Tag: New Age

Becoming a Witch

Becoming a Witch

by Morgaine

© Morgaine 2001.

This article may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes, providing that this original copyright notice stays in place at all times.

I am often asked how one becomes a witch. Do you find someone who is a witch and they make you one? Or are you a witch just by saying you are? Can you make yourself a witch?

The process of becoming a witch doesn’t happen overnight. It is a life change, a new path upon the journey of your life. It takes consideration, study and work. If you have previously followed a mainstream religion, you may have things that take time to let go, and new things that take time to absorb. I have heard many people say it is often hard, coming from a life of Christianity, to feel comfortable praying to the Goddess. All new things take time, but if you are serious upon this path, you will find your way. The Gods call their own home to them.

No matter how you have came about finding the Old Religion, here you are. So where do you go? To the book store. For a novice, books are like the air you breathe. You must have them, or access to them in some way. If you cannot afford, or do not feel safe having books on the Craft, the internet is the next best place.

In both books and on the internet you will find a wealth of knowledge that will help guide you upon your new path. Of course, as with anything else, there is good information and bad information. Avoid any kind of book, or internet site, that speaks of controlling another person in any way, harming them, doing love spells on a specific person, or tells you to chant in latin, even though you have no idea what you are saying (yes, I have seen sites like that). These books/sites will not fulfill your need for knowledge in the Craft and will only serve to confuse you.

Once you have read a variety of books and feel called to this path, the next step is to find a teacher. If you have access to a teacher, in my opinion this is the best course of action. A teacher or a coven can often be found if there is a new age book store in your community. Also, the Witches Voice is a site that offers networking in every state. It has grown extremely large over the past few years and is a valuable resource in the Craft community. All of my coven members have found me on the Witches Voice.

Having a mentor can offer so much to you when you are beginning. There will be things you come across that you have a hard time understanding and need clarification. If you have a teacher, they are just a phone call or email away. If you do not, you must try to decifer things on your own, and may not come to the correct end on them. If you do not have a teacher, again, the internet is the next best place to look.

If you are only looking for a ‘how to’ on casting spells, then the Craft is not for you. Witchcraft is a serious spiritual path, in which magick is performed, but is secondary to the religion itself. I would suggest you look to ceremonial magick for that.

A couple of things need to be said about beginning this path, in light of recent attitudes about the Craft. Here lately it seems that you have a people who, after reading a few books, feel as if they can call themselves a master of the Art. They throw on a title like Lady/Lord, or HP/s, add some black clothes, a pentacle the size of a hubcap, and they are ready to go. This is not what the Craft is about. If you have spent years following a particular path, have worked hard for the spiritual lessons that have been presented to you, and through this have attained the title and rank, then by all means use it. But think of how you would feel if, after all that, you have a newbie with 6 months and 5 books unde their belt walking about calling themselves Lady Starry Ski or Lord Thunderbutt. It is very offensive. Just like your parents told you when you were growing up (or maybe you still are) ‘don’t rush things, it will all come to you in the end, and be sweeter for the waiting’. This is true with the Craft. Using titles, putting on airs, and in general acting high and mighty are not going to make you any more spiritual. And that is what this path is about. What it will do is alienate you from people whom you may actually want to meet and get to know!

All of this being said the way to become a witch is through study and dedication. Gather all of the information you can. Find the best teacher possible. Read whatever you can get your hands on. Go outside in nature and commune with the Goddess and God. Listen to the trees and the wind and the rush of the water, for this is the witch’s world.

Howling Wolf Tree Dream Meditation (Wolf Moon)

Howling Wolf Tree Dream Meditation

Wolf Moon
 
 
The sound of the wind moving through the trees is reminiscent of the howl of wolves. Other Pagan traditions such as the Druids, and the practices of the American Algonquin tribes, also refer to the time after the Winter Solstice as being the Wolf Moon.A half hour before going to sleep, drink a cup of chamomile tea. While drifting off to sleep, imagine yourself as a seedling that is just beginning to sprout. Sense yourself spreading your roots down in the earth, while at the same time moving your trunk or body toward the light. Feel yourself growing all the time. Plants grow more at night than they do during the day.

 
The popular New Age author and workshop leader Gregg Braden postulates that each cell of our body generates 1.17 volts of energy. When you calculate all the cells together, your body can generate alot of energy, particularly when directed toward a particular focus. You are a conduit or lightning rod of energy, waiting to realize your true potential.

Sense yourself becoming a large tree that has grown for many years. Every part of you emanates with energy as you reach toward the light with every part of your being. You are a connecting point between this world and all worlds. As Lucan said in AD 60 when addressing the Druids: “To you alone it is given to know the truth about the Gods and Deities of the sky. The innermost groves of far-off forests are your abode.”

CHANNELING CRYSTALS

CHANNELING CRYSTALS

These crystals have seven edges surrounding the largest sloping face. These crystals are especially useful for obtaining information from deep within yourself or from sources that are outside of your normal realm. They can help you draw on the knowledge and information that is provided by the universe, and can aid you in getting help from a higher source. A channeling crystal
can be used anytime you are seeking answers or help from outside of yourself.

 

You must`listen’ very carefully when using this crystal and realize that answers can come from many sources. Meditation is used with these crystals to get knowledge from the universe, and to communicate with your spirit guide. It can only be used by the person holding the crystal.

Communication with Guide: A channeling crystal is a line of communication with sources outside yourself. Generally, the main source is your guide. A guide is a non-physical entity whose primary job is to look after you. Every human being has a guide. Guides are sometimes called other things, such as conscience, or angels, but they are always with us. We must learn to listen to what they have to say. Your guide will never tell you what to do, or interfere
in other ways with what you want to do, but your guide is there to help you find answers for yourself. And you can use your channeling crystal to let your guide be your conscience.
A channeling crystal can only be used by the person holding it. In other words, you can’t send the energy to someone else in order to let him receive the information directly. However, since guides communicate readily with each other, you can become good at getting information to people by asking your guide to give you the needed information for someone else, and then relaying it to the person. This is how you channel information for others.
Channeling crystals amplify the quiet inner voice of your guide, and can be a big help in learning how to channel information, both for yourself and for others.

I’m Right, You’re Wrong: The Fight to be Different

I’m Right, You’re Wrong: The Fight to be Different

Author: Sarrestia

I was thinking about writing all the examples and instances up front, and then lay out the bottom-line, but then I decided, what the heck:

Ladies and Gentlemen, there is not a damn thing you can do to be anything like the person next to you. No matter what you do, no matter how you live, no matter what you think, you will always, from before birth to after death, be different. This is not an opinion, this is not an ‘in-a-perfect-world’ statement, and this is fact, genetically to psychologically to metaphysically.

Every single person is built on two things: their genetics and their environment, not one or the other, but simultaneously.

Your genes are the product of half of two people’s genetics: your mother and father. Though you have their genes, you do not have all of them; you have a combination of genetics that they can never have. You are different! Even if you suddenly start looking ‘like’ your parents, or acting ‘like’ your parents, you are still not your parents. It is a genetic, biological impossibility.

Your experiences are the product of your environment, your genetics, and most especially, the thoughts and emotions you keep within your mind of those experiences. From the moment of birth, you begin to the act of experiencing the world around you, and within you. You are different!

Even identical twins, with the same exact genetic combinations, due to their experiences, will never, can never, be the same; they will be different. Though many studies of identical twins have shown that separated twins will display similar likes and dislikes, similar activities in their lives, but they are vastly different because of the families and environment they were raised. In addition, identical twins that were not separated, but were raised together have shown, repeatedly, that despite the same environment, they develop different personalities.

