Alternative names: Lughnassadh, Lammastide, August Eve, Harvest Home, Ceresalia (Roman, in honor of the grain goddess Ceres), First Fruits, Festival of Green Corn (Native American), Feast of Cardenas, Cornucopia (Strega), Thingtide and Elembiuos. Lammas, an Anglo-Saxon word, means “loaf mass.” Lughnassadh is named for the Irish sun god Lugh (pronounced Loo), and variant spellings are Lughnasadh, Lughnasad, Lughnassad, Lughnasa and Lunasa.
Primary meanings: This festival has two aspects. First, it is one of the Celtic fire festivals, honoring the Celtic culture-bringer Lugh (Lleu to the Welsh, Lugus to the Gauls). In Ireland, races and games were held in his name and that of his mother, Tailtiu (these may have been funeral games). Second, the holiday is the Saxon Feast of Bread, at which the first of the grain harvest is consumed in ritual loaves. These aspects are not too dissimilar, as the shamanic death and transformation of Lleu can be compared to that of the Barley God, known from the folksong “John Barleycorn.”
Lammas celebrates the first of three harvest celebrations in the Craft. It marks the beginning of autumn, the start of the harvest cycle, and relies on the early crops of ripening grain and any fruits and vegetables ready to be harvested. It is associated with bread because grain is one of the first crops harvested. Those in the Craft often give thanks and honor now to gods and goddesses of the harvest, as well as those who represent death and resurrection.
Symbols: All grains, especially corn and wheat, corn dollies, sun wheels, bread, harvesting and threshing tools and the harvest full moon. Altar decorations might include corn dollies or kirn babies (corncob dolls) to symbolize the Mother Goddess of the Harvest. Other appropriate decorations include summer flowers and grains. You might also wish to have a loaf of whole cracked wheat or multigrain bread upon the altar, baked in the shape of the sun.
Gemstones: Yellow diamonds, aventurine, sardonyx, peridot and citrine.
Herbs: Acacia flowers, aloes, chamomile, cornstalks, cyclamen, fenugreek, frankincense, heather, hollyhock, myrtle, oak leaves, passionflower, rose, rose hips, rosemary, sandalwood, sunflowers and wheat.
Gods and goddesses: Lugh, Thor, John Barleycorn (the personification of malt liquor), Demeter, Danu, Ceres, sun gods, corn mothers, all grain and agriculture deities, mother goddesses and father gods.
Customs and myths: Spellwork for prosperity, abundance and good fortune are especially appropriate now, as well as spells for connectedness, career, health and financial gain. Sacrifice is often associated with this holiday. Visits to fields, orchards, lakes and wells are also traditional. It is considered taboo not to share your food with others now.
Activities appropriate for this time of the year are baking bread, wheat weaving and making corn dollies or other god and goddess symbols. You may want to string Indian corn on black thread to make a necklace, or bake cornbread sticks shaped like little ears of corn for your Sabbat cakes. The corn dolly may be used both as a fertility amulet and as an altar centerpiece.
Some pagans bake Lammas bread in the form of a god-figure or sun wheel — if you do this, be sure to use this bread in your Lammas ritual’s cakes and ale ceremony, if you have one. During the Lammas ritual, some consume bread or something from the first harvest. Some gather first fruits; others symbolically throw pieces of bread into a fire.
Incense
Chalice of water
Salt
Pentacle
Dagger
4 Elemental candles
Chalice of wine
Wand
Plate of bread
Cauldron with a orange candle in it
Fall flowers, ivy, and leaves for decorations
Cast the Circle
Light the cauldron candle and say:
” O Ancient Gods of the Celts, I do ask your presence here.
For this is a time that is not a time,
in a place that is not a place,
on a day that is not a day,
and I await you. ”
Set the plate of bread on the pentacle. Stand still and breathe deeply for a few moments.
Concentrate on the cleansing power of the breath of air, when you feel ready, say:
” I have purified myself by breathing in the life force
of the universe and expelling all evil from me. ”
Lift the plate of bread high and set it back on the altar and say:
” I know that every seed, every grain is a record of ancient time,
and a promise to all of what shall be.
This bread represents eternal life
through the cauldron of the Triple Goddess. ”
Eat a piece of bread, put the wine chalice on the pentacle , lift it high, and then set it on the altar, and say:
” As the grape undergoes change to become wine,
so by the sacred cauldron of life shall I undergo change.
And as this wine can give man enchantment of the divine
or sink him to the lower realms,
so do I realize that all humans rise or fall
according to their own strength and will. ”
Drink some wine and say:
” As in the bread and wine, so it is with me.
Within all forms is locked a record of the past
and a promise of the future.
I ask that you lay your blessings upon me, Ancient Ones,
that this season of waning light
and increasing darkness may not be heavy.
So Mote It Be! ”
In Welsh mythology, Rhiannon is a horse goddess depicted in the Mabinogion. She is similar in many aspects to the Gaulish Epona, and later evolved into a goddess of sovereignty who protected the king from treachery.
Rhiannon was married to Pwyll, the Lord of Dyfed. When Pwyll first saw her, she appeared as a golden goddess upon a magnificent white horse. Rhiannon managed to outrun Pwyll for three days, and then allowed him to catch up, at which point she told him she’d be happy to marry him, because it would keep her from marrying Gwawl, who had tricked her into an engagement. Rhiannon and Pwyll conspired together to fool Gwawl in return, and thus Pwyll won her as his bride. Most of the conspiring was likely Rhiannon’s, as Pwyll didn’t appear to be the cleverest of men. In the Mabinogion, Rhiannon says of her husband, “Never was there a man who made feebler use of his wits.” After Pwyll’s death, Rhiannon married Manawyden.
The goddess’ name, Rhiannon, derives from a Proto-Celtic root which means “great queen,” and by taking a man as her spouse, she grants him sovereignty as king of the land.
In addition, Rhiannon possesses a set of magical birds, who can soothe the living into a deep slumber, or wake the dead from their eternal sleep.
Her story features prominently in the Fleetwood Mac hit Rhiannon, although songwriter Stevie Nicks says she didn’t know it at the time. Later, Nicks said she “was struck by the story’s emotional resonance with that of her song: the goddess, or possibly witch, given her ability with spells, was impossible to catch by horse and was also closely identified with birds — especially significant since the song claims she “takes to the sky like a bird in flight,” “rules her life like a fine skylark,” and is ultimately “taken by the wind.”
Primarily, though, Rhiannon is associated with the horse, which appears prominently in much of Welsh and Irish mythology. Many parts of the Celtic world — Gaul in particular — used horses in warfare, and so it is no surprise that these animals turn up in the myths and legends or Ireland and Wales. Scholars have learned that horse racing was a popular sport, especially at fairs and gatherings, and for centuries Ireland has been known as the center of horse breeding and training.
