Tag: Earth

Four Quarter

You average wall calendar divides the moon’s cycle into four equal phases called the first quarter, second quarter, third quarter, and fourth quarter. It would be remarkably nifty if these four quarters  matched the waxing full-waning-dark classification that the layperson observes by looking up into the night sky, but it isn’t so. The four quarters are each seven days long and as you probably know by observation, the full moon doesn’t last a week-long, nor does the dark moon.

The first quarter begins with the dark moon. The sun, moon, and the earth are all lined up during the beginning of the lunar cycle. This is a terrific time to launch new projects or undertakings, because the sun’s energy is traveling along the same energy paths as the moon’s energy, giving you a two-for-one zip to your magick. The moon rises in the early morning and sets around sunset, rising and setting a bit later each day. This is why you don’t see the moon for about three days; it’s keeping the same hours and position that the sun is keeping. When  the moon reaches a point where it’s setting slightly  later than the sun, it can be seen as a luminous slim crescent hanging low in the western sky for a few minutes after the sun goes down.  The first quarter is a good time to work on issues involving children, animals, plants and motivation.

The second quarter begins halfway between the dark moon and the full moon. The moon is seen as a half circle, which rise around mid-day and sets around twelve at night. The second quarter is excellent for expansion, patience, peace, family and harmony.

The third quarter begins with the full moon, rising at sunset and setting at dawn,  The full moon is ideal for powering those ventures you started at the dark moon and for almost everything knowledge, love, money, protection, dreams and psychic powers. Two days after a full moon is when the moon appears to begin waning. This begins a time of decrease; where you can prune away old and outgrown thoughts and  habits and discard what is no longer benefiting you. Use this energy for health and healing (as in banishing illness), protection, difficult decision and easing stress.

The fourth quarter begins halfway between the full moon and the dark moon. The moon rises just after midnight and sets around noon. This energy is good for justice, endings, separation, and limiting action or expansion.

These quarters aren’t absolute, of course; the moon moves through them all sequentially, occupying a lightly different position each day.

Thank the Goddess It is Friday!!!

Well it’s another Friday. I hope your is being a very happy and blessed day! I hope you have plans for an exciting weekend. It was beautiful here last night. It was around 70 degrees and the humidity was low. I sit outside last night enjoying the beautiful Full Moon and eating an ice cream cone. It was wonderous! Looking at the moon got me to thinking. I bet every witch in the world can tell what spells is supposed to be done with the Full Moon, Dark Moon, Blue Moon, Waning Moon and Waxing. But do you know you know what kind of spells can be casted during the light of day? I know the new ones just coming to the Craft probably have no idea, some may (don’t get mad at me now, lol!). But it is something we seldom hear about. I know I am trying to run this blog were it will be a teaching aid. I don’t have a thing on here about those correspondences. But I think it is high time I did. So today, I will be posting about different correspondences and their meanings. I hope you enjoy and I must warn you, some of them are long.

Lunar Lore

Lunar Lore
…
The moon had climbed the highest hill
Which rises o’er the source of Dee,
And from the eastern summit shed
Her silver light on tower and tree.
– John Lowe, “Mary’s Dream.”
…
The Egyptians worshipped the cat as a symbol of the moon,
not only because it is more active after sunset,
but from the dilation and contraction of its pupil,
symbolical of the waxing and waning of the night-goddess.
– Brewer, “Dictionary of Phrase & Fable”

Using Quartz to Ease Unhappiness

If you are feeling out of sorts or can’t shake off a sadness, try this simple spell to lift your spirits. During a new moon phase, take a piece of clear quartz and place it on a bed of sea salt, either on a small plate or in a bowl. Light a white candle next to it and say this spell nine times:

Painful feelings leave me,
Bring joy and pleasure swiftly,
Angels heal my suffering,
Light up my heart with speed.

When you have said the spell nine times, close by saying:

So mote it be!

Sorcery: The Practical Application of Ancient Wisdom

Sorcery: The Practical Application of Ancient Wisdom

Author: Frabato
I strongly dislike the word “magick”, especially used with the ‘k’ at the end. I prefer sorcery albeit it’s negative connotation. Having said that, I still use magick on occasions. Magic and the occult have seen a grand revival, a rebirth of popularity. It is thought to be safe, as nobody will burn witches and wizards anymore.

But is it REALLY safe?

As a practitioner of the Ancient Wisdom Arts, you must know a lot. To fully appreciate the Ancient Wisdom, we all must become Wizards of sorts…

Sorcery implies that we take control or our own destiny and help in fulfilling our natural spiritual evolution. Sorcery (the right hand path) can help you.

Practical use of the Ancient Wisdom will help you realize your true destiny and return to your source. Even if you are not a student at a moment you are destined in this or some future lifetime is a participant to the studying of the Ancient Wisdom or some derivative branch of it available at that time.

The name or labels might be slightly different as it was with the kabala; Rosicrucian’s, Masons etc but they all were following the same path. This is a key to your awakening and source of much magic and miraculous things.

The ancient wisdom is a self contained existence that aspirant can practice and follow. If you choose the right hand path you will be on the right path. It is not mandatory however but it is suggested. Magick, wikka, all other pagan branches are somehow connected to this age-old quest, this “holy grail”. They of course deny this, some of them, but in the reality it is all the same thing. The concepts are the same but the devil is in the detail.

