Tag: Essential oil

Moonlight Oil Magick (Blood/Harvest Moon)

Rub your lover the right way with this sensuous and slippery spell.

You will need a plastic drop cloth, sexy tunes, lavender essential oil, a large bottle of baby oil, and pure vanilla extract.

After dinner go out and look at the moon with the one you love. Afterward, retire to the bedroom, turn down the lights, put the plastic drop cloth on top of the bed and turn on the music. Mix eleven drops of lavender essential oil in a cup of baby oil. Add a teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir the oil with your fingers, clockwise. As you stir, chant:

“Spice and flowers fill this oil with loving powers.”

Slowly take off each other’s clothes. Then rub oil sensuously on your lover’s skin, and say:

“My love, you are my stars and moon

Inside and outside of me

Let there be sweet ecstasy

Between you and me

So be it! Blessed Be!”

Take turns massaging each other in all the right places.Remember to direct your energies toward  shared dream or goal.

Clarity Floor Wash

Use this for cleansing vibrations and clearing the mind.

Items you will need:

  • A bucket or similar container
  • White vinegar
  • Clary sage essential oil
  • Hornbeam essence
  • A fluorite crystal
  • A mop
  • A mister (if you have carpet)

Cleanse the crystal by running cold water over it for at least thirty seconds or immersing it in dry salt for at least ten minutes. Fill the bucket with water and add 1/4 cup white vinegar, 9 drops Clary sage oil, 4 drops hornbeam essence, and the cleansed crystal. Stir. Close your eyes and powerfully visualize the liquid completely immersed in very bright white light. If you have carpets, put some of the mixture in the mister. Mop all the hard floors, as well as the front porch and/or doorstep, if possible. Finish by misting the carpets lightly and, if you weren’t able to mop, mist the front porch/doorstep as well.

Home Harmony Floor Wash

Items you will need:

  • A bucket or similar container
  • Essential oil of tangerine
  • Essential oil of grapefruit
  • Bach Rescue Remedy
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • A mop
  • A mister (if you have carpet)

Fill the bucket with water and add 4 drops of tangerine, 4 drops of grapefruit, 4 crops of Rescue Remedy, and 1 teaspoon sea salt. Stir in a clockwise direction. Put your hands in prayer position, close your eyes, and say:

“Goddess of Hearth and Home, please infuse

this wash with harmonious vibrations and

powerfully establish the qualities of peace, joy,

and happiness within these walls. Thank you!”

Visualize very bright, sparkly, golden-white light filling the mixture. If you have carpet, put some of the mixture in the mister. Mop all the hard floors, including the front porch and doorstep if applicable and possible, and lightly mist the carpets. You can also mist the doorstep/front porch if you were not able to mop that area.

Prosperity Floor Wash

You will need:

  • A bucket or similar container
  • A handful of fresh or one teaspoon dried basil leaves
  • The peels of one orange
  • Peppermint essential oil
  • A mop
  • A pot or cauldron
  • A mister (if you have carpet)

Put the basil and orange peel in the pot, fill it with water, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and allow the brew to simmer for 5 minutes. Put water in the bucket and add the brew. Put 7 drops of peppermint oil in the water and stir. Hold your hand over the water, close your eyes, and visualize a very bright green light with sparkly gold dust floating around in it coming down from the sky as in a beam of light, entering your head, going into your heart, and moving out through our fingers and the palms of your hands to generously fill the mixture. In your mind’s eye, see this light powerfully swirling around in the bucket. If you have caret, put some of the mixture in the mister. Mop all the hard floors with the mixture. If your doorstep or front porch is made of mop-friendly material, you might want to mop the area too. Then lightly mist the carpets with the mixture as well. You can also mist your doorstep with the mixture if you can’t mop it.

Blood/Harvest Moon Ritual Mist

Blood/Harvest Moon Ritual Mist

 
 
Use this mist to fill you with the vitality of the Goddess.
 
You will need one cup of distilled water, three drops of lavender essential oil, one drop of rose essential oil, one drop of chamomile essential oil, and a white candle. Mix all the ingredients together in a spray bottle. As you shake the bottle, chant:
 
Great Goddess of eternal life
Invigorate this liquid with your divine light.
 
Light the candle and place the bottle of mist in front of the candle so that the light shines through it. Stare deep into the liquid and merge with it. Energize the mist with the vitality and divine life force of the bright Goddess. Close your eyes and spray the mist over your face. As your spray it on yourself, sense the light of the Goddess glowing within you and all around you.

