Tag: Incense

Today’s Affirmation, Thought & Meditation for February 9th

Fantasy Pictures, Images, Comments, Graphics
Today’s Affirmation for Thursday, Feb. 9th

“I am a glorious, gifted creature, part of all creation yet unlike any other. I appreciate my special talent and singular voice.”

 

Thought of the Day for Thursday, Feb. 9th

“Genius means little more than the faculty of perceiving in an unhabitual way.”       

William James (1842-1910)

 

Meditation of the Day for Thursday, Feb. 9th

Focus On Inner Stillness

 In the eye of a storm there is stillness. However chaotic, difficult or painful things appear, there remains a still point, an emptiness, at the core of your being where you can find peace. To find this place, close your eyes and turn you attention inward. Initially, observe the myriad pinpricks of flickering light that penetrate through your eyelids. Withdrawing. Deeper into yourself, the light recedes as you enter the vast space at the heart of your being – a place darker than darkness yet rich with potental, the sacred womb from which all things are born. It is here that you will find peace.

RITUAL TO FIND YOUR SPIRIT GUIDE

RITUAL TO FIND YOUR SPIRIT GUIDE

Items Needed
Altar Candle
Day Candle (Monday-white, Tuesday-red, Wednesday-purple, Thursday-blue,
Friday-green, Saturday-black, Sunday-yellow)
Offertory Candles – 3 Violet Candles
3 White Candles

Tools
Athame to inscribe candles
Crystal ball or clear glass of water

Incense
anise, cardamom, and coriander.

Oil
jasmine, lemon, rose and sandalwood

Timing
Best done during the Mercury hour of the day, although any hour should work.
Any moon phase is appropriate.

Preparation
Breathe deeply and build a ball of protective light around you. While soaking
in your ritual bath, meditate on the whole ritual: the steps you will take
and what you wish to say to your spirit guide when you make contact.

Ritual
Enter the circle in the Hour of Mercury. Light the incense. With the oil,
dress the Altar Candle and the Day candle while concentrating on the purpose
of the ritual. Light your Altar Candle and Day Candle and state your intent:

I am here to make contact with my Spirit Guide, and to acknowledge him or
her.

With your Athame, inscribe Violet Candle #1 with the word “Spirit.” Dress it
with oil. Light the Violet Candle #1, direct your energies into it and say:

Here do I light the first Lamp of Spirit.
May its light reach out across the barriers from this world to the next.
May it make contact with that World of Spirit into which we will eventually
enter.

Take your censer or incense wand and swing it around, sensing the whole area
around the altar while rhythmically repeating the word “Merge” and building
up energy to focus. Replace the censer and pick up Violet Candle #2.

Inscribe it with the word “Spirit” and dress it with oil. Put it back on the
altar, light it and say:

Here do I light the second Lamp of Spirit.
May its light also reach out across the barriers from this world to the next?
May it make contact with that World of Spirit and help spread the light,
illuminating the passageway between our worlds.

Again take the censer or incense wand and sense the entire area around while
chanting the word “Merge.” Build up your energy to focus. Take Violet Candle
#3, inscribe it with the word “Spirit,” dress it with oil, charge with your
energy, light it and say:

Here do I light the third Lamp of Spirit.
May the light from these three lamps blend and grow, dispelling all darkness
and lighting the way that my Spirit Guide may come to me and speak with me
here today.

Inscribe the three white candles with the word “Truth” and anoint each candle
with oil. Light the three candles in the order of 1, 2, 3, and say:

Here do I build Truth.

As these candles burn throughout this ritual, their power generating nothing
but truth in all that transpires between this world and the next. Through
these candles there is truth in all communications that come to me. Again
cense the altar area while chanting “Merge.” Replace the censer and continue
chanting. Sit comfortably while chanting, and gaze into the crystal ball, or
the clear glass of water. Continue chanting until you feel it is right to let
the chant taper off. Continue to quietly look into the crystal ball or glass,
not trying to picture anything. Keep your mind blank, so whatever comes will
appear and will come in it’s own free will. Gaze into the center of the
crystal, there is no need to try not to blink. Look into the crystal and
blink naturally. Try not to notice anything in your peripheral vision, just
the center of the crystal. Eventually a face or figure will appear. This may
take a long time, or it may appear almost immediately. If it doesn’t come at
all within approximately 20 minutes, abandon this attempt, extinguish the
candles in the order in which they were lit, leave the altar set up, and try
this ritual again in three days.

You should have results within a month at most. When a figure does appear,
ask if he/she is your Spirit Guide. You will hear an answer, you may not hear
it out loud, or even see the figures lips move, but you will be aware of the
answer. This is how most conversations will proceed. You will ask your
questions mentally (or out loud) and the answer will be clear inside your
mind. Ask if you have more than one Spirit Guide. If yes, ask them to appear
also. You may ask anything you wish to know, but it is better to establish a
connection first where your Spirit Guide may appear to you at any time, or at
specific times, so that you can converse with any other spirits through
him/her. When you have finished speaking with your guide, thank him/her, then
sit for a moment with your eyes closed, meditating on all that you have
learned. Extinguish the candles in reverse order to clear the circle.

Starting the Ceremony (Natural Magick)

Starting the Ceremony

(Natural Magick)

 

Light any altar candles. If it is a very simple altar and you are putting directional candles on the actual altar, the southern altar candle will serve as the elemental candle as well, so don’t light this one yet.

If others are present, stand in the center of your visualized or maybe stone-constructed circle and face your guests. Otherwise stand in the center of your visualized circle. Make a short spontaneous call for blessing on all present or on yourself if carrying out the ritual alone. Hold your wand or a pointed quartz crystal in your hand, circling it clockwise as you speak.