Judith Shaw, at Feminism and Religion, says, “Rhiannon, reminding us of our own divinity, helps us to identify with our sovereign wholeness. She enables us to cast out the role of victim from our lives forever. Her presence calls us to practice patience and forgiveness. She lights our way to the ability to transcend injustice and maintain compassion for our accusers.”
Symbols and items that are sacred to Rhiannon in modern Pagan practice include horses and horseshoes, the moon, birds, and the wind itself.
An Iowa Pagan named Callista says, “I raise horses, and have worked with them since I was a child. I first encountered Rhiannon when I was a teenager, and I keep an altar to her near my stables. It’s got horsey things on it, like a horseshoe, a horse figurine, and even braids from the manes of horses I’ve lost over the years. I make an offering to her before horse shows, and I invoke her when one of my mares is about to give birth. She seems to like offerings of sweetgrass and hay, milk, and even music – I sometimes sit by my altar and play my guitar, just singing a prayer to her, and the results are always good. I know she’s watching over me and my horses.”
I occasionally have to repeat this funny, it is one of my favorites, Enjoy!
Why keeping summoned beings as pets is a bad idea…
They may be cute and cuddly when they’re little, but they tend to grow. Fast. To something large.
You can’t flush your overgrown summoned pet down the toilet and no pound will take one. (Trust me on this one. )
Unless you spay or neuter them, they will breed, quickly.
Good luck trying to find a vet that will spay or neuter one…
The feeding costs are astronomical. New Age shops are very expensive. Oh, sorry, I meant “astrological”.
An exotic summoned pet is very difficult to feed. Museums start suspecting your interests in ancient cultures rather quickly.
Getting them used to gourmet food is a bad idea: there aren’t that many virgins around, you see!
Cats sitting on the chest of a sleeping child sucking their life-force out may be a myth. With summoned pets, it isn’t.
No insurance will cover it if your summoned pet bites your guests.
They may even eat your guests while you pop into the kitchen for tea.
When they nibble your toes on Sunday morning, it does NOT feel nice. Besides, you need those toes for proper balance.
Clipping their toenails to save your sofa from being torn into shreds is pretty damn hard.
You think a pet stealing your stuff is bad? Summoned pets steal your stuff and hide it to the astral plane!
Summoned pet dung is difficult to get rid of. They won’t accept it at the toxic waste plant anymore …
Cat’s hairballs are easy to clean away. Try dealing with astral slime puke.
They don’t stay in their cage unless you remember to seal it magickally properly. Every single time.
It also gets a bit tedious to keep that triangle of salt intact in the corner of the living room.
A summoned pet possessing your grandmother is NO fun, I can tell you!
A summoned pet possessing your stereo system may be painful.
Having them play with your altar tools is not cute.
Having them play with your Book of Shadows is even less cute.
Smell of sulfur wafting in the apartment tends to deter Jehovah’s Witnesses and other pests, though… But it does make breathing labored in the long run.
Landlords tend to dislike the “things that go bump in the night” routine you have going on in your flat.
Landlords will detest finding out that paying residents in your block are disappearing as if by magick.
On the other hand, the police may become a tad too interested in the very same phenomena.
It’s not fun to have your pet deciding to “hump” your neighbor’s dog in the middle of your daily walk.
It’s practically impossible to find new, caring homes for the resulting Cerberoses, too.
While it may be cute to have a pet that actually does talk back to you, it’s not nice when they start throwing curses.
It may be nice to have a pet that can retrieve your e-mail along with regular post, but it’s NOT fun having them actually posting replies…
Advanced summoned pets may summon pets of their own. That means BIG trouble.
Last but not least: If you’re not quite careful, you may one day wake up realizing that it is in fact YOU who are the pet in this deal.
Source: Author: Faerie K. Article Published On Ecauldron
THE BEGINNING OF THE HARVEST:
At Lammas, also called Lughnasadh, the hot days of August are upon us, much of the earth is dry and parched, but we still know that the bright reds and yellows of the harvest season are just around the corner. Apples are beginning to ripen in the trees, our summer vegetables have been picked, corn is tall and green, waiting for us to come gather the bounty of the crop fields.
Now is the time to begin reaping what we have sown, and gathering up the first harvests of grain, wheat, oats, and more.
This holiday can be celebrated either as a way to honor the god Lugh, or as a celebration of the harvest.
CELEBRATING GRAIN IN ANCIENT CULTURES:
Grain has held a place of importance in civilization back nearly to the beginning of time. Grain became associated with the cycle of death and rebirth. The Sumerian god Tammuz was slain and his lover Ishtar grieved so heartily that nature stopped producing. Ishtar mourned Tammuz, and followed him to the Underworld to bring him back, similar to the story of Demeter and Persephone.
In Greek legend, the grain god was Adonis. Two goddesses, Aphrodite and Persephone, battled for his love. To end the fighting, Zeus ordered Adonis to spend six months with Persephone in the Underworld, and the rest with Aphrodite.
A FEAST OF BREAD:
In early Ireland, it was a bad idea to harvest your grain any time before Lammas — it meant that the previous year’s harvest had run out early, and that was a serious failing in agricultural communities.
However, on August 1, the first sheaves of grain were cut by the farmer, and by nightfall his wife had made the first loaves of bread of the season.
The word Lammas derives from the Old English phrase hlaf-maesse, which translates to loaf mass. In early Christian times, the first loaves of the season were blessed by the Church.
HONORING LUGH, THE SKILLFUL GOD:
In some Wiccan and modern Pagan traditions, Lammas is also a day of honoring Lugh, the Celtic craftsman god. He is a god of many skills, and was honored in various aspects by societies both in the British Isles and in Europe. Lughnasadh (pronounced Loo-NAS-ah) is still celebrated in many parts of the world today. Lugh’s influence appears in the names of several European towns.
HONORING THE PAST:
In our modern world, it’s often easy to forget the trials and tribulations our ancestors had to endure. For us, if we need a loaf of bread, we simply drive over to the local grocery store and buy a few bags of prepackaged bread. If we run out, it’s no big deal, we just go and get more. When our ancestors lived, hundreds and thousands of years ago, the harvesting and processing of grain was crucial. If crops were left in the fields too long, or the bread not baked in time, families could starve. Taking care of one’s crops meant the difference between life and death.
By celebrating Lammas as a harvest holiday, we honor our ancestors and the hard work they must have had to do in order to survive. This is a good time to give thanks for the abundance we have in our lives, and to be grateful for the food on our tables.
Lammas is a time of transformation, of rebirth and new beginnings.
SYMBOLS OF THE SEASON
The Wheel of the Year has turned once more, and you may feel like decorating your house accordingly. While you probably can’t find too many items marked as “Lammas decor” in your local discount store, there are a number of items you can use as decoration for this harvest holiday.
Sickles and scythes, as well as other symbols of harvesting
Grapes and vines
Dried grains — sheafs of wheat, bowls of oats, etc.
