Tag: Middle Ages

What Is A Rune?

What is a rune?

by: Donald Tyson
The runes are a set of symbols that concisely embody the most potent magical system of the ancient world. Because rune magic was rarely described in written records, persecution by the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages succeeded in obliterating almost the entire tradition of rune use from the memories of the peoples of northern Europe, the indigenous home of the runes. Runes became the recreation of antiquarian scholars, known only as an obscure and obsolete alphabet preserved in crumbling parchment manuscripts and on leaning stone monuments erected by the vanished Vikings.
Runic characters are letters that can be used for writing. This is their exoteric function. But in pagan times they were used for much more. The undivided forest wilderness in which the wandering Germanic tribes hunted and made war upon each other was ruled by elemental forces – Water, Sun, storm, the seasons, trees, necessary beasts such as the bull and the horse, fire on the hearthstones, the cleared camp circle, the human virtues of cunning speech, courage, battle skill, the mysteries of birth, growth and deathóall of which combined together to determine the life of frail human beings.
The German god Donar, called by the Norsemen Thor, can be traced back to the Sun. Woden, or Odin, was originally the fury of the storm. Ing , the deity who gives England its name, sprang from the fertility of the Earth. All the major Teutonic gods are based upon a limited number of natural potencies. Although they were later refined and made more human in poetry and art, in earliest days they were different masks of the ever-changing face of Nature.
The Germanic tribes embodied these same elemental forces in simple symbols that were used for works of magic and divination by the shamans, who served the combined function of magician-physician-priest. By making symbols to represent the most important powers of the world, these powers could be manipulated for conscious human purposes. The symbols formed the magical link between men and the blind gods of Nature and allowed the shamans to control the destiny of their tribes.
Runes are the descendants of these shamanic power symbols, whose origin extends deep into the past before the beginnings of writing. Each rune is both a letter and a vessel of natural potency. There is a rune for water and a rune for earth, a rune for hail and a rune for ice, a rune for horse and a rune for man. There are also runes that name some of the Teutonic gods. Ing has his own rune, as does Woden (Os) and Tiw (Tyr). These runes represent both the gods and the natural potencies upon which the gods are based. For example, the rune for Tiw is both the god Tiw and the human virtues of honor and courage.

Calendar of the Sun for November 24th

Calendar of the Sun

24 Blutmonath

Vainamoinen’s Day

Colors: Blue and orange
Element: Fire
Altar: On a blue cloth lay the figure of a ship, a sword, and three orange candles. Lean a shaman’s staff up against the altar.
Offerings: Pictures from faraway lands. Explore a new area of knowledge, especially from another culture.
Daily Meal: Traveler’s food, done up in separate packages, to be eaten as one walks the bounds of the property.

Invocation to Vainamoinen

Thirty years in your mother’s womb,
Born already old before your time,
Walker, wanderer, adventurer,
Doomed never to be at home,
Solitary one who failed
Even to gain a mate to ease
Loneliness, you beckon to us
And tell us of far horizons
Outside and inside both.
Keeper of Words of Power,
Knower of the True Names of things,
Old man who walks in unknown places
With your wizard’s staff ,
Great boots and a battered hat,
Shrewd one, banished for your
Prophecy of truth that would
One day rend the world
Yet even you could not impede,
Maker of ships, maker of magic,
Stauncher of blood and pain,
Make sure that we never become
So comfortable in our patterns
That we forget the wide, wide world outside.

Song: Vainamoinen’s Song

(Each person approaches the altar in turn, takes the shaman’s staff in hand, and walks in a circle around the room, returning the staff to the altar. It must not be passed hand to hand. Then each leaves to be alone with themselves; work through Akte and Elekte is done alone.)

 

[Pagan Book of Hours]

WITCHCRAFT

 WITCHCRAFT

In the modern world witchcraft is a form of nature religion that emphasizes
the healing arts. The term is also applied to various kinds of MAGIC practiced
in Asian, African, and Latin American communities. Little is known about the
history of witchcraft in Europe, and what is known comes from hostile sources. In traditional European society witchcraft was believed to be a kind of harmful sorcery associated with the worship of SATAN, or the devil (a spirit hostile to God). The European doctrine of witchcraft was formulated in the late Middle Ages. Just how many of the beliefs about witches were based on reality and how many on delusion will never be known. The punishment of supposed witches by the death penalty did not become common until the 15th century. The first major witch-hunt occurred in Switzerland in 1427, and the first important book on the subject, the Malleus maleficarum (Hammer of Sorceresses), appeared in Germany in 1486. The persecution of witches reached its height between 1580 and 1660, when witch trials became almost universal throughout western Europe.