Herbs for Smudging

You can make a smudge stick by combining any tall, firm, full-leafed herbs. Some burn better than others. The following list of herbs are traditionally made into Native North American smudge sticks and others used for both commercial and personally prepared smudge sticks. Smudge sticks are made with fresh herbs and the whole bundle is dried together after formation.

Smudge herbs do tend to be single or dual herbs rather than a mix as in incense and are, on the whole, characterized less by sweetness than earthiness.

If you need to use charcoal, drop just one or two drops of lavender or rose essential oil onto the hot charcoal to add fragrance before you begin to burn the herbs. This is effective, especially if you are smudging indoors.

For homemade smudge, try to choose herbs that grow in your region. Look on the internet for dried varieties to burn in a bowl or ready-prepared less common smudge sticks. Also try to choose organically produced herbs.

  • Bay/Laurel
  • Bergamot
  • Cedar
  • Copal
  • Fennel
  • Juniper
  • Lavender
  • Mugwort
  • Orris root
  • Pine, Fir and Spruce
  • Rosemary
  • Sagebrush/Sage
  • Sweetgrass
  • Wormwort (Tansy)
  • Thyme
  • Yarrow
  • Yerba Santa

Herb of the Day for Sept. 27 is Wintergreen

Wintergreen

Botanical: Gaultheria procumbens (LINN.)
Family: N.O. Ericaceae

—Synonyms—Teaberry. Boxberry. Mountain Tea. Checkerberry. Thé du Canada. Aromatic Wintergreen. Partridge Berry. Deerberry.
—Part Used—Leaves.
—Habitat—Northern United States from Georgia to Newfoundland; Canada.

—Description—A small indigenous shrubby, creeping, evergreen plant, growing about 5 to 6 inches high under trees and shrubs, particularly under evergreens such as Kalmias and Rhododendrons. It is found in large patches on sandy and barren plains, also on mountainous tracts. The stiff branches bear at their summit tufts of leaves which are petiolate, oval, shiny, coriaceous, the upper side bright green, paler underneath. The drooping white flowers are produced singly from the base of the leaves in June and July, followed by fleshy, bright red berries (with a sweetish taste and peculiar flavour), formed by the enlargement of the calyx. The leaveswere formerly official in the United States Pharmacopoeia, but now only the oil obtained from them is official, though in some parts the whole plant is used. The odour is peculiar and aromatic, and the taste of the whole plant astringent, the leaves being particularly so.

—Constituents—The volatile oil obtained by distillation and to which all the medicinal qualities are due, contains 99 per cent Methyl Salicylate: other properties are 0.3 of a hydrocarbon, Gaultherilene, and an aldehyde or ketone, a secondary alcohol and an ester. To the alcohol and ester are due the characteristic odour of the oil. The oil does not occur crudely in the plant, but as a nonodorous glucoside, and before distillation, the leaves have to be steeped for twelve to twenty-four hours for the oil to develop by fermentation – a reaction between water and a neutral principle: Gaultherin.

—Medicinal Action and Uses—Tonic, stimulant, astringent, aromatic. Useful as a diuretic and emmenagogue and for chronic mucous discharges. Is said to be a good galactogogue. The oil of Gaultheria is its most important product. It has all the properties of the salicylates and therefore is most beneficial in acute rheumatism, but must be given internally in capsules, owing to its pungency, death from inflammation of the stomach having been known to result from frequent and large doses of it. It is readily absorbed by the skin, but is liable to give rise to an eruption, so it is advisable to use for external application the synthetic oil of Wintergreen, Methyl Salicylate, or oil from the bark of Betula lenta, which is almost identical with oil of Gaultheria. In this form, it is a very valuable external application for rheumatic affections in all chronic forms of joint and muscular troubles, lumbago, sciatica, etc. The leaves have found use as a substitute for tea and as a flavouring for genuine tea. The berries form a winter food for animals, partridges, deer, etc. They have been used, steeped in brandy, to produce a bitter tonic taken in small quantities. The oil is a flavouring agent for tooth powders, liquid dentifrices, pastes, etc., especially if combined with menthol and eucalyptus.

—Dosage—Capsules of oil of Gaultheris, 10 minims in each, 1, three times daily.

—Other Species—
Gaultheria hispidula, or Cancer Wintergreen, supposed to remove the cancerous taint from the system. Is also used for scrofula and prolapsus of the womb.

G. Shallonis the Sallol of North-west America, whose edible fruit deserves to be more widely known and cultivated.

Pyrola rotundifolia, known as False Wintergreen or British Wintergreen, was formerly considered a vulnerary.

