Month: February 2011

Bolline

A cutting tool used in magickal work to inscribe candles, cut herbs, cut thread, or any other such use. Traditionally a two-edged blade, with a white handle, but any tool designated as the working tool may be used.

Bell

May be a tiny bell with a delicate chime, or a larger bell, used during ritual and to call upon the Fairie Folk (if delicate in tone); may be of brass, ceramic, crystal, silver, etc.

Athame

A ritual knife used to direct magickal energy; this is usually a black-handled, two-edged knife, meaning the blade is sharp on both sides, but it may be dull rather than sharp as this is not a cutting tool. This knife may be of wood, stone, horn, metal, or jet, and could be a regular knife if visualized as the ritual tool (as with Kitchen Witch tools being taken from those used in daily work around the house). An athame may be a letter opener, pocketknife, etc., as long as it is seen as a ritual tool. The handle color may also vary, but black is traditional.

Herbal Salts

Salt has always been a primary magickal cleanser that can be made more powerful with herbs from your garden. An added bonus? It’s edible! The salt dries the herbs and at the same time absorbs the essential oils. Use only the parts of the herbs that are edible–that way you can use the salt either in magick or on the dinner table!

Finely chop chosen herbs, layering 1/4-inch at the bottom of a Mason jar. Sprinkle with a thin layer of salt. Put in another layer of herbs, followed by the salt. Continue this layering technique until the jar is full. Cover the top layer of herbs completely with salt, and seal the jar. Let set for about one week. Herbs should be dry. Dump into a clean bowl, and stir thoroughly. You can put your herb salt in smaller, airtight containers or pour it back into the original Mason jar. For recipes, try the combination listed under herbal butters or herbal bouquets.

Herbal Sugars

In magick, sugar is often used as an attraction vehicle. Adding herbs that can be used in hot brewed or iced tea makes them invaluable for magick as well as food consumption, and they are so easy to make pack fresh herb leaves in granulated white sugar in airtight containers, such as Mason jars or small, plastic containers. Stir each day to prevent lumps and clumping. When the sugar remains dry and loose, remove herbs. Herbs you may consider using for sugars include a variety of mints, lemon and orange peel, or more petals. To make unusual magickal sugars try packaging herbal tea bags such as chamomile in the sugar, or mixtures such as a berry tea or apple tea. Dried apple slices can also be placed in the sugar. Using tea bags leaves only a trace of aroma but may serve your magickal purposes well.

Herbal Butters

Herb butters make wonderful gifts and will have your family amazed at the variety of new flavors they can experience on their breakfast breads, dinner rolls, vegetables, pasta, rice, and grilled meats. To make an herbal butter, wash herbs and pat dry. Chop finely. Add a few drops of lemon juice (for preservation) and mix into soft, room-temperature butter. Butter can be whipped until frothy, or you can form the butter by filling silicone novelty molds (used to make cupcakes or soaps) and refrigerate. Herb butters can also be frozen for a few months. Here are some great combination.

Good fortune:  parsley, marjoram, thyme, sage, basil, and a hint of garlic

Happy lunch:  chives and dill

Prosperous bean butter:  rosemary or winter savory or a combination of the two

Abundance:  garlic, thyme, and marjoram (for basting red meats)

Rooster:  fennel or tarragon with dill ( add a touch of lemon verbena for fish)

Herbal Bouquets for Cooking and Magick

Fresh or dried, herbal bouquets are great for both magick and cooking! In magick, hang the bouquets over the altar or place in a conjuring bag, or dip in spring water to asperge an area, candle or other item. For cooking, just drop in the boiling water or frying pan for a great taste and easy cleanup!

To make the bouquet, simply gather the herbs together and tie with clean string, leaving a long tail (so you can easily pull the bouquet out of the cooking pot and toss away).