There are some secrets I must share with you. You do not need to be awakened or be an ascended master to be protected and cared for. Your needs will be met. As soon as you start walking this path, magic will be an everyday occurrence. The reality is that details will mislead us and lead us ashtray. I have tried to capsulate the important key points to the Ancient Wisdom but it is not all-inclusive.

My mission, teaching and life’s purpose is as follows:

1) To demonstrate the power and commonplace acceptance of the left hand path.

2) To show you how beneficial even the right hand path can help the average person to alleviate stress, improve everyday life in work, personal and financial relationships.

3) Offer a clear understanding between the right hand path and its opposite without fear-mongering or passing judgment on the alternative. Choosing a path must be a choice. Sadly, often people are steered and misdirected into “teachings” under a false pretext.

Important facts helpful to know about Magic[k] or Sorcery are as follows:

1) Your higher-self is the natural source of right-hand magick and miracles. This is not the only source but IMHO the best source.

2) Ceremonies, while allowed are not necessary. If you have the time and the inclination have a ball, but it is just a smokescreen in my opinion.

3) The key ingredient of magick is the mojo, prana, life force (psychic energy) , chi that we all have to a certain extent but we can lose and replenish it subsequently.

4) Midfullness…the reason and inclination to why we strive to do magick is essential. Contemplate it. Ask yourself honestly IS it because you want power and money? Do you wish to use the Force for your selfish needs and ego? Do you wish to impress girls? (Or boys?)

If answer is yes to any of this, you are no longer on the right hand path.

What do Feng Shui and Star Wars have in Common?

The Chinese culture is ancient and it had preceded the west in many scientific discoveries, and philosophical advances in many aspects. Contemporary men often look at the Chinese as superstitious and weird in their outlook of life and the way they perceive the world.
It behooves us to study and try to understand this ancient civilization better and try to see similarities rather than pointing out the obvious differences. The biggest obstacle in understanding the Chinese is the spoken and written language.

There is a basic concept in the Chinese thinking is the dual energies the Yin and Yang.
The Yin and Yang as we refer to this in the West is used to describe how seemingly opposing forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, giving rise to each other in turn. The concept of polarity lies at the heart of many branches of classical Chinese science and philosophy, as well as being a primary guideline of traditional Chinese medicine, and a central principle of different forms of Chinese martial arts and exercise, such as Tai Chi.

Tai Chi as the name implies works with the life force of the human body called Chi (or Qi) .
This unseen force that keeps humans and all living forms alive actually exists in inanimate objects as well, albeit in a lower quantity.

What is the relationship of the Yin and Yang to this mystical life force? The answer is simple. They are interconnected.

If you look at the symbolism, of the yin and yang it is obvious that the polarity exist in oneness, hence it is seemingly a paradox. The oneness of dark and light is an occult secret, hard to understand but the underlying principle that propels everything in this Universe is the Qi (or Chi) . This is the Life Force, the prana as the Hindus refer to it, used by BOTH – Dark or Light. This word is in Sanskrit and it has the same translation as Qi in Chinese (meaning “breath”) .

To understand the relationship of Yin and Yang to Qi we have to take you back in time a little and use popular culture in America. Star Wars was viewed by millions of people worldwide. If you remember the Force that Yoda was using and teaching to young Luke Skywalker, then you’d remember the dual existence of the Force the Dark side and the light side. Actually the movie never explicitly said “white”, “Right hand” or “Light”.

It was left to the viewer to decide. It was the opposite of the ominous of “Dark side”.

This energy (Qi) was renamed “Psychic energy” by my former teacher. I do not mean to confuse the reader by all this terminology. The reason I mention this is to illustrate the multiplicity of this concept. It exists in virtually all religions and cultures. The name is just another name referring to an age-old concept but it is strangely appropriate.

Most if not all phenomena, true psychic work, magic and healing is performed using this force.
This energy can self heal, preserve youthfulness, and create miracles. Jesus raised the dead using Psychic Energy; he could walk on water according to the Bible.

The question probably arises from the reader, if we all are born with this psychic energy how come that we end up aging and ultimately dying? The answer is simple. This energy can dissipate and rise according to our lifestyle, thinking and to some external factors such as diet, habits and company we keep.

It is important to point out that this energy is in flux and remains in the body and can be transferred from one body to another and it can leave the body if the host remains uninhabitable.

The biggest factor in keeping our level of psychic energy is our thinking and beliefs. For example if a person refuses to believe in the very existence of psychic energy for whatever reason, this will pose a serious obstacle long term. On the other hand, the idea of realizing something and adopting it into our fabric of being will enhance that concept and strengthen it. When we are born, the slate is clean in our consciousness, we are innocent and no worldly ideas, dogmas and false teachings exist in our subconscious. This state is beneficial to our level of psychic energy.

