Tag: Altar

Calendar of the Sun for Tuesday, May 22nd

Calendar of the Sun

Feralia: Day of Purification

Color: White
Element: Air
Altar: On a white cloth put a lit candle, incense, a cup of water, and a bowl of salt.
Offering: Although this day is not a day of total silence, it is a solemn day and talking should be done only when necessary and in quiet tones. Bodies should be thoroughly cleaned during the bathing hour, and then the altar area should be cleaned and purified with all four elements. Each person, upon entering the altar space at the beginning of Sponde should remove their clothing and be naked, and each body should be purified with the four elements and marked with water and salt, at which point they may enrobe again. Chores of the day should concentrate on cleaning and repair.
Daily Meal: Vegan and extremely simple and plain.

Feralia Invocation

Breathe the air into your body
And breathe out again,
And as you breathe out,
Let all grime and corruption
Depart on that breath
(All breathe together for twelve breaths.)
Feel the blood coursing through your body
And imagine it clean
Of anything but what should be there.
Feel the energy coursing through your body
And wash it clean
Of anything that does not belong.
Feel the Earth beneath you,
Remember that She can absorb all
Remember that all rot is her provenance
Draw her energy up into you
And give it back again.

(After this grounding, all breathe together again in a yogic breathing pattern for the next half an hour, after which all will go with water and salt and incense and fire to all rooms in the house and cleanse them. Great care should be taken for the rest of the day not to disturb the energy of the freshly cleaned house.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Casting a Formal Circle for a Group or Solitary

Casting a Formal Circle for a Group or Solitary

If there is a limited amount of space within the circle, it is often easier to cast the circle and admit the participants after creating the space. There are pros and cons of doing it this way, mainly having to do with making the participants feel excluded from part of the ritual. In order to avoid this, it is important to have them focus on the people or person casting the circle and adding their energy to what is going on. If you choose to have them within the circle, it is best to have them kneel at the boundary and cast the circle just behind them and over their heads, having them focus on the casting.

With this particular method, you can have one, two, or three people cast the circle, splitting the parts up as you desire. In a large group, splitting up the jobs in this manner helps everyone to participate when there are a limited number of things to do. Any of the parts of the ritual can be split up this way, but some will work better than others. Having more than one person cast the circle is a nice way for a group to maintain the bonds of working together.

When everyone is prepared and quiet, the person casting the circle should move to the altar and touch the pentacle with his or her athame. If the altar is set in the north, all that they need to do now is to visualize energy coming from the pentacle and walk the edge of the circle until they return to the starting point again. Once the caster is there, they should touch the pentacle with the athame again to seal the circle and then visualize pulling the edges of the boundary around to form a sphere above and below. This can also be done by actually using the athame to cast by starting at the pentacle and pushing the energy up over the heads of everyone, around, down through the floor, and back to the pentacle.

If the altar is elsewhere in the circle, the person touches the athame to the pentacle to perform a connection to it and then walks to the east to begin casting. They proceed to the south and then the west and then finally to the north before returning to the east. At that point, they can return to the altar and finish sealing the circle.

NOTE: Circles may be cast in either direction, depending on the work being done. Clockwise (N, E, S, W) tends to be the most common. This sunwise direction is used to invoke and bless. It is useful when the ritual has an outward focus. Moonwise circles (N, W, S, and E) tend to be used for banishing or rituals that focus inward or on the self.

Once the circle is cast, the next person should bless the salt and water to use for purification. Tip three pinches of salt into the water and stir it three times moonwise saying, “By the powers of Life, Death, and Rebirth.” Take this water and go to the east, sprinkling it around the edges of the circle, walking in the opposite direction of the circle caster. Once you have moved all the way around the circle, and if the people are within the circle, sprinkle each of them saying “Be washed clean.” (Make certain that you have someone do this for you, as well.) If they are not in the circle, place the salt water on the altar for later use.

The third person (Or the first, if you are only having two perform this) will bless the incense to consecrate and fill the circle. Place some of the loose powder incense on the hot coal (or light a stick incense) and draw a pentagram over the burning saying, “Blessed be the union of fire and air, the breath of the Gods.” Walk around the edge of the circle with the incense in the direction that it was cast in, slowly, and call the Ancestors to come and witness your circle.

Finally, the fourth person (or number two) moves to the center of the circle and declares that this is sacred time and sacred space. The circle exists outside of our normal time and reality. The shift from mundane to sacred should now be complete and should be a tangible feeling for everyone. The air may look or feel different, or the people may experience a shift in consciousness.

At this point, if you have cast the circle with the people outside, it is time to let them into the circle. The person who cast the circle will take their athame and cut a doorway into the boundary. This is done by inserting the tip of the athame into the circle at the level of the floor and cutting along it to make a wide enough entry for people to pass through. Then they cut upwards to the height of the people outside the circle. They should arch the top and then cut down the other side and across to meet the original point on the floor.

The person who blessed the salt water will switch places with the caster and stand in the doorway before each person as they enter, sprinkling to cleanse them. The caster will hug the person and pull or spin them over the threshold of the circle, bringing them in as a part of the company that will perform the ritual.