Corn dolls — you can make these easily using dried husks
Early fall vegetables, such as squashes and pumpkins
Late summer fruits, like apples, plums and peaches
CRAFTS, SONG AND CELEBRATION
Because of its association with Lugh, the skilled god, Lammas (Lughnasadh) is also a time to celebrate talents and craftsmanship.
It’s a traditional time of year for craft festivals, and for skilled artisans to peddle their wares. In medieval Europe, guilds would arrange for their members to set up booths around a village green, festooned with bright ribbons and fall colors. Perhaps this is why so many modern Renaissance Festivals begin around this time of year!
Lugh is also known in some traditions as the patron of bards and magicians. Now is a great time of year to work on honing your own talents. Learn a new craft, or get better at an old one. Put on a play, write a story or poem, take up a musical instrument, or sing a song. Whatever you choose to do, this is the right season for rebirth and renewal, so set August 1 as the day to share your new skill with your friends and family.
Source: Patti Wigington, Author Published on ThoughtCo
Disclaimer: No flower or plant or herb should be used for medicinal purposes until you have checked with your health care professional to ask if it is safe for you to use it for any reason. The content provided on this website is for informational purposes only and DOES NOT CONSTITUTE THE PROVIDING OF MEDICAL ADVICE and is not intended to be a substitute for independent professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your health. WitchesofTheCraft.com and/or any staff member of WitchesofTheCraft.com and/or Lady Carla Beltane are not responsible for any type of negative reaction when using this flower or plant for any reason.
Empath Remedies
Flower Essence Remedies for Easing Empathic Characteristics
Empaths or hypersensitive persons are intune with vibrational frequencies. They are vulnerable to taking on emotional “gunk” belonging to others which can cause them to feel anxious, fatigued, overwhelmed, or hurt. Below is a collection of flower remedies intended to help sensitive people release emotionally-charged energies and also shield themselves from picking up foreign energies in the future. Some of these essences can also help the empath work more effectively with their empathic gift.
Manage Your Empathic Tendencies
Incorporating the use of specific flower essences can help ease feelings of overwhelm or anxiousness associated with empathic natures.
Empath Essences
Olive – Revitalizer. Olive is a good remedy for anyone who is feeling the effects of fatigue or struggle. Olive can help the soothe the sensitive person who takes on more than his share of suffering.
Yarrow – Energy Shield. Yarrow is a stablizing remedy. It can help to shield anyone who is extra sensitive or vulnerable from energies that could deplete their personal space.
Beech – Beech remedy can serve as an energetic buffer, protecting sensitives from emotional attacks. Helpful essence remedy for anyone who feels socially vulnerable.
Mountain Pennyroyal – Moutain Pennyroyal remedy is a protective agent that gives clarity of mind and blocks negative energies. It can also assist the empath cleanse and purge energies that have already been picked up. Expels negativity and psychic attachments.
Pink Yarrow – Pink Yarrow remedy helps anyone needing to create emotional boundaries. It allows a person to remain compassionate to the needs of others without taking on their burdens.
Dandelion – Dandelion remedy serves as a laundering service for washing away painful emotions. It allows emotional sludge to move through the body and get tossed away much like how dirt gets removed from clothing when it is laundered.
Borage – Borage is a heart healer. Sensitive persons are often heavily burdened with the emotional hurts of many. This make borage the “go-to” remedy to ease the strain on the heart chakra. Borage lifts any burdens, offering energetic “lightness” and “healing.”
Heather – Heather is normally prescribed for the self-absorbed personality helping him to learn how to step outside of the self and become more feeling of others. For this reason, the suggestion of heather for the empath may seem to be at odds. However, heather can also help an empath sort out his own emotions from adopted emotions that are not his. It helps a person recognize emotional energies in the body that do not belong.
Fawn Lily – Fawn Lily essence helps reintroduce the “reclusive” personality back into the world. This remedy is an excellent aid for the empath who has kept himself locked away from others as a protective mechanism, but who wants to begin to mingle with people on his own terms in a controlled environment.
Mallow – Mallow remedy helps break down self-protective walls an empath has built around himself. The problem with a solidly built energetic shield is that it not only blocks hurtful emotions, but it will block good emotions too, such as love and compassion. Mallow can help the isolated empath release fear and open up his heart so that he can begin feeling again.
Yellow Star Tulip – Yellow Star Tulip is an excellent remedy for the empath who wants to use his empathic talents in the role of a healer. This remedy will help to enhance the empaths natural ability. This can be of great assistance to the healer in helping identify the needs of his clients. Refines inner truth and knowledge.
Manzanita – Manzanita is a remedy for the individual who has over identified with his spiritual nature, choosing to ignore his human side. Empaths sometimes have difficulty embracing their physical bodies because of the emotional-body connection. The spiritual body has a natural detachment from the emotional body. However, earth incarnation requires having a body, and ignoring the body is not healthy. Manzanita essence helps to integrate spiritual and physical, helping the sensitive soul to view the world in a more balanced way.
Balance is a gift that flower essences offer. They assist us in creating gentle energy shifts, easing any imbalances back into check.
Disclaimer: No herb should be used for medicinal purpose until you have checked with your health care professional to ask if it is safe for you to use it for any reason. The content provided on this website is for informational purposes only and DOES NOT CONSTITUTE THE PROVIDING OF MEDICAL ADVICE and is not intended to be a substitute for independent professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your health. WitchesofTheCraft.com, any staff member of WitchesofTheCraft.com and/or Lady Carla Beltane are not responsible for any type of negative reaction when using this herb for any reason.
Foods to Improve Vaginal Health and the Practice of Vaginal Steaming
When it comes to our health, nutrition reigns all-important.
When it comes to the delicate balance of vaginal health, this could not be more true.
Vaginal health is something many women struggle with at some point in their lives as part of the natural cycle of development, maturity, and finally menopause. Yeast and bacterial infections, urinary tract infections, and a host of irritations can be unpleasant, painful, and uncomfortable. About 75% of women get at least one yeast infection during their lifetime, and if you have ever suffered one, you know that it is a real nuisance and can disturb quite a few areas of your life.
You are not alone!
Foods and drinks have a different effect on the body’s pH; some promote your health and vigor, while others are not so supportive of it. Not surprisingly, what we eat also has an effect on the vagina and vaginal health. Often, the key to improving your intimate well-being lies in what you put on your plate.
An emphasis on Nutrition
Here is a list of some common foods that will help you strengthen and preserve your vaginal health:
Natural yogurt and other probiotics
Eating probiotics plays an important role in maintaining the vaginal pH at its slightly acidic level, and warding off yeast infections. Probiotics, also referred to as the ‘good’ or ‘beneficial’ bacteria, keep your gut healthy, thus supporting the well-being of the whole body and balancing the body’s pH.