Happy Home:  basil, marjoram, and chives (for red meat or chicken)

Harmony:  parsley, rosemary, thyme, and savory (for red meat or flavoring for beans)

Uncrossing:  marjoram, thyme, sage, parsley, and bay (for red meat, pork, or chicken)

Love:  dill, tarragon, parsley, basil and lovage (flavoring for beans or fish)

Good fortune:  savory, sage, celery tops, and chives (Flavoring for beans, chicken, or red meat)

Growth and success:  tarragon, chives, oregano, and parsley (for eggs and sauces)

Healing:  sage, basil, onion tops and bay (for red meat)

Banishing and cleansing:  parsley, lemon verbena, rosemary, and red pepper (for fish)

Ah, wouldn’t it be nice……

If we could wake up into a world with no problems at all, nothing weighing heavy on our hearts, just to find ourselves at perfect peace. Unfortunately, this does not include my world in that fantasy. I admit I have been having some pretty strange dreams but I have woke up with the same thing on my mind continuously for about a week. Here we go background time…….I know I have heard others talk about living in the middle of the bible-belt, I live there too.  Not a lot of people come from my religious background. My son picked out this young woman to fall in love with. He told his father they were getting married. Then he comes in the bedroom shuts the door and tells me he needs to talk to me. Ok, but why did he have my tarot box in his hand (he bought me a beautiful handcrafted wooden Tarot box on Christmas along with a new set of cards). He sat down on the bed and I turned around and sit on the edge and asked him what was up? He told me not to get mad but he had asked so and so to marry him. There really wasn’t much I could say besides, “Oh, really, how nice!” Then I asked him if he loved her, he hesitated and said that doesn’t matter, would I please do a Tarot reading for him.  Ok, then, I shuffled the cards, laid them out and read them. He wanted to know what they said, would the marriage last was his key concern. The cards said no. The cards did say he would have at least 3 or 4 children and then the marriage would crumble. I told him the truth and he went ahead with the marriage. His bride to be, didn’t even seem like a nice person to me. My daughter and her boyfriend had been out to eat with them and she would come home and tell me how the bride to be would talk to my son. Hey he picked her and he wants to marry her, if he is that damn dumb let him go ahead. In the meantime, these people knew my mother and apparently thought they knew me. Not quite, they didn’t really know any of us at all. My son told them right off the bat, “don’t mess with him, his mother was a witch.” I wanted to kill the little turd. Well after they married about a year to be exact, she came up pregnant. My first grandchild, I was overjoyed. We went to the hospital, got to see her out in the hall and oh she was perfect, beautiful. I was in love (something that surprise me because I thought I could only love my two children). That’s another story, so let’s stick to this one. Anyway I offered to help anyway I could. No that wasn’t necessary, they had it under control.  When my husband was off, we would go up there together (they live about 90 miles from us). I would hold her, give her, her bottle, rock her to sleep and just was in hog heaven. They would come out here and they just sit back and let me take care of her. Now let’s fast forward a little bit, I went to work at my cousin’s garage out in the woods were I would be close to the baby. You could look out the front door of the garage and see my son’s house. The idea of going to work for cuz was to be close to my granddaughter. Which never worked out, I wanted to go over there on my lunch hour and play with the baby. I wanted to go over there and bring the baby home with me and let her spend the night, Never happened! I got to where I noticed the minute my son left to go to work, his wife would leave. I surprised them one time and took a birthday card over there for his wife and her mother was there with the baby. Everytime I went to touch the baby she would twirl away were I couldn’t touch her. If she hadn’t been holding the baby, I would have floored her. These people are backwood bible-thumpers.  They know I am a witch and of course, all of us witches know what the bible says about us, “Thou shall not suffer a witch to live.” My husband thought I was crazy and knit-picking for a long time till my son and his wife came out here. I would ask the arrogant little ***** a question and she would look at my husband and answer the question. She didn’t even acknowledge I was in the room. I told my husband if he still thought I was crazy, he said no. Last year, they had the baby’s birthday party at a local pizza party. I have a beautiful cross with a pentagram in the middle that I wear on the outside of my clothes. I asked my husband if it would offend him if I wore it. He wanted to know if I had went crazy. He told me nothing I did would embarass him. So I wore it and caught quite a few evil glances. Well tomorrow is another birthday party, her mother and I don’t even speak. Her grandmother who was supposed to know my mother always forces me to speak because she speaks first and hollers were everyone in the building can hear her. I would just rather have my teeth pulled than go to the party. My son has been pissed off at me for several months and I don’t even know what I have done. I told my husband he better feel like going or I ain’t going either. It just amazes me how prejudice these people are. My family always had a Baptist preacher and his kids at our house. When he went to retire, he personally came to my house to ask  myself and my family to be at the church for that. We went and afterwards they had a social and everything was lovely. You couldn’t ask for a better bunch of people. Then I think back to my own family. His daddy worked 12 hour shifts just to put a roof over his head and food on the table. I made sure that my son was exposed to all the manly things possible. I took him hunting, fishing, and my cousin taught him all he needed to know about cars and how they worked. At one time, he wanted to be a mechanic and we both said no, go to college, get you an education. At the wedding, my husband got pissed at me because he said he had never seen the groom’s mother cry. I told him I was crying because I knew what was coming. The heartache of a closely bonded mother and son was coming to an end. The boy was my life. He wanted for nothing, neither of my kids did.  I played soccer mom, baseball mom, football mom and Dog the Bounty Hunter mom. No one can understand how hurt I am. I tell my husband and he doesn’t want to listen. He tells me just to get use to it. My daughter she doesn’t want to be in the middle of it, I told her I wasn’t that stupid to drag her into it. But you give birth to these wonderful little babies, they are a part of you. Then you watch them grow, you try to keep them from making the mistakes you made, you want the best for them, you see them going on to do great things and instead they kick you in the teeth. Goddess knows I have prayed to her enough about it. My deity gives me strength to hold my head up high, I can take anything they dish out and give back twice as good as gotten. I know one thing, it hurts and I mean hurts, when one of your children won’t even claim you are his mother. Goddess knows I have never done anything to this child and with the Goddesss’ help she will turn his heart around. Let him see there is no greater love than that of a mother’s. I don’t want to break up their marriage, I just want to be accepted. I have about made my mind up, if her side of the family could get away with it, they would take me out and burn me at the stake. It is a pretty penny, when everyone else accepts you, except your own family.

