Tag: Craft

Eating Disorder Banishing Spell

 
 
For maximum effect, this spell should coincide with a waning moon.
 
1. Add essential oil of fennel to olive oil or create infused oil of fennel.
 
2. Dress a small black candle with this oil.
 
3. Hold the (unlit) candle in your hands and visualize your pain and bad habits flowing from your body into the candle. Try to purge yourself of all negative urges and emotions, at least momentarily.
 
4. When you feel this has been accomplished, put the candle down and pick up a moonstone in your left hand, and a clear quartz in your right.
 
5. Bury the candle, not too close to your home. (If it is buried on your property, make it the furthest point from the house.) Place the crystals in a pretty charm bag and keep them with you constantly, cleansing them frequently and recharging when needed.

Using Tree Magick

 

You can use trees in magick in countless ways, the most basic by touching a tree with both hands, palms flat against the trunk and asking for its particular powers to enter you. This is another way of tuning into the different strengths of various trees.

 

Collect twigs from different trees or small hand-carved items made of the different woods and use them as charms to bring the powers you need into your life.

 

You can empower these with salt, incense, candle flame or water if you wish, though the natural wood is already powerful.

 

Craft fairs are an excellent source of small hand-carved items, as are ethnic stores that give a fair price to crafts people.

 

Carry a different wood when you need its particular strength.

 

You can also burn incenses and oils made from different trees (where possible, use natural plant products) and state aloud nine times the power you seek from the tree fragrance as you write your needs in the air with the smoke from an incense stick.

 

You can eat seeds, nuts and fruits from different trees or use products made from the blossoms in your bath to absorb the magickal strengths into your life. Natural tree, as well as flower and herbal products used in the kitchen give your home protection and harmony – and are much better for the environment than many of the alternatives.

 

Finally you can burn two or three of the woods in a fire dish, barbecue or open fire to release the qualities you need. Create chants or a simple phrase or two incorporating the names of the chosen trees and what you seek from them.

 

Lady A’s Spell Of The Day for Oct. 11th: Turn The Tables Spell

Is someone making your life difficult? Turn the tables on that person with the spell below.

Best time to perform this spell:

  • Anytime

Items you will need:

  • A candle
  • A candle holder
  • A small mirror
  • A photo of your tormentor (if possible)
  • Matches

 

  • Place the candle in its holder and set it on top of the photo at one end of a table. If you can’t obtain a photo, inscribe your enemy’s name on the candle – the candle represents the person who’s causing you trouble.
  • Light the candle, then seat yourself at the other end of the table.
  • Hold the mirror so that it reflects the flame and say aloud:

“Behold this mirror is my shield. Your wicked way will be revealed. Any evil that you do will instantly turn back on you.”

  • Imagine the mirror deflecting harm away from you and back onto the other person.
  • When you’ve finished, snuff out the candle.
  • Hang the mirror on the outside of the door to your home or office to ward off unwanted energies.
  • Melt the candle completely and bury the residue along with the photo far from your home.

¡Buena mañana, mis estimados amigos!

Magickal Graphics
 Lmao! I couldn’t resist. I told you I was trying to think of new ways to say, “Good Morning!” Before you run to Babelfish (like me, lol!) the above says, “Good Morning, my dear friends! Hey it’s different (not the greeting, the language, lol)!

 

 The photo I used today, I read and then re-read it. It touched my heart and it also describes me to a tee. I am sure if you read it, it will also touch some of you. It is true our past experiences, good and bad, make us who we are. We learn from them and we grow. We never stop learning if we do, we stop growing. This is especially true in The Craft. Witchcraft is a never ending journey. You must have your mind open and always be willing to learn. With an open mind and a willingness to learn, the Goddess will show you all the beauties and mysteries of this world and the universe.

~Magickal Graphics~

Happy, Happy, Happy Wednesday, dear friends!

Days Of The Week Comments

I hope everyone is having a fantastic day. I am sorry I am running late. I have been submitting the blog to some search engines. It has come to my attention that your blog or website does not stay listed forever anymore. You have to occasionally resubmit it. I am hoping that the blog will go up in its standing in some of the major search engines. 

