Tag: United States

Mastering the Element Fire

Mastering the element Fire…

1- Make a list of things which have the combined qualities of having heat and
dryness. Be sure to record the results each day in your magickal diary. Do at
least daily for one week.

2- Find a place that is extremely hot, such as a desert or a dry sauna (not a
steam bath). If those are not possible, find a place where a roaring fire is going. Such a fire could be in a fireplace or a barbecue pit or grill. Remove all of your clothes, or as much as you can, and get as close to the heat source as possible without risking a burn. Once you are in a position where it is uncomfortably hot, but not painful or unbearable, do the relaxation ritual. Focus on your breathing. Again imagine that you are a huge breathing apparatus. Do this for a short while, usually ten minutes. Do not spend any time longer then that. Do this exercise at different times of the day or night for one week.

3- Spend a period of up to three minutes (no more), once a day, imagining that
you are the element Fire. Feel the heat and your ability to transmit the heat.
Know what Fire feels like, what Fire is. Do this for one week.

4- Once you have learned to “be Fire”, the next step is to control the element
Fire. Take a moment and imagine yourself to be Fire. Bring the feeling from the
previous exercise into your consciousness. Next, hold your hands 9-12 inches apart, palms facing each other. Imagine a bottle or box between your hands. Now, as you exhale, visualize all of the Fire element which is in you going out with your breath and into the container between your hands. Three to five breaths should be enough to fill it. Then, with three breaths, inhale it back into you and go back to normal consciousness.

THE TEST
The next time you feel listless or have a total lack of energy, do this exercise. If you feel energized and revitalized, you have succeeded with the test AND mastering the element Fire.

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’ for October 9th

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

It has become increasingly noticeable how the power grab has reached even the lower levels of living. It is a right thing for us to try to raise ourselves. To fail to try would earmark us for failure….and yet up the shaky ladder of success climb so many bodies without spirits, so little understanding of what is ahead….and often less of what is past.

If we could only realize our power comes not from grasping the coattails of others, but from a higher source that knows the way….that places before us the right steps, the correct manner, the much needed wisdom and inspiration.

Why is it that when all this guidance is available to us, we let the littleness of our souls hold us back, believing all the time that any forward motion is because we have learned how to twist situations to our own avail.

How sad the lot of those who discover all the rungs on their ladder are on the same level. “Power will intoxicate the best hearts, as wine the strongest heads,” wrote Caleb Colton. “No man is wise enough, nor good enough, to be trusted with unlimited power.”

 

Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.

Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones……and also for those who don’t have access to the Internet: http://www.hifler.com
Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com

Elder’s Meditation of the Day
By White Bison, Inc., an American Indian-owned nonprofit organization. Order their many products from their web site: http://www.whitebison.org

Daily Motivator for October 9th – Richer and richer

Richer and richer

The way to be rich is to realize how rich you are. The way to be rich is to  express and to live the unique abundance that is yours.

It’s not what you get that makes you rich. It’s what you do with all you  have.

The way to be truly rich is to make good, meaningful use of what you have.  The way to be exceptionally rich is to be generous with all that you are.

The abundance of the universe is literally everywhere. What transforms that  abundance into real richness is your choice to make purposeful, loving use of  it.

Each day is overflowing with possibilities for new richness. See the best  possibilities, act on them, and find true delight in making life richer and  richer.

Make joyful use of each moment, and sincerely give the best of who you are.  Live a life that is rich indeed.

— Ralph Marston

The Daily Motivator

Daily OM for October 9th – Restorative Slumber

Restorative Slumber

The Importance of Napping

by Madisyn Taylor

A short nap during the afternoon is common in many countries and can provide an energy boost and clearer senses.