In a simple outdoor spell this opening blessing will serve as casting the circle if you picture light beams emanating from your wand to make a light circle round you and your altar space which rises into the sky and sinks down into the ground.

Use your own favorite greeting blessing or adapt one from an old Celtic blessing. You can say something like this:

Circle this place/hillside/garden/woodland/seashore, Mother/Father. Keep harm without, keep peace within. Circle this place, Father/Mother. Bless all who gather here this day.

The ‘all’ will, if you are working alone, include the nature essences and elemental guardians of the four quarters of the circle.

Generally, you will now want to cast a full circle of magickal power round the group, or round yourself and the altar if working alone.

Cast the circle with your wand, crystal point or the index finger of your power hand (the hand you write with). Always do this clockwise, starting in the north or east. This draws earth and sky energy to you.

If you want a more elaborate circle (you need not and can go straight on to opening the four quarters) make a triple circle to empower the magickal one you created.

If you were making these three circles, this would be the point at which you would light the candle of the south and any incense. Pre-heat the charcoal for loose incense as it takes about en minutes: a stick is instant. If you are using a sacred salt and water mix into the ritual or the circle casting, empower the mix now. You can use your wand to stir the salt and water together. For a special ritual, you would set the salt and water dishes on your pentacle.

Make the triple circles with three clockwise circles, one over the other or extending inwards, the first with the sacred salt and water mix (or just salt), the second with incense and the third with the directional candle of the south. If not using the salt water mix, substitute magickal water droplets for the candle to make the third circle. If there are other present, three of you can walk round in a complete circle, one following the other, or make a single triple-empowered circle starting in the northeast.

Put the wand in the south of the altar (some use the east as they regard the wand as an air tool).

If you are inviting the guardians of the directions you should now visit the four quarters moving in a clockwise direction. Greet each one in turn and ask for their appropriate power and protection. Again, start in the north but many practitioners work from the east.

Otherwise you and anyone present can simply face that direction and raise both arms in greeting (palms flat and uppermost). Visualize the elemental forces as they are in nature entering the circle. You would still be greeting the guardians as you face the different directions, just not actually be visiting the four quarters.

You can do elemental greeting even with just a small traveling or outdoor altar by picking up each of the elemental substances in turn and inviting the guardian of the element into your altar and your spell. Reverse the actions at the end of the ritual and thank them.

If you aren’t opening the quarters, light any directional candles now and then add some incense to the charcoal if you didn’t use incense to cast the triple circle.

If using an incense stick light this now from the nearest candle (again if not used for the circle casting).

If you want to, you can now invite the ancestors or a particular one who acts as your guardian spirit by facing the west and calling them. Some people strike the ground with their staff at this point.

Now invite the fey beings into the circle (turning to all four directions as you call them). It is a good idea and practice to do this every time you do an outdoor spell.

Finally, if you want to make your ritual real special, face south, open your arms wide and ask if any deities (you can name them) would bless your ritual.

The Five Stages of Spellcasting: An Alternative Stage 4

The Five Stages of Spellcasting: An Alternative Stage 4

 

 

If you are carrying out a healing spell or one for gentle love or letting go of sorrow, setting off psychic fireworks may seem a bit over the top.

Instead you may choose to infuse a healing herb mix with the power to relieve pain or exhaustion or infuse a dish of crystals so that they can afterwards be burned for peace in four directions. Gently directed power can be used to steer away in a psychic way someone who is making you unhappy.

“In a group celebration you may likewise not want to have everybody jumping up and down (it could certainly scare a baby at a blessing ceremony and a few elderly relatives at a hand fasting). You need instead to use the accumulated power and direct it into sanctity, whether that be the vows of a couple or of godparents. Or you might each make reflective wishes for the year ahead after the shouting of Happy New Year and banging of saucepan lids and blowing of whistles at a turning-of-the-year rite.”

Through the technique is straightforward it is like learning to do a hill start in a car – getting the clutch and accelerator in perfect balance so you can stay ready but motionless for as long as necessary.

When the power in your spell has built up to almost a climax instead of releasing it, hold it for a moment, keeping your movements and your voice steady and then begin to recite the words more slowly and more softly until your words fade through a whisper to silence and make your movements slower and gentler until your feet become still. The incense sticks, your hands or wand will likewise become still.

Point downward with smudge, incense sticks, wand or your hands toward the symbol at a 45-degree angle (slightly away if necessary so no ash falls on the symbol, herbs or crystals).

Push very gently, psychically holding your hands or sticks motionless, using words to make the power and light flow into the symbol. You may detect a rainbow aura or green light round the symbol.

When you feel the power ebbing, stand motionless and silent for a moment and then replace the wand, smudge or incense sticks in their place or holders or put your hands in front of you pointing downwards so any residual power can flow into the symbol or be used to heal the earth.

Leave the incense to burn through and whisper:

“May you be blessed.”

 

In a ritual this would be a good time for everyone to make personal offerings or quietly pass the symbol round and make low soft promises of practical ways you all personally will help to bring peace or work for the good of others. At a midwinter ceremony you would quietly, after the cry “The sun is born again,” light your candles one by one round the circle and make your own perhaps silent resolutions for bringing light back into your life and the world.

The Five Stages of Spellcasting: Stage Four

The Five Stages of Spellcasting: Stage Four

 

Stage 4: Release of Power

This stage will blur and merge naturally into the previous one if you trust yourself.

When the moment is right, raise the incense sticks and hold the upright and above you, calling for the release. Then plunge the incense sticks simultaneously into a bowl of sand. Do the same if you’re using the smudge with a final spiraling above your head (pretend you are using a lasso).

