Here is a handy-dandy moisturizer that you can make at home:
1 tablespoons herbal infusion (rose, lavender, marigold mint)
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon vegetable glycerine or 2 tablespoons cocoa butter
A few drops essential oil (any kind), optional
To an herbal infusion, add honey and vegetable glycerin or cocoa butter. You can add a few drops of essential oil of your choice. Choose a herb that appeals to your senses and that you find pleasing.
Although you won’t likely take no for an answer today, you may need to do some fast talking before you receive the approval you are seeking. You might become frustrated if you’re caught up by circumstances you cannot control. On one hand, you shouldn’t give up too soon, for persistence will probably bring you what you want. On the other hand, remaining flexible is essential because your needs are changing faster than you realize.
You need time to absorb the changes you have recently experienced, but one distraction after another now can keep you hopping. Thankfully, the energy should begin to settle down by tomorrow, giving you enough peace and quiet to actually hear your own thoughts. Meditation can eventually bring a feeling of contentment, but today you must learn to find satisfaction even while you’re busy.
If you feel that your needs are going unmet today, it’s probably because your moods are shifting very quickly while the Moon is in your fickle sign. You may get exactly what you want, but your desires continue to morph from one thing into another. Fortunately, your friends and associates are pretty easygoing about your current restlessness now, so it’s unnecessary to hide your feelings. Keeping others informed about your process can help to build better friendships.
You might think that you need to keep something private, but once you begin telling your story today, your secrecy is overshadowed by your new policy of transparency. Perhaps you realize that you don’t have to hide as much as you usually do, and your current excitement about belonging to an extended family or a social network can have you sharing your feelings before you have a chance to consider the consequences. It’s time to come out of your shell, but don’t overwhelm everyone in the process.
You cannot hold yourself back once your attention shifts from listening to active participation. There may be valid reasons for your recent caution, but your progress on several fronts today should win out over your resistance. Don’t try to talk yourself into keeping quiet because the talkative Gemini Moon in your social 11th house needs interaction with others more than you need your autonomy.
Making a case for what you want today doesn’t assure that you will be satisfied right away. Nevertheless, this isn’t a sensible time to back down, for your words carry more power these days than you realize. Remember that facing external resistance can be the result of projecting your own internal fears. Overcoming apparent obstacles may prove to be hard work now, but the potential payoff is worth the extra effort.
You are a bit pushier than usual now, especially if given a chance to tell others about your exciting plans. Your easygoing approach may be thrown out the window as you face the fear of being rejected by a friend or partner. You might believe that turning up your volume is one way to compensate for your uncertainty. Just remember that this impulsive strategy could backfire, motivating others to withdraw. Fortunately, the long-term viability of your ideas is not affected by someone else’s acceptance today. The only opinion that matters right now is yours.
Today’s interactive Gemini Moon provokes you to take a risk and lay your feelings out in the open, whether or not this is the most sensible thing to do. Unfortunately, others may become anxious if they aren’t as comfortable as you are when it comes to handling intense emotions. Nevertheless, suppressing what you want to say will only make matters worse. Seeking the middle path works best; express what’s in your heart without expecting anything in return.
The changeable Gemini Moon is illuminating your 7th House of Others, filling the day with one noisy interaction after another. The intriguing folks who enter your life now make it difficult to turn down an invitation to learn something new. Just remember that you don’t have to impress anyone today; all you have to do is soak in as much information as possible and be grateful for the experience.
You may not be able to shut off your thinking now while ingenious thoughts are spinning your head around. Fortunately, the steady Taurus Sun enables you to pick one good idea and turn it into something tangible. Don’t be afraid to let your mind wander today, since you’ll instinctively come back to center with something positive to show for your daydreaming.
There’s no need to show off your cleverness today, for those close to you already know that you’re very smart. Instead of overstating your case or rambling on too long about your latest great idea, just show up and be yourself. Your intelligence shines through your actions as well as your words, so walk your talk instead of trying to convince others that your plan is the best one.