Geographically, the center of witch-burning lay in Germany, Austria, and
Switzerland, but few areas were left untouched by it. No one knows the total
number of victims. In southwestern Germany alone, however, more than 3,000 witches were executed between 1560 and 1680. Not all witch trials ended in deaths. In England, where torture was prohibited, only about 20 percent of accused witches were executed (by hanging); in Scotland, where torture was used, nearly half of all those put on trial were burned at the stake, and almost three times as many witches (1,350) were killed as in England. Some places had fewer trials than others. In the Dutch republic, no witches were executed after 1600, and none were tried after 1610. In Spain and Italy accusations of witchcraft were handled by the INQUISITION, and although torture was legal, only a dozen witches were burned out of 5,000 put on trial. Ireland apparently escaped witch trials altogether. Many witch trials were provoked, not by hysterical authorities or fanatical clergy, but by village quarrels among neighbors. About 80% of all accused witches were women. Traditional theology assumed that womenwere weaker than men and more likely to succumb to the devil. It may in fact be true that, having few legal rights, they were more inclined to settle quarrels by resorting to magic rather than law. All these aspects of witchcraft crossed over to the Americas with European colonists. In the Spanish and French territories cases of witchcraft were under the jurisdiction of church courts, and no one suffered death on this charge. In the English colonies about 40 people were executed for witchcraft between 1650 and 1710, half of them in the famous SALEM WITCH TRIALS of 1692. Witch trials declined in most parts of Europe after 1680; in England the death penalty for witchcraft was abolished in 1736. In the late 17th and 18th centuries one last wave of witch persecution afflicted Poland and other areas of eastern Europe, but that ended by about 1740. The last legal execution of a witch occurred in Switzerland in 1782.

Beginning in the 1920s, witchcraft was revived in Europe and America by groups that considered it a survival of pre-Christian religious practices. This
phenomenon was partly inspired by such books as Margaret Murray’s The Witch Cult in Western Europe (1921). Some forms of modern witchcraft follow the traditions of medieval herbalists and lay healers. The term witch-hunt is used today to describe a drive to punish political criminals or dissidents without regard for the normal legal rules. E. William Monter

Bibliography: Baroja, Julio C., The World of Witches (1964); Guiley, Rosemary,The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft (1990); Levack, Brian, The Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe (1987); Luhrmann, T.M., Persuasions of the Witch’s Craft (1989); Monter, E. W., ed., European Witchcraft (1969).

Your Ancient Symbol Card for Sept. 2 is The Hour Glass

Your Deck of Ancient Symbols Card for Today

The Hourglass

The Hourglass is a gentle reminder that time passes and with it goes opportunity. Every moment is a moment we cannot retrieve or relive, and there are no guarantees that what we put off today really can be done tomorrow. The Hourglass urges us to make every second of our lives as rich and fulfilling as we possibly can.

As a daily card, The Hourglass suggest you may be allowing opportunities to pass you by. If you’ve been procrastinating or putting too much of your precious time into activities with no lasting value to you, now is the time for you redirect your energies into actions that will enrich your life.

Today’s Runes for August 14 is Man

Today’s Runes

Gold Runes are most commonly used for questions about business, career, and property. Man represents Mankind. This rune evokes the image that although we must make much of our way in the world on our own, there is nevertheless an entire populous that shares similar experiences. Thus, this rune represents the relationship of the self with the whole – working together we can produce great results. Additionally, Man speaks to intellect and culture that separate us from the animals.

Herb of the Day for August 10th – LAVENDER

Lavender

Botanical Names

  • Family Labiatae
  • Lavandula officinalis syn. Lavandula angustifolia

Common Names

  • Garden Lavender, French Lavender, True Lavender, Aljucema (Spanish)

Cautions

Avoid high doses during pregnancy as it is a uterine stimulant.

Lavender contains limonene which can cause photosensitivity, especially when perfumes and cosmetics are used containing lavender oil.

Full-strength lavender oil should not be applied directly to the skin, but should be diluted in a carrier, or neutral, oil.

Description

Native to France and the western Mediterranean, it is now cultivated worldwide for its volatile oil. It is grown as a garden plant as far north as Norway. Lavender is a perennial shrub, growing to about three feet, producing spikes of violet-blue flowers that extend above the foliage. Some varieties have flowers of pale pink, dark purple, white, or magenta and are harvested toward the end of flowering season when the petals have begun to fade. They are generally picked by the end of July to obtain maximum strength in its essential oils, with sixty pounds of flowers yielding about sixteen fluid ounces of oil.

History

One of the most popular medicinal herbs since ancient times, its name is derived from the Latin lavare, meaning to wash. The Greeks and Romans were fond of it in their bath water.

Since ancient times, the oil has been used to kill lice and fleas and as an embalming fluid.

In Arab medicine, it was used as an expectorant and antispasmodic

In European folk medicine, it was regarded as a useful wound herb and a worm remedy for children.

It became popular as a medicine during the late Middle Ages and taken to the New World by Pilgrims in 1620.

As a strewing herb, lavender was popularly used to mask the smells of households and streets.

The glovers of Grasse used the oil to scent their fashionable leather and were remarkably free of the plague. This encouraged others to use the herb to ward off the pestilence.

The medical properties of lavender have been noted in the earliest English herbals and in the British Pharmacopoeia for about 250 years.

