Tag: Environment

Salt and Water Clearing Spell (Hare Moon)

Salt and Water Clearing Spell

(Hare Moon)

Cast this spell to rid yourself of pain, hurt, and sadness.

After dark, draw a magick circle and call in the Elements. Put three pinches of sea salt in a chalice of water. Stir the water counterclockwise with your athame. Sit quietly and turn your mind toward what you want to get rid of: your worries, problems, disappointments, sadness, hurt feelings and fears. Hold the cup in between your hands, and say three times:

Clear the pain. Clear the hurt. Clear the sadness.

Sip three sips of the water. Before each sip, repeat:

I rid myself of all negativity, right now.

Allow all of your negative feelings to be cleansed with the salt water. Imagine transforming any pain or sadness into positive change elements in your life. Feel yourself being cleansed of all that burdens you. When you are done, bid farewell to the Elements, and pull up the circle.

Empty the remaining water down the drain, and clean your chalice thoroughly with clear, cool water.

Evil Eye Potion

Evil Eye Potion

 
A modern Syrian custom suggests that an Evil Eye afflicted ailing child drink water blended from seven distinct wells or cisterns. It can be difficult to locate one well or cistern. As if you didn’t have enough trouble, now you have to locate seven? Update the spell, itself an adaption. There is a very anicent pan-Semitic belief in the magickal healing power of water blended from seven springs. When the springs became unavailable cisterns were substituted.
 
1. Blend seven different bottled spring waters, each from a distinct source.
 
2. Give the child a glass to drink and apply a compress soaked in the blended water, too.

A positive reality

A positive reality

If you choose to cause harm, then you will be harmed by it as well. If you choose to create value, then you will benefit from that value.

If you direct your efforts against the interests of others, those efforts will also work to oppose your own true interests. When you work to support others, you also end up supporting and advancing your own life.

Negativity is universally destructive, regardless of the direction in which it is focused. Genuine love is universally creative and beneficial, and goes far beyond its intended object.

Don’t bring your whole world down by obsessing over who or what you are against. Lift your world higher by supporting and advancing the values and visions you are for.

Let go of the fears that hold you back. Grab hold of your most treasured dreams, for they will bring out your highest levels of effectiveness and creativity.

Put your energy and efforts into what you favor. The way to experience a positive reality is to constantly keep your focus on a positive vision.

— Ralph Marston

The Daily Motivator

Daily OM for April 29th – Brand-New Day

Brand-New Day
Inner Sunrise

When today is not going well, it is tempting to focus on tomorrow as a blank slate with all the possibilities that newness provides. It is true that tomorrow will be a brand-new day, but we do not have to wait until tomorrow to start fresh. We can start fresh at any moment, clearing our energy field of any negativity that has accumulated, and call this very moment the beginning of our brand-new day.

There is something about the sunrise and the first few hours of the morning that make us feel cleansed and rejuvenated, ready to move forward enthusiastically. As the day wears on, we lose some of this dynamic energy and the inspiration it provides. This may be why we look forward to tomorrow as providing the possibility of renewal. Many traditions consider the light of the rising sun to be particularly divine in its origins; this is why so many people in the world face east when performing ritual. We too can cultivate that rising sun energy inside ourselves, carrying it with us to light our way through any time of day or night, drawing on its power to awaken and renew our spirits.

One simple way to do this is to carry an image or a photograph of the rising sun with us in our wallet or purse. We can also post this image on our wall at work or at home, or have it as our screensaver on our computer. When we feel the need to start fresh, we can take a moment to gaze at the image, allowing its light to enter into our hearts. As we do this, we might say out loud or quietly to ourselves, I am ready to let go of the past and start anew. We might visualize anything we want to release leaving us as we exhale, and as we inhale, we can take in the fresh energy of the eastern sun, allowing it to light the way to a brand-new day.

Little Things (In Honor Of Earth Day)

Goddess Comments & Graphics
Little Things
-Julia A. Carney

 

Little drops of water,
Little grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean
And the pleasant land.