You may find yourself exploring new financial territory today, whether you’re considering a major purchase, taking out a loan or making an investment. However, it’s difficult to narrow your focus enough to make a choice as the scattered Gemini Moon aspects several planets in your 2nd House of Money. Remove the pressure by putting off your final decision until you’ve had a chance to gain more clarity on your next move.
Iron Spell: Clothing
Sew bits of iron (nails for instance) unto the hems of garments for protection from cvil. (The spell only works when the clothing is worn.)
by Jeff Jawer
Take a Walk on the Wild SideApril 29 – 1 |
Expect a wild ride this weekend with the Moon entering rambunctious Aries on Friday morning. We tend to be more impulsive with this lunar placement, easily growing bored with preset plans and primed to leap at interesting new people and experiences. Aries is also a sign of independence, placing personal interests at a higher priority than pleasing people. This could lead to some conflict for those too absorbed in their own desires to slow down and consider what others need.
The spontaneity of Aries spikes on Friday when the Moon conjuncts electrifying Uranus. The downside of this aspect is a feeling of restless anxiety or a sense of alienation. However, creative individuals can use this cosmic connection as a chance to break old patterns and discover new ways of having fun.
Saturday’s defining planetary feature is a tense opposition between Venus, the planet of love and desire, and Saturn, the representative of limits and obligations. This sobering alignment can slam the brakes on a budding romance or take some of the enthusiasm out of an ongoing relationship. We may feel less loved or appreciated, yet the point is not to puncture the potential for love but to put it on a realistic foundation. Directly addressing partnership issues with frank conversations may not be delightful, but can set a weakening alliance back on course or end one that’s not going to meet our long-term desires.
Aggressive Mars’ conjunction with gigantic Jupiter fuels flames of anger or passion on Saturday night and Sunday, presenting a striking contrast between playing it safe and going for broke.
Good morning dear readers! I hope everyone is having a loving day today. Personally, I don’t have much to say today. I know there has been a lot of festivities due to the Royal Wedding but that is overseas not here at home. Everyone was in a joyous mood, the Wedding had renewed them or refreshed them. I guess I must be one hell of a cynic, all I could do was think of the mess that was here at home. The number of tornadoes that had ripped through the lower southern States. When they announced on the news that 300 were dead at the time, I never felt such sorrow in my life. Even though I have been through two tornadoes myself and I will admit I was very, very fortunate to come out of both of them unharmed. Perhaps that is why I am having such a hard time dealing with this many dead in just a matter of seconds. You know I am a mother of two (both of them now grown). But I was thinking this morning, to be hiding in a closet with one of them and all of a sudden the roof is ripped off, and that child is sucked right throw my grasp. Or my husband and I under a mattress and it is lifted up and away, I turn to look and he is gone. How on earth do these people recover from this? How do you ever pick up the pieces and move on? I am the only one left in my family, everyone else has passed on. I am still fairly young and with each of their passing my heart was ripped. I know people will tell you it gets better over time. I can’t tell that to people anymore, I know different. My mother passed when I was very young. I still have times to this day that her passing seems like only yesterday. I stop and cry and my heart breaks again. I have my good memories of her and that is what helps me cope with her death. I had people tell me everything when she passed on. But with as many deaths of family members I have faced I know one thing, your memories of that person is the most important thing you have. Keep those memories, think of them often. Remember their days of tolling on this Earth is through, they have gone on to a better place. My vision that keeps me going is thinking about the Rainbow Bridge. I know most envision the Bridge as being for animals but I have envisioned one for humans too. I see my sister and mother walking hand in hand across a grassy field coming to greet me. They are no longer in pain, the Goddess with Her love and kindness has made them whole again. They are laughing and my sister tells me, “I have worried and shed tears for nothing.”
For those of you that have been touched by tragedy these last couple of days, I hope my vision gives you some comfort. Why this had to happen to you? We will never know. They say all things happen for a reason but I have never found a reason for an untimely death and I have looked. Please take comfort that you are not alone. You have a great number of people praying for you. You will pick up the pieces, no matter how difficult, and begin to move on. Even though, you have lost a loved one, take comfort you will be reunited one day. In closing, I would like to leave you with a prayer for you and the other survivors of this devastating weather.