Once everyone is inside the circle, the caster will “erase” the doorway by placing the tip of the knife to the floor again and move it upwards, “sealing” the circle again. The “door” should be removed exactly opposite of how it was placed. When you are finished, there should be notrace of a break left in the circle wall. If you can see one, mend it with your own energy and close the break.

Calendar of the Sun for April 3rd

Calendar of the Sun
18 Hrethemonath

Day of Sheela-Na-Gig

Color: Earthy red
Element: Earth
Altar: On a cloth of clay-red set clay bowls of water, milk, incense, grains, stones, leaves, and candles. A figure of the Sheela-Na-Gig should be in the center.
Offerings: Do maintenance on your physical body.
Daily Meal: Eggs or dairy, as they come from female animals.

Invocation to the Sheela-Na-Gig

Goddess of Fertility,
You stand naked and unashamed
Spreading open the doors
To the sacred tunnel of life
From which we all came
And to which we shall all return.
You speak of the holiness of the body,
Of the woman’s passage that we must
Never forget was our entry
Into this world of flesh and blood.
You remind us that flesh and blood is as sacred
As mind and heart and spirit,
Even when we rail against it,
Even when it seems to betray us,
Even we wish it were otherwise.
You remind us that incarnation
Is not a prison but a privilege,
And that what seem the least
And most profane parts of the flesh
Are as sacred as those we see every day.
We are all born of woman,
We are all birthed of body,
We all came through suffering
And brought great joy.
Let us never forget the touch
Of skin on skin, even the lightest of which
Reminds us of where we are privileged to live.

(Each comes forth and embraces another, saying, “Your body is sacred.” The grain and milk and water is poured out as a libation. Ritual sex is encouraged on this day, with the emphasis on taking care of and respecting the needs of the body as a sacred vessel.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Moon for March 29th

Calendar of the Moon

Dark Moon Night

Color: Black
Element: Air
Altar: Upon a black cloth set a single black candle, incense, an iron sickle laid to mimic the direction of the waning moon, a cup of water, a lock of silver hair, and a white bone.
Offerings: Bones. Stones. Menstrual blood. Give something up.
Daily Meal: Soup of some sort, cooked in a cauldron, eaten in silence.

Dark Moon Invocation

At this time, in the dark of the moon,
When the Silver Lady ages
To an old woman in the dark,
Haunting crossroads, working magic,
Stirring her cauldron
Of poison that heals,
Grandmother Moon of sorcery
And wisdom, who sees all
And reveals little to our searching eyes.
Moon of Death, Moon of mystery,
Moon of silence who hides her face,
Let us learn silence from your averted gaze
Let us learn patience from your aging face
Let us feel for the dark places within us
And find our way down your path in the darkness
Which is utter and complete
But not impenetrable.
As darkness wraps us,
So silence heals us.
As darkness finds us,
So silence guides us.
As darkness speaks,
So silence falls.

(The candle is blown out, and all leave in silence. From the beginning of this rite at Hesperis until the dawn, silence will rule in the house. Talking must be done only in whispers, and between no more than two people, and only for that which is necessary. Long meditation is encouraged, and all work must be done quietly if possible. The evening meal should be eaten by candlelight, and only candles may light the house, except for the sake of certain important work.)

Pagan Book of Hours

Calendar of the Sun for March 25th

Calendar of the Sun

Feralia: Day of Purification

Color: White
Element: Air
Altar: On a white cloth put a lit candle, incense, a cup of water, and a bowl of salt.
Offering: Although this day is not a day of total silence, it is a solemn day and talking should be done only when necessary and in quiet tones. Bodies should be thoroughly cleaned during the bathing hour, and then the altar area should be cleaned and purified with all four elements. Each person, upon entering the altar space at the beginning of Sponde should remove their clothing and be naked, and each body should be purified with the four elements and marked with water and salt, at which point they may enrobe again. Chores of the day should concentrate on cleaning and repair.
Daily Meal: Vegan and extremely simple and plain.

Feralia Invocation

Breathe the air into your body
And breathe out again,
And as you breathe out,
Let all grime and corruption
Depart on that breath
(All breathe together for twelve breaths.)
Feel the blood coursing through your body
And imagine it clean
Of anything but what should be there.
Feel the energy coursing through your body
And wash it clean
Of anything that does not belong.
Feel the Earth beneath you,
Remember that She can absorb all
Remember that all rot is her provenance
Draw her energy up into you
And give it back again.

(After this grounding, all breathe together again in a yogic breathing pattern for the next half an hour, after which all will go with water and salt and incense and fire to all rooms in the house and cleanse them. Great care should be taken for the rest of the day not to disturb the energy of the freshly cleaned house.)

