Power Objects & Ritual Tools
Tag: Religion Spirituality
Using Your Fire Dish
Using Your Fire Dish
A fire dish is ideal for any seasonal or personal rite of passage for which traditionally a bonfire was lit. Sometimes you can have a bonfire or remove turf and make a fire pit with bricks, but this is not always possible, especially near sacred ground.
A fire dish is wonderful for unifying those sharing a rite, whether a coven, friends or family.
When you are not travelling, keep your fire dish to the south of the outdoor altar as a powerful representation of the fire element and to attract fire spirits and faeries. You can cover it when not in use or during inclement weather.
Sprinkle incense or herbs directly on to the burning wood to make personal empowerments and to raise or release power during a spell.
Burn wishes scratched on the inside of bark with a small knife or burn dead leaves and twigs to represent banishing what is redundant in your life.
Use your fire dish as a focus for chanting and dancing and as an added bonus for supplying light and warmth during a ritual.
Make sure the fire dish is not too full to avoid the danger of tipping over or getting too hot. Keep water nearby to extinguish an over-zealous fire.
Some woods like juniper and cedar spit; ash and pine are excellent as is oak although some people will not burn the latter. Sandalwood smells fabulous if you can get it; you can sometimes buy small sandalwood logs in bags from a hardware store. You can mix the woods.
Practice before your first ritual with your fire dish so you know how to light a good but not ferocious fire. When everyone had an open fire in the living room, this was daily practice. Nowadays, unless you were a Scout or Girl Guide or belong to a coven, you may not have been taught the art. Follow the instructions on a pack of firelighters or ask an older relative for a lesson.
A Witch’s Fire Dish
A Witch’s Fire Dish
Primary Element: Fire
Another favorite tool for outdoor magick is a fire dish. Though you can burn a small fire in a cauldron, having a fire in a special bowl or dish is one of the most magickal experiences, particularly under star- or moonlight. You can carry it with you in the back of the car for rituals on beaches. Some stone circles, such as the Rollright stones in Oxfordshire, have a fire dish in situ to borrow for ceremonies under supervision of the warden.
Ideally, you would use the cauldron for water and the dish for fire: a perfect elemental balance.
Your Daily Number for November 15th: 2
You’re fine tuned and sensitive today, reading other people easily and clearly. You may play the part of the peacemaker today, and others may perceive you as being a bit self-righteous. Try not to annoy others with the force of your convictions.
About the Number 2
Feng Shui Tip of the Day for November 15th
Today’s ‘I Love to Write Day’ is one after my own heart, and I’m sure that after you see the excellent results achieved from using today’s advice, you’ll love to write, too! All you need to do is take pen in hand (this cure must be done by your own hand with a red ink pen) and write a letter. But not just any letter. You’re going to address this letter to your Higher Power, your teachers, masters, gurus, angels and saints. In short, you’ll address this letter to all of the blessed beings you might normally petition in prayer. Then you will ask, in high detail, for whatever it is that you want. Spell it out, literally and figuratively. Once done, put that piece away in a sacred space for at least the next 49 days, but not before re-reading the contents and telling each of those words you just wrote how much you love them. Pour pink light from your heart onto that paper and thank each word for making your dreams come true. In whatever form or fashion it takes for you, express a profound sense of gratitude for this easy opportunity to have a wish come to pass. Gratitude, and then acting ‘as if’ are critical components to having your concerns addressed. But once you write this letter, those concerns will indeed be addressed and the return to the sender will be more than worth the effort!
By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com
Today’s Tarot Card for November 15th is Judgment
Judgment

This Tarot Deck: Medieval Cat
From a modern point of view, this great reunion — which includes every personality that you have ever been and every soul that you have done deep work with — reunites to consciously complete the process. In a way, we symbolically celebrate this returning to center every year on our birthday.
In personal terms, the Judgment cards points to freedom from inner conflicts, and so clear a channel, that the buried talents and gifts of past incarnations can come through an individual in this lifetime. This card counsels you to trust the process of opening yourself, because what emerges is of consistently high quality. You can effortlessly manifest as a multi-dimensional being, and assist in evoking that response from others.