Oh, Goddess, I humbly pray for all those
who have died, but especially for all the
victims of the recent tornadoes. Hold all of
them near to you until he/she is ready to be
reborn again from your womb.
Oh God, please grant these people an easy
rebirth, and that we never forget all that
he/she was to us in this world. Bring
them to the everlasting joy of the
Summerland.
So Mote It Be.
Good Thursday Morning dear readers and friends! I am not going to write forever I promise. I just wanted to say, “Thank You for all of your prayers, petitions, candle lighting and everything else that was done for my area of the country.” I have always believed that when Pagans come together, we can accomplish great things. I truly believe that now more than ever. Yesterday, I told you I was going to transfer some more info over from my old group. I got throwed off the internet by a fast-moving storm. I turned the TV over to the Weather Channel and there was a huge storm mass coming our direction. The storm was all red which means this storm system is capable of producing tornadoes. One minute the storm was a huge mass, the next it had split right down the middle. The front part that was still headed our direction was slowly dissolving and eventually disappeared. The other mass took a northerly path and missed us totally. That system was the last system headed toward our direction. What was so unusual was the last system splitting the way it did and then just dissolving. As I watched that system, cold chills ran over my body. I knew exactly why this had happened. It happened because of you and your prayers. I wanted to say thank you, dear friends for helping those of us who are in dire straights. Please continue to pray for them. Also continue to pray that our weather stays clear were we can clean up and get those that lost everything a place to stay and anything else they may need. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
The Hedge Witch’s Home (Or A Guide to Practical Paganism)
Author: Aethelbera
For most of us Pagans, the altar can be seen as a spiritual or peaceful refuge in our own special corner away from the mundane and away from the rest of the world. For others of us, we may prefer to meditate and still others would like nothing more than a peaceful walk in a forest. But our homes can be places of spiritual refuge as well, from the front door to the bedroom at the furthest end of the house. In fact, the home should be a refuge, a Pagan one. It goes without saying that most of us want to feel Pagan and live Pagan but for some of us this can be difficult.
Some of us live in must urban settings or very small dwellings with little room. Maybe you’re renting an apartment with strict rules such as no holes in the walls. But it’s anything but hopeless. We can “Pagan” up our houses in the simplest of ways. It is possible even if we live in tiny, cramped apartments or dorm rooms where lighting candles and incense isn’t practical and is prohibited by post-secondary institutions.
Kitchen Witches make much use of their kitchens. Their altars are their counters and their ritual tools are the big wooden spoons and saucepans by the stove. Green Witches have their gardens and hedge witches have the tinted jars of sundry herbs lined upon the shelves.
There are a few simple steps a Pagan can take to make their home really their home. Setting up a modest altar in a preferred room is one way, perhaps with a smudge stick or perhaps with images of ancestors lining the edges. This is really very simple, a nicely framed picture of Grandma and Grandpa on a side table will most surely do! My altar has a calendar set up neatly on the left side. You can decorate your altar according to your path’s holidays and decorate your house with seasonal sprigs or seasonal emblems.
One can also make use of many readily available herbs to feel close to nature such as creating sachets, herbal rinses, soaps, incenses, teas or any variety of delicious culinary dishes. I have only a few words of advice and those are: DO NOT OVERPICK. And be sure to pick ethically as many plants are endangered or becoming endangered just as animals do. And do not pick anything out in the wild without thoroughly making sure you know what it is and use it to the best of its abilities If you can’t be sure, leave it or consult someone who knows. That being said, the practical Pagan may want to get rosehips from the roses in his garden and they appear when the blooms die for any number of practical purposes from teas to desserts.