Little deeds of kindness,
Little words of love,
Make our earth an Eden,
Like the heaven above.

 ~Magickal Graphics~

Thawing Permafrost Wreaks Havoc in the Arctic

Thawing Permafrost Wreaks Havoc in the Arctic

  • by Paul Canning

In Northern Alaska, people don’t need to be convinced about climate change because they see it happening all around them and literally under them — the very ground is changing.

Each year, the sea ice gets thinner and arrives later. The lack of shore ice that used to protect them from storms is leading to some villages being moved inland. Fish species from warmer waters, new birds and new insects, like spruce bark beetles, which kill trees, are appearing.

Houses are built on stilts, to avoid melting the permafrost, a layer of frozen earth that begins about two feet beneath the surface and goes down, in North Alaska, some 2,000 feet. Some of those houses are collapsing. Roads which needed resurfacing once a decade because of melting permafrost are now being resurfaced every year. So-called ‘drunken forests‘ are appearing as trees start to keel over.

The ground is changing, melting and it could be a preview of our worst climate nightmare.

Globally, permafrost covers an area the area of the United States and Canada minus Texas. It holds an estimated 400 gigatons of methane, one of the greenhouse gases that is hastening the earth’s warming. As the permafrost thaws — which it has begun to do — lakes can drain away and the thawed soil can release billions of tons of methane into the atmosphere.

About half of the world’s underground organic carbon is found in northern permafrost regions. This is more than double the amount of carbon in the atmosphere in the form of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane.

Now scientists are using new satellite methods to track changes.

Although permafrost cannot be directly measured from space, factors such as surface temperature, land cover and snow parameters, soil moisture and terrain changes can be captured by satellites.

A February conference about the satellite measurements produced a number of animations showing disconcerting changes in freezing patterns and surface temperature over the arctic over several years.

· You can watch the animations here.

You can also watch another animation, which zooms in on the seasonal deformation of a track of land on Alaska’s North Slope during the summers of 2010 and 2011. Watch the red shift that signals the transformation of frozen ground into squishy muck — a meltdown that then subsides several centimeters as summer turns to fall.

The thaw which the satellites are detecting is already evident on the ground. In an article for the Smithsonian Magazine, Bob Reiss met Inuit Milton Noongwook. He is shown a series of large wooden boxes set deep into permafrost to store frozen walrus meat — winter food. Noongwook pulled aside a door and in the dark below Reiss sees hunks of meat amid a sheen of frost. But it was also wet down there. “It’s melting,” Milton said. “It never used to do that. If it gets too warm, the food will spoil.”

Greenhouse gases from permafrost have only been measured as a factor in global warming in the last few years. Currently, the estimate is that they will contribute to making warming happen up to a third faster. But this is only, as one scientist calls it, “a seat-of-the-pants expert assessment.”

Since 1970, the Arctic has warmed at a rate twice as fast as the rest of the globe, due to polar amplification. There is some evidence that the speed of temperature increases there is causing rapid change in the permafrost. A 2010 study found methane emissions rising by a third in just five years.

The good news? According to recent modeling work, if global emissions are cut rapidly and deeply enough to meet the world’s stated target of limiting the average global temperature rise to 2C above pre-industrial levels, the majority of the world’s permafrost will remain frozen.

Daily Motivator for April 16 – Get it finished

Get it finished

When you have to choose between getting it perfect and getting it finished, get it finished. Even when it’s inconvenient and uncomfortable, get it finished.

Are there other things you’d rather be doing? Go ahead, finish what you’ve started, and then you can more fully enjoy moving on to those other things.

Don’t waste your time wishing for it to be easier, or resenting that you must get it done. Stop fighting against your own effort, and put all your energy into getting the job finished.

Give your perspective a positive boost with some effective, productive effort. Follow through on your intentions and commitments, and get it done.

It was important enough for you to start, so go ahead and get it finished. Get it finished, and bring new value to your world.

Accomplishment feels so much better than idleness, wishful thinking or resentment. Make the effort, tackle the challenges, get it finished, and enjoy some good, solid, fulfilling accomplishment along the way.

