Tag: Candle
Your Candle Altar
Your Candle Altar
Your Altar:
You may use anything that has a flat top.. I use an old trunk with a piece of plywood on it. Be creative.. As for a cover I use white because of it’s kind of a multipurpose color. Although some magic specifies a color then what ever color is specified should be used. Again, be creative… Keep in mind that candle magic is usually done in condensed areas so keep things as simplistic as you can, especially your candlesticks and censors.
Incense:
There are some who believe that incense is unimportant in candle magic. I cannot imagine performing candle magic without the incense. The type that you use may be specified in a specific spell, if that is the case by all means use that. Generally, I use three kings incense as well as vervain. Vervain gives the spell working a little umph. But then again nothing is set in stone.. Be creative.
Incense symbolizes Air… as the smoke rises our thoughts are carried up into the universe.
Preparing of the Practitioner:
Prior to your spell working prepare yourself a nice relaxing bath. Add a hand full of sea salt to get your charges set where they need to be. Light a few candles, turn off the light and relax. Clear your mind of the junk you have picked up through out the day. Visualize the water washing all the negativity away from you. It is very important that your mind be at ease and clear prior to any spell working.
Types of candles:
Any type of candle can be used for candle magic as long as it has been cleansed and consecrated prior to use. Although beeswax candles are higher in price than store bought candles, they are more powerful because they are produced from nature. As with any other tool, the candle made by the practitioner for a specific purpose captures the energy of the practitioner. Many experienced Witches will use only candles they have crafted themselves because of this.
Lady A’s Spell of the Day for April 29 – CANDLE SPELL TO STOP HARASSMENT
CANDLE SPELL TO STOP HARASSMENT
Timing: During the waning moon. Use a brown candle (an image candle, if you can)
to represent the person who is harassing you.
Write the person’s name on the front and back of the candle.
On a small piece of parchment paper, write:
‘From now on, (name) will say nothing but sweet words about me and to me.
By the power of Aradia, so mote it be!’
Put a drop of honey in the middle of the paper and roll it into a ball.
Heat a knife, pin or your athame, make a gash in the candle (in its mouth, if it’s an image candle)
and stuff the paper ball into it.
Let the candle burn a little while every night for an odd number of nights, to a maximum
of nine nights. Throw the remnants into flowing water, but save some candle drippings
or ash to sprinkle in the path of your oppressor.
ALTARS (Misc. Thoughts)
ALTARS (Misc. Thoughts)
Chris Olmstead
Chris Olmstead
As for Altar set ups…
1. I once read Crowley’s remarks on how he contrived his stuff while he was out
wandering the world or climbing mountains. He found ways to just use the
simple things from his kit…cook knife became Athame, tin cup became the
Cup…etc.
This sort of ‘kitchen witch’ working is accepted by lots of folks. You can set an
altar up and take it down as fast as you can set a table.
2. I also have noted the “Porto-Pagan” set-ups at some of the Pagan Fests I’ve
attended. Carry the stuff in a cardboard box that can be up-ended for an altar, or
even placed on it’s side for a rain-proof ‘shrine’. Close and carry off at the end of
the visit with a minimum of re-wrapping to protect the fragiles. Some just contrive
one with the natural objects at hand…a rock, a stick, a lantern or candle, etc.
3. Some folks (including myself) have a small duffle into which I’ve placed a
second set of “traveling” working tools. I have the great good-fortune of having
friends who give me cool things. The coolest stay on my Altar, the second-
coolest hang out in the sac, and sometimes I shift the goodies around.
4. I have a buncha books that offer arrangements I find a bit Over-whelming, but
I can certainly post them, if you really need them. If you want me to fetch out
Official Altar diagrams from some of the slick commercial works I have on the
shelf, RSVP.
5. For “public” Altar, in my home, I ‘clutter’ a shelf, a mantle, or a small window
sill. It sounds to me as though, since all your stuff is packed andyour space is
totally compressed, that the “window sill” Altar is a good solution for you. I put a
little origami pinwheel up on an Eastern sill, a small shell on a Western one, a
tiny oil lamp on a Southern one, and a pretty rock on a Northern one. The whole
House is the Altar “Table”.
