over darkness. For people in Scandinavian countries and in the farther reaches of the Northern hemisphere, Midsummer was very important. The nearly endless hours of light in June are a happy contrast to the constant darkness found six months later in the middle of winter.

Roman Festivals :

The Romans, who had a festival for anything and everything, celebrated this time as sacred to Juno, the wife of Jupiter and goddess of women and childbirth. She is also called Juno Luna and blesses women with the privilege of menstruation. The month of June was named for her, and because Juno was the patroness of marriage, her month remains an ever-popular time for weddings. This time of year was also sacred to Vesta, goddess of the hearth. The matrons of Rome entered her temple on Midsummer and made offerings of salted meal for eight days, in hopes that she would confer her blessings upon their homes.

Midsummer for Modern Pagans:

Litha has often been a source of contention among modern Pagan and Wiccan groups, because there's always been a question about whether or not Midsummer was truly celebrated by the ancients. While there's scholarly evidence to indicate that it was indeed observed, there were suggestions made by Gerald Gardner, the founder of modern Wicca, that the solar festivals (the solstices and equinoxes) were actually added later and imported from the Middle East. Regardless of the origins, many modern Wiccans and Pagans do choose to celebrate Litha every year in June.

In some traditions, Litha is a time at which there is a battle between light and dark. The Oak King is seen as the ruler of the year between winter solstice and summer solstice, and the Holly King from summer to winter. At each solstice they battle for power, and while the Oak King may be in charge of things at the beginning of June, by the end of Midsummer he is defeated by the Holly King.

This is a time of year of brightness and warmth. Crops are growing in their fields with the heat of the sun, but may require water to keep them alive. The power of the sun at Midsummer is at its most potent, and the earth is fertile with the bounty of growing life.

For contemporary Wiccans and Pagans, this is a day of inner power and brightness. Find yourself a quiet spot and meditate on the darkness and the light both in the world and in your personal life. Celebrate the turning of the Wheel of the Year with fire and water, night and day, and other symbols of the triumph of light over darkness.

Litha is a great time to celebrate outdoors if you have children. Take them swimming or just turn on the sprinkler to run through, and then have a bonfire or barbeque at the end of the day. Let them stay up late to say goodnight to the sun, and celebrate nightfall with sparklers, storytelling, and music. This is also an ideal Sabbat to do some love magic or celebrate a handfasting, since June is the month of marriages and family.

(http://paganwiccan.about.com)


So you might ask, what is the "Supermoon" and what makes it so "super"?

I know I did ...

It's because the moon is closer to the Earth.   Here is a list I swiped off this webpage.  I found the following two graphics from there too, below the table. 





The supermoon of March 19, 2011 (right), compared to an average moon of December 20, 2010 (left). Note the size difference. Image via Marco Langbroek, the Netherlands, via Wikimedia Commons.

So ....  What does this mean for us ... the Pagan community?

 In the folklore there are all types of odd things that can happen under the nakedness of a full moon.  Some of which ...  hospital admissions increase - not only do they increase, but they become more odd! ... people just start acting strangely under the pull of the full moon, and that can lead to the crime rate picking up too.  From the Middle Ages the idea of the full moon caused mental disorders was widespread.  The word "lunacy," meaning "insanity," comes from the Latin word for "Moon."

Even though anyone who works as peace officer or in an emergency room will tell you that there is an increase of labors on full moons, that crazyness ensues on the nights of full moons, and officers will say "It must be a full moon," when strange things happen....  even though we as people realize there is a connection, the majority of modern studies show there is no correlation between the phases of the moon and the increase of crime, sickness, labor, or human behavior.

As a Pagan, I disagree.  The Witching world knows there is much more to our moon than just science! 
Pagan Presence said this, and I couldn't agree more:  The moon, in all of its phases -- from dark to waxing crescent and full to waning Crone -- embodies the Goddess aspect of our divinity.  She is a symbol of the ever-changing, ever-flowing energies around and within each of us.  There are many in our Faith who draw her down and soak in her light and who follow her through her cycle -- taking on new goals and projects as she grows; discarding negativity and completing what lies pending and in wait as she descends into darkness once again.

To me, I knew I was always guided by the moon.  As a little girl, I remember sitting in the back seat, looking up to the starry sky, and seeking out the moon.  I would draw the moon to me, even as a little girl, not knowing that is what I was doing.  That's what happens, I suppose, when you come from a long line of witches.

