Today’s I Ching Hexagram for December 19th is 33: Retreat

33: Retreat

Hexagram 33

General Meaning: All worthy goals meet resistance of some kind. When negative forces predominate, a well-timed retreat is a good way to stay on the path to ultimate success. Tibetans know this.

Strategic retreat is not to be confused with escape or surrender. Successful retreat demands quick and nimble movement — taking up a new position before you are damaged by the current situation. You are not admitting defeat by temporarily retreating, but simply increasing your options, and preserving your resources. Sometimes it is necessary to slow down, let go or move back in order to develop countermoves for the future. Timing is critical, as is how well you position yourself after realignment. Considerations of personal security are critical.

Periods of withdrawal or retreat call for cool-headedness. It is necessary to keep your wits about you. Attend to small details while allowing yourself time to contemplate the whole picture. Be creative; not all progress follows a straight line. Self-confidence is also essential; small setbacks can easily become defeats if we allow ourselves to become mired in self-doubt or self-pity.

Waves of progress are, by their nature, short-lived. Learn to attune yourself to the up-and-down cycles of life. When the wave is behind you, ride it in; when it’s not, lie low. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you can ‘fix’ any situation whenever you feel like it. Some things are bigger than you are. Hold your pride in check and you will be better prepared to find creative openings

Yourr Daily Number for December 16th: 6

Today is a lucky day for you, in which you’re likely to experience progress in your career and/or finances. You feel a sense of closeness with relatives and friends, and an overall healing of the heart. Few things could be better.

Fast Facts

About the Number 6

Theme: Family and Social Responsibility, Service, Healing
Astro Association: Gemini
Tarot Association: Lovers

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for December 16th is 62: Attention to Detail

62: Attention to Detail

Hexagram 62

General Meaning: Ambitious undertakings are not in order now, but attention to small matters brings progress. Such is the case of a person whose resources are meager, but who, through modesty and perseverance, rises to accomplish great things.

The key to success when small potential influences the larger scene is to avoid pretentious ambitions and grandiose goals. The power of the small is served by slow and steady advancement, and succeeds through an honest awareness of its own limitations, without reservation.

Modesty stemming from recognizing your limitations is a fine quality, but it can be seen as weakness if it is not accompanied by conscientiousness. It is important to understand the demands of your situation, and not to expect success in big things right now. The wise person recognizes the nature of the time. So, know your own role, carefully attend to details and act with humility, and you can achieve your goal even with few resources.

Good vs. Evil…Light vs. Dark. What Is The Truth?

Good vs. Evil…Light vs. Dark. What Is The Truth?

Author: Sleeping Moon

I understand that in writing this article, I might (more than likely) get some uproar about it. I’m willing to spout off what I am thinking and am willing to accept the consequences. I’m going to go ahead and start off scientifically (in the very loose definition of the word) instead of magickally. Even in magick, science has its place.

The color black is the absorption of all colors. The color white is the absence of all colors. If you hold a crystal to the sun, the rays of the sun will fracture and bounce off the crystal creating a rainbow prism. If you hold a piece of coal to the rays of the sun, no color will bounce off yet the coal will get very warm.

During the day, when the sun is beating down its warm rays upon the earth, we can sometimes see for miles around us. (Depending on where we are.) Nothing is hidden and all in plain sight. Yet, when the sun sets, a chill dampens the air and the light gets snuffed out. Everything is hidden in shadows and darkness. Everything that was there during the day remains the same at night, but light has been taken away so we cannot see. Our perception has in this case, decreased.

Beneath our skin we find blood, muscles, tissues, organs and bones to make up our bodies. We don’t see these on a daily basis, but we know that they are there. We see that with a cut, a scrape of the knee, with a break with in a bone. But, there are other things that we also don’t see; like atoms and protons, cancerous cells, diseases, sickness and so forth.

More often than naught, what we can’t see, we fear, and what we fear, we tend to hide from. Why hide from the dark when it is a major part of us?

