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The Wisdom of the Witch

 The Wisdom of the Witch

 

From “Griefdancer”, a poetic book on spiritual growth by Florence Mattersdorfer

Seeing
What no one wants to hear,

Hearing that which is
Unseen,

Alive within the eye of
Any storm,

The living earth is the hearth
That is home.

Lighting a spell of thanks and in doing so
Releasing all worry,

The gods know as does she
That all is as it should be.

And, touching the earth with loving hands
Then crossing the stream with bare, cold feet,

She walks her sacred circle to honor all
And marks her altar with book and stone.

All hopes are cast with wand of birch
Into nature’s realm, her spiritual church.

And though possessing no material wealth
Wealth abounds around her and the wisdom
Of this witch.

 

Submitted by Florence Mattersdorfer

Today’s Runes for October 28 is Gebo

Today’s Runes

Ice Runes are most commonly used for questions about struggle, conflict, and achievement. Gebo means gift, and like any gifts, the rune may be understood on many levels. Gifts are generally positive things, for both the giver and the recipient. In many cultures however, gifts and favors carry with them an obligation to respond in kind. It is for this reason that gifts, and hence the rune Gebo, are frequently symbolic of friendships, marriages, alliances, mergers, and other bonds between people or organizations. Gebo is a strong rune and the unions represented are strong as well. Moreover, Gebo is not reversible, as true friendships are not easily undone.

Hooray It’s Friday Finally!

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*I have had a few comments in regards to this site having a PayPal button. Yes, it has a button. If you will look down the right side of the column, at the bottom, you will see the button there. I am thinking about moving it where it will be more visible. I just didn’t want everyone thinking (by seeing up top) the main thing we wanted was your money. Don’t get me wrong donations are wonderful and they keep us going. We are having financial difficulties at this time and your donations would be greatly appreciated. Now on with today’s post. Thank you!* 

Venus/Friday

  • Element:  Earth
  • Colors:  Green, pink
  • Crystals:  Amethyst, emerald, jade, moss agate, rose quartz
  • Incense;  Geranium, rose, strawberry, vervain
  • Trees:  Almond, apple, birch
  • Herbs and oils:  Feverfew, mugwort, pennyroyal, verbena, yarrow
  • Metal:  Copper
  • Astrological Rulership:  Taurus, Libra

Friday, the day of Venus, i associated with love and all forms of love magick (especially to attract love. Venus is also invoked for beauty, the arts, crafts, relationships, friendships, blossoming sexuality, the acquisition of beautiful possessions, and the slow but growth of prosperity (Venus rules all matters of growth).  Like the moon, she can be invoked for horticulture, the environment, fertility and women’s health matters. Since she can be associated with excessive nd unwise love affairs, her spells can paradoxically be used to reduce the influence of destructive lovers and possessiveness. 
Magickal Graphics

Samhain Solitary Ritual

Samhain Solitary Ritual
By Eden

Decorative Suggestions:
pumpkins, apples, masks, candles, black, red, orange,cauldron, besom

Supplies:
Photos of relatives or friends who have passed
White candle for each relative ( tea lights )
36 inches of yarn ( continuous piece) bright color such as red or orange
13 hazelnuts for tradition Druid method * or candy corn for a modern twist
1 apple (traditional)** or pomegranate, either cut in half
jack o lantern
4 mini pumpkins
4 votive candles for quarters
dried leaves (enough for circle size)
two candles one black one white
long piece of yarn ( this is a separate pc from above pc.)

Prep:
break off stems of mini pumpkins, hollow out big enough place for votive candles in top, cut doesn’t have to be deep,
just enough to keep candles form falling, set at quarters (use care when cutting!)
Outline circle with leaves
Visualize jack o lantern as a protective ward (it’s traditional use) and have lit in circle from set up through ritual
Decorate according to taste
Have black and white candles on altar have black candle lit on altar, do not have white candle lit
Have photos with unlit candle in front of each, on altar if there is room or in other designated space

Ritual:

(Cleanse, Cast, Invoke)

” Blessed be the season of Samhain!
The time of the wise Crone!
The time of the last fall harvest
The time of the birth of winter
Night that we remember our loved ones who have passed from this life.
Night when we look on to the new year.
Night that reminds us that death holds the seeds of new life!”

