Live and learn, learn to live
I strive to get what life can give
Send to me the lessons true
And help me know just what to do
Amid the mess and chaos fierce
Shine a light to darkness pierce
Show the way to knowledge deep
Which to let go and which to keep
Clear the way so I might heed
The lessons that I truly need
Show me what I need to learn
As life’s pages I do turn.
When Horse came back to the Americas, he brought with him the ability to move rapidly from place to place—and it’s this rapid movement that he brings to you today. Get up, get out of the rut you’ve created. Grab Horse’s mane, pull yourself onto his back and let him carry you across the plains of your life. The time for being stuck is over.
Coll Invocation
Colors: Blue and Brown
Element: Water and Earth
Altar: Upon cloth of blue place a goblet of spring water, the figure of a leaping salmon, and three blue candles; next to them on cloth of brown place a musical instrument, a pen, and fresh flowers.
Offerings: Poetry, songs, art, writing.
Daily Meal: Either fish (for the Salmon), poultry (for the Duck) or salads.
Coll Invocation:
Call: Hail the month of the Hazel Tree!
Response: Hail the month of the nuts that nourish us.
Call: First tree of the harvest, you give forth wisdom.
Response: Last tree of the summer, you chant our memories.
Call: The fading warmth follows you,
Response: And we feast on the fruits of your knowledge.
Call: This is the month of words and song.
Response: This is the month of the search for the mysteries.
Call: This is the month of the sacred pool,
Response: Wherein swims the Salmon of Knowledge.
Call: We fish for the gleams of divine light on the surface,
Response: We dive for the truths that lie deep in the Well.
Call: Our intuition is the hazel-twig held before us.
Response: We shall search out the underground streams.
Call: We shall find the hidden treasures.
Response: We shall spread them forth in words of power.
Call: We shall bring them forth with our hands in works of art,
Response: We shall gift the Gods and the people with our songs.
Call: Our voices will find their way across the land.
Response: Hear us, O Gods, as we sing your praises!
Call: This is the month of the bard’s silver tongue,
Response: This is the month of the golden door of autumn.
Call: As the Hazel Tree stands with words of peace,
Response: So shall we stand between the warring parties.
Call: So shall our Rule spread Justice and Peace,
Response: So shall our words spread beauty and harmony.
(As this is the month of the Bard, one or more shall stand forth and sing before the others, or read what words they would, to bring gladness and knowledge to the hearts of those who listen.)
You need:
Piece of burlap
piece of wool
piece of silk
Some polished stones (polished) from a river or stream
A live leaf
A bowl of fruit and/or bread
A dead branch
Lay the silk, wool and burlap at the foot of your bed in that order. About 5 feet from the foot of your bed, toward the left, lay the branch. About 5 feet from the foot of your bead, toward the right, place the bowl. The branch is the barren curse and the bowl is the bountiful life that withers the curse. Lay one stone on each cloth then lay a path from the wool, straight down the center, between the bowl and the branch. The stones must touch. At the end lay the leaf. By laying the stones, you show respect for the fates and the balance of life. Light three candles and incense and meditate over the rite. Sleep without touching the items. When you wake, watch how much the stones have moved. If they bias the branch, you are cursed. If they bias the bowl, you are blessed. If it doesn’t move, no outside force is affecting you. If you are cursed, how far it has moved will determine the strength of the curse. Reset the path, and that night, light the three candles and the incense and meditate again over the rite. Sleep again without touching anything. The path should have moved less than the first time. Repeat this every night until the path stays in the middle. Next, move the path toward the bowl following the same meditation and sleep process as before. Continue this every night until the path stays at the bowl. When it has done so, you may complete the rite. Touch nothing, but for the three following nights, meditate over the rite, to seal your new fate. The stones must be returned to the river or stream where you got them from . The branch must be returned to the forest floor where you found it, and the leaf cast to the wind. The bowl of fruit must be eaten, and the cloth must be saved in a dark place, undisturbed.
Endurance is fostered when inner constancy is coupled with external flexibility. Long-distance runners must adapt readily to changing conditions, while maintaining an inner determination and strength of purpose. Two trees growing near each other adapt to enhance each other’s survival. A strong image of durability is a stable marriage of intimate partners striking a dynamic balance between involvement in the outside world and nourishment in the home.
True endurance is not based on rigidity, for endurance implies movement, not immobilization. Only by adapting to change can we stay in the race; but only by deepening our sense of purpose can we develop the fortitude to win it.
Continuity is achieved through movement, not by keeping still. That which has ceased to grow is close to death. Stay active, but allow yourself time to stay in touch with your innermost thoughts and feelings.
Merry Meet on this glorious and beautiful Lammas Day! I hope everyone is busy celebrating the first Harvest. And I might add I hope it is a very prosperous one indeed!
I would like to take a moment to thank each and everyone of you for making this one of the best years the WOTC has had. I have always said a group/site/blog is nothing without fantastic friends, family and supporters. We have the Goddess to thank for each of you. With Our Almighty Mother all things are possible. Every time I think it is the darkest it can get, She pulls me up by the boot straps. And shows me it is no way by any means over yet. She has given me a blessed life that is for sure.
