Month: December 2013

The Magick Of Herbs In the Kitchen

The Magick Of Herbs In the Kitchen

Just stop and think about the Magickal properties of cooking…The Goddess and God energy that is in your kitchen…Well..if you haven’t given it a thought let me see if I can change your perspective about the chore of cooking! Let us start in your kitchen cabinets…What can be found upon these shelves? Herbs of course!

Every herb has magickal, medicinal, and cooking uses…For example:

#1) Salt…Earth…Pentacle…North…Grounding…

#2) Pepper…South…The Wand…Fire…Inspiration…

#3) Garlic…Exorcism…Clearing a space…Protection…

#4) Cumin…Love…Loyality…

#5) Sage (my favorite) East…Wisdom…Smudge with this herb to cleanse the auric field…Healing herb for the stomach…Colon…Sinuses and nasal passages…

Olive oil……West…Used as a cooking oil…(although any ail used to excess is bad for you) …Can be used to make massage oils or annointing oils as a base (just add any of your favorite herbs!)…It also breaks down cholesterol rather than producing it….So as you can see Magick is all around us…Even in our kitchens!….

Tools Necessary for Herbalism

Tools Necessary for Herbalism

The first step in herbalism is to gather the tools you will need, and that is the main point of this first message. I have found the following useful and in many cases vital to learn and practice the use of herbs.

1) A Good mortar and Pestile, one of stone or metal is prefered. If wood is used you will need two, one for inedibles and one for edibles – make sure they do not look identical, as you do not want to accidentally poison anyone!!!

2) Containers. Although you can buy dried herbs over the counter in many places these days, do not store them in the plastic bags they come in, as these are usually
neither reuseable nor perfectly airtight. Rubbermaid style plastic containers are good, but expensive. I have used glass coffee and spice jars/bottles to good effect, as well as some medicine bottles. The more you recycle the better ecologically, just make sure they
have been thoroughly washed and dried before placing anything inside them.

3) Labels. This is vital! None of us in this day and age can possibly recognize each herb in its various forms simply by sight. Always label your containers as you fill them, and if possible date them when they were filled so you don’t keep spoiled stock on the shelf.

4) Tea Ball. A good metal teaball of the single cup size can be very useful in the longrun when your are experimenting, and when you are making single person doses of teas and tonics.

5) CheeseCloth : Useful for straining a partially liquid mixture and occasionnally for the making of sachets.

6) A Good sized teakettle. Preferably one that will hold at least a quart of water.
7) A Good teapot for simmering mixtures. I use one from a chinese import store that has done me well

.
8) A good cutting board and a SHARP cutting knife for just herbal work.

9) A notebook of some sort to record the information in as you go, both successes and failures. Always record anything new you try that may or may not work, and also and research information you get from various sources (like this echo!)

10) An eyedropper.

11) White linen-style bandages. Some ace bandages are also useful in the long run.

12) A metal brazier of some sort, or a metal container that can withstand heavy useage and heat from within or without, useful for several things including the making of your own incenses.

13) Reference sources. Shortly you should see a list of books that I have read from in the past that I consider useful, build from this as a starting point to others and to your teachers help.

Thats it to start, you’ll pick the rest up as you go. Take your time studying, take lots of notes, compare your sources and your own personal results on each herb and on herbal mixtures of any kind.

5000 Years Of Herbal History

5000 Years Of Herbal History

Over the centuries the healing properties of plants and herbs has not changed. What was a healing plant or herb five thousand years ago is still a healing plant or herb. Because great confidence was placed in them, Witches and physicians of the ancient world were expected to know their herbs. Plants gave healing powers to those who studied them, worked with them, and respected them. In many lands and in many times, healers spent a good part of their lives in the field and forest gathering green medicines. They remembered and scribed what they learned passing it on.

