Tag: Gatherings

A Few Spells For Tomorrow

(YOU CAN COPY AND PASTE ANY SPELLS POSTED TO A DOCUMENT TO PRINT AND/OR SAVE ON YOUR COMPUTER FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. You can find the origin of the spell by clicking on the hyperlink.)

Finally, it’s Sunday, the official day of rest. Not only do Christians acknowledge this day, but I’m sure many pagans appreciate this day, as well. Everyone needs rest and a lot of people need a good day to worship their creator(whomever or whatever that may be), however they deem fit to do so. With the Sun being the central theme of many ancient rituals, Sunday just seems to fit, in name and theory. Not only is it a good day to worship, it seems good to do more relaxed spells, such as sleep, dream, and rebirth.

A Spell for While you Sleep

You will need the following items for this spell:

Four lengths of appropriately coloured ribbon
which can be easily tied
Four pins
Your bed

Knot magic has a particular effect in ‘binding’ or fixing a spell in place and with the addition of colour it is possible to use ribbons to bring about a desired outcome. By using your own bed as a focus, your magical work can be done while you sleep. This is a very personal way of working and one which can bring particularly positive results.

If your bed has bedposts, simply knot a length of the correct colour ribbon for your purpose around each post.

Each time you do this, say:

With this knot of coloured ribbon

Bring to me the power hidden. Grant me that right Throughout this night.

If your bed has no posts then carefully pin the knotted ribbon to each corner using the same words.
Each night for two further nights touch each ribbon knot in turn and repeat the words above.

Leave the ribbons in place until you no longer feel the need for them. You can expect to have some fairly vivid dreams over the following three nights, which may help you to develop the qualities you seek. This spell allows your unconscious self to work in a protected space without the chatter of day to day matters.

To Drive Away Bad Dreams

You will need the following items for this spell:

Bowl of warm water
Salt
Your chosen sprigs of herbs
String

This spell uses herbal magick and correspondences to clear the bedroom of negative influence. It is often a good idea to use material that is easily available, so you might use sprigs of rosemary, sage, Lady’s bedstraw, maize silks or broom-corn. Since you want something taken away you should perform this magical working as the Moon wanes.

Dissolve the salt in the warm water.

Tie the herbs together.

Dip the sprigs in the water and sprinkle the corners of the room with the water.

Use the sprigs to sprinkle the salt water on your bedclothes, and particularly round the head and foot of the bed.

When you have done this, place the herbs under your pillow, or if you prefer, under the middle of the bed.

The next morning, discard the herbs at a crossroads if you can, either by burying them or allowing them to disperse to the four winds. Otherwise ensure that you have carried them well away from your home.
This carries all negativity away from your bedroom and bed. This spell uses rosemary which brings clarity, sage for wisdom, ladies bedstraw which is said to have lined the manger at Christs birth, and broom corn, which is used in worship of the Mexican goddess Chicomecohuatl. All these herbs bring cleansing, not just of the room but also of the occupants aura or subtle energy. On the basis that one should always replace negative with positive, you may like to use the following technique to bring about positive dreams.

Having prepared your environment, this next technique is of most use when there is a strong, deeply felt association with the issue or request being considered in magical terms, ideal conditions for spell working. It is like being able to consult an encyclopedia that contains a wealth of information in fact, the Higher Self.

 

Reference

A Witch’s Week of Spells and Activities
Helga C. Loueen
Spells:
Spells of Magick

 

Welcome to WOTC! A Thought for Today

I am dealing with bad headaches from my blood pressure being way to high. The doctor is having me track my blood pressure until I see him next month. I don’t know if it is being caused by a new medication or by something in my mind and/or body being out of whack So I will do the best I can with posting. I apologize that my health gets in the way so often of bring you all the regular everyday posts but those of you with chronic health understand this.

If you want to see information on any tradition of witchcraft, herbs, flowers, a Goddess or a God, or anything pertaining to any tradition of witchcraft, please put it in the comment section or email Lady Carla Beltane at ladybeltane@witchesofthecraft.com. I will try to find some information to post about it.