Factors that enhance psychic energy:
1. Meditation (raising our consciousness)
2. Exercise
3. Fresh Clean Air (right breathing at high elevation)
4. Vegetarianism
5. Purification of the body (fasting)
6. Love towards all

Factors that inhibit psychic energy:
1. Stress
2. Pollution
3. Alcohol
4. Meat
5. Drugs (both legal and illegal)
6. Sex

Certain things we can do to enhance psychic energy are as follows:
1.Wearing proper talismans or amulets, amber jewelry
2. Pine needle and pine (even cut and processed into lumber)
3.Tibetan Musk
4. A healer (in extreme cases) .

I hope this essay is beneficial to you in your understanding of the basics of the supernatural and magical. The importance of this is that having this power is not easily obtainable, as Mother Nature jealously guards her secrets, but the end result is entirely up to you.

It is all obtainable and you do not need a priest or a rabbi, or in fact you do not need any intercessor to get there. It is your birthright.

“There are two forces, each having seven streams, and they again seven times seven, and so on downward unto an infinity of numbers.

They are right and left, hand positive and negative, light and darkness, good and evil. Each has many names and many attributes,

and in the ultimate the two are one; though not yet, nor for many eons, is their oneness manifested, and until then they are opposites.

Their oneness is an occult secret, difficult to understand, and it is madness for the choosers of the left hand force to meditate their treacheries when the star of the right hand force is in the ascendant.” — fragment from THE DIARY OF OLYMPUS – Queen Cleopatra by Talbot Mundy

Footnotes:
“Talk Does Not Cook the Rice” vol I and II by Guru RHH

What Is The Purpose of Reincarnation?

Some people really don’t understand  reincarnation; they wonder why we would want to keep coming back over and over again.  It’s  a bit idealistic to think that we can have just one life and then retire to a fluffy pink cloud for the rest of eternity? You may well get to the ultimate resting place someday, but before you do, you have some work to do.

These are three reasons for reincarnating:

  • To work on overcoming your faults
  • To experience every human emotion possible
  • To eventually become a part of the Divine Power

When a soul is born, it begins a journey of spiritual development. With every incarnation on Earth, we learn valuable lessons that help us on the journey and go on to make us the true individuals we are. It’s a bit like being in school. Sometimes the lessons we face are painless and we can sail through them with ease. At other times, they can be hard-hitting and difficult, making us face arduous challenge head-on.

Take, for example, a person who seems to experience trials and tribulations on a constant basis. From a spiritual perspective, what is this all about? once you have undergone a lesson and have learned it properly you won’t have to go through it again.That chapter of your life will be over and you will move on to other lessons. You might think that it’s unfair to have to go through problematic situations, especially if others around you seem to have it easier, but each lesson we face gives us an internal strength that can never be taken away from us. Call it character building. These lessons enhance our inner wisdom, which is what we are all ultimately striving for. This is how it goes, life after life, until you’ve learned all you need to know.

 

 

Deity of the Day for July 1 is Dagda

Deity of the Day

Dagda (Irish)

The Irish father God of the Earth is known to mate with the Morrigan, Goddess of death at Samhuinn, he is the keeper of the horn of plenty and the harp of seasons. A fearsome warrior whose club can renew life as well as kill, together with Ogma and Lugh he helped defeat the Formorians for the Tuatha De Danaan. His name translates as the “Good God” though more for his skills than his actions in spite of the fact that he is stated as being a wise elder. Druids see him as a God of wisdom, with extreme power, abundance and the ability to restore life, a belief sacred to the Celts. “The Good God”‘ “All-father”; Great God; Lord of the Heavens; Father of the gods and men; Lord of Life and Death; the Arch-Druid; god of magic; Earth God. High King of the Tuatha De Danann. He had four great palaces in the depths of the earth and under the hollow hills. The Dagda had several children, the most important being Brigit, Angus, Midir, Ogma and Bodb the Red. God of death and rebirth; master of all trades; lord of perfect knowledge. He had a cauldron called The Undry which supplied unlimited food. He also had a living oak harp which caused the seasons to change in their order. He was pictured wearing a brown, low-necked tunic which just reached his hips and a hooded cape that barely covered his shoulders. On his feet were horse-hide boots. Behind him he pulled his massive 8-pronged warclub on a wheel. Protection, warriors, knowledge, magic, fire, prophecy, weather, reincarnation, the arts, initiation, patron of priests, the Sun, healing, regeneration, prosperity and plenty, music, the harp. First among magicians, warriors, artisans, all knowledge.

Today’s Tarot Card for July 1 is The Magician

The Magician

This Tarot Deck: Winged Spirit Tarot

General Meaning: Traditionally, the Magus is one who can demonstrate hands-on magic — as in healing, transformative rituals, alchemical transmutations, charging of talismans and the like. A modern Magus is any person who completes the circuit between heaven and Earth, one who seeks to bring forth the divine ‘gold’ within her or himself.

At the birth of Tarot, even a gifted healer who was not an ordained clergyman was considered to be in league with the Devil! For obvious reasons, the line between fooling the eye with sleight of hand, and charging the world with magical will was not clearly differentiated in the early Tarot cards.

Waite’s image of the Magus as the solitary ritualist communing with the spirits of the elements — with its formal arrangement of symbols and postures — is a token of the freedom we have in modern times to declare our spiritual politics without fear of reprisal. The older cards were never so explicit about what the Magus was doing. It’s best to keep your imagination open with this card. Visualize yourself manifesting something unique, guided by evolutionary forces that emerge spontaneously from within your soul.