So, the very core of every single human being — in the genetics and experiences and behavior — will never be the same as another; we will always be different.

If this is so, then why do people demand that they be different? Why do children develop the intense, rebellious nature to become different from their parents, when they are and always have been? Why do people fight and kill to be different?

As to the title: I’m Right, You’re Wrong, it is this very thing of proving to another that they are different, in their personalities, their ideologies, etc that causes so many issues when it isn’t even about who is right or wrong. The point of any of this is that we are both right and we are both wrong. We are right in ourselves, to ourselves, but we are wrong to everyone else.

I would love to say that this problem is only the vice of the major religions, but alas, no. From the major religions to atheists, everyone thinks they are right and everyone else is wrong.

I will take this moment, before I continue, that this species of ours is blessed with the few individuals who have pulled themselves away from this trap to understand that it doesn’t matter what you believe in, they are happy with what they believe in and who they are; your beliefs, though nice to know, are irrelevant to their happiness. Sounds harsh, yes, but honestly it is the only way one can be happy, is to not allow everyone else’s opinions about one’s beliefs or their beliefs to be of any concern.

Unfortunately, this right vs. wrong attitude is deeply impeded in the pagan community. From the ceremonialists and traditionalists looking down at eclectics and solitaires to pagan women vs. pagan men to Wiccans vs. Witchcraft vs. New Agers vs. Fluff Bunnies… I can go on, of course. For a spirituality that is so ambiguous that the beliefs and actions of an individual is based on what feels right to him/her, and a spirituality that is far more accommodating to a person’s choice of lifestyle in any manner, it seems ridiculous that we would carry this issue with us. Of course, it may just be the result of the majority of pagans carrying this right and wrong issue from their previous religions, but I’m going to be optimistic (or pessimistic) and say it is just human nature.

By stating that I’m Right and You’re Wrong is human nature, it may be a lost cause and we, except for individuals, may never overcome this issue. However, at this point, I will be optimistic and say that the people who are formulating one of the greatest spiritual movements this world has seen in such a long time have the ability, if not the necessity, to overcome this pitfall and rise to a higher form of thinking with regards to anyone who is in the least bit different from you. Because guess what, they are, and will never see the same thing you see or feel or think or smell, and NEVER have the same spiritual experience as you.

Let the main religions continue their never-ending fight to be right and destroy, even if not physically they are still trying mentally and emotionally, those they feel are wrong. Let atheists struggle in their fight to convince people to shrug off millions of years of myth-based philosophies. Understand that you are different and will always be different and embrace that; embrace your weirdness, your difference, while at the same time acknowledging what we all share.

Which brings me to another point: despite all of our differences, we are still all members of the human species (unless there is someone that is reading this that does not currently carry human DNA within them…beg my pardon, no offense) . Every single person feels the same emotions. Whether they are expressed differently or triggered differently, a happy person in Iraq will look and act the same as a happy person in Nebraska (I know, I’ve seen happy Iraqis but I’ll have to debate the extent of a happy Nebraskan) .

We are different and we are the same, we are all right and we are all wrong. We are all individuals within one species on one planet, with DNA that is at its most basic the same with every single living creature on this planet.

Pagans, we are a fractious bunch from the very start because we choose to follow what is right within our hearts and souls, not because of what someone else says is right. So why do I constantly see people writing and commenting on their opinions of another person’s spiritual choice? Does their decision to join a coven, take the best from all the rest, or follow the creeds of people with less than credible sources change your beliefs, affect your beliefs, make you doubt your own? If so, then your heart and soul are telling you that the path you are currently on isn’t the one for you.

Does Spirit Go with Body? A Look at Reincarnation

Does Spirit Go with Body? A Look at Reincarnation

by Janice Van Cleve

Reincarnation is a subject that keeps coming back (ouch). Seriously, the topic of reincarnation keeps showing up in magazines and books cloaked in mystery or psychobabble. Among New Age and neo-pagan believers, there is often talk of “past lives,” working out karmic justice over a series of lives and transmigration of souls. Hindus hold that we reincarnate many times until we achieve enlightenment or perfection and thus are able to escape the wheel of life, death and rebirth. Rabbi Shagra Simmons says that Jews sometimes get three shots at terrestrial life. Tibetan monks search for babies born at the moment of their lama’s death in the belief that his soul migrated into the newborn. Resurrection of the body is such a strong tenet of Catholic orthodoxy that the Vatican for centuries preached against cremation, supposedly because ashes are harder to resurrect than rotten remains in a coffin.

Not everyone believes in reincarnation. Many people believe that death is the end, finis, kaput. They do not believe in any afterlife or return to life in any form. Others believe that the body may die but some kind of spiritual essence or “soul” lives on and goes someplace, like heaven or hell. Plato was a great proponent of the theory of “essences” that exist beyond or outside of the physical body. Christians and Muslims believe in a paradise where the souls go and don’t come back. Ancient Sumerians thought spirits descended into a pit where they ate dirt, and the Greeks held that souls crossed the River Styx to linger in a dim underworld. The idea of spirits dwelling in a Great Beyond is advantageous if you want call on them in prayers or séances. If, on the other hand, souls do come back in new bodies, who will be left on the invitation list to your next Dumb Supper?

Modern technology and psychology have pushed the envelope in our understanding of death and rebirth. For example, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross has documented some amazing cases of apparent conscious existence outside of the body and/or after the body’s clinical death. Cryogenics labs are experimenting with freezing bodies to resuscitate them later. Cloning is a bit different in that a new body is generated, but the jury is still out on whether any conscious memory is transferred along with the genetic material. While these are interesting avenues of research that may someday prove or disprove some mechanical aspect of reincarnation, they are generally understood to be outside the discussion of reincarnation per se.

So what’s inside the discussion? One way to look at reincarnation is to examine its parts. The “carn” refers to a body and the “re” is a something that returns into a body. That got me to wondering: which body? Is it only humans who reincarnate? Do dogs reincarnate into new dogs, or trees into new trees? What about cross-species reincarnation? Can a fern reincarnate into a frog or a cow into a liverwort? There are some dire warnings in the literature about “coming back as a toad,” but for the most part we see the focus on humans returning as new humans. (Certainly most cat lovers will agree that cats believe that they don’t participate in reincarnation because no other living being could aspire to their level.)

People as far back as the Stone Age have understood that the body decays after death. They may have held many theories about where the soft tissue went, but they could see that soon all they had left was bones. Eventually, as in the case of the dinosaurs, even the bones break down and are replaced by minerals leaching through the soil. Occasionally nature has delayed decay, as in the prehistoric bodies found in an glacier in the Italian Alps or in a bog in Denmark. Children sacrificed by the Incas on Andean peaks still have hair and skin preserved by the cold, while Egyptians first learned mummification from bodies buried and desiccated in the hot Saharan desert. Yet even the most carefully preserved remains of a Pharaoh in Cairo or a Lenin in Moscow would be reduced to molecules if exposed to the normal processes of decay.

Scientists exploring biology, chemistry, genetics, forensics and the like have shown that as things decay after death, they break down into simpler and simpler components, eventually reducing into basic compounds or molecules that can be used by other living organisms. Gardeners practice this principle by composting. Dead plants and other organic materials are stacked in bins where, over time, they reduce to rich soil and are plowed back into the garden to provide nutrients for new plants. So a dead tulip may break down in the compost bin and its molecules eventually become incorporated into a turnip. Not all of its molecules may end up in the turnip, however. Some of them may wind up in the carrots, and others may become potatoes. Certainly a large number of the former tulip molecules will stay as dirt and may even become incorporated into stone, if said gardener happens to have a volcano in her pea patch!