Meditation Thought of the Day for November 15th
Once you know meditation, you don’t have to follow anybody.
You have your own eyes open,
and you have your light just ahead of you showing the path,
and all that is right and all that is good happens choicelessly.
Osho
The Nine Virtues
The Nine Virtues
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Author: Kalynn Osburn
In some way or another throughout the ages, there have been sets of attributes that have been deemed by both society and individuals to define the quality of a person’s character. From the Ten Commandments to Sanatana Dharma, from the Noble Eightfold Path to the Wiccan Rede, each comprises cultural appreciation of upright action and thought. Many of these hold the same tenants as one another, with values such as honesty, kindness, generosity and honor at the top of the lists. It is in this line that I have comprised what I feel to be the Nine Virtues, a series of considerations to which I think one should aspire in their life time.
In no way do I mean to say that this is the definitive list of ethical behavior! Nor do I want anyone to believe that I have an infallible moral compass! Far from it, in fact. These are simply the traits which I think are lacking in this era and should be given due consideration. While they include several from what is considered both warrior and maidenly virtues, I have done all I can to remove the gender considerations herein and I advise seeing them more as human virtues rather than belonging to one gender or the other.
The goal here is to strive towards these traits and to do your best to keep them in mind as you act throughout the day. I have listed them in order or personal importance (1 being the most significant to me) but these are not really quantifiable as more or less significant.
HONOR
Honor is among the most difficult to define of the virtues, and yet to me it is one of the most important. Many define this concept as a definition of a man’s duty or loyalty to one’s betters or higher ups within a military code of conduct. For women the term was historically used in reference to their virginity or the price a mate would have to pay in order to wed them. Honor can mean loyalty to duty, but it can also mean to act in a way that conveys dignity and rightness. Refusing to be goaded into a fight or not allowing your character to be falsified. Taking the protecting and care of your family upon yourself and working for their good at all times. Not allowing your friends to hurt when you have the means to prevent it. It comes down to looking at the situation and doing everything in your power to work through it with rightness of thought and deed. Honor also ties in strongly with other constructs such as: Integrity of the self, Accountability for your actions, and Respect for yourself and others
COURAGE
Courage is often misinterpreted as a lack of cowardice or fear. In reality, Courage is being afraid, terrified even, but pushing forward anyway. There are two types of courage: physical courage, which could be defending someone from attack or pushing yourself to the limit, and moral courage, which would be keeping to your moral or ethical code despite potential ridicule and ostracized. It can be difficult to remain courageous without becoming reckless or displaying an excess of bravado. In my experience the truly courageous are quiet, steadfast people who one would never suspect of being capable of such bravery. The one who rushes into a burning building to save a child and then disappears before the news crew can get a shot of them. The truest form of courage is in those whose names will never be known, but who take it upon themselves to act in defense of others.
MERCY
Mercy is often portrayed as the powerful showing pity to the weak. This is often emphasized by the Christian concept of a merciful God, one who wields incomparable power and yet exercises with caution or consideration for those under their influence. But to put this on a more relatable level, one could compare mercy with humanitarian efforts such as giving your time so that other’s might live life with greater ease, even if only for a moment. Through acts of kindness and charity, such as donating your clothing to homeless shelters, volunteering at a soup kitchen, or being a counselor for a youth group, one hopes to achieve a human connection as well as a greater understanding of compassion. To quote the Bard: “The quality of mercy is not strained. It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest: It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.”
HONESTY
Honesty is not always as simply as just telling the truth. In this case, the virtue has more to do with being of straightforward character. It can be difficult to weight honesty with brutal, unfeeling truth, but it is important to remember that honesty does not give one the right to be callous. You should always consider how your answer would affect the other person’s state of mind. At times a gentler hand may be called for, but sometimes we must be direct in our approach. A good thing to keep in mind is to never do anything you know you are going to have to lie about later. With this thought, Honesty is more about acting truthfully and without deceit intended than it really is about telling your friend you like her dress when it looks awful.
