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Your Ancient Symbols Card for October 3 is The Journey

Your Deck of Ancient Symbols Card for Today

The Journey

While physical travel may be involved, The Journey represents an individual’s spiritual trek from one point to another. The Journey is represented by a sailboat gliding across an open sea. Like those traversing the ocean The Journey requires that we move off the firm ground of our present state and strike out for a new destination. The trip itself may well be full of adventure and challenges. There may be times when we lose sight of where we came from and possibly not even know where we’re going. Storms may crop up without warning. Diversions may slow our progress to our destination down. While it’s good to have an idea of where you want to go, it’s equally important to remember that often it’s the getting there and not the destination that is the most rewarding. To take such a spiritual voyage takes courage and conviction that direction in which your are moving is right for you.

As a daily card, The Journey indicates a time in which you are likely to derive insight and spiritual growth by moving off your everyday path. Although the time span is short, this movement may have a profound and enduring effect on your life. Indeed you may be on the verge of experiencing a revelation, or enjoying a period of self actualization. Be open to new paths and you may well end up with some very positive changes in your life.

Broom Purification

Broom Purification

 

Items You Will Need:

  • tree branch
  • brightly colored long-stemmed flowers
  • string or thread

 

The Spell:

Before dawn, take a branch from any tree.  Thank the tree for its gift and leave a coin or semi-precious stone at its base in payment. Next, obtain several brightly colored flowers on long stalks. Tie these flowers to the branch to fashion a sort of broom, then sweep the floor in every room  of the house, visualizing the flowers of the broom absorbing negativity and “evil” as you work.  Then, still before sunrise, leave the broom at the crossroads.  Traditionally this ritual is repeated at the first of each month.

Daily OM for October 2 – Intention and Intuition

Intention and Intuition

The Purpose of an Altar

byMadisyn Taylor

The purpose of having an altar in your home can be as simple as reminding you to take time for serenity each day.

If you didn’t grow up with an altar in your home, having an altar now may seem like an exotic and unattainable idea. Yet having an altar does not have to be complicated or difficult, nor does it need to be based on a religion or a set of ideas that don’t seem to relate to you. An altar can be a simple, personal expression of what you want to focus on right now. You do not have to build anything or take up a lot of space. You do not have to buy anything new or follow a complex set of instructions to create your altar. All you have to do is have a general understanding of what an altar is and the willingness to allow yourself access to this wonderful, ancient tool of transformation.

At its most essential, an altar is simply a raised structure that serves as a resting place for meaningful objects. It focuses the eye and provides a place for contemplation and, if so desired, ritual. All of these elements can be quite simple. One idea for a simple altar is a pot with a bulb planted in it, set on a box. This altar to growth can act as a reminder to you that all living things bloom in their time. A simple ritual might be to write down dreams you would like to see come to fruition on scraps of paper. You might place these scraps of paper in the box, or under the flowerpot, or in an envelope you prop against the pot. As the flower grows, so will your dreams.

If you look around your home, you may find that you have already created altarlike arrangements without even really thinking about it; this is something we humans do quite naturally. A candle, a decorative box, and a vase of flowers are just a few of the common household objects that lend themselves naturally to the creation of an altar. Simply add intention and intuition, and you have created your first altar. Remember that it isn’t necessarily about the objects you place at your altar—it is the time you spend with it daily, taking the time to be with it for your sacred time.

Daily OM

Bee Pollen

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Magickal Herbal Use: Lesson 4 – Enchanting Herbs

Lesson Four: Enchanting Herbs

by Leillan

I have saved this section for last on purpose. I wanted you to get a feel for what was offered before we talked about enchantment.

Enchanting is basically just simple spell casting. In enchanting an herb, you empower that herb with a specific purpose. I know it sounds easy, but remember you are working with things from the earth. The power is there, all you have to learn is how to bring it out. If you are a timing person, time this to the moon, the day of the week, the hour of the day, the time of season, whatever you need do. Remember to visualize as you enchant. Make the purpose as clear as you possibly can, and bring the words straight from your heart and the power from deep within you.

This final lesson of the series will done in ritual format. I will describe the work area, the herbs, and the purpose. Your final test will be to design your own ritual, amulet, bag, incense, or whatever else which to enchant. But you should only use the herbs listed in the previous lessons. You don’t have to actually perform the work. I just want to know what you’d do and how you’d do it. The following is my example to you.

I am making an amulet for a dear friend who needs strength and will to make it through a difficult period. This friend has full knowledge of my art and has asked for help. I have thought about it and decided the way in which I can help most.