Pagan Book of Hours

The Breviary of the Asphodel Tradition

How To Hold a Rebirthing Ritual for Ostara

How To Hold a Rebirthing Ritual for Ostara

By Patti Wigington, About.com Guide

 

Spring is the time of year when the cycle of life, death, and rebirth is complete. As plants bloom and new life returns, the theme of resurrection is ever present. As Ostara, the spring equinox, arrives, it’s the season for that which has gone dormant to become revitalized, alive, and reborn. This ritual includes a symbolic rebirthing — you can perform this rite either as a solitary, or as a part of a group ceremony.

Difficulty: Average
Time Required: Varied
Here’s How:
  1. In addition to setting up your Ostara altar, you’ll need the following supplies: a black sheet for each participant, a bowl of dirt, water, a white candle, and incense. For this rite, the High Priestess (HPs) or High Priest (HP) should be the only person at the altar. Other participants should wait in another room until called. If you’re doing the rite outside, the group can wait some distance away from the altar. If your tradition calls for you to cast a circle, do this now.
  2. The first person in the group waits outside the circle, covered from head to toe in the black sheet. If your group is comfortable with skyclad rituals, you can be nude under the sheet — otherwise, wear your ritual robe. Once the HPs is ready to begin, she calls the first participant into the altar area, cutting an opening in the circle as the person enters and then closing it behind them.
  3. The participant, still covered in the black sheet, kneels on the floor before the altar.

    The HPs greets the participant, and says:

    Today is the time of the Spring equinox.
    Ostara is a time of equal parts light and dark.
    Spring has arrived, and it is a time of rebirth.
    The planting season will soon begin, and
    life will form once more within the earth.
    As the earth welcomes new life and new beginnings,
    so can we be reborn in the light and love of the gods*.
    Do you, (name), wish to experience the rebirth of spring, and
    step out of the darkness into the light?

  4. The participant replies with an affirmative answer. The HPs takes the salt from the altar, and sprinkles it over the sheet-clad participant, saying:

    With the blessings of the earth, and the life within the soil,
    you are reborn in the eyes of the gods.

    Next, the HPs takes the lit incense and passes it over the participant, saying:

    With the blessings of air, may knowledge and wisdom
    be brought to you upon the winds.

     

    The HPs takes the burning candle and (carefully!) passes it over the participant, saying:

    May the fire of the spring sun bring growth and harmony
    into your life.

     

  5. Finally, the HPs sprinkles water around the participant, and says:

    With the blessings of water, may the chill and darkness of winter,
    be swept away by the warm spring rains.

    Rise! Step forth out of the darkness, and climb into the light.
    Awaken once more in the arms of the gods.     

  6. At this point, the participant slowly emerges from the black sheet. Remember, this is a symbolic rebirth. Take your time if you feel you need to. As you pull the sheet back away from you, remember that you are not only stepping into the light, but putting behind you the darkness of the past six months. Winter is over, and spring has arrived, so take a few moments, as you emerge, to think about the magic of this time of year.

    The High Priestess then welcomes the participant, saying:

    You have stepped once more into the light,
    and the gods welcome you.     

  7. Repeat the ceremony until all members of the group have been “reborn”. If you are performing this rite as a solitary, obviously you would speak the lines of the HPs yourself, and bless the area around yourself with the dirt, incense, candle and water. Once everyone in the group has gone through the rebirthing, take some time to meditate on the balancing energy of Ostara. Light and dark are equal, as are positive and negative. Consider, for a while, the polarity of this season. Think about the balance you wish to find in your life, and consider how you may work harder to find harmony within yourself.
  8. When you are ready, end the ritual, or move on to a Cakes and Ale ceremony or other healing magic**.
Tips:
  1. * Feel free to substitute the name of your tradition’s deity here.
  2. ** If you’ve ever thought about rededicating yourself to the gods of your tradition, Ostara is an excellent time to do this.
What You Need:
  • A bowl of earth
  • Incense
  • A white candle
  • Water
  • A black sheet for each participant

How To Hold an Ostara Ritual for Solitaries

How To Hold an Ostara Ritual for Solitaries

By Patti Wigington, About.com Guide

Ostara is a time of balance. It is a time of equal parts light and dark. At Mabon, we have this same balance, but the light is leaving us. Today, six months later, it is returning. Spring has arrived, and with it comes hope and warmth. Deep within the cold earth, seeds are beginning to sprout. In the damp fields, the livestock are preparing to give birth. In the forest, under a canopy of newly sprouted leaves, the animals of the wild ready their dens for the arrival of their young. Spring is here.

Difficulty: Average
Time Required: Varied

Here’s How:

  1. For this ritual, you’ll want to decorate your altar with symbols of the season. Think about all the colors you see in nature at this time of year — bright daffodils, crocuses, plump tulips, green shoots — and incorporate them into your altar. This is also a time of fertility in the natural world — the egg is the perfect representation of this aspect of the season. Symbols of young animals such as lambs, chicks, and calves are also great altar adornments for Ostara.

  2. In addition, you’ll need the following:

    • Three candles — one yellow, one green, and one purple
    • A bowl of milk
    • A small bowl of honey or sugar

    Perform this ritual outside if at all possible, in the early morning as the sun rises. It’s spring, so it may be a bit chilly, but it’s a good time to reconnect with the earth. If your tradition normally requires you to cast a circle, do so now.

