Day: January 11, 2012

The Importance of Salt (Earth Magick)

The Importance of Salt

(Earth Magick)

 

Salt is a primary tool of any Witch, regardless of the personal path. It is a representation of earth in a mineral form. Salt is used in traditional magical practices for blessing, grounding, protection and cleansing. It is frequently used as a base for other ingredients in powders, floor washes, bathing spells, and charm bags. Salt is seen as a feminine, nurturing mineral, whereas sulphur is thought to be the male, destructive mineral. Salt works in banishing spells for breaking up or splitting apart any negative influences, due to is purity. It is used in holy water and is a staple on most altars.

An Earth Wand

An Earth Wand

 

For an earth-oriented magickal wand, it is best to use a fallen branch from a maple, ash or rowan tree. Take the branch, strip the bark, and lightly sand the surface. Carve the alchemical symbol for earth into it. Add any other personal carvings you would like. Use a malachite stone for the tip. Anoint the wand with cypress oil and bless it under a full moon. Allow it to charge under the moon all night. When not in use, store it in a green silk wrapping cloth to which you have added a teaspoon of dirt.

Tree Magick (Earth Magick)

Tree Magick

 

Since the time of the ancient Druids, trees have been an important resource of the Earth. While they are valuable in monetary ways, they have a decidedly more spiritual history. Trees are believed to have wise spirits residing within them, and forests and groves are considered sacred place of worship.

While not every type of tree possesses the elemental attributes of earth, the practice of tree magick is a natural for the Earth Witch. She draws much of her strength from the spirits of the plant kingdom, of which trees are the largest members.

The most common methods for performing tree magick are simple to do, yet pack a powerful magickal punch. To incorporate the magick of trees into your practice, you can:

1. Soak up the energy of the tree by sitting beneath it.

2. Mark symbols on the leaves and ask the tree for help.

3. Tie items onto the branches.

4. Carry a bit of the wood with you.

5. Make use of a corresponding wood in spell work.

6. Bury things at the root of the tree.

There are many old spells that direct one to harm the tree by stripping bark from it, driving nails into it and breaking off branches. Please do not do any of these things, and always talk to your chosen tree before trying to use if for a magickal purpose. It will often gift you with a branch or bark–if you remember to ask first.

The magickal properties of trees are as follows:

Apple: Healing, love, honor, youth

Beech: Goals, strength, wisdom

Birch: Protection, purification

Cedar: Prosperity

Cypress: Protection, past-life regression

Elder: Healing, protection prosperity

Elm: Protection

Fig: Fertility, strength, energy, health

Hawthorn: Love, protection, cleansing

Hazel: Protection, reconciling

Hickory: Endurance, strength

Juniper: Protection

Maple: Love, divination

Oak: Healing, strength, prosperity

Olive: Peace, security, fidelity

Palm: Strength, abundance

Pecan: Prosperity

Pine: Purification, health, prosperity, spiritual growth

Rowan: Protection, strength

Walnut: Healing, protection

Willow: Healing, protection, wishes, enchantments, gracefulness

Earth Correspondences

Earth Correspondences

 
Earth is considered feminine and receptive.
 
Season: Spring
 
Magickal virtue: To Keep Silent
 
Direction: North
 
Time of day: Midnight
 
Sense: Touch

Fluid: Sweat
 
Power animals: Bears, bulls, lions, rabbits
 
Places of power: Caves, fields, bridges, meadows, gardens, moutains, crossroads, the home

Commonly associated colors: Brown, green rust tones
 
Linking items: Stones, rocks, crystals, dirt, seeds, wood, pentacles, coins

Earth Stones

Earth Stones

  

Brown jasper: Brown jasper works well as an aid for grounding and centering.

Coal: Coal has a well-known reputation as a money-attracting stone, but there is more to it than that. Coal can also absorb any negative influences, making way for a clearer understanding of situations. It removes psychic blocks

Emerald: Emerald has a long and distinguished magickal reputation. It is said to increase psychic powers, attract money and love, banish negativity, heal, improve memory and protect the wearer. Emerald has even been assigned the power to promote your business.