— Ralph Marston

The Daily Motivator

THE EARTH TEACHES ME

Witchy Comments & GraphicsTHE EARTH TEACHES ME

 
Earth teach me quiet,
as the grasses are still with new light.
Earth teach me suffering,
as old stones suffer with memory.
Earth teach me humility,
as blossoms are humble with beginning.
Earth teach me caring,
as mothers nurture their young.
Earth teach me courage,
as the tree that stands alone.
Earth teach me limitation,
as the ant that crawls on the ground.
Earth teach me freedom,
as the eagle that soars in the sky.
Earth teach me acceptance,
as the leaves that die each fall.
Earth teach me renewal,
as the seed that rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself,
as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness,
as dry fields weep with rain.
 
A Prayer from the Ute

 
~Magickal Graphics~

I Am The Earth

I Am The Earth

The Earth is a healer,
I am the Earth,
The Earth is a Mother,
I am the Earth,
The Earth is a fountain,
I am the Earth,
The Earth is a mountain,
I am the Earth,
The Earth is in sorrow,
I am the Earth,
The Earth is in joy,
I am the Earth,
The Earth She is crying,
I am the Earth,
The Earth has a song to sing:
I am the Earth,
I am a blackbird,
I am the Earth,
I am a river,
I am the Earth,
We are the Earth,
I am the Earth,
I am the Earth,
I am the Earth,
I am the Earth.

(c)1982 Deirdre Pulgram Arthen

TO RID THE MIND OR BODY OF AN AFFLICTION

TO RID THE MIND OR BODY OF AN AFFLICTION

 
Gather a quart (1 liter) of water from a spring or stream. Pour this into a large bowl, or cauldron.
Set it within a darkened chamber; by candlelight, then, take a silver knife and write with its
point upon the water’s surface the name of that which afflicts you. Next soak a small lock of
lamb’s wool first in a sweet-scented oil and second in some red wine. Carry it to the bowl of
water and drop it into the water saying these words:
The dark be lightened
The harsh be softened
The rank be sweetened
By the power of the knife
And by the power of the water.
Leave the wool to soak all night, until sunrise. Remove, wring out and set to dry upon a small
circle of white velvet. Empty contents of bowl into a hole in the earth. Fill the hole.
When the wool is dry, sew up the velvet and wool to form a pouch, pin this beneath clothing
for a month. Thereafter keep it safe in a drawer or other safe place, that its powers may not
be diminished through neglect.

Calendar of the Moon for Tuesday, March 20th

Calendar of the Moon

Ash Tree Month

Color: Pale Blue
Elements: Water and air
Altar: On a cloth of pale blue set a great bowl of salt water in which are set many shells and stones, a shell full of salt, incense, and the figures of sea-birds and fishes.
Offerings: Wash something clean, or air it out.
Daily Meal: Either fish or seafood, or poultry.

Nion/Anthesterion Invocation

Call: Now is the time of wind and water.
Response: Now is the time of sea and sky.
Call: Now is the time of the Gods of weather.
Response: Now is the time of the great waves.
Call: Now is the time of terrible flooding.
Response: Now is the time of needed rain.
Call: Now is the time of battering gales.
Response: Now is the time of winds of change.
Call: Now is the time of fear of change.
Response: Now, and always, change will win.
Call: The wild winds disturb our dreams.
Response: The wild winds awake our minds.
Call: The heavy rains flood our hearts.
Response: The heavy rains water our future.
Call: The sea will sweep us away.
Response: The sea will bear us up.
Call: The sea is cold and unending.
Response: The sea is the source of life.
Call: We are ships on the lost expanse of the ocean.
Response: We are winds that call to one another.
Call: We will brave the wind and water.
Response: We will bring together mind and heart.
Call: We will come home safely after wandering.
Response: We will anchor safely after our journeys.
Call: We will come through wind and water!
Response: We will come through wind and water!
(Repeat last two lines twice more.)