  3. Begin by taking a moment to focus on the air around you. Inhale deeply, and see if you can smell the change in the seasons. Depending on where you live, the air may have an earthy aroma, or a rainy one, or even smell like green grass. Sense the shift in energy as the Wheel of the Year has turned. Light the green candle, to symbolize the blossoming earth. As you light it, say:

    The Wheel of the Year turns once more,
    and the vernal equinox arrives.
    Light and dark are equal,
    and the soil begins to change.
    The earth awakes from its slumber,
    and new life springs forth once more.

  4. Next, light the yellow candle, representing the sun. As you do so, say:

    The sun draws ever closer to us,
    greeting the earth with its welcoming rays.
    Light and dark are equal,
    and the sky fills with light and warmth.
    The sun warms the land beneath our feet,
    and gives life to all in its path.

  5. Finally, light the purple candle. This one represents the Divine in our lives — whether you call it a god or a goddess, whether you identify it by name or simply as a universal life force, this is the candle which stands for all the things we do not know, all those things we cannot understand, but that are the sacred in our daily lives. As you light this candle, focus on the Divine around and within you. Say:

  6. Spring has come! For this, we are thankful!
    The Divine is present all around,
    in the cool fall of a rain storm,
    in the tiny buds of a flower,
    in the down of a newborn chick,
    in the fertile fields waiting to be planted,
    in the sky above us,
    and in the earth below us.
    We thank the universe* for all it has to offer us,
    and are so blessed to be alive on this day.
    Welcome, life! Welcome, light! Welcome, spring!

     

  7. Take a moment and meditate on the three flames before you and what they symbolize. Consider your own place within these three things — the earth, the sun, and the Divine. How do you fit into the grand scheme of things? How do you find balance between light and dark in your own life?

    Finally, blend the milk and honey together, mixing gently. Pour it onto the ground around your altar space as an offering to the earth**. As you do, you may wish to say something like:

    I make this offering to the earth,
    As thanks for the many blessings I have received,
    And those I shall some day receive.

  8. Once you have made your offering, stand for a minute facing your altar. Feel the cool earth beneath your feet, and the sun on your face. Take in every sensation of this moment, and know that you are in a perfect place of balance between light and dark, winter and summer, warmth and cold — a time of polarity and harmony.

    When you are ready, end the ritual.

Tips:

  1. * Instead of “the Universe”, feel free to insert the name of your patron deity or the gods of your tradition here.
  2. ** If you’re doing this rite indoors, take your bowl of milk and honey and pour it in your garden, or around your yard.

What You Need

  • Three candles – yellow, green and purple
  • A bowl of milk
  • A small bowl of honey or sugar
  • Seasonal decorations for your altar

Setting Up Your Ostara Altar

Setting Up Your Ostara Altar

By Patti Wigington, About.com Guide

It’s Ostara, and it’s a time of year in which many Wiccans and Pagans choose celebrate the balance of light and dark that heralds the beginning of spring. It’s a time to celebrate new life and rebirth — not only the physical embodiment of renewal, but the spiritual as well. Try some — or all — of these ideas to ready your altar for Ostara.

Colors

To get an idea of what colors are appropriate for spring, all you really have to do is look outside. Notice the yellows of the forsythia blooming behind your house, the pale purples of lilacs, the green of new leaves appearing in the melting snow. Pastels are often considered spring colors as well, so feel free to add some pinks and blues into the mix if the idea strikes you. Decorate your altar in any of these colors — try a pale green altar cloth with some purples and blues draped across it, and add some yellow or pink candles to carry the color up.

The Balance of the Equinox

Altar decor should reflect the theme of the Sabbat. Ostara is a time of balance between light and dark, so symbols of this polarity can be used. Use a god and goddess statue, a white candle and a black one, a sun and moon, even a yin/yang symbol.

New Life

Ostara is also a time of new growth and life — add potted plants such as new crocuses, daffodils, lilies, and other magical spring flowers. This is the time of year when animals are bringing forth new life too — put a basket of eggs on your altar, or figures of new lambs, rabbits, calves, etc. Add a chalice of milk or honey — milk represents the lactating animals who have just given birth, and honey is long known as a symbol of abundance.

Other Symbols of the Season

  • Seeds and bulbs
  • Caterpillars, ladybugs, bumblebees
  • Symbols of nature deities — Herne, Flora, Gaia, Attis, etc.
  • Gemstones and crystals such as aquamarine, rose quartz, and moonstone
  • Ritual fires in a cauldron or brazier