(Prepare to light candles for departed)

” My dear loved ones, tonight as the wheel turns the veil which separates us is thin. On this night hear my words of love and honor”

(Light candles in front of photos one at a time, while lighting candle speak name of loved one and say what
you wish in honor or love, do this for each)

(Prepare to welcome the new year)

(Focus on black candle, while making banishing pentagram towards black candle)

” Farewell old year, take with you the season of summer”

(put out flame of black candle)

(Focus on unlit white candle, while making invoking pentagram)

“Welcome new year, bring with you the season of winter”

(light white candle)

“The wheel has turned yet again. Now at the time of ending that is yet also the time of beginning.
What is to come is, what was will come again, circling on and on throughout the ages.”

(prepare for meditation)

” And what of the past”

(close eyes with the intent to remember aspects of a past life, look at things in this life that you
believe could be related to a past life, focus on these things, see if this focus turns into scenes or
feelings about a past life)

( Prepare for resolutions)

” And what of the year to come”

(Take fruit, hold both halves in hands and visualize the habits you would like to rid yourself of over the next year being poured into it,when done place halves back together and tie halves together with one of the pieces of yarn, put aside to bury later)**

(Prepare for divination)

(Take bright colored yarn and make a circle on ground or altar if room, hold hazelnuts or candy corns in hands,focus on question, toss them into the circle and look for patterns of answer, such as y or n or if they make a shape or initial)*

(Offering, libation, feast)

(prayer for upcoming year)

“The wheel of the year turns on and on, from season to season, age to age. I remember and recognize that all time is here and now. I have paused to watch the wheel turn on this blessed eve, and, I praise the Wise Crone, in this time of Her glory. Blessed be Wise Crone.”

(Close Circle)

* according to Edain McCoy in ‘Sabbats’ pg. 42
** traditional Wittan Samhain practice per Edain
McCoy, ‘Witta’ pg 170 (adapted)

About The Author: Eden, is a recent level one graduate of the White Moon School of the Feminine Divine. She lives in the North
Georgia mountains with her husband and three young children, where she practices eclectic paganism both as a member of a coven and as a solitary.

Meditation 101: An Overview

By Patti Wigington, About.com Guide

What is meditation?:

For folks in the Western hemisphere, meditation is often seen as some sort of “new-age hippie” fad, something that you do right before you eat granola and hug a spotted owl. However, Eastern civilizations have known about the power of meditation and used it to control the mind and expand the consciousness.

Today, Western thinking is finally catching up, and there is an increasing awareness of what meditation is and what it can be used for. The benefits of meditation are mentioned not only by Wiccans and Pagans but by health practitioners and other everyday people.

How does meditation work?:

The mind is made up of many facets, many of which we have not even begun to tap into. The conscious mind consists of all the things you’re aware of on a daily basis: can I pay my bills? Does my lover still love me? Will my parents get sick? Did I forget to clean the cat box? There is also the subconscious mind – all the things you know, but don’t know that you know. This is where things like memory and involuntary body functions come from. Finally, there is the part called the super consciousness, which is the higher self, the center of spiritual growth and well-being.

What happens in a meditation session?:

Meditation allows you to focus on the subconscious and the super conscious minds. During a meditative session, you may find yourself meeting various archetypes, or encountering things that seem symbolic. This is your mind’s way of telling you what’s going on, and all you have to do is figure out how to interpret the message.

Guided meditations:

There are different meditation techniques, one of which is called guided meditation. In this technique, a guide – either in person or via a recording – leads the meditation, telling you where to go and what you see. They may include things such as, “You are walking down a path in the woods,” or “There is a person coming towards you who holds something in her hand.” For beginners, a guided meditation is excellent, because it provides a good idea of what meditation actually is, and allows you to center your focus. You can buy commercially produced guided meditation CDs, or you can create your own with a tape recorder.