To clear my space I have been known to light a stick of incense, scaling it
upward in my mind until I am swinging a huge flaming brand before the various
Darks I’m dispelling, and run through the house screaming and raving aloud until
they back off. A joss stick lasts about 20 minutes. I can almost guarantee that if
you summon your Ki and Incant over a flaming brand for 15 minutes, most
Shadows _will_ go elsewhere. I haven’t had to do it in THIS house more than
twice in 3 years
Deity of the Day for April 24 is Yemaya
Deity of the Day
Yemaya
Mother Water, Star of the Sea, Yemaya is the protector of women. Her healing powers are carried in the great waters, her energy powerful during the ebb and flow of life challenges.
MANTRA
- · Nourishment
GEMSTONES
- · Lapis lazuli, aquamarine, turquoise (light blue stones), pearl, coral, mother-of-pearl (ocean-sourced)
ESSENTIAL OILS
- · Goddess-ence Ishtar* blend for the crown chakra
AFFIRMATIONS
- · I voice my needs
- · Freedom is a birthright I enjoy
- · I release my anger, I embrace joy
- · Others recognise my needs and honour them
- · I connect with my needs, and let them be known
- · My body is a temple, and oh what a temple it is!
- · My body is a pleasure, a temple and a treasure
Her Story
West African, Brazilian and Afro-Caribbean goddess Yemaya is Mother Water, orisha of the oceans. She represents mother love and the affairs of women – fertility, children, birthing, the home and family. She is the merciful goddess of creation and protector of women during conception and childbirth, and of children during their childhood. She is the deep ocean of comfort for those in need.
African deities (orishas) are usually represented by flowing, swirling images of colour and movement, depicting the elemental energies rather than an anthropomorphised image. Yemaya’s energy is depicted with sky blue, white and silver swirling colour. In other images, she is a mermaid or a beautiful woman.
Yemaya brings forth and protects life through all the highs and lows, even during the worst atrocities that can be suffered. She reminds women to take time out for themselves, to nurture their own needs and to respect their deserved position in life.
Her Modern Energy
If Yemaya is speaking to you today, ask yourself, who or what is it that is taking all your time and energy? Whose problems are you trying to fix at the expense of your own vital energy? And why are you trying to fix them? (For approval?) Yemaya does not ask that you conquer your problems nor dominate the source of your problems, but instead to learn how to dance with the ebb and flow of the inevitability of the life cycle.
Yemaya gives you permission to pamper yourself, and for one week at least, to retire from being the “fixer”, the “nurturer”, the “servant”. The world will not end if you withdraw to take care of yourself for a while.
Reconnect With Your Inner Yemaya
Spend some time this week building a shrine to Yemaya, with ocean-sourced items (especially the conch shell), crystal and silver objects, and symbols to represent the moon and stars.
On a Saturday, enjoy watermelon and brew your own raspberry leaf tea (this will take around two weeks to prepare).
Raspberry leaf tea: Tie organically grown raspberry leaves in a bunch and hang in a warm, dark area until dry. Strip the leaves, crumble them into your favourite tea-pot or cauldron, and brew Yemaya’s tea. Take your time to drink this – cancel appointments and other demands for your time, and let yourself truly, purely, “be” in the moment!
Alternatively, on a full moon, invoke Yemaya’s energy by “drawing down the moon”. Here is a suggestion that is in Ffiona Morgan’s book, “Goddess Spirituality”. This ritual can be done as a private ritual with yourself, preferably outside under the full moon. (If it is not possible to go outside, you can sit or stand facing a window in view of the moon, with the moon’s rays shining in on you.)
Start by chanting ‘Ma’, ‘Yemaya’, or ‘Luna’ for five or ten minutes, to raise energy for the drawing down. Then place your hands with palms facing the moon, index fingers and thumbs touching, forming the sacred triangle, or sign of the yoni. Spread your fingers as wide as possible, so they are receptors for moon energy. After you chant to raise power, focus all your energy and vision on Mother Moon and draw her energy down into your body. Move your hands, if desired, back and forth, from arms-outstretched position to your heart and back again. After a few minutes of holding your hands up to the moon, you can feel them tingle. This is magical energy. This can take 15-20 minutes, but you may take more or less time, there are no rules. Here are some songs and chants to the moon:
“Yemaya, O Lo Do, Agua Lo Do Mi O”
(repeat over and over again)
“Moon, Moon, Moon on my mind, think I’ll fly”
(repeat over and over again)
Simple Shower Ritual
First, gather your shower and ritual tools. You will need a bar of soap (pick one that is special to you because of the scent or whatever), a big, fluffy white towel, 3 white votives or pillars and your favourite incense. Pick a soothing CD to put on.
Next, arrange the candles, put on the CD and light the incense. Hang your towel nearby. Take 5 deep breaths, centre, and ground yourself before beginning.