I will admit that until I started on this path when I was 19 years old, I had been afraid of the dark. I didn’t understand why nor did I care until my eyes were open to it. Before I opened my eyes, I thought things where going to come out of that dark and attack me. I had no idea how much that darkness could be an ally. And how much fun it could be. Once I embraced the darkness, I found myself (on so many levels) .

We also, as a culture, have categorized depression as a negative, as the ‘bad’ along with debt, loneliness, aches and pains and even death. We have dubbed bubbly happy energies such as wealth, good health and love as good. Of course this is true for the most part, but we need to acknowledge both in order to prosper. How can we grow if we do not accept our faults, our bad habits, and our bad moods? I don’t care who you are, but no one is happy all the time. And I don’t care who you are, but no one is perfect either. It’s impossible. What would be the point of this life if it where so? We need the Ying to our Yang to balance ourselves out. It’s the laws of nature. It’s within our genetic make up. It’s our trial and error.

There are people who we run into on a daily basis who throw us off, who rub us the wrong way… but are they “evil”? Not necessarily. If at all. I could give countless examples here, but for the sake of the article, I’ll leave this to that single point.

Now magickally:

Since white repels all colors and black absorbs them, how do we know we don’t have every thing backwards? I’m not saying that demons are really the good guys and angels are the bad, but it makes me pause to wonder. What if, for centuries, we have been wrong?

It’s been proven that the Bible has been rewritten numerous times to suit that current authors’ needs. And we, as pagans, know that most of our deities have been demonized throughout history by others who don’t understand them. What my point is, who is to say what’s the truth and what isn’t? History’s authors may have deceived us all. Please note that I said, “may”.

Typically in general culture, we view the good or the light as the angels, as the playful faeries or as the source of all things. We view the bad, dark, evil as demons, devils, trolls, goblins and other nasties that go bump in the night.

Are we right?

I have to question it myself through my own personal experiences. I’ve worked with less than so-called “light” entities before and have had a great many POSITIVE responses from them. Never have any of these beings asked for something absurd from me in return for their services. I’ve never been demanded a living sacrifice (for the Gods honor life) and never been asked to harm myself or someone else. And in company, I’ve never gotten anything “testy”. I’ve opened the door numerous times to the other side and nothing strange ever happened.

I’ve never experienced a nasty entity in the “real” world and often wonder why. Is it my perception on them? Is my psychic shield that powerful to the point where they can’t get within ten feet of me? Do I try to work with something that a lot of people shy away from and therefore they respect me because I give them that chance?

No. I don’t think so.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve had plenty of bad stuff happen to me throughout my life and expect more to come. But, who is to say if it comes from the good guys, the bad or if it was even predestined before my birth?

And to be honest, completely, brutally honest with yourself… If some kind of harm ever befell your friends or family that you loved, would you really send them love (the perpetrator) in return? Would you really just sit back and say, ‘it was meant for a reason so let it be’? I think not. You would do every thing in your power, physically, mentally, spiritually to prevent that person from harming another soul again. (Physically–within the law, of course.)

For quite a few years, I worked with this specific entity (that shall remain nameless) and the breed of it. It helped me out of some dark holes in my life and I can attest to it even saving my physical life once. (I will swear to this until my dying breath!) So, how can an entity that had been dubbed by the masses as “negative” be so bad?

*I also wanted to note here, I’m not some fanatic, and I know the difference between the waking world and the astral world where these beings reside. I know they can cross over planes from time to time as energy forms, and it isn’t at all like how they portray them in Hollywood. But, I’m not naive enough to say they don’t exist either. *

I have a friend who once told me, and a very valid point it is, that in the Biblical sense, Angels are the ones that are threatened by mankind. And yes, Demons want power, but they aren’t after revenge as the Angels are. They aren’t here to take over the world, as we know it. There is a movie out there that recently been out of the big screen portraying just this idea. Legion
Another friend of mine recently gave her impression of what I’m trying to get across: “There are many different energies in the world. Some are known as “evil” and some are known as “good.” But I don’t think it’s really a question of whether THEY are the evil or good; instead I think that they might reflect the energy we give into them. For example, there may be an entity that is perceived as evil (name any so called evil spirit or demon) , yet if you were to ask their cooperation and/or assistance with good intentions, or at least with fair intentions and respect, I think you are likely to find them cooperative and perhaps even helpful.