Green Agate: Folklore holds that washing this stone in water and then drinking the water will safeguard one against sterility. Green agate improves vision when worn. It is also reputed to reward the owner with a happy life.

Green calcite: Green calcite is known to attract prosperity.

Green Jasper: Green jasper is a healing stone, both to the mind and body. It is also said to increase empathy.

Green tourmaline: Can be worn to increase business success and to stimulate creativity.

Jet: Jet holds the attribute of becoming electrically charged when caressed between the palms. Due to the electrical qualities of this stone, it is helpful in transformations. Jet is absorbent and can remove negative influences. It is also said to protect, increase psychic powers, and heal.

Malachite: Malachite holds a unique attribute; it is said to break in half to warn the owner of impending danger. It increases magickal power, protects (works especially well with children), brings business success, and attracts love and peace. It is also rumored to protect against falling.

Moss agate: Moss agate is the gardener’s stone. It is reputed to work as a magickal safeguard to the garden. It is a healing stone and is said to be especially good for relieving a stiff neck. Moss agate can be worn to draw new friends. It works well in spells that involve happiness and riches.

Peridot: Peridot is a protective stone. It is said to be especially effective in protecting the wearer against the magick and jealousy of others. Peridot is also a healing stone. It attracts prosperity, calms rages, and reduces stress

Salt: Salt was so valuable in some parts of the world that it was used as money at one time. The religious use of salt goes back for centuries. It is cleansing and protective, increases prosperity, and work well to help one ground properly. Salt is also absorbent and therefore serves to remove any negative energies that surround a person.


Turquoise: Turquoise protects against danger. It is also said to increase courage and attract money, love, friendship and luck. It works well as a healing stone.

Earth Herbs

Earth Herbs

 

 

Alfalfa: Alfalfa is kept in the home to protect against hunger and poverty. It is frequently burned and the ashes scattered around the home for the same reasons. It works well in money spells as well.

Barley: Barley is a healing herb and is known specifically to relieve toothaches. It is absorbent and will remove negative influences. Barley also can be scattered for protection.

Beet: Beet juice is sometimes used as magickal ink and as a substitute for blood in magickal use. It is known to attract love.

Buckwheat: Buckwheat is most often used in spells concerning money and/or protection. IT can be scattered, carried or burned.

Corn: Corn works well in matters involving fertility, luck and protection. It is frequently used in Sabbat rituals and as an offering.

Cotton: Cotton is known for it qualities of luck, healing and protection but has other specific uses as well. Burning cotton is thought to cause rain, while scattering cotton seeds assures a productive catch when fishing and repels ghosts. Cotton cloth is excellent for magickal use, as it is completely natural.

Cypress: Cypress is both a death herb and an immortality herb. It is a symbol of the crossover between the planes of life. It is a healing herb and is thought to increase one’s life span.

Fern: The fern improves health and increases luck and prosperity. It is an herb of exorcism and can banish any negative influences. It is said that burning the fern’s seeds will cause rain to fall, whereas carrying them will rend one invisible

Honesty: Also known as the silver dollar plant, honesty is used in prosperity spells and rituals.

Horehound: Horehound is protective and healing and is used in exorcism rituals. Drinking it is said to improve one’s mental powers.

Horsetail: Horsetail is used in fertility rituals and spells.

Knotweed: Knotweed is used in bindings and health spells. It is absorbent and therefore protective.

Loosestrife: Loosestrife holds within it the attributes of peace and protection. Simply scatter it around. It can also be given to someone to cease an argument.

Mugwort: Mugwort aids in astral projection, increases strength and psychic powers, and is protective. It is very useful in any type of intuitive work. (Note: Contact with mugwort may cause dermatitis. Also do not ingest.)

Oats: Oats are used primarily in money and prosperity spells.

Patchouli: Patchouli is useful in spells involving fertility or money. It is good substitute for graveyard dust.

Potato: The potato is often used as a poppet for image magick. It is also protective when carried.

Primrose: The primrose is carried to attract love. When growing in the garden, it attracts fairies. It also is said to protect against madness.