Now on to the more important stuff, I have been thinking again (look out, lol!). Or perhaps I got a small Cosmic slap today but anyway here goes….I realized doing the dailys every day is fine but I need to get back to teaching also. So I am going to start putting more information about The Craft, potions, mists, aromatherapy, you name it, it’s going to be here. If it has to do with Witchcraft or related, it is going to start to appear on this blog. But I know I have gotten away from teaching and I apologize for that. You will start to see more new material in regards to Witchcraft appear on the blog. 

Last but not least, I had a couple of questions in regards to my graphics I use on this site. Basically, I search high and low for the graphics on this site. I am extremely picky and it could take me two or three days to find what I like. I use search engine sites (mostly Google). For instance, the pumpkin background, I typed in “images of fall pumpkins.” Up popped several images and I hunted through them till I found the one I liked. I also use Deviantart.com for some of my images. This time I didn’t use them but they have some fantastic talent there and they deserve to be checked out. For my daily pics, I use Magickal Graphics. Magickal Graphics collects pics and other stuff from all over the web. They are dedicated strictly to the Magickal Arts which is great. Lastly, I have a glitter site which is fantastic. They are http://www.glitter-graphics.com/  (Glitter-Graphics.com). This place is unbelievable. You can spend hours and hours searching their archives. I can be looking for a starry background, enter it into their search engine and up pops 2347 images. I ain’t kidding. This place is awesome. Most of the time I get my dividers from them. But I believe this time, I used some of my own. But those are basically the way I come up with my “awesome” (which I thank you for using that term) graphics. I hope I have helped you out some. But please check out these sites, you will be amazed. 

Well, I guess that is it for this Wednesday. You have a great and blessed day!

Love to all,

Lady A

Relationships: When Only One of You is Pagan

Relationships: When Only One of You is Pagan

Author: Ryan Hatcher
I’ve been in my current relationship for about a year and a quarter and like any relationship, we have our ups and downs. One thing that tends to pop up regularly, whether in jest or debate and sometimes a jibe, is the subject of my being a Pagan, because my partner isn’t and this will sometimes cause conflict.

And so, I thought it would be interesting to write about what it’s like to be in a relationship with a Pagan when you aren’t one. And the best way I could think of doing that would be to do a sort of interview with my other half. And that’s exactly what I did! I’ve also included my side of the response so it gives both perspectives (a Pagan with a non-Pagan partner and vice versa) .

[Begin interview]

How would you define your personal spiritual or religious standpoint?

Chris: I don’t really have a religion and I wouldn’t really class myself as being particularly spiritual, I feel there’s no physical presence [of divinity] but we enlighten ourselves through our interaction with nature and natural forces. I see nature and natural forces as the spiritual essence of the planet.

Ryan: If I was to label myself, I would say I was a Witch of my own tradition, though mostly I use the term Pagan first. I see nature and the forces of nature personified through my Gods.

Have you ever had any experience with paganism prior to meeting your partner? (If so, what did you make of it?)

Chris: [lengthy pause]…Charmed, Buffy, The Craft…media images! I bought a couple of books from a local ‘witchy shop’ when I was younger to see if it took me to a place where I wanted to be. Experimenting with the spells wasn’t what I expected. I expected there would be more obvious results.

Has your perspective or any preconceptions of paganism been changed or confirmed? How do you perceive paganism now?

Chris: I see paganism now as any other form of religion/worship, etc. with its own set of beliefs, which I respect even if though I’m not pagan.

What do you find are the difficulties of being in a partnership when one of you is Pagan?

Chris: Finding space for the paraphernalia mostly! Such as trying to find areas for some things to be on display while not imposing on the rest of the house! I’m not too keen on ritual clothing; robes and stuff makes it seem much more like dressing up, like a play or pretending. It makes it seem more ‘out there’ to me.

I find it difficult trying to understand his need and want to practice Paganism. It makes me think that he must feel there’s something lacking in his life or in himself… as if he’s not enough of a person as he is, like he needs some extra support. Does he lack a self-belief to be able to go out there and do things himself? Maybe he needs to work behind closed doors using spells to get a result instead of going out there and grabbing the bull by the horns?

