You are blessed indeed to have the beautiful doe as your power animal. She appears delicate, but she is very strong. Her strength comes from her deep connection to all that surrounds her. She will teach you to stand within the moment, quiet and observant, sensing all that is, feeling each leaf of the forest as a deep part of your being.
She will also teach you lightness, lightness of the spirit and of the feet. With a deep intuitive sense of what is, you will know exactly when to take action and to do so decisively, moving quickly and gracefully in response to your knowing. She will teach you to sense the world around you so deeply and instinctively that you are always one step ahead of the events coming your way.
Let her light spirit fill you with the freedom and joy of being, so that you bound and leap through life effortlessly, always sure-footed, always deeply attuned, even when entering a new part of the forest. She will help you welcome the new experiences of life, giving a joyous welcoming to new beginnings.
As the doe, you will learn to be fearless, to trust your intuition completely and know that a deep awareness and connection with the world, combined with a belief in yourself, is the best possible protection there is.
‘May we live in peace without weeping. May our joy outline the lives we touch without ceasing. And may our love fill the world, angel wings tenderly beating.’
Our initial response to situations may not always be best, learning the art of pausing before reacting can be helpful.
We have all had the experience of reacting in a way that was less than ideal upon hearing bad news, or being unfairly criticized, or being told something we did not want to hear. This makes sense because when our emotions are triggered, they tend to take center stage, inhibiting our ability to pause before we speak. We may feel compelled to release the tension by expressing ourselves in some way, whether it’s yelling back at the person yelling at us, or rushing to deliver words of comfort to a friend in trouble. However, there is much to be said for teaching ourselves to remember to pause and take a deep breath before we respond to the shocks and insults that can come our way in life.
For one thing, our initial response is not always what’s best for us, or for the other people involved. Reacting to childish rage with childish rage will only escalate the negativity in a situation, further ensnaring us in an undesirable dynamic. Similarly, when we react defensively, or simply thoughtlessly, we often end up feeling regret over our words or actions. In the end, we save ourselves a lot of pain when we take a deep breath and really tune in to ourselves, and the other person, before we respond. This doesn’t necessarily mean we don’t say anything, although in some cases, that may be the best option.
Some situations require a fairly immediate response, but even just a moment of grounding ourselves before we do so can help enormously. The next time you find yourself wanting to react, try to pause, and in that pause, take a deep breath. Feel your feet on the floor, the air on your skin, and listen for a response to arise within you, rather than just going with the first thing that pops into your head. You may find that in that moment, there is the potential to move beyond reaction and into the more subtle and creative realm of response, where something new can happen.
Herb of the Day:
BASIL is a Sacred Herb, especially in India, where it figures in the worship of the god Vishnu. Soak it in water for three days and sprinkle the water at your doorstep to Bring Money and Success, Drive Away Evil, and have a Happy Family. To Increase Love in the Home, use it in cooking or keep some in an open bowl in the kitchen and replace it each week. Mixed in a bath with Love Herbs (such as Red Clover, Rose Buds, Catnip, Gention, Damiana, Lavendar, Cubebs, and Juniper Berries), it increases Affection in the Family. Basil also Protects from evil. Mix with Rosemary and Rue for a Cleansing and Protective bath. Dried Basil is sprinkled on the kitchen floor and swept out the door because “Evil can’t stay where Basil has been.”
Posted by: Lady Becky
‘May we live in peace without weeping. May our joy outline the lives we touch without ceasing. And may our love fill the world, angel wings tenderly beating.’
Seek them, Hear them, Know them within,
Listen to their words like a spirited friend.
Open the darkness and veils of your mind,
Secrets and wisdom once hidden in time.
“How to meditate?”
There is no need to ask how to meditate,
just ask how to remain unoccupied.
Meditation happens spontaneously.
Just ask how to remain unoccupied, that’s all. That’s the whole trick of meditation
– how to remain unoccupied.
Then you cannot do anything.
The meditation will flower.
Today it’s Othala from Tyr’s Aett pronounced “oath-awe-law” (O: Ancestral property) Inherited property or possessions, a house, a home. What is truly important to one. Group order, group prosperity. Land of birth, spiritual heritage, experience and fundamental values. Aid in spiritual and physical journeys. Source of safety, increase and abundance.
The seed of an old tree must make its own roots to become a tree itself. Stand on your own feet. Events connected with this rune may include a move of house or change of career. Whatever your situation, it’s important to your future development to decide whether or not you can be independent now. This rune may reflect your need to invest your money and talents in your own business, or to buy your own house or premises, so that you can live apart from others. You may feel nervous about the amount of cash which is initially needed to set things up, but from the long-term perspective, you are on a path which will allow you to assimilate fresh experiences and to use your talents to the full.
Othala Reversed or Merkstave: Lack of customary order, totalitarianism, slavery, poverty, homelessness. Bad karma, prejudice, clannishness, provincialism. What a man is bound to. (Note: the reversed or merkstave definitions are included only for reference as they apply to a multi-rune cast and not to a single rune that’sdrawn blindfrom the pouch) As with all, take only what feels right to you and disregard the rest. **a portion of today’s rune meaning/description was kindly provided by Ingrid Halvorsen at sunnyway.com and used here with her gracious permission**
In the Light…
Tom
SoulDiscoveryThruReiki “Music is a release from the tyranny of conscious thought” — Kevin Burke Insanity is inherited, you get it from your kids…
General Meaning: A fisherman can cast the line, but he can only wait for the fish to bite. Your catch will come in its own time; you cannot make it hurry to you — neither by working, nor by planning, nor by wishing. You may need to provide nourishment or support for others; but only through patience can you become the bridge between the fickle fish and the eventual feast. Strength in a time of trial waits quietly, resolutely. Weakness grows agitated, and abandons the effort before the fish bites. Periods of waiting are most fruitful when used for quiet contemplation.