May your and your family’s lives be filled with love, happiness, laughter, joy, and positive things!

Blessed be

Welcome to WOTC! A Thought for Today

To me in order to walk the path of a pagan and witch one of the most important things is to help keep Mother Earth/Gaia’s surface clean from trash left by unenlightened people. We are the Keepers of nature and all living things be they animals, birds, fish, plants, trees, ectara. Besides making potions, poultices, and other healing things for people the wise woman or medicine man would teach others how-to live-in harmony with Mother Earth/Gaia. This is a foundation of modern witchcraft that seems to me to get lost more and more as technology takes over more and more. How many younger people today take the time or even think to write a letter or thank you note or anything to send by regular mail to someone else? Granted with email and all the different social media platforms we can communicate with people all over the world in a blink of an eye but to me this is one of the main reason people have lost empathy and are less incline to help a neighbor, family or friend with something. When you take face to face meetings out of the equation you take a person’s personality out of it as well. Yes, I use technology to bring you information on a daily basis and I am thankful to be able to do that but on the other hand it takes away from me getting to know each of you. That is why I ask on a continuing basis to ask you to leave a comment on posts so I can get to know each of my readers a little bit and do not feel complete unconnected from you as just another person sitting behind a screen unseen and unknown. So please leave a comment now and then so I know I am posting thing that interest you and can get to know you a little bit.

If you want to see information on any tradition of witchcraft, herbs, flowers, a Goddess or a God, or anything pertaining to any tradition of witchcraft, please put it in the comment section or email Lady Carla Beltane at ladybeltane@witchesofthecraft.com. I will try to find some information to post about it.

May your and your family’s lives be filled with love, happiness, laughter, joy, and positive things!

Blessed be

Spell for Tomorrow – Healing Charm to Banish Sickness

(YOU CAN COPY AND PASTE ANY SPELLS POSTED TO A DOCUMENT TO PRINT AND/OR SAVE ON YOUR COMPUTER FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY)

HEALING CHARM TO BANISH SICKNESS

A charm to banish sickness is make by placing a gold coin in a glass of red wine.
Put this beneath the stars and waning moon for three nights, and each night drink one
third of the wine to shrink your sickness until it’s gone.

This originated in rural Welsh regions,
with some similar spells appearing in Scotland and England.

A Very Happy and Blessed Samhain to All

The Wheel of the Year has turned completely around as we come to close of another year.

In the coming year may your and your family’s lives be filled with enough income to meet every thing you have to with some leftover for fun, more love, happiness, laughter, joy, and positive things!

Blessed be dear Sisters, Brother , and Honored Guests

Let’s Have Some Fun – Beltane

Let’s Have Some Fun – Samhain

Samhain (Sow-en) – The Celtic roots of Halloween

As millions of children and adults participate in the fun of Halloween on the night of October 31st, few will be aware of its ancient Celtic roots in the Samhain (Samain) festival. In Celtic Ireland about 2,000 years ago, Samhain was the division of the year between the lighter half (summer) and the darker half (winter). At Samhain the division between this world and the otherworld was at its thinnest, allowing spirits to pass through.

The family’s ancestors were honoured and invited home whilst harmful spirits were warded off. People wore costumes and masks to disguise themselves as harmful spirits and thus avoid harm. Bonfires and food played a large part in the festivities. The bones of slaughtered livestock were cast into a communal fire, household fires were extinguished and started again from the bonfire. Food was prepared for the living and the dead, food for the ancestors who were in no position it eat it, was ritually shared with the less well off.

Christianity incorporated the honouring of the dead into the Christian calendar with All Saints (All Hallows) on November 1st, followed by All Souls on November 2nd. The wearing of costumes and masks to ward off harmful spirits survived as Halloween customs. The Irish emigrated to America in great numbers during the 19th century especially around the time of famine in Ireland during the 1840’s. The Irish carried their Halloween traditions to America, where today it is one of the major holidays of the year. Through time other traditions have blended into Halloween, for example the American harvest time tradition of carving pumpkins.