Today’s Tarot Card for June 29th is The World

The World

This Tarot Deck: Oswald Wirth

General Meaning: What has traditionally been known as the World card points to the presiding intelligence, called “Sophia,” or Wisdom, which upholds life on this and all worlds. A more precise title for this card might be “the Soul of the World,” also applicable as a symbol of personal empowerment and freedom. In most Tarot decks it is a female figure that has become our standard World image. She originates in Hebrew, Gnostic and Alchemical lore, and stands between heaven and earth as the Cosmic Mother of Souls, the Wife of God and our protector from the karmic forces we have set loose upon the Earth in our immaturity and ignorance.

Where the Empress energy secures and fertilizes our terrestrial lives, the goddess of The World invites us into cosmic citizenship — once we come to realize our soul’s potential for it. Just as the Chariot stands for success in achieving a separate Self, and Temperance represents achievement of mental and moral health, the World card announces the awakening of the soul’s Immortal Being, accomplished without the necessity of dying.

This card, like the Sun, is reputed to have no negative meaning no matter where or how it appears. If the Hermetic axiom is “Know Thyself”, this image represents what becomes known when the true nature of Self is followed to creative freedom and its ultimate realization.

Incense of the Day for June 27 is Earth Incense

EARTH INCENSE

Earth is usually associated with the direction of north. This element is feminine in nature, and its attributes include stability, fertility, prosperity, grounding, money, planting, home life, the Mother Earth herself, and many types of healing. For the basic earth incense combine the following:

3 parts patchouli
 2 parts pine
1 part bistort
1 part Vervain

Other earth-related herbs and plants include barley, cedar, corn silk, juniper, magnolia, oak bark, soybeans and wheat.

Charging Tools

Charging Tools

 
What you will need:
The item in which you wish to charge, whether it be some jewelry, your pentacle or some crystals.
Salt for the Earth element
A candle for the Fire element
Water or rose oil for the Water element
Incense for the element of AirHow to do the ritual:
This is a really simple charging ritual.
You may wish to elaborate on it once you have created your own ritual style!

Start by taking your item that you want to charge and place it in front of you. Shake or sprinkle a little salt over your item and say the following:

“Earth spirits from the North/South I ask you to charge this …..with the power of Earth. By the Goddess and/or God so mote it be.”

Imagine a green light filling the item and empowering the item with the qualities of Earth.

Dip or trickle some water over your item and say this:

“Water spirits from the East/West I ask you to charge this ….. with the power of Water. By the Goddess and/or God so mote it be.”

Imagine a blue ocean like colored light filling the item and empowering the item with the qualities and power of Water.

Pass the item through the smoke of the incense and say:

“Air spirits from the West/East I ask you to charge this ….. with the power of Air. By the Goddess and/or God so mote it be.”

Imagine a pale light filling the item and surrounding it. Empowering it with the powers of Air.

Move the item through the heat above the candle flame and say the following:

“Fire spirits from the South/North I ask you to charge this ….. with the power of Fire. By the Goddess and/or God so mote it be.”

Imagine a red or orange light filling the item and empowering it with the power and energy of Fire.

Once you have done this imagine a bright white/blue light surrounding the item charging it with your own energy.
After this the item will be charged with the elemental powers and your own.You can now use the item for whatever purpose you needed it.You can perform this ritual as often as possible.

 

Your Daily Horoscopes for June 21

The spinning Earth’s North Pole is at maximum tilt toward the Sun today, marking the Summer Solstice at 1:16 pm EDT. This first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere also marks the Sun’s shift into nurturing Cancer, when long hours of daylight warm us and speed the growth of vegetation. Meanwhile, communicator Mercury runs into a resistant square to strict Saturn, revealing obstacles and making it tough to talk our way around real problems.

Aries Horoscope
Aries Horoscope (Mar 21 – Apr 19)

It’s no fun when someone gets on your case, but you may as well save your complaining for another day. You won’t likely receive a lot of support if an idea of yours cannot stand up to fair criticism. Thankfully, the circumstances aren’t as dire as you think. Your contribution can have significant impact if you’re willing to learn a tough lesson now and stepup your game as needed.

Taurus Horoscope
Taurus Horoscope (Apr 20 – May 20)

You’re still busy, even if you’ve recently been trying to slow down. Today is a turning point and you can finally begin to regain control. You have been running around chasing your dreams, yet now are required to stop so you can focus on a single issue that demands all your attention. Fortunately, redirecting your thinking process toward real world considerations enables you to set aside extraneous issues and produce more tangible results.

Gemini Horoscope
Gemini Horoscope (May 21 – Jun 20)

You’re not interested in listening to the cool voice of reason today, yet your options could be limited by the current circumstances. Without an apparent way out of your present dilemma, you might have to get serious now and face the music. This is a critical time because you understand that your casual attitude can’t make a very real problem disappear. Fortunately, sound thinking can.

Cancer Horoscope
Cancer Horoscope (June 21 – Jul 22)

You may have recently lost any objectivity that you had, yet today your daydreams can run into some cold, hard truths of reality. Unfortunately, you don’t want to leave your fantasies behind, but the longer you avoid your obligations, the more of a challenge it will be to face them in the long run. Starting your work now is smarter than procrastinating any longer.