So at least some of the material that was the physical body of the tulip may find itself after death reincorporated into other physical bodies, and therefore the tulip continues to participate in the phenomenon called life. In a way, I suppose that can be called reincarnation — at least of body material. Perhaps when we refer to a dead relative “pushing up daisies,” we’re closer to the mark than we think.

But if the remains of living things decompose and are scattered to be used by many other living things, or not used at all, is the identity of the original plant or animal or human forever lost? When do tulip molecules cease to be tulip and become turnip? And what about the turnip? If it got some material from a tulip and other material from a spider, where does its unique identity as a turnip come from? This is where the “soul” or “essence” comes into the reincarnation picture.

There have been times even in the historical past when the birth rate of new babies worldwide did not match the death rate. So according to the theory of reincarnation, did some souls get put on hold for awhile in a spiritual wait zone until there were enough babies to go around? Or did they hang out in the turnips? Conversely, our current population explosion clearly demonstrates way more births than deaths. So does that mean that some babies are born with half-souls or no souls? There can’t be that many souls waiting in turnips to fill the current demands!

Buddhists may help us out here. Buddhists seek to skip the Hindu wheel of birth, death and reincarnation altogether through discipline and meditation. They believe that they can reach a point at which independent identity is no longer relevant. The “soul” loses itself by merging with a universal mass of spiritual energy called Nirvana, something analogous to the universal mass of living energy that scientists call biomass. For the sake of discussion, let’s call this “spiritmass.”

That solves the mathematical problem, because math in the spirit world may not add up the same as it does here in the mundane world. If there is spiritmass, then some babies could inherit old souls directly and some may get new ones from the reservoir of spiritmass. Whatever the case, nature and nurture inevitably work to individualize the baby’s identity, just like they individualize his or her body into a unique new person. Old souls are either absorbed into spiritmass or changed in their new incarnation and new souls are sprung from spiritmass. In either case, the old identity is lost. Tulip becomes turnip, and essence of Uncle Frank becomes Little Carol.

Which brings us back to the two parts of reincarnation. If the body and the spirit both disintegrate and become reabsorbed into biomass and spiritmass respectively, then one could say they were reincarnated. However, such a reabsorbtion automatically means that the unique personal identity of the dead being ceases to exist. Reincarnation therefore implies that individual identity is temporary.

Humans don’t like that. Humans would like to believe that their identities will live forever. Since the body could not be counted on, humans proposed underworlds and paradises to maintain some manner of unique identity after death. Not content with just a spiritual existence, some humans attempt to preserve their existence in the physical world with statues and monuments, trust funds, artistic creations or by making a name for themselves in history books. Ultimately, however, we do not live forever in body or spirit or stone. We do know that we live beyond our death — at least for a little while — in the hearts of those who loved us, and probably in the memories of those who hated us.

So I can buy reincarnation if the most that is meant by it is recycling the body and the spirit. I’m certainly not going to lose any sleep over what kind of identity, if any, I will have after I die. I just hope that if reincarnation does pass identity along that John Ashcroft comes back as a gay, homeless black woman.

Shine a Light into the Darkness

Shine a Light into the Darkness

by Freya Ray

What does it mean, to shine a light into the darkness? If we’re going to talk about candle magick, what more powerful candle is there than the human spirit? In the face of a wide array of conflicting information, it seems worthy to explore the idea of how best to make a difference in the world.

What conflicting information? As you’re reading this paper, you identify as some form of witchy pagan, or are at least curious about such. That’s great, but it does not automatically liberate you from the Judeo-Christian heritage of our culture. That heritage says that to be a good person, to do good for others, you suffer. You give up yourself to take care of those in need. On the other hand, there is a streak of self-indulgent hedonism running through much of today’s Wiccan culture. “Do what you will and harm none.” What’s the harm in doing this little love or money spell, to create what I want in my life? A third opinion about how to be in relationship with the world that affects many of us is the metaphysical hive mind. That cosmic-consciousness PC-police brain hums out, “It’s all good. Everything is happening exactly as it’s supposed to. We have all chosen our own destiny, and can all choose perfect abundance and love if we just, well, choose it.”

Before you get all up in arms about my brattily simplistic summaries, I’m just making a point here. Which is: Most of us feel an instinctive urge to give back, to make a difference, and it can be hard to figure out how best to do that. Following are my musings on the question, “How can I up the wattage on this little light of mine, and shine it where it can do the most good?”

Rest Your Spirit

It’s hard to do anyone any good when you’re run down, crabby or emotionally overwhelmed. Somehow, some way, find the time to restore yourself when you need to. I could run through all the cliché remedies: Take a nap, soak in the bath, be in nature and so on, but you already know how best to take care of yourself. This is your monthly scheduled reminder from the universe to actually do it.

Have Cosmic Sex

Talk about upping your wattage! Great, chakra-blowing, mind-altering sex is better than any drug for opening you up to the beauty of others, increasing the generosity of your spirit and making you more patient with everything. Not only does it benefit your partner (we hope), but the energy of divinely inspired sexual congress overflows to benefit everyone. If you have a partner, seek to actively bring God/Spirit/Goddess/whatever into your lovemaking. Call circle before you begin. Focus every scrap of your attention on the energy between you and your partner, on elevating what you’re doing to the level of art. Take hours and hours. If you’re alone, do all of those same things. Be aware of your energy, of every subtle nuance of your reactions. Get a book on Tantra (The Art of Sexual Ecstasy by Margo Anand is a good one), and practice elevating your energy as you pleasure yourself. Some of the best sex I ever had was just me, my hands and my breathing.

Have you ever considered sending a shot out as you come? As you reach orgasm, take that juicy energy and send it to AIDS orphans in Africa, or the women of Afghanistan, or your ex-boyfriend, or whatever. It can’t hurt, right?

Make Yourself Available

It’s all fine and good to talk about reciprocity and balance in our relationships, but the truth is that sometimes I give a friend apples and get back kiwis. Common metaphysical lore holds that everyone in our life is a teacher for us in some way. But some of my friends just teach me about my ability to be there for someone learning stuff I already know. These “unequal” relationships are not only okay, they’re necessary. I know I never would have made it through the last 10 years without my older (or just wiser) friends who knew the things I was learning. They freely taught, gave advice or just let me cry on them. I do the same thing for a few people younger or less experienced than I.

I believe it’s good to have a list of people who are allowed to make outrageous demands on you from time to time. For some reason, a particular friend’s emotional crisis touches you, and you give them permission to call at any hour, and you’ll be a friendly ear. Conversation after conversation ends up being mostly about them, and their struggles, and you don’t mind or feel “owed.” When energy work, ritual or a Tarot reading happens, it’s for them, not you. Call them projects, call them puppies, call them friends having a hard time. Just have some people you personally care for.

Be a Relentless,
Irrepressible Optimist

Think of it as a meditation, as a spiritual practice: Find the upside in everything that happens in your life. I can talk for five minutes about the good things I learned from being in an abusive relationship. Talk about impulse control! I’m not condoning all the ugliness of life, and certainly I’m not saying we should perpetuate it to help others learn hard lessons, but I do believe that any situation can be interpreted any number of ways. I feel more empowered if, instead of going to the “poor me” place, I answer these questions: What am I learning here, and how is it benefiting me?