Two hills in the Boyne Valley were associated with Samhain in Celtic Ireland, Tlachtga and Tara. Tlachtga was the location of the Great Fire Festival which begun on the eve of Samhain (Halloween). Tara was also associated with Samhain, however it was secondary to Tlachtga in this respect.

The entrance passage to the Mound of the Hostages on the Hill of Tara is aligned with the rising sun around Samhain. The Mound of the Hostages is…

Click here to read the rest of this article about Samhain

Beltane Correspondences

Flashback 2004 Samhain

Expect the unexpected if you celebrate Samhain – the Celtic New Year – on All Hallows Eve: the planets bring a lot of energetic talk and chaos, and the resultant noise will add exuberance to the ritual. Look for psychic dreams on astrological Samhain, November 6; your intuition will be in top form if you do readings at ritual. The power is the strongest it has been in several years.

This is the sabbat for wearing your witchy black. Clean the house, including the hearth, from top to bottom; the garden also needs to be prepared for the winter by this date. Lay new fires. Fest with your family and set places for your ancestors. Cleanse divination tools (cards, crystals, runes) and rededicate them to the Goddess. For the last harvest festival, put apples, nuts, acorns, and squashes on the altar, and add pictures of the family members you are missing.

Using fresh harvested hazel nuts, make a wreath with nine nuts (three times three) to protect your house from fire and lightening. Offer thanks to the river gods or the gods of the sea, and remember to honor the goddess Hecate.

Source: K. D. Spitzer in Llewellyn’s Witches’ Datebook 2004 Page 63

Flashback 2004 Beltane

Beltane is he holiday that draws all witches outside to celebrate the returning power of the Sun and the fertility of the land.

Wear red robes for ritual and dress your altar with reds for passion. If you have identified a nearby rowan tree, you can make a wreath for your hair using rowan twigs. Decorate your house with freshly cut greens, herbs, and flowers. Arrange for music or drumming to lighten your steps of the dancers of the maypole or spiral dance. Lose yourself in the dance.

Fire is the honored element at this ritual, so have circle members jump a cauldron for purification and protection. Watr is another honored element: be certain to visit your local sacred spring or riverbank. Sprinkle perfume into the water for the undines. Again, leave a drop or two of milk and other food offerings for the nature spirits.

Wake before dawn on this day and watch the Sun rise over a river or beach. Gather a pitcherful where the Sun has gilded the water. When you return home, walk the bounds of your land, sprinkling water in your garden beds to ensure plenty of rainfall during the growing season.

By K. D. Spitzer in Llewellyn’s Witches’ Datebook 2004 Page 63

A Little Humor for Your Day

I hope the rest of your and your family have a day and evening that is relaxing, filled with fun, laughter, and love. Always remember to take a little me time every day to recharge yourself!

Merry part until we merry meet again!

Welcome to WOTC! A Thought for Today

This is why Heart’s Spirit Coven is a gathering of solitary witches coming together to celebrate Esbats and Sabbats.

If you want to see information on any tradition of witchcraft, herbs, flowers, a Goddess or a God, or anything pertaining to any tradition of witchcraft, please put it in the comment section or email Lady Carla Beltane at ladybeltane@witchesofthecraft.com. I will try to find some information to post about it.

May your and your family’s lives be filled with love, happiness, laughter, joy, and positive things!

Blessed be

Binding Spells: A Commonsense Guideline

Binding Spells: A Commonsense Guideline

If you don’t like the idea of using poppets and have decided to work a binding, and you have a handle on your emotions, then here are some commonsense guidelines that I suggest you follow:

* Bindings are best performed on a Saturday.

* Work the binding at sunset and you pull into the spell the closing energies of not only the day, but of the entire week.

* Work with black candles; they coordinate with Saturn’s energies and they are the classic magickal color for this type of witchery.

Finally, to be crystal clear, a binding is the act of psychically restraining a harmful person or criminal so that their actions cannot harm anyone else. The goddess to call on is Hecate, and she is a mighty magickal force. Consider your words and actions carefully when you call on her. How you choose to work a binding is up to you. At this point, I suggest that you take a moment and draft out your binding spell on paper. Go carefully, and remember to harm none.