Leo Horoscope
Leo Horoscope (Jul 23 – Aug 22)

Reaching your long-term destination might feel impossible today as you try to sort out where you are in your life. But there is no time for self-pity; you have important work to do now. Don’t waste precious time because this small window of opportunity won’t remain open too long. Acknowledge anything that isn’t working and make changes as needed to get back on track.

Virgo Horoscope
Virgo Horoscope (Aug 23 – Sep 22)

You may feel as if you’re now being taught a lesson you already know. Unfortunately, your ruling planet Mercury forms a stressful square with taskmaster Saturn today, requiring you to learn what you can, even if it’s uncomfortable. Thankfully, the Sun’s shift into your futuristic 11th house takes your mind off the present moment and aims you toward your goals. Don’t blame others if you have a hard time with criticism. Make the necessary changes within yourself, without trying to change anyone else.

Libra Horoscope
Libra Horoscope (Sep 23 – Oct 22)

Blind optimism transforms into enlightened realism today as your big ideas collide with a serious dose of the truth. Others may believe that your new and open perspective is more life-affirming than if you shut down your heart in fear. Don’t judge yourself too harshly, for you cannot possibly know what you don’t yet know. The most important thing you can do now is to make the best choices in the present moment before moving on.

Scorpio Horoscope
Scorpio Horoscope (Oct 23 – Nov 21)

You may want to have a deep conversation with an intimate friend today, but he or she is able to skillfully avoid talking about something unsettling. Or perhaps you are the one cleverly engineering situations to prevent an uncomfortable topic from coming up. Don’t let this chance to connect with someone you trust slip by; the opportunity to share your feelings will continue to grow throughout the days ahead.

Sagittarius Horoscope
Sagittarius Horoscope (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

Normally, you are able to see the positive side of nearly anything. You can make just about everything sound better when you are trying to inspire others. Although you get a kick out of banishing gray clouds from the sky, you still might have a tough time today finding something to smile about. Nevertheless, it’s imperative for you to hold on to your unique vision, for your optimism touches more people’s lives than you realize.

Capricorn Horoscope
Capricorn Horoscope (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

Your key planet Saturn presents you with a complex dilemma today, for your success appears to be in jeopardy. Your natural reaction is to close down in fear and anticipate the worst. Although your negative expectations aren’t enough to skew your whole day, it’s not easy to muster up your self-confidence now. Your hard work, coupled with a positive outlook, could put you right back in the driver’s seat where you belong.

Aquarius Horoscope
Aquarius Horoscope (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

Your approach to your job could turn a notch more serious today as Mercury in your 6th House of Employment dynamically squares sobering Saturn. Think about how you can sustain your recent gains and solidify working relationships. If differences of opinion arise now, there’s no need to force resolution. Rise above the conflict by acknowledging the opposing viewpoints and then moving on to something you can mutually agree upon.

Pisces Horoscope
Pisces Horoscope (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

Disagreements with a lover or a playmate can drain you emotionally today, especially if your partner believes that you’re making a fuss over nothing. But your tender feelings may be wounded if someone forgets to respect your wishes and appreciate you for who you are. Resolving discomfort in any relationship still requires your commitment to meet the other person halfway.

Cleansing Stones Using Earth

In a small dish of earth, bury the stone for three days. Most of the time houseplants can be used for this. Put a toothpick or some sort of marker in the surface of the earth above where you’ve buried your stone, though, or you might never find it again. In addition, beware of using houseplant’s earth if the stone contains a lot of negative energy; it will be absorbed by the earth (which is why you’re using the earth to cleanse the stone), but it will in turn be absorbed from the earth into the houseplant, and the house is likely to die.

Lady A’s Spell of the Day for June 15th: Ashes to Riddance Spell

ASHES TO RIDDANCE

There are times in our lives when we become burdened with worrying.
We spend so much time worrying that we never come to solving the problem.
Sometimes we have past hang-ups that prevent us from moving towards more positive lifestyles.
This little spell is to help us put an end to these ruts in our lives

Items You Will Need:Needed: Ashes from burned wood Jar or bowl to hold the ashes
Moon Phase:  Waning Moon
Locations: Outdoors in a clearing

Gather wood ashes the day of the spell and place in a glass jar or open bowl.
During the day, hold the jar or bowl and visualize all your worries and/or hang-ups pouring from
your 3rd eye and heart and into the ashes. When the night falls, take the ashes to a clearing in
a field, wood, or parking lot. Hold the jar or bowl in your hands and do one last pouring out of
your worries and hang-ups. Now say:
“You are ashes, And to ashes you shall return.”
Pour the ashes out of the jar or bowl and walk away without looking back.
When you’ve returned home be sure to wash out the jar or bowl.
Burn some incense, take a bath, or light a candle, and refocus. It is done.

New Moon Report for June 15th – Full Moon in Sagittarius

Full Moon in Sagittarius

Wednesday, June 15, 1:14 pm PDT, 4:14 pm EDT

This lunation occurs in optimist but judgmental Sagittarius where the need for absolute answers can lead to philosophical fundamentalism. It is a Total Eclipse of the Moon, signaling the need to let go of past beliefs and prejudices. Emptying ourselves of old truths can feel like stepping into the void of ignorance, but what we gain by opening our minds to let outmoded concepts fall away invites in a greater range of awareness. Being wrong might feel embarrassing yet is often the first step to acquiring more knowledge.