With Chimophila umbellata, the Bitter Wintergreen, Rheumatism Weed or Pipsissewa, C. maculata, the Spotted Wintergreen was used internally by North American Indians for rheumatism and scrofula. For its diuretic action it is occasionally prescribed, in fluid extract, for cystitis and considered useful in disordered digestion.

Trientalis Europaea, the Chickweed Wintergreen, a British plant, was formerly esteemed in ointment as a wound salve, and an infusion taken internally for blood poisoning or eczema. The root is emetic.

NONTOXIC FLYING OINTMENT

NONTOXIC FLYING OINTMENT


2 drops Sandalwood Oil

1 drop Jasmine Oil

1 drop Benzoin Oil

1 drop Mace Oil


Add these essential oils to the ointment base and anoint the body prior to an Astral Projection session. The Gazing Technique –
This is to be done when going to bed. You need something to focus on; if it is in view the moon, the stars, a crystal, a favorite doll will work well. Use whatever you like.
This method involves the body falling asleep, and you should never leave anything that burns unattended. Place the object within your view and lie down in your bed. Just stare at the object as you doze off. The first few times may be frustrating.
You may just fall asleep and that’s it. Keep staring at the object. As your eyelids become heavy, keep staring. Eventually your eyes will close, but you will still be able to see the object.You will still be staring at the object. Sit up or stand up, and don’t be surprised to see your
physical body sleeping peacefully in your bed! When you are out of your body, do whatever you wish.

Exotic Dreams 3

Exotic Dreams

Rose Bath
 
One cup of rose hydrosol
Five drops of rose attar
Five drops of neroli or essential oil of petitgrain
Five drops of honeysuckle flower essence remedy(Bach Flowers)
 
Add all the above ingredients to a tub filled with water and luxuriate before bedtime.
 
For maximum effect, float fresh rose petals and/or orange blossoms in the bath, too.

Herb of the Day for August 16th is Patchouli

Patchouli

Botanical: Pogostemon patchouli (PILL.)
Family: N.O. Labiatae

—Description—This fragrant herb, with soft, opposite, egg-shaped leaves and square stems, grows from 2 to 3 feet in height, giving out the peculiar, characteristic odour of patchouli when rubbed. Its whitish flowers, tinged with purple, grow in both axillary and terminal spikes. The crop is cut two or three times a year, the leaves being dried and packed in bales and exported for distillation of the oil. The best oil is freshly distilled near the plantations. That obtained from leaves imported into Europe, often damaged and adulterated even up to 80 per cent, is inferior. It is used in coarser perfumes and in ‘White Rose’ and ‘Oriental’ toilet soaps. Although the odour is objectionable to some, it is widely-used both in Asia and India. Sachets are made of the coarsely-powdered leaves, and before its common use in Europe, genuine Indian shawls and Indian ink were distinguished by the odour, which has the unusual quality of improving with age. Hence the older oil is preferred by perfumers and used to confer more lasting properties upon other scents.

—Constituents—Oil of Patchouli is thick, the colour being brownish-yellow tinted green. It contains coerulein, the vivid blue compound found in matricaria, wormwood and other oils. It deposits a solid, or stearoptene, patchouli alcohol, leaving cadinene.

It is laevorotatory, with the specific gravity of 0.970 to 0.990 at 15 degrees C. (59 degrees F.).

—Medicinal Action and Uses—Its use is said to cause sometimes loss of appetite and sleep and nervous attacks. The Chinese, Japanese and Arabs believe it to possess prophylactic properties.

—Other Species and Adulterations—
Java patchouli, often grown in Indian gardens for home use, is a product of Pogostemon Heyneanus.

The inferior oil of Assam is from Microtoena cymosa.

Cubeb and cedar oils are said to be usual adulterants.

Love Binding

Love Binding

by Charmed

Meditate on the specific person you want ot fall in love with you, take three cords of string the following colors, pink, red, and black and anoint them all with rose, lavander, and sandal wood essential oils. the pink string represents your love, the red your lust, and the black eternity; this energy will fuel the spell! your desire is the catalyst, line the three strings up and knot one end as you do visualize your life and the life of your target intertwining and then say the following spell “my love my heart I find with thee, may e’er you seek the same with me.”