CUNNING-
One could find it very amusing that I chose to put the virtue of Cunning right after that of Honesty, seeing as how the two so often seem to be at odds. But in this case it is to establish a balance between the two that I include cunning among the virtues. Cunning is not about lying, but about displaying keen insight or a knowledge of something that might baffle others. You could also term this as being clever or witty about a particular subject (such as witchcraft) . It is, above all else, using your intellect to solve problems and find new solutions to old issues. Brehons might be the best example of such folk, as they had to navigate their way around the law without denying the rights of everyone involved.
ENDURANCE
Endurance is the unique ability to keep going long after others have quit. There are two kinds of endurance: physical endurance, such as a woman in labor or a man running a triathlon, and mental endurance, such as that shown during studying final exam or sensory deprivation. One could also consider life to be an endurance trial, as we face hardships and difficulties one has to show the endurance and fortitude to overcome them. Life is hard, but not without it’s joy, and sometimes weathering the hard times creates more joy in the easy times. Being tenacious and sticking to your set goals without fail shows great endurance.
SPIRIT
Spirit is the belief and understanding of an innermost self, a soul or essence, which comprises you as an incorporeal being. It is a connectedness to a larger self and an understanding that there is a pattern and weaving to existence that you are a part of. This could also be termed Piety, though I would not include religious devotion as the explanation. Rather you strive to see the big picture of life, not only in terms of you and yours but also in terms of the universe as a whole. Someone who has the virtue of Spirit is confident, but without the danger of hubris and arrogance that so often comes with the idea of a higher spiritual understanding. As Albert Einstein said “Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods.”
INTROSPECTION
Introspection is being aware of your own needs, desires, flaws, virtues and state of mind. It is a conscious effort on the part of a person to fully consider their actions and thoughts and to consider the ramifications both to themselves and to others. It is the consideration of one’s own mind, or meta-cognition (thinking about thinking) . One could consider this like having a psychologist inside your own mind. You try to break down your own though process, questions yourself and answer honestly. It is not the same as doubting yourself or seeing your own advise as invalid, it is simply exploring your own motives and knowing where they come from.
TRANQUILITY
Tranquility is maintaining a state of calmness and levelheaded thinking. It is in allowing yourself to move beyond the hectic frustrations and troubles of the moment and not letting them interfere with your thought process or course of action. One could also add into this the feeling of contentment with your life as it is right now, without giving thought to the future or past. You become at ease with the reality of the world and life in general and accept your current state of being. Inherent in this is the ability to move past what may be happening at the moment and focus on what must come next.
Feng Shui Tip of the Day for November 14th
On ‘Loosen Up, Lighten Up Day’ I want to share an ancient Russian ritual that will help to lighten up the vibrations of your aura while also allowing you to shake off energetic impurities! First, lie on your back and lift your arms and legs so that they are both at a 45-degree angle to your body. Simultaneously shake all your extremities, almost as if you were trying to shake water from them. Shake like crazy. Continue laying on your back with your arms at your sides and your legs loosely on the ground. Inhale deeply, and as you exhale forcefully clench your fists. In fact, clench so tightly that your hands vibrate from the tension. Hold this until you are done exhaling. Do this nine times in succession and then do the shaking exercise again. The emotional charge will have dissipated, as will any other residual physical tension hiding within your body. The result? Why you’ll loosen and lighten up, of course!
By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com
TO HELP DISPEL NEGATIVE ENERGIES AROUND YOU
TO HELP DISPEL NEGATIVE ENERGIES AROUND YOU
Take a small clear crystal, an acorn, some rosemary and mandrake and a bit of green silk
or cotton. It doesn’t need to be a big piece. Cast your circle and creating a pouch from
the herbs, bless them with each element saying:
“While this dwells within,
there will be protection without.
Cleanse and charge this charm,
element of against all who wish me ill!”