Key Actions

  • antiseptic
  • antidepressant
  • antibacterial
  • antibacterial
  • analgesic
  • antispasmodic
  • circulatory stimulant
  • carminative
  • nervous system tonic
  • promotes bile flow
  • relaxant

Key Components

  • volatile oil (up to 3% of over 40 constituents including linalyl acetate [30-60%], cineole [10%], linalool [20-50%], nerol, borneol and others)
  • coumarins (including umbelliferone and herniarin)
  • tannins
  • caffeic acid derivatives (including rosmaric acid)
  • flavonoids
  • triterpenoids

Medicinal Parts

Flowers, essential oil

Linalyl ester is the major component of bergamot and is also responsible for the aroma and medicinal qualities of the plant.

Tannins have antibacterial properties that are useful in treating minor skin wounds.

A small British study found that lavender was more effective than a pharmaceutical sleep drug in helping nursing home patients obtain a more restful sleep.

Remedies

An infusion from the flowers is taken for nervous exhaustion, tension headaches, during labour, for colic, and for indigestion. A weak infusion (25% normal strength) is given to babies for colic, irritability, and excitement.

A tincture from the flowers is taken for headaches and depression.

Traditional Uses

Lavender is well-known for its soothing and calming effect; and, when combined with other sedative herbs, relieves insomnia, irritability, headaches, migraines, and depression. Medicinally, lavender has many uses, especially in aromatherapy, and is used by midwives, massage therapists, and some hospitals.

Its significant amounts of volatile oil soothes indigestion and colic, relieving gas and bloating.

It is also used to treat asthma and, through its relaxing effects, is especially effective when excessive nervousness is the trigger.

The essential oil is strongly antiseptic and a valuable first aid remedy helpful in treating minor burns, wounds, and sores. It is also effective on insect stings as it relieves the pain and inflammation.

The dried flowers are often hung in rooms to perfume the air and repel moths and other insects.

When placed near or inside a pillow, dried lavender helps promote a restful sleep. A few drops in the bathwater can relieve tension and mild depression, while promoting sleep.

Added to cool bathwater, it becomes an energizing stimulant.

Drops of lavender oil are sometimes added to water and used as an astringent for cleaning the face and treating acne.

In Mexico, lavender is used in a tea to treat indigestion, and burned in a type of aromatherapy. Smudge sticks are made from bundles of the plant and burned to fumigate sick rooms. New mothers are purified with it after childbirth.

In Spain and Portugal, L. stoechas is used as an antiseptic wash for wounds, ulcers, and sores; but its oil is inferior to that of L. officinalis. Although L. spica (Spike lavender) yields more oil than L. officinalis, it is also of an inferior quality.

The English and French varieties are especially prized for their essential oils, which are used in perfumes, cosmetics, skin care products, and air fresheners.

Gemstone of the Day for August 7: Ruby

Ruby

Red Corundum

 

Ruby gemology

Species: Corundum Color: Varying red
Chemical composition: Al2O3 aluminum oxide
Crystal system: (Trigonal) hexagonal prisms or tables, rhombohedrons
Hardness: 9 (Mohs scale)
Specific gravity: 3.97 – 4.05
Refractive index: 1.762 -1.778
Birefringence: -0.008
Color of streak: White,
Absorption spectrum: 694, 693, 668, 659, 610-500, 476, 475, 468
Fluorescence: Strong carmine red

 

The Ruby zodiac, myth & legend

For a long time India was considered as the classical source of rubies. In the Sanskrit language ruby is called “ratnaraj”, which translates as “King of Gemstones”.

In ancient times one of the chief attractions of ruby has been its protection from misfortune and bad health.

Ruby is the birthstone for those who are born in July. On the Zodiac chart, ruby is the stone for Capricorn.

Ruby is also used to celebrate a couple’s 15th and 40th anniversary.

In Antiquity, as well as in the Middle Ages people believed that the cosmos is reflected in gemstones. The ruby is assigned to the planets Mars and Pluto. The esoteric movement revived the ancient belief and the gem industry made it another marketing tool to promote certain gems.

The healing powers of gems remain a controversial issue, but are mentioned for centuries by healers, shamans and medicine men. Whether it’s a fact or a placebo effect doesn’t matter, if it helps. The safest approach is to wear the gemstone in skin contact to the troubled part of the body. Ruby is said to be a general health protection and a help for backache and toenail problems.

Herb of the Day for August 7: Rosemary

Rosemary

Botanical Name

Family Labiatiae

Rosmarinus officinalis

Common Names

Garden Rosemary, Polar Plant, Compass-weed, Compass Plant, Old Man, Romero (Spanish)

Cautions

Do not take the essential oil internally unless under professional supervision.

Description

Native to the Mediterranean region and Portugal, rosemary grows freely in much of southern Europe and is cultivated throughout much of the world, especially in the Mediterranean, Portugal, the Transcaucasus, Central Asia, India, Southeast Asia, South Africa, Australia, and North and Central America. It is a strongly aromatic evergreen shrub, growing to seven feet in height producing narrow, dark green, pinelike leaves and tiny, pinkish-purple, orchid-like flowers along its stems.