As we focus on the many obligations we gladly undertake in order to create the lives we want, sleep is often the first activity that we sacrifice. We’re compelled by both external and internal pressures to be productive during many of our waking hours. While this can lead to great feats of accomplishment, it also disrupts the body’s natural cycles and leaves us craving rest. Napping represents a pleasurable remedy to this widespread sleep deprivation. Though judged by many as a pastime of little children or the lazy, the need for a nap is a trait that all mammals share and an acceptable part of the day in many countries. It is also a free and effortless way to improve our health and lift our spirits. A nap is relaxing and can improve our mood, vision, reflexes, and memory.

Lack of sleep, whether ongoing or the result of a single night’s wakefulness, puts stress on the body and mind. It can negatively impact your physical and mental health. At one time, napping was considered a natural part of life. In the past hundred years, however, electricity and modern conveniences have provided us with more time to engage in personal and professional activities. Consequently there is now less time for sleep. A mere ten minutes of sleep in the middle of the day can leave you feeling more cheerful and alert. A half-hour long nap can sharpen your senses and refresh your energy reserves, and a shorter nap can even sustain you through a long day. Napping can help you make up for lost sleep and serves as a supplement to your usual sleep schedule. You may need to give yourself permission to nap by making naptime a part of your day.

Feelings of guilt about napping or being preoccupied with other activities can keep you awake when you are trying to take a nap. If you need help, surround yourself with soft pillows and blankets or soothing music. Try to take a nap at the same time each day and use an alarm clock to ensure that you don’t fall into too deep a sleep. Learning to nap and enjoying its benefits can help you reclaim your natural right to nap. You nourish your being every time you take a nap.

The Daily OM

Daily Feng Shui News for Oct. 9th – ‘Bullying’

There appear to be many in October days addressing the epidemic of bullying. Ancient Indian texts tell that those being bullied should carry cinnamon (also called the ‘warm brown spice of friendship’) on their person. According to ages-old wisdom, carrying cinnamon will not only curtail episodes of intimidation but is believed to also provide invisible protection and courage.

By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com

This Madness Has To End & We Can Do It

I have always said to myself that I would never mix Politics with our Religion. I have now learned you never say “never.” If you do, it will come back to bite you and I have got bit!

We are sitting here listening to the President talk about the Government shut down. I guess I thought down here in Kentucky we would never see the effects of  this. I know what I have seen locally and I would imagine it is going on every where, people are starting to hurt. I have seen parents that live from paycheck to paycheck wondering how they are going to feed their kids, put a roof over their heads, buy diapers and the list goes on and on. The Food Banks are empty because the grant money has stopped. There are people in this country either going hungry or will be hungry if this last much longer.

The individuals that we elected do not live in our world. They are still getting their salaries and all their other little perks. They don’t realize what they are doing to the average person in this country. It is time for the madness to end before the greatest country on this planet becomes a third world country.

You know I believe strongly in what we can do when we come together. It is that time again that I ask you to please join with me in ending this madness. Together, we are a mighty force. You have seen evidence in the past of what we can do. We can do it again. We have to do it for the sake of the people of this country. You know as well as I do, we have brothers & sisters that are starting to suffer. We have to do it for them. All it takes to solve this problem is all of us joining together as one. Uniting our Power again for the goodness of mankind.

Below you will find a very simple spell. All it requires is a white candle and a little visualization on your part. Please join with me nightly in casting it, it won’t take thirty minutes I promise. We have to do this. The madness has to end. We have to end it. Washington doesn’t realize how it is hurting the people of this country. Let us join together once again and put an end to this madness.

Now that the dust has settled
And the heat of the moment has passed
Help (The House/Senate/Congress) come together
To create legislation that will last
 
 
Let them realize the time for fighting is over
Let the healing begin
Let all involved acknowledge
In this fight, no one wins
Suffering comes to all
 
 
Help them put their differences aside
Let their pride no longer stay
Let them instead mend their quarrels
And let harmony rule our Country once again.
 
So Mote It Be

A Little Humor for Your Day – ‘Things It Took Me 50 Years To Learn’

THINGS IT TOOK ME 50 YEARS TO LEARN

Never under any circumstances take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same
night.