If you are just using your hands or a wand, raise your arms high either side of your head, then swing them down, one behind you and one in front of you to waist height in a slashing movement.

Picture yourself releasing the pressure within the cone and lighting the touch paper on the entire firework display. Picture that one of stars cascading into the night.

End the song with a final shout, the dance with a final clap and a leap. Then call out “The power is free.” The wish is mine’ or “The spell is done,” whatever feels right to express the culmination of the spell.

See spiraling rainbows of light shooting upwards lie rockets or hundreds of white doves, colored balloons or butterflies being released as the same moment into the air.

If working as a group, one person should be responsible for calling “Now’ or the drummer could give a huge band. In practice the synchronized energies will bring the climax into synchronicity. But it really doesn’t matter if some psychic fireworks go off a few seconds after the other, it just prolongs the joyous tensions.

The Five Stages of Spellcasting: Stage Three

The Five Stages of Spellcasting: Stage Three

 

Stage 3: Raising or increasing the power

This is the most active and powerful part of the spell, and involves building up the speed and intensity of the action you started in stage 2.

Raising the power is especially easy out of doors as you connect, especially if barefoot or wearing thin-soled shoes, with the natural spiraling energies or straighter ley flows beneath the earth.

Grass or sand near a river or seashore is also energized by the water flow, especially around the week of the new and full moons. On a safe beach you can dance through the shallows.

There are many ways of raising power, limited only by your imagination. When working alone and in a potent natural setting, perhaps at a power time like sunrise, you will sing, away or move quite without prompting or run along the beach or through long grass round in circles or spirals like a dog let off the leash. Watch children playing for inspiration.

Most effective is a combination of words or sound and movement in such a way that your conscious mind is carried along by the power, like riding a carousel when everything blues except for the music. The purpose of this stage is not only to empower the symbol but also to empower yourself, since you are the vehicle to carry the magickal energies from the thought (mental) and spiritual (astral) planes to actuality (earth). This is the same process used by shamans to trigger their out-of-body or out-of-everyday consciousness.

Enchant the symbol with a pair of lighted incense sticks, one held in each hand, a few centimeters/an inch above the symbol. Move the right one clockwise and the left on anticlockwise. Move them faster and faster and chant faster and faster in order to draw in all four elemental powers.

Increase the speed and intensity so the incense sticks cross and uncross over the symbol. As you move the sticks rhythmically, recite your elemental chant continuously.

Alternatively you can move your wand clockwise in flourishes or a spiral, a smudge stick in your power hand in huge circles allowing it to dictate its own pathway and shapes. You can move the other hand anticlockwise in rhythm if you want.

A very simple chant is:

Air, water, fire earth,

Bring, I ask, this wish to birth.

 

You can continue over and over again at increasing intensity and speed, adding variants or weaving your own simple four- or five-word chants, around the natural surroundings and the elemental associations.

Other spells chant include goddess names, the most popular being Isis, Astarte (Ass tart-ay), Diana, Hecate (Hekart tay), Demeter (Dem eat-er), Kali (Karly) and Innana (In-arn-a).

Isis is the Ancient Egyptian mother Goddess; Astarte is the supreme female divinity of the Phoenicians, Goddess of love and fertility, associate with the moon and all nature; Diana, the Graeco-Roman Goddess of the moon and hunt and queen of the witches; Hecate, the Ancient Greek Crone Goddess of the underworld and waning moon; Demeter, the Ancient Gree Corn mother; Kali, the Hindu creatrix/destroyer Goddess and Innana, the Sumerian fertility Queen of Heaven and Earth Goddess in the Middle East area of modern Iraq. Feel free to substitute your own goddesses/gods.

You could instead move round and round the altar or circle, chanting and clapping, while stepping, stamping or whirling and twirling. Sufi spiritual whirling dancing has been eagerly adopted by the New Age as a way of altering consciousness. Trust your feet to follow the spirals of the Earth energies.

You can add the beat of a hand drum using your hand or a striker or use a tambourine. We can all play these, without training or a natural ear for more formal music. Just let your hands and feet set the beat and if you chant along they all harmonize. The simpler and more repetitive words and actions, the better.

Move and chant until you feel that the power has reached its height, like revving a car with the hand brake on or a plane whose wheels are starting to life off the tarmac.

Through visualization, individuals and groups can create a cone of power with the circle as the base, picturing a mass of stars or swirls of rainbow light collecting a light cone above you. Imagine the cone getting higher and brighter as the apex gets taller and the cone denser with rainbow light. As you swirl you may even see it.

When the psychic power peaks in intensity it is released through the apex as shooting stars. Imagine yourself standing in the middle of a firework display.

The Five Stages of Spellcasting: Stage Two

The Five Stages of Spellcasting: Stage Two

 

You are now ready to begin endowing the symbol and spoken intention of the spell with power. Here you will use words, actions and visualization to build up this power within the physical symbol.

One of the most common methods of empowering the symbol is to pass it round or through the four elements in turn, so that power builds up within it.

Some practitioners start in the east with the incense. It does not matter as long as you are consistent. It depends whether you want to add your stability (north) at the beginning or end. Some prefer to start with stability and to end with the flowing waters of the west.

Begin with the salt in the north and make three clockwise circles of salt round the symbol, moving the circles outwards.

State again the purpose of the spell and then create an earth power chant, which should be spoken three times, visualizing at the same time what seem to be relevant earth powers. Visualize the power of the element in its natural form and then see that power entering you and meeting your own inner elemental power (like two rivers meeting). You can plan your chants in advance or just let them come spontaneously: they don’t have to rhyme. You can speak the chant as you make the circle, or afterwards for each of the four elements.