Herb of the Day for July 27th is Star Anise

StarAnise

(Illicum Verum)

Folk Names: Badiana, Chinese Anise

Gender: Masculine

Planet: Jupiter

Element: Air

Powers: Psychic powers, luck

Magical Uses: The seeds are burned as incense to increase psychic powers, and are also worn as beads for the same purpose. Sometimes star anise is placed on the altar to give it power; one is placed to each of the four directions. It is also carried as a general luck bringer, and the seeds make excellent pendulums.

Astral Travel Oil

Astral Travel Oil

5 drops Sandalwood

1 drop Ylang-Ylang

1 drop Cinnamon

Add these to the base oil as usual and mix. Anoint the stomach, wrists, back of the neck and forehead (but remember–these essential oils are added to a base). Lie down and visualize yourself astrally projecting.

___________________

Denning and Phillip’s Astral Projection (Llewellyn Publications, 1979) is an excellent guide.

Using Oils

Oils are used in  innumerable ways in magick. Remember: Always use oils with visualization and with power.

Most often, they’re rubbed onto candles which are then burned in ritual. The magickal goal determines the types of oil and the color of the candle used. The oil’s powers mix with that of the color and the candle flame. All these energies are further boosted by the Practitioner’s personal power and are sped toward the magickal goal through visualization.

Oils are also simply used to anoint the body to bring their energies within. Thus, rubbing a Love oil onto the wrists, the neck, and over the heart infuses the Practitioner with love-attracting energies. Courage Oil similarly imbues her or him with the strength to forge ahead in the face of adversity.

A simple bath can be transformed into a ritual by adding several drops of oil to the water. Slipping into it and inhaling the fragrance, the Practitioner once again brings the oil’s energies inside.

Talismans and amulets (Often termed “charms” or “sachets”) may be anointed with a few drops of the appropriate mixed oil. This is done, of course, with the specific magickal goal in mind.

Quartz crystals and other stones are also rubbed with oils to boost their energies during spells and rituals. The stones are then worn, carried or placed in mystic patterns to bring about specific magickal goals.

Other ritual uses of oils will become apparent once you start using them.

Simple House Cleansing and Warding

Simple House Cleansing and Warding

Author: Rev. Jennifer “Jay” Bull

Since home is where the heart is it behooves us to make sure that our homes are cleansed and blessed on a regular basis. Why? Because all of us have the capacity for healthy energy and unhealthy energy. A bad day can be brought home with us and muck up the energy of our home.

Have you ever been having a really great day and then someone came in who was angry or in a temper? The energy of the home takes a nosedive more often than not. Even after the bad mood has passed this unhealthy energy sticks around, just as the positive energy sticks around. Therefore it is a good idea to make sure that the house is cleansed and blessed frequently. There are many ways to accomplish this, but as with most spells, the more you put into it, the more you get out of it.

The first step is to actually physically clean your house. This is something that many of us put off (I know I do!) but really helps quite a bit. By physically cleaning your house you are doing a great deal to make the energy in the home much healthier and brighter. Also, the feeling of accomplishment after cleaning the home is a great way to raise energy for a house cleansing and blessing. If you are going to take the time to magically cleanse and bless your home, you should also take the time to physically cleanse your home as well. The magical and the physical work best together.

Floor Washes – A lot can be said about a good floor wash. Washing your floor clears up negativity and often has the house smelling great. The extra-added bonus is that in order to wash your floor, you have to pick up the clutter that accumulates. Clutter is a magnet for unhealthy energy. Floor washes can be made to bring in luck, love, money, health, happiness, protection, cleansing or anything else your heart desires. You can make your own floor wash by adding essential oils or herbs to your regular floor cleanser. If adding essential oils, you might want to try out what different oils smell like when combined together and with your cleanser before washing your whole house in a particular scent. Essential oils are easy to use because you only need to add a few drops of each oil to your bucket.

If adding herbs, I generally choose multiples of three, 3, 6 or 9 being the most common, but any number would work. I will boil the herbs to make a tea and then strain out the herbs using a coffee filter or strainer. I will add a portion of the tea mixture to the bucket I am using on the floors and then a portion for a spray bottle. Then I will mop the floors, or scrub them, depending on my mood.

In hoodoo, you scrub the floors on your hands and knees, which I will do sometimes, but due to a twitchy back and angry knees, I generally prefer to mop. After mopping I will then using the spray bottle to mist over the areas, such as carpets or rugs or furniture that I could not clean with a mop.

Many shops, such as Lucky Mojo or in my area, The Country Goddess, have floor washes in stock that you can purchase and use. Lucky Mojo’s Chinese wash smells great and is good for clearing your house of negativity.