There is a very fine line between “hobby” and “mental illness.”

People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours.

You should not confuse your career with your life.

No matter what happens, somebody will find a way to take it too seriously.

When trouble arises and things look bad, there is always one individual who
perceives a solution and is willing to take command. Very often, that individual
is crazy.

Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up and dance.

Never lick a steak knife.

Take out the fortune before you eat the cookie.

The most powerful force in the universe is gossip.

You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why
we observe daylight savings time.

You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests that you
think she’s pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that
moment.

“The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we all believe that we are above average drivers.

The main accomplishment of almost all organized protests is to annoy people who are not in them.

A person who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, is not a nice person.

Your friends love you anyway.

And the thought for the day: never be afraid to try something new. Remember that amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic.

Author unknown

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’ for October 7th

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

At these times when we have planned for something and have our hearts set on our affairs going in a certain direction but they fail to materialize, we are disappointed. If we have any faith at all, we must remember that one door never closes but another opens. That which once seemed the right thing to plan for may not hold all the things that would be for our good in the long run. It may have been right in the beginning, but as times passes and other events come into being, a change may be necessary for the benefit of the over-all picture.

Sometimes we affix our attention so rigidly on one thing, one part of life, one person, that a change throws us into a state of extreme disappointment. But disappointment, like all of the emotions, can serve to strengthen rather than take away. The attitude with which we face life can determine its outcome.

We can look with woeful eyes on the negative mental attitude and wallow in self-pity, or we can flip the mind to the upper side and let the positive mental attitude bring to us the strength and peace we need.

Disappointment is something no one has escaped. The many plans we make sometimes fade like mist in the sunlight. A cherished dream may take another shape and to lose that vision can throw a dim view on all of life. Because one tiny part could not be fulfilled, we are so tempted to let all of the rest go with it.

But if only we could wait a bit. So often we then come to realize the reason for our change in plans.

Sometimes disappointment is the very thing that keeps us mounting the steps upward, keeps us stretching our minds to understand. And it may test our spirits. For if disappointment can make a spirit better, the joy of accomplishment would have soon soured.

There is no joy in disappointment, but it may be the thing to save us from a life of mediocrity.

English novelist Edward George Bulwer-Lytton wrote, “Man must be disappointed with the lesser things in life before he can comprehend the full value of the greater.”

*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*
Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’ By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.
Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones……and also for those who don’t have access to the Internet: http://www.hifler.com
Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com

Elder’s Meditation of the Day By White Bison, Inc., an American Indian-owned nonprofit organization. Order their many products from their web site: http://www.whitebison.org

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – October 7

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – October 7

“We have a biological father and mother, but our real Father is Tunkashila [Creator] and our real Mother is the Earth.”

–Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA

Who really gives us our life? Who really gives us our food and nurturing? Who really allows us to be born? We are born through our parents who act as the vehicle of life for the Creator and Mother Earth. Our parents take care of us for a little while and when we are ready we must leave them and be faithful to our true Father, the Creator, and our true Mother, the Earth. Then we need to be of service to the Creator and be respectful to Mother Earth.

Great Spirit, thank you for being my Father. Teach me to honor the Earth.

What Witchcraft Means To Me

What Witchcraft Means To Me

Author: allisjames

So what does witchcraft mean to me? Wow. What a question. Is there an easy answer? No! Witchcraft is beautiful and complicated, mysterious and wonderful. For some it is all about the gods and goddess; for others it is about spell-work and ceremony; and for the rest it is just the flavor-of-the-month religion or practice.

Is Witchcraft a religion, or is it a practice? Is Witchcraft different then Wicca?

Wicca, we know, came into being somewhere between the 1930’s and the 1950’s via Gerard B. Gardner. Yet history blooms with stories of witches, brooms, black cats, and spell-work. People were burned as witches in both England and America. The monotheistic religions had a hard time with anyone who believed in other gods other then their own. Apparently, Jesus dying on a Roman stake was not good enough for the Western church – more blood had to be spelled.