Charge of the Star Goddess

Traditional, based partly on the “Charge of the Goddess”
by Charles Leland, Gerald Gardner, and Doreen Valiente.
 

Here ye the words of the Star Goddess; she in the dust of whose feet are the hosts of heaven, and whose body encircles the universe.

I who am the beauty of the green earth, the white moon among the stars, and the mystery of the waters call unto thy soul; arise and come unto me.

I am the soul of nature who gives life to the universe. From me all things proceed, and unto me all things must return. Before my face, beloved of gods and of me, let thine innermost divine self be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite.

Let my worship be within the heart that rejoices, for behold! All acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. Therefore, let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you.

To thou who thinkest to seek me, know that thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not unless thou knowest the mystery. If that which thou seekest thou findest not within three, thou wilt never find it without.

For behold! I have been with thee from the beginning; and I am that which is attained at the end of desire.

Charge of the Dark God

Listen to the words of the Dark God, Who was of old called Dis, Hades, Osiris, Hunter, and Lord of Shadows.

I am the shadow that is cast by the sun in the brightest of days. I am the reminder of sudden mortality in the midst of joyous life. I am the black velvet night where dances the stars and the planets, time everlasting, unperturbed dancer of fiery endings and new beginnings. I am the Horned Hunter, bow drawn in my hand, gathering the living with my arrows and leading the Wild Hunt. By ny hand are ye lead from this life, that life may continue, for behold! My mystery lies in the movement of life energy from life unto life, for the reminder that all life feeds on life and that only through death is life found anew.

I am the strength that protects, comforts, gives solace and renewal. I am the one who stands by the Crone of Transformation, then enters her Tomb for birth through her womb. Follow my lead and find thy immortality. Together we shall laugh at the threshold of death passage as awareness awakens, and I shall embrace thee in thy last moments of life.

Remember me on dark moonless nights; look for my Rade in rolling storm clouds and the clash of bright lightning. I carry thee to the one who transforms. Dark Mother of all, releaser of strife. Sing to us thy songs in the tongues of ecstasy, for we understand the music of the soul. Blow me a kiss from the palm of thy hand when the moon is dark, and I shall smile upon three, but no kiss shall I return, for my kiss is the final one for all mortal flesh, nepenthe  to drink at the end of thy days.

Song of the Goddess

I am the Great Mother, adored by all creation which I have brought forth from my fertile womb. I am the Primal Mother, life-bringing force of the Divine Female, boundless and eternal.

My faces are many, for I am Transformation and I bring change to all. I am the Goddess of the Moon, Lady of all Magick, passing through phases of Maiden, Mother, and Crone. I am the Maiden whose name is carried upon the tides and the winds. I wear the Moon upon my brow as Crescent, Full, and Horned the stars rest beneath my feet, and the Serpent of Regeneration gazes up as me in adoration. I am Mysteries yet I reveal these to any who seek such of me. I open the New Path for the spiritual questor, comfort the weary traveler upon the old, and receive into my arms and soul in passage.