For example, I recently fell completely, utterly in love with someone who I am not currently able to talk with. My friends who have heard every blow-by-blow think he’s a jerk and offer all kinds of sympathy. But I know what I’m learning from the situation. I finally found that place in myself that was unwilling to give up on someone, just because of something they said. I found the place in me that can be mad as hell and not walk away. I’m learning some measure of patience. I have a mantra, “Nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah, you can’t make me stop loving you.” It’s my process, I own it, I refuse to feel victimized by life.

If you’re at all prone to martyr or victim thinking, I can’t begin to tell you how much psychic energy will be liberated by running your thoughts along more positive lines. Giving away your power is a huge drain on the psyche, on your ability to feel positive about your own life and on your ability to have anything to offer to others. Try keeping your own power instead. You’ll like it!

Follow Your Impulses

Between the opposites lies the path. Sometimes we need to be selfish, sometimes we need to be selfless. The best way to navigate life between the poles is to listen to Spirit, to the voice of your own intuition, in every moment. If you’re in doubt about how to proceed, sit still (or nap) until clarity comes. Trust yourself.

Find the Connections

Alienation and separation do not help us help each other. The false sense that we are all alone, that we are different from others, leads to thoughts like, “Why would I want to help those ones. They’re nothing to me.” Seek to find the connections. Do some past-life work, so you can remember for yourself how a life could lead one to be dirty and poor. Meditate, finding the dark impulses inside yourself, so you don’t feel yourself better than the one who succumbed. There is no separation. What is done to the least of us, is done to us, we do. It’s all one.

We don’t all have to be bodhisattvas in order to care. Some glimmer of the kinship between all of us will open up remarkable compassionate vistas.

Reach Out

Ask yourself, “How does service best manifest in my life?” As a professional psychic, shaman and healer, I find most years that much of my time serving others is done in that way. I have a collection of friends I give my professional services to, without expectation of return. From time to time, I offer my services free to a stranger. For a while, I tithed. Sometimes I do shamanic work for strangers in my dreams. Sometimes I pray or do ritual for a person or family or part of the world in crisis. Sometimes I drive my mother to the dentist.

Not everyone is cut out to volunteer at the hospice. But everyone is capable of some kind of service. Your professional expertise might lend itself to occasional gifts of time and knowledge. Your body might like to express itself in some good physical barn-raisin’ activity from time to time. You might be a fundamentally lazy person, who can still feel like a good contributing citizen by gifting 10 percent of your income every month to someone deserving. Give it some thought, and find your own way.

Everyone needs to know that their flame helped light the way for someone.

Affirmation on Meditation

Affirmation on Meditation

  • Deepak Chopra

The true self contains the light that no darkness can attack. Daily affirmations are steps out of pain toward a higher reality. We can become living memorials to tragedy by restoring the power of life. You are that life, you are that power. Let us see if we can find the spark that will make the spiritual flame spring up.

Meditation is the practice of going inward to access awareness that is deeper than thought. Meditation isn’t just a time for peace and quiet, although both are needed. You are returning to your source. Make it your habit to find time alone, preferably once in the morning and once in the evening, in which you can close your eyes and go inside.

There are many forms of meditation. A simple but effective one is meditation on the heart. Sit quietly for a moment, placing your attention on your heart, at the center of your chest under the breastbone. When you are settled, repeat the word “peace” silently, and see its influence radiating out from your body in all directions. Do this three times, and then say the word “happiness” the same way. Repeat three times, then go on to “harmony,” “laughter” and “love.”

For longer meditations, you can use these words for as long as you like. Start with five minutes a session and work up to half an hour. Sit quietly for a few minutes after each session with eyes closed and simply appreciate the simplicity of quiet awareness.

Adapted from The Deeper Wound: Recovering the Soul from Fear and Suffering by Deepak Chopra (Harmony Books, 2001).

The Meaning of the Number 6

The symbolism behind number Six is legend. With Venus as its ruler, Six represents harmony, balance, sincerity, love, and truth. Six naturally reveals solutions for us in a calm, unfolding manner. We invoke the Six when we need delicate diplomacy when dealing with sensitive matters. The spiritual meaning of number Six also deals with enlightenment; specifically “lighting” our path in areas we require spiritual and mental balance. Sixes beckon us to administer compassion and consciously choose forgiveness in a situation.

 

The Spirituality Meaning of Numbers

Earth Correspondences

Earth Correspondences

 
Earth is considered feminine and receptive.
 
Season: Spring
 
Magickal virtue: To Keep Silent
 
Direction: North
 
Time of day: Midnight
 
Sense: Touch

Fluid: Sweat
 
Power animals: Bears, bulls, lions, rabbits
 
Places of power: Caves, fields, bridges, meadows, gardens, moutains, crossroads, the home

Commonly associated colors: Brown, green rust tones
 
Linking items: Stones, rocks, crystals, dirt, seeds, wood, pentacles, coins

The Meaning of the Number 9

The spiritual meaning of number Nine bring us to the very height of vibrational frequencies in this number sequence. Nine represents attainment, satisfaction, accomplishment, and our success to achieve an influence in our circumstances. The spiritual meaning of number Nine deals with intellectual power, inventiveness, influence over situations and things. Nine beseeches us to recognize our own internal attributes, and extend these abilities out into the world to make a positive, influential difference.

 

The Spiritual Meaning of Numbers

The Meaning Of The Number 5

The spiritual meaning of number Five deals with travel, adventure, and motion. With the highs that come with these attributes, Fives also carry instability and unpredictability, and radical changes. The spiritual meaning of Five draws our attention to the wonder of life, and beckons us to appreciate the perception of chaos all around us. Five has wild vibrations: primitive and erratic. When Five continues to pop up in your life be prepared for some action, like a trip. Remember, trips aren’t all necessarily taken physically. Some of the best journey’s are taken in the mind and spirit.

 

The Spiritual Meaning of Numbers

The Meaning of the Number 9

The spiritual meaning of number Nine bring us to the very height of vibrational frequencies in this number sequence. Nine represents attainment, satisfaction, accomplishment, and our success to achieve an influence in our circumstances. The spiritual meaning of number Nine deals with intellectual power, inventiveness, influence over situations and things. Nine beseeches us to recognize our own internal attributes, and extend these abilities out into the world to make a positive, influential difference.

 

The Spirituality Meaning of Numbers

Elemental Meditation

Elemental Meditation

Author: Mike

I wrote the meditation scripts featured below and have used them many times with wonderful results. Feel free to use them if you wish, for whatever situation seems best to you, whether it’s a working or just pure meditation. They are not long, but work best when read slowly with enough time between lines for the subconscious to do its job.