Rosemary is one of a small genus that has four species of Mediterranean evergreens. The Algerian varieties are markedly different from others and are described in some herbals as being a different species.

History

Rosemary was reputedly first grown in England by Philippa of Hainault, wife of Edward III, in the 14th century and is one of the herbs that holds a central place in European herbal medicine.

Its reputation as a memory enhancer stems from ancient Greece where students wore garlands of rosemary in the belief it would help their memory, rather than studying all night. To this day, students in Greece, who are about to take exams, burn it in their homes.

In times past, rosemary was burned in sick chambers to purify the air. Branches were strewn in courts of law as a protection from “jail fever” (typhus).

During the Plague of 1665, it was carried in handles of walking sticks and in pouches to be sniffed when travelling through suspicious areas.

In some Mediterranean villages, linen is spread over rosemary to dry so that the sun will extract its moth-repellent aroma.

During Shakespeare’s time, the herb was used in topiary gardens. (Topiary is the art of training shrubs or trees to grow in unnatural ornamental shapes.) In some coastal areas of British Columbia, Canada, rosemary survives outside and makes good garden hedges.

Native to the shores of the Mediterranean, the aroma of rosemary was often carried out into the warm sea air.

Since the times of the ancient Egyptians and Greeks, rosemary has symbolized love and loyalty, friendship, and remembrance and has long played a part in rituals and ceremonies associated with both marriage and death.

Medieval physicians believed that nightmares and anxiety could be avoided by placing rosemary under a pillow at night.

Elizabeth, the Queen of Hungary, reportedly cured of paralysis in 1235 when she massaged her joints with rosemary that had been soaked in wine.

Rosemary has been used for centuries to preserve fish and meat, flavour food, and scent cosmetics, soaps, and shampoos.

Throughout history, herbalists and traditional healers have recommended rosemary to cure baldness, and paralysis, improve memory, treat depression and headaches, and heal bruises and skin wounds.

French medics during WWII burned a mixture of rosemary leaves and juniper berries in field hospitals to prevent infection, a practice that dated to the Middle Ages.

Key Actions

(a) Aerial parts

astringent

antiseptic

antidepressant

anti-inflammatory

abortifacient

antispasmodic

antimicrobial

carminative

circulatory stimulant

cardiac tonic

digestive remedy

diuretic

disinfectant

nervine

promotes sweating

promotes bile flow

promotes menstrual flow

restorative tonic for nervous system

tonic

(b) Essential oil (topical)

analgesic

antirheumatic

increases blood flow to an area

stimulant

Key Components

volatile oil (1-2.5% mainly of borneol, camphene, camphor, and cineole)

caffeic acid derivative (mainly rosmarinic acid)

Rosmaricine

Diterpenes (picrosalvin)

Triterpenes (oleanolic acid, ursolic acid)

tannin

flavonoids (apigenin, diosmin, cirsimarin, hesperidin, homoplantiginin, phegopolin)

Medicinal Parts

Aerial parts, essential oil Research has proven that rosmaricine is a stimulant and mild analgesic and that its anti-inflammatory action is caused mainly by rosmarinic acid and flavonoids. The flavonoids also strengthen the capillaries. Researchers today are studying its cancer-prevention potential. Some of the are potent antioxidants in the oil may help play a role in preventing cancer and the effects of ageing.

A LITTLE HISTORY ON “HANDFASTING”

A LITTLE HISTORY ON “HANDFASTING”

What is “Handfasting”?

Until the time leading up to, and during the Middle Ages, weddings were
considered affairs that included both family and community.

The only thing needed in those times to create a marriage was for both partners
to state their consent to take one another as spouses.

The tradition of handfasting started in Scotland and was considered more of a
contract than a romantic endeavor. Witnesses were not always necessary, nor was
the presence of the bride!

The role of the clergy at a medieval wedding was simply to bless the couple.

Until the council of Trent in the 15th century it was not official that a third
party such as a priest or minister officiate the vows of marriage.

Until that time it was left up to the individuals involved to perform the
ceremony. This was done many times in the home of the bride.

In the later medieval period, the wedding ceremony moved from the house of the
bride to the
church.

It began with a procession to the church from the bride’s house.

Vows were exchanged outside the church and everyone would then move inside for
high Mass.

After Mass, the procession went back to the bride’s house for feasting and
musicians accompanied the procession.

Today’s Runes for August 3 is Man

Stone Runes are most commonly used for questions about the natural world and things beyond human control. Man represents Mankind. This rune evokes the image that although we must make much of our way in the world on our own, there is nevertheless an entire populous that shares similar experiences. Thus, this rune represents the relationship of the self with the whole – working together we can produce great results. Additionally, Man speaks to intellect and culture that separate us from the animals.