Quince: Eating quinces is said to promote love. If eaten while pregnant, it is thought to increase the intelligence of the child. The quince can be carried for protection.

Rye: Rye bread served to a loved one will ensure that your love is returned.

Sagebrush: Sagebrush, also known as white sage, is a cleansing herb. It has long been used by Native Americans in smudging ceremonies to drive away any negative influences.

Tulip: The tulip serves in matters of love, prosperity and protection. It may be carried or placed on the altar.

Turnip: Turnips is the home protect against every type of negativity. They are also used as poppets in image magick.

Vervain: The magickal use of vervain has been well documented throughout the ages. It was considered the most prized of the herbs among ancient Druids. It contains the magickal qualities of love, protection, purification, peace, youth, chastity, money, healing and sleep.

Vetivert: Vetivert is most useful as a curse-breaking herb. It also attracts money and luck

Wheat: Wheat attracts money and fertility.

Wood sorrel: Wood sorrel is a healing herb when placed in a sick-room or carried.

Earth Charms

Earth Charms

 

 

Some naturally occurring objects are said to be empowered with extra luck or magickal powers. Those that fall in the realm of earth include four-leaf clovers, petrified wood and fairy stones.

 

Four-leaf clovers

It is rare to actually find a four-leaf clover. It is universally accepted as an harbinger of good luck to come your way. This belief stems back to the ancient Druids and is Celtic in origin.

 

Petrified Wood

If you are lucky enough to find a piece of petrified wood, then you are lucky indeed. It holds the magickal properties of secrets, wisdom, strength and transformation. Pay special attention to your dream after finding a piece of petrified wood, as the spirit of the tree may be trying to speak to you.

 

Fairy Stones

Fairy stones form a natural solar-cross shape. They are known as staurolite. These little stones charms contain vas t reservoirs of power and are wonderful when it comes to helping you maintain balance within your chosen elemental specialty.

Special Kitty of the Day for Jan. 11th

Maggie Rose, the Cat of the Day
Name: Maggie Rose
 Age: Ten years old
Gender: Female
 Kind: Chocolate Point Birman
Home: Holland, Pennsylvania, USA
Krom the time she arrived at age three months, weighing 2.9 pounds, Maggie Rose (aka Her Maggieness) has ruled the house. She has to share it with another Birman, two-year-old Sophia Grace (who is her half sister). But definitely, in her mind, everything in the house belongs to her! She didn’t become a lap cat until after the age of two, but now she follows me around and has to get on my lap whenever it is available. In the photo, her attitude is “This is mylap, even if there is already something on it!!!”. Of course, all of the many toys belong to her, although she does share them occasionally. And the computer printer holds a singular fascination – she will come running from wherever she is, out of a seemingly sound sleep, to attack the paper as it comes out of the printer.She is the consummate hostess cat, feeling it her duty to entertain all guests, even offering to use their lap for a sleeping place or to share their bed at night. Of course, in return, she expects them to play with her, as well as admire her. She tends to win over even those who wouldn’t have said they like cats! They must like Maggie!

Maggie Rose, the Cat of the Day

 

Precious Pet of the Day for Jan. 11th

Aurora, the Pet of the Day
Name: Aurora
 Age: Unknown
Gender: Female
 Kind: Long-tailed Tamandua
Home: Oakridge, Oregon, USA
This is Aurora Jane and she’s a Long-tailed Tamandua (anteater), the Latin name is Tamandua tetradactyla longicaudata.

Aurora is not your typical pet because she was rescued. Her full history is not known. Her age is unknown, but she may be four to five years old. One night I got a call from a friend who runs a rescue and she said there was a tamandua in desperate need of a home. She was taking in several other animals so was short on room and knew we would take good care of the tamandua, as I own one already, and had another until he passed away. At first I said only if it was a male but after discussing it with the family we agreed to take it no matter the gender.

And so we were off to pick up what turned out to be a very pregnant female. We had a peek at her there but she was not going to let us move her from her box to the crate so we took her home that way. When we got her home we had to move her from the box to her cage because the box was too big for the door. I’ve never seen a tamandua hyperventilate before. We thought she might die of fright. She was in surprisingly good health though aside from being thin.