But every society seems to have had some kind of equivalent to the witch. They may have been called Shamans, witch doctors, gypsies, maybe even grandmother herself. Whoever the healers were in society – the psychic, the spiritualist, the herbalists- you had the makings of a witch. And witches were not exactly liked by the church.

Gerard Gardner brought witchcraft back to mainstream society after the last laws banning witchcraft were repelled in England in the 1950’s. He reintroduced ‘The Craft’ to the world with his book ‘Witchcraft Today;’ a book published in 1954.

My initial introduction to the Craft was through a 1960’s TV show called ‘Bewitched, ’ a comedy about an American witch who married a mortal man. Throughout the show we were introduced to covens, rituals, magic, wands, warlocks, Sabbats, and spell-work. Even though a lot of the show was based on false premises (witches being immortal) , the show was on-point with true witchcraft in many ways.

In the 1980’s I came across a book by Erica Jong called ‘Witches.’ This was a coffee table sized book loaded with text, pictures, and poetry explaining Witchcraft. I devoured this book like no other. Erica Jong crafted a very fitting tribute book to a religion she never claimed to be party too. But her involvement in the neo-pagan life style is evident from reading her books and interviews. Erica’s views on sexuality and religion are very close to my own views.

To put it bluntly – I was drawn in.

In 2004 I became a member of Unity Church of Fredericksburg, VA, USA. This church was strong on the Father/Mother God concept, the unity of all things, meditation/yoga, and the divine in all of us. By 2005 I was examining, via the Internet, Wicca or Witchcraft. I started taking a course on Witchcraft through http://www.magickaschool.com. I was also hobnobbing with different witches in the local area where I lived. I did complete one course on the Introduction to Witchcraft through magickaschool.com, and still have a little ways to go on course number two. I am also involved somewhat in the Northern Virginia Witches and Pagans Meetup Group.

After a year of being homeless, I find myself once again drawn to the magick and mystery of this Path. I am reading books on the subject, meditating more, and enjoying the outdoors more. I especially enjoy watching the moon at night going through its many phases. Currently I am reading books by Raymond Buckland and Deborah Lipp. I am also learning The Hidden Path divination cards by Raven Grimassi and Stephanie Taylor, with artwork by Mickie Mueller.

As a pagan/witch/wiccan I am no longer restrained by the shallowness and limitations of the Christian Church. I will put down no religion, but my calling seems to be more metaphysical then revelation based. I believe strongly in the line from the movie ‘Inherit the Wind’ where the defense attorney, played by Spencer Tracey, said regarding the Bible – “The Bible is a good book, but it’s not the only book.”

The path of Witchcraft is an inward path and a mystical path. In a way all spiritually minded people are witches – we all believe in some divine being, we live by some code of law, we believe in the concept of magic/miracles, and we all reach for inner transformation.

I am a Witch because I can be nothing other then a Witch. I can’t twiddle my nose like Samantha in Bewitched and cause magick to happen. It doesn’t work that way. And it’s not about that anyway. Witchcraft is about inner transformation, empowerment, magic, and ultimately LOVE. We love, not by judging and condemning, but by understanding and appreciation. All life is sacred because all life comes from a divine source. That should be the heart and soul of any religious path.

Witchcraft satisfies an inner hunger like nothing else. It is a lifelong study and practice that draws me closer to the god/goddess, keeps me open for all sorts of possibilities, and makes me a channel for light and magick. I feel more at home in this vast universe, and more appreciative of life in general. As I celebrate the Sabbats and esbats, I also celebrate the seasons and learn to adapt to each one. No matter what season, I can follow the moon as it waxes and wanes through each of its cycles.

My spiritual journey began with my introduction and acceptance of the Christian path. But even then I knew there had to be more. And there was: Buddhism, Hinduism, Shamanism, Voodoo, The Golden Dawn, Freemasonry, Gnosticism, and Cabbala, as well as the historical evidence of goddess worship spanning way back into the Old Testament periods.