Fire Meditation

(Light a candle or a bonfire, whichever works best for you)

Breathe in.
Breathe deeply of the hot energy of life.
See the life in the flames, and the dance.
Nothing else exists but the fire in front of you.
Breathe in.
Close your eyes, and know that the fire is not just outside of you, but burning within your soul as well.
Feel the flickering dance of heat and feverish delight burning there.
Feed it.
You are not on fire; you are fire.
You are not burning up; you burn, and your fuel is the limitless energy of the universe.
Know that you cannot contain it, because this fire burns through all creation, bringing passion and light to all life.
Breathe in.
Let your fiery soul dance in a consuming whirlwind of divine flame.
Feel the boundless energy and joy that burning brings.
Laugh and burn, and share the fire with everything and everyone else.
It is a part of you, and you are a part of it.
Spin through the timeless ether in the ecstasy of eternal combustion…

Breathe in.
Let your soul fire die down a little, no longer the wild inferno, but a comfortable blaze, warming and soothing.
Breathe in.
Let it burn a little lower, still dancing; for fire always dances, but now it is a candle again, and sways and flickers with the drafts of time.
Breathe in, and open your eyes again to see the flame in front of you, and smile because the fire still burns in your soul…

Earth Meditation

(Find a stone that feels right and fits well in your palm)

Close your eyes.
Take a slow, deep breath, and let it out.
Relax.
Let your muscles all go limp so that you are only supported by your bones.
Enjoy this feeling.
Feel the weight of the stone in your hand, its shape, its size, and its texture.
Now forget all of these.
Understand the stone.
It is ancient, and it is the framework of the Earth.
Earth does not hear. Earth does not see. Earth does not feel.
Earth is not bothered by the petty scurrying of creatures that run around on its surface.
Let it communicate to you of serenity, and solidity, and strength, and the wisdom of age, and perseverance.
Know that you are of the Earth.
You have within you the strength of granite, and the serenity of an oak, and the ancient power of life.
You hold the primeval vastness of creation within you.
The cycle of birth and death and rebirth is cradled in your psyche, the violent force of a volcano, and the soft innocence of a fresh flower blooming.
Earth effortlessly serves it’s perfect purpose in the dance of the universe.
Understand your place in the universe, and realize the magnitude of potential you have within you to create.
Rest in the knowledge that you can perfectly fill your place in the Cosmos…

Now take a slow, deep breath, and let it out.
Feel the Earth beneath your feet, supporting you in everything you do.
Feel all of creation around you.
Feel the Earth holding you to her breast.
Open your eyes like the petals of a flower in the morning dew…

Air Meditation

(Sit somewhere outside so you can feel the wind on your face)

Close your eyes.
Pull the sweet Air deep into your lungs.
Breathe in the life of the Wind.
Feel the Air caress your skin.
Take another breath and begin to rise.
Feel the weightlessness of your spirit as it ascends and entwines itself in the Wind.
Leave your body relaxed on the ground, and send your mind and your spirit upwards.
The Air dances and flows around your spirit, bringing refreshment and enlightenment.
Cast off the weight of the physical world, and join your spirit as it dances with the Air.
Send out your thoughts through the sky, unencumbered by your body, totally free to go where you want them to.
Let your mind taste the colors as it floats through the Air.
Spread wings of light and soar over everything else, leaving the burden of consciousness heavy on the ground.
Ride the wafting updrafts, circling higher and higher, closer and closer to divine enlightenment.
Let your imagination leap through the clouds and embrace the eternal blue, and feel the freedom of the Air.
Float here in the ever-expanding sky…

Now take a deep breath, pulling in the power of the Wind, feeling it swirling around you.
Breathe it back out and send forth your will into the universe.
Take hold of that power, drawing it in and making it a part of you, there to use whenever you need it.
Slowly float back down, feeling solidity and substance in your body beneath you.
Feel the weight of the physical world again as you begin to regain consciousness, but bring with you the drifting freedom and enlightenment of the Wind.
Take a deep breath, and feel your body around you, the physical manifestation of your spirit and your soul.
Take a deep breath and open your eyes again, and remember your flight…

Water Meditation

(Gaze into a bowl of water, or immerse yourself in a bath, a pool, or a pond)

Gaze into the Water.
Look through the water, not to the bottom, but into the element itself.
Feel its cool refreshing flow around you.
Let it soak in to your body, mingling with the Water that is already there.
Take a deep breath, and plunge your soul in to the water.
Let the surface close above you, so that you are completely engulfed in pure liquid blue.
Feel the gentle healing eddies swirl around and through you, easing the tension in your mind and body and spirit.
Feel the currents pulling you back and forth, like the pulse of the planet, rocking you gently to and fro.
Continue to breathe in this bliss as your pain and stress are dissolved and washed away from you.
Feel the cleansing of your entire being.
Now catch a current that flows by you, swirl in to it and become the Water, coursing out to join the ocean of the universe.
Join with other flowing souls, until you are all a rushing river, racing towards the sea.
Leap over rocks and sand, splashing and eroding and playing in fluid joy.
Dive off the edge of time, cascading down into the infinite ocean of cosmic life.
Feel the ebb and surge of creation as your waves crash and spray and foam…

Now wash back up in to your body.
Soak in through your skin, all the way in to your soul.
Feel the purity and refreshment like a cool drink on a hot day.
Saturate your self with the healing essence of Water.
Feel it coursing through your body, from your feet, up your legs, into your chest and your arms, and up in to your head.
Open your eyes, and feel the healing calm still running throughout your body

What Does The Number 5 Mean?

The spiritual meaning of number Five deals with travel, adventure, and motion. With the highs that come with these attributes, Fives also carry instability and unpredictability, and radical changes. The spiritual meaning of Five draws our attention to the wonder of life, and beckons us to appreciate the perception of chaos all around us. Five has wild vibrations: primitive and erratic. When Five continues to pop up in your life be prepared for some action, like a trip. Remember, trips aren’t all necessarily taken physically. Some of the best journey’s are taken in the mind and spirit.

Spiritual Meaning of Numbers

Prayer Bowls

Prayer Bowls
 
What is a prayer bowl? A Prayer bowl is used to listen to your prayers, wishes, and thoughts, and carry
them into the other dimensions (the astral). They can be used to make any room more spiritual, without
causing to much attention. They are good for the workplace, because to co-workers, it is just a decoration,
and for you, it is a magical tool. The feather would be one that means something to you, perhaps a feather
of your power animal, and a feather of a power animal that you relate to. The crystals can be anything, from
clear quartz for focusing energy, to hematite for healing. These things can be looked up in various books.
A Prayer bowl is a fairly simple object to make. Take a small bowl that you like, a feather that means
something to you, some crystals, and some dirt. Put the dirt into the bowl, put the crystals on the dirt,
and place a feather in it.
After it is put together, empower it to listen to your prayers. In a dim light room, preferably candle lit, gaze
into the feather. Concentrate on what this prayer bowl is going to do for you. Think about the bird that it came
from, the views of the world that it must have seen. Thank that bird for giving of itself so that you may have this
prayer bowl. Next, think about the crystals, and what they mean for you. Visualize them in there natural
environment, deep in the Earth, and thank them for coming to you for this prayer bowl. In the Americas, they
are known as “stone people”.
After it is empowered, place it in an appropriate spot. I like to have mine near a window, so as they get a little
sun now and again. Also, the feather can hear the calls of the birds.
 
Pagan Hearth Recipes

Daily OM for December 14th – As Good as Your Word

As Good as Your Word
Promises

 

 

We forget how powerful our words are and when make promises it is up to us to make sure we keep our words sacred. 

Ever since human beings could speak to one another, they have been making promises and keeping them or not keeping them. Those who keep their promises are regarded as people of integrity, while those who don’t keep their promises are regarded as people who at best can’t be taken seriously and at worst can’t be trusted. Sometimes we forget how powerful our words are, and we use them haphazardly or unconsciously, creating expectations that are never fulfilled, leaving disappointment and distrust in our wake.

On an even deeper level, there are promises we may have made to ourselves that we don’t remember because they have slipped into our unconscious. An early heartache may have been followed by a promise never to trust love again. Without realizing it, we may be fulfilling that promise and wondering why our love life looks so grim. At an even deeper level, many people who recall past lives become aware that they made a promise lifetimes ago that they are still keeping. For example, a vow of poverty taken in a lifetime as a monk may be holding someone back from fulfilling his earning potential now. Upon realizing that we have made a promise we no longer wish to be beholden to, we can perform a ritual of requesting release from that bond. In doing so, we clear ourselves of outmoded connections and patterns, returning ourselves to a clean slate. Then we can resolve to remember that our word is sacred and to be very conscious of any promises we make to ourselves or to others.