Then I saw how big her belly was and declared her pregnant as a cow. She calmed down and soon was exploring my room, though not that same night. She was desperate for a friend but Pua, my first anteater, wanted nothing to do with her and would chase her off. Aurora would camp out as close as Pua would let her but she wasn’t winning her over. Aurora got so desperate for a friend she was grooming my geriatric cat. She would let me touch her but didn’t like it and would only take treats of cheese from me.

Less than two weeks after arrival Aurora had her baby. Then Pua got curious but Aurora would chase her off like the momma bear she is. Aurora has been a great momma. Eventually, when baby was bigger, Pua won Aurora over. It took lots of grooming by Pua. Pua did lots of grooming while Aurora pretended to ignore her. Now they are best friends. They play together and snuggle together but when it’s time for bed Pua still chooses to sleep alone in her washer while mother and Daughter sleep together in their fabric house.

Pua almost seems to think Aurora is her new mommy, as she loves to try and ride her like the babies ride their moms. Though, now that she is big, Aurora sometimes tries to ride her own baby too. One time Baby was riding Aurora and Pua hopped onto the big baby but the triple decker anteater did not go very far. Aurora is so gentle and sweet she puts up with a lot from both her babies, adopted and natural.

To Aurora, she is no pet. I am but her lowly servant and must bring her fresh cold food. She won’t eat unless her food is ice cold. She still growls at me if I pick her up but she is very sweet and has never tried to hurt me. She is just not shy of telling you when she doesn’t like something. She’s not the brightest anteater. She kept panicking that her baby was lost but baby was merely clinging to her rump, like they are supposed to do. With some help from me she was able to figure that out after a while.

Aurora may not be a true, snuggle and cuddle pet, but is happy here with her baby and best friend so I am happy with her. In fact, I love her a great deal. Despite her not returning my feelings Aurora has stolen a special place in my heart. She’s a sweet gentle soul.

Aurora, the Pet of the Day

Your Feng Shui Consultant in Nature

Your Feng Shui Consultant in Nature

  • Annie B. Bond

To some, the concept that everything is alive and has intelligence may be foreign, but I have learned that the wisdom of Nature itself can guide people through every aspect of aligning their homes and office spaces with the purpose of the property.

We can access our own feng shui consultant in Nature Herself. She can guide us very specifically as to how to best align with Her for harmony and balance. Read more:

Feng shui means “wind and water” — aligning with the forces of nature. Instead of trying to dominate and control Nature, we learn to come into contact with Her as a co-creative partner, and elicit and respect Her wisdom.

Feng shui has long held to the notion of what has been referred to as the “Spirit of Place.” That spirit of place is a consciousness and as such is accessible and able to lend its wisdom to help us to live in harmony with the earth at that specific location. If asked, Nature will give us instructions that are specific and tailored to each situation about how best to live in harmony with Her. Through a direct connection and communication with the spirit of Nature itself, we have access to the original “author” of the various feng shui texts. Sometimes we forget that feng shui, and the Indian counterpart, Vastu are an art of divination. If not from Nature, then from whom do they divine?

This co-creative potential with nature has been demonstrated by many such as MacHaelle Small Wright in the gardens of Perelandra who, working with the spirit of nature of the gardens, demonstrated miraculous events such as insects who left crops alone and stayed instead only in the areas designated for them. There is also the now famous example of the magical gardens of Findhorn, where 40 pound cabbages grown in the sandy soil of Scotland defied conventional wisdom; by contacting the intelligence and consciousness of Nature itself, the gardeners gained a direct wisdom of how to proceed. Similarly, we hear stories of Luther Burbank teaching cacti and roses to grow without thorns simply by communicating with the consciousness of the plants themselves.

In the larger context of the Re-emergence of the Feminine principle upon the planet, we are really talking about re-uniting with an aspect of ourselves as Creators, with the aspect of ourselves reflected in Nature. We have thought of Nature as separated from ourselves for so long that many will find it difficult to think of it as anything other than foreign. However, it is the Shakti to our divine Shiva nature. When working together, as co-creative partners, magic happens! We interact with nature spirits in everything we do all day long, known or unknown. The difference between the magician, the alchemist, the Shaman, is that they do it consciously. So, let the magic begin.