Today we have the opportunity to benefit from the accumulated herbal wisdom of the ages. This advantage allows us to peer back through history, harvesting for our own benefit only those herbs that have stood the test of time. But even the herbal uses that didn’t pan out are fascinating. While the story of healing herbs has it’s comic episodes, it is also a dramatic story of human sacrifice, complete with medical hero’s, men and women whose work deserves to be recognized. Much of this credit in my opinion should go the the Witches of the past because they are the ones who essentially began the work of learning and understanding herbs and their benefits. However when the male physician arrived on the scene, they essentially benefited from the inquisitions and burnings claiming the right to and credit for this knowledge. The topic of how modern drug companies have distorted this knowledge for profit is an area I probably shouldn’t delve into, but what the heck, the truth generally only hurts if it ought to…

Many of synthetic medicines on the market today owe their existence to natural occurring herbs, plants and trees. The original pain killer marketed just a little over 100 years ago is a derivative of White Willow Bark, what is it’s name? Asprin. It is pretty much a foregone conclusion, that the only reason the major drug manufactures synthesize these drugs is because you cannot patent a naturally occurring substance, obviously there isn’t as much profit in something that everyone has access to producing. Ultimately the drug manufacturers create a substance that copies the healing properties of these herbs, plants and trees, then market it to the world while down playing the benefits of the natural herb. Currently the drug industry is the single most profitable business in the United States spending over $5 BILLION per year on advertising and marketing alone! Much of this goes into seducing and providing perks for the doctors who prescribe their magic potions, many of which are completely useless at effectively treating the problem or cause serious side effects. But for the drug manufacturers there is an up side to the negative side effects because that provides them with the opportunity to create new drugs to counteract the side effects their product produced to begin with…

While I do not want to get on a soap box and throw rocks at modern medicine and the drug industry since they have provided benefits and in many cases cured disease. The point is though, there are alternatives which are quite often a better choice if we would only take the time to learn, and understand natures own cures, then take responsibility for our own health.

A final word before you continue into the following pages. Many of the herbs and plants listed here offer a proven track record of alleviating symptoms and helping with different conditions, but there are risks involved in using many of them without adequate knowledge. Without a sound understanding of their properties and potential effects, one would be foolish to blindly use them. Therefore it is recommended that you carefully research those of interest, seek the guidance of a health care professional who is competent in herbal knowledge and use common sense as you proceed. It is also vitally important to remember that the use of herbals should not be used in lieu of sound medical council and advice, instead they should be used in combination with the care of your personal physician. It is not the intent of these writings to suggest otherwise…

Gentle Breezes!

Herne

wicca.com

Daily Feng Shui for December 5 – ‘Bathtub Party Day’

‘Bathtub Party Day’ can quell your nerves while cleaning you up at the same time. Consider it an anxiety-reducing party in your bathtub! Place one tablespoon each of rose petal and wheat grain and ten chopped dried plums in a net. Suspend the net in the bathwater and then add ten drops of rose essential oil. Lie down in the water, close your eyes and focus your concentration on the bottom of your collarbone. Massage your temples while doing this and within twenty minutes you’ll feel like taking this party out of the tub and out on the town.

By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com

Your Charm for December 5th is The Bulla

Your Charm for Today

The Bulla

Today’s Meaning:        

You are distracted from this aspect by other areas of your life you feel are more pressing. This aspect is suffering from this lack of attention. You must ask yourself how much more you can let it suffer before you give it due attention.

General Description:

From remote times the terrors of the arts of fascination have been dreaded, and by wearing this charm, which contained a written invocation to their gods, it was believed that full protection was obtained. The Bulla was popular in Rome from a very early period. It was worn on a necklace, or upon the girdle. The Gorgons head, with hair of writhing snakes, was believed to terrify and drive away the power of the bewitcher. Even today in many countries, the magic power of the evil eye is still believed in.

Your Animal Spirit for December 5th is the Badger

Your Animal Spirit for Today
December 5, 2013

Badger

Badger is a ferocious opponent, unwilling to back down over any issue. Unfortunately, this unwavering stance leads some Badgers to their demise. If Badger has dug into your reading, he is asking whether you are fighting the right fight. Is this issue the hill you’re willing to die on, or are you fighting for no other reason than pure stubbornness?  Think about it.

Your Ancient Symbol Card for December 5th is Balance

Your Ancient Symbol Card for Today

Balance

Balance denotes the benefits of keeping the use of your energies justifiably proportioned between your pursuits. The symbol Yin and Yang is used to represent the balance. Yin and Yang is possibly the most elegant and sometimes elusive definition of  Balance there is. While Balance is rarely if ever perfect, being far out of Balance means that while one part of you may be thriving tremendously, another part of your life may be wilting.