Freeform meditation:

Freeform meditation is one where there is no guide, and you simply let your mind wander. To do this, sit comfortably and allow yourself to relax as much as possible. Some people like to lie down when meditating, but others find that they fall asleep when they do so. Choose whichever method is best for you.

Where should I meditate?:

Find a place where you can be relatively undisturbed. Turn off the phone and the television, put the kids to bed, and close the windows if there’s traffic outside. In some traditions, meditation is only performed inside a sacred space, so feel free to cleanse and consecrate the area as you see fit. Remove any possible distractions, and wear clothing that’s comfortable. In fact, you can meditate skyclad (nude) if you choose.

When is a good time to meditate?:

As to when you meditate, the best time is whenever you can get some quiet time. If that’s in the morning before everyone else gets up, great. If it’s at night when your family has gone to bed, that’s fine too. Many people like to meditate at night so they can go outside and meditate under the moon and stars. Whatever time you decide to practice, try to do it at the same time every day. This will allow you for more consistency, and get you into good meditation habits.

Today’s Runes for October 26th is Gebo

Today’s Runes

Ice Runes are most commonly used for questions about struggle, conflict, and achievement. Gebo means gift, and like any gifts, the rune may be understood on many levels. Gifts are generally positive things, for both the giver and the recipient. In many cultures however, gifts and favors carry with them an obligation to respond in kind. It is for this reason that gifts, and hence the rune Gebo, are frequently symbolic of friendships, marriages, alliances, mergers, and other bonds between people or organizations. Gebo is a strong rune and the unions represented are strong as well. Moreover, Gebo is not reversible, as true friendships are not easily undone.

Today’s Meditation for October 26th – Autumn candle meditation

New Age Comments & Graphics 

Autumn candle meditation

 

The season I like best is autumn. When the weather is fine, I like to go outside, enjoying the last warm rays of a sun that is quickly loosing its strength, and watching the changing colours and the winds that carry away the leaves from the trees. When the weather is rainy, however, I like to do an autumn candle meditation.
For this meditation, you need: a rainy day, at least half an hour of time when you will not be disturbed and a comfortable chair that faces a window with a good view. I like to do this in the attic where the rain is drumming on the roof light, or in a place where I can look out into the garden. You also need a cup of hot tea, maybe a blanket and of course a candle.

Prepare your tea, and make yourself comfortable, facing the window. Start the meditation by lighting the candle. Be calm and relaxed. If you want to, focus on your breath for a few minutes in order to relax. Then, allow yourself to watch the autumn rain. Enjoy the warmth of your tea. Let everything else go. No hurry, no planning, no reflection – just let everything else go. Whenever your mind wanders back to something that happened yesterday, just bring it back to the moment. Whenever you start thinking about something you will have to do tomorrow, just come back to the present moment. Be present. Whenever you feel anger, fear, stress, let it go and come back to the present moment. Just be.
End the meditation by blowing out the candle

 Daily Meditation

~Magickal Graphics~

Wishing You A Very Happy Hump Day!

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 MERCURY/WEDNESDAY 

  • Element:  Air
  • Colour:  Yellow
  • Crystals:  Agate, citrine, falcon’s eye, jasper, malachite, onyx
  • Incense: Lavender, lemongrass, mace
  • Trees:  Hazel, ash
  • Herbs and oils:  Dill, fennel, parsley, valerian
  • Metal:  Aluminium, mercury
  • Astrological rulership:  Gemini, Virgo

Wednesday, the day of Mercury, is good for spells for money-making ventures, clear communication, persuasion, adaptability and versatility improving memory and sharpening logic, learning, examinations and tests, mastering new technology, short-distance travel and short breaks and conventional methods of healing, especially surgery. It is also potent for business negotiations, overcoming debt, and repelling envy, malice, spite and deceit. Mercury is a fleet-footed messenger God who carries the healing caduceus, a staff with entwine serpents. 
Magickal Graphics

Methods of Cleansing

As with any method of cleansing, intention is the key–before you begin, you need to be focused on the process of cleansing. So as you cleanse your crystal, think about what you are doing and how this action is releasing unwanted energies.