On my altar, I have placed two black candles. I use black because it’s my personal favorite color for certain types of work. Between the candles,  I have my mortar and pestle; in front of them,  I have my athame. My wooden bowl is to the right and filled with sand and a charcoal block. I’ll be using  sandalwood incense, as I need strength and power right now, as well. To my left I have placed jars containing Dragons blood, sage, sea salt, rose petals, and a piece of walnut (did I fail to mention that walnut strengthens the heart?). The only other item on my altar is my pentagram, which is a personal cue I’m using to assist me in visualization,  and a small locket into which the blend will be placed. A red candle stands off to one side, ready for use if I need it.

I light the black candles and concentrate on seeing this friend happy and her problems solved. I pick up the sea salt and measure out a little with the tip of my athame. As I pour it into the mortar, I say “Salt purifies and cleanses. Your purpose this night is to purify the herbs I use here, and make them pure in intent.”  While saying this, I visualize the salt purifying the herbs.

Next, I pick up a rose petal and crumble it into the salt, saying: “I charge thee with the task of bringing intuition to ______. She finds herself in a situation where your power is desperately needed.”  I then mix the salt and rose together with my athame.

I measure out a portion of sage with my athame and drop it into the blend, saying, “I charge you and bid you to lend wisdom of decision to ________. She needs this wisdom to overcome what has been wrought.”  Stir the sage into the mixture.

Next, I pick up the piece of walnut and say, “I empower thee to lend strength of heart in this difficult time. Through your strength, may her heart be lightened and her will be strengthened.” I then measure out a tiny amount of powdered Dragons blood, saying, “Within thee is the power to intensify each herb I’ve used. You will be the power of change.”

Mixing all together I say, “Within each separate herb lies the power to reach the end; each has its own purpose. May purposes united make true the end, for blended together, the whole is met. For a year and a day, may you be charged to lend thy power where it is needed. An’ it harm none, Thy will be done. So Mote it Be!

I pick up the mixture, bit by bit on the tip of my athame, and place enough in the locket to fill it. I then light the red candle and say, “Red is color of power and strength” while dropping a little wax on the herbs inside the locket to seal and bind the blend together. I then close the locket, hold it in both hands, and concentrate on the person and the purpose with a light and loving heart. When I feel the enchantment is done,  I give thanks to the Goddess, put out the candles, and ground the leftover herb and incense. I clean my tools and wrap the newly made amulet in a cloth until I can give it to my friend.

Magickal Herb Use: Lesson 1 – Storage and Tools

Lesson One: Storage and Tools

by Leillan

I am starting very basic here. Some may want to breeze through this. But I have been asked to start at the beginning, so here goes. You don’t have to store your herbs in any special way unless you want to. I just use blue canning jars and interesting bottles. I like a tight lid to keep moisture away from the herb, and to keep the herb in the bottle. Nothing is worse that herbs spilling out into the cabinet and all over the floor when the jar is tipped over!

Always label your herbs. Even the most adept herbalist can get confused once in awhile. The labeling method is another matter of choice. As I use my herbs for many purposes, I generally just label by herb name. However, you could also add a few lines stating elemental properties, basic uses, etc. As you learn more you may want to store herbal blends. Label these with the types of herbs used and the purpose it was intended for when you blended it. Maybe you found a certain natural incense you made that you really like. Blend a bunch of it, label it, and jot down the purpose for which you like to use it, e.g., power, relaxation, etc. You’ll find this simple step very useful in the future; don’t always rely on memory.

You more than likely will want a few tools. A mortar and pestle, and a good knife should be among your first tools. I use my athame to cut herbs. You may choose to use the traditional sickle-shaped “Boleen.”  If you intend to use your herbs for both magick and cooking/healing, get two mortar and pestles (especially if you choose something porous like wood). This way, a mortar used to crush mistletoe and holly won’t be used for crushing pepper and garlic. Remember, some of the herbs you use for magickal work are toxic if taken internally. With the exception of the knife, I prefer to use wood, stone, or clay for my tools, and tend to stay away from metals. Certain oils and herbs have a reaction with some alloys.

Other tools you may want are pretty basic to the Craft in general, and you may already have most of them. These include a censor and incense, candles of various colors, and a bowl for mixing. You’ll need something to hold water (if needed), like a shell or a bowl, and you may want to collect various sizes of shells or containers for measuring your herbs. You may want a colored cloth for a bag, string,or rubber bands for sachets, and of course you will eventually want to make amulets and such. But these things can be acquired as the need arises.

Other than what I have mentioned above, the purpose will tell what supplies are needed.

Lessons In Magickal Herbal Use (Intro)

Lessons In Magickal Herbal Use

by Leillan

This article was a text file in the library of a local Pagan BBS years ago.