I am the Blessed Mother, the Bountiful Lady of the Harvest. I am clothed in the cool depths of the waters and draped in the gold of fields laden with grain. My tabard is the myriad forms of life in woodland, field, valley, river, sky and sea. My hair cascades across my shoulders as soft shadows stirring in the forests. By me are all seasons of the earth ruled that all things come to fruition through me, for lo, I am the Life-Giving Mother, fertile and joyous in my abundance.

I am the Crone, Grandmother, and Dead Mother, wise and tender. Through me pass all in the spiral dance of life, death and rebirth. I am the Wheel, the shadowed Moon, giving release and renewal to weary souls. The God ushers the Spirits unto me, for I am the Tomb through whom all must pass to be born of my Womb.

I am the Eternal Maiden, Mother of All, and Crone of Transformation. I stir the cauldron of Wisdom, Abundance, and Renewal, and I pour forth my Limitless Love upon all my peoples of the Earth.

The Thirteen Principles of Witchcraft

The Thirteen Principles of Witchcraft

 

The Council of American Witches (now defunct) adopted the 13 Principles of Witchcraft in April of 1974. Although many modern-day Witches are unfamiliar with the C.A.W., the Council’s principles are widely adhered to just the same. They are as follows:

 

1) We practice rites to attune ourselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the Moon and the seasonal Quarters and Cross-quarters.

 

2. We recognize that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility toward our environment. We seek to live in harmony with Nature, in ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and consciousness within an evolutionary concept.

 

3) We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than that apparent to the average person. Because it is far greater than ordinary it is sometimes called supernatural, but we see it as lying within that which is naturally potential to all.

 

4) We conceive of the Creative Power in the universe as manifesting through polarity – as masculine and feminine – and that this same Creative Power lies in all people, and functions through the interaction of the masculine and feminine. We value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive to the other. We value sex as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of life, and as one of the sources of energies used in magickal practice and religious worship.

 

5) We recognize both outer worlds and inner, or psychological, worlds sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconsciousness, Inner Planes, etc. – and we see in the interaction of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena and magickal exercises. We neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our fulfillment.

 

6) We do not recognize any authoritarian hierarchy, but do honor those who teach, respect those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom, and acknowledge those have courageously given of themselves in leadership.

 

7) We see religion, magick, and wisdom in living as being united in the way one views the world and lives within it – a world view and philosophy of life which we identify as Witchcraft – the Pagan Way.

 

8) Calling oneself a Witch does not make a Witch – but neither does heredity itself, nor the collecting of titles, degrees, and initiations. A Witch seeks to control the forces within her/himself that make life possible in order to live wisely and well without harm to others and in harmony with Nature.

 

9) We believe in the affirmation and fulfillment of life in a continuation of evolution and development of consciousness giving meaning to the Universe we know and our personal role within it.

 

10) Our only animosity towards Christianity, or towards any other religion or philosophy of life, is to the extent that it’s institutions have claimed to be ‘the only way’, and have sought to deny freedom to others and to suppress other ways of religious practice and belief.

 

11) As American Witches, we are not threatened by debates on the history of the Craft, the origins of various terms, the legitimacy of various aspects of different traditions. We are concerned with our present and our future.

 

12) We do not accept the concept of absolute evil, nor do we worship any entity known as Satan, or the Devil, as defined by the Christian tradition. We do not seek power through the sufferings of others, nor accept that personal benefit can be derived only by denial to another.

 

13) We believe that we should seek within Nature that which is contributory to our health and well-being.

 

[The above principles are now in the public domain.]

The Goddess Companion

The Goddess Companion
 
I send up a prayer to my goddess Hathor.

I beg her to give me the one I desire.
When we are lovers, we will thank her.
Joyfully, we will thank her.
And my beloved will cry out to me:
Lover, lover, lover, in the whole vast world,
I am the one destined for you by the Goddess.
~Egyptian Prayer to Hathor
 
The Goddess intends you to be loved. You are splendid and unique. You are creation. In all of human history, no person exactly like you has ever lived and breathed. Every cell of your body, every pattern in your thoughtful mind, is a new part of this universe. How can you ever doubt that you deserve much, much love?
 