Take the soap and carve a pentagram on both sides of the soap. Ask for the sense and presence of the Goddess. Hold the bar in the air and say these words:
O Mother Goddess,
Bless this soap that you have seen
Soap to make me pure and clean.
Clear away all dirt and grime
Protect my body all the time.
Blessed be.
Place it in the soap holder.
Lastly, take each candle and carve a pentacle or protective rune on its side. Grab all three candles in your hands and repeat these words:
Candles that I light this day,
Keep all evil thoughts away.
As the water washes me,
Burn out all negativity. Blessed be.
Kiss each candle then light it. Now you are ready for your shower.
As the water runs over you visualise all your stress, sadness and worries rinsing away, the bubbles cleaning off dirt and leaving your skin glowing with a radiant white glow all around you. This will keep you feeling strong and protected all through the day. Thank the Goddess for her presence and put all tools away for next time.
Altar Cleansing
Altar Cleansing
Supplies: Holy water, scented oil, incense, miniature broom (you can find these at craft stores), salt, two bowls (one for the salt and one for the water—any small, waterproof container is acceptable, many like to use seashells) red candle (taper or votive) candle holder, inspirational music.
Note: If you are not permitted to burn candles or use a lighter, it is okay to think of something else that represents fire to you. For example, you may use a picture of a candle, an electric candle (which are sold around Halloween and Christmas), or a combination of red, yellow, and orange tissue paper fashioned into your idea of fire. You could even wrap colored tissue paper over the head of a flashlight to help you visualize that fiery glow. I wholeheartedly agree that nothing beats the real thing, but if you can’t, then just use your imagination to think of something that will be acceptable for you and your environment.
Timing: Full Moon or New Moon
Instructions: The most important aspect of any magic or ritual is that you take your time, and perform the working without interruption. If someone knocks on your door, or insists on repeatedly walking through the room while you are working, you will most likely become frustrated and lose your concentration. As focus is a major part of magic, you will need to choose a time when you will not be disturbed, especially for the very serious things like cleansing and consecrating your altar.
Place your supplies on a tray or on the floor by your altar. Before you begin, take three deep breaths. As you breathe out, release any negativity or unhappiness you may feel. Now close your eyes and rub your hand lightly together. The deep breathing helps you relax and the friction you create with your hands activates the chakra points (energy fields) in your palms. Closing your eyes helps you to ground and center, and prepare for a magical working. Say:
I feel the power of Spirit in and around me. So Mote It Be.
Open your eyes. Hold the red candle in your hand and say:
May you be cleansed, consecrated and blessed in the name of Spirit (or “in the name of the Lord and Lady”).
Light the candle, then hold the candle out in front of you, over the altar, saying:
From the black and formless void, light blossomed into existence. By igniting this candlewick. I bring the Grace of Spirit (or “our Mother) into my life and into my altar. Element of fire, work your will by my desire.
Pass the flame three times in a counterclockwise (widdershins) direction over the altar, saying:
I banish all negativity from this (wood, stone). Nothing evil or nasty, real or imagined, can ever abide here.
Set the burning candle safely to the side. You will be using it again.
Hold your hands over the incense, and say:
Element of air, may you be cleansed, consecrated, and blessed in the name of Spirit.
Light the incense from the candle flame. Pass the incense smoke over the surface of the altar three times in a counterclockwise direction, saying:
Element of air, work you will by my desire. I banish all negativity from this (wood, stone). Nothing evil or nasty, real or imagined, can ever abide here.
Set the burning incense safely to the side. You will be using it again.
Hold your hands over the salt, and say:
Element of earth, may you be cleansed, consecrated and blessed in the name of Spirit.
When your palm, begin to tingle or grow warm, sprinkle the salt lightly over the top of the altar surface. Just a little will do. Say:
I cleanse this altar with the salt of the earth. Element of earth, work your will by my desire. I banish all negativity from this (wood, stone). Nothing evil or nasty, real or imagined, can ever abide here.
Set the bowl aside. Pick up the bowl or water and say:
Element of water, may you be cleansed, consecrated and blessed in the name of Spirit.
Place the bowl of water in the center of the altar. Add three pinches of salt, stirring clockwise with your finger after each addition to the water. Imagine the water glowing with a soft blue or white light. Pick up the small broom and sprinkle with both salt and water, saying:
Besom, may you be cleansed, consecrated and blessed in the name of Spirit. Work the magic by my desire.