Today’s Runes for July 8 is Wunjo

Stone Runes are most commonly used for questions about the natural world and things beyond human control. Wunjo is the rune of Joy. Since joy is least frequently a solitary emotion, this rune often represents mutual or communal bliss. Wunjo is also seen as a rune of the gods and a rune of perfection, carrying with it the elation that blazes from the creation of a perfect work – perhaps this is the true joy of the gods, that they can create perfection. That aside, this rune does not focus on the struggle for perfection or on our inevitable imperfections, but rather on a job well done and the satisfaction that comes from it.

Today’s Runes for July 7th is Algiz

Algiz can be easily recognized as the antlers of the elk that it represents. The elk can represent victory, but is much more appropriately associated with the thrill of the hunt itself. This rune therefore can portend vigor and success in active endeavors. Also, this rune seems symbolic of a hand with outstretched fingers – a protective hand. This hand may suggest that you will be shielded from things negative – the problems still exist, you are spared the brunt of their force.

Today’s Runes for Sunday, July 1 is Ger

Ice Runes are most commonly used for questions about struggle, conflict, and achievement. Ger is one of the runes that touches on the cycles of the year, in this case the fall harvest. These cycles are eternal, which is represented in the rune by the fact that it is unchanged by reversal. Ger can represent pregnancy or other forms of fruitfulness, and is especially indicative of the cycles of providence and karma – that which has been sown is now being reaped. This rune can also represent the cycles of wealth, for crops were frequently a sign of wealth.

Secret, Ancient Rites of Stress

by Tostito Tramp

I am so stressed from my friend Earthbeam stressing out my friend Uberwurm that I think I need some relief. It occurred to me that others may be in the same boat — to be specific, the S.S. Stress, which sails out of Shit Happens Harbor. There is new research that points strongly to this being the very boat that carried Amun Re through the underworld — and why not? What could be more stressful than that whole Egyptian afterlife fooferah? For those of you experiencing stress, I offer this ancient yet timely ritual to propitiate that god of modern life, Stress.

I would like to take a moment to stress (ha, ha) the utmost antiquity and lineage of the occult methods that you are about to read. The ancient Sunkurians knew the unpleasant tension of their lives by the name Nekhurt. Nekhurt Nekhurt Bibastos Nekatut translates to “shit that fucking shit deity screwed me again.” Doctors Pesty and Moreseau question this and have suggested the alternative “damn me, damn him, we screw it up,” which contains intriguing hints at modern philosophy concerning responsibility for one’s own circumstances, as well as divinity lying within ourselves. The Sunkurians conducted special weekly and biannual ceremonies to appease Nekhurt, so that he might take pity upon them and make their lives a little less miserable.

We find a less well-known ritual influence among the Vikings, who despite being a freewheeling and uninhibited people still offered up votive gold goat figurines to the great goat GnashJaw, sometimes referred to as Toothgrinder, the infamous third goat who always pulled Odin’s cart the other way. Even today, we find the expression “third wheel” to designate someone as a source of stress for those around them.

For etymologists, it is interesting to consider the similarity between GnashJaw (originally spelled Gnashja) and the name of the Indian god Ganesha, known as the Lord of Obstacles! Many insights can be gleaned by dwelling upon the mystical truths embodied in Ganesha’s characteristic creature, the elephant. Consider the notoriously long memory of the elephant (hint: what more stress relieving phrase is there than “just forget about it”?). Consider the deep wrinkles covering elephants, demonstrating in the very flesh a lifetime of anxiety. This secret stressful characteristic of memory is also expressed by the Greeks in the story of Odysseus. What an easy time of it he could have had if he had just stayed with Calypso, or with Circe, or even just been a happy little piggy chomping on Circe’s garbage!

Of course the Hermetic magicians and alchemists of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries regularly made sacrifice and propitiation to the great power Inhibitus Obsessus. It is in their rituals that the forms we know today first come into focus. According to Goutish Cornish of the Flemish Museum of the Scottish Gnomish, stress (in other words the inexorable workings of Inhibitus Obsessus) is credited as the object of over 86.3 different traditional sayings, rituals and superstitions among the Scottish Gnomish people of the Middle Ages. And why not, eh? Middle age is extremely stressful. At least we in modern times only spend a brief time in middle age. Imagine generations of people living there for their entire lives! Going to the dentist before anesthesia!

This century has witnessed both the rise of stress and the rediscovery of these ancient ways of appeasing it. It starts in Britain during the twenties, where Dr. Poodle from Helsinki met the charismatic and thoroughly repressed Madame Tourniquette. Together, they founded a secret society dedicated to research into the occult causes of stress and perspiration. Although they eventually had a falling out over the inclusion of perspiration in their research agenda, their original findings and work were made public in 1952 under the magickal names Sphincter (Tourniquette) and Retention Od Avicus (Poodle). Note the interesting connections implicit in the second name, dealing as it does with the modern concept of anal retentiveness (also echoed in Touniquette’s own magickal sobriquet), as well as the traditional mental retention of Ganesha’s elephants, seen herein to be so debilitating to them.