Next surround the symbol on the dish with three clockwise circles of incense smoke. Create an incense chant as you make the smoke circles over the salt ones. Afterwards you can also write the purpose of the spell in smoke over the symbol if you wish.

Repeat the process for fire with the candle or, if easier, circle the symbol on its dish clockwise over the candle of the south three times. Create a fire chant and again recite it three times.

Finally you are going to fill the symbol with the power of water in the same way. Make sure the water droplets are over the circles of salt and incense smoke (approximately). Again create a simple water power chant to be recited three times as you make the three water circles.

BANISHING DEPRESSION

BANISHING DEPRESSION

You will need:

Goddess candle – white. One at the center of the altar or two at the back.

Banishing candle – black. Placed at the left front of the altar.

Invoking candle – pink or red. Placed at the right of the altar.

Incense – Sage, cedar, rosemary or pine at the beginning of the ritual, changed
later to rose or amber. Burn loose herbs on charcoal blocks to do this.

Oils – Use Goddess or Altar oil on the Goddess candle, sage, pine or other
banishing oil on the banishing candle, and rose oil on the invoking candle for
self-blessing.

Symbol objects – Use a black gemstone for banishing and a piece of rose quartz
or a rose quartz pendant for invoking. Place the pendant on the altar and put it
on before doing the self-blessing.

Matches to light candle and incense, charcoal blocks for loose incense, ritual
wand (if used) to cast the circle.

Ritual Outline:

Light candles. “Dress” the candles with the oils, working base to tip (away from
you) for the banishing candle and tip to base (towards you) for the invoking
candle and Goddess candles. Visualize the intent, banishing depression, when
handling the banishing candle and invoking joy and self love while “dressing”
the Goddess and invoking candles. Light only the Goddess candles at this time.

Purify – Start the charcoal block and give it time to heat up. Sprinkle loose
herbs of sage, cedar, rosemary or pine on the hot coal and use the smoke for
purifying. Visualize the intent of the ritual at this pint, and visualize
banishing depression and emotional pain while smuding with the smoke. Then light
the black candle from the Goddess candle.

Cast circle invoking a Crone Goddess or Goddesses to help in banishing, and a
Goddess of gentleness and peace for the invoking part of the ritual. Try Kali
the Destroyer or Hecate for banishing, and Kwan Yin for gentleness and invoking.
Use Goddesses for the five elements or these two aspects only, or whatever feels
right. Do a full casting and invoking to make the circle.

Invocation – Dear mothers of wisdom and grace, I invite you here to ask your
help. I refuse my depression and choose to banish it, and ask instead for joy
and peace of mind. Help me in my work tonight, Kali and Kwan Yin.

Body of ritual – Focus on the flame of the black candle, thinking of all the
things that need changing. Remember fully all the reasons for depression and
pain, acknowledge all your anger, all your rage and all your fear. Dwell on
every hurt, every feeling, every negativity. When you have focused them all onto
the candle, shout “NO” and blow the candle out in a decisive, quick motion.
Watch the smoke rise from the extinguished candle and feel all the negativity
dissolving in the rising air. Breathe the banishing incense for a while.

Now light the invoking candle from the Goddess candle. Sprinkle rose incense on
the charcoal block. Let the light of the pink candle and the fragrance of the
rose incense fill you as you watch and breathe them. Breathe the energies in
deeply, remembering the qualities of Kwan Yin or other Goddesses of mercy
invoked in the ritual. Ask Kwan Yin for her presence and help.

Focus on the candle flame and think of all the good things in your life. Refill
each banished item and negativity with some positive attribute. Where there was
pain before, replace it with love. For every wrong, remember something to give
thanks for. For every pain, remember something joyful. Remember your
accomplishments in life and how good a woman you really are. Do a series of
affirmations, “I am” or “I have”, to list your good qualities and the qualities
you choose to become or gain. Continue stating the positives and affirmations
until you fell filled with pink light and the scent of roses.

Self-blessing – Put on the rose quartz pendant or hold the rose quartz stone. Do
the self blessing ritual slowly and lovingly, anointing your chakras with the
rose oil. Breathe the scent deeply and draw it into your body, emotion, mind and
spirit.

Thanks Kwan Yin for your joy and Kali for her energy of change.

Open circle and ground.

Allow the pink candle to burn out itself, for extinguish and relight it nightly
until at least the next full moon. Do affirmations nightly with the flame.
Continue burning pink candles for as long as needed to remind you of new joy and
positivity. Repeat the ritual on the next waning moon if needed. It will be
needed less each time you do it. Each time, bury the remains of the black candle
in the hearth along with the ashes from the incense. Visualize your pain being
buried and recycled with them. Repeat the self blessing at any time and do it
often, at least every new and full moon. Continue wearing the rose quartz
pendant or carry the piece of stone with you at all times. Remember, YOU ARE the
Goddess.

Lady A’s Spell of the Day for Feb. 3rd – Spirit Animal Protection Spell

Spirit Animal Protection Spell

This spell is used to call upon otherworldly beings, such as your Spirit Animal or Totem, for protection and guidance.

Items You Will Need:

  • A black candle
  • A white candle
  • Two candleholders
  • Matches
  • A photo, figurine, painting or other image of the animal whose help you are soliciting

Best Time To Cast Spell:

  • Any time

The Spell:

Think about various animals and their distinctive qualities. Bears, for example, are strong and fiercely protective. Foxes are clever, experts at dodging difficulties. Which animal’s characteristics will best serve and guide you now? When you’ve chosen an animal helper, find a photograph, small figurine or another symbol of that animal.

Collect all the ingredients listed above. Cast a circle around the area where you will do your spell. Fit the candles in their holders and set them on your altar (or another surface, such as a tabletop). As you face the altar, the black candle should be at your left and the white one on your right. Light the candles and place the image of the animal between them.