Introduction

The purpose of these texts are to introduce you to the Magick of herbs. There is so much these plants and flowers can offer. Working with herbs can be as simple or as ritualistic as you want to make it. For example:  as simplistic as selecting a few herbs for a bath sachet and putting them into cheese cloth, a tea ball, or even a coffee filter for use, or as ritualistic as working with certain herbs in Circle for a specific spell or talisman, enchanting each herb and then the entire mixture. Remember, however, that when working with things from the Mother Earth, sometimes “less” is best.

There are no set rules here, save 2:

  • Rule No. 1:  Remember the Law of Three
  • Rule No. 2:  First learn rule Number 1.

I said there were no set rules and there aren’t. But there are some simple hints, as well as etiquette, that you should be aware of before you start with the Magickal Herb lessons. Among these are:

  1. Magick is natural.
  2. Harm no one – not even yourself.
  3. Magick takes work. You get what you put into it.
  4. Magick should not be done for pay.
  5. Don’t haggle over the price of your tools. If you can’t afford them now, then wait until you can afford the price. Haggling lessens the worth of the tools in your work.
  6. Keep your ego in check. Remember, you are only a tool, as well.
  7. Magick is learning. Know not only how, but also why.
  8. Magick should be used for defense only. (The Law of 3 very much applies here.)
  9. Magick is Love!  Do what you do because you love it in your heart.
  10. When you use Magick in anger or hate, you cross the fine line from white to black, and therein lies danger.

Daily OM for October 1 – The Gift Inside

The Gift Inside

Life Packaging

We have all had the experience of encountering someone whose life seems so completely different from ours that we can almost imagine we have nothing in common. However, if we go deeper into observing, we will see that we all have the same things going on in our lives. It is as if our different lives are in essence the same gift, wrapped in an infinite variety of containers, wrapping paper, ribbons, and bows. Everybody experiences loss, grief, happiness, excitement, anger, and fear. Everyone can have money issues of one kind or another, and everyone struggles with difficult choices.

Our lives show up differently for each one of us because we each learn in different ways. One person may need to learn the value of money by having too little of it, while another may need to learn by having more than enough. We each learn about work and love, with experiences that are tailored to our particular perspective. Even as it appears that some people have it easy while others are in a continual state of struggle, the truth is that we are all learning, and it is very difficult to tell, when looking only at the exterior of a person, what’s going on inside.

This is one of the many things that can be so valuable about cultivating relationships with people from all walks of life. As we get to know those who seem so different from us, we get to really see how much of life’s challenges and joys are universal. We begin to look beyond the packaging of skin color, clothing preferences, and socioeconomic differences, hairstyles, and the cars we drive to the heart of the human experience. It is important to honor and value the differences in our packaging, but it is just as important to honor the gift of life inside each one of us, and the fact that, no matter how different the packaging, the gift inside is the same.

Daily Feng Shui Tip for October 1 – ‘World Day of Bullying Prevention’

I know from past feedback that today’s tip absolutely works to push bullies to the side. So let’s spice up ‘World Day of Bullying Prevention’ by embracing an ancient technique. In certain Eastern and Oriental cultures, cinnamon is considered the ‘warm brown spice of friendship’ that also packs the power to fend off bullies. It is said that this spice bestows protection and strength while also destroying ‘enemies.’ A pinch in a pocket or a bit sprinkled inside a wallet (or anywhere else) will employ powers of protection that can conquer all kinds of fear. Now, that’s sweet!

By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com

Calendar of the Moon for October 1

Calendar of the Moon

1 Gort/Puanepsion

Day of the Ivy

Color: Sky blue
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon a sky-blue cloth set a pot of ivy, a single sky-blue candle, a pot of soil, seeds of some rare medicinal herb, a bowl of water, and a bell.
Offerings: Plant seeds. Do a spiral walking meditation.
Daily Meal: Vegan

Invocation to the Green Man of the Ivy

Hail, Green Man of the Autumn!
Ivy that twines up stone walls,
Who can hold up a house or tear it down,
Spiral dancer whose twisting
Echoes the material we are made of,
Wreath of the Maenads,
Kin to the red-caps in the faery rings,
You remind us that there is a price
For your twining sister’s intoxication.
Mute swan who outstretched wings
Are your elegant speech to the sky,
Ivy-girl of the final harvest,
You bind the last sheaf of wheat,
As mute testament to the failure
Of those whose work has not
Matched the speed of the turning year.
We bow our heads in supplication
Before you, ivy that winds us
And our dead in their sleeping places.
We hail you, sacred ivy,
Green Man of the Autumn,
On this the day of your binding.

(Each comes forward and plants a seed in the pot of soil, saying, “Hail Green Man of the Earth!” Water is poured onto the pot, and then the rest is poured out as a libation. Then all join hands and move in a silent spiral dance to the sound of slow drumming. Ring bell and dismiss.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

The Witches Spell for October 1: Candle Money Spell

The Witches Spell for Monday, October 1:  Candle Money Spell

A good candle spell for wealth and prosperity requires two black candles since black draws in all color and energy in the universe. Carve your name and the words “money,” “wealth,” “riches” and any other words of power along the sides of the candles. Then light the candles and grasp them both firmly in your hands until your feel your energy and intentions surging into the candles.