I am fairly haphazard about what herbs I use, and end up relying on what I have on hand. I will occasionally seek out specific herbs for specific purposes, but usually rely on the herbs I use in cooking. I recommend getting a good book on herbs and their correspondences, such as Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magickal Herbs. That way you can choose from a long list of herbs based from what you have at hand.

For a Loving Home – Wash and Spray

Boil a large pot of water. You can use tap water or you can use rainwater if you prefer. [Soapbox moment: Since we try to practice stewardship to the earth, you may want to avoid using multiple small bottles of spring water as the plastic from these small bottles really does harm the planet. If you feel you must use spring water for this and do not have access to a spring, try to buy a large jug of water so that you have plenty of water and not plenty of plastic bottles. However, since you are boiling the water into a tea, tap water usually works just fine.]

You will want to charge the herbs with your intention. A good way to do this is hold the herbs in your hands and flow energy, in this case loving energy, into each herb. Visualize your hands with a bright light filling and flowing through them and powering the herbs. Flow energy into the spice/herb until it feels ready to you.

If you forgot this step, you can also flow energy into the entire mixture by placing your hands over the pot (not while it is boiling!) and flowing energy into the entire mixture.

Mix in a tablespoon each of cinnamon, basil, and lavender (any combination of herbs for love and harmony will work well, I like basil and lavender for the additional good luck properties and cinnamon for the smell) and let steep in water for at around 5-10 minutes to make a tea.

Drain water through a sieve or coffee filter to remove herbs.
Add tea to a spray bottle and/or the bucket you are using to clean the floors.

The above recipe can be used for anything you would like to bless your house with as long your intention and the herbs correspond. My favorites for this are protection, luck, peace and harmony. Sometimes I want to infuse my house with motivation, and then I generally use bay leaves with essential oils for lemon, orange or grapefruit. The citrus really makes me want to move. It is important to experiment and find what works best for you.

I have a friend who will boil herbs in a pot throughout the day because the steam infuses the house with the smell and properties of the herbs. It is wonderful to come home to a fantastic smelling house. I will say that this approach would work for me really well in the winter when it is dry, but in the summer my house is very humid, so I try not to add to the humidity. However, you can use this method for a quick house cleansing when you are busy doing other things. Sometimes our time is short, so shortcuts help.

Incense/Smudging – Burning incense or smudging with sage is a classic way to cleanse a home. Just burning incense in your house can really help lift spirits and bless and cleanse.

The most common house cleansing is to get a wrap of dried sage and then to go through the house clearing the energy with the sage. The best approach is to start at your front door, and walk the perimeter of your house clearing the energy with the sage bundle and flow energy through your hands. The sage clears away negativity and the energy you flow – both through your free hand and the sage bundle – helps replace negative energy with your energy. Some people like to chant as they do this to help with focus. Such as “I bless you and clear you, I bless you and clear you…” If you are following the sage up with holy water, you can say “I bless and clear this space with fire and air” or “Air and fire cleanses and blesses…” Really whatever you like as the point is to clear negativity and maintain focus. If you are really in the zone, you can even chant yourself into a trance state!

Holy Water – There are many different takes on holy water, but what I like is the simple water with sea salt. Mix together until salt has dissolved completely in the water. As with the herbs, a little goes a long way so a tablespoon should be plenty. Charge the water with cleansing properties by holding your hands over the water and flowing energy into the water. You may even ask the Goddess to help you charge the water, if that feels comfortable to you. I used to leave the water in a chalice and kind of sprinkle the water throughout my home, but have found that this leaves salt-water droplets everywhere. Instead, I now use a spray bottle that will mist the solution through the home. It works better for me, but as with all things, find what works best for you.

If you were doing a thorough house cleansing, I would use sage as well as holy water. As you walk through the house, starting and finishing at the front door, use the sage to clear away unpleasant energy. I use my arms and hands as a kind of energetic broom to sweep away the negative energy as I go. Then when I finish at the front door, I open the door and push the unpleasant energy outside. I’m lucky enough to have two big trees in front of my house and I usually take this energy and give it to the ground in front of the trees. Energy that I find unpleasant becomes neutralized in the ground and helps the trees. Then go through the house with holy water doing the same as I did with the sage, including shooing the unpleasant energy out the front door and grounding it in the earth.

After you have finished cleansing your house with Air and Fire (the sage or incense) and Earth and Water (the salt and water) , you can then place protective wards or shields around your home. There are many, many ways to accomplish this, from the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram to simply visualizing your home as surrounded in a dome of protective light. I prefer to place specific wards around my home, while my husband uses a protective energy dome around the home.