Cutting The Cord Spell

Cutting The Cord Spell

When one has been involved (either Emotionally, Physically or Spiritually) with another
person it can create an ‘Etheric Link’ that resemblesa red cord binding between you.
When the friendship or relationship ends it is often difficult to move on, as you are still
linked to this person. The Cutting of the Cord Spell is ideal in dissolving the bonds
between people allowing them to move on.
You Will Need:
–2 Red Candles, Length of Red Cord
–A photograph of you and your friend or ex (or a picture to represent you both drawn)
–A pair of scissors.
Preparation: Bathe & Cleanse yourself before starting, set out materials, and
Cast a Basic Magickal Circle.
The Spell
Mark the first Candle with your name and the second Candle with the other person’s name.
Charge the Candles with Anointing Oil, starting from the center moving
outwards (sending energy out), seeing the person named on the Candle as you anoint it.
Take the first Candle in your hand hold it over your Altar Candle visualizing it
being Charged with energy to do your bidding, then present the Candle to the Altar saying:
As the Goddess gave form and substance to our spirits,
I give form and substance to this candle,
As She named us Her children,
I name this Candle as (insert name).
As this Candle is wax and wick,
So it is also flesh and blood, So Mote it be!
Repeat with second Candle.
Sit in meditation and think of the joy this person brought you, picture your favorite memory.
Visualize the link between your hearts as a thick red cord joining you from heart Chakra to heart Chakra.
Tie an end of the cord to each candle, joining you together, as you are joined in spirit.
Place the photo or picture over the center of the cord saying:
As the Goddess links us in Spirit, I link these forms together,
As above, so below, As within, so without!
Again sit in meditation, and think of the reasons you want to cut all ties to this
person, think about the events that have lead up to this decision. Face any doubts
that you may have and see them for what they are, fear. Know in your heart that the
Goddess wants only the best for you and She wants you to want the best for yourself.
When you are ready visualize yourself telling the other that it is over and that
you are moving on, then see yourself turn and walk away – not looking back!
Cut through the Cord that binds you to each other (as well as through the
picture symbolizing your togetherness) and say:
By my free will, with harm to none,
I sever the cord that binds me to (insert name),
As we once chose to share the road we walked,
Now we choose to walk a different path,
Although we still journey to the same destination,
No longer do our steps move in time you are no longer my friend (or
lover), I release the (insert name) from all ties to me
As I am released from thee, As I do will, so mote it be!
Take the candle, 1/2 the cord and 1/2 the picture (the part representing your ex)
in a heatproof bowl, tip a little ‘goodwill incense’ over it all, with a little mentholated spirits,
then as you light it say:
As this smoke rises and drifts away,
So do all my bonds to you… So mote it be!
Place ‘your’ candle on your Altar to burn when you find yourself wishing ‘what if’.
Clean up and Close Circle, then bury everything else except your candle.

Cutting The Cord Spell

Cutting The Cord Spell

When one has been involved (either Emotionally, Physically or Spiritually) with another
person it can create an ‘Etheric Link’ that resemblesa red cord binding between you.
When the friendship or relationship ends it is often difficult to move on, as you are still
linked to this person. The Cutting of the Cord Spell is ideal in dissolving the bonds
between people allowing them to move on.
You Will Need:
–2 Red Candles, Length of Red Cord
–A photograph of you and your friend or ex (or a picture to represent you both drawn)
–A pair of scissors.
Preparation: Bathe & Cleanse yourself before starting, set out materials, and
Cast a Basic Magickal Circle.
The Spell
Mark the first Candle with your name and the second Candle with the other person’s name.
Charge the Candles with Anointing Oil, starting from the center moving
outwards (sending energy out), seeing the person named on the Candle as you anoint it.
Take the first Candle in your hand hold it over your Altar Candle visualizing it
being Charged with energy to do your bidding, then present the Candle to the Altar saying:
As the Goddess gave form and substance to our spirits,
I give form and substance to this candle,
As She named us Her children,
I name this Candle as (insert name).
As this Candle is wax and wick,
So it is also flesh and blood, So Mote it be!
Repeat with second Candle.
Sit in meditation and think of the joy this person brought you, picture your favorite memory.
Visualize the link between your hearts as a thick red cord joining you from heart Chakra to heart Chakra.
Tie an end of the cord to each candle, joining you together, as you are joined in spirit.
Place the photo or picture over the center of the cord saying:
As the Goddess links us in Spirit, I link these forms together,
As above, so below, As within, so without!
Again sit in meditation, and think of the reasons you want to cut all ties to this
person, think about the events that have lead up to this decision. Face any doubts
that you may have and see them for what they are, fear. Know in your heart that the
Goddess wants only the best for you and She wants you to want the best for yourself.
When you are ready visualize yourself telling the other that it is over and that
you are moving on, then see yourself turn and walk away – not looking back!
Cut through the Cord that binds you to each other (as well as through the
picture symbolizing your togetherness) and say:
By my free will, with harm to none,
I sever the cord that binds me to (insert name),
As we once chose to share the road we walked,
Now we choose to walk a different path,
Although we still journey to the same destination,
No longer do our steps move in time you are no longer my friend (or
lover), I release the (insert name) from all ties to me
As I am released from thee, As I do will, so mote it be!
Take the candle, 1/2 the cord and 1/2 the picture (the part representing your ex)
in a heatproof bowl, tip a little ‘goodwill incense’ over it all, with a little mentholated spirits,
then as you light it say:
As this smoke rises and drifts away,
So do all my bonds to you… So mote it be!
Place ‘your’ candle on your Altar to burn when you find yourself wishing ‘what if’.
Clean up and Close Circle, then bury everything else except your candle.