In the days of Old, our Ancestors would be giving thanks for a bountiful first harvest. They didn’t have the luxuries we do now. I can imagine what they would have given for one John Deere tractor. I know our Ancestors had it rough and the times were tough to say the least. But they had something we no longer have these days, that is charity for our fellow man. If farmer Brown saw farmer Smith didn’t have as good of a harvest as he did. He would take the buggy over to farmer Smith’s house and tell him not to worry. He would help him and his family make it through the Winter months. Farmer Brown wanted nothing in return, just to help out his neighbor, that’s it plain and simple. But farmer Smith didn’t want charity from Brown so he would find a way to repay the debt and show his gratitude at the same time. Boy, how people have changed.
I guess if our Ancestors could see the shape we are in now, they would hang their heads. Probably shed a tear or two also. When I stop to think about living in the greatest nation on this planet, I want to cry. Every night in this country, there are thousands of people going to bed hungry. There are even more sleeping on the street. There are individuals a dollar away from being out on the streets themselves. I was listening to today’s news and they said a local food bank had had a triple increase demand since last year. They couldn’t figure it out. How damn stupid are these people? Do they not realize we are in a depression? I know what really get my feathers’ ruffled is that millions of dollars are being sent overseas. While we have our own babies going to bed hungry each night. People sleeping in the street in the greatest nation in the world.
It is past time that we of the magickal community did something about this. As you know, you don’t have to have money to act. You have the power within you to act. It is past time that petition our Great Mother for help for our nation. For our children going to bed hungry, for the homeless man or woman sleeping in the street, or the empty food banks in this country. We need our Mother’s help! We also need our Mother’s help in cleaning out the ears of the Politicians in this country. The economy is getting better, the unemployment rate is dropping??? Don’t they realize that the unemployment rate is dropping because people can no long draw benefits. Truth be told, it is scary as hell, I raised two kids and my husband worked construction. The money was great. But construction only happens during the Summer months. The money you did manage to save up, you had to live on this next year. As high as things are now and the way the world is, I would hate to think I had to do it now.
I know today is suppose to be a day of celebration for us. But I wanted to drive a point home. Share what the Goddess has given you with those less fortunate. It doesn’t cost a thing to be kind to another individual. We are all the Goddess’ children. Share your many blessings with a local food bank, if you can’t do that then start petitioning our Mother. Because that is what I plan on doing. I am not going to stop till this world of ours starts to change. I am going to ask Her to help feed the small children that go to bed hungry at night. Get that man or woman off the streets and give them a place to sleep that has a roof over it. And most of all makes those damn Politicians wake up and smell the coffee. The Politicians have had their turn at this country. You see what shape it is in. Now it is our turn and I am sure we can do a much better job than they ever did. I beg you to join me in praying to our Almighty Mother for these things.
This is the Year of the Witch. Let us change the course of our country for the good of mankind.
Goddess Bless You. May you have a bountiful and blessed Lammas!
Love,
Lady A
Substantial progress and increasing prosperity is pointed to. In whatever forms it takes, periods of increase are exhilarating, as long as you go with the flow while it lasts and keep the interests of others in mind. Like white water on a river, periods of increase are often of short duration; it furthers one, therefore, to shoot the rapids now, while the opportunity is there.
A good sense of direction in times of opportunity involves commitment to the needs of one’s cohorts and dependents. Only by realizing that to lead is really to serve, can an effective leader contribute to a lasting increase in prosperity for all. In times of general increase, those who contribute most directly to the common good will also receive the greatest rewards.
When opportunities for increase arise, supreme good fortune comes to those who act swiftly and boldly, while avoiding the trap of letting their actions be only self-serving. If you aspire to a position of prominence, the most enduring strategy is to work to raise the tide of your entire pond, rather than to try to swim upstream on your own.
When the times favor prosperity, and when leadership is in the hands of the broad-minded, supreme good fortune results.
23 Tinne/Hekatombaion
Day of Llew Llaw Gyffes
Color: Blue
Element: Air
Altar: Upon a sky-blue cloth lay the figure of a hawk, a chalice of milk, and a spear.
Offering: Put your trust in something risky, and accept the failure if it comes.
Daily Meal: Poultry and/or fish.
Invocation to Llew Llaw Gyffes
Llew of the Skillful Hand,
Hawk’s flight, Quick-Eyed One,
Child of Innocence,
You teach of the costs
And blessings of trust.
You turn your eyes, a trusting babe,
Onto Gwydion of the clever tongue
And many small dishonesties,
And he is struck with love and swears
That he will protect you forever,
And in loving you,
He learns to do good in the world.
Yet your trust is betrayed
By Blodeuwedd, flower maiden,
Who is constructed for your use
Without your thought, or hers.
That trust which turns even a tainted heart
To good, fails against the breast
Within which no heart beats,
And this is a hard lesson for you,
And for all of us.
What can we learn from your struggle?
What can we learn about trust,
And where to place it?