Gaze at the animal image. Sense this animal’s presence near you, not necessarily as a physical creature but as a spirit being who will accompany you wherever and whenever you need him or her. Breathe slowly and deeply, bringing into yourself the qualities you seek from that animal: strength, courage, speed, cunning, and so on. Feel your fear ebbing away. Ask this animal to share any suggestions that might help you. An answer may come in the form of a vision, insight, sensation, sound, scent, or inner knowing.

When you feel ready, extinguish the candles and pick up the image of your animal guardian. Open the circle. Carry the image with you for prtection and reassurance.

Spell Of The Day for Jan. 29th – A Spell To Gain Energy

A Spell To Gain Energy

Materials: A bright red or orange candle, a spicy incense, a glass of clear pure cold water, and a bowl of sea salt. If is sunny out you may want to start the spell by going outside for a few minutes and breathing in some fresh air.

Sit in front of the candle and say:

“Give me energy to happily complete the task I have been given to do.

I will feel better for having done it. The completion of the task will be my reward.
”

Sprinkle the sea salt around the candle and say,
“Give me strength, O sacred Earth.
”

Pass your hand near the candle and say
“Give me strength O sacred Fire.
”

Pass your hand through the smoke of the incense and say,
“Give me strength, O sacred Air.
”

Drink the water down and say
“Give me strength O sacred water.
”

Now immediately get up and go do your task.

BREAKING A BINDING SPELL

BREAKING A BINDING SPELL

Ingredients

Some binding spells can cause physical manifestations.
You feel as if invisible strands of hair or thin strings are wrapped around you.
You can’t see them but you can feel them and nothing you do can make that sensation stop.
Here is a way to dispel a binding.
Cut a bit of your own hair and set it in a small bowl.
Light 3 candles, 1 red, 1 white and 1 green. In a fire safe bowl or incense brazier, light a
piece of charcoal and add some myrrh, patchouli and sandalwood incense (powdered kind
not cone or stick). Take a sterile needle or pin and prick your right index finger.
Squeeze three drops of blood into the smoldering incense.
As you drop the hair onto the lit incense repeat these words:
With blood, candle and scent times three
No longer shall this binding be
Free to live and free to soar
Let me leave the house once more.
As I burn this hair, a part of me
Let my heart and soul be free!
And for those who doth cast despair
Binding me with sightless hair
I send to them this well-earned curse
Let their evil spell reverse!
Teach them mercy and love’s sweet gift
Once learned, this simple spell shall lift.
As is my will, so mote it be!
Let the incense burn out and scatter the ashes outside.
Lifting the binding spell should take care of the problem. Keep an eye on those around you.
Someone who wished you ill will start to experience the torment they put you through.
Once they understand that what they did was wrong, then the sensation will fade
and they will be back to normal.

Solitaire Imbolc Ritual

Solitaire Imbolc Ritual

Michael Hall

On your altar should be placed a circle of 13 stones and, within the circle of stones, a circle of 13 candles. Within the circle of candles should be spread some maize – i.e. corn meal – and in that a waxen female candle to symbolize the Goddess on your altar. On the eastern side of the altar should be placed a small sheaf of grain with a candle inserted inside it.

You should dress in your usual ceremonial garb for Magickal rites or skyclad, as you prefer.

Retire to bathe in salt-water (use sea salt) before the ritual. As you do so picture the water cleansing the soul and spirit, just as it cleanses the body. When you have dressed, anoint yourself with a holy oil. When you have prepared yourself, sit in a dim quiet place and light a candle – ONE THAT IS NOT BEING USED IN THE RITES – and meditate on how at this time of year the Goddess in her fiery aspect AS LIGHT was welcomed back into the Temples and the Homes of the land.

Take this candle and walk slowly to your altar. Place it in the circle of the 13 candles. Then light the two altar candles, which are separate from the circle of lights also, and the incense. (Incense should be stick or powdered incense on charcoal in a swinging burner.) Then light all the quarter candles in the 4 directions, starting in the east and going clockwise.

Cast your circle in the usual manner, but Invoke the Goddess with the following:

“Sacred womb, giver of the secrets of Life, Mother of all that exists in the Universe, I ask your guardianship of this gathering and your assistance in my work. I am gathered in celebration of your gifts and my work is most holy. SO MOTE IT BE”

And Invoke the God in the following manner:

“Fire of the sky, guardian of all that exists in the Universe, I ask your guardianship of this gathering and your assistance in my work. I am gathered in celebration of your gifts and my work is most holy. SO MOTE IT BE”

(Continue with the circle casting if it is not already finished)

Light the 13 candles and then the Goddess candle in the center and say:

“Warm and quickening Light awaken and bring forth beauty for thou art my pleasure and my bounty LORD and LADY OSiRIS AND ISIS” (or you may substitute whatever names your circle uses for the God and the Goddess – or those you personally prefer)

Reflect a moment on the coming of the light and offer up the incense.

Say

“O ancient Ones Timeless Goddess and Sacred King who art the heralds of springtime and it’s bounties be with me now in celebration

Hail to Osiris and Isis

Harvest giver and blessed Lady

Let this be a time and a place sacred to your power and your beauty

SO MOTE IT BE”

Light the candle in the sheaf of grain and hold it up with the loaf of bread in the other hand and say (or the cakes – whatever you or your tradition uses for the cakes and wine/juice ceremony)

“My Lord and Lady, as the seed becomes the grain, so the grain becomes the bread, Mark the everlasting value of our seasons and their changes. “

Break a piece of the bread or cakes off and burn it as an offering in the central candle.