In the self-published Gnasherbitnail, Poodle and Tourniquette first revealed the ritual presented in this article. At the time, its readership consisted of a small occult splinter group hungry for enlightenment. Now I bring it to a broader readership no less in need. I have consulted some of the premier occult minds of the Meadowbrook neighborhood as well as sparing no trouble to retranslate the ritual from the language in which it was first published. So, from the ancient Sunkurians to you, my readers, behold the authentic Secret Rites of Stress. (Disclaimer: This translation of the original Sunkurian has not been evaluated by any individual attached to an accredited scholastic institution.)

The Ritual

First you need some salt. Don’t waste it by scattering it in a circle, dropping it into water or throwing it over your shoulder. These actions are far too cavalier and messy. To appease Stress, we must pile it all into a small perfectly proportioned pyramid and then eat it. Don’t forget to align the corner of your pyramid with Sirius — and if you don’t know which corner to align, what are you even doing reading this article?

Eat the salt, and lots of it, to increase your blood pressure, get a nasty taste in your mouth and cause you to purse your lips, which is part of the Stress Mudra (more about that later on).

Water is also involved. You may drink some to alleviate your parched throat and cracking lips after the salt. But do not spill a drop on the floor or on your ritual attire. Robes, you say? What robes? This is a stress ritual! It is to be conducted in a suit and tie or a corset and three-inch heels. (Notice I made no indication of criteria to choose which outfit to wear, so if you bridled at my sexism, then you have only your own straitjacketing and chauvinistic presumptions to blame.)

You are allowed 1.2 ounces of water. It must be perfectly pure. Read those labels carefully; contact the bottler if necessary; you may even have to distill it further a few times yourself. If you use too much, then Stress will be displeased, because by association and correspondence and all that uptight magickal twaddle you are allocating your emotions more than their acceptable time and energy. So drink your 1.2 ounces of water with great care and deliberation. Keep those emotions in check!

I can see that you traditional ritualists are just itching to light up some incense about now. Yes, the rolling eyes and urgent, furtive glances toward the altar give you away. Well, you know what? No. N-O. There will be no incense in the Stress ritual. It is just far too hippie dippy earthy crunchy touchy feelie. Suck it in and push on! That is the way to the Stress Deity’s heart.

Now we cast the circle. This is where that 9-foot cord comes in handy. Get a pencil or pen and tie it to the end of the cord. Do not use up too much of the cord tying it to the pencil. You can make up for some lost length by angling the pencil out as you draw the circle, but it will only make up for a little. Next, find the center of your ritual area. This will require some measurement and possibly mathematics. If you can’t cope with that, then your best bet is to postpone the ritual until you feel sufficiently stressed to be motivated to find the center of your ritual area properly. `Nuff said!

Once you find the center, pound a nail into the floor. No outdoors Stress rituals allowed. If you attempt it, the godhead will smite you with agonizing inner accusations of “cheater, cheater” for a very long time. Tie the other end of your cord to the nail. Watch out now! You are really starting to lose some length here. Then slowly and carefully draw the circle on your floor using your cord like a compass. Do not let the cord go slack! Do not change the angle of the pencil! Do not stop and redraw that bit that you missed! If you foul up, you should again wait until you have sufficient incentive to get it right.

As you draw the circle, you must visualize a reddish black line of energy exactly corresponding to your pencil line. You should channel your personal stress into this line. While casting the circle, the following should be sung in the key of D minor (remember it is the saddest of all keys):

With this pencil I describe

The perimeter of my Stress bribe.

The perfect accomplishment of this task

Reflects the worth of my sorry ass.

You had better end a verse as you are completing the circle. Anything less shows a slapdash attitude that simply will not do. If at the end you do not meet up with your starting line… you guessed it. Try again some other time.

I must pause briefly to assure my international readers that I in no way wish to make it impossible to conduct these important mysteries accurately and correctly. So after consultation with my in-house magicians, witches, linguists and historians, we recommend the following substitutions: 35.732 milliliters of water, a 274.32-centimeter cord and 7.62-centimeter heels if that is your chosen footwear. The national baseline of meticulousness should be consulted to indicate whether you need to exert yourself additionally to propitiate Stress.

Now take your 11.6 inch (29.464 centimeter) lacquered blackthorn wand and stand facing 3 degrees north of east, as derived from true north. Your local longitude and latitude will indicate the correction to use to arrive at true north from magnetic north. It is time to assume the Stress Mudra!

Stand with your feet together, weight evenly distributed. Your knees should be locked (disclaimer: the author assumes no responsibility for any fainting resulting from spending too long in the Stress Mudra). Tuck your butt, straighten your back, pull your shoulders down and back, reach your arms behind you as far as you can, wrinkle your brow, purse your lips, clench your teeth and press your tongue against the bottom of your mouth. Now tighten every muscle in your body and bring to mind the most humiliating scolding you ever received.