Yet better to risk than never to open at all,
And this, too, you teach us.
Help us with this lesson, Skillful Hand,
That we may always know when to open our own,
And when to close them.
(Pass the milk and pour the rest out as libation. Each shall announce what it is that they shall endeavor to trust.)
Original Author D.J. Conway
Ingredients:
1 small cauldron
1 small green or brown charm bag
3 silver coins
Cinnamon
Cedar oil
A small table to use as an altar
Spell: Place a little dish or cup inside the cauldron with a small amount of cinnamon and cedar in it. Lay the three coins next to it on your altar. Tap each coin with the forefinger of the hand you write with (your power hand) and chant:
“Glistening silver coin of the Moon, Shiny and round, bring me a boon. Draw to my hands many more of your kind. Multiply, grow, like the image in my mind.
Place the coins in the cauldron with the herbs and three drops of oil.Using your power hand, stir the air clockwise seven times over the cauldron and chant:
“Earth elements, cunning and bright, Share you treasures here on this night. Share with me riches of silver and gold, Success, prosperity, all I can hold.”
Place the herbs and the coins in the talisman bag. Carry this with you until the Full Moon goes through her phases and returns to Full.
Fellowship. When communal bonds unite people, great success is possible. But such bonds can develop only when personal interests are subordinated to goals that serve the greater good of all. The broader the basis for action, the greater the benefits that can be achieved. And conversely, the greater the potential good, the more powerful the support behind it. A spirit of cooperation steadies the boat, but it helps to have a beautiful island to row towards.
Learn to respect the strength in diversity, for a community’s true power lies not in its numbers, but in the diverse skills and resources of its members. Just as the stoutest walls are reinforced with many different materials, so the strongest groups allow differences to co-exist inside the whole.
With a unified group solidly behind you, even difficult enterprises can be attempted without great risk.
The besom is a long-handled tool with a bundle at one end that once made from the broom plant, which grows on European heaths and pastures. Broom is characterized by yellow flowers and angular branches ideal for bundling. Thus, the instrument made of this plant came to be known as a broom.
Since Roman times, the broom has been associated with feminine power and magick. Prior to childbirth, women used a broom to sweep the threshold of a house both for protection and to prepare the way for the new spirit to enter. Gypsy marriage rituals included jumping over a broomstick to ensure the couple’s fertility; this ritual neatly marked the line between single and married life. The broom appears in the folklore of various countries and cultures, such as these:
In some parts of the Western world, a broom propped up outside a house identified it as a house of prostitution.
*In Madagascar, women danced with brooms while their men were at war in order to sweep away the enemy.
*In China, the broom represents wisdom and insight because it brushes away worries.
*In Japan, brooms are used during spring rituals to purify the ceremonial space.
*In Victorian-age America, a new broom would never be bought in May, “lest you sweep the family away.”
No, witches don’t fly on brooms–that’s just a colorful misconception. Instead, they use them to sweep away unwanted energies from sacred space.
Elder’s Meditation of the Day July 16
“Grandfather says…you must not hurt anybody or do harm to anyone. You must not fight. Do right always. It will give you satisfaction in life.”
–Wovoka, PAIUTE
The question one should ask themselves is: Do you want to be right or do you want to be happy? If you want to be right, this is a request from your ego. If you want to be happy then this is of the Great Spirit. The only meaning anything has is the meaning we give it. Maybe we should develop a philosophy of: Today is the last day of the rest of my life. If this were true, how easy it would be to let things go – how easy it would be to forgive.
Oh Great Spirit, let me live today as if it was my last. Let me express Your joy and be happy today. Let me see the joy and honor of living on the Red Road.
| Mildred, the self-appointed arbiter of the community’s morals, kept sticking her nose into other people’s business. Several members were unappreciative of her activities, but they feared her enough to maintain their silence. She made a mistake, however, when she accused George, a new member, of being an alcoholic after she saw his pickup truck parked in front of the town’s only bar one afternoon. She commented to George and others that everyone seeing it there would know what he was doing.
George, a man of few words, stared at her for a moment and just walked away. He didn’t explain, defend, or deny, he said nothing. Later that evening, George quietly parked his pickup in front of Mildred’s house… and left it there all night.
|
The central theme of what is traditionally called the Wheel of Fortune card is cyclical change. The Wheel keeps on rolling, churning events in a ceaseless progression of ups and downs, either way freeing us from the past. No one can escape its cyclical action, which can feel somewhat terrifying — no matter whether we are rising or falling. When one is balanced on top there is a moment of crystal clarity, but the only part of the Wheel not going up and down is the hub, which is your eternal Self, the Source of Freedom.
Every one of us will occupy all the points on the wheel at some time or another. The cycle of the wheel is its lesson — and we can learn to take comfort in it (as we do when we celebrate our birthday). If you don’t like the look of things right now, just wait — things will change. Of course, if you do like the look of things right now, enjoy it while it lasts, because that will change too!
Maria DeSimone on the topics of uranus, pluto, astrology
In case you haven’t heard, the US Postal