Then say:

“In the deepest Icy Winter the seed of the Earth lies deep within the womb of the Great Mother. The Spring brings the heat of the Father and with their joining comes new life. The completion of the cycle brings food to the children of the world. As I taste the food I shall know the wisdom of the cycles and be blessed with the food of wisdom throughout my life”

Consecrate cakes and wine/juice in the usual manner and partake of them, but first raise your chalice or drinking horn and say:

“Hail to thee ISIS

Hail to thee Osiris

For thou art blessed”

After this commune in meditation with the Lord and lady for a while, then close the circle in your usual manner.

GOOD IMBOLC
Distributed by PAN – the Psychic Awareness Network – 1-703-362-1139
Note – by Matrika, co-sysop – this ritual was written by someone I knew from the Boston MA. area a couple of years back. It is based on a combination of the lore of the Wicca and some of the afro-Caribbean Diaspora traditions of Paganism and Magick.

Healing Arts and Pagan Studies: Banishing Obstacles Spell

GrannyMoon’s Coventry of Healing Arts and Pagan Studies

Banishing Obstacles Spell
Here’s a spell to help remove any blockages that might stop the creative flow. This spell calls on the Hindu elephant god Ganesha, who is known for bringing good luck and banishing obstacles. Keep his image wherever you pursue your creative dream. Place a rutilated quartz, citrine, opal, or agate near the image. Burn some nag champa, sandalwood, patchouli, cinnamon, and laurel incense. Light the incense and say: “Ganesha, remove any creative blockages, so that I may create and express my soul.” Take a few deep breaths. With each breath, see the block crumbling apart, eventually disappearing completely…allowing you to start creating.
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GrannyMoon’s Morning Feast Archives

Correspondences & Spellcrafting for Thursday, January 26th

Fantasy Images, Pictures, Comments

Correspondences for Thursday, January 26th

Magickal Intentions: Luck, Happiness, Health, Legal Matters, Male Fertility, Treasure and Wealth, Honor, Riches, Clothing Desires, Leadership, Public Activity, Power and Success

Incense: Cinnamon, Must, Nutmeg and Sage

Planet: Jupiter

Sign: Sagittarius and Pisces

Angel: Sachiel

Colors: Purple, Royal Blue and Indigot

Herbs/Plants: Cinnamon, Beech, Buttercup, Coltsfoot, Oak

Stones: Sugilite, Amethyst, Turquoise, Lapis Lazuli and Sapphire

Oil: (Jupiter) Clove, Lemon Balm, Oakmoss, Star Anise

Jupiter presides over Thursday. The vibrations of this day attune well to all matters involving material gain. Use them for working rituals that entail general success, accomplishment, honors and awards, or legal issues. These energies are also helpful in matters of luck, gambling, and prosperity.

 

Spellcrafting for Thursday, January 26th

 

 

Springtime Ritual

 By Morgana Ravenwings

 

Spring is right around the corner!! Imbolc, a day of welcoming the Maiden has just passed. Soon She will be growing, maturing into what She will one day be….. the Great Mother. But for now, She is sweet and beautiful, carefree, laughing, innocent, and oh, so alive. She is full of potential, in love with life, in love with everything around Her. She begins running free through the fields and the wood, encouraging growth….growth that can not be seen yet, but is happening all around us. Happening in secret, in the womb of Mother Earth.

 

This ritual will focus on healing what has past, what we can no longer do anything about. It will encompass not only healing, but the discovery of the potential that lies hidden within us all, the potential we were born with, the potential that we are meant to use on our Earthwalk to better our lives and the lives of those around us, whether two-legged, four-legged, green, winged, crawling or swimming. And it will encompass a dedication/rededication, a promise to ourselves to keep our eyes on the path; to seek the pure, the sacred, the Divine within us as the ultimate goal. To burst forth with our potential, just as Spring will soon burst forth before our eyes.

 

You will need:

 

A candle in your choice of color (What color symbolizes your inner self to You?)

 

A fireproof bowl or cauldron to put the candle in

 

Incense of your choice (In this ritual we will be doing inner work. What incense puts you in a quiet frame of mind?)

 

Two pieces of paper and a pen

 

Some beautiful music

 

A cup of tea, if desired (I always think better over tea….)

 

Body of the Ritual

 

If you wish, cast a circle. If not, simply visualize yourself surrounded by white light. Thank the Goddess.

 

Place the candle in the bowl. Put on the music. Make your tea, thanking the Goddess for her bounty as you do. Light the candle and incense and have a seat in front of the candle with your paper and pen. Light the candle and incense.

 

Begin with centering. Close your eyes, and focus on your breathing. In and out, in and out. Feel the breath on your nostrils. Feel it entering your body. Rising and falling. Quiet your mind. In and out. In and out. Feel yourself becoming still. Bit by bit, your body begins relaxing….your thoughts slow down…..stillness…..sacred quiet…..

 

When you feel that sacred stillness welling up within you, open your eyes and pick up a sheet of paper and pen. Think back over the past months, the winter months. If you need to, close your eyes again and quietly reflect. What has been going on in your life? Are there aspects of your life that need healing? Are you secretly harboring anger or resentment towards someone? Perhaps towards yourself? Has someone hurt you in thought word or deed? Have you not been taking care of yourself, thinking that others should be taken care of first because they are more “important”? Do you not like yourself? Are you confused? Is your mind running a mile a minute, making stillness very hard to come by? Have you hurt someone in thought, word, or deed? What in your inner life needs healed? Are you worried about material needs? About members of your family or friends? Whatever pops in your mind, write on the piece of paper. When you are done, take each thing you have written, and expand on it. Write about each thing that has popped in your mind. Why do you think this has happened? How do you feel about it? What can be done about it? Anything? Do you need to let go of something or someone? When you are done writing about each thing, hold the paper up, and put it in the flame of the candle. As you do this say:

 

I release these burdens. I release this karma. The Divine Fire purifies all.