BRUSHING:  A soft brush such as a makeup brush or a paint brush is good for removing dust that can build up on surface and delicate crevices of the stone.

PHYSICAL CLEANSING:  A little mild detergent mixed with water in a bowl, followed by a thorough rinse in clear water, will make crystals sparkle. (Don’t use water if they are water-soluble crystals!)

RUNNING WATER:  Hold your crystal under running water for a few minutes. It may need longer if it’s been working hard or hasn’t been cleansed for a long time. If you feel that it needs a lot of time, place the crystal in a bowl of water in your sink and let the water run into the bowl for as long as necessary.

MOONLIGHT:  Leave the crystal in moonlight, especially in a full moon, or leave it out during a new moon.

BURNING INCENSE OR SMUDGE STICK:  The smoke from frankincense, sandalwood, and sage is cleansing. You can burn either incense or a smudge stick (A small bunch of dried herbs burned during Native American cleansing rituals.

EARTH:  Bury the crystal in the earth–when you unearth it a week or more later, it will be born anew. Different traditions round the world apply this technique in varying ways. One method is to bury it during a Full Moon and unearth it on a New Moon.

CRYSTALLINE ENERGIES:  Place the crystal on an amethyst bed, on a quartz cluster, or inside a geode and allow the crystalline energies to cleanse and clear it. A large amethyst bed can be like a vacation for your crystals.

The question of how long you should leave them is a little open-ended. Crystals are like people–how long do you usually need to refresh and revitalize yourself? To know when a crystal is ready to work again, use your intuition–also, look for brightness and color returning to the crystal, which should no longer feel “clammy.” Once you are used to working with crystals, you will find it easy to know when they are ready to go back to work.

SOUNDS:  Chanting, drumming, or playing Tibetan bells or cymbals can clear unhelpful vibrations.

SUNLIGHT:  You can cleanse your crystal by leaving it in sunlight and also dry your crystals in the sun after washing them (Caution: Quartz crystals, especially crystal balls, will focus the sun’s rays and so can be a fire risk take appropriate precautions.)

BREATH, LIGHT OR REIKI:  Breathing over your crystal helps to cleanse it –focus your mind, heart, and being through your breath, connecting your inner being to the outside. Reiki an also be practiced on crystals, and a meditation technique involving a visualization of light can be used, too. Still your mind and picture a bright light flowing from your brow chakra to the crystal in your hand, washing over it then filling the crystal. When it completely glows with light, slowly bring your focus away from the crystal and back to our surroundings.

Cleansing Crystals

You can see when a crystal needs cleansing–it loses its sparkle, brightness and even color, and may feel sticky in your hand. Dust is drawn to crystals because of their electric properties, adhering to them through an electrostatic charge. This alters their natural healing abilities, reducing the number of photons of light reaching the crystal. Regular cleansing prevents a buildup of dust.

The other reason crystals have to be cleansed is that they pick up energy when we are working with them, either from ourselves or from others. They will even pick up energy from people in a shop and, in fact, may have been handled by any customers before you. There is nothing wrong with these energies–they’re not “good” or “bad”–it’s just that they’re not yours, and it’s your energy the crystal will be working on or with to achieve its healing effects.

Choosing and Working with a Pendulum

A pendulum gives you a physical representation of your natural inner knowing. It consists of a piece of metal, wood, or crystal hanging on a chain or string. A crystal pendulum requires less effort to work with when you start, as crystals magnify energy, which makes tuning into them simpler and their answers more obvious. When you choose your pendulum, don’t think about it too much–simply stand in front of a selection and pick the first one you notice. As with choosing crystals, you need to trust your instincts.

Pendulum Dowsing

Dowsing is a natural and ancient human ability, possibly the oldest form of divination. We know that people have been dowsing since before recorded time, as the earliest writings talk of dosing in a matter-of-fact way. Today dowsing is used by therapists in many fields, as well as by water and oil companies throughout the world It can be done with a pendulum, rod, r forked twig, but a pendulum is the most portable and straightforward to work with when dowsing over a person.