These and many other herbs can also be found at a local loose-leaf teashop, or if you’re lucky enough, your local herb shop or Pagan shop. There are many practical ways to utilize these small charms as well. A kitchen Witch might go to the supermarket and buy some thyme or ginger to cook with and saturate it with his or her witchy knack for cooking. If you live in the city, and want to feel more “naturey”, set up a windowsill spice garden and be sure to get a few potted plants.
When friends come over, the hedge Witch can brew a mean tea from those same rosehips, which are high in vitamin C and thus helpful with colds. If you’re looking for a sleeping potion and warm milk just isn’t doing the trick, try some chamomile. As a mild sedative, it does wonders to help you, or your active children get to sleep.
To make your home feel like being home and feel more Pagan, you could tie an herb sachet by the bathtub and the scent will be released with the steam. You could collect your favorite Pagan authors and place them on a bookshelf in the living room. You could keep a diary, dream journal or recipe book by your bed stand.
For the more spiritual, you could buy a nice broom and decorate it to your tastes and use cleaning the home as a ritual or if you’re Heathen, place a blót horn or ancestor image on the mantel. Mine is only big enough for a single shot so if you’re space is cramped you can still aim small. You do not have to feel like you are trapped in a cramped, mundane and utterly unPagan apartment.
You can imbue almost anything with a spiritual significance. Even if you are a teenager in a strict nonPagan home you can try your hand at cooking or placing a broom in your room to clean with and of course you can buy little figurines for your bedroom that have special significance to you.
Last but not least, you could try your creative hand and add a very personal element. If you can write, write a prayer for your bedroom wall. If you can paint, paint an image of your patron God. If you can carve, carve an image of your totem. If you can work with wood, well, you get the idea.
It is very easy to be the Practical Pagan without cheapening the experience or overdoing it dramatically. After all, no one really need a big witch hat and a cast iron cauldron sitting dead centre in the front foyer for all to see to have a Pagan home and neither do you need to set up a mini Stonehenge in the backyard (a small altar by a tree or birdfeeder may do just fine) .
If space is an issue, aim small. If disapproving eyes are an issue, aim for subtle and above all, aim for modest and something which will complement your personality!
Make your home really feel like yours and let it be inspired by your Pagan path.
Happy (Pagan) interior decorating!
Footnotes:
N/A
Life is Love: The Power of Happiness
Author: Winterfox
I am faced, every day, with an interesting prospect. Whether or not it’s right or wrong to even have the thought, I awake every morning to the idea that I am not going to die today. And every day, there is a little more certainty to my voice when I say it out loud.
It isn’t a medical condition that forces me to think positively, it’s just the ghosts of things passed. Ages ago, I would have called it “depression.” Now, though, I call it “achievement.” I am still facing my demons, I am still terrified of certain situations, and I am still battling to reach some level of normal human behavior. But through it all I’m still fighting, and I’m still winning. And, right at the heart of it all, there’s a little star with a circle around it.
Years ago when I was still a different person, a lot of things happened that forced me into a near catatonic state. I was completely mute, and so shy that looking at a person’s eyes made me shake. And it was around this time that I was introduced to Paganism. How wonderful it was to retreat into meditation, or watch incense smoke for hours; I wasn’t really ‘into’ it, but the practice of it made me peaceful. I started to enjoy the company of other people, holding circles in small groups and learning to trust what we called our “mini coven.” I was coming out of my shell, slowly.
It wasn’t until later that the full force of what Paganism meant to me practically hit me in the face. I was sitting on a public bus, coming home from school, when some impish need to giggle came over me. And I started to laugh, first into my hand, then into my fist, and then I didn’t bother to smuggle it anymore.
I was laughing, hard, tears streaming down my face. Because here I was, sitting on a bus, and for no particular reason I had just realized that I was absolutely, undeniably, contentedly happy. I had no more reason to worry. Everything I was afraid of was over; I was meeting people, I was doing well, I was still alive. I had conquered something.
So here I was, I thought, sitting on a bus, and I could feel my life force crackling merrily like fire in a chimney. All the energy, all that essence we’d been trying to put into our magick, it existed. And here it was, bubbling out of me, overflowing me, and filling me with something wonderful.