Chant:
We will come through wind and water
We will come through sea and sky

 

Pagan Book of Hours

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – March 7

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – March 7

“We are responsible for the condition of the Earth. We are the ones who are responsible and we can change that. If we wake up, it is possible to change the energy. It is possible to change everything.”

–Hunbatz Men, MAYAN

The environment we want outside will be created by the mental pictures we have inside our heads. We must have the right environmental picture as well as the right values. These values will give the mental picture its true meaning. If we respected Mother Earth, we would not throw garbage on Her, nor would we put poison in Her. We would not misuse Her in any way. Mother Earth is like She is today because of the mental pictures of previous generations as well as the mental pictures of our own generation. If we want the environment to change, each individual must change their mental picture. “As within, so without.”

Great Spirit, today, let me be alert to Your guiding voice.

*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*

Calendar of the Moon for Monday, March 5th

Calendar of the Moon
3 Nion/Anthesterion

Day of Llyr

Color: Sea-blue
Element: Water
Altar: On a sea-blue cloth place a chalice of salt water, a skull, a dolphin, and a ship.
Offerings: Paper ships. Deal with fearful emotions that threaten to drown you.
Daily Meal: Fish or seafood.

Invocation to Llyr

We cross the sea at our own risk,
Be it the sea of water
Or the depths of our own
Internal tides of feeling.
We cross the sea at our own risk,
Knowing that the smooth expanse
Could at any moment become turbulent,
Degenerate into a vast whirlpool
And draw us screaming into the darkness.
We cross the sea at our own risk,
Navigating our way with signs
And symbols that have nothing
To do with the vast expanse we see,
But are just numbers, spun out of
The mind’s vast abilities,
The world of air and sky,
And sometimes they fail us.
We cross the sea at our own risk,
But if we do not cross it
We will be separated forever
By those terrible watery chasms.
Ocean god, we pray to you for mercy;
Bear us up and do not let us drown
In any ocean, within or without.

Chant:
Born of water, cleansing, powerful, flowing, healing, we are…..

(Let one who has been chosen to do the work of the ritual come forward with the bowl of salt water, and each shall dip their hands into it and mark themselves on their heart chakras and their heads. Then the salt water shall be poured out as a libation.)

Calendar of the Moon for Sunday, March 4th

Calendar of the Moon

Ash Tree Month

Color: Pale Blue
Elements: Water and air
Altar: On a cloth of pale blue set a great bowl of salt water in which are set many shells and stones, a shell full of salt, incense, and the figures of sea-birds and fishes.
Offerings: Wash something clean, or air it out.
Daily Meal: Either fish or seafood, or poultry.

Nion/Anthesterion Invocation

Call: Now is the time of wind and water.
Response: Now is the time of sea and sky.
Call: Now is the time of the Gods of weather.
Response: Now is the time of the great waves.
Call: Now is the time of terrible flooding.
Response: Now is the time of needed rain.
Call: Now is the time of battering gales.
Response: Now is the time of winds of change.
Call: Now is the time of fear of change.
Response: Now, and always, change will win.
Call: The wild winds disturb our dreams.
Response: The wild winds awake our minds.
Call: The heavy rains flood our hearts.
Response: The heavy rains water our future.
Call: The sea will sweep us away.
Response: The sea will bear us up.
Call: The sea is cold and unending.
Response: The sea is the source of life.
Call: We are ships on the lost expanse of the ocean.
Response: We are winds that call to one another.
Call: We will brave the wind and water.
Response: We will bring together mind and heart.
Call: We will come home safely after wandering.
Response: We will anchor safely after our journeys.
Call: We will come through wind and water!
Response: We will come through wind and water!
(Repeat last two lines twice more.)

Chant:
We will come through wind and water
We will come through sea and sky

Water Magick – Holy Waters

Holy Waters

 

The Water Witch puts great store in the powers of her holy waters. Natural waters on which she performs a blessing are usually the best for use as holy water, as they are pure. Clear quartz is often added to boost the power of the water even more. A blessing from a Water Witch removes all negative vibrations and recycles them within the water. In effect, she is using the power of water to cleanse the water. The Water Witch knows that all water is blessed from the start by the Goddess. All that is required of a Witch to bless water is a simple statement of intent, something along the line of, “I cast out all negativity and proclaim this water as pure and good. Blessed am I to have access to it, and blessed is it, for it is my mother’s tears and love.” She might choose to be more eloquent at times, but usually she goes with the flow and follows her instincts.