Witchcraft, in one form or another, has always been here. I embrace it with open arms freely and in sound mind and body. The more I read and study the Craft, the more I am drawn into it. Coming out of the sixties, Witchcraft appeals to me because of its Nature based emphasis, its emphasis on the sacred in everything, its openness to change and its encouragement to grow on whatever Path you are on. Somehow, the idea of celebrating the Goddess out in the openness of nature – singing, chanting, dancing, (skyclad or not) , under an open sky, or under a full moon, appeals to me. Celebrating Nature, and not just theological dogma’s, is what worship is all about.

When I see the full moon in the sky now, I feel like I am walking on sacred ground. The earth is my Cathedral and the Divine is everywhere. I don’t have to worry whether I am theologically sound, or politically correct – it is just me, the goddess, and Mother Nature creating energy and magick through each season, through each rising sun, and through each phase of the moon.

What does it mean to be a Witch? Everything!

So mote it be.

Footnotes:
My personal journey from Christianity to Witchcraft.

Where is Our Connection With Our Bodies and The Earth?

Where is Our Connection With Our Bodies and The Earth?

Author: Aarisa

Where is our connection with our bodies and the Earth, in ritual and in our lives?

It is my belief that we profess a religion that follows the Mother and Father, the Earth and Surrounding Energies, yet I seem to so often see such a disconnection. Connection with our bodies, the Mother Earth, the Seasons, even the rituals we perform seem to get put on the back burner, hidden behind flashy ritual items, robes, and vehement vows of our faith.

Now I am the most non-judgmental person I know, but I do make observations. At a recent Public Full Moon Ceremony that I attended, I found myself wanting after it was all said and done. The disconnection with the energy of our bodies and the rituals was obvious. Every one there, from the young children handing out seedlings to the ritual performers, all seemed very unhealthy. They read the ritual off in broken words from a paper, with no heart in it. When it came time for Cakes and Ale, they served Graham Cracker Bears and Hi C Fruit Punch.

So, lets start our conversation with the connection with our bodies, and the planet.

The junk foods and soft drinks that so many Pagans take home and chow down are detrimental to not only their bodies but also to our Mother. Way more than just what such a diet does to our bodies, the negative effects on the earth, from the way the foods were produced to the plastic packing they are served or sold in, are anything but ‘nature based.’ Everything that we put in our bodies affects us, and if our bodies cannot be healthy, how can we connect with ourselves, let alone with the Earth and our Community?

Who can call themselves a follower of the old ways when they get up, eat their McDonalds breakfast, come home and turn on the T.V and sit on the couch until they get up, put on their crushed velvet robes and perform a ritual, trying to connect with energies that don’t they incorporate into the rest of their lives? My like-minded friends have a joke about RC Cola and Moon Pies for Cakes and Ale but, my Gods, it happens so much. *

I certainly don’t feel a connection to ‘earth’ after eating junk food, do you? I certainly don’t think that eating food produced in ways that harm our Mother, and in its consumption harms us as well, is cohesive to our Earth-Based Religion. I’m not saying that everyone needs to be a health and exercise nut, but being a little more consciousness towards how we treat our bodies and the planet can be more powerful than any showy ritual.

Every holiday for us is about connecting with the seasons and the energies around us. We then take lessons from that and expand them. But let’s get back to the core… connecting with the seasons and the energies around us. (And that perhaps goes a bit deeper than eating hot dogs and hamburgers during Summer Solstice after reading from a printed-out ritual piece.) ‘Seasonal food’ does not mean food that America chooses to push out of a factory from any place at any particular time of year. It means what naturally grows in our/your local area at that particular time of year.

Our planet is in peril. The chemicals we are leaking into the world and that are in our food cause cancer, obesity, diabetes, and many other ailments. They are also killing the Earth. How can continuing to ‘live’ off of those things be cohesive to our religion? The very corn we eat now is being grown with pesticides already in them! The energies around us, those that we create, are so out of whack that I fail to see how we can make any real world change just by going through the motions of a ritual?