Now hang this somewhere not too obviously, like hiding it in a corner or over a window.
This will protect you ’til next Samhain when you should burn it in the sacred fire, crystal and all.
If it is not too tainted, the fire will just cleanse the crystal and you’ll be able to retrieve it
from the ashes but I always recommend just getting a new one.
The Third Rule Of White Magick: Ask for enough for your needs & a little more
The Third Rule of White Magick:
The Second Rule of White Magick: What is sent out comes back threefold
The Second Rule of Magick:
If you use magick to send healing, love or abundance to other people, the same qualities will come into your own life unexpectedly in ways you need them, with three times the intensity.
The First Rule of White Magick: Do as you choose/harm no one
The First Rule of Magick:
Of course in order to survive emotionally and sometimes to survive at all, you cannot always avoid hurting others in everyday life or in magick. So magick does involve a lot of careful thought and evaluation and usually relates to what is happening in our everyday lives.
The Rules of White Magick
The Rules of White Magick
The same polarity is described in Oriental philosophy as yang and yin, each of which contains the seed of the other, god and goddess, male and female, light and darkness, action and receptivity, hot and cold, summer and winter, dry and wet. Neither is better than the other but when one reaches its limits or extremes it must give way to the other, just as day follows night and night day. At the Spring Equinox (around 21 March in the northern hemisphere, six months later in the southern) light and darkness are equal. Thereafter light increases till the Summer Solstice around 21 June, after which darkness begins to multiply till the balance is restored on the Autumn Equinox around 22 September in the northern hemisphere. The darkest nights and shortest days last until 21 December, the Midwinter Solstice, after which light slowly increases once more. In the magickal wheel of the year this dynamic struggle represents our own inner change and dynamics.
In magick, therefore, you are accountable for your actions and can’t just say sorry about three Hail Marys and be absolved. We have to try to put it right or carry the bad deed or karma (another Eastern Buddhist and Hindu concept) with us.
White Magick
White Magick
Attracting or Sympathetic Magick
Attracting or Sympathetic Magick
Equally every herb and crystal has magickal meanings and so can be a focus for a spell. A green aventurine crystal will when empowered in a spell bring you good luck and money, especially in matters of speculation.
What Is The Difference Between A Spell and A Ritual
What Is The Difference Between A Spell and A Ritual
Feng Shui Tip of the Day for November 12th
We are coming off the energies of ‘Saint Martin’s Day,’ a day dedicated to a saint who was known as an unselfish and generous giver of fortune and luck. He’s also been called a magical patron saint of all those who may depend on fortunes and luck coming from the kindness of strangers. One sure way to get the full attention and lucky intercession of this saint is to draw a green horseshoe on a piece of plain cardboard and then decorate it with glitter, feathers, sequins or any other eye catching decorations. Be sure that while you’re making this very effective talisman that you concentrate on increasing your opportunities to embrace Health, Happiness and Prosperity, especially through intervention of particularly Helpful People. Place this lucky little piece in that same space of your main floor and wait for a proverbial streetcar full of your own desires to quickly come true!
By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com
Today’s Tarot Card for November 12th is The Star
The Star

This Tarot Deck: Celestial
This card could also be called the “Celestial Mandate” — that which refers us back to our reason for being, our mission in this lifetime. The Star reminds us that, in a sense, we are agents of Divine Will in our day-to-day lives. If we let go of the idea that we are supposed to be in control, we can more easily notice and appreciate the synchronicities that are nudging us along. In this way, we become more conscious of the invisible Helping Hand, and we better understand our place within — and value to — the larger Cosmos
Wishing You A Very Magickal Weekend!
Happy Saturday Everyone!
Saturday’s Correspondences
Saturday Is Ruled By Saturn
Ruled by the Roman God of the harvest and planting. New starts and firmly planting your seeds of intention or good focuses on Saturday.
Other correspondences for Saturday are:
Saturn Rituals: Disciplining ourselves.
Element: Earth
Colour: Black and sometimes purple
Number: 3

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