Of course, I do not mean to say that this will always be the case. I am sure that there are some entities out there that are better left untouched, because you certainly don’t know what the consequences will be and it might be more than you are expecting or willing to give…but in general, I think so called “demons” are capable of good deeds and cooperation, just as “angels” are capable of negative energy, mischief and general non cooperation – after all, I would think that the “fallen” angels are demonstrative of this.”

As she stated, if we “feed” a certain type of entity a certain form of feeling or thought, then that entity will more than likely take that to heart, because that’s the only type of energy it is getting. In a sense, it’s sort of like a ‘Tulpa’. A Tulpa is a form of energy that takes on a mass of energy from one person or many and acts in accordance to its creator. For example (possibly a bad one) : the Christian/Catholic God. (He just may be a real entity. I for one don’t know either way and I could care less at this point.)

I am not stupid enough to say that this applies to all things that have been dubbed negative. Or even to say that the dubbed masses of good should be questioned here either. There are some things that even I am wary of working with. Both good and bad. What I’m just trying to say here is to use your own intuition on what you work with. Even if this article has opened one person’s mind to the possibilities of working with different types of energies (other than just lovey-dovey good) , that’s good enough for me.

Use your head. Use your intuition. Try working with an entity that you have never considered working with before with no fear in your heart and you just might be pleasantly surprised. Just as you can’t judge a person until you’ve met them, so can’t you judge an entity before you work with them. (Unless the source you hear it from is a good and trusting one!)

How are we really to know what entity is “good” and what entity is “bad”? I for one am not going to judge ‘just because’. Will you?

Feng Shui to Alleviate Anxiety

Feng Shui to Alleviate Anxiety

  • Jana, selected from Natural Solutions magazine

 

Anxiety escalates around the holidays as life’s frantic pace shifts into overdrive. Too much to do in too little time leaves you more susceptible to the telltale signs of anxiety such as headaches, muscle tension, insomnia, irritability, and even panic attacks. Looking for relief? You could follow the typical Western path, or you could try an option with considerably fewer side effects: The metaphor-rich design system called feng shui (pronounced fung shway).

Based on influencing the flow of qi (chi) or energy through your home and other aspects of your environment, feng shui principles align energy patterns with healing forces of nature. The result is a harmonious home that lays the foundation for emotional, spiritual, and physical health, says Brooklyn-based chakracologist (a term she’s coined) and feng shui expert Nancy SantoPietro.

“The feng shui of your home mirrors your life and health back to you in an objective, tangible way,” says SantoPietro, author of Feng Shui and Health: The Anatomy of a Home (Three Rivers Press, 2002). Survey your abode. Do clutter and chaos reign supreme? If so, your home’s feng shui may reflect the emotional, spiritual, and physical issues contributing to anxiety. But according to SantoPietro, by correcting the energy flow in your intimate living space, you can dismantle anxiety supported by unhealthy energy patterns and design layouts.

Use these feng shui tips to make your home an anxiety-free zone.

Repair all electrical systems. “Electricity runs through the wires of your home much like qi runs through the meridians of your body. When your home’s electrical system breaks down, it interferes with your energy flow and ability to stay focused, clear, and calm,” SantoPietro explains. Avoid energy clogs or leaks by repairing or replacing worn wires, blown light bulbs, and faulty outlets.

Clear away clutter. Clutter stagnates energy, both in your environment and in you. Entranceways are particularly important, SantoPietro notes, as they set the tone for the feng shui throughout your home. Keep them clear and unrestricted.

Reduce bedroom energy. “Remove electrical sources such as TVs, computers, and LED clock radios from your bedroom because they leak radiation, depress immunity, and interfere with sleep,” urges SantoPietro. The bedroom is meant for rejuvenation, renewal, and intimacy.

Just add color. “White decor deflects life force and thus neutralizes feelings,” SantoPietro says, “but decorate with color and you’ll invoke it. Any time I evaluate a home with all white decor, I know that someone in that house is not dealing with something.” And avoiding feelings often leads to anxiety.