Water collection methods can be elaborate or simple. A jar placed outside during a thunderstorm, a special gourd dipper used to pull water from a crystal-clear brook, or simply cupping your hands under a natural spring-all of these methods are proper. 

Calendar of the Moon for February 20th

Calendar of the Moon

Ash Tree Month

Color: Pale Blue
Elements: Water and air
Altar: On a cloth of pale blue set a great bowl of salt water in which are set many shells and stones, a shell full of salt, incense, and the figures of sea-birds and fishes.
Offerings: Wash something clean, or air it out.
Daily Meal: Either fish or seafood, or poultry.

Nion/Anthesterion Invocation

Call: Now is the time of wind and water.
Response: Now is the time of sea and sky.
Call: Now is the time of the Gods of weather.
Response: Now is the time of the great waves.
Call: Now is the time of terrible flooding.
Response: Now is the time of needed rain.
Call: Now is the time of battering gales.
Response: Now is the time of winds of change.
Call: Now is the time of fear of change.
Response: Now, and always, change will win.
Call: The wild winds disturb our dreams.
Response: The wild winds awake our minds.
Call: The heavy rains flood our hearts.
Response: The heavy rains water our future.
Call: The sea will sweep us away.
Response: The sea will bear us up.
Call: The sea is cold and unending.
Response: The sea is the source of life.
Call: We are ships on the lost expanse of the ocean.
Response: We are winds that call to one another.
Call: We will brave the wind and water.
Response: We will bring together mind and heart.
Call: We will come home safely after wandering.
Response: We will anchor safely after our journeys.
Call: We will come through wind and water!
Response: We will come through wind and water!
(Repeat last two lines twice more.)

Chant:
We will come through wind and water
We will come through sea and sky

Water Witch Lore – Water Horses

Water Horses

Here is yet another dark little tidbit about water. In Celtic regions, there was a creature called a water horse. This creature was so powerful-looking and enchanting that once see, a person could not help but wish to ride on its back. If he tried, he would soon regret it. It would run so fast that a human would not be able to catch his breath, whereupon the horse would plunge back under the water, carrying the rider with it to a watery grave.

Thought to be most prevalent in the month of November, these magnificent creatures could shapeshift into human form. In this capacity they were known to eat their victims. It was said that the only way to kill a water horse was to hold it over a roaring fire until it melted.

In Scotland, this creature was known as the water bull and was a guardian of the entries into the fairy realm.

10 Tips for Creating a Zero Waste Home

10 Tips for Creating a Zero Waste Home

  • Erica Sofrina

By Erica Sofrina, Author of Small Changes Dynamic Results! Feng Shui for the Western World

I do my part to recycle and bring my own bags for purchases, but I am far from producing zero waste. While lugging multiple recycling bins to the curbside every week it has occurred me that I have a lot of recycling for only one person. I never totally connected the dots that the goal should be to have a system where all of the wrappers, junk mail, jars and cans don’t enter my home to begin with!

I was recently inspired by a television show where Bea and Scott Johnson of Mill Valley, California talked about their Zero waste lifestyle. They produce the equivalent of a quart jar of waste per month for their entire family of four. Now that is pretty close to Zero Waste and a goal I am going to aspire to!

In a recent article about them in Sunset Magazine. I was inspired by their commitment as a family to leave a lighter foot print. Their children are just as committed to the cause, and wrap their lunches in large cloths which they roll up and carry to school and reuse the next day. They have simplified their lives so completely that they are able to pack up on a dime and spend extended periods of time traveling and doing things they love.They pay for the trips by the 40% less they are spending on living expenses! They also rent their home while they are gone and use it as a teaching tool with detailed instructions for the renters on how they can create a zero waste lifestyle.