As a daily card, Balance indicates a need to find and maintain a level physical and spiritual state. It suggest you may be concentrating your energy on one or a few things so much that you are neglecting other important aspects of your life. While this is often necessary to make immediate gains it can lead to missing out on the diverse richness of life in the long term.

Today’s Tarot Card for December 5th is Judgment

Judgment

Thursday, Dec 5th, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What has traditionally been known as the Judgment card, sometimes entitled Resurrection, represents the great reunion that the ancients believed would happen once in every age. This was the time when souls are harvested and taken Home to their place of origin, outside the solar system. Then the World is seeded with a batch of new souls and the process starts over.

From a modern point of view, this great reunion — which includes every personality that you have ever been and every soul that you have done deep work with — reunites to consciously complete the process. In a way, we symbolically celebrate this returning to center every year on our birthday.

In personal terms, the Judgment cards points to freedom from inner conflicts, and so clear a channel, that the buried talents and gifts of past incarnations can come through an individual in this lifetime. This card counsels you to trust the process of opening yourself, because what emerges is of consistently high quality. You can effortlessly manifest as a multi-dimensional being, and assist in evoking that response from others.

Your Daily Horoscopes for Thursday, December 5th

We are more attracted to ideas and philosophies than to the practical applications of language now. This is mental Mercury’s first full day in adventurous Sagittarius on a visit that lasts until December 24, activating our tendency to think expansively. Our inclination toward learning increases, but we must be careful that we don’t become too self-righteous in our beliefs. Meanwhile, the controlling Capricorn Moon helps us focus on what’s real.

Aries Horoscope

(Mar 21 – Apr 19)

Even if your feet are planted firmly on the ground today, your mind is beginning to drift out toward the distant edges of the universe. You have relentlessly paid attention to your thoughts in order to get to the source of your current feelings. Now it’s time to simplify your thinking and free yourself from previous emotional burdens. Fortunately, making the shift might actually be easier than it sounds once you truly let go.

Taurus Horoscope

(Apr 20 – May 20)

Your obstinate behavior could overpower your good intentions now that the evocative Moon is in traditional Capricorn. Practicing mental flexibility is a smart strategy today, but it may be easier said than done. Nevertheless, keep reminding yourself that a stagnant mind can dam up the waters of creativity. Thankfully, an open mind allows your fertile imagination to flow with lush motivational ideas.

Gemini Horoscope

(May 21 – Jun 20)

You are taking a more philosophical approach to relationships now that your key planet Mercury is visiting your 7th House of Partners. But you won’t likely be satisfied with emotionally detached discussions unless they have a direct impact on your life. You want to see real progress, so move your conversations out of the theoretical realm and into the present moment. Choosing your words carefully improves the chances of deepening a connection between you and someone special.

Cancer Horoscope

(Jun 21 – Jul 22)

Colleagues at work may be a source of tension now as they pressure you to modify your plans and take a different course of action than you initially intended. You probably can rationalize your strategy to yourself, but it’s more challenging to convince others that they should cooperate with you. It might be better to bite the bullet and do what is expected today, even if only to buy some temporary peace and quiet. Return to your original ideas later when there’s less resistance all around.

Leo Horoscope

(Jul 23 – Aug 22)

You’re on the edge of something amazing and you can feel it right to the bottom of your feet — even if you don’t yet know what it is. You may be a bit frightened at the magnitude of the changes ahead, but holding on to your past never seems to make you happy for long. Keep wiggling your toes in anticipation of what’s next because your agility will suddenly become very handy when it’s time to make your move. But don’t rush the start; you will know when to act if you trust your instincts.

Virgo Horoscope

(Aug 23 – Sep 22)

You’re turning into quite the philosopher these days, which may be somewhat out of character for you. Normally, you like to focus on the most practical applications of your analytical thinking, but now you don’t have to be so concerned with the mechanics of the real world. This strategy isn’t an excuse for sloppy thinking. Stay sharp and let your thoughts roam free without taking any action yet.