Wednesday, December 14th is a great day for……

Moon & Witch Comments & Graphics

December 14th

Dry Fruits and Vegetables, Cut Hair to Retard Growth, Mow to Retard Growth, Dig Post Holes, Pick Apples and Pears, Quit Smoking, Perform Demolition, Wash Wooden Floors, Paint, Start Diet to Lose Weight, Ask for Loan, Entertain Friends, Host a Party  

 

~Magickal Graphics~

Daily OM for December 12th – Rhythmic Rest

Rhythmic Rest
Natural Cycles Of Sleep

 

 

Our bodies are naturally encoded to respond to light and dark and sleeping with the rhythms of Mother Nature. 

The human body evolved to fall asleep soon after the descent of night’s curtain and to wake with the appearance of the dawn. Sleep cycles were governed by patterns of light and darkness for thousands of years, meaning that for much of history, humanity has enjoyed nine of more hours of sleep each night. Our bodies are naturally encoded to respond to light and dark and sleeping with the rhythms of Mother Nature. In the present, artificial light has changed the way we schedule our day-to-day lives, and most of us slumber for less than seven hours at a stretch. It is possible, however, to come back to natural sleeping cycles by making a few small changes. When our bodies and minds are attuned to the world’s natural rhythms, we feel calmer, more centered, and more energetic while awake. Sleep is more satisfying because we afford ourselves more than enough time for restoration and rejuvenation.

Our reliance on indoor lighting further compounds our disassociation from the natural cycles of light and darkness that would otherwise preside over our sleep. You can mimic the passage of the day by changing the quality of the light. Sleeping without heavy drapery or shades is best so you can wake up with the sun. If sleeping by a window without a curtain is not an option, a dawn simulator lamp imitates the sun by growing steadily brighter with the coming of the height of morning.

You will likely discover that changing your sleep patterns to be in sync with the daily cycle of light and darkness is easy and that you feel more alive when your sleeping and waking rhythms are in alignment to those of the earth. Nature’s own phases will be your guide to wellness, granting you more waking hours in the summertime when you will benefit greatly from spending time outside and ensuring you get plenty of sleep in the winter when you likely need it most.

Herbs, Yoga and Feng Shui for Sleep

Herbs, Yoga and Feng Shui for Sleep

  • Mel, selected from Natural Solutions magazine

By Jennifer Lang, Natural Solutions

Americans spend billions on prescription sleep aids each year, even though the drugs produce a number of unwanted side effects. Natural sleep remedies, on the other hand, are generally side effect-free. For the most part, they help you fall and stay in deep sleep without relying on sedatives. And because they’re muscle relaxants, they also help alleviate pain and may even improve libido. Some to consider:

L-theanine, an amino acid (protein) derived from green tea, improves deep sleep and helps people maintain a calm alertness during the day. It also plays a role in the formation of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an inhibitory neurotransmitter that’s critical for sleep. Take 50 to 200 mg at bedtime; L-theanine can also be used for daytime anxiety.

Hops reduce hot flashes in menopausal women, studies show, and they also reduce anxiety and help muscles relax enough for you to fall asleep. Take 30 to 120 mg at bedtime. Often used in combination with valerian and lemon balm, hops have to be dried to have any medicinal effect–the hops in beer, however tasty, provide no sleep benefit.

Passionflower (Passiflora) is an herb commonly used as a calming agent. Take 90 to 360 mg at bedtime.

Valerian helps reduce the time it takes you to fall asleep and improves the quality of sleep you get–without next-day sedation. Take 200 to 800 mg at bedtime. (Valerian causes wakefulness in some people; if that’s the case for you, take it during the day to reduce overall anxiety.)

5HTP (hydroxytryptophan) is what your body uses to make sleep-inducing serotonin. One downside: It can take up to six weeks to start working. Take 200 to 400 mg at bedtime. If you also take serotonin-raising medications (for example, antidepressants), make sure your holistic practitioner supervises the use of the 5HTP to keep serotonin levels from going too high.