The best sources include fermented foods like natural yoghurt (Greek yogurt), miso, kimchi, sauerkrauts and kefir (you can also use kefir to cleanse your colon). When buying your yogurt, make sure to go for the one that contains live and active cultures and avoid sugary and flavored yogurts that will do little for your vaginal health.
The jury is still out on the benefits of drinking kombucha (a beverage made by fermenting tea) if suffering from a yeast infection. While some hail this drink for its probiotic effects, others advise not to consume it while fighting a yeast-overgrowth due to the sugar and yeast it contains (these two are food for organisms – such as a candida – that cause yeast infections).
Cranberry juice
Pure cranberry juice is well known for its beneficial effect on the bladder. It both prevents and relives the symptoms of urinary tract infections (UTI). Cranberries acidify the urine and balance the pH of the vaginal area. They contain acidic compounds that don’t get broken down when they travel though the digestive system, so they can fight the bacteria that cause urinary infections.
Most store-bought cranberry juices unfortunately contain way too much sugar to serve its healing purpose. Your best bet is to either look for pure, unsweetened cranberry juice or eat fresh cranberries. Unsweetened cranberries do taste tart and many people find them unpalatable. Try mixing them in your yogurt or sweeten them with honey which will not disturb your vaginal pH.
For a more convenient form of getting cranberries into your diet, check out Nature’s Bounty supplement with Vitamin C, an extra bonus!
This is definitely one way to get around that tart taste and still get the fruity compounds you need.
Garlic for vaginal health
Garlic
Garlic is known for its antimicrobial and antifungal properties. For best results, eat this ancient remedy raw and try to avoid these 6 common mistakes when using garlic as a medicine. If you suffer from a yeast (candida) infection, a garlic vaginal suppository (garlic pessary) is recommended – it effectively kills the yeasts and soothes the symptoms of the infection, which include itchiness and soreness. As odd as it might sound, you simply insert a clove of fresh, peeled garlic into your vagina and leave it overnight. You can design a sort of a tampon by wrapping the garlic in a gauze or cheesecloth before inserting it. Repeat the treatment for three consecutive nights.
The active ingredient in garlic is called allicin – it is responsible for garlic’s potent smell and its healing effect. True, consuming and using a lot of raw garlic might temporarily give you a distinct odor, but this is not a lot to put up with in exchange for a healthy and vibrant vagina.
Fresh fruits and vegetables
Fresh fruits and vegetables are a part of a balanced diet that also supports your vaginal health. Certain vitamins and minerals found in fresh veggies and fruits are particularly good.
Vitamin C is a well-known immune system booster. Citrus fruits, guava, strawberries, kiwifruit, green and red peppers and broccoli are all rich in vitamin C.
Leafy greens should be consumed in abundance. They help with the circulation and prevent vaginal dryness. Try to eat plenty of spinach, kale, cabbage, salad, Swiss chard, collards and other leafy greens. If you find it hard to eat them by themselves, mix them in a smoothie or sautéed them.
Avocado is another wonder of nature that stimulates vaginal health and also helps with the libido. Avocados contain B6 and potassium and support healthy vaginal walls.
Seeds and nuts
Adding nuts to your daily nutrition is a positive step to improving your wellness and overall health since nuts are both a source of protein and healthy fats. Vitamin E prevents vaginal dryness and can be found in sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts, as well as in the oils derived from these nuts. Almonds and pumpkin seeds are also rich in zinc. This essential mineral regulates the menstrual cycle and helps combat itching and other symptoms of dryness.
Flaxseed is another super-food that is good to include in your diet on a regular basis. Rich in phytoestrogens and omega-3 fatty acids, it helps to boost estrogen levels and stops vaginal dryness. It is important to consume ground flaxseed in order to enjoy their benefits.
Water
Agua! The mucous vaginal membranes require plenty of water. To function properly, they need to stay well-hydrated. The best way to achieve this is by drinking sufficient amounts of water. At least six to eight 8-ounces glasses of water should be drank each day (~1.5 to 2 liters). Water helps to lubricate your vagina and also diminishes the smell of your private parts.
Foods to avoid
If vaginal health is your priority, steer clear of certain foods. Products that disturb vaginal (and body) pH and contain nutrients bacteria and yeast feed on should be avoided, especially while you are trying to heal an infection. The main offenders include:
sugars
alcohols (these also contain sugars)
wheat
Often, the best way to treat a candida infection is to starve the yeast – these organisms are very fond of sugary environments, therefore a strict low carb diet is recommended. Yes, I know, we must avoid binge-ing on the ice cream 🙂 Some also advise skipping foods that contain yeasts, such as beer and bread.
Generally speaking, if you want to enjoy a healthy vagina, you should stick to a balanced diet, avoid processed and sugar-rich foods and eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits. Also, avoiding activities such as douching, panty perfume, and wearing not-so-breathable underwear and, of course, always practicing safe-sex and regular visits to the gyno help a bunch, too!
Did you know that you can cleanse and detox your vagina? Detoxing your vagina may sound odd but women, especially among the Asian cultures, have been doing it for centuries to regulate their menstrual cycles, reduce stress, fight infection, clear hemorrhoids, and aid fertility.
What is V-Steam?
Vaginal steam baths, popularly dubbed the V-steam baths, aim to cleanse, detox and tone up your vaginal lips, vaginal walls, cervix, and uterus. You sit over a pot or bowl of herbal infused steam that rises into the vagina.
Although vaginal steaming became popular in the recent years and is now being offered by some more progressive spas and holistic health clinics, this treatment is no novice to the world of health and beauty. It has been known for centuries in Central and South America as ‘bajos’, and as ‘chai-yok’ in Korea. While there is still no scientific evidence to support V-steam benefits, this age-old technique has been widely used by Korean women as stress and infertility remedy. It is now being rediscovered once again.
Health benefits of Vaginal Steaming
Vaginal steaming is supposed to help in the treatment of the following conditions and problems according to traditional medicine:
Bladder and yeast infections
Vaginal cysts
Hemorrhoids
Infertility
Irregular and painful periods
Uterine fibroids
Perennial tears
Scarring from caesarian section
Recovery from hysterectomies and laparoscopies
Similar to other forms of steaming, vaginal steaming too helps with stress and anxiety reduction. If you just think about how you feel after taking a soothing herbal sauna, this last benefit rings true.
Check out this book (only $2.99 on Kindle!) on how to perform a vaginal detox through steaming to learn more:
For an herbal pouch used in this steaming detox, check out this Yoni steaming (aka Vaginal steaming) pouch at Eupterra’s page.
Disclaimer: No herb should be used for medicinal purpose until you have checked with your health care professional to ask if it is safe for you to use it for any reason. The content provided on this website is for informational purposes only and DOES NOT CONSTITUTE THE PROVIDING OF MEDICAL ADVICE and is not intended to be a substitute for independent professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your health. WitchesofTheCraft.com, any staff member of WitchesofTheCraft.com and/or Lady Carla Beltane are not responsible for any type of negative reaction when using this herb for any reason.