Thread Bottle – I forgot where I first read about a thread bottle, but I do know that spell this was found in a book somewhere. The idea is a bottle full of odds and ends of thread that tangle up anyone who tries to do you harm. My husband loves this particular spell as he hates to throw anything away. Because we add to it any time we sew or knit or just have an odd piece of string or thread or yarn from somewhere, which means that something that might have been thrown out is used to help keep our home safe.

You can use any kind of glass bottle you like. We first had a very pretty bottle I purchased from Hobby Lobby for this purpose, but when this bottle broke, my husband just switched to using an empty bottle of vodka we were getting ready to recycle. He was pleased as punch to be able to reuse the vodka bottle for something and we just transferred the thread bits from one container to another. Part of the great thing about this spell is that everyone in the house can contribute their energy to it, as they add bits of loose thread to the bottle.

Witch’s Ball – This is a very simple little ward you can place around your house. Most of the ones I have seen are terribly expensive, hand-blown glass affairs that I could never afford. Therefore, I never really thought much about getting one. I am also rough on delicate objects, so a pretty glass thing seemed like asking for trouble. My then High Priestess, who is terribly crafty in all of the ways that I am not, said that you could use Christmas tree ornaments. The local hobby shop sells, year round, clear glass bulb ornaments, usually for under $5 for a set of them.

You can then place herbs inside of the ornaments and hang them around your house. Our hobby shop sells them in a variety of sizes from small to extremely large. Our crafty HP said that you could also paint them different colors to correspond to the elements, or use food coloring and Elmer’s glue to make the bulbs different colors. I tried the food coloring with Elmer’s glue, but I apparently go crazy with food coloring and used too much so it didn’t turn out well. It was interesting in a Look at That Gloppy Mess That Won’t Dry kind of way, but not very useful. I think a lighter touch is needed if you go the Elmer’s glue route.

I placed protective herbs inside my ornaments and then put them up in the four quarters. One of the nice things about these types of wards is that they are an excellent indicator of when someone is wishing you ill. When your wards explode inexplicably, that is a major indicator of bad news! We had one just destruct without anyone being near it, and from there we went on to discover that someone was not too pleased with us. When that happens, you just replace the ward and move on, while maybe doubling up on the protection detail.

Witch’s Bottle – I’ve never made one of these myself, but hear that they are really affective. Basically, you take a bottle, like a mason jar, and you place sharp pointy things inside it. If they are rusty and twisted, then that is good too. I’ve heard very specific instructions for this and very loose instructions for this. Basically, you want nails, razor blades, staples, tacks, screws and other implements of that nature in the bottle. In addition, you then add your own urine to the bottle. You bury this bottle on your property and it protects you from any harm thrown your way. Some say you should include a parchment paper with your name on it, or that you should smear it with menstrual blood or semen, but I’m not too big on the use of bodily fluids. The version I’ve heard most is rusty, sharp things, urine, then bury it. Some people say bury it on a full moon, others say the dark of the moon. As with all things, do what seems right to you.

Wards – Wards can be placed over doors and windows. A ward is very simple and consists of nothing more than your energy. Using an athame, wand, or your finger, draw banishing pentacle over the door or window. Visualize protective, blue white light drawing the banishing pentagram and sealing your door or window. Do this to all of the openings in your house. Some people take protection oil and physically draw the circle on the door or window, which is a way to do it that works well, but for me, I just don’t like having oil on my windows so I visualize instead. Do what works best for you.

Braids – One of the earliest spells of blessing I performed was one for a good marriage. I took three different colored ribbons, choosing the colors to correspond with what I wanted to bless my marriage with. Then I knotted the three ribbons together on one end and braided them together while chanting and flowing energy into the spell. The chant I used was merely what each color represented, “Peace, love, happiness”. Once the ribbons were braided together, I then knotted the other end of the ribbons and tied the two ends together forming a circle. As ribbons braided together are relatively thin, you could double up the magic on your home by hanging up a witch ball with the braided ribbon. Protection and blessing working together.

Another use for these braided ribbons is to place them over the tops of the windows and doorways in your home. If I am doing that with the braids, I will often chant more specifically, such as “Let only friends pass through this door” or “Goddess bless and protect all who enter” or something of that nature. After the braid is completed, it can be added to the top of the window or doorway.

Problem Areas

A lot of the above information focuses on doorways and windows mainly because those are the entryways into our home. When cleansing an area or protecting an area, you want to pay special attention to those areas where energy can come in and set up camp. By warding the doorways and windows, you are keeping unwanted energy out.