Facing 3 degrees north of true east in your Stress Mudra, groan once with full energetic vibration from your fifth chakra. Simultaneously bring your wand in front of you with your projecting hand (for those who don’t know, this is the hand with which you flip people off). While slowly correcting your facing to true east, using the same reddish black stress energy as before, draw in the air the Rider-Waite Ace of Swords Tarot card. Don’t forget the border and the little yods (those are the two-ended flamy-spermy things that were probably just a leaky pen but got passed off as kabalistic truths). While you are doing all that, recite with full energetic vibration from the fourth chakra the first Stress Affirmation:

I must perfectly recall everything I ever learned, or by Obsessus I suck!

As you say suck, release all the tension in your body and fall backwards into a limp heap on the floor. Your fourth chakra must fall exactly on the center of your circle. Don’t forget to remove the nail first!

Get back up and face 2&fraq12; degrees west of true south. Assume the Stress Mudra as before. This time, draw in the air a group of hydrogen molecules fusing into a helium molecule. Simultaneously correct your facing to true south and recite the second Stress Affirmation:

If everything I want does not manifest instantly, then by Gnashja I suck!

Again, fall completely relaxed on the floor, but this time land with your third chakra on the center of the circle.

Repeat at the remaining directions, with these details: West should be 5 degrees south of true west; draw a map of the world’s oceans and recite “I must never allow my feelings to influence me or by Inhibitus I suck!” Vibrate from your second chakra and land with it on the circle’s center.

North is true north; draw your house. Recite “If I am not healthier and wealthier than anyone I know, then by Nekhurt I suck!” Vibrate from your first chakra and land with it on the circle’s center. Be careful not to injure your tailbone.

By now, you should be feeling the immense tension of your life building in your body, mind, and spirit. If you don’t, pause here to make sure that you are fully aware of the Stress in your life. Otherwise, the ritual is completely useless, and you should have known you would fail at it and never have started it in the first place!

Now assume the Stress Mudra at the center of the circle, facing the direction that corresponds best to your personal stress (this would be the one with the Stress Affirmation that you hated saying the most). Recite 19 times:

“It is all my fault!”

Now release all the stress. If the ritual has been correctly done up to this point, you will know how to do that. Otherwise, do not attempt this Great Mystery, for you may injure yourself, betray everyone you care about, anger the Stress Deity, summon by mistake the ex-lover with whom you broke up bitterly and cause all the people you hate to get raises or even better jobs.

Once Stress is released, you must ensure Stress will not return. Therefore, perform all the steps that lead up to the Great Mystery backwards. It may take you a while to practice saying the affirmations backwards, as well as springing smoothly up from the floor into the Stress Mudra. Don’t forget to include any extraneous actions you took during the course of the ritual.

Did you get through it? If you did, congratulations! Your life will now be perfect.

If you didn’t, Stress will eventually forget this botched attempt at propitiation and go back to only heaping upon you your normal daily allotment of frustration, pain, anxiety, ignominy, humiliation, boredom and illness. Better luck next time.

A Midsummer Night’s Lore

by Melanie Fire Salamander

Cinquefoil, campion, lupine and foxglove nod on your doorstep; Nutka rose, salal bells, starflower and bleeding-heart hide in the woods, fully green now. Litha has come, longest day of the year, height of the sun. Of old, in Europe, Litha was the height too of pagan celebrations, the most important and widely honored of annual festivals.

Fire, love and magick wreathe ’round this time. As on Beltaine in Ireland, across Europe people of old leaped fires for fertility and luck on Midsummer Day, or on the night before, Midsummer Eve, according to Funk and Wagnall’s Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend.Farmers drove their cattle through the flames or smoke or ran with burning coals across the cattle pens. In the Scottish Highlands, herders circumnabulated their sheep with torches lit at the Midsummer fire.

People took burning brands around their fields also to ensure fertility, and in Ireland threw them into gardens and potato fields. Ashes from the fire were mixed with seeds yet to plant. In parts of England country folk thought the apple crop would fail if they didn’t light the Midsummer fires. People relit their house fires from the Midsummer bonfire, in celebration hurled flaming disks heavenward and rolled flaming wheels downhill, burning circles that hailed the sun at zenith.

Midsummer, too, was a lovers’ festival. Lovers clasped hands over the bonfire, tossed flowers across to each other, leaped the flames together. Those who wanted lovers performed love divination. In Scandinavia, girls laid bunches of flowers under their pillows on Midsummer Eve to induce dreams of love and ensure them coming true. In England, it was said if an unmarried girl fasted on Midsummer Eve and at midnight set her table with a clean cloth, bread, cheese and ale, then left her yard door open and waited, the boy she would marry, or his spirit, would come in and feast with her.