 

Watch as the entire paper burns up, knowing that as this happens, these things are being burnt out of your spirit, the karma that these incidents have created is being burnt, removed, turned to ashes. As if it never happened….gone. Remember, everything we do creates karma, and karma returns to us, good or bad, oftentimes unexpectedly and through unexpected sources. When the paper is completely burned, thank the Goddess in what ever manner you are accustomed to.

 

Now you have been freed up to hear clearly. To hear your inner Self. That still small voice within you. We cannot hear properly when our mind is churning over hurts, over things that need to be done, over the past, over things that we cannot control or change.

 

Put the second piece of paper in front of you. Close your eyes, return to focusing on your breathing. Quiet your mind. Return to the stillness. Quiet. Silence. Open your eyes, and write on the paper “Why am I here?” Underneath this, write the first thing that pops in your mind. Write again “Why am I here?” Again, write the first thing that pops in your mind. Continue doing this 20 times, over and over. Do not think about how you are answering. Don’t censor yourself. Just listen and write. Many different reasons will pop into your mind, and each of these is as valid as the next. Just write. When you are finished, pick up the paper and read your answers. What do these answers tell you about yourself? Do you see a pattern in your answers? A progression? Have your passions come to the forefront in this exercise?

 

We come into this Earthplane knowing our purpose. We know why we are here. But as we grow, we forget. We get caught up in relationships, careers, school, worries, etc. During all this hustle and bustle, we forget who we are and why we are here. This exercise helps us to begin the remembering process. Our inner Self still knows why we are here, we just need to listen. In this listening comes the remembering.

 

After contemplating your answers, fold the paper up, go outside, and bury it in the Earth. As you do this, giving of yourself and your innermost thoughts to Mother Earth, promise yourself to continue listening, to continue remembering and to place your spiritual life high on your list of priorities. Rededicate yourself, in the form of promising yourself, to keep your eyes on your Divine quest. Thank the Goddess. It is done.

About the Author: Morgana is a High Priestess with the Order of the White Moon and founder of Daughters of the Greening online school. She is a registered healer and her life and school focus on the healing of the Earth and animal rights. She is currently accepting new students.

 

Storing Your Magick Stuff

Storing Your Magick Stuff

If you’re anything like me, over time you have accumulated a mixed collection of herbs, oils and incenses. What do you do with it all? Stuff everything into a shoe-box, still in their original packages? Or display it on an altar? Whatever your storage method, you might want to think about what is best for the items, rather than what is best for you. Herbs can go stale, oils can go rancid and incense can go bland, if left in the wrong conditions for any length of time.

 
Herbs
If you are using fresh herbs for tea or ritual, then you should be using them up as quickly as possible. But dried herbs are a more common magickal item. The biggest problem facing dried herbs is exposure to air. Herbs will lose their aroma, texture and potency if left in the open air for even short periods of time. You shouldn’t leave your herbs in those little plastic bags from the herb store. They are prone to leaking, and your herbs will go stale in no time. The best way to store dried herbs is in jars with tight lids, and preferably stored in a dark place.

Oils
All oils, whether they are plain essential oils or custom ritual blends, should be kept out of the light. Good quality oils are usually sold in amber or cobalt blue bottles which are perfect to keep the oil at its best. Oils in these bottles can even be stored out on your altar, though I would keep them out of direct sunlight. Any oils that are in plain clear bottles should be either transfered to the darker bottles, or kept under wraps.

Incense
I used to store my incense sticks in the long bags I purchase them in, all bundled together in a box. Well, I ended up with a whole bunch of incense sticks that smelled the same. Even with the plastic bags, the scents blended and mingled until every stick had a pleasant but unidentifiable aroma. I have since purchased tall plastic containers designed for holding spaghetti. These work great, but they can get cumbersome if you have a lot of incense.

Overall, your supplies will last longer if you keep them protected and out of sight. If you like to keep your altar decorated with your supplies, you might want to select a few things for display only and not use them for ritual.

Daily OM for Jan. 20 – Releasing and Welcoming

Releasing and Welcoming
Energetic Sweeping

Sweeping the front porch every morning is an important cleansing ritual that prepares the ground for new energy.

In some of our lives, sweeping has become an activity performed without much thought. In many cases, sweeping is a lost art, replaced by the noisy, efficient vacuum cleaner. But in several cultures and religions, sweeping the front and back porch every morning is regarded as an important cleansing ritual that prepares the ground for new energy on every level—physically, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. It is often employed to sanctify a space and prepare it for a ceremony. This seemingly simple action has the power to clear away the old and make space for the new. It stirs up the energy in a place, clearing out the astral buildup that is the natural by-product of the presence of humans.

This kind of sweeping is not about cleaning the area of dust. In fact, the broom doesn’t have to actually touch the ground to be effective. You might want to consider having two different brooms, one you use for cleaning dust and dirt, and one you use for energy clearing. If you are so inspired, you could decorate your broom by carving its handle, painting it, decorating it with gemstones and ribbons, or any other creative adornment that appeals to you. You can also make your own broom out of tree branches and twigs, or choose a naturally appearing broom from nature, such as a pine bough.

Sweeping each morning prepares the ground for the new day at the same time as it deepens our awareness of the importance of letting go of the past to welcome the present. As we clear the energy of our space, we clear our own energy systems. In addition, we create a space that feels clean, clear, and open to all who enter. Be sure to think welcoming thoughts as you sweep, manifesting what you need for the day. Making sweeping part of our daily ritual tunes us into the continuing cycle of releasing the old and welcoming the new that is the hallmark of a healthy energy system.