Libra Horoscope

(Sep 23 – Oct 22)

Your emotions are intensifying and it’s crucial to stick with the inner process, even if it makes you feel vulnerable with those closest to you. Sometimes you take the easy way out of an emotional dilemma, for you often see both sides of an issue. However, your basic values could be at stake now, so don’t be afraid to speak with integrity. You can learn something special about yourself if you stand up for what’s important.

Scorpio Horoscope

(Oct 23 – Nov 21)

Even if you experienced an emotional crisis with a friend or lover recently, it’s time to move past the drama today and consider what’s next. You still might be attached to your unresolved feelings, but these just may have to heal on their own. There’s really no reason to involve others in this process. Instead, visualize a path toward a happier and healthier future. What you create in your imagination now can become reality later on.

Sagittarius Horoscope

(Nov 22 – Dec 21)

You may be experiencing a refreshing wave of joyful energy. Your mind carries you to great heights now as you explore new areas of interest when cerebral Mercury is visiting your sign until December 24. Although it could feel like a breath of fresh air, be careful that your enthusiasm doesn’t distract you from the real work in front of you. Adventures can be fun, but don’t use them to escape your commitments.

Capricorn Horoscope

(Dec 22 – Jan 19)

Your heart is softening, yet it’s still challenging to risk telling others how you feel today. Paradoxically, your caution can actually make life more difficult because someone may notice that you’re keeping something secret. Even with the best of intentions, hidden agendas have more impact than you realize. If you have something to say, get it out into the open where it won’t do as much harm. Speak your mind and then focus on reclaiming the joy of the present moment.

Aquarius Horoscope

(Jan 20 – Feb 18)

Your social life is on the upswing now because you are more drawn to the energy of group dynamics with interactive Mercury visiting your 11th House of Friends. Be bold and pencil in activities for the rest of the month even if you don’t have any concrete plans yet. There’s no need to wait until the holidays are here to put things on your calendar. But don’t just talk about it; get busy and start making the magic happen.

Pisces Horoscope

(Feb 19 – Mar 20)

A shift in your workplace is underway and you may have to collaborate with your coworkers more than ever before. You might even have to step up to the plate to assume a managerial role. In any case, the hierarchy of your office or community is becoming more apparent. Find your place within the social structures and play out your part the best you can. Keep in mind that a positive attitude will take you even further on your path to success.

Thinking Differently

Thinking Differently

The New Moon and Uranus team up to get you out of the box…

Jeff Jawer    Jeff Jawer on the topics of uranus, sagittarius, new moon, blogs, astrology

 

The fires of imagination are burning this week, kicked off by Monday’s incendiary New Moon in Sagittarius. This visionary sign is more interested in flying past the limits of ordinary life than hunkering down and struggling with its mundane details. Adventurous instincts stir escapist urges as we see ourselves flying away to beaches in Tahiti, ski slopes in Switzerland and ashrams in Tibet. Travel is a natural desire of the Sagittarian spirit, which can sometimes seem like a childish flight from reality. Yet the message of this week’s New Moon is especially apt at a time when most of the leaders and institutions we depend upon lack answers to our biggest questions

The current framework of ideas, our collective menu of intellectual choices, is severely limited by conventional thinking. Neither the capitalist’s eternally expanding economy or the socialist’s communal society are dreams that are likely to come true any time soon. Financial and environmental disasters come and go and could, sadly, occur more frequently in these changing times. The search for solutions runs into walls of philosophical differences where winning today’s political and profit games blinds us with short-sightedness. As personal and institutional pressures to survive increase the capacity to seek long-term solutions diminishes, especially when the strongest convictions are held by religions that promise a better life beyond planet Earth rather than a fulfilling one on it.

Back to solid ground

Unless you’re ready for the Rapture or interested in an extra-terrestrial intervention, we need to put our feet and our aspirations back on terra firma and look for ways to continue the human adventure on this beautiful blue planet. Fortunately, this Sagittarius New Moon is charged up with a creative trine from innovative Uranus that can break open our fields of inquiry and provide radically different perspectives on our current situation.

“You can’t solve a problem on the same level you created it” is a statement credited to Albert Einstein. The former patent examiner who revolutionized physics recognized the value of looking outside the box, which is exactly how Uranus works. This transpersonal planet’s trine with the Sagittarius Sun-Moon conjunction stretches minds and sparks intuitive insights that might seem impractical at first. Uranus breaks the walls of consciousness to present perspectives that shake our present view of reality. What we see often seems weird and worthless, yet could be exactly what we need.