Magick crowns Midsummer. Divining rods cut on this night are more infallible, dreams more likely to come true. Dew gathered Midsummer Eve restores sight. Fern, which confers invisibility, was said to bloom at midnight on Midsummer Eve and is best picked then. Indeed, any magickal plants plucked on Midsummer Eve at midnight are doubly efficacious and keep better. You’d pick certain magickal herbs, namely St. Johnswort, hawkweed, vervain, orpine, mullein, wormwood and mistletoe, at midnight on Midsummer Eve or noon Midsummer Day, to use as a charm to protect your house from fire and lightning, your family from disease, negative witchcraft and disaster. A pagan gardener might consider cultivating some or all of these; it’s not too late to buy at herb-oriented nurseries, the Herbfarm outside Fall City the chief of these and a wonderful place to visit, if a tad pricey. Whichever of these herbs you find, a gentle snip into a cloth, a spell whispered over, and you have a charm you can consecrate in the height of the sun.

In northern Europe, the Wild Hunt was often seen on Midsummer Eve, hallooing in the sky, in some districts led by Cernunnos. Midsummer’s Night by European tradition is a fairies’ night, and a witches’ night too. Rhiannon Ryall writes in West Country Wiccathat her coven, employing rites said to be handed down for centuries in England’s West Country, would on Midsummer Eve decorate their symbols of the God and Goddess with flowers, yellow for the God, white for the Goddess. The coven that night would draw down the moon into their high priestess, and at sunrise draw down the sun into their high priest. The priest and priestess then celebrated the Great Rite, known to the coven as the Rite of Joining or the Crossing Rite.

Some of Ryall’s elders called this ritual the Ridencrux Rite. They told how formerly in times of bad harvest or unseasonable weather, the High Priestess on the nights between the new and full moon would go to the nearest crossroads, wait for the first stranger traveling in the district. About this stranger the coven had done ritual beforehand, to ensure he embodied the God. The high priestess performed the Great Rite with him to make the next season’s sowing successful.

In the Middle Ages in Europe, traces of witchcraft and pagan remembrances were often linked with Midsummer. In Southern Estonia, Lutheran Church workers found a cottar’s wife accepting sacrifices on Midsummer Day, Juhan Kahk writes in Early Modern European Witchcraft: Centres and Peripheries, edited by Bengt Ankarloo and Gustave Henningsen. Likewise, on Midsummer Night in 1667, in Estonia’s Maarja-Magdaleena parish, peasants met at the country manor of Colonel Griefenspeer to perform a ritual to cure illnesses.

In Denmark, writes Jens Christian V. Johansen in another Early Modern European Witchcraft chapter, medieval witches were said to gather on Midsummer Day, and in Ribe on Midsummer Night. Inquisitors in the Middle Ages often said witches met on Corpus Christi, which some years fell close to Midsummer Eve, according to Witchcraft in the Middle Ages, by Jeffrey Burton Russell. The inquisitors explained witches chose the date to mock a central Christian festival, but Corpus Christi is no more important than a number of other Christian holidays, and it falls near a day traditionally associated with pagan worship. Coincidence? Probably not.

Anciently, pagans and witches hallowed Midsummer. Some burned for their right to observe their rites; we need not. But we can remember the past. In solidarity with those burned, we can collect our herbs at midnight; we can burn our bonfires and hail the sun.

Today’s Runes for June 13th is Ger

Today’s Runes

Ice Runes are most commonly used for questions about struggle, conflict, and achievement. Ger is one of the runes that touches on the cycles of the year, in this case the fall harvest. These cycles are eternal, which is represented in the rune by the fact that it is unchanged by reversal. Ger can represent pregnancy or other forms of fruitfulness, and is especially indicative of the cycles of providence and karma – that which has been sown is now being reaped. This rune can also represent the cycles of wealth, for crops were frequently a sign of wealth.

Today’s Runes for June 8th is Ger

Today’s Runes

Gold Runes are most commonly used for questions about business, career, and property. Ger is one of the runes that touches on the cycles of the year, in this case the fall harvest. These cycles are eternal, which is represented in the rune by the fact that it is unchanged by reversal. Ger can represent pregnancy or other forms of fruitfulness, and is especially indicative of the cycles of providence and karma – that which has been sown is now being reaped. This rune can also represent the cycles of wealth, for crops were frequently a sign of wealth.

Today’s Runes for Monday, June 4 is Ger

 

Ice Runes are most commonly used for questions about struggle, conflict, and achievement. Ger is one of the runes that touches on the cycles of the year, in this case the fall harvest. These cycles are eternal, which is represented in the rune by the fact that it is unchanged by reversal. Ger can represent pregnancy or other forms of fruitfulness, and is especially indicative of the cycles of providence and karma – that which has been sown is now being reaped. This rune can also represent the cycles of wealth, for crops were frequently a sign of wealth.

Today’s Runes for Friday, June 1 is Fehu

 

Ice Runes are most commonly used for questions about struggle, conflict, and achievement. Fehu represents cattle the Norse symbol of wealth. This rune has some interesting implications based on the fact that cattle, unlike land, move about of their own accord. Cattle also reproduce, so this rune often speaks of wealth that renews or perpetuates itself. Wealth takes many forms, but this rune generally represents the value that is purely material or monetary in nature. Alternatively, this rune is deeply associated with Frey, and hence can be the harbinger of fertility and children.