Ryan: It’s kind of hard trying to get him to understand the point behind my beliefs and practices. The religious and spiritual side of paganism is easier to understand, as it’s not that dissimilar to Chris’ own point of view, though perhaps I take it to another level. The hard part is trying to explain magic and spell work. It ranges from trying to quantify the ‘how’ of magic to justifying reasons why. I think it gets taken out of perspective sometimes and he thinks I work a spell for everything I want in life, when it’s really only for things I can’t physically influence in the world.

Sometimes I think he feels embarrassed as well. I like to have some things on display, for a mixture of aesthetic value and providing a sense of spiritual connection to our home. It may be that he is worried whether people will think we’re/I’m odd and not want to get involved any more, or more likely it’s because I’ve gathered so much stuff over the last 10 years he’s worried about clutter!

I think the hardest thing, though, is that I’ve got someone to share my life with, yet I can’t share all of it as he’s not interested, or embarrassed. It just means ritual has to still be done alone, but when he’s out of the house, just in case he thinks I’m being weird!

Are there any advantages or things you enjoy about only one of you being Pagan?

Chris: I don’t think there are any advantages or anything I enjoy that is different to having a non-pagan partner.

Ryan: Not really. I guess there are no arguments on the right way to do ritual and things like that, but apart from that, there are the same basic dynamics as in any other relationship.

Have you ever been involved in ritual together and what did you make of it?

Chris: Yes. I don’t know what to make of it. It wasn’t like I expected. I expected to be able to feel presences and energies, which, unfortunately I did not. I understand the concepts of ritual and offerings, but it’s not for me. I don’t feel it achieves much for me.

Ryan: It did feel a bit awkward as, admittedly, I spent a lot of the time wondering what he thought of it and whether he was put off me! I was also kind of embarrassed with saying ritual words and what he’d think of the idea of chanting. Turns out chanting wasn’t taken to all that well, so we didn’t bother so much. Sad though it is, I can safely say I’ve had better solo rituals.

Would you ever consider reading or studying some Pagan introductory books to learn and understand your partner’s spirituality and religion better?

Chris: Not really if I’m honest, unless I had a specific interest in it to begin with and then I’d want to read up on the subject anyway.

Ryan: I’d like him to, as I feel it would give him a better perspective rather than it just coming from me. Authors are generally better at explaining things clearly and in a way for people with no Pagan background to be able to understand.

[End interview]

I just hope this essay provides a different perspective on Pagan life, and maybe strikes a chord with people in a similar situation. It may seem like a public therapy session, but sometimes it’s nice to share experiences that could be just as valid to someone else. I hope you stuck with it and it gave you a little bit of food for thought.

Thanks for reading!

Blessed Be!

Blessed Be

Blessed Be

Author: Ariel

Probably the most common phrase that we use in the Craft is “Blessed Be.” This phrase is possibly the major common denominator in all of the different Craft traditions.

It is something that is a unifying principle within Witchcraft and although it is the most often articulated saying we have, it seems to me to be the least understood one I know of.

When we say “Blessed Be, ” all too often it is simply new jargon, or a substitute for “Hi, ” “How are you?” or “Good Bye.” Yet, these two words comprise one of the most powerful and sophisticated sentences in the English language.

“Blessed Be” is an ultimate Zen phrase, “Blessed be that which is”; “All that is, is blessed”. We are recognizing a truth that all is inherently blessed. We are reminded that in the present moment, everything is perfect. There is nothing that needs to be changed, and nothing that needs to be improved.

In this moment, everything is sacred. Being at one with the sacred now is a blessed state indeed, and saying “blessed be” from that point of view is a potent statement of recognition of the perfection of this moment. There is no future to obsess about, and no past to regret.

There is only this moment; it goes on forever, and all is truly blessed.

Another important facet of this gem of a saying is that it is a constant reminder of our function in the Craft: We are here to bless.

Once we develop a significant relationship with Spirit, in whatever way it presents itself to us, we eventually come to recognize that what the world needs from us is our blessing. The only significant contribution we have to offer the world is blessing.

In any situation, with any person or group of people, we are here to say (and mean) “Blessed Be, ” either silently or aloud.

When we take an honest look at any problem in the world, it becomes apparent that the problem stems from a lack of blessing, and the only cure is to bless.

I know for myself, I can honestly say that anytime I have been less than loving or compassionate in my life, it was in response to a great deal of pain I was experiencing at the time.

What I didn’t need in order to turn my life around was more judgment, anger and criticism. What I needed was love and blessing.