Warning! Poison!
Folk Names: Banewort, Black Cherry (not the edible kind), Deadly Nightshade, Death’s Herb, Devil’s Cherries, Divale, Dwale, Dwaleberry, Dwayberry, Fair Lady, Great Morel, Naughty Man’s Cherries, Sorcerer’s Berry, Witch’s Berry
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Saturn
Element: Water
Deities: Hecate, Bellona, Circe
Ritual Uses: The priests of Bellona, according to tradition, drank an infusion of belladonna prior to worshipping Her and invoking Her aid. Bellona is the Roman Goddess of war.
Magickal Uses: Today belladonna is little used in herb magick due to its high toxicity. All parts of the plant are extremely poisonous and there are still reports of death resulting from accidental ingestion.
In West European magick, this crone herb has been used for astral projection and is allegedly an ingredient in flying ointments; even now it is considered a witchcraft essential. It was once used medicinally in minute doses, but reaction to it was too variable for safety.
Toxicity: Our disconnection from nature and our refusal to take responsibility for knowing the natural world mean that we often have very distorted reaction to things like deadly plants. Some people seem to discredit all warnings about poisonous herbs, and others act as if a poisonous plant is as dangerous as plutonium. Neither is a helpful response. This herb is dangerous to life, but that does not mean it cannot be used in ritual at all, only that it must be used with caution. Don’t allow it to rest against your skin. If including it in a charm bag, make sure the fabric is tightly woven so that plant dust cannot get through. Wear gloves when handling it and do not touch your eyes or mouth without washing them first. If censing with this baneful herb, burn it in a well ventilated area. “Baneful” means that this is a deadly poison. People have died from ingesting it, so please don’t do anything stupid with it. If you suspect belladonna poisoning, go to the emergency room.
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.’
Wiccaning, or name-giving, is the term used to describe the festivities that attend the birth of a child. Since wicca is essentially a fertility religion, the birth of a child is perceived as a gift from the gods and as a sacred rite in itself. After the birth of the child, when the life of the family has returned to normal, the parents and community celebrate the wiccaning of the child, giving it a name that will protect it during its growth and development. There is no fixed age or format for the name-giving ceremony – it can occur during the baptism, the brit milah (Jewish circumcision ceremony), or any ceremony that is not connected to a religion and is mainly pagan. It must be remembered that wicca is a religion of choice, and although the child receives a name, he/ she is entitled to choose his/ her own spiritual path or religion upon reaching maturity – as well as to change his/ her name!
Source: Day-by-Day Wicca: A complete guide to Wicca from Beliefs and Rituals to Magic and Witchcraft (Astrolog Complete Guides) by Tabatha.Jennings
These days I find myself in periods of reflection on my experiences in the Craft and the ways that is has affected my personal views on life. As part of this reflection, I often wonder in what direction the Craft is now undertaking.
My girlfriend of many years, who is a Druid, and who has spent hours engaged in discussions with the old guy, will occasionally tell me, “you just aren’t right” before flashing a huge grin. When she says this I feel honored because it confirms that I have walked through this life as an individual. And it is has been the experiences of being involved in traditional Witchcraft that has made such a life experience possible.
But now I find myself in a quandary as to my personal views of witchcraft.
When I was growing up on a farm in Tennessee in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s and later in suburbia in MD, our family quietly practiced the Craft as we knew it by way of our Irish heritage and the Appalachia influence that we grew up around.
Outwardly we were like any other family at the time; just our beliefs were a bit different from some. And though we referred to folks outside of our personal family as “the others” we were never obvious about such beliefs and so folks around us in the community had no clue. In fact, only one outsider, a Mrs. Bowie, who was a retired minister of a mystical Christian church and close friend of my grandmother Ina and a family from Ohio that used to visit my grandparents when we lived in MD, were the only non-family members that were aware of our ways.
Were we special?
Absolutely not, we were just as dysfunctional in some ways as any other family from that era. However, we never believed in publicity as far as our particular beliefs in the Craft. This was not due to fear of any public backlash or what have you; it was just our way to be private about our family ways.
In those days, folks believed that went on behind closed doors stayed behind those same doors. When my mother branched off into a coven separate from our immediate family at the beginning of 1970, a coven whose focus was primarily on Astrology and its influences on life, the ways of silence were such that though I as a teenager was aware of the existence of that coven, I knew next to nothing beyond that tiny morsel of information.
Some of you may have met my mother at some point in time for during the 1970’s she performed astrological and Tarot readings for a cruise ship liner that traveled between the coast of Florida and the Bahamas.
At any rate, during the mid 1970’s I spent three years in Germany with the military and during that time I was associated with a coven that engaged the path of Hecate and thus would probably be seen as a “dark” coven by Neo pagans today. And yet, though we were very active, we did not seek and in fact went to great pains to avoid publicity.
And now I come to my reservations and thus conflicting emotions about the openness if you will of witchcraft in today’s times. During the years that I have mentioned above, privacy was something that was as a natural way of life at the time and was respected as such.
I am keenly aware that during these same times, that those of the Wicca were in fact moving in the opposite direction and actively seeking publicity at every opportunity. Beyond this observation I personally have no comment to share about the Wicca during those times, for I am speaking about witchcraft as I know it from my personal experiences and not about the fledgling religion of Wicca.
In today’s day and age, with the advent of the Internet where information is readily assessable and where there are now a plethora of Wicca and witchcraft 101 books, it is difficult to find folks who adhere to the tenets of privacy that witchcraft once knew. My personal concerns are that is such openness really a positive step forward in regards to witchcraft?
When I examine my personal views of witchcraft, I see a spiritual path that is wide open to “personal” discovery. Nor do I see any valid restrictions on what or how a practitioner of witchcraft may engage in order to arrive at such discoveries. If one sees the need to conjure up a spirit or other entity in an effort to experience such a discovery, then so be it. If one needs to resort to witchcraft to correct a wrong from another, then again, so be it.
As a witch, I believe that each of us is an individual and as such I do not believe in Karma, a concept that is foreign to the art of witchcraft. But I do believe in maintaining personal responsibility. As an old school witch, I feel that I know my personal goals and the experiences needed to achieve them far better than any group of folks such as those found within the many religions that make up our world. If I make a mistake than I am the one who has to pay for them.
I personally do not believe that a public forum has the right to outline boundaries that defines what steps I am allowed to take to arrive at my experiences in witchcraft. As an individual I do not believe that anyone outside of me has a say on how I personally pursue the path of witchcraft.
Again, I am the one that has to answer for any trial and errors that I engage in within the parameters of witchcraft. And yet this is exactly the perception that we are at in today’s Neo pagan community.
Witchcraft is now defined (erroneously to my mind) as a religion. And as a religion all of the tenets that were once diametrically opposed to the tenets of witchcraft are now accepted as being the norm.