We may ask to be released from any promises made to ourselves or others in our present, past, or future lives, consciously or unconsciously, that are holding us back from fulfilling our greatest good. We may ask that love, light, and healing be sent to any souls who have suffered from our inability to be true to our word, including ourselves. We can ask for the wisdom to do our best and from this point forward to be true to our word, promising only what we truly intend to deliver. The resulting clear conscience and liberated energy will illustrate this truth: We are only as good as our word.

Body-Wisdom: Grounding

Body-Wisdom: Grounding

by Erika Ginnis

 

This is the beginning of a series of articles that will appear in various issues of the paper. My goal in this series is to put in print some simple energy working techniques that I have learned and taught over the years in my own practice. I thought it might be fun and also helpful to provide some instruction in a format that was available to people regardless of where they lived and whether they had a group to practice with.

These techniques are not bound to any one tradition or pantheon and I have seen them used in a number of different circumstances with very positive results. Take them and add then to your tool kit if you like them or leave them if you don’t. However you respond to them remember, as with any magickal or energy working tool, “They will only work for you if you actually practice them.”

I am going to present the ideas in a specific order because I have found the techniques work best when they build on one another. I intend to add a brief review of some necessary steps at the beginning of each article so that it will be easy to catch up if you have missed earlier ones. Some of these tools will be second nature to many of you, and to some they will be a different twist on an old favorite. There are many many great techniques out there, and these are just a few that I enjoy.

I will offer possibilities, use them as a springboard. It is my hope that, for many of you, these techniques will become a new doorway to your inner self, and that they will assist you to become more aware and present in your magical and spiritual work.

Grounding:

Grounding is usually the first technique that I teach anyone. This is because it is the foundation upon which everything else is built. It is very simple and very powerful. I also think it is extremely important I imagine that many of you have heard of grounding or have practiced it in some way. Most of the rituals that I have attended use this technique in some form. Since there are various ways to ground, let me start with some explanation about what I mean when I say “grounding.”

Grounding is the act of consciously creating an energy connection as spirit (sometimes visualized as a cord) from your body into physical reality/Mother Earth. You are a spiritual being, and by your nature have a great deal of power and energy. Your vibration is rapid and can be intense. You have a body (yippee!!) which is an expression of you that exists in mundane reality (hopefully), but since it is made of matter the energy moves at a slower vibratory rate. (Hmmm, this sounds like a public television physics program!!) In any case when you bring your spiritual energy into the physical body more fully it can be quite a shock to the system.

Grounding helps keep the body (your sacred temple) a safe place for you to inhabit and experience life through, prevents it from becoming overly stressed. It helps to keep your energy system safe when you are doing magic or other spiritual work. It acts kind of like an “electrical ground” ( keeps you from getting “zapped” by an overload of energy). The act of grounding also brings power to your work because it aligns you as spirit with your physical body, so that you can be present and attend to what needs to be done. In addition to all of this it increases spiritual and energetic awareness.

Have you ever been at a ritual and felt slightly nauseous afterward or had a headache? Many times this is a reaction of the body to the more intense energy moving through it and not having quite enough grounding to shunt off the excess flow. This brings me to the next aspect of grounding that is important. Grounding is a technique that assists you to release energy! This is a wonderful thing. When you ground you release unwanted or excess energy, and it gets transformed within this amazing living planet, our Mother Earth, and it returns to you renewed. It reminds me of recycling in a way; you let go of what you are done with and you get it back transformed. Also, if you are releasing someone else’s energy that you took on for some reason, that energy gets returned to them as well. It works out well all around.

It is my opinion that the whole energy system of Earth (which I see as our larger body, our Sacred Mother) is set up to run in this way. I believe it to be a connecting web of moving and shifting energy, of which we are meant to be a balanced part. I also feel that as more people remember and use their grounding, it will begin to revitalize the whole system as the energy begins to flow again.

I have spoken briefly about grounding as it relates to ritual, but what I want to emphasize here is that you can be grounded anytime. I highly recommend grounding while playing, eating, making love, shopping, working, driving, etc., as well as during ritual, or while meditating. Grounding brings you more fully present and conscious in your life, so that you can respond to situations rather than reacting from past experiences (many of which might be unpleasant). It will enhance whatever you are experiencing, assist you to be aware of your path, and also assist you to move through uncomfortable times more rapidly.

Something that people sometimes notice when they ground for the first time, is that they become aware of aches or pains that they could swear weren’t there moments before. The reason for this is simple, if you think about it. If you come into the body more fully, you are going to start to become aware of what your body is actually feeling. If you spend most of your time with your mind in fantasy or off in the future somewhere you aren’t going to be very present to what your body is going through. The minute you ground, though, you align with the body and begin to tune in to what’s actually going on.

You might ask why anyone would want to feel tightness in their shoulders if they didn’t have to? My answer is this: if you know what is happening and know how you feel, you can begin to take steps to release and heal whatever is causing the problem. The body has much wisdom to teach us if we will but listen. If you ignore the body it will get louder and louder in an effort to get your attention. I see many people who have begun their spiritual work because some physical ailment caused them to stop and pay attention. You do not have to wait, you can begin the process beforeyou are “forced” to by circumstance.

The good news is: when you are grounded things that are pleasurable are even more pleasurable. You also begin to raise the vibration in the body by grounding it and being more consciously present in it; this will allow an even greatercapacity for experiencing the wonders of this planet. It will in turn increase your power and awareness, making you more effective in where you choose to direct your energy.

One of the examples I always tell my classes is this: “Think of all the different books and techniques out there, all the things you can do as being like a great wall of expensive stereo equipment. It has all the bells and whistles, the CD player and the VCR and the cool speakers. It looks great there on the wall but none of it will do you a bit of good if you don’t plug it in!! It really doesn’t matter how much you acquire, how many components you buy, if you can’t access it. It will just collect dust. Grounding is analogous to taking the power cord and plugging it into the outlet. Then you can use the system. Grounding gives you a way to access your power, because it brings youas spirit (which is the power source) into the picture. None of the techniques will do you much good if you aren’t grounded.”

There are many good ways to ground. I will not be touching on all of them by any means. I will pass on to you one form of grounding I personally use and enjoy. I hope you enjoy it as well. I teach grounding from the first chakra because that is the energy center that relates to physical reality. The first chakra contains information on how to survive and thrive in this reality, and since this is where we have our physical experience and where we want our healing and magic to manifest, I have found it to be a sound practice. Enjoy your exploration with connecting into this planet by grounding. Remember, as with anything, that the experience will change with time. Bring your willingness to explore and allow yourself to be open to your own deepening awareness.

Technique:

Sit comfortably in a straight back chair or on the couch (as long as you don’t tend to nod off to sleep) have your hands and feet apart and feet flat on the floor.

Close your eyes (this helps you to focus inward).

Take three nice deep breaths, breathe down into your belly and soften your belly as you breathe. It can be helpful (although not essential) to breathe through the nose, while keeping your tongue resting lightly on the roof of your mouth. This is from certain Yoga traditions and is said to help encourage the flow of energy through your system.

Relax as you breathe, noticing how you feel, how your body feels.