The Dragon Altar

The Dragon Altar 

An altar can be any table, chest or microwave cart that is large enough and of a comfortable height to stand and do magic. If you find it impossible to stand during ritual, choose an altar that is a comfortable height while you sit. Colored scarves coordinated to the elements of various dragons can be used to cover the altar. For magicians who are hampered in movement, whether by a broken leg, physical disability, or confinement to a wheelchair, do not despair. Sit at your altar and visualize yourself going through each moving step of the ritual as if you were physically doing it. I known one magician who, while flat in bed for a time, meticulously visualized her way through rituals and got excellent results, although she was unable to do so much as light a candle.

To illuminate the altar, use a black candle on the left end and a white candle on the right. A knowledgeable magician knows that using black candles is not evil magic. The color black is merely the opposite of white; it balances the energies. If you feel you cannot use black, use a very dark blue, purple or indigo.

However, if you do have an aversion to the color black, it signals a need for you to do some intense work on the programming you have accumulated in your subconscious mind. All of us have, at one time or another, received and accepted undesirable programming from others, whether it be from parents, teachers, friends, colleagues, a religious group or simply society in general. Unfortunately, much of this programming is give to us at a very impressionably age when we are not aware enough to reject it. What we acquire at an older age is accepted because we want to fit with a special group, et. Although it take determined effort to undo this programming, it can be done.

Circle Casting #2

Circle Casting #2　

Clean the space physically with your broom or even a vacuum. Purify by burning incense. As you purify, visualize all the negative and disturbing energies leaving your sacred space.

The altar should face the North (the direction of Earth, representing the Goddess) or East (the direction of the rising sun and represents the God). At each of the four Watchtowers, place some sort of mark or object. North is Earth (bowl of salt, a crystal, or bowl of soil). East is Air (incense, flowers or a feather). South is Fire (red or orange candle, obsidian stone). West is water (a bowl of water or shell).

Take your athame or wand to the North. Trace the outline of the circle. Visualize energy extending out to the circle boundary. Do this 3 times. Say as you trace:

“I cast this circle to protect me from outside influences. I charge this circle to draw in only loving and helping vibrations. I create sacred space.”

When you return to the North, face toward your circle’s barrier. Raise your athame or wand. Say:

“God, Goddess and Guardians of the North. Powers of the Earth. I call you to attend my circle.”

Move to the East. Raise your wand or athame. Say:

“God, Goddess, and Guardians of the East, I call you to attend my circle.”

Move to the South. Raise your wand or athame. Say:

“God, Goddess, and Guardians of the South. Power of fire, I call you to attend my circle.”

Move to the West. Raise your wand or athame and say:

“God, Goddess, and Guardians of the West. Powers of water, I call you to attend my circle.”

Return to the altar and proceed with ritual work.

Circle Casting #1

Circle Casting #1

Stand in front of your altar with your athame or wand raised above your head. Ground and center to relax and become focused. Saying:

“I conjure ye, circle of power, so that you can be for me a boundary between the worlds of men and the realm of the mighty spirits. A Meeting place of trust, love and joy, containing the power I raise herein.”

Now go to the north side of the circle. Walk around the boundary 3 times with your athame or wand. Visualize a white energy or light coming from the tip to energize the circle and form a sphere of protection around you.

Return to the altar. Light the incense. Let the smoke fill your circle and visualize it cleansing the atmosphere. Say:

“The circle is cast. I am between the worlds, beyond the bounds of time. Where night and day, birth and death, joy and sorrow meet as one.”

Go to the Eastern quarter of the circle. Raise your arms high in salute. Say:

“Hail to the Guardians of the Watchtower of the East. By the air that is Her breath, send forth your light. Be here now.”

Trace an invoking pentagram in the air (an invoking pentagram starts at the top point and moves to the bottom left point).

Now move to the South. Say:

“Hail to the Guardians of the Watchtowers of the South. By the fire that is Her spirit, send forth your flame. Be here now.”

Trace an invoking pentagram in the air.

Now move to the West. Say:

“Hail to the guardians of the Watchtower of the West. By the waters of Her living womb, send forth your flow. Be here now.”

Trace an invoking pentagram in the air.

Now move to the North. Say:

“Hail to the Guardians of the Watchtowers of the North. By the Earth that is Her body, send forth your strength. Be here now.”

Trace an invoking pentagram.

Return to the altar. Say:

“Welcome all kind and wonderful spirits. The circle is cast. Let the ritual begin!”

Now perform the ritual you came before the Gods to do. Here is one way to close the circle.
Take the athame or wand from the altar. Walk counterclockwise around near the boundary. Draw the circle’s energy into the tool. When all is absorbed, return to the altar, ring the bell once or tap the altar and say:

“Let the circle now be open. Thank you wonderful spirits. Mother and Father for attending my circle. May we all go in peace and love. Blessed Be!”