Another problem area is the corner. When going through my house to cleanse, the ceiling corners often have the biggest buildup of energy. It is a good practice to clear the energy out when you can, as you don’t want it hanging around.

Clutter is an area where energy can collect. Clutter is something that seems to follow me around, but when I do a cleansing, if I can’t clean/organize/remove the clutter, I will make sure to spend extra time cleansing it and clearing it of unpleasant energy.

There are many different ways to cleanse, bless, and protect your home. The above is just a list of simple but effective things you can do to start out. I recommend to anyone practicing magic cleansing and blessing your home much as you would your ritual tools. One of the most effective protections out there is the goddesses and gods, so don’t forget to ask them for their blessings and protection of your home. These cleansings and blessings should be done on a regular basis, at least once a month if not once a week, and ALWAYS before you move into a new place. Magical hygiene is like regular hygiene – the more often you do it, the cleaner and clearer you are.

As a side note, you should cleanse and bless any area you are working magic in, praying in or doing a ritual in before each magical act but especially before ritual.

Cheers!

Footnotes:
http://communingwithgoddess.wordpress.com/
http://www.luckymojo.com/
http://www.thecountrygoddess.com/
http://wp.me/pw9sp-38

Daily Aromatherapy Tip

Daily Aromatherapy Tip

.

Clays are another base material to
which essential oils may be added.
Use clays in masks to help the skin release toxins.
They also aid in exfoliation of dead skin cells.

Some clays to choose from:
Green best for oily skin
White milder than Green, best suited for detoxification
Red all purpose for toning and cleansing
Blue for acne, anti-inflammnatory, for drawing out.
Pink soothing, cleansing, hydrating for dry, sensitive skin.

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Brought to you by AromaThyme.com

Deity of the Day for June 29th is Yemaya

Deity of the Day

Yemaya

Mother Water, Star of the Sea, Yemaya is the protector of women. Her healing powers are carried in the great waters, her energy powerful during the ebb and flow of life challenges.

 

MANTRA

  • · Nourishment

GEMSTONES

  • · Lapis lazuli, aquamarine, turquoise (light blue stones), pearl, coral, mother-of-pearl (ocean-sourced)

ESSENTIAL OILS

  • · Goddess-enceIshtar* blend for the crown chakra

AFFIRMATIONS

  • · I voice my needs
  • · Freedom is a birthright I enjoy
  • · I release my anger, I embrace joy
  • · Others recognise my needs and honour them
  • · I connect with my needs, and let them be known
  • · My body is a temple, and oh what a temple it is!
  • · My body is a pleasure, a temple and a treasure

Her Story

West African, Brazilian and Afro-Caribbean goddess Yemaya is Mother Water, orisha of the oceans. She represents mother love and the affairs of women – fertility, children, birthing, the home and family. She is the merciful goddess of creation and protector of women during conception and childbirth, and of children during their childhood. She is the deep ocean of comfort for those in need.

African deities (orishas) are usually represented by flowing, swirling images of colour and movement, depicting the elemental energies rather than an anthropomorphised image. Yemaya’s energy is depicted with sky blue, white and silver swirling colour. In other images, she is a mermaid or a beautiful woman.

Yemaya brings forth and protects life through all the highs and lows, even during the worst atrocities that can be suffered. She reminds women to take time out for themselves, to nurture their own needs and to respect their deserved position in life.

Her Modern Energy

If Yemaya is speaking to you today, ask yourself, who or what is it that is taking all your time and energy? Whose problems are you trying to fix at the expense of your own vital energy? And why are you trying to fix them? (For approval?) Yemaya does not ask that you conquer your problems nor dominate the source of your problems, but instead to learn how to dance with the ebb and flow of the inevitability of the life cycle.

Yemaya gives you permission to pamper yourself, and for one week at least, to retire from being the “fixer”, the “nurturer”, the “servant”. The world will not end if you withdraw to take care of yourself for a while.

Reconnect With Your Inner Yemaya

Spend some time this week building a shrine to Yemaya, with ocean-sourced items (especially the conch shell), crystal and silver objects, and symbols to represent the moon and stars.

On a Saturday, enjoy watermelon and brew your own raspberry leaf tea (this will take around two weeks to prepare).

Raspberry leaf tea: Tie organically grown raspberry leaves in a bunch and hang in a warm, dark area until dry. Strip the leaves, crumble them into your favourite tea-pot or cauldron, and brew Yemaya’s tea. Take your time to drink this – cancel appointments and other demands for your time, and let yourself truly, purely, “be” in the moment!