Melatonin retrains your circadian rhythm so you become sleepy when the lights dim and wake up more alert at morning light. Take 3 mg at bedtime for three nights and gradually increase to 6 mg if necessary. Melatonin is not recommended for teens, however.

How Yoga Helps Insomnia
�Most insomnia has to do with �restless mind syndrome,�� says Judith Hanson Lasater, PhD, a physical therapist and author of Relax and Renew: Restful Yoga for Stressful Times (Rodmell Press, 1995). Because the mind is always spinning, you need to do something physical to allow the central nervous system to come into balance. This quiets the mind and lets the parasympathetic nervous system dominate while you sleep�crucial for the body to restore. Three poses to help you drift off–and stay asleep:

Before bed: Savasana
This is the gold ring of relaxation poses, says Lasater, because there’s no stretching at all. Lie down on the floor with a blanket folded under your head and neck, another blanket rolled under your knees, a soft cloth over your eyes, and a blanket to cover your body. Stay in the pose for 15 to 20 minutes or longer if possible. Use a breathing practice with a long, slow inhale and a slightly elongated exhalation; the exhale helps stimulate parasympathetic nervous�system dominance, prompting your body to go into “rest and repair” mode.

Can�t fall asleep? Halasana
Also known as Plough Pose, this legs-over-head pose is especially helpful if you have trouble winding down. A modification: Lay on the floor and rest your thighs on a padded chair, so thighs and shins are parallel to the floor.

For midnight awakenings: Side-Lying Savasana
“Side-Lying Savasana is a position of emotional comfort,” says Lasater. “It’s great when you feel exhausted and overwhelmed, pulled in all directions.” Lie on your left side and put a pillow or bolster under your right knee, right arm, belly, and head so you feel completely supported.

 

Feng Shui for Fostering Sleep
The ancient art of feng shui seeks to maximize the flow of life force energy, or qi, through environments, homes, and other structures. Five guidelines to set your bedroom up for good sleep:

• Place your bed diagonally across the room from the entrance, so you can lie in it and still have a full view of anyone entering.

• Try not to position your bed so you look directly through other doorways (to the bathroom or closet, for instance). If that’s unavoidable, shut the door at night.

• Don’t set up your bed directly beneath a window, otherwise you�ll lose vital energy during the night.

• Keep clutter to a minimum; it can agitate the flow of energy in the room.

• Add objects that help stimulate the movement of qi, such as mirrors, plants, and stones or statues, and remove overstimulating items, such as the stereo, computer, and TV.

 

Spell Of The Month

Thin Veil Spell

Best Day To Cast:  December 21st – Yule – Winter Solstice

Color of the Day:  White

Incense of the Day:  Vanilla

The Spell:

The Winter Solstice marks the beginning of the returning light of the Sun. It is the shortest day and longest night. In pre-Celtic Ireland, a wonderful ancient tomb and fairy mound called Brug na Boinne, located near modern Newgrange, contained a passageway which was aligned with the Sun on the Winter Solstice. On this day, sunlight streamed into the back of the sacred site. Like other sacred days, the Winter Solstice is a time when the veil between the worlds is thin, and contact with the Gods may be auspicious. A ritual sleep or vision quest prior to the solstice morning ceremony may bring you visions of what is to grow in your life. Before bed, recite these words inspired by the Scottish “Lullaby of the Snow” until you fall asleep:

Cold, cold this night,
Lasting this night my
sleep.
My eye is closed,
My sleep is heavy,
Bring visions of my soul
to me.

 

– Sharynne NicMhacha

Llewellyn’s Witches’ Spell-A-Day Almanac

HEALING CHARM TO BANISH SICKNESS

HEALING CHARM TO BANISH SICKNESS


Another 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.

SACHET FOR HEALING

SACHET FOR HEALING


2 parts Cinnamon 2 parts Sandalwood 1 part Rose petals
1 part Cayenne 1 part Ginger 1 part Rue
Mix and tie in a blue or purple cloth. Anoint with Eucalyptus oil and wear or place near bed at night.
Some herbs that are medicinally good for pain relief and magically good for healing that
you might add into the sachet would be Chamomile, White Willow bark, and Wood Betony.