Calendar of the Sun for Saturday, March 3rd

Calendar of the Sun
3 Hrethemonath

Festival of the Girlchild

Colors: Any mix of bright colors
Element: Water
Altar: Lay cloth of bright colors. On this day, let girl children below the age of their first blood come into the house and lay upon the altar their most beloved dolls and toys, and hang pictures that they have drawn, and set on the altar what food they would offer to their toys, of their choice, to be provided by the house.
Offerings: Give gifts to girl children, especially of time and attention and companionship.
Daily Meal: What the girl children choose, so long as it is within the eating rules of the house.

Invocation to the Sacred Girlchild

March gales April rainbow
Breath indrawn in anticipation
Hair whipping wild
May sunlight June bonfire
Electric passion beneath the ribs
Cat dancer in the coals
March storm April dew
Cool laughter bubbles up inside
Wading in the rushes
May clover June narcissus
Ankle-deep in sun-warmed loam
And the green-scented grasses
She is the boundaries of her own universe
And is She not her own most wonderful creation?
She will grow and change and die
Yet at this moment She does not care.
Maiden, adorn us with flowers.
Teach us to throw snowballs
to topple the defenses of dignity and pride.
Teach us to weep unabashed
And laugh unafraid.
Never let us lose your friendship
Lest we be lost to ourselves.

(All join hands including those girl children who wish it, and dance in a circle.)

Calendar of the Sun for February 28th

Calendar of the Sun
28 Solmonath

Matronalia – Day of Juno Lucina

Colors: White and purple
Element: Air
Altar: On a cloth of white and purple set ten white candles in a row, a silver chalice of white wine, and incense of flowers.
Offerings: Candles, placed around the altar.
Daily Meal: White breads. Pasta with white sauce.

Invocation to Juno Lucina

Hail, Queen of Light!
Within each of us,
Buried deep beneath
The everyday layers of Life,
The sweat and toil and cries,
Lies the spark of genius
That of old was called Juno.
You speak to us, O radiant queen,
From that small point of light
Deep in our souls
When all seems most grey.
May that light shine ever
Within us, and let us
Never fail to find that voice
Like a single jewel
In the palm of our hands.

Chant: Lucina Lucina Lumen Lumen

(All light votive candles and place them on the floor around the altar as they chant, and then the wine is poured out as a libation to Juno Lucina.)

The Dragon Altar

The Dragon Altar

An altar can be any table, chest or microwave cart that is large enough and of a comfortable height to stand and do magic. If you find it impossible to stand during ritual, choose an altar that is a comfortable height while you sit. Colored scarves coordinated to the elements of various dragons can be used to cover the altar. For magicians who are hampered in movement, whether by a broken leg, physical disability, or confinement to a wheelchair, do not despair. Sit at your altar and visualize yourself going through each moving step of the ritual as if you were physically doing it. I known one magician who, while flat in bed for a time, meticulously visualized her way through rituals and got excellent results, although she was unable to do so much as light a candle.

To illuminate the altar, use a black candle on the left end and a white candle on the right. A knowledgeable magician knows that using black candles is not evil magic. The color black is merely the opposite of white; it balances the energies. If you feel you cannot use black, use a very dark blue, purple or indigo.

However, if you do have an aversion to the color black, it signals a need for you to do some intense work on the programming you have accumulated in your subconscious mind. All of us have, at one time or another, received and accepted undesirable programming from others, whether it be from parents, teachers, friends, colleagues, a religious group or simply society in general. Unfortunately, much of this programming is give to us at a very impressionably age when we are not aware enough to reject it. What we acquire at an older age is accepted because we want to fit with a special group, et. Although it take determined effort to undo this programming, it can be done.

Calendar of the Sun for Tuesday, February 21

Calendar of the Sun

Feralia: Day of Purification

Color: White
Element: Air
Altar: On a white cloth put a lit candle, incense, a cup of water, and a bowl of salt.
Offering: Although this day is not a day of total silence, it is a solemn day and talking should be done only when necessary and in quiet tones. Bodies should be thoroughly cleaned during the bathing hour, and then the altar area should be cleaned and purified with all four elements. Each person, upon entering the altar space at the beginning of Sponde should remove their clothing and be naked, and each body should be purified with the four elements and marked with water and salt, at which point they may enrobe again. Chores of the day should concentrate on cleaning and repair.
Daily Meal: Vegan and extremely simple and plain.

Feralia Invocation

Breathe the air into your body
And breathe out again,
And as you breathe out,
Let all grime and corruption
Depart on that breath
(All breathe together for twelve breaths.)
Feel the blood coursing through your body
And imagine it clean
Of anything but what should be there.
Feel the energy coursing through your body
And wash it clean
Of anything that does not belong.
Feel the Earth beneath you,
Remember that She can absorb all
Remember that all rot is her provenance
Draw her energy up into you
And give it back again.

(After this grounding, all breathe together again in a yogic breathing pattern for the next half an hour, after which all will go with water and salt and incense and fire to all rooms in the house and cleanse them. Great care should be taken for the rest of the day not to disturb the energy of the freshly cleaned house.)