And how could you ever doubt that you were meant to give love? Each person you meet is, like you, a worthy singularity. The Goddess intends you to love. Meet each with love, and accept nothing less in return. Loving yourself as a irreplaceable part of the universe, you can then meet others with the same spirit. And then, from this myriad of shining possibilities, a lover will emerge to charm and delight you.
 
Love is a gift. It is also your birthright. In the name of the goddess, reach out and claim it.

.
By Patricia Monaghan

Daily Aromatherapy Tip

Daily Aromatherapy Tip 

 

Jasmine, a very sensual oil, is said to be the best aphrodisiac that aromatherapy can offer. It seems to increase

the attractiveness of the person wearing it. Blends well with Rose, Neroli, Sandalwood, Orange and Ylang Ylang

Brought to you by AromaThyme.com

Spell – A- Day – Time to Crow Spell

 

Spell – A- Day – Time to Crow Spell
Incense of the day: Coriander
 
Each year of the Chinese calendar is represented by an animal. This is the year of the rooster, the cocky king of the barnyard who exudes confidence. He doesn’t just walk, he struts, head held high and challenging anyone who seeks to usurp his authority. At this transition time, wrap yourself in a spell of confidence that no one will be able to ignore. Appearing confident impresses your boss, and makes your family feel secure in your presence. Strangers will also believe you’re a potent force they do not wish to battle. If you look like you know what you’re doing and where you’re going, would-be attackers will leave you alone to seek an easier mark. Connect with this cocky confidence in a place where you will not be seen or heard for at least thirty minutes. Add a Chinese atmosphere to your working area with various decorations. You will also need four sturdy candles. If using candles is not practical, substitute pen lights, flashlights, light sticks, or anything else nonflammable. Place one at each directional point of your working area. Stand tall and visualize a rooster—how he moves, how he sounds, how he knows he’s at the top of the pecking order. When you feel your inner rooster, begin to move like him. Strut, flap, cock your head, and crow! The rooster’s caw is a cry of leadership and success. Walk the circle as a rooster might if he was if presenting himself to the elements. Light the candles as walk around. Keep in mind south is transformation and courage; west is intuition and the home of the deities; north is the stable earth and all her creatures, and east is home of the rising Sun to which the rooster crows to announce start of each day.
 
By: Edain McCoy

, Llewellyn and GrannyMoon’s Morning Feast

Seasons of the Witch

Seasons of the Witch 

  

Feast of St. Paul’s Shipwreck (Malta)
Gasparilla Day
National Cream Cheese Brownie Day
Plimsoll Day
Pulse Day
School Day
St. Scholastica’s Day (patron of children in convulsions, bringing rain, nuns)
Umbrella Day
World Marriage Day
 
Singapore: Festival of Kuan Yin – the Chingay Procession, marks the beginning of the Singapore New Year
and the promise of the coming of Spring.

Greece: Feast of Apollo – marks the increasing light of the new year after the darkness of Midwinter.

Asia: Pulse Day – The last of the ten special days named for animals and plants which begin the Chinese New Year is Pulse Day.

Various Sources, see Festivals and Holidays:

Fellow Ship of the Earth, Moon and Sky
http://secondsightresearch.tripod.com/bodyandsoul/id2.html
.

From GrannyMoon’s Morning Feast Archives

Remember the ancient ways and keep them sacred!

Lunar Lore

Lunar Lore

~~~

“Alilat” – the name by which the Arabs adore nature,
which they represent by a crescent moon.
 – Brewer, “Dictionary of Phrase & Fable”
…
The south-wind strengthens to a gale,
Across the moon the clouds fly fast,
The house is smitten as with a flail,
The chimney shudders to the blast.
~ Robert Bridges, “Low Barometer.”
…
When Luna first her scattered fear recalls,
If with blunt horns she holds the dusky air,
Seamen and swains predict abundant showers.
 – Virgil, “Georgics”

~~~

Daily Affirmation for 2/10

This is truly an affirmation for the Witch. You can use it everyday if you like.

DAILY AFFIRMATION

I am a Witch!

I am at One with the Earth, The Universe,

and the Divine!

Let this day be free from Strife and Fear;

Let only joy and Love come near;

With Blessings given and received

I walk in Peace in Word and Deed.