Meditation to Meet Your Earth Guide

Meditation to Meet Your Earth Guide

 

Set up a simple altar with a green or brown candle and herbal incense. You may wish to use a green altar cloth and your pentacle. Cast your personal circle. Take several slow, deep, cleansing breaths and relax your whole body. Close your eyes. Allow your breathing to show and become regular. Take deep, slow breaths. Visualize the gateway to earth. Make the gate as elaborate as you wish, using any material that you desire. To open, does it swing wide? Does it lift up? Does it dissolve? Keep focused on your breath, and allow the gate to open. Relax. Walk through the gateway and down the path. Take a moment to observe the world around you. The grass is a beautiful emerald green. There are flowering tees and shrubs everywhere you look. The nearby hillsides are covered with flowers and green healthy grass. As you walk, you notice a figure in the distance. Walk toward it. Stay focused on your breath. Standing in front of you is your guide for exploring the elemental realm of earth. It could be an animal, a human or a mythical creature. Greet your guide. Listen to what he has to say. When you have heard all you wish, thank him. Always respect your guide, as he will be with you a long time. Slowly walk back up the pathway to the gate. Focus on your breath. Walk through the gate and see it close. Allow yourself a few more deep breaths and then open your eyes. Write down what you learned in a journal for safekeeping. Close your circle.

Sealed by the Desert: How Dark and Light Earth Mother Brought Me Peace

Sealed by the Desert: How Dark and Light Earth Mother Brought Me Peace

article

by Janice Van Cleve

I had to pray. Never had I felt the need to pray more strongly than I did right then. The confluence of personal emotions and the raw beauty of the sacred space in which I found myself demanded it. I had to connect with spirit and find center.

My emotional energy came largely from the breakup. Nine months had passed, and the wounds were still raw. We broke off abruptly, then tried counseling, then made those achingly painful attempts to rebuild a friendship in the looming shadow of the broken love. It was a failure that acted itself out over and over during that summer like repeatedly scratching a scab before it could heal. I needed healing, and to do that I needed to get off this downward spiral. I needed a change of scene. So when my friends invited me to visit them in San Antonio, I accepted.

Their own relationship was none too smooth. They fought all the time and shared very little sex or even tenderness. Yet they were building a lasting relationship. From the advantage of being a disinterested third party, I was able to observe them and their friends with a bit of objectivity. I concluded that spiritual support seemed to be one thing working in their favor. They shared spiritual values and the same higher power, which served to unite them even if they were miles apart in the mundane world. Social support seemed equally important. They had a tight-knit network of couples who modeled, expected and affirmed staying together even through the difficult times. I suspected that this was because Texas was a toxic environment for lesbians and gays. Having a partner to fight with was better than having no partner at all, and finding a new one was more difficult than in Seattle. Finally, of course, they had the shared responsibility for a house and a mortgage. Nothing unites or divides like money.

Being objective about them helped me be objective about myself. My ex and I did not share spiritual values, did not have the same friends and lived apart. In this quiet retreat in Texas, I was able to see what was right in front of my face back home. Yet the last two years had not been a mistake. I learned that I could be loved. She learned that she could be respected. These were the gifts we were bound to bring to each other. The gifts were delivered. Mission accomplished. It was never in the cards that we would fill all of each other’s needs. Our roles in each other’s lives were completed. Now it was time to go our separate ways, enriched for our next mission.

It was all well and good to realize the fact intellectually, but I needed to bring spirit to that realization. I needed to pray, but this place didn’t feel right. It was a small bedroom in somebody else’s house in a mediocre suburb of San Antonio, and I had none of my tools. Besides, the energy was wrong here with all the bickering. I needed to be alone in the wild. I needed to be out there where air and earth, fire and water were exposed and tangible. I bid my friends good-bye and flew to Carlsbad, New Mexico, to visit the caverns. Carlsbad Caverns captured my imagination as far back as my childhood and I had visited them in wonder and awe two years previously. I knew it was the place I needed to be. And there I went.

Late on the day I arrived, the late afternoon sun cast an orange fire on the dry hills beyond the Pecos. Small patches of green flanked the river as it meandered down through the dusty plains to the Rio Grande, far to the south. Behind me, the Guadalupe Mountains began to gather purple shadows beneath their stony brows, just as my own shadow began to fall across the pavement of the visitor center parking lot. Soon it would be dusk. The bats would be swarming out of the caves like a fluttering blizzard to scoop up their dinners of insects down in the valley.

It had been a full day. Many and various were the adventures I had pursued in the chambers below. I had booked myself on ranger tours to explore caves that most tourists don’t get to see. My lantern cast weird shadows in Left Hand Cave, and I marveled at “soda straws” and perfectly round puddle marbles in Lower Caves. I even squeezed through Murdock’s Pinch, which is a long horizontal crawl so narrow that I had to keep my head sideways and propel myself with no more than my elbows and toes! Wonderful as these adventures were, they were dwarfed by the enveloping majesty of sitting alone in the darkness of the Big Room and hearing the echoes of far off drips from the ceiling high above hitting some distant formation as they have for millennia beyond reckoning. I can’t think of any place on earth that would feel more like the womb of Dark Earth Mother.