In the end, it’s all about the journey

A good way to work with this Uranus influenced New Moon is to recognize when you’re imprisoned by your thoughts. The choices that we think we have are generally interpreted as the only ones possible, yet this Sagittarius lunation can burn off old beliefs and free us to look and live happily outside the box. Consider your usual assumptions as the starting points of a journey of discovery rather than the end of the road. Imagine that you have a mental laboratory where you get to experiment with “weird” ideas, the ones that don’t make sense right now but might prove meaningful later. Give yourself the freedom to speculate and make mistakes because Uranus’ gifts don’t come in neat packages. They arrive as messy, strange and sometimes uncomfortable notions that are habitually rejected out of hand. This holiday season give yourself the gift of weirdness, because it’s when you escape conventional thinking that you’re most likely to come up with the most brilliant and valuable answers.

Daily Cosmic Calendar for December 5th

If there is a choice between placing an emphasis on business or pleasure today, keep your main focus on the former. Capricorn Moon is a good time of the month to keep rising to the top of your professional hierarchy.  Primary partnerships and emotionally-sensitive relationships are more dicey during this 24-hour time-span as Juno makes an off-kilter, 150-degree link with giant Jupiter (9:13AM), Venus forms an abrasive, 45-degree tie with Chiron (9:21AM) while Vesta eventually opposes Uranus (11:27PM). You can still be a creative whirlwind — especially in the fine and graphic arts — since the Moon makes its monthly rendezvous with Venus (1:47PM). Add entries to your social calendar, and know that you can command the respect of your colleagues and competitors.  An evening challenge concerns the Moon forming a trine to Mars in earth signs (9:33PM) that somehow misses a beat in the sense that it starts a void lunar uncertainty zone that lasts until 10:54PM. It’s at this latter time that the Moon enters the universal air sign of Aquarius. Immerse yourself in a literary classic overnight or tune into the historical roots of esoteric philosophy, metaphysics, astrology and kindred subjects. [Note to readers: All times are calculated for Pacific Standard Time. Be sure to adjust all times according to your own local time so the alignments noted above will be exact for your location.]

Calendar of the Moon for December 5th

Calendar of the Moon

5 Ruis/Poseideion

Plerosia: Honoring Zeus

Color: Purple
Element: Air
Altar: Upon a purple cloth set two torches, a sword, a chalice of Greek wine, a mash of barley, and the figure of an eagle.
Offerings: Barley. Wine. Gold coins.
Daily Meal: Poultry. Barley. Flatbread.

Plerosia Invocation

Most glorious of the Immortals,
Zeus that governest all things with law.
Hail! For lawful it is that all mortals should address Thee.
For we are Thy offspring, taking the image only of Thy voice,
As many mortal things as live and move upon the earth.
Therefore we shall sing Thy might forever.
Such a minister hast Thou in Thine invincible hands;
The two-edged blazing, imperishable thunderbolt.
For under its stroke all Nature shuddereth,
And by it thou guidest aright the Universal Reason,
That roams through all things,
Mingling itself with the greater and the lesser lights.
Thou knowest even to find a place for the small things,
And to order that which is disorderly,
And things forgotten of men are dear to Thee.
O Zeus, Dweller in the darkness of cloud,
Lord of thunder, save men from their unhappy folly,
So that being honored, they may pay Thee honor,
Singing Thy works continually.
Since there can be no greater glory for men of Gods than this,
Duly to praise forever the Universal Law.
Call: O Great Zeus, Lord of Olympos, we call you!
Response: O Great Zeus, Lord of Olympos, hear us!
Call: We hear your thunderbolt, and we are in awe!
Response: We hear your call, and we rise to our feet!
Call: Oi Theoi, genoisthe apotropoi kakon!
May the Gods turn away all evils!
Response: Oi Theoi, genoisthe apotropoi kakon!
May the Gods turn away all evils!