Lets move on to the reading part. I’ll admit that I have read off a ritual before. I was not happy with the results, and vowed thereafter to spend time not just memorizing, but knowing the ritual, and meditating on its meaning, connecting with the energies. When just reading off something, one does not grasp the meaning and depth of the words. There is then, no connection or creation of energy, and the ritual, in my opinion, is for naught. And really, how valid can a Priest or Priestess look when they read emotionlessly from a printed-out ritual?

Who here has gone to ritual where everything was read off of a piece of paper? How did it feel to you? Do you feel like the participants connected? Do you feel like you connected? If you did, then great! If you’re like me and like most people whom I talk to, then you felt as if the ritual was missing a key piece. That saddens me. I don’t want to go to ritual worrying whether or not the performing Coven will actually raise a Cone Of Power. Every person who is involved in the Craft should know his/her Craft, and know himself or herself, and therefore, know the energies!

So what has happened to our connection? The most powerful rituals are those connected with taking care of our planet and ourselves… the two things that we get most of our energy from. Wait…don’t we also get our energy from the people around us? Why, yes! We do! So what about their energy? Well, if they take care of themselves and the earth, then they are more connected, most likely. So there is more positive energy to draw upon!

Therefore, if we do the same, then we are making ourselves healthy, positive, connected avenues of energy for those that are around us! In conclusion, I say please…

TAKE CARE of yourself and our Mother!
CONNECT with yourself and our Mother!
HEAL yourself and our Mother!
CREATE good energy for yourself and our Mother!

Blessed Be!

Footnotes:
*PS- This is not a hate note for those who are “overweight”. It is about caring about your health. I know plenty of people who aren’t “skinny” but eat healthy.

 

Quiz of the Day: What Season Are You Now?

Quiz: What Season Are You Now?

The spirit has its own seasons that may or may not coincide with the world of  nature outside our doors. What season are you in right now? Is your life  beginning to open up with a burgeoning Spring-like sense of new life? Or are you  in a quiet Winter time of lying fallow? Depending on where you are in the  seasons of the soul, there are many ways you can work with and honor–rather than  resist–your inner reality.

Take this fun quiz to find out what inner season you’re in right now. Then  find out how to get the most from it! It’s all here:

Make note of any answers that are true for you.

1. I can almost see the doors opening right in front of me: new opportunities  seem to be all around me.

2. I crave activity, movement, and change: I may be considering moving house  or starting a new job or beginning a program of some sort.

3. I am eager to make plans for my future.

4. I may feel a little vulnerable and tender.

5. My life feels very outwardly-focused and expansive right now.

6. Everything seems to be aligning for me so that I will have what I need in  the near future.

7. My activities are many and varied and I have plenty of energy to do what I  want.

8. I feel very powerful and optimistic.

9. I am finally reaping the rewards of a lot of hard work.

10. I like to feel that I have enough: I may find myself stocking up on  necessities now that abundance seems to fill my life.

11. I am letting go of many things in my life that no longer fit who I am.

12. I find I am becoming more reflective, looking inward and taking stock of  my life.

13. I have no desire for activity: I crave quiet and doing nothing.

14. I have faced some important losses in the recent past.

15. Whenever I try to start something new, I am prevented or it does not work  out.

16. I feel stuck and a bit frozen over. It seems that my life will never  change.

If 1, 2, 3, or 4 were true for you, you are in a SPRING period. This is a  wonderful time to plant the metaphorical seeds of your future life-garden; make  plans, gather information, allow the rising green life-force to point you in the  direction of your best and brightest future. Surround yourself with fresh spring  colors, flowering bulbs, nests, and eggs. They will remind you of your own new  beginnings.