Proceed cautiously, but resolutely, with whatever you are doing. The time and situation are calling for consistency and patience. Waiting is an essential skill; patience is a powerful force. Good timing is an ally of those with inner strength — the kind of strength that allows you to be uncompromisingly honest with yourself, while sticking to the path you have charted. If you persevere with a positive attitude, time weakens even the hardest obstacles. To rush anything, or impatiently force results, stimulates resistance and causes setbacks. At best, you achieve surface changes — the kind that can just as quickly be reversed. Steadfast waiting — while holding to your integrity leads to slow but permanent improvements. In the end, you accomplish something great. Practice patience
Finely grind patchouli herb. Melt soap base. Add herb, honey, jojoba, fragrances, and dye. Whisk until near gel. Pour in love-themed mold. Cool. Remove from mold. Air-dry on rack for twenty-four hours. Store in Saran Wrap to help hold the scent.
This soap recipe is a great formula for kitchen cleanup. The mixture of tea tree oil and botanical provides a wonderful, natural antibacterial formula.
4 cups glycerin soap base
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons dried sage
10 drops tea tree essential oil
4 vitamin E gel caps
Lemon, lime or orange fragrance
Dye to match fragrance
Grind herbs together. Melt soap base. Add tea tree oil and desired fragrance. Add dye. Cut gel caps and pour liquid into mixture. Add herbs. Whisk until near gel. Pour. Cool. Remove from mold. Wrap after one hour.
Coconuts possess an aroma that many find pleasing, sensuous and evocative. Releasing the scent of coconut into the air provides long-term spiritual purification in a relaxed, fragrant manner. Unfortunately what is commercially available is almost invariably synthetic, thus the fragrance may be pleasing but the power is nonexistent. Make your own coconut candles.
The simplest method is to use pour-and-melt wax from the craft store. White or brown are the preferred colors. If you are a skilled candle maker, however, choose any method or wax you prefer.
Prepare the candle shell prior to melting the wax. You may use any type of container you choose; however, a hollowed out half of a coconut shell is ideal.
Melt the wax until liquid
Stir in pure coconut extract. The quantity depends upon the desired intensity of fragrance.
Make sure that the wick is attached securely to the container, either by holding it in place until the wax hardens or by attaching it to a pencil or stick laid across the top of the container.
Unless you live by the sea, this spell may involve more work and preparation than sprinkling with salted fresh water, how the potential power is also greater.
Carry ocean water to the area to be cleansed in a glass or metal flask. (For maximum effect, request permission and offer thanks to the Spirits of the Sea).
Asperge as needed, ideally with a rosemary or sea lavender wand.
Squares have a strong folk magick tradition; a magickal square would be marked in a field with hoes, rakes or other agricultural implements. In times of persecution squares could be consecrated as a magickal space, but were much easier to disguise as magickal working than circles. Some were undoubtedly used to mark as sacred land where a former sacred Roman temple stood, just as a circle of stones or tree stumps beneath a church or cathedral might mark a former sacred Druidic grove.
In Scandinavia, the magickal square formed the outline for a grid of nine squares, three by three. These were made by the seior, the witch seers of the Norse world who channelled wisdom from the spirit world, specifically from Helheim where the Crone Goddess Hel cared for the deceased. The seior sat on raised thrones within the grids and travelled astrally to Helheim to talk to the ancestors and receive advice for the living. Only later did the Goddess Hel become demonized and in recent years there has been a revival of seior craft.
The water witches of the West Midlands also used a magickal square, or mill as they called it, for magick. They were people who came from the Netherlands to live and work on the Midland canals in the 1800s. They practiced an ancient form of folk magick that did not die out till the mid-1900s and there are still a few practitioners remaining. Rituals were practiced by these canal people on a square of land adjacent to the canal bank with a triple magickal square. Each square was joined by four lines and constructed from wood and was known as the Mil. Only women entered the sacred area under the leadership of a senior female water witch, through the chief male, known as the master, standing at the edge, summoned a spirit entity to assist in the ritual.
In modern Iceland, the Landvaetir or Land guardians often have particularly sacred square fields that cannot be built on, where offerings are left in order to bring protection to the homes and farms around.
Magickal squares and circles date back to prehistory. Megalithic stone circles were created from around 3,500 BCE and set out according to precise geometric and astronomical measurements. They were used for rituals of all kinds by the Neolithic tribes especially on the seasonal change points to invoke the ancestors for fertility of crops, animals and people and continued to provide the setting for magickal gatherings through the millennia.
In Sweden and Norway the sacred square grid has formed a magickal device for more than three thousand years. It was used originally on the great seasonal fire festivals, at midwinter, midsummer and harvest. Nine turf squares were etched in the earth and eight removed, leaving the middle one to form the center of the ritual fire.
The magick circle and square also have their place in modern magick. Both shapes occur naturally in forest clearings and can be drawn in sand, earth or snow, or formed out of twigs, branches, shells, flowers, or even crystals.
Both act as markers for the main directions, the circle as though on a clock face and the square halfway along each side, both giving equal segment for the elements.
pronounced “oath-awe-law” 
Witches Of The Craft® 
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