Because of the instantaneous communication of the Internet, folks who engage in witchcraft are cast into a false image of being light and fluffy folks. I personally do not believe in Good and Evil, as these is primarily concepts that originated with the Abrahamic religions. I do believe that there are shades of light and dark, but only in the sense that we need such labels in order to put a sense of understanding on such concepts as they relate to the human experience.
And so I have to wonder, if we took the overwhelming desire for publicity that defines the art of witchcraft today, would witchcraft still be defined as it is by today’s standards. Or would the freedoms that were once a tenet of witchcraft, flourish yet once again?
And are such modern standards, which in effect are enhanced by way of the Internet, realistic as it pertains to the practice of witchcraft?
Massive publicity may bode well for a religion in the sense that it needs such attention in order to boost its membership. But is such publicity really a positive and useful approach to a mystical spiritual path that requires no such membership beyond that of the individual practitioner?
Is the personal responsibility that has always been an unavoidable tenet of witchcraft still possible or even a consideration in the concept of witchcraft as it is defined by today’s standards? Has such massive publicity made witchcraft into a completely unrealistic concept in order to be acceptable to today’s society? Has such publicity taken away from the base realities of witchcraft?
Hello from an Australian Eclectic Witch. I have to admit, I’m a bit of a procrastinator. I’ve been thinking about writing an essay for some time but as all procrastinators will tell you, it’s always the thinking, never the doing.
I have always been interested in witchcraft. I think the awareness and the interest started when I was 13, (inspired from seeing The Craft. Yes, I know what you’re thinking and you’re probably right. But we all find our path in different ways).
I went to see the movie with three friends and at the end of the movie, like all teenage girls who are not considered ‘popular’ we thought “Wow this is for us”. Double, Double, Toil and Trouble the teenage way. And like all teenagers, my three friends lost interest fairly soon after.
The interest always stuck with me in various ways over the next few years but being in high school one has enough stress and doesn’t always find the time to delve into the spiritual.
So as the story goes, years later I was cleaning out my room and came across a book my parents had bought for me when I was 13 called The Nice Girl’s Book of Naughty Spells. (Yes you read correctly, my parents bought it for me).
I also came across articles I had ripped out of magazines and a booklet I had sent off for from the Church Of Wicca in Perth, WA. It grabbed me, and then it lost me. I began working and again, it took a back seat. I think at that stage in my life, it wasn’t time for me to walk the path. (Procrastination again).
I was about 22 when the interest became more of a spiritual need, a path I felt I needed to walk. I bought books to read. My first 2 were Witch A Personal Journey and A Magickal Year by Fiona Horne, followed soon by Book Of Shadows by Phyllis Currot and then finally Wicca by Scott Cunningham. It really hit me: this is what I wanted, and I felt it was right for me.
Luckily I didn’t have any religious conflicts. For all intents and purposes my mother was a single mother and she felt, not being religious herself, that she did not want to baptize her children (I have an older brother). She felt that we should feel free to pick our own path when we were old enough to understand what religion was. Suffice to say, Christianity was not for me.
I’ve always been an independent free thinker and the rules and rigmarole of organized religion was not for me.
The way I got here was interesting. As a general rule when I was younger, nature and its elements were actually very boring to me. I knew there were trees and flowers and things of that nature but it didn’t really impact me in any fashion. I used to hate helping my mother garden. Also, every time I tried to grow something it would die. The natural world, seemingly, was not my friend.
As I began to study witchcraft the natural held more interest and I felt better and more alive when I would go outside. We have this massive Oak tree in our yard and it is magnificent and really old. Now when I stand with it and look at it or touch the leaves, I feel an affinity I never thought I would. I feel a spiritual recognition, a connection with its beauty and its sense of history. I grow herbs under it and they flourish nourished by its shade. Being a fire sign, Oak is also one of my Celtic trees.
I feel my personal power growing. I have always had a strong sense of intuition and occasionally have psychic flashes that more often than not just leave me with a head spinning sense of déjà vu.
I am now able to grow herbs. I’m currently growing about 8 different kinds from seed and they are going really strong now. To me, this is a sign that the Goddess is helping me walk this path.
The one thing that originally boggled my mind was the amount of ‘things’ needed in witchcraft. There are athames and wands, chalices, censers, candles, herbs etc and I thought that my new path — although giving me great spiritual fulfillment — was going to drain my finances. But I have found that these items have come to me when I have needed them, not before. I think that instead of rushing out and buying everything all at once that if you wait, the Goddess will deliver. If not, I have 2 great recommendations for you.
EBay is a great place to get different ritual items. I got my first lot of herbs, most of my books, runes and two lovely wooden pentagram boxes from EBay.
Another is an Australian website called Uncle Festers. They have a club called the Cauldron Club and each month for 13 months they send you a package, slowly building up all your ritual supplies. Since being with them I haven’t really bought anything. I wait; it comes. I love it; it’s like my birthday every month.
My mother and stepfather have always been incredibly supportive of my choice (as has my brother and friends). I never had to worry about their disapproval. It breaks my heart when I read articles on here about new witches who fear rejection and anger from their parents if they share with them the news of walking the path of the Goddess. It’s sad that people are not flexible minded enough to realize that what may be good for them religion-wise is not always good for someone else.
My advice is to stay strong and be true to who you are because ultimately in this world, the only person who you have to please is yourself.
Wow, do I go on. So this is the story of a 24-year-old Eclectic Witch from Australia who wanted to write an article for Witchvox.
The sacred day of the Moon, personified by such goddesses as Selene, Luna, Diana, and Artemis. The Moon is ruler of flow affecting the changeable aspects of people. If a full moon falls on a Monday, its powers are at their most potent.
Monday is ruled by the moon – an ancient symbol of mystery and peace. Monday is a special day for mothers as the cycle of the moon has long been associated with the female menstrual cycle. Those wishing to conceive a baby would be wise to try on a Monday as the magic of motherhood is strong and pregnancy is in the air.
This is the proper day of the week to perform spells and rituals involving agriculture, animals, female fertility, messages, reconciliation’s, theft, voyages, dreams, emotions, clairvoyance, home, family, medicine, cooking, personality, merchandising, psychic work, Faerie magic, and Goddess rituals.
(YOU CAN COPY AND PASTE ANY CORRESPONDENCES POSTED SPELLS POSTED TO A DOCUMENT TO PRINT AND/OR SAVE ON YOUR COMPUTER FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. You can find the origin of the spell by clicking on the hyperlink.)
Sunday’s Witchery
Those ambitious, successful spells and charms will be heightened by working on the day of the week that has the planetary influence of the sun. So light those sunny candles, wear some luminous colors, and break out the gold jewelry! Bake up some cinnamon rolls or low-fat cinnamon muffins for an enchanting family breakfast. Take an orange with you to eat at lunch today. Try using a little magickal aromatherapy and burn some cinnamon-scented incense to encourage success and wealth today. Make the talisman to keep your solar magick with you. Sprinkle some dried marigold petals around your house-or across the threshold-to pull triumph and protection toward you and your family.