Then say:

“These candles bring me wealth and riches.”

Follow up by saying:

“If this be the Will of the Universe,

So shall it be, So Mote It Be.”

When finished do not let the candles continue to burn. Put them out.

Begin this spell on Sunday, Thursday or Friday, as these days honor the Sun, Jupiter, and Venus.

Light the candles every night until they are completely burned down. This spell should increase your wealth and prosperity. Remember after doing a spell forget it, don’t dwell on it.

Cleanse Your Mind

Cleanse Your Mind

This spell is used to get rid of headaches and stress.

Items You Need:

Wand

Pentacle

Pillow

 

The Spell:

Unplug the phone, lock the doors and find a quiet place in the house to perform this spell. Tie the pentacle around your neck and sit with a pillow, close your eyes and take three deep breaths then with your eyes still closed, chant the following:

“Air I am,

Fire I am

Water, Earth

and Spirit I am.

Return to me.

Restore me.

So Mote It Be.”

Now touch the middle of your pentacle with your wand and hold it there until you feel the headache gone or the stress relieved.

Cleansing Cursed Objects

Cleansing Cursed Objects

To rid negativity from objects that are cursed or seem unlucky, perform the following spell when the moon is at its fullest:

Go to a river or stream that runs north to south, place the object in the water and say:

“Trapped inside is a curse, now removed you’ll be with this verse,”

Running water, spirits good. Remove this curse. So Mote It Be.”

Remove the object, cast a silver coin and a handful of Thyme into it’s waters and leave.

*Do not cleanse anything containing Iron.

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – September 30

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – September 30

“Don’t be afraid to cry. It will free your mind of sorrowful thoughts.”

–Don Talayesva, HOPI

Human beings function from choice. We can choose to stuff things, or we can choose to let go of things. If we choose to stuff things, then we will feel a heaviness, or sorrow, self pity or fear. Sometimes we feel the need to cry. Sometimes we are taught it is not okay to cry. The creator designed the human being to cry. Crying is a release. This release allows us to let go of thoughts that are not helping us so we can open to new thoughts that will help. Crying is natural for women and men.

Grandfather, if I need to cry, let me realize it’s a natural process and help me to let go.

The Witches Spell for Sept. 30: The Neutralizing Bottle Spell

The Bottle Spell

A spell used to neutralize others bad or harmful intentions towards you.

 

Items You Will Need:

4 tbs. Frankincense or myrrh

4 tbs. Black powdered iron

4 tbs. Sea salt

4 tbs. Orris Root powder (or Oak Moss)

1 White candle

1 Bottle with a cord or lid

Mortar and pestle

Parchment paper

Black Pen

Black Thread

 

The Spell:

Used to neutralize the power of those who intend to do you physical harm or hurt your reputation or in any way pose a threat to your security. Mix the sea salt, orris root powder and the iron in a bowl. Then cut a piece of parchment to fit inside your bottle and write on it with black ink.

“I neutralize the power of (Name of adversary) to do me any harm. I ask this be correct and for the good of all. So Mote It Be!”

Roll up the parchment, tie it with a black thread to bind it, and place it in the bottle. Fill the bottle with dry ingredients. Then take the white candle and while turning the bottle counterclockwise, drip the wax over the cork to seal it. Last, secretly bury the bottle in a place where it will not be disturbed and no animals or people will dig it up. This spell is like a genie in a bottle. It should never be unleashed or the power of the spell is lost.

Daily Feng Shui Tip for Sept. 30 – ‘National Mud Pack Day’

If you have a dirty mind, you’ll be right in the flow on this ‘National Mud Pack Day.’ For centuries people have discovered the magical benefits of using mud for a beautiful complexion. Mud cleanses and purifies the skin, and its mineral rich properties help rejuvenate and restore. And it’s all-natural and chemical-free! For dry skin, ‘Fuller’s Earth’ or Multani mitti is recommended. You will need three tablespoons of that as well as two tablespoons of plain yogurt, a half-teaspoon of almond oil and three drops of rose water. Put the yogurt in a bowl and add the earth gradually, stirring gently with a wooden spoon. Pour the almond oil and rose water into this mix and continue stirring until the ingredients form a loose paste. Apply this mudpack for twenty minutes before washing it off. For oily skin put three tablespoons of Fuller’s Earth in a bowl with few drops of fresh lime juice and three drops of rose water. Mix until a loose paste forms and wear for thirty minutes. Wash it off your face and then watch the wear and tear of your life go down the drain, exactly where it belongs.

By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com