Dip the broom into the consecrated water, and begin sprinkling tiny drops of the liquid onto the altar in counterclockwise (widdershins) circles, saying:
I banish all negativity from this (wood, stone). Nothing evil or nasty, real or imagined, can ever abide here. So Mote It Be!
Lady A’s Spell of the Day for 4/3: Candle of Serenity
Candle of Serenity
Use for easing of problems Preferably performed just before the New Moon: the waning moon will help the problems dissipate.
Use when everything seems to be going wrong, your self-esteem is low, and everything and everyone around feel imbued with negativity.
Have a plate or ashtray nearby, and 7 pieces of paper (not to big).
Light a green candle and meditate on the problems afflicting you.
If needed, write these down on pieces of paper.
Light each piece of paper, one by one, and set them on the plate to burn, repeating the following over and over:
“Let my spirit be free as the wind
that can be harnessed but never tamed
Let the fears and dark thoughts that burden me
dissipate as light smoke in the breeze
Let all evil directed at me
turn to ash before my inner flame”
Continue repeating these words and focus on the burning paper, visualizing the negativity turn to smoke and ashes.
You should feel yourself growing lighter.
Let the fire go out by itself, and meditate a moment to purge any negative feelings that have remained in you.
Dispose of the ashes in running water and/or setting them to the wind. Make sure no ash is left on the plate.
Keep the candle and light it and meditate every time you feel negativity taking over you again.
7 Ways to Make Your Living Space Smell Nice
7 Ways to Make Your Living Space Smell Nice
posted by Megan, selected from Intent.com
Rather than spraying chemical-laden air fresheners, choose one of these seven natural ways to make your living space smell a little nicer.
1. Invest in houseplants. Have your favorite plants and herbs growing in your kitchen, living room and bathroom in small pots. The presence of green plants will help reduce indoor air pollution and keep clean air circulating in your space.
2. Save your citrus fruit skins. Save the peels of oranges, lemons, limes and other citrus- fruits. You can place them in boiling water to have a fresh scent in the kitchen, or run them in your garbage disposal with boiling water. Lastly, put some citrus skins in your vacuum bag the next time you vacuum your carpet.
3. Dilute essential oil with water in a spray bottle. You can spray your furniture and carpet to make the whole room smell a specific scent. To diversify, you can have different scents for different areas of your home. For example: lavender for the living room, sandalwood for your bedroom and peppermint for the bathroom.
4. Place bowls of white vinegar in corners of the room. The vinegar will neutralize and absorb any offending odors.
5. Place fabric softener in your shoes and closet. It will take away any stale clothing smells. For another closet air freshener, place a cedar block at the bottom of your closet. Use sandpaper for a new layer once a year.
6. Light soy candles instead of regular candles. Soy candles are longer-lasting, better for the environment and have a more robust smell. (They are also safer than carcinogen-emitting candles.)
7. Bake bread or cook your own meals. Few things are as welcoming as the smell of freshly baked bread or the herbs of a home-cooked dinner.
Ideas for the Witch’s Altar
Ideas for the Witch’s Altar
Dresser, nightstand, or bureau in your room.
A flat piece of stone that is portable.
A skateboard.
Empty closet.
Desk drawer (not recommended for burning candles).
Cinderblocks.
Steppingstone (can be purchased at a garden store, or you can make one yourself from material purchased at a craft store).
Bookshelf (not recommended for burning candles–even though you think the flame is far enough away from the next shelf, it will warp and eventually burn the shelf above.)
Top of a filing cabinet.
A large mirror.
A cookie sheet.
A serving tray.
A camping tripod, sold in most camping sections of large department stores. It should be noted that these can wobble.
An old steamer trunk or other trunk with shelves from an antique store or flea market. (Be careful of open candle flames and take appropriate precautious.)
A window sill (however, don’t put burning candles there).
In your imagination. Some people scoff at this, but there are people who are not permitted to have altars for a variety of reasons. Perhaps your parents or spouse are aftaid that you’re religiously going down the tubes and have put their foot down on the issue of an altar. College students, due tol iving conditions, may not be allowed to have an altar. Individuals in the military service at boot campe can’t have on either Maybe you are visiting Grandma for the summer and you know that she’ll find the idea an altar offensive. If your family goes on an exxtended vacation, where luggage is a factor. Mon and DAy might not be too happy if you bring a twenty-ton suitcase with all your altar stuff, even though they don’t mind your altar at home. Learning to build an altar in your imagination helps you to enhances your visualization sklls. You really never know when you might need those mental powers.
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