By the next year, I had formally decided to become Wiccan. Although I couldn’t really practice anything with my parents around, I decided I could at least honor the principals. I started to absorb the wisdom of the Lord and Lady, as well as be mindful to everyone and everything around me.
Now, I’m on my own for the first time, living in a tiny dorm room in the middle of an unfamiliar big city. I am, for the most part, your typical university student. I get good grades, do my laundry, and have the occasional childish snowball fight with a group of friends that I cherish more dearly than they can imagine.
My room reflects that, for the most part; there’s doodles taped to my wall, big name tags stuck to my door, fluttering pages of homework littering my desk, and walls of textbooks along every shelf. Yet, in the corner and clearly visible to anyone who comes in, there is a white cloth that proudly supports a silver and gold candle, a bowl of water, a dish of salt, and a small cauldron. Next to the textbooks on the shelves is a binder I use as my Book of Shadows.
My room is my sanctuary, filled with little bits of me; here there is an altar, sitting right next to a Starbucks mocha frappuccino. While other students go to church, I practice my faith right in this room, every night.
These students sometimes ask me why. Why am I a Wiccan? They aren’t offensive in any way, they just want to know. My answer is always the same: because I owe it to myself. I spent so many years as a frightened person, terrified of my own voice.
My involvement with Wicca helped me get my voice back; in the end, the biggest thing I learned from practicing Wicca was that the only thing that could save me from myself was myself. It gave me power; not magickal power, but pure life force, something raw and untamable that felt like a physical fire in me. My soul was set aflame, and as a phoenix is reborn from the ashes, so I came to be an entirely new person.
I am a joker now. I wear my inner child on my sleeve. I am cynical and sarcastic, but also full of joy. And that is the key: Wicca taught me boundless joy, that even the darker side of life must be celebrated, because without shadows then light has no context. I’ve finally realized that life is beautiful. I don’t need to hold elaborate rituals to see that.
Spring to summer, autumn to winter. The changing of seasons is a huge concept; so much mythology and meaning behind it. And all of it is contained in the life and death of a single leaf.
The Lord and Lady. The basic grounds on which Wicca is based. Their entire dance re-enacted every night by the simple rise and set of the sun and moon.
Untamable love, burning passions and innocence lost. It happens every day between two squirrels in the tree outside my window.
Everything is simple. The biggest of ideas can be reflected in the smallest drop of water. And that’s what amazes me, that’s why I’m so in love with Wicca. It can go both ways; perhaps the smallest drop of water teaches some amazing concept, or perhaps the droplet itself is too complex for me to ever understand.
In any case, here I am. This is me. And for the first time, I’m in love with this Earth. So when I have my daily ritual of waking up, splashing myself with water and reminding myself that I’m whole and wonderful and full of life, I’m determined. I want other people to see me, want them to know what it feels like for someone so sad to become someone so happy. It’s been a long journey from point A to point B. I’m still travelling. But if I put a hand to my chest and close my eyes, I can hear how far I’ve come, because I feel the proof that I am still fully alive.
My entire journey thus far repeats itself in song with every beat of my heart.
Hecate presides over three-way crossroads. Hecate truly controls all roads: not only does she control avenues of opportunity, she also guards the frontier between the realms of the living and the dead, and the various planes perceptible only with psychic vision.
Hecate’s color is black. She only accepts petitions after dark, the only illumination permitted being torchlight. The last day of every month belongs to her, as do the days of the Dark Moon. These are the best times to request her favor.
Larch, a unique evergreen in that it sheds its needles, is the tree of New Beginnings. Burn larch woodchips, resin and/or needles to liberate blocked energy.
The sour sop, also known as custard apple (Annona genus), is a small tree native to the Congo region of Africa. It also appears in Brazil, where it is known as malolo. It’s used in powerful unblocking baths when a person is absolutely desperate, miserable, oppressed by fate, and at the end of their tether. Make an infusion by pouring boiling water over sour sop leaves. Let it cool, strain and add this to your bath.
Witches Of The Craft® 
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