You may experience some dramatic special effects when working with Hecate. Don’t be taken aback if the wind picks up….if you candles flicker and snap…..or if you begin to notice barking or howling dogs. The animals sense when Hecate is near. Yes, we have gotten very serious all of a sudden. That’s because a binding is a serious matter. Surprised? Don’t be. Just because I tend to look at things from a humorous perspective doesn’t mean I am not serious when the situation calls for it.

This invocation includes some of the correspondences for Hecate. If you choose, you can add these to your spellwork. (This would also be a fine addition to the opening of poppet magick). A general invocation for Hecate follows.

Source: Book of Witchery Spells, Charms & Correspondences for Every Day of the Week Ellen Dugan

Spell for Tomorrow – Winds of Change

(YOU CAN COPY AND PASTE ANY SPELLS POSTED TO A DOCUMENT TO PRINT AND/OR SAVE ON YOUR COMPUTER FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY)

Winds of Change

This is more of a spell to release anger and stress, but isn’t that the first step to becoming more happy?

Your supplies:

• A windy day
• A hill
• Basil
• Patchouli

Well, it’s not mandatory that you have a hill for this, but you do need an open area outside for happiness spells like this. It does need to be windy.

Take your herbs to your chosen spot, and face away from the wind (so it’s blowing on your back). Toss the herbs in the air and visualize your problems being blown away.

Repeat the following:

May the winds take my pain
Make me happy once again

Then turn around and face the wind. Say:

May the winds bring joy to me
So that happy I will be

Basic Spell Template – Crafting The Spell

(YOU CAN COPY AND PASTE ANY CORRESPONDENCES POSTED TO A DOCUMENT TO PRINT AND/OR SAVE ON YOUR COMPUTER)

Crafting The Spell

  • Identify your goal or desire

  • Examine the context of the situation

  • Evaluate the repercussions

  • Refine the specifics of your need or desire

  • Decide on a time

  • Decide on a method

  • Choose correspondences and components

  • Create central symbolic action

  • Write the text of the spell

  • Write the complete list of required materials.

Celtic Tree Month of Holly July 8 to August 4

From LearnReligions.com

Although the Oak ruled in the previous month, its counterpart, the Holly, takes over in July. This evergreen plant reminds us all year long about the immortality of nature. The Holly moon was called Tinne, pronounced chihnn-uh, by the Celts, who knew the potent Holly was a symbol of masculine energy and firmness. The ancients used the wood of the Holly in the construction of weapons, but also in protective magic. Hang a sprig of Holly in your house to ensure good luck and safety to your family. Wear as a charm, or make Holly Water by soaking leaves overnight in spring water under a full moon — then use the water as a blessing to sprinkle on people or around the house for protection and cleansing.

From Ireland-Calling.com

While the oak was the controller of the light half of the year, the holly controlled the dark, winter months.

It shares another quality with the oak in that it is resistant to lightning, its spikey leaves acting as mini conductors.

It was thus, also associated with the same Celtic and Norse gods of thunder, Taranis and Thor, and was often planted near dwellings to protect folk from lightning strikes.

Protective qualities

Druids believed the holly to possess protective qualities, guarding against evil spirits and witchcraft.

It was thought that bringing the leaves inside during the winter months would provide shelter from the cold for the fairy folk, who in return would be kind to those who inhabited the dwelling.

When new Celtic Chieftains were chosen, a wreath of holly was often used as a crown for good luck and new-born babies were bathed in the water from the leaves to protect them from harm.

Although taking cuttings was encouraged in this way, due to its protective qualities, it was considered unlucky to cut down a whole tree.

Holly formed part of Jesus’ crown of thorns

Today holly is perhaps most associated with Christmas, when, following the old traditions, it adorns the houses as part of yule-tide decoration and festivities.

However, according to Christian beliefs, holly formed part of the crown of thorns worn at the crucifixion.

It was the blood of Christ that stained the holly berries red and it was the Christians who gave the holly tree its name from the word holy.