Opening The Ancestral Doorway (Blood/Harvest Moon)

The dark and new phase of the Blood Moon offers you a perfect opportunity to get in touch with the power and wisdom of your ancestors. This is another of those times when the doorway between worlds becomes momentarily opened. The Old English word blod stems from the root meaning “bloom” defined as “flourishing” or vigorous.” With regards to genetic memory, your blood, specifically the DNA in your blood, is like a mega filing system for ancestral wisdom and power. In this spell you are contacting the spirit of one of your ancestors. It works bet if you pick a particular ancestor, but if you don’t know one, you can call on your ancestors as a whole.

You will need a blue candle, three drops of amber-scented oil, and frankincense incense.

At midnight, draw a magick circle and call in the elements. Rub the candle with the three drops of amber-scented oil and place it in its holder on your altar. Anoint yourself with the oil. Wipe any remaining oil from your hands. Light the blue candle while inviting in the energies of your ancestors:

 

“By the power of the divine Mother and Father

Grace this circle with the power and wisdom of my ancestors.”

Light the incense and let the smoke fill each of the elemental gates as you move around the circle from north, to east, to south, and to west. Call to each of the elements:

“Let the elemental doorway be opened.

So that I may connect with the spirits of my ancestors.”

Stand in the middle of the circle with your athame in your right hand and magick wand in your left. Raise both your arm and sense the power and wisdom of your ancestors entering into your body through your magickal tools into your hands, down your arms, and into your conscious awareness. Merge with this energy and become One with it.

Thank your ancestral spirits, bid farewell to the elements, and pull up the circle. Remember that the spirits of your ancestors are there whenever you need them. All you have to do is call to them.

 

Moonlight Oil Magick (Blood/Harvest Moon)

Rub your lover the right way with this sensuous and slippery spell.

You will need a plastic drop cloth, sexy tunes, lavender essential oil, a large bottle of baby oil, and pure vanilla extract.

After dinner go out and look at the moon with the one you love. Afterward, retire to the bedroom, turn down the lights, put the plastic drop cloth on top of the bed and turn on the music. Mix eleven drops of lavender essential oil in a cup of baby oil. Add a teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir the oil with your fingers, clockwise. As you stir, chant:

“Spice and flowers fill this oil with loving powers.”

Slowly take off each other’s clothes. Then rub oil sensuously on your lover’s skin, and say:

“My love, you are my stars and moon

Inside and outside of me

Let there be sweet ecstasy

Between you and me

So be it! Blessed Be!”

Take turns massaging each other in all the right places.Remember to direct your energies toward  shared dream or goal.

Have a Very Magickal Saturday, my friend!


Saturn/Saturday

 

  • Element:  Earth
  • Color:  Black, grey
  • Crystals:  Haematite, jet, lodestone, obsidian, smoky quartz
  • Incense:  Aconite, cypress, patchouli
  • Tree:  Blackthorn, yew
  • Herbs:  Aspen, bistort, comfrey, horsetail, Solomon’s seal
  • Metal:  Lead, pewter
  • Astrological rulership:  Capricorn (co-ruler of Aquarius)

Saturday, the day of Saturn, is potent for spells concerned with unfinished business, with endings that lead to beginnings. It is a good day for all slow-moving matters and for accepting limitations, as well as for overcoming obstacles that are long-standing or need careful handling. It can also be used for lifting depression or doubts, meditation, long-term psychic protection, locating lost objects (as well as animals and people) and regaining self-control over bad habits or emotions. Saturn can be used to slow down the outward flow of money and to encourage those who owe you favours or money to repay.He will help banish pain and illness and bring acceptance of what cannot be changed. Saturn is in sense the shadow side of Jupiter — in other words, the reality factor. He represents the constraints of fate, time and space but can also turn challenge into opportunity if you are prepared to work hard and persevere. 
Magickal Graphics

Nymph Love Wish (Blood/Harvest Moon)