A Charm To Drive Away Evil

A Charm To Drive Away Evil

 
Take an iron nail, red-rusted by time and rain, and forged by hand in the ancient form (if such can be found); on a dark night, moonless and cloudy, set down this nail upon a smallish flat stone, and with an iron hammer strike it thrice, at each stroke saying this:
 
Clavus ferreus
Malleus ferreus
Ferrum rufulum
Ferrum nobilis
 
Score the stone thrice across with the nail’s point, then take the stone away quickly and bury it in the Earth far from your house. The nail should afterwards be carried with you always, as a charm against evil influences and emanations.
 
Crone’s Book Of Charms & Spells
Valerie Worth
ISBN 1-56718-811-7

A Charm To Work Revenge

A Charm To Work Revenge

 
Gather from the hawthorn tree, or from some great-thorned rose, three thorns of noble strength. Set them to steep in an oil of civet, and meanwhile take the heart from a fowl which has been readied for the cooking pot, and seethe it in white vinegar over the fire. When the heart is well-boiled, remove it, and put it into the oil with the thorns, to remain there until the last stroke of midnight, at which moment light three black candles, and soon plunge the three thorns into the heart, with each thrust saying one of these:
 
THIS SHAMES THE DEED
THIS BLAMES THE HAND
THIS BLIGHTS THE HEART
 
Wrap the pierced heart in a scrap of ragged cloth, and dig it a grave in some waste place where weeds flourish and rubbish lies strewn about. This charm so buried is most deadly, and shall bring ruin to its victim that it should not be undertaken without serious consideration of the consequences. The effect may be lessened, and a weaker form of revenge worked upon its object, if the heart, once pierced, be not interred but rather preserved in a small vial of the oil in which it was steeped. Some single misfortune then, and not such dire devastation, shall befall the one in whose name the charm is kept.
 
The Crone’s Book Of Wisdom
Valerie Worth
ISBN 0-87542-892-4

Dieter’s Magickal Bath

Dieter’s Magickal Bath

 
2 parts Rosemary
2 parts Fennel
1 part Lavender
1 pinch Kelp
 
For best results, repeat this bath morning and night. While in the tub, visualize yourself as possessing complete control over your eating habits. See yourself eating sensible foods in sensible quantities. For symbolic associations, begin this bath regime two days after the Full Moon and continue until the New Moon. On the last day of the two-week period, visualiz yourself as you wish to be-slim, fit, healthy.

“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.

Insomnia Bath

Insomnia Bath

 
This bath provides the soothing equivalent of milk and cookies before bedtime. Its power is proportionate to the quantity of milk used.
 
1. Gently warm goats’ or ideally sheep’s milk as in counting sheep.
 
2. Blend true almond extract and several drops of essential oil of lavender into the warm milk so that the fragrance pleases you.
 
3. Add to a tub filled with warm water before bedtime.

Vinegar Cleanser

Vinegar Cleanser

 
Plain vinegar is cheap, easily obtainable and among the strongest cleansing agents of all:
 
1. Place a cup or bowl of vinegar in every room that need cleansing.
 
2. Replace weekly.
 
For intensified cleansing, add a square of camphor to the vinegar. To improve the fragrance, add a few drops of essential oil of frankincense, rose or sandalwood or blend with Florida Water.

Mother Holle’s Cleansing Bath

Mother Holle’s Cleansing Bath

Mother Holle, Germanic Queen of Witches, leads the Wild Hunt. These herbs are traditionally gathered on Midsummer’s Eve and used for intensive cleansings between winter solstice and January 6th.
Blend the following herbs:
Avens
Chamomile
Elder
Elecampane
Heartsease
Mint
Mugwort
Mullein
Saint John’s Wort
Southernwood
Vervain
Yarrow
Sage
Make an infusion by pouring boiling water over the herbs. Let it steep, then strain and add to the bath. For maximum spiritual cleansing and happiness, float heartease(wild pansy) blossoms in the water.