Celtic Magick Spell for February 16th – Rid Yourself of Negatives

Celtic Spell for Thursday, February 16th

Rid Yourself of Negatives

Set an empty cauldron or goblet on your altar between two lit white candles. Burn a good protection or blessings incense. Robe yourself, preferably in white, and stand or sit before the altar. Breathe slowly and evenly until you are calm and centered. Take the cauldron or goblet in both hands hold high over the altar in salute to the Gods. Lower to chest level and slowly breathe into the cauldron, silently naming each habit, person or experience you wish removed from your life

When finished, turn the cauldron or goblet upside down on the altar, saying:

“The contents of this vessel I give to thee,

Great Ones. Exchanges these experiences

for better.”

Place an offering of herbs and milk outside. Or at least burn the herbs in your censer. This is best done during the Waning Moon.

 

Meditation to Meet Your Water Guide

Meditation to Meet Your Water Guide 

Create a simple altar with a bowl of water and floating blue candles. Use a rain-scented incense. You may keep a chalice filled with wine or a favorite herbal tea on the altar. Take several deep, cleansing breaths. Cast your personal circle. Close your eyes. Visualize the gateway to the elemental realm of water. What does it look like? How does it open? Focus on your breath. Keep your breathing deep, slow and steady. See the gate open, and walk through it. Amazingly, you find yourself walking across the bottom of the sea, yet you can still breathe easily, encased in your own personal bubble. The sand is firm under your feet. Around you are bright coral shells, starfish, sea horses, and dolphins. Schools of brightly colored fish swim by. Walk slowly toward the figure you see in the distance. Focus on your breath. You are calm, relaxed and happy. Greet your elemental guide for the realm of water, and listen to what he has to say. When you have heard all you wish, thank him. Begin to walk back toward the gateway. Stay focused on your breath as you take on last look at the beautiful world beneath the waves. Walk through the gateway and see it close. Take several deep breaths and then open your eyes slowly. Write down what you learned in your journal. Close your circle.

A Garden Dedication (Earth Magick)

A Garden Dedication

A special god or goddess garden can be wonderful addition to your landscaping with a small amount of planning. As an example, we will look at a garden dedicated to Hecate. Hecate is the ruler of the three-way crossroads, so if it is possible to place her garden close to one, it would be a smart choice. Traditionally, altars dedicated to Hecate were erected at such locations. For plant choices, look up her history and choose plants that have symbolic connection to her, such as the poppy flower, azalea bush, and cypress tree. For decoration, a lantern is a good choice, as Hecate is said to always carry a torch and to be the embodiment of a living flame. A statue is always a wise choice as well.

In your overall landscaping, you can place a small tribute garden to Hecate where the paths meet in a three way-crossroads, if you have no actual roads near your gardens. This is probably the safer choice to avoid toxic fumes from vehicles bothering your delicate plants.

Once the planting is complete, it is time to dedicate the garden. If you included any sort of altar components in your design, simply set it up for use. If you didn’t you can erect a temporary altar from a garden bench or large stone. If you can plan your planting schedule around the moon phases, so much the better. The dedication ritual should ideally be performed under a full moon.

Supplies:

A chalice, filled with a sweet red wine

Several sticks of willow or sandalwood incense

4 clear quartz crystals, programmed with growth and love

Go around the garden and place the incense sticks in the ground. Light them and blow out the flames so that they begin to smoke. Once the aroma begins to drift through the gardens, say something along the lines of, “This smoke consecrates this garden as sacred ground. Only love and light may enter here.”

Next, take the crystals and bury them at the cardinal points while calling upon the universal energies of each direction to aid your garden in its task to thrive. Be specific and ask each direction to bless the garden and leave behind some of its essence. Important note: You are not calling the corners per se, so a dismissal is not mandatory. However, if you feel you should include one, by all means do so.

Now walk the circle with the chalice in hand, and splash the wine about the garden. Say, “I dedicate this land and all it contains to Hecate. Blessed it shall be. May it thrive and hold fast to her honor. As it is sacred ground, no one may pollute it. Hecate, come and dwell in your sanctuary!” Clap your hands three times. The dedication is now complete.

Tend this garden faithfully but allow for nature to run its course. Hecate may have plans to add a plant here and there, and this should be allowed. However, you should remove any weeds (especially those that are not related to Hecate) and, if necessary water the ground. Accept the notion that Hecate will reside with you as long as this area is maintained properly.

You can create a generic goddess garden by following the basic outline of a moon garden. Moon gardens frequently include all the silvery herbs as opposed to the greener varieties. They often feature gazing gloves, wind chimes, white stones for pathways, and white stone benches for relaxing. Moon gardens often delight scents, as most of the flowers are very aromatic.

If you decide to incorporate lighting into a moon-garden design, keep it subtle and stick to pathways only. You want the moonlight to reflect off of the white and silvery plants, creating a glow. Important note: When sitting in a moon garden at night, it is not unusual to be attacked by insects. Prepare yourself beforehand with a solution of mint essential oil diluted in rubbing alcohol.