There was peace in the Big Room and an ageless quiet, but I could not pray there, either. The presence of Goddess was too deep and dark and ancient in that place for me. My little Gemini air spirit felt oppressed and crushed. It was all I could do to sit for a while and absorb Her intense, enveloping totality. When I had experienced all that I was able to hold, I took the elevator to the surface.

That’s how I found myself outside in the parking lot with this huge compelling need to pray. With no real direction in mind, I walked across the pavement and stepped over the edging. The rough, stony roof of Captain’s Reef is sparsely clothed in scrub, sagebrush, various cactuses and spiky yucca plants. The view is expansive, and the sky is open and broad. I breathed in the fresh air that was more attuned to my spirit than the cave and started out through the desert flora toward the plateau’s edge.

There, I found a bare rock space that was like a floor, surrounded by cacti and a number of tall, spindly branches of some leafless bush. I gathered a few stones and made a circle, and sat in their midst. The warmth of the sun-baked rock seeped into me. The life energies of the wild plants around me was vibrant enough almost to hear with my ears. I tuned my inner energies to their symphony and listened to the hum of busy insects finishing up their day’s activities. The gentle breeze washed over me, around me and through me. Here was the place I could pray.

I connected with the four directions and with earth and sky. I opened up my soul to the universe and allowed my body to live in the moment in these surroundings without any mental or social controls. Here in the wild, I was open to magick. I felt my mundane world and its cares break up like a desert mirage, and I came face to face with the reality of sun, sand and sky. The raw wind of spirit ripped through me, and I became one with it.

Who knows how long or short I traveled in that space before I caught sight of a preying mantis. So wrapped up was I in my past, I had not noticed her sitting motionless on a cactus in front of me. In her serrated arms, she clutched a grasshopper, and as I watched, I could see her contentedly munching away with no cares in the world except with the task in front of her. I could not imagine that she cared much for what happened yesterday, or even remembered it. Nor do I think she worried much about tomorrow. Only today mattered, and a fat grasshopper was enough.

Ordinarily, I would have observed this as a little slice of nature and stuffed in away in my trivia collector. This time, however, I was open to hear the message of the Goddess in the wild. Through that preying mantis, content in the moment, She worked her magick. She moved my heart and passion to feel the transformation of letting go, which I had only intellectualized before. She brought spirit to my realization, and in that moment I was free. I breathed in the fresh air and felt relief and rebirth.

I wanted to take with me a symbol of the magick that had happened on that rock. I opened my hand, and as I did so, my attention was drawn to a small stone. It was a rough piece of limestone, about two inches long, and flat on one side. On it, I could make out the image of a face. It smiled at me. I took it for the smile of Light Earth Mother and thanked Her. She was teaching me that letting go is a death of sorts, but through letting go, I would move on to new life. I accepted Her token.

The sun disappeared behind the mountains, and the bats went screaming out into the night. I drove back into town for a whopping steak dinner. Praying in the desert is hungry business!

Janice Van Cleve keeps that limestone on her altar as a symbol of death. Next to it, she keeps an ocean seashell as a symbol of life. They represent different moments in the eternal cycle of life, death and rebirth.

Sacred Symbols and the Witch Next Door

Sacred Symbols and the Witch Next Door
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Author: Draekaa

It’s Tuesday at five o’clock. I punch out, lock up my desk, and leave the dreaded office for the evening. As I walk out of the side door, I imagine that I’m going through one of those automatic car washes, and the brushes and water are removing the day’s stresses and negativity from me (I’m a title clerk at a car dealership, and as you can imagine, dealing with the DMV every day tends to build up negativity). By the time I get to my car, I’m feeling good, stress free and ready for the evening. I look up and see another Carolina thunderstorm rolling in. It’s going to be a 30-minute drive in the rain, and that makes me smile.

By the time I meander my way out of the parking lot, the rains have started. I roll down my window and stick my hand out. As I drive down the street, going with the flow at 45 mph, I feel the bite on my palms and wrists. Like thousands of needles, the drops seem to pierce my skin, infusing me with the energy of Water and Wind. My entire left side is soaked, and I don’t seem to mind. The family in the mini-van next to me stares slack-jawed, thinking me to be insane. I feel sorry for them. If they only knew how good this feels, how cleansing it is, their heads would hang out of the windows of the van like Labradors. I turn into the parking lot of the grocery store to pick up something for cakes and ale tonight. The rain is coming down in sheets. Thunder cracks and rumbles, making the ground shake. Lightning strikes are everywhere. A handful of people run to their cars, holding a few grocery bags and covering their large heads with thin arms to shield themselves. I have the sudden urge to strip naked, arms out in childlike joy, and dance in deformed circles throughout the parking lot until I’m dizzy and fall into a puddle, laughing. The only thing stopping me is the patrol car parked nearby, with the cop inside catching up on his paperwork. I stroll leisurely into the store and pass a small group of old southern women staring at me as they huddle just behind the automatic doors waiting for the storm to subside. One of them tells me that I’ll get sick from that, and that I should have at least tried to hurry into the store where it’s dry. I look at her and say, “Water is a sacred symbol. I am Cleansed and Purified by the Mother.”