So why wouldn't spells, during a super moon, be a little more charged, a little more powerful?  


Pagan Presence shared a Moon Cookie recipe, and a prayer written for her children.  I'd like to share those too.  


Moon Cookie
MOON COOKIES
1C butter, softened
1/2C brown sugar
3/4C white sugar
2 eggs [cage-free please!]
2 3/4C flour
2TSP baking soda
1TSP vanilla

Oven: 375

Cream butter.  Add sugars.  Beat one minute.  Add eggs one at a time.  Beat well between eggs.  Slowly add flour and baking soda.  Then vanilla.  Beat well for three minutes.  Refrigerate ten minutes.  Roll out between parchment paper [with flour if needed].  Use a clean aluminum can [or circle-shaped cookie cutter] to cut 'full moons' from the dough.  Re-refrigerate to make the transfer to the cookie sheet easier.


Bake 8 - 10 minutes.
We like to add two crescent moons to either side of the cookie in a light blue frosting to get the full effect of the triple goddess.  We also make them during crescent moon phases [any excuse for a cookie, right?!] and frost accordingly.



***A CHILDREN'S FULL MOON RITE***
Begin by casting your circle -- to make it fun for a child, hold hands and move in a circle as you call upon the elements and invoke the gods.


PRAYER

 "Mother Moon, so bright,
so full and round,
do you know my voice
within the sound --
of life on earth,
of all the noise,
of cars, of tools,
of games and toys?
For though I’m small,
I am here,
the only Me
that you will hear.
Bless my dreams.
Keep them true.
And when fears I face,
please see me through–
from dark to light,
from night to day.
By you, I live
to laugh and play."
Reach your arms toward the moon and recite the following as you pull your hands toward the center of your chest, welcoming the energy being offered:



"I draw you down,
a light so whole
and keep you
in my very soul."
 
At the close of our prayer we blow our goddess a kiss as we proclaim, "Bless-ed Be".  And, of course, we end our night reading "Goodnight Moon" by Margaret Wise Brown.

Good night moon.  Good night cow jumping over the moon.
Good night stars.  Good night air.  Good night noises....
everywhere.

Witches (poem)


Witches Bottles

I found this on Facebook at Wicca Teachings, I wanted to hang onto it ...



Witches Bottle.

A Witches bottle is something all Witches should have, it keeps curses, hexes, ill-will, negativity and jealousy away from us.

A witches bottle is an ancient and well-tested method of deflecting all kinds of malice and bad will that a good witch can attract, Witch bottles are strangely neglected these days but for hundreds of years they were very popular across rural Europe, particularly two or three centuries ago. In England particularly, most country households had at least one buried somewhere and they still regularly turn up during the demolition or renovation of old buildings. Over two hundred are in known museum collections and these probably represent just a tiny fraction of those that have been found over the years and tossed away as rubbish; and an even smaller fraction of those that still lie waiting to be discovered.

The most popular places to hide witch bottles used to be under the hearthstone or doorstep. Not only were these spots the least likely to be disturbed in a peasant cottage, but they were also the main openings by which a hostile spell might enter. Bottles were also often plastered into the walls, hidden in attics and buried in gardens or lonely places.

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries witch jars often had faces stamped in the glass or stoneware. In Germany and the Low Countries they were called Bellarmine jars after the unpopular 16th century Cardinal who first appeared on them in the Netherlands, but equivalents were made all over Europe. The attraction of having a face on the bottle was that it would help trick a hostile spell or wish into thinking it has found its target and then getting trapped inside as in a rat-trap. These bottles were also popularly used for burying money, with spells cast on them to deflect treasure-hunters.

The idea of a witch bottle is that it will attract and trap hostile enchantments by tricking them into believing they have found their target i.e. you. The principle is almost the same as with voodoo dolls, but with the reverse intent. The bottle is meant to represent you so some of your personal fluids have to go into it. Most commonly in the old days this was urine, with which the bottle is half filled. Next add some hair and maybe nail-clippings or even blood if you feel seriously threatened. Blood is of course the most potent substance of all that you could use for this kind of magic (which is why vampires are so keen on it!) but, judging by the old witch bottles that have been chemically analyzed, our forbears do not seem to have considered it necessary. However, if you happen to cut yourself while preparing your bottle, well, it would be silly not to take advantage of it for some added potency.