If 5, 6, 7, or 8 were true for you, you are in a SUMMER period. Now that warm  sunlike energies fill your life, make the most of it! Stay as busy as you can to  solidify your position and celebrate this expansive time. Surround yourself with  golden, fiery colors, and images of suns, vibrant flowers, and ripening fruits.  They will remind you of your own vibrant  I-can-do-it life-force.

If 9, 10, 11, or 12 were true for you, you are in an AUTUMN period. This is  the time to celebrate your accomplishments, gather in what you need for the  future, evaluate your life, and release what you have outgrown. Surround  yourself with warm wine and turning-leaf colors, and images of harvest: apples,  pumpkins, vines and bunches of ripe grapes, and vibrant leaves. They will remind  you of your own life-harvests and encourage you to continue letting go of  anything that is no longer appropriate for you as you gather in your own inner  harvest.

If 13, 14, 15, or 16 were true for you, you are in a WINTER period. Although  it may feel as if this time will last forever, take heart:  everything changes,  and so will this–especially if you stop fighting it and decide to honor it  instead. Take plenty of time to sleep, and be sure to write down your dreams.  Take a retreat from the busyness of life. Surround yourself with the grounding  energies of stones and clear quartz crystals, soft cozy fabrics, and bare  branches. They will remind you that a period of rest is an essential part of the  cycle of life.

Your Ancient Symbol Card for Oct. 7th is The Golden Egg

Your Ancient Symbol Card for Today

The Golden Egg

The Golden Egg denotes the opportunity for substantial material gains. However, the Golden Egg is also a reminder that unmanaged greed ensures what gains are made will be lost.

As a daily card, The Golden Egg suggest that the prospects for you to increase your financial wealth are very strong today. Seize whatever opportunities come your way, but don’t ride them too long or you may find yourself no better off than you were before they came along.

Calendar of the Sun for October 7th

Calendar of the Sun

7 Winterfyllith

Njord’s Blot

Color: Sea-blue
Element: Water
Altar: Upon cloth of sea-blue set a Scandinavian ship, a net, a basket of fish-shaped cakes, and a metal tankard of mead.
Offerings: Give aid to a sailor. The House should, together, send a package to one who sails the seas and has need of succor.
Daily Meal: Fish.

Invocation to Njord

Hail, Njord, Lord of the Surface of the Sea!
Hail, Sailor’s Watcher,
Lord of Ships upon the waters.
Blessed you are in the prow,
Where you lead us forward to our goals.
Blessed you are in the stern,
Where you guard our wake
From the monsters of the Deep.
Blessed you are on the port,
Where your keen eyes search the horizon.
Blessed you are on the starboard,
Where you guide us by the stars.
Blessed you are on the high mast,
Where you stand tall with far vision.
Blessed you are in the sails,
Which you fill with billowing winds.
Blessed you are at the rudder,
Where you skillfully outrun all storms.
Blessed you are at the nets,
Where the fish come by the thousands into our hands.
Blessed you are belowdecks,
Where you rock us gently to sleep
On the waves of certainty,
Knowing that the farthest shore
Will soon be under our feet.
Hail Njord, Lord of Ships,
Guide our souls safely across the waters.

(All pass and bless the package, and see it safely gone. The mead is poured out as libation.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Principles of Wiccan Beliefs

Principles of Wiccan Beliefs

1.   We practice rites to attune ourselves with the natural rhythm of life
forces marked by the phases of the Moon and the seasonal Quarters and Cross
Quarter.

2.   We recognize that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility toward
our environment. We seek to live in harmony with Nature, in ecological balance
offering fulfillment to life and consciousness within an evolutionary concept.

3.  We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than that apparent to the
average person. Because it is far greater than ordinary it is sometimes called
supernatural, but we see it as lying within that which is naturally potential to
all.

4.  We conceive of the Creative Power in the universe as manifesting through
polarity — as masculine and feminine  — and that this same Creative Power lies
in all people, and  functions through the interaction of  the masculine and
feminine. We value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive to the other. We value sex as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of life, and as one of the sources of energies used in magickal practice and religious worship.