Get outside and tip up your face to the sun. Take a walk outside, and soak up some sunshine! Acknowledge the power of Sunna or Helios as they blaze across the sky and bring courage and motivation into your life. Sit outside at sunrise on a Sunday morning and bask in its warm, rosy-golden glow Acknowledge Brigid as the inner, creative spark of imagination and inspiration. She can help these gifts burn brightly within your own soul. Use your imagination and create your own brand of witchery and magick. Here comes the sun, and it’s your turn to shine!
—–Book of Witchery: Spells, Charms & Correspondences for Every Day of the Week
Ellen Dugan
A Crossroads candle spell is used when you cannot choose the left fork in the road or the right. This spell is for MAJOR decisions like moving, career, etc. I would strongly not suggest this spell for a choice between two men or women.
CROSSROADS SPELL
1 white candle
1 black candle
1 red candle
A packet of Cornnuts (original recipe) Toasted Corn
21 caramels
1 small bottle of rum
three cigars (unwrapped)
Three stick matches
21 pennies
Write a letter to the spirit of the Crossroads and tell him the situation that you cannot decide or which road or path to choose. Lay it out in good detail which is which – meaning, what will happen if you choose this road and what will happen if you choose that path.
Go to a 4 way crossroads at 11:30 pm preferably on a Sunday night, but any night will do if you need it NOW. Place letter in center of a 4 way crossroads (must be 4 way) that extends beyond 7 blocks in each direction. Place three candles in a triangle shape on letter, surrounded by the 21 pennies. Lay one cigar each at base of the candle. Place one of each of the stick matches in between each candle. Place caramels and open pack of Cornnuts and pour in center. Take a good draw of the rum into your mouth, swish it around, spit it in a spray-like pattern over all. Set rest of open bottle of rum down on paper. Light candles and walk away.
Do not, do not,DO NOT look back or look into rear view mirror when driving away.
(YOU CAN COPY AND PASTE ANY SPELLS POSTED TO A DOCUMENT TO PRINT AND/OR SAVE ON YOUR COMPUTER FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY)
Salt Scrub Protective Shield
Salt scrubs are applied directly to your body. Using a gentles or vigorous circular motion. The oil causes the other ingredients to cling to the body even after rinsing. This is an extremely powerful way to create a cleansing and protective shield.
One cup of salt to one cup of oil
Store in an airtight container – it will last indefinitely based on water not getting into the container
Castor oil is the most protective carrier oil and should be added to the scrub, however it’s extremely thick and doesn’t always blend well. Add other carrier oils and play with proportions until it pleases you.
Ouija boards, electronic voice phenomena (EVP) , automatic writing, séances, psychics… just some of the many ways that one can connect with the dead. The living are obsessed with knowing what happens once we’ve gone. It scares the living souls out of us, and has baffled humanity since the beginning of time.
‘Religion’ is our usual answer to this question, yet we still don’t fully know. Nobody does. We may say ‘we believe this’ or that is ‘what is going to happen’, and ‘where we’ll go’- but why? Non-believers, or atheists may say that this is the humans’ way to comfort themselves. We all want immortality, but we know that’s highly impossible, so we believe in a similar version- life after death.
For Pagans/Wiccans, this ‘answer’ can be Reincarnation, not for all necessarily, but for many. For others, it may be the belief of the soul residing with the God (s) and/or Goddess (es) . Some people may say that this is our own creation, forged out of fear, and I can see exactly how they might come to view it to be this way.
Why is there paranormal activity? Why would there be tales of ghostly haunting, demonic possession and eerie places… stories handed down throughout generations since humans could document their tales in the earliest forms of writings? Surely, the human mind isn’t that deviously manipulating and thus tricking us to see and hear these things, for most of us don’t want to be the victim of a demonic haunting or possession ever.
Constantly, I am irritated when I hear sure answers as to what happens after death. Even as a Pagan/Wiccan, I only believe and hope to the Gods that reincarnation is real. I cannot prove it, and neither can anyone else.
I’ve heard of preachers who say that this or that is what happens when you die. The Bible is so sure of what will happen to God’s followers and non-followers. I’ve spoken to plenty of people in the Mormon faith (seeing as this is a highly Mormon populated area, and therefore there are many Mormon teenagers at school) and been told what they believe. To me, the explanation of their process after death is way too complicated, just as life is complicated. I was blown away by the explanation of the levels and kingdoms and whatnot that they will go to if they do this and that… needless to say, it was exhausting.
Oh the details, this is where there lies a problem. We have too many details to explain the afterlife, without ever being there. Truly, how does one explain a kingdom in heaven where the loyal followers stay after death? How does one even know that exists? They don’t. We don’t. Why go into such detail then? Have you seen the kingdoms? No. The very questioning of these religious beliefs of the afterlife contradicts the very sure, stable beliefs we hold in them- whatever religion it may be.
Lately I’ve been reading about the methods of spirit communication. Ouija boards are the most discussed because of the controversy over their true nature. Yes, I’ve doubted the “proof” that they work via spirit contact because a manipulative person can move the piece to say what he/she want its to if he/she wishes to trick the another person. However this doesn’t diminish my belief in the boards.
To this day I’ve never used one though, truthfully out of the fear of demonic entities and negative spirits. Despite what anyone says, we don’t know its true power, what it may be able to do, and I stay away from things like that. Although the board was introduced to me for the very first time at a sleepover as just a ‘game’, I refused to play.
I don’t use any means of communication to speak to the dead. We all wonder. Some of us dabble in the practices that explore the wonders of the afterlife. Others, like myself, don’t, and instead study and read about these methods out of curiosity.
I’ve always been interested in the paranormal, ever since I was a child. I can’t put an age on just when I first experienced this fascination. First it was innocent, starting as a fourth grader acting out Charmed with friends (Mainly the fascination was witchcraft, but also the existence of demons and angels and such) . I was only 9, but before that I had always loved “ghost” movies and “witchy” things… not to associate witchcraft with the paranormal, but my interests mixed together a bit. This grew into my enjoyment of shows such as Ghost Adventures, Ghost Hunters, Paranormal State, (all that I still love) and Medium.
I also began to read horror books, macabre books, and researched every haunted place I took interest in. I still research and read up on these topics and find it all so intriguing. Whatever the reason, I can’t pull myself away from these morbid topics. For someone such as myself, who has never experienced paranormal activity or been in a situation to experience evidence of a paranormal happening, I sure am obsessed with collecting information on it and researching the phenomena.
There are so many ways we can contact the dead. I attempted one of these methods to contact Aphrodite the Goddess of Love directly instead. I’ve been looking for guidance from Aphrodite for a little while, along with other Goddesses and Gods in her area of guidance. I tried automatic writing, which wasn’t very successful for me. I got some sort of result, rather difficult to read, but that is for myself to know.