Be aware of your first chakra. This is simply an energy center (vortex) that is located in the general area near the base of the spine. For women the center is usually near the area between the ovaries (note: the chakra positioning doesn’t change if you have had your ovaries removed for any reason). For men the location is slightly lower in the body because the chakra placement is associated with the testicles.

Be aware of this area, and allow a cord of energy to flow downward from your body: Through the chair you are sitting in. Through the floor and down through the building you are in. Through the foundation and into the deep earth beneath. Allow your grounding to flow down into the earth past all the rocks and layers of the planet, past the water, deep deep into the earth, into the heart of the Mother. Until it reaches the center of the earth.

Allow your grounding cord to connect securely into the center of the planet. Be aware of your grounding cord being securely connected also to your first chakra.

Breathe and relax and experience your grounding, your spiritual connection to this beautiful planet.

Notice how your body responds to you grounding and becoming more present in it. Release tension and discomfort down your grounding, allow it to simply drain away.

Your grounding belongs to you and you can create it in any form you like.

Change your grounding into a waterfall, flowing and cascading from your first chakra down through all of physical reality to the center of the earth.

Experience this, release and relax, breathe. Take your time.

Next change your grounding into a supple and strong root of a tree, allowing it to grow from your first chakra to the center of the earth.

Notice how this changes your experience. Breathe. Enjoy.

Now shift your grounding so that it is a laser beam of light, shining though everything straight down to the center of the earth.

How does this feel? Be with this for a moment or two. (Remember you can use any of these groundings at any time, they are simply different ways to experience this connection.)

Now change your grounding once again. This time create you own grounding flowing from your first chakra to the center of the earth. It can be any one of the three you used before, or something completely unique, it’s up to you. This is your very own grounding.

Breathe, relax, and experience.

Use your breath and release down your grounding cord, any tension, distractions, or discomfort. Notice how you feel as you do this.

Be still, as you ground and relax. If you have questions this is the time to ask and listen for the answers. Or simply allow yourself to be.

When you are done, open your eyes, bend forward and touch your hands to the floor, as you relax your neck, and release any built up energy around the head and shoulders into the earth. Slowly sit back up. If you journal this would be a great time to record your experience. If not, then you’re ready to go on to the rest of your day or evening. Blessed be.

Affirmation on Meditation

Affirmation on Meditation

  • Deepak Chopra

The true self contains the light that no darkness can attack. Daily affirmations are steps out of pain toward a higher reality. We can become living memorials to tragedy by restoring the power of life. You are that life, you are that power. Let us see if we can find the spark that will make the spiritual flame spring up.

Meditation is the practice of going inward to access awareness that is deeper than thought. Meditation isn’t just a time for peace and quiet, although both are needed. You are returning to your source. Make it your habit to find time alone, preferably once in the morning and once in the evening, in which you can close your eyes and go inside.

There are many forms of meditation. A simple but effective one is meditation on the heart. Sit quietly for a moment, placing your attention on your heart, at the center of your chest under the breastbone. When you are settled, repeat the word “peace” silently, and see its influence radiating out from your body in all directions. Do this three times, and then say the word “happiness” the same way. Repeat three times, then go on to “harmony,” “laughter” and “love.”

For longer meditations, you can use these words for as long as you like. Start with five minutes a session and work up to half an hour. Sit quietly for a few minutes after each session with eyes closed and simply appreciate the simplicity of quiet awareness.

Adapted from The Deeper Wound: Recovering the Soul from Fear and Suffering by Deepak Chopra (Harmony Books, 2001).

Support Your Spirit

Support Your Spirit

  • Deepak Chopra

Make this today’s promise to yourself, to look inside for guidance. Everyone needs support, and generally we look outside ourselves–to family, friends, coworkers, and like-minded people–for validation. This kind of support makes you feel that you are right. The ego gets assurance that you are not alone.

But spirit wants to develop uniquely. It sends support to the inner person. Instead of making you feel that you are right, spiritual support adds to your sense of being free, at peace, loving, and aware. Be open to those feelings, because openness is the first step to transformation.

When you feel moments of being uncertain and alone, tell yourself that you have the same worth as your soul. In situations where you feel the urge to assert, disagree, or resist, don’t follow that impulse. Find your own peace; accept the situation, and then watch.

Do you see signs that what you want out of the situation can happen without resistance or assertiveness? When you value the support spirit is giving, the grip of ego is loosened immediately. You are capable of seeing any situation as spirit sees it, not just as ego does. If you value that capacity, it will grow.

Go about your routine, keeping faith with what you honor. By honoring stillness, you are touching one piece of the soul’s treasure.

Adapted from The Deeper Wound: Recovering the Soul from Fear and Suffering, by Deepak Chopra (Harmony Books, 2001).

The Magical Tool for Your Sun Sign

The Magical Tool for Your Sun Sign

  • Annie B. Bond

While most of us know that a good sun-sign horoscope can teach us about our characteristics, and even our soul-task in life, did you know that we were each given a magical tool at birth to help us?

We could all use a little help. Find out what the magical tool is that can help you achieve your spirit-goals, here:

Aries, March 21-April 19: Your magical tool is the ROD. The rod expresses the active and enthusiastic masculine principle. Rod power enables creative form and dynamic self-assertion. The rod represents enterprising and pure spirit, action, growth, life energy, identity, and direction. The rod is the symbol of building from a spring of passion. Heat flows through the body and causes an action that regenerates the cells. It is comparable to sun energy. Rod energy needs constant change and takes initiative when new thought is put into action. Self-trust believes that every obstacle can be surpassed. The path that ROD takes: All challenges and obstacles can be transformed.

Taurus, April 20-May 21: Your magical tool is the PENTACLE. The pentacle is the combination of all previous symbols. It is the material of earth–real and solid. The pentacle represents humanity, duality, outer life, work, and the experience of the body. It is also material success and practical health as well as home and earth connections. It represents the knot of endless love. The pentacle is the most human of all the geometric forms. The pentacle energy is faultless in the five senses, the five fingers, and five pure virtues of faithfulness (cleanliness, compassion, courtesy, fellowship, frankness). It is the symbol of balance. Its foundation is feminine wisdom. It is the everlasting fountain of creativity. Pentacle energy anchors every individual in the real world. It recognizes what needs to be done. The magic of earth resides in the pentacle as well as the capacity to survive. It is magical because it survives. In nature, it is earth, soil, and all life. Pentacle energy is active and creates consciousness. It lives in love of harmonious change. It mediates in “win or lose” situations. To sum up the path pentacle energy takes: It lives single and free, like a tree on the prairie. At the same time it is a kindred spirit living in the forest.

Gemini, May 22-June 20: Your magical tool is the SWORD. The sword represents light and clarity. It is power and the fairness of a triumph where mistakes are permitted. Problems are removed. The sword helps to recognize the connection between personal experience and the condition of the world. It is like a butterfly, the completion of the cycle by way of metamorphosis. The word represents willpower, understanding, enthusiasm, courage, and passion. It is a strong mental energy allowing insight and decision-making. It represents language, intellect, and the world of thoughts. The sword is the symbol for strict discipline aimed at constructing without the losses that may occur. This energy recognizes the logic of things. Any deceptions are penetrated in order to uncover the truth. In nature, it may be seen as the whirlwind or the movement of air. In the mind, it causes the subconscious to work through any structures that create the manifest world. It gains its strength through experiencing difficulties. The sword cuts through opposition in an attempt to end all differences. Sword energy will sacrifice itself and forget itself., so it needs to be given a direction. To sum up the path the sword takes: To be strong without being hard is an acrobatic act.