Nymphs are amorous faeries born on the water, or are celestial or terrestrial, Gods, Titans, heroes, and mortals have all fallen in love with them. A nymph lives to be the same age as the Phoenix, who outlives nine ravens, who outlives tree stags, who outlives four crows, who outlives nine generations of ages mortals. Nymphs live in the place they protect and care for such as a star, planet, tree, crystal, flower, cave, ocean, lake, spring, river or mountain. Generous to the kind-hearted, they are sensuous shape shifters. Luminous, graceful and beautiful, they grant the wishes of loves. Cast this spell to call upon the Nymphs to help your love wish come true.

For this spell, you will need your wand and a bell.

At dusk, draw a magick circle and call in the Elements. Use the base of your wand to knock nine times on the altar table, in three series of three. Put your wand back upon the altar, and then hold the bell in your receptive hand, and ring it seven times. Now say:

“Beautiful nymphs of the moonlight

Silver mist clad Ladies of starlight

Graceful and loving friends, I call to you now

Moon women of enchanting powers

Faery spirits wild and free

Beautiful nymphs of beauty and brightness

Please grant me my wish tonight.

(State your love wish.)

Thank ou lovely Ladies, blessed be!

After you are done casting the spell, ring the bell three times with your receptive hand and use the base of your wand to knock on the altar three times. Thank the beautiful and generous nymphs, bid farewell to the elements and pull up the circle.

Recipe for Making a Gem Essence/Elixir

Also know as gem elixirs, essences are the vibration of the crystal reserved in water and brandy. For our purposes, using a gemstone essence involves placing a few drops in a household cleanser or room spray in order to diffuse the vibration of the crystal throughout the room. You can purchase gemstone essences/elixirs already made or make your own. The gemstone essences that can be purchase can also be taken internally, but if you make your own for use in your magickal housekeeping practice. It is not recommended that you take them internally unless you are an expert, or at least until you’ve done some more thorough research of gem essence/elixir preparation.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

How to Create a Gem Essence/Elixir

Items You Will Need:

  • A cleansed crystal (you choose the type according to your needs)
  • Pure water
  • A very clean, clear wine las
  • Brandy
  • A small bottle with a dropper

On a sunny day, when the moon is between New and Full, place the crystal in the glass. Pour the water over the crystal to fill the glass. Place the glass in bright sunlight for at least three hours, making sure that no shade hits it During this time, set the empty dropper bottle next to the glass to purify it with the light of the Sun. After the water and bottle have bathed in the sun for the allotted time, place your hands over the water and visualize very bright, sparkly light filing it. Say a quick prayer, like:

“Great Spirit, please infuse this water with vibrations

of healing and love. Please fully activate the

positive energy of this crystal, and fill the water

with it so that the water is powerful medicine and

a helpful ally to me in my magickal workings.”

Then fill the dropper bottle with half brandy, half water from the wineglass, using the dropper to transfer the water into the bottle. This will preserve the vibration of the crystal in the water.

Once you’ve made the essence, you can put four drops in a room spray or cleaning solution to diffuse the vibrations throughout the room. You can also put a few drops on your wrists, rubbing them together to internalize the magick and for personal healing.

Clarity Floor Wash

Use this for cleansing vibrations and clearing the mind.

Items you will need:

  • A bucket or similar container
  • White vinegar
  • Clary sage essential oil
  • Hornbeam essence
  • A fluorite crystal
  • A mop
  • A mister (if you have carpet)

Cleanse the crystal by running cold water over it for at least thirty seconds or immersing it in dry salt for at least ten minutes. Fill the bucket with water and add 1/4 cup white vinegar, 9 drops Clary sage oil, 4 drops hornbeam essence, and the cleansed crystal. Stir. Close your eyes and powerfully visualize the liquid completely immersed in very bright white light. If you have carpets, put some of the mixture in the mister. Mop all the hard floors, as well as the front porch and/or doorstep, if possible. Finish by misting the carpets lightly and, if you weren’t able to mop, mist the front porch/doorstep as well.