Holly berries are poisonous to humans but a good winter food source for birds. The leaves of the holly tree were used to treat colds and fevers largely associated with the winter months.

As a flower remedy holly is said to rid people of jealousy and hatred and open the heart to love.

Spell For Tomorrow – An Evaluation/Promotion Tarot Spell

(YOU CAN COPY AND PASTE ANY SPELLS POSTED TO A DOCUMENT TO PRINT AND/OR SAVE ON YOUR COMPUTER FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY)

Got an evaluation coming up at work? There is nothing worse than having to go over a review form. You know you deserve a good raise, but how much will your manager or the company be willing to dole out? Or are you trying for a promotion? Sounds like it’s time to hedge your bets, so to speak. Try your hand at this tarot spell.

Gather the following:

• A carnelian tumbled stone for success and to boost your career or a quartz crystal point for extra power
• 1 yellow or gold candle (white will do in a pinch-it’s an all-purpose color)
• Three tarot cards: the Ace of Wands, the Sun, and the Chariot
• An item in sympathy with the spell that you are casting

You can also add the health, wealth, and success philter to this spell if you wish. Just anoint the spell candle with the solar-powered oil you have created.

What exactly is an item of sympathy? It is any item that is sympathetic to what you are working for. Since this is a job-related spell, an item in sympathy could be your recent paycheck stub, ID badge, or your business card. So, with that thought in mind, adding this sympathetic item to your other correspondences only helps to unify the magick. It does this by uniting the energies and giving you something very specific to focus on.

Arrange your items in front of the candle. If you wish, anoint the spell candle with the philter. Now, light the spell candle and focus on the cards and your item of sympathy, pathy, and then repeat the spell below three times. Check out the last line of the spell and adjust this as necessary.

Just like the golden child who rides under the sun
I call for recognition of a job well done
This spell candle illuminates my way
Bring success and wealth to all my days
Goddess, bless my ambitions, they are fair and true
While this higher career goal/promotion I do now pursue.

Close the spell by saying:

For the good of all, with harm to none
By the sun and stars, this spell is done.

Let the candle burn until it goes out on its own. Keep the carnelian in your pocket or purse, and the cards and your item of sympathy together and on your person for one week, until the following Sunday.

Source: Book of Witchery: Spells, Charms & Correspondences for Every Day of the Week by Ellen Dugan

Spell for Tomorrow – The “Enchanted Evening” Elemental Spell

(YOU CAN COPY AND PASTE ANY SPELLS POSTED TO A DOCUMENT TO PRINT AND/OR SAVE ON YOUR COMPUTER FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY)

LOVE SPELL WARNING: Love spells such as this one take the person who you want to love you free will/spirit away. What happens with a spell like this is the person will become obsessed with you to the point of possibly losing their job, which in turn can make them lose their home, automobile, friends, their family, etc. I have heard of people under love spells dying from not eating or drinking when they are not in the presence of the spellcaster 24/7/365. So, unless you want some who only loves you because of a spell you put on them then go for it. But if you want someone to love you because they feel that emotion towards you then please do not do this spell. The same warning goes for animals, birds, reptiles, or anything else that has a heart and can create a bond with someone.

Looking to put a little passion back into your love life? How do you feel about working with the four elements and Lilith, our goddess of power and passion? There are times when even the most loving relationship needs a little oomph. So, if you simply want to spice things up with your partner in the bedroom, well, hey, Lilith’s your best bet! But be careful; she has a wicked sense of humor. Calling on Lilith for some extra spark or desire works very well, and you may feel like you have a magickal hangover in the morning. A small price to pay … just don’t say that I didn’t warn you.

Let’s get all of your senses involved. This spell is a sensual and sensory experience. To represent the four elements in this spell, light a few black or red candles to represent sent the element of fire. Burn dragon’s blood incense to represent the element of air. To symbolize water, open a bottle of red wine and drink from the same cup as your partner. Finally, sprinkle the sheets with some crimson-colored rose petals to represent the element of earth.