Calendar of the Sun for Friday, Jan. 20

Calendar of the Sun

Feralia: Day of Purification

Color: White
Element: Air
Altar: On a white cloth put a lit candle, incense, a cup of water, and a bowl of salt.
Offering: Although this day is not a day of total silence, it is a solemn day and talking should be done only when necessary and in quiet tones. Bodies should be thoroughly cleaned during the bathing hour, and then the altar area should be cleaned and purified with all four elements. Each person, upon entering the altar space at the beginning of Sponde should remove their clothing and be naked, and each body should be purified with the four elements and marked with water and salt, at which point they may enrobe again. Chores of the day should concentrate on cleaning and repair.
Daily Meal: Vegan and extremely simple and plain.

Feralia Invocation

Breathe the air into your body
And breathe out again,
And as you breathe out,
Let all grime and corruption
Depart on that breath
(All breathe together for twelve breaths.)
Feel the blood coursing through your body
And imagine it clean
Of anything but what should be there.
Feel the energy coursing through your body
And wash it clean
Of anything that does not belong.
Feel the Earth beneath you,
Remember that She can absorb all
Remember that all rot is her provenance
Draw her energy up into you
And give it back again.

(After this grounding, all breathe together again in a yogic breathing pattern for the next half an hour, after which all will go with water and salt and incense and fire to all rooms in the house and cleanse them. Great care should be taken for the rest of the day not to disturb the energy of the freshly cleaned house.)

Happy, Happy, Happy Friday, Yahoo! Yippee! TGIF!

Days Of The Week Comments
Did I sort of go over the top about it being Friday, lol! It just seems like it has been an extremely long week. But then the weekend will come and go, like a flash in the pan. Can’t win for losing, lol! 
I hope you like the new design of the site. I have thumbed through themes in the back and couldn’t find anything I liked. But I wanted a change, so I figured I would play a little. If you don’t like it or find to it hard to navigate, let me know. Oh, there are links at the top but the categories at the side are still there. I haven’t tried to change things too much. Again, hope you like it.Have a great weekend, my luvs!  

Now On With The Magick……

  

Correspondences for Friday

  Magickal Intentions: Love, Romance, Marriage, Sexual Matters, Physical Beauty, Friendship and Partnerships, Strangers and Heart
Incense: Strawberry, Sandalwood, Rose, Saffron and Vanilla
Planet: Venus
Sign: Libra and Taurus
Angel: Ariel 
Colors: Green, Pink, Aqua
Herbs/Plants: Pink Rose, Ivy, Birch, Heather, Clematis, Sage, Violet and Water Lilly Stones: Rose Quartz, Moonstone, Pink Tourmaline, Peridot, Emerald and Jade 
Oil: (Venus) Cardamom, Palmrosa, Rose, YarrowFriday belongs to Venus, and its energies are warm, sensuous, and fulfilling. Efforts that involve any type of pleasure, comfort, and luxury, as well as the arts, music, or aroma (incense and perfume) works well on this day. As Venus lends its sensuous influences to the energies of this day, use it for any magical work that deals with matters of the heart.  

Spellcrafting for Friday  

SALTED FIRE LOVE SPELL

Sit in front of a fire, go into alpha, and hold some kosher salt in your left hand.
Allow your feelings for the one you love to go into the salt.
Just as the salt is sprinkled on food to flavor it, visualize your love flavoring the salt.
Then toss it into the flames and say:
“It is not this fire I wish to salt,
but the heart of the man/woman I love.
If it is good for the both of us,
may both our hearts burn
with true love for each other.
So mote it be.”

 

INCENSE TO DRAW LOVE TO YOU

Need: 3 parts rosemary, 2 parts yarrow, 1 part orris root, incense burner
Combine the ingredients into the incense burner – makes a great addition when
casting a love spell or taking a love bath!

  
Magickal Graphics

Spell Of The Day – All-Purpose Protection Spell

Spell Of The Day – All-Purpose Protection Spell
For a dose of all-purpose protection, mix sage and fenugreek (or fennel) with a pinch of allspice, and cover with enough boiling water to fill a mug. Stand over the pot and visualize it glowing first with bright green, then with potent blue protective energy. When the potion is thoroughly imbued both with the herbs and your positive thoughts, pour. As you sip the aromatic brew, think of its protective energies seeping into your body, and into your aura. Gradually, your personal emanation becomes brighter and denser. With each taste of your tea, visualize yourself increasingly surrounded by a psychic raincoat that is impermeable to negativity.

By Kala Trobe

Spell for Psychic Housecleaning

Spell for Psychic Housecleaning

By: Barrie Dolnick
 
This spell is preferably performed during a waning moon but can be cast as needed for cleansing during any moon phase.
 
Any evening after sunset,
light the end of a sagebrush stick.
Have a glass of water and a bowl
containing a shallow pool of water nearby.
Blow out the flame and blow on the ambers
of the stick to increase the smoke.
In each room of your house, blow smoke in each of the four directions.
Blow gently upon the burning stick
as you face each wall of the room.
 
Say Aloud:
I clear this space of all negativity
and of the energy of people or things
that have no purpose in our household.
I ask that this clearing be gentle
and that all of this energy be returned to its source.
 
When you are done with your whole house,
return to the room your started in.
Take the stick and dip it into the shallow
bowl of water to douse the embers.
Take a sip of water from your glass.
 
Say Aloud:
This home is a gentle and supportive environment.
I offer gratitude to the universe that this is don.
 
So be it.
And it is so.
 
Courtesy of http://Mystickblue.com ~New Age & Old Ways~