Chant: Lightning strikes, Thunder falls, Open me to the wind and the Fire…

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Sun for December 5th

Calendar of the Sun

5 Yulmonath

Festival of Faunus

Color: Green
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon cloth of green set a bowl of soil, gathered earlier in the year, and many small cups of soil, the figure of a goat, a plate of cookies shaped like goats, and a cup of wine. In the large bowl set many sticks of incense, with a single stick in each cup.
Offerings: Give seeds to people with gardens.
Daily Meal: Vegetarian

Invocation to Faunus

Hail Blessed Faunus, Benefactor of the Fields!
You whose name means Favored One,
Favor us, as we stand here today!
Favor our fields, that they may yield.
Favor our gardens, that they may grow.
Favor our flocks, that they may increase.
Favor our faith, that it may grow as well.
Give us increase and abundance of all good things,
Enough to help us through times of dearth.
Give us luck, that we may find our way
Past all the obstacles that cannot be
Surmounted by skill alone.
Smile on us, Faunus, Gladsome One,
Goat-horned and goat-hooved
Like the animals you watch over,
Let those in our care not go hungry
Nor suffer the pangs of thirst.
Show us the future, Oracular One,
And we pray that it may be a future
We can all look forward to.
Hail, Faunus, Father of Bona Dea,
Son and wife of Marica the nymph,
Called Lupercus, He who wards off the Wolf,
Ward the evil from our lives
And watch over us as your flock.

(The wine is poured out as a libation. One takes the great bowl of earth and purifies the altar room with its smoke. All others take a cup and walk alone to some place in the House or the lands in order to purify that place with the smoke.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Current Moon Phase for December 5th is Waxing Crescent

Crescent Moon

(waxing/10% of illumination)

During this Moon phase, there is a slight slowing down of enthusiasm due to an emerging desire to produce tangible results from the energy being expended. The issue of values enters into the equation and an urge to tie together the data available so that you can utilize current opportunities. There is still plenty of forward motion, and this is a great time to continue initiating and progressing forward. This Moon phase favors gaining more information and the input of others to further your plans.

The Witches Magick for December 5th – A Winter Night’s Blessing

A Winter Night’s Blessing

While preparing your bed, read this blessing aloud as part of your nightly prayers.

“When the nights are dark and stormy,
and things become hard to see,
Dear God and Goddess
Help to keep the light within me glowing,
So that no matter which way the wind’s blowing.
I am on the path I should be:
I am one of the blessed,
Who seek complete union with the divine,
I am one of the shining ones,
Whose light continues to brighten the night,
In the name of the Lord and Lady, Blessed Be!
 

As you shift to sleep, imagine that you are a candle the Goddess has lit. Imagine your light burning bright and shining like a star in the night sky. Every night, your light grows brighter and brighter and your life becomes filled with the joy of divine love.

Let’s Talk Witch – Self-dedication Explained

Let’s Talk Witch – Self-dedication Explained

Initiation is a process of “death and rebirth” – the old self dies, and the new and magickal self is born. A rite of self-dedication marks a serious commitment and dedication to the path, and should not be taken lightly.

Having followed your path this far, you will have noticed subtle (or not so subtle) changes in yourself, and you may wish to mark this, and affirm your commitment to the path with a self-dedication ritual. Initiation is a process which happens over time, and the rite itself will benefit from being preceded by a daily practice, building up in intensity as you approach the day of the rite, with the dedication rite being the culmination of this ritual practice.

As the rite marks a rebirth, into your witch self or magickal self, you may wish to obtain a new magickal item or items for it. This could be a piece of ritual jewellery, such as a pentagram pendant, or amber and jet necklace (the traditional witches necklace), or a cord you wear around your waist. Some people choose to mark their dedications by having a tattoo in a magickal design, personal to themselves.

It is also good to have a magickal weapon which you will consecrate at the end of the dedication rite. A ritual dagger, or athame is the general tool chosen. Self-dedication can be very empowering, and can produce a feeling of “walking on clouds”, and it is very important to earth oneself afterwards, and then to have a rest from magickal work for a period of between a week and a month.

Simple daily meditation may be practised during this period, but avoid intense magickal work. Time is needed to assimilate the experience, and the dedication process should be undertaken at a time when you do not have too much outside stress, and are able to take time for yourself. It should be stressed that self-dedication is not the same as initiation into a coven, and should you wish to join a coven at a later date, you would still have to go through a probationary period and coven initiation, if accepted.