I needed someone to say “Blessed Be” and mean it.

We are children of divinity–children of the Mother and Father, of Spirit, of God, or whatever you choose to call it. As divine children, we are here as expressions of our parents. We are here as lights in a dark world. Our function is to recognize the light and divinity in everyone else.

“Blessed Be” can also be another way of saying “The divine love in me recognizes the divine love in you”. We are here as healers of this world. Whether we take this job seriously or not will determine what direction our world takes.

We have the power to transform the world in every moment just by seeing any situation from the point of view that we are divine beings here to bring blessing.

It isn’t a question of whether or not we have the power to bless, it is a question of whether we choose to use it or not.

If we say “Blessed Be” consistently and mean it, this planet can heal very quickly.

One thing that I have learned in my life is that there is enough pain in this world. We all know what pain is. We have been to hell already; we don’t need to indulge in pain any longer in order to know we want something else.

I can honestly look at my life and say that what I really need is not more misery. I see that what many of us are doing is indulge in misery out of habit, or addiction. It takes a great deal of determination to understand that our addictions are not serving us any longer and then decide that we are going to relinquish our investment in them.

Unfortunately, like any addiction, we often wait until we hit rock bottom before we realize that we have a problem. In Alcoholics Anonymous, the first step to sobriety is for the alcoholic to recognize that they are powerless over alcohol, and that there is a higher power who can restore them to sanity.

This is what blessing is all about. Whatever our wound, the healing comes about from blessing.

If we have a strained relationship with another person, our greatest work to bring us happiness in that relationship is the honest blessing of that person.

If we have a problem with our job, the healing comes about from blessing the job, and all the people in it on every level.

The act of blessing that I describe is not an abdication of power; it is a reclaiming of power.

Some might worry that we need to protect and need to defend ourselves, and that if we are blessing all the time, it will just leave us vulnerable to attack. This worry comes from the erroneous point of view that Spirit is ineffectual. We would do well to remember that the power of love is fierce.

Spirit is intelligent. It knows what to do. When we bless the world, we are in a position of ultimate power. Just as when our physical immune system is healthy, it takes care of all the viral and bacterial activity without us needing to know what is happening.

The Craft of blessing results in building a spiritual immune system that is so strong that nothing can touch us. It is not necessary for us to carry out punishment (curses) on others in order to be safe and protected. In fact, cursing is a domain in which we leave ourselves the most open and vulnerable to attack.

Cursing is very subtle stuff. Curses aren’t necessarily consciously cast. Anytime we desire the pain and destruction of another person for any reason, we are withholding our blessing, and are by default cursing.

Resentments and grudges do come up however, and I am not suggesting that we are supposed to just suppress our feelings and pretend like we are not feeling rage when we are feeling it.

What I am suggesting however is that when we are feeling anything other than love for people that we recognize it and bring it to Spirit to heal.

This is the ultimate magic: transformation.

When we are feeling anger toward another person, we can say “Goddess, I am really pissed of at so-and-so, and want to crush their big fat head right now. Please heal this situation. Please bring me back in harmony with your compassion. Show me what I need to do in this situation, let me know what to say in order that this situation be healed.”

We aren’t denying our rage, but we are embracing our ability to move beyond it. A curse is when the rage and desire to destroy are kept within us to fester.

Curses are psychic malignancies.

Blessing is a silent art. Just because we bless someone doesn’t mean we have to have lunch with him or her.

Blessing is not about forcing our personal wills on any situation. It is simply recognizing the people and situation before us as divine, and seeing the love at the heart of whatever is going on regardless of the drama that is being played out.

We simply access the Spirit within us and ask for its will to be done in our presence. We withdraw our preconceived notions of what is supposed to happen, or what we think we want to have happen, and allow ourselves to invoke the presence of pure love.

When we are facing a problem, and we think we have tried everything, it is very important that we ask ourselves whether or not we have given our blessing. Often this is something that we have overlooked.

I can’t count the number of times I have been in the throes of misery and the one thing I have NOT tried is asking Spirit directly to take the problem and heal it for me. Once we renounce our addiction in the pain, we are transformed.

We have shifted our plane of experience from one of cursing, to one of blessing.

There is no more simple, or more powerful magical charm in the universe than “Blessed Be.”