Category: Altars

2,700-year-old temple with altar overflowing with jewel-studded offerings unearthed on Greek island

2,700-year-old temple with altar overflowing with jewel-studded offerings unearthed on Greek island

Archaeologists in Greece have discovered a 2,700-year-old temple that houses a horseshoe-shaped altar overflowing with offerings.

Constructed of bricks, the temple is 100 feet (30 meters) long and is located next to the Temple of Amarysia Artemis, a sanctuary dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis, which researchers found in 2017 on the island of Evia, according to a translated statement from Greece’s Ministry of Culture.

During excavations in 2023, archaeologists found the second temple.

Related: 2,800-year-old figurines unearthed at Greek temple may be offerings to Poseidon

“One of the peculiarities of this temple is the significant number of structures found inside it,” the researchers wrote on Jan. 9 in a translated Facebook post detailing their finding.

Those structures included several hearths located in the temple’s nave, including the ash-caked altar stacked with offerings such as pottery; vases; Corinthian alabaster, or the carved mineral gypsum; gold and silver jewelry studded with coral and amber; amulets; and bronze and iron fittings. The altar also contained several pieces of charred bone.

Some of the pottery pieces predate the newfound temple and were fired during the late eighth century B.C., leading researchers to suspect that the altar may have once resided outside the temple and was later moved indoors.

In the sixth century B.C., brick partitions were placed at the sanctuary’s heart for added support, leading researchers to think that the temple was “partially destroyed” by a fire, according to the statement.

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Beneath the temple, archaeologists found several dry stone walls from a different building that once stood at the site, along with several bronze figurines shaped like bulls and a ram. They also unearthed remnants of buildings from the eighth and ninth centuries B.C. next to the first temple, as well as a fortification system dating to the more recent early Copper Age, or roughly 4000 to 3500 B.C.

Spell for Sunday – Ra Egyptian God of the Sun

(YOU CAN COPY AND PASTE ANY COROSPONDENCES AND SPELLS POSTED TO A DOCUMENT TO PRINT AND/OR SAVE ON YOUR COMPUTER)

Set Up An Altar for Ra Egyptian God of the Sun – Source: otherworldlyoracle.com

Setting up an altar for the god Ra is a great way to invite him into your spiritual practice and life. It creates a meeting place for you and your god to connect and communicate. Any flat surface will work such as a table, nightstand, bookshelf, counter, etc. Then add things to represent Ancient Egypt and the god Ra to your altar including: crystal pyramids, a statue of Ra, the Eye of Ra symbol, candles, incense with an incense burner, sun decor, a bowl of water, etc. Cleanse and bless your Ra altar before use.

Wearing Ra Amulets Source: otherworldlyoracle.com

Traditionally, amulets were worn by Ra worshipers to invoke their beloved deity and to show their dedication. Select an amulet that means something to you, but also reminds you of the sun god’s unique qualities. Perhaps a stone the Egyptians revered such as lapis lazuli, quartz, turquoise, or onyx. More appropriately, a sunstone would make a great Ra amulet. Cleanse your new amulet, then ask Ra to imbue his power into it. I like to set my amulets on my gods’ altars to really soak up their energy. Then wear the amulet daily or during special sacred rituals in honor of Ra.

Some Ideas for Inviting Fairies into Your Garden to Go With Today’s Spell

Fairies. How has it taken me this long to cover these amazing magical beings? As a hedgewitch, working with the spirits of the land is just one of the many things I do, and fairies are a pretty important one. I’m not going to go into too much detail about fairies in this post, but if you are interested in learning more about fairies, please refer to W. Y. Evans-Wentz’s book The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries. This amazing piece of literature is just one of several texts on which Traditional Witchcraft, including hedgewitchery, is based and is a must read if you wish to work with fairies or even understand the history of witchcraft and folk magic. But I digress! Today we are going to look at how you can invite fairies into your garden to help it grow and add a bit more magic to it.

Grow Specific Flowers

There are several ways you can attract fairies to your garden. They are pretty picky creatures, so making them happy is the key to keeping them in your garden once you have invited them. First, make sure you have the flowers they love. Anything bell-shaped will attract fairies to your garden, as well as hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. Not sure what to include? Try adding these plants to your garden:

  • Lamb’s ear
  • Yarrow
  • Coneflower
  • Rosemary
  • Lavender
  • Rose
  • Lilac
  • Morning Glory
  • Foxglove
  • Thyme

I planted almost all of these in my garden. I’m only missing coneflower (which I will plant next year) and lilac (which I will likely plant next year too). The best part of these particular plants is they are also ones you will often use in magical workings, recipes, and herbal remedies. Foxglove and morning glory are toxic, so don’t use those, but the others are safe!

Set up a Fairy Altar

Have all the flowers but want something more? Try setting up an altar specifically for fairies and make regular offerings. You can include a fairy statue, tea lights, electric fairy lights, and crystals such as quartz, rose quartz, or moonstone on a flat rock or surface in your garden. Once your altar is set up, be sure to leave offerings on the altar or in small walnut shells. Offerings include:

  • cream or milk
  • beer
  • wine
  • cider
  • honey
  • nuts
  • chocolate
  • flowers (see above)
  • shiny objects like coins and jewelry

Sacrificial altar among 13,000 relics unearthed at Sanxingdui archaeological site in China

A turtleshell-shaped box and a sacrificial altar are among a treasure trove of 13,000 relics dating back over 3,000 years discovered by archaeologists in southwest China.

The relics – many made of gold, bronze and jade – were unearthed in six sacrificial pits at the Sanxingdui archaeological site, near Chengdu, Chinese state media reported Monday, June 14, 2022.

Historians know relatively little about the Sanxingdui culture, which left behind no written records or human remains, though many believe it to be part of the ancient kingdom of Shu. It’s hoped the latest finds will shed light on the kingdom, which ruled in the western Sichuan basin along the upper stream of the Yangtze River until it was conquered in 316 BC.

A joint team of archaeologists from Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute, Peking University, Sichuan University and other research institutions have been excavating the six pits at the site since 2020.

In the most recent excavation, archeologists found 3,155 relatively intact relics, including more than 2,000 bronze wares and statues, China’s state news agency Xinhua reported.

New finds from the past

Researchers described a turtleshell-shaped box made of bronze and jade as among their more intriguing finds, saying it was the first time they had uncovered such an item.

“It would not be an exaggeration to say that the vessel is one of a kind, given its distinctive shape, fine craftsmanship and ingenious design. Although we do not know what this vessel was used for, we can assume that ancient people treasured it,” Li Haichao, a professor at Sichuan University, told Xinhua.

A bronze altar nearly 3-feet tall (0.9 meters) was also found in one of the pits, where people of the click here to read the rest of this article

Some Ideas for Office Witchcraft

Some of the Color Correspondences for Magickal Workings – Printable

These colors can be used for altar clothes, candles, clothing, Sabbat, and other things. Some of the colors also correspondence to a specific day and/or month.