I’ve found that there is a possibility to communicate and receive answers, but the questions I have keep repeating. If EVPs exist as do other evidence of the paranormal, then why don’t we know with more certainty of the afterlife? Is it possible that maybe we aren’t meant to know? Or that anyone with any supposed explanations really doesn’t ‘know’ it all?
Maybe this knowledge of the afterlife is for the dead to know and for us to eventually find out with time. Assuming that this is true, no matter how many investigations people will conduct in hope for answers, no matter how many EVPs are recorded, or how many books and movies there are on this subject, it may always remain simply ‘the unknown’.
Simply relying on the right color candle, correct incense or special herbs to work their magic will leave you wondering what you left out. The special ingredient you may have left out is YOU!
I decided to write this book because our website received so many emails over the years from beginners complaining that they had followed a spell EXACTLY as it was written, and it failed to work. They wanted to know what they were doing wrong. Like most of us, they had seen movies or TV shows that suggested having the right combination of colored candles, special herbs, oils and magical words would solve their financial or relationship problems. They did not understand that the ingredients in their spell was only a small part of the process.
Most books on casting spells only give you half of the information you really need. You are given lists of ingredients and action steps, but no explanation of how or why these spells really work. The Universal Laws that govern the results are not clearly explained and the new practitioner is left with only a vague understanding of what they are doing.
This is a problem, as those who are truly interested in manifesting their desires are not adding the most important ingredient, or worse yet, they are adding the wrong ingredient. That ingredient is the personal energy that they send out. This is what the Universe will ultimately respond to.
Personal energy is the key ingredient in all spells. If you have ever asked your mom or a friend for a recipe because you wanted to make the same meal they made, only to have that recipe fail when you tried to duplicate it, you probably understand what I am talking about. Even when you follow their recipe exactly as it was written, it never seems to turn out the same for you. Their personal touch will always be missing. A good cook will simply add a little of his or her energy to the recipe and make it their own.
Like a favorite recipe, sometimes you may need to modify a spell just a little to make it work for you. Changing the color of a candle or using a different scent of incense will not make the Divine angry or cause the Universe to ignore you. If you are sending out thoughts and feelings that are positive and full of gratitude, your spells will always return positive results.
If you already have a shelf full of spell books and have collected all the right ingredients for a spell, that’s great! But if you are just starting out or are missing what seems to be key ingredients, don’t let it be a major concern. The Universe will be responding to YOU, not your collection of herbs, oils or crystals.
Source: Wicca A Beginner’s Guide to Casting Spells: Herbal, Crystal and Candle Magic (Living Wicca Today Book 3) by Kardia Zoe
As I wander through the beloved woods, ever so grounded and connected to Spirit, I begin to think of the fear of witchcraft. Such a fear was started by a religious belief system seeking power and control over others. And through the last two centuries this baseless fear has resonated like a war drum through generations of folks. Folks who dared to walk a path that began with the dawn of humankind have lost their homes, their belongings and in many a case, their very lives.
And so I pause beside a woodland stream, as I wonder why.
Are we not all seekers of the light? Do we not all seek the answers to the Great Mysteries within our own beliefs? Are not all beliefs systems, whether religious and/or spiritual simply a possibility to achieving one’s afterlife goals?
For no religion and/or spiritual path has a definitive answer to what our chosen Deity has in mind as far as the Grand scheme of things. As I watch the rivulets of water wash over this streambed strewn with multi-colored pebbles, I think of how generations of folks have come and gone, much like how each rivulet passes down stream. And yet such misguided beliefs have remained in place like the pebbles cascaded across the bed of this secluded stream. Unmoved though a new generation of water sweeps over them.
And then I begin to think that if we do not have the answers, why one would want to be locked into a strict dogma that filters out any new and fresh ideas about spiritual ascension. Seeking answers to such a grand mystery is an on going process. Choosing to be stagnant in one’s spiritual progression leads me to think that perhaps such a belief system it’s not about spiritual growth to begin with.
And so why the hate mongering and the overwhelming fear?
If one is secure within their beliefs, shouldn’t there be a tendency to at least listen to others even if one chooses not to accept what one hears from others. This is known as communication. But when there is no such open communication, it leads me to wonder from where the insecurities that have spanned so many decades are originating.
For as a witch, I offer no harm to anyone unless it is in self-defense. I seek not to convince others of my beliefs; for such beliefs are a mark of my individuality and are constantly undergoing changes as new revelations becomes available.
Does such institutional fear come from the knowledge that a witch connects with Mother Earth as a way of life? I would ask why those who carry such fear in their hearts do not themselves utilize such a rich resource of knowledge. For such knowledge is there for all.
Witches are chastised and have even been put to death for connecting with the spirit realm, and I wonder why. Do we not all have a spirit within us and will we not all revert to spirit when our time in this realm comes to a close? What is there to fear?
Witches are disavowed for drawing upon the energy that is all about us and manifesting this energy into a tangible result. Do not all religions and/or spiritual beliefs follow similar patterns though they may use different words and actions to initiate such workings? Is not such a divine gift available openly and freely to all who seek such inherent abilities? Does Deity select but one belief system and cater to just those thoughts? Or does Deity transcend such narrow parameters and in fact respond to all who seek regardless of which path they follow?
So why manifest such lies and unfounded hatred?
As this stream in the middle of the woods flows over the bed of pebbles, does it really care if some pebbles are red, or brown, or black? Or does it just want to be free to follow its destiny without a barrier created by humans. Are humans any less worthy of such a freedom within their beliefs?
As I think these thoughts, tears run down my cheeks. As a witch I seek to stay connected with the old ways. Ways that have served humankind for so long. Ways that open doors to those places that are now shrouded in the mists of ignorance. Ways that allow me to utilize introspection in an effort to see my own faults and thus gives me the strength to address them in a positive manner. Are such practices so terrible that they deserve the scorn of so many who do not attempt to try and understand?
As a witch, I too walk about in a state of fear. A fear based upon the realities of our society. There is the fear that I may lose my means of employment, if my spiritual path comes to light. This is an established fear that has come to pass at one point in my life. There is the fear that bodily harm could come to me and my loved ones by those who blindly wallow in ignorance, simply because I choose to believe as an individual. This is yet another bitter experience that has raised its ugly head at one point in my life. And once again, I have to ask why.
Why can we not all accept the fact that we are seekers on the path of life? And as it is with such travelers, no one person has all of the answers.
As I stand here on this cold autumn morning and watch this small stream flow by, I know within my heart that in time this stream will wear down the pebbles that it flows over. And that in time new pebbles will take their place.
As a witch and as a human, I can only hope that such a transition will take place in the river of life and that the fear and the ignorance will in time be worn down as well. I desire that which I wish for others, the right to follow my path without obstructions being placed before me by other humans.
I seek to not judge others nor do I seek to be judged.
Witches Of The Craft® 
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