Cancer, June 21-July 22: Your magical tool is the CUP. The cup mainly expresses the feminine or passive principle. It represents the world of feelings, compassion, and receptivity. The cup represents happiness, love, beauty, and righteousness. It is the subconscious or the soul. The feelings of loss and grief find expression here. Cup energy lives in the world of feelings. It is receptive. It listens to the inner voice. It expresses a deep happiness of the heart. In nature, it is renewal and productivity. It is the place sexuality is birthed. It is the sensuous expression of life, as in a soft flowing landscape of hill covered in wildflowers. Feelings come to the surface in order to allow nature to take its course. The cup’s truth is to be what it is, when and how it wants to show itself. This energy is compassionate with a basic optimistic outlook. To sum up the path the cup energy takes: All things are flowing and my toughness is subdued.

Leo, July 23- Aug 22: Your magical tool is the ROD. The rod expresses the active and enthusiastic masculine principle. Rod power enables creative form and dynamic self-assertion. The rod represents enterprising and pure spirit, action, growth, life energy, identity, and direction. The rod is the symbol of building from a spring of passion. Heat flows through the body and causes an action that regenerates the cells. It is comparable to sun energy. Rod energy needs constant change and takes initiative when new thought is put into action. Self-trust believes that every obstacle can be surpassed. The path that ROD takes: All challenges and obstacles can be transformed.

Virgo, Aug 23-Sept 22: Your magical tool is the PENTACLE. The pentacle is the combination of all previous symbols. It is the material of earth–real and solid. The pentacle represents humanity, duality, outer life, work, and the experience of the body. It is also material success and practical health as well as home and earth connections. It represents the knot of endless love. The pentacle is the most human of all the geometric forms. The pentacle energy is faultless in the five senses, the five fingers, and five pure virtues of faithfulness (cleanliness, compassion, courtesy, fellowship, frankness). It is the symbol of balance. Its foundation is feminine wisdom. It is the everlasting fountain of creativity. Pentacle energy anchors every individual in the real world. It recognizes what needs to be done. The magic of earth resides in the pentacle as well as the capacity to survive. It is magical because it survives. In nature, it is earth, soil, and all life. Pentacle energy is active and creates consciousness. It lives in love of harmonious change. It mediates in “win or lose” situations. To sum up the path pentacle energy takes: It lives single and free, like a tree on the prairie. At the same time it is a kindred spirit living in the forest.

Libra, Sept 23-Oct 22: Your magical tool is the SWORD. The sword represents light and clarity. It is power and the fairness of a triumph where mistakes are permitted. Problems are removed. The sword helps to recognize the connection between personal experience and the condition of the world. It is like a butterfly, the completion of the cycle by way of metamorphosis. The word represents willpower, understanding, enthusiasm, courage, and passion. It is a strong mental energy allowing insight and decision-making. It represents language, intellect, and the world of thoughts. The sword is the symbol for strict discipline aimed at constructing without the losses that may occur. This energy recognizes the logic of things. Any deceptions are penetrated in order to uncover the truth. In nature, it may be seen as the whirlwind or the movement of air. In the mind, it causes the subconscious to work through any structures that create the manifest world. It gains its strength through experiencing difficulties. The sword cuts through opposition in an attempt to end all differences. Sword energy will sacrifice itself and forget itself., so it needs to be given a direction. To sum up the path the sword takes: To be strong without being hard is an acrobatic act.

Scorpio, Oct 23-Nov 21: Your magical tool is the CUP. The cup mainly expresses the feminine or passive principle. It represents the world of feelings, compassion, and receptivity. The cup represents happiness, love, beauty, and righteousness. It is the subconscious or the soul. The feelings of loss and grief find expression here. Cup energy lives in the world of feelings. It is receptive. It listens to the inner voice. It expresses a deep happiness of the heart. In nature, it is renewal and productivity. It is the place sexuality is birthed. It is the sensuous expression of life, as in a soft flowing landscape of hill covered in wildflowers. Feelings come to the surface in order to allow nature to take its course. The cup’s truth is to be what it is, when and how it wants to show itself. This energy is compassionate with a basic optimistic outlook. To sum up the path the cup energy takes: All things are flowing and my toughness is subdued.

Sagittarius, Nov 22-Dec 21: Your magical tool is the ROD. The rod expresses the active and enthusiastic masculine principle. Rod power enables creative form and dynamic self-assertion. The rod represents enterprising and pure spirit, action, growth, life energy, identity, and direction. The rod is the symbol of building from a spring of passion. Heat flows through the body and causes an action that regenerates the cells. It is comparable to sun energy. Rod energy needs constant change and takes initiative when new thought is put into action. Self-trust believes that every obstacle can be surpassed. The path that ROD takes: All challenges and obstacles can be transformed.

Capricorn, Dec 22-Jan 19: Your magical tool is the PENTACLE. The pentacle is the combination of all previous symbols. It is the material of earth–real and solid. The pentacle represents humanity, duality, outer life, work, and the experience of the body. It is also material success and practical health as well as home and earth connections. It represents the knot of endless love. The pentacle is the most human of all the geometric forms. The pentacle energy is faultless in the five senses, the five fingers, and five pure virtues of faithfulness (cleanliness, compassion, courtesy, fellowship, frankness). It is the symbol of balance. Its foundation is feminine wisdom. It is the everlasting fountain of creativity. Pentacle energy anchors every individual in the real world. It recognizes what needs to be done. The magic of earth resides in the pentacle as well as the capacity to survive. It is magical because it survives. In nature, it is earth, soil, and all life. Pentacle energy is active and creates consciousness. It lives in love of harmonious change. It mediates in “win or lose” situations. To sum up the path pentacle energy takes: It lives single and free, like a tree on the prairie. At the same time it is a kindred spirit living in the forest.

Aquarius, Jan 20-Feb 18: Your magical tool is the SWORD. The sword represents light and clarity. It is power and the fairness of a triumph where mistakes are permitted. Problems are removed. The sword helps to recognize the connection between personal experience and the condition of the world. It is like a butterfly, the completion of the cycle by way of metamorphosis. The word represents willpower, understanding, enthusiasm, courage, and passion. It is a strong mental energy allowing insight and decision-making. It represents language, intellect, and the world of thoughts. The sword is the symbol for strict discipline aimed at constructing without the losses that may occur. This energy recognizes the logic of things. Any deceptions are penetrated in order to uncover the truth. In nature, it may be seen as the whirlwind or the movement of air. In the mind, it causes the subconscious to work through any structures that create the manifest world. It gains its strength through experiencing difficulties. The sword cuts through opposition in an attempt to end all differences. Sword energy will sacrifice itself and forget itself., so it needs to be given a direction. To sum up the path the sword takes: To be strong without being hard is an acrobatic act.

Pisces, Feb 19-March 20: Your magical tool is the CUP. The cup mainly expresses the feminine or passive principle. It represents the world of feelings, compassion, and receptivity. The cup represents happiness, love, beauty, and righteousness. It is the subconscious or the soul. The feelings of loss and grief find expression here. Cup energy lives in the world of feelings. It is receptive. It listens to the inner voice. It expresses a deep happiness of the heart. In nature, it is renewal and productivity. It is the place sexuality is birthed. It is the sensuous expression of life, as in a soft flowing landscape of hill covered in wildflowers. Feelings come to the surface in order to allow nature to take its course. The cup’s truth is to be what it is, when and how it wants to show itself. This energy is compassionate with a basic optimistic outlook. To sum up the path the cup energy takes: All things are flowing and my toughness is subdued.