Alternatively, on a full moon, invoke Yemaya’s energy by “drawing down the moon”. Here is a suggestion that is in Ffiona Morgan’s book, “Goddess Spirituality”. This ritual can be done as a private ritual with yourself, preferably outside under the full moon. (If it is not possible to go outside, you can sit or stand facing a window in view of the moon, with the moon’s rays shining in on you.)

Start by chanting ‘Ma’, ‘Yemaya’, or ‘Luna’ for five or ten minutes, to raise energy for the drawing down. Then place your hands with palms facing the moon, index fingers and thumbs touching, forming the sacred triangle, or sign of the yoni. Spread your fingers as wide as possible, so they are receptors for moon energy. After you chant to raise power, focus all your energy and vision on Mother Moon and draw her energy down into your body. Move your hands, if desired, back and forth, from arms-outstretched position to your heart and back again. After a few minutes of holding your hands up to the moon, you can feel them tingle. This is magical energy. This can take 15-20 minutes, but you may take more or less time, there are no rules. Here are some songs and chants to the moon:

“Yemaya, O Lo Do, Agua Lo Do Mi O”
(repeat over and over again)
“Moon, Moon, Moon on my mind, think I’ll fly”
(repeat over and over again)
Simple Shower Ritual

First, gather your shower and ritual tools. You will need a bar of soap (pick one that is special to you because of the scent or whatever), a big, fluffy white towel, 3 white votives or pillars and your favourite incense. Pick a soothing CD to put on.

Next, arrange the candles, put on the CD and light the incense. Hang your towel nearby. Take 5 deep breaths, centre, and ground yourself before beginning.

Take the soap and carve a pentagram on both sides of the soap. Ask for the sense and presence of the Goddess. Hold the bar in the air and say these words:

O Mother Goddess,

Bless this soap that you have seen
Soap to make me pure and clean.
Clear away all dirt and grime
Protect my body all the time.

Blessed be.

 

Place it in the soap holder.

Lastly, take each candle and carve a pentacle or protective rune on its side. Grab all three candles in your hands and repeat these words:

Candles that I light this day,
Keep all evil thoughts away.
As the water washes me,
Burn out all negativity. Blessed be.
Kiss each candle then light it. Now you are ready for your shower.

As the water runs over you visualise all your stress, sadness and worries rinsing away, the bubbles cleaning off dirt and leaving your skin glowing with a radiant white glow all around you. This will keep you feeling strong and protected all through the day. Thank the Goddess for her presence and put all tools away for next time.

Herbal Nail Strengthener

Remember to nurture your nails with an herbal infusion.

2     tablespoons chopped horsetail or crushed dill seed

1     cup boiled water

1     tablespoon almond oil

Infused chopped horsetail or crushed dill seed in boiled water. Cover and steep 20 minutes. Strain and pour into 2 small bowls. Soak your nails for 10 minutes or longer. Massage 1 tablespoon of almond oil into the nails and cuticles. Use the infusion to soak the toenails and massage any leftover oil into the toenails.

Basic Melt-and-Pour Making Instruction

In soap making, timing is essential. If you whisk too long, then your soap will begin to get in the measuring cup to the point where you won’t be able to pour it. If this occurs, it must be re-melted before pouring. Re-melting soap with fragrance can destroy the integrity of the aroma. Expect to make a few mistakes when first learning to make your own soaps; however, you will quickly get the feel of this super-simple process! Goat’s milk, coconut and shea butter bases do not have good suspension and require that you whisk your formulas until they thicken but are still warm enough to pour.

Basic Melt-and-Pour Soap-Making Instructions

  • Heat your soap base as indicated by manufacturer. (Be careful not to overheat or you will destroy the integrity of the soap based.)

  • Add color per manufacturer’s instruction.

  • Add fragrance or essential oils per manufacturer’s instructions. Hint: For every pound of soap use three teaspoons of fragrance (this does not apply for essential oils).

  • Add herbs.

  • Add any other inclusions-water for handmilled, jojoba carrier or other oils; vitamin E (a preservative), etc.

  • Whisk mixture until it begins to thicken.

  • Pour into molds.

  • Spritz each soap while still warm with alcohol to remove bubbles.

  • Allow to cool completely in mold.

  • Remove from mold.

  • Air-dry (length of time depends on what type of base you are using). Glycerin can be packaged after one hour.