Where is the Energy in Your Home?

Where is the Energy in Your Home?

By Erica Sofrina, Author of the book Small Changes, Dynamic Results! Feng Shui for the Western World

The Bagua

According to the Ancient Chinese Feng Shui masters, there are certain sections of a person’s home that energetically correspond to the key areas of their lives. By balancing and enhancing a particular section, it correspondingly brings into balance this part of the person’s life. The teaching is called the nine energy centers of the Bagua. The Bagua is a may that you lay over the floor plan of your home which determines where the key energy centers reside.

In this article, I will show you how to find these energetic sections of your own home and give you some tips for enhancing them. In so doing, don’t be surprised as powerful changes begin to unfold in your life!

The term Bagua is the Chinese term for eight trigrams. A trigram is a three-lined reading made up of broken (yin) and unbroken (yang) lines.

The wisdom of the Bagua comes from the ancient Chinese book of wisdom and divination, the I Ching. Scholars have been studying the I Ching for centuries. It is one of the great books of wisdom that charts all of the mysterious cycles of life.

Each trigram of the Bagua relates to a key part of our life experience. The nine sections cover Health and Family, Wealth, Fame, Creativity, Helpful People, Career, Knowledge and Self-Cultivation and Center

The Bauga is one of the more esoteric parts of Feng Shui and requires a bit of a stretch for westerners who tend to come from a more logical, left-brained place. In my own experience of many years as a consultant, I have found there is an uncanny connection between what is going on in my clients lives, and what I find in the corresponding section of their home Bagua. In case after case, balancing this area of their physical surroundings brought about positive shifts in that area of their lives as well.

The Story of Sandra

Sandra was a lovely young woman who called me because she and her husband had been trying to get pregnant after tragically losing her first child who had been still born. It had been a year and they had tried everything to no avail.

She had been reading about Feng Shui and hoped that I might be able to find some blockage in her home that might be contributing to her inability to conceive.

I put the Bagu map onto the floor plan of her home ( how to do this later), which identified the nine key sections or gua’s of her home.

I talked to Sandra about how we can often glean important clues to what is going on in our lives by reading the signs in our physical surrounding. If there are blockages they will often show up in the area of the Bagua that corresponds to it.

In Sandra’s case I found a key blockage in the Dining room, which, interestingly enough, happened to be in her Health and Family area. There hanging from a string from wall to wall were about 50 condolences cards that still remained up from when she had lost her baby girl a year prior.

Her environment told me that her grief was still filling both her internal and external spaces, and, as a result there was no room for a new little person to come in.

As I gently pointed this out to her she burst out sobbing. My heart broke for this lovely young woman who had so bravely tried to cope with the tragic loss of her first child.

 

My Recommendations for Sandra

I recommended Sandra find a beautiful box with an angel on it to put the cards in. This would become her ‘helpful angel’ box. Her affirmation was that her angel who had passed would now prepare the way for the new little one.

I also recommended that she bring in affirmations throughout her home that represented a family of three, such as two larger objects that looked like they belonged together with a smaller one nestled between them.

I found one more Feng Shui splinter in the property behind the home. They had purchased the adjoining lot with the intention of fully landscaping it but had run out of money. There sat a barren lot, perfectly tilled, without any weeds, but none the less barren of all life. This is was the visual picture from the back of the home, energetically reinforcing something that was not serving her.

I knew they had no money to landscape but asked her to do two things: to sprinkle wild flower seeds throughout the field and to buy three trees – two larger ones and one smaller one- and plant them in the Health and Family section of the empty lot. Every time she looked out of her window she would now see a field of vibrant wild flowers and an affirmation of their little “tree” family of three.

Sandra’s Happy Results

A month later I received a letter from Sandra. She had done all of my recommendations and was elated to announce that the weekend they planted the trees they got pregnant. Eight months later they sent me a picture of their darling new little boy Nathan.