When I’ve finished my transaction and head out of the store, the rain has slowed to barely more than a drizzle. As I turn out of the parking lot, it has stopped all together. Again, I’ve rolled down my window and stuck my arm out; now it’s just the Air that I feel on my skin. I inhale the crisp smells only detected after a storm. My lungs expand, and I feel the butterflies in my stomach. That smell always seems to rejuvenate me. I pull into my driveway, turn off the car and go inside. I put the cakes and ale in the refrigerator, then head straight for the back door. On my deck, I sit and enjoy the rolling hills and farmland behind my house. The smell of the after rain still clings to the Air. I breathe deeply and close my eyes. I feel at one with the Air, with the sky. A light breeze kisses my face. As the breeze kicks up, it wraps around me, a swirling blanket of the Gods. I am given the gift of the East, Air as its symbol, and I take that with me back into the house.

The rest of the coven arrives. I change into my robes and we go into the altar room to set up. I lead them through the chants and the worship, we dine on the cakes and ale, and we meditate briefly before opening circle. After ritual, we sit and catch up on what’s going on in each other’s lives. We laugh, we talk, and we laugh some more. By 9:30 they show themselves out, and I return to the altar room. I light all of the candles once again and stare into the flame of one of my altar candles. I feel my spirit disconnect from my physical body. I enter a trance, and am lost in the awesome power of the Fire. My mind becomes one with the dancing flame and images flood my head. Insights are gained, wisdoms etched into my psyche to forever become a part of me. My education continues, with the Lord and Lady my teachers. The Fire is a symbol of my knowledge. My passion swells as I strive to learn everything…to know…to be. I become aware that I’ve hit the climax of my trance and feel the cycling down, the beginning of the end of the controlled burn. The images slow, and I am once again aware that it is a candle at which I stare. I thank the Gods for bestowing the gnosis upon me, and carefully extinguish the flame.

I am unaware of the time, and do not care to know. I need to ground myself, but rather than do it inside, I instead choose to take our offerings from ritual and bury it outside in the Earth. In the backyard, I find a small, rich patch of soil. Most of the yard is clay, except for here. I dig deeper than needed. Halfway down I toss aside my trowel, electing instead to feel the Earth in my bare hands. As I dig I allow the energies raised within me to pour down into the Earth. The smell of the grass and weeds and dirt permeate me. I feel calm and relaxed, bathed in the glow of the full moon. Carefully I scrape the offering off of the dish. I close my eyes and feel good, knowing that however small it is, this gift of thanks to the Gods will decompose, and what grows in this spot will receive some extra nutrition. All returns to the Earth in good time. I repack the hole I’ve dug and remain on my knees for a few more minutes. The Earth, our symbol of life, our living organism.

These are the most sacred of symbols, the Elements. Water, Air, Fire and Earth all connect us to the Spirit. I stand up slowly, beginning to feel the effects of exhaustion. I turn my head to the right and see a neighbor peeking out the blinds at me. I think to myself that I’m doing nothing strange here, yet tomorrow morning I’ll be the block’s topic of conversation. A Mona Lisa smile crosses my lips as I wave to her and she quickly moves away from the window. I go back into the house, knowing that I’m just the everyday Witch next door.

Today’s Tarot Card for June 9th for Triumph

Triumph

This Tarot Deck: Lovers Path

General Meaning: What has traditionally been known as the World card points to the presiding intelligence, called “Sophia,” or Wisdom, which upholds life on this and all worlds. A more precise title for this card might be “the Soul of the World,” also applicable as a symbol of personal empowerment and freedom. In most Tarot decks it is a female figure that has become our standard World image. She originates in Hebrew, Gnostic and Alchemical lore, and stands between heaven and earth as the Cosmic Mother of Souls, the Wife of God and our protector from the karmic forces we have set loose upon the Earth in our immaturity and ignorance.

Where the Empress energy secures and fertilizes our terrestrial lives, the goddess of The World invites us into cosmic citizenship — once we come to realize our soul’s potential for it. Just as the Chariot stands for success in achieving a separate Self, and Temperance represents achievement of mental and moral health, the World card announces the awakening of the soul’s Immortal Being, accomplished without the necessity of dying.

This card, like the Sun, is reputed to have no negative meaning no matter where or how it appears. If the Hermetic axiom is “Know Thyself”, this image represents what becomes known when the true nature of Self is followed to creative freedom and its ultimate realization.

New Moon Report for June 4

Jupiter in Taurus

Saturday, June 4, 6:58 am PDT, 9:58 am EDT

Generous Jupiter lumbers into slow-moving Taurus where greater understanding of the Earth and our bodies awaits. Beliefs are grounded in the simple realities of daily life so we can experience truth in its most basic form. Fuzzy philosophies and airy abstractions tend to drift away in the winds as we seek knowledge that can be applied in the material world. The divide between spirit and matter can be reduced by awareness of our connection with nature. There is less need to search long and far for fulfillment because the potential for contentment is available here and now