5.   We recognize both outer worlds and inner, or psychological, worlds
sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconscious, Inner
Planes, etc. — and we see in the inter-action of these two dimensions the basis
for paranormal phenomena and magickal exercises. We neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our fulfillment.

6. We do not recognize any authoritarian hierarchy, but do honor those who
teach, respect those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom, and acknowledge those who have courageously given of themselves in leadership.

7.  We see religion, magick and wisdom in living as being united in the way one
views the world and lives within it — a world view and philosophy of life which
we identify as Witchcraft — the Wiccan Way.

8.   Calling oneself  “Witch” does not make a Witch  — but neither does
heredity itself, not the collecting of titles, degrees and initiations. A Witch
seeks to control the forces within her/himself that make life possible in order
to live wisely and well without harm to others and in harmony with Nature.

9.  We believe in the affirmation and fulfillment of life in a continuation of
evolution and development of consciousness giving meaning to the Universe we
know and our personal roll within it.

10.  Our only animosity towards Christianity, or towards any other religion or
philosophy of life, is to the extent that its institutions have claimed to be
“the only way” and have sought to deny freedom to others and to suppress other
ways of religious practice and belief.

11.  As American Witches, we are not threatened by debates on the history of
the Craft,  the origins of various terms, the legitimacy of various aspects of
different traditions. We are concerned with our present and our future.

12.  We do not accept the concept of absolute evil, nor do we worship any entity
known as “Satan” or “the Devil”, as defined by the Christian traditions. We do
not seek power through the suffering of others, nor accept that personal benefit
can be derived only by denial to another.

13.  We believe that we should seek within Nature that which is contributory to
our health and well being.

Your Animal Spirit for October 3rd is The Mockingbird

Your Animal Spirit for October 3rd

Mockingbird

Mockingbirds are master imitators, and can mimic the calls of many other birds. They’re also fearless protectors of their nest, and will attack any bird (no matter how large) to protect their young. Mockingbird’s lesson for you today is twofold: to listen to how you might be mimicking others—instead of listening to your own true voice; and to examine the value of what you defend. Hmmm?

Daily Feng Shui News for Oct. 2nd – ‘Feast Of The Guardian Angels’

I pray that you love today’s ‘Feast Of The Guardian Angels’ just as much as I do. According to angel archeologist and author JoAnn Cornug, Angel Eliel has long been called upon to put magic and miracles in our lives. It’s believed that when this angel is invoked, he can conjure your wishes for you, especially if you say the following invocation: ‘Eliel, Eliel, Eliel, reveal the magic in our purpose. Eliel, Eliel, Eliel grant me my wish. Eliel, Eliel, Eliel amaze me with your grace.’ Amazing grace indeed.

By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com

Your Animal Spirit for October 2nd is

Your Animal Spirit for Today
October 2, 2013

Bear

Bear represents a time of reflection and stillness—a time of entering the inner cave of  Self to contemplate life’s challenges. Bear often appears during times of confusion and unrest—those unsettling moments when you turn to everyone you know for answers—everyone except yourself. Go within, ask the hard questions—then listen.

The Witches' Spell for Oct. 2nd – Excellent Spell To Stop Pain

Pain Spell

         To lessen or be rid of pain.

Items Needed:

Black Candle

This is a very short spell/prayer that can be used at any time, with or without the candle. I will tell you from personal experience, asking the Goddess to help with the pain. DOES WORK!

God and Goddess

Hear my plea

Take this pain away from me

Leave me feeling good instead

Strong of body, clear of head

So Mote It Be

GOOD MORNING To my Beloved Family & Friends!

Good Morning, my dears! I know, I know, quit scratching your heads and going what the heck is she doing up this early? Well I will tell you don’t get use to it, lol! I have two doctors appointment this morning and wanted to at least get your horoscopes on here.

Got to run for now,

Have super Blessed Monday,

Love,

Lady A