I am blessed to have been able to assist many clients in removing blockages from their physical environments and in so doing see their lives dramatically change.

 

The Bagua Map

Here are step-by-step instructions for how to put the Bagua Map onto the floor plan of your own space.

1. Draw a sketch of the floor plan of your space. This should be the birds-eye view as if you are looking down on it.

2. Draw a square or rectangle over the floor plan in the shape of the Bagua map. Your floor plan may not be a rectangle or square and may be missing some areas, draw the shape as if you are looking down on the house. This applies to apartments and condos or if you live in one room, draw the shape as if you are looking down on it.

3. Stand at the front door with the map perpendicular to the floor with the Entrance Quadrant touching your stomach. This will tell you the direction to overlay the Bagua map onto the floor plan of your home.

4. Now divide your home with the Bagua map overlaid on it in nine equal sections. This will identify for you where all of the key nine areas are of your home are. The wealth area will always be the far left quadrant of the home and the Love and Marriage the far right section.

Now walk around your home and look at each section of the Bagua observing exactly what is there. Do you find the junk closet in the wealth area? Perhaps the Love and Marriage area is missing all together from your floor plan? Do you have a dead or dying plant in the health area?

If you are missing areas of the Bagua, you can do a mini-bagua for each room that you can, taking the shape of the room and orienting the Bagua from the main entrance. Enhance the section of the room that pertains to the missing area of the Bagua in as many rooms as possible which will energetically bring this back into your space.

If you have a multi-level home, do this fore each level using the main floor to orient to Bagua map. You may find you have two or three of the same areas of the Bagua, what ever is above will be below. Enhance these areas accordingly. Please note, you do not change the direction of the Bagua for each floor. Once you determine the way the Bagua map is to go according to the front door, this same direction will apply to all floors.

If you use another door other than the actual front door of the home, you will still orient the Bagua map according to the true front door, even if you primarily use another entrance.

Put on your new Feng Shui eyes and see what kinds of ah’ha’s show up for you as you look at your home in this new way. Now work on clutter clearing and enhancing these areas with objects that represent what it is you do want to bring into your life.

Don’t be surprised at how quickly these things start to show up for you. Your environment is a powerful ally, which can both serve or hinder your progress. Learning about this powerful art and science will give you invaluable tools to set the course of your life in the direction of your highest aspirations!

Your comments are always welcome.

Click her for your own free Color Bagua Map from my book.(PDF Format)

For those who are interested in an in-depth course on the Bagua, or about how you too can become and Environmental Healer as a Certified Feng Shui Consultant, I invite you to visit my web site at www.ericasofrina.com

Enjoy!

 

Daily Feng Shui Tip for Jan. 11

These next tips are smoking hot and entirely apropos for ‘Cigarettes Are Hazardous To Your Health Day.’ Some holistic smoking remedies recommend drinking a concoction of a half-teaspoon of cream of tartar and eight ounces of orange juice before bed. The cream of tarter offers invaluable assistance in cleansing the nicotine out of your system. The orange juice replaces the vitamin C that cigarettes rob from your body. Be dedicated and persistent in your quitting efforts, as consistently taking this drink every night will soon see you having less and less cravings. Here are some other tried and true remedies to help you kick the habit. Switch to a brand of cigarettes you don’t like. Doing so will reduce the pleasure of smoking, making it easier to break the habit. Lastly, cut the urge to light up by pressing the acupressure point located in the center of your breastbone, directly between your nipples. Tap it gently seven to twelve times in a row for nine consecutive times. Each time you tap affirm that you are now a non-smoker and before long that prediction will come true!

By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com

The Meaning of the Number 2

The symbolic meaning of number Two is kindness, balance, tact, equalization, and duality. The number Two reflects a quiet power of judgment, and the need for planning. Two beckons us to choose. The spiritual meaning of number Two also deals with exchanges made with others, partnerships (both in harmony and rivalry), and communication. Two urges us out of our indecision, calls us to unite with like-minds, and like-ideals. Two asks us to exert our natural flow of judgment to do what is best for our souls.

 

The Spiritual Meaning of Numbers