And at the risk of sounding like a mom, while you’re setting this stage for loving seduction, don’t forget to practice safe sex!

Ask for Lilith’s blessings by using the following lowing invocation:

Lilith, dark goddess, teach me to love, laugh and be wise
Aid me in my witchery as you sail through the skies
By the natural magick of air, water, earth, and fire
I manifest the gifts of love, seduction, and desire
By the elements four, this spell is now begun
As I will, so shall it be, and let it harm none.

Source: Book of Witchery: Spells, Charms & Correspondences for Every Day of the Week by Ellen Dugan

 

(One Person’s View Point) What are Moon Phases? c.2012

 

What are Moon Phases?

Next time you’re outside checking out the sky and the Moon happens to be out, notice what shape it is. Does it look round and full? Or, more like a banana or even a lopsided ball? Throughout each month, the Moon appears to change shape while it appears in the sky at different times. These changes are something you can observe as they happen, and they may even surprise you. For example, many people think the Moon is only up at night. But, as you will find out, it can also be up during the day.

It’s Just a Phase It’s Going Through
What you are witnessing are the phases of the Moon. A lunar phase is simply the shape of the sunlit part of the Moon as seen from Earth. That shape changes for the following reasons:

the Moon orbits Earth;
both Earth and the Moon orbit the Sun;
the Moon’s orbit is the same length as the length of time it spins on its axis (about 28 Earth days), which means that we see the same part of the lunar surface all month;
the Sun illuminates both Earth and the Moon.

When you put these all together, it means that the changing positions of the Moon and Sun relative to Earth show us different phases of the Moon (that is, different sunlit parts of the lunar surface). This happens each month in the same cycle of phases.

Get to Know Your Lunar Phases

There are eight phases of the Moon that you can track each month.

New Moon: during New Moon, the side of the Moon facing us is not illuminated by the Sun. At this time, the Moon is not up at night, but it is up during the day. We just can’t see it.

Waxing Crescent: as the Moon waxes (grows) into its crescent phase, it begins to show up low in the sky right after sunset. Look for a silvery-looking crescent. The side facing the sunset direction will be lit up.

First Quarter: seven days after New Moon, the Moon is in first quarter. Only half of it is visible 1/2 of the moon is visible for the first half of the evening, and then it sets.

Waxing Gibbous: after First Quarter, the Moon appears to grow into a gibbous shape. You can see most of it, except for a shrinking sliver over the next seven nights. Look for the moon at this time during the afternoon, too.

Full Moon: During Full Moon the Sun lights up the entire surface of the Moon that faces Earth. It rises just as the Sun sets and disappears beneath the western horizon when the Sun rises the next morning. This is the brightest phase of the Moon and it washes out the nearby part of the sky, making it difficult to see stars and faint objects such as nebulae.

Waning Gibbous: after the glorious appearance of Full Moon, the lunar shape starts to wane — meaning “get smaller”. It’s visible later at night and into the early morning, and we see a steadily shrinking shape of the lunar surface that’s being lit up. When you do spot the Moon, the side that is lit up is facing toward the Sun, in this case, the sunrise direction. During this phase, look for the Moon during the day — it should be in the sky in the morning.

Last Quarter: at Last Quarter we see exactly half the sunlit surface of the Moon and it can be in the early morning and daytime sky.

Waning Crescent: the last phase of the moon before returning to New Moon is called Waning Crescent, and it is exactly what it says: a steadily-shrinking crescent phase. We can see only a small sliver from Earth. It’s visible in the early morning and by the end of the 28-day lunar cycle, it has vanished almost entirely. That brings us back to New Moon to start the new cycle.

Make Your Own Lunar Phases

You can demonstrate this to yourself by setting up a light in the center of the room. Take a white ball in your hand and stand a few feet away from the light. Next, turn yourself in a circle, as if you are the Moon spinning on its axis. Watch how the ball is illuminated as you turn.

Observing the Moon throughout a month is a great school project, as well as something you can do simply on your own (or with family and friends). Check it out this month!

Source: About.com

Carolyn Collins Petersen, Space/Astronomy Expert