I yearned for the freedom from encumbrances that they have achieved, and the good feeling that comes from knowing my lifestyle is completely in alignment with my ethics about sustainability for the planet. I am inspired by their example to do more!

In Bea’s recent article in Yes Magazine, she outlines ten tips to help the average person get on board and move closer towards Zero waste. Here are some of her great suggestions:

  • Refuse what you do not need.
  • Reduce what you do need.
  • Reuse by using reusables.
  • Recycle what you cannot refuse, reduce, or reuse.
  • Rot (compost) the rest.

 

Refuse

1. Fight junk mail. It’s not just a waste of resources, but also of time. Register to receive less at dmachoice.org, optoutprescreen.com and catalogchoice.org.

2. Turn down freebies from conferences, fairs, and parties. Every time you take one, you create a demand to make more. Do you really need another “free” pen?

 

Reduce

3. Declutter your home, and donate to your local thrift shop. You’ll lighten your load and make precious resources available to those looking to buy secondhand. Yes, I couldn’t agree more!

4. Reduce your shopping trips and keep a shopping list. The less you bring home, the less waste you’ll have to deal with.

Reuse

5. Swap disposables for reusables (start using handkerchiefs, refillable bottles, shopping totes, cloth napkins, rags, etc.). You might find that you don’t miss your paper towels, but rather enjoy the savings. – Noted!

6. Avoid grocery shopping waste: Bring reusable totes, cloth bags (for bulk aisles), and jars (for wet items like cheese and deli foods) to the store and farmers market. (I always keep reusable totes in my car.)

Recycle

7. Know your city’s recycling policies and locations—but think of recycling as a last resort. Have you refused, reduced, or reused first? Question the need and life-cycle of your purchases. Shopping is voting.

8. Buy primarily in bulk or secondhand, but if you must buy new, choose glass, metal, or cardboard. Avoid plastic: Much of it gets shipped across the world for recycling and often ends up in the landfill (or worse yet, the ocean).

Rot

9. Find a compost system that works for your home and get to know what it will digest (dryer lint, hair, and nails are all compostable).

10. Turn your home kitchen trash can into one large compost receptacle. The bigger the compost the more people will use it. (I will add you want to have a bin that has a lid and is an attractive receptacle.)

I hope you will join me in working toward these Zero waste goals in your own household. I am going to start today with stopping the junk mail, which has been a goal of mine for ages and I am ashamed that I haven’t gotten around to….Done!

“Break The Habit” Bath

“Break The Habit” Bath

 
2 parts Rosemary
1 part Lavender
1 part Lemongrass
1 part Lemon Verbana
1 part Sage
 
To rid yourself of negative, baneful habits as well as their root causes: Place the sachet in the tub. After it has colored the water, step into it. Lie back in the water and visualize yourself happily avoiding the habit or other negative condition–smoking, drinking, drugs, depressions, obsessions and so on. Visualize the water absorbing your desire and need for the habit. See in your mind’s eye all the energy you’ve been giving to this negative condition seeping out into the water. When you’ve visualized all that you can, pull the plug and sit in the tub until the water has drained out. Splash fresh water onto your body, washing away all traces of the taint. Repeat daily.

Protection Bath

Protection Bath

Wodaabe
 
 
The Wodaabe are the nomadic people of Niger, living amidst settled neighbors. Their herbal knowledge is renowned throughout the region. The Wodaabe recommendation for fighting the influence of sorcery is derived from what they call the tanni tree or Balanites aegyptic. Millennia ago, the Ancient Egyptians favored oil produced from this tree for perfumery. The Wodaabe recommend bathing the body with water containing crushed tanni bark.
 
1. Add the crushed bark to a cauldron or pot of simmering water.
 
2. Allow this to simmer for at least one hour, and then allow it to cool until a comfortable temperature is reached.
 
3. Add to a bath filled with warm water or, for maximum strength, dip a clean cloth into the cooked decoction and bathe the body using downwards, outwards movements.