Between them your ingredients will create a potent decoy or simulacrum of you on the magical plane. These days you are unlikely to find a jar with a face on it, but you could maybe draw a simple face on a piece of wood and add it to the mix. Opinions are divided over whether you should include a photograph of yourself. Some say it adds strength to the spell, others that it makes no difference and a few warn that it is positively dangerous in case the bottle falls into the wrong hands. You'll have to make up your own mind on this.

The next ingredients you need are some snares to trap the hostility being directed against you. These can be thorns, bent pins or nails, barbed wire, fishhooks, anything sharp and snagging in fact. Plus you can add a tangled ball of sewing thread, which is apparently very effective too.

This is all you need to make your self-protecting witch bottle. Some witches also add Deadly Nightshade and other potentially lethal herbs, and these are supposed to help if you know how to handle them safely, but are not essential.

Wicca


Making a Scrying Mirror




To make your scrying mirror, you’ll need the following:

* A clear glass plate
* Matte black spray paint
* Additional paints (acrylic) for embellishment

You can use any kind of picture frame with the glass in that, and decorate the frame your way. To prepare the mirror, first you’ll need to clean it. Use any glass cleaner, or for a more earth-friendly method, use vinegar mixed with water. Once the glass is clean, flip it over so that the back side is facing up. Lightly spray with the matte black spray paint. For the best result, hold the can a couple of feet away, and spray from side to side. If you hold the can too close, the paint will pool, and you don’t want this as it should be a flat sheen finish. As each coat dries, add another coat. After five to six coats, the paint should be dense enough that you can’t see through the paint if you hold the glass up to a light.

Once the paint has dried, turn the glass right side up. Use your acrylic paint to add embellishments around the outer edge of the glass frame, you can add symbols of your tradition, magical sigils, or even your favorite saying. Allow these to dry as well. Your mirror is ready for scrying. Now put a candle to the mirror so the flame is reflected and stare into it and see what you will see.

(I got this off Facebook, and am just sharing from WICCA TEACHINGS

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Rebuilding my Collection .....

So my girlfriend wanted me to share what I have in my collection so far. See... when we moved here, a lot of things didn't make it onto the moving truck and we lost a lot. All of my tools and goodies, among what ended up getting left behind.

So here are some of the pocket (or worry) stones I got. 








Here are my smudge sticks (Oh my Goddess they smell AMAZING!), the goddess and pentagram cups are "candle holders" ...  I thought they were going to be bigger.  Then there is the pentagram and triple moon pocket stones I got, the triple moon is carved on some tigers eye and the pentagram is carved on some quartz.  Then there is our triple moon alter cloth which I am actually using on my wall above my bed.

My new moon/pentagram necklace.  
 And here are my runes made from Willow Tree... 
Here is my little Amethyst Crystal Ball ... 


 Jar of Amber Sea Glass ... <3 it.... 
Our books, there are a couple others that weren't on the shelf ....
 I found this ... 
 Part of my shelf
 My wise ol' Incense Burner ....

 I found some jars to start making some Witches Jars ... 







Sunday, June 16, 2013

It has been awhile....

So I have been super busy in my life.  The last few months have provided nothing but doctors appointment after doctors appointment for my kids.  I don't talk about it here.... or at least I haven't .... but I have two kids with medical issues.  Life isn't always easy but I wouldn't trade them for anything. 

I have been doing some work on Fiverr.  I ended up starting a new profile because I had gotten orders and weren't getting the alerts so my rating went way down.  So I decided it would be best to just start over. 

So regardless....  

I haven't had a chance to really dive into the learning I want to do...  seeking the knowledge on all that I want to  know...

But I have started my physical Book of Shadows ... which is exciting to me. 


Right now I'm working on a good glossary.  Not only am I handwriting the most common ones, but I'm printing off a more extensive list. 


Hand cramping and I do not get along. 

I also created some homemade Witches Runes.....  I use them when I do readings. 

WITCHES RUNES Symbols and Meanings .......  I really like to use them!  I already wore them out once. 

I am going to update more later :) 

BLESSED BE!

Happy Father's Day


Saturday, February 2, 2013

Blessed Imbolc


Images via of Google Search



History of Imbolc


Spring is Coming!:

Imbolc is a holiday with a variety of names, depending on which culture and location you’re looking at. In the Irish Gaelic, it’s called Oimelc, which translates to “ewe’s milk.” It’s a precursor to the end of winter when the ewes are nursing their newly born lambs. Spring and the planting season are right around the corner.

The Romans Celebrate:

To the Romans, this time of year halfway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox was known as Lupercalia. For them, it was a purification ritual in which a goat was sacrificed and a scourge made of its hide. Thong-clad men ran through the city, whacking people with bits of hide. 

Those who were struck considered themselves fortunate indeed. This is one of the few Roman celebrations that is not associated with a particular temple or deity. Instead, it focuses on the founding of the city of Rome, by twins Romulus and Remus, who were suckled by a she-wolf -- in a cave known as the "Lupercale".

The Feast of Nut:

The ancient Egyptians celebrated this time of year as the Feast of Nut, whose birthday falls on February 2 (Gregorian calendar). According to the Book of the Dead, Nut was seen as a mother-figure to the sun god Ra, who at sunrise was known as Khepera and took the form of a scarab beetle.

Christian Conversion of a Pagan Celebration:

When Ireland converted to Christianity, it was hard to convince people to get rid of their old gods, so the church allowed them to worship the goddess Brighid as a saint -- thus the creation of St. Brigid's Day. Today, there are many churches around the world which bear her name.

Purification and Light:

For Christians, February 2nd continues to be celebrated as Candelmas, the feast of purification of the Virgin. By Jewish law, it took forty days after a birth for a woman to be cleansed following the birth of a son. Forty days after Christmas – the birth of Jesus – is February 2nd. Candles were blessed, there was much feasting to be had, and the drab days of February suddenly seemed a little brighter.

Love & Courtship:

February is known as a month when love begins anew, in part to to the widespread celebration of Valentine's Day. In some parts of Europe, there was a belief that February 14th was the day that birds and animals began their annual hunt for a mate. Valentine's Day is named for the Christian priest who defied Emperor Claudius II's edict banning young soldiers from marrying. In secret, Valentine "tied the knot" for many young couples. Eventually, he was captured and executed on Feb. 14, 269 C.E. Before his death, he smuggled a message to a girl he had befriended while imprisoned -- the first Valentine's Day card.

A Celtic Connection:
Serpents in the Spring

Although Imbolc isn't even mentioned in non-Gaelic Celtic traditions, it's still a time rich in folklore and history. According to the Carmina Gadelica, the Celts celebrated an early version of Groundhog Day on Imbolc too – only with a serpent, singing this poem:

Thig an nathair as an toll
(The serpent will come from the hole)
la donn Bride
(on the brown day of Bride (Brighid)
Ged robh tri traighean dh’an
(though there may be three feet of snow)
Air leachd an lair
(On the surface of the ground.)

Among agricultural societies, this time of year was marked by the preparation for the spring lambing, after which the ewes would lactate (hence the term "ewe's milk" as "Oimelc"). At Neolithic sites in Ireland, underground chambers align perfectly with the rising sun on Imbolc.
The Goddess Brighid

Like many Pagan holidays, Imbolc has a Celtic connection as well, although it wasn’t celebrated in non-Gaelic Celtic societies. The Irish goddess Brighid is the keeper of the sacred flame, the guardian of home and hearth. To honor her, purification and cleaning are a wonderful way to get ready for the coming of Spring. In addition to fire, she is a goddess connected to inspiration and creativity.

Brighid is known as one of the Celtic "triune" goddesses -- meaning that she is one and three simultaneously. The early Celts celebrated a purification festival by honoring Brighid, or Brid, whose name meant "bright one." In some parts of the Scottish Highlands, Brighid was viewed as Cailleach Bheur, a woman with mystical powers who was older than the land itself. Brighid was also a warlike figure, Brigantia, in the Brigantes tribe near Yorkshire, England. The Christian St. Brigid was the daughter of a Pictish slave who was baptised by St. Patrick, and founded a community of nuns at Kildare, Ireland.

In modern Wicca and Paganism, Brighid is viewed as the maiden aspect of the maiden/mother/crone cycle. She walks the earth on the eve of her day, and before going to bed each member of the household should leave a piece of clothing outside for Brighid to bless. Smoor your fire as the last thing you do that night, and rake the ashes smooth. When you get up in the morning, look for a mark on the ashes, a sign that Brighid has passed that way in the night or morning. The clothes are brought inside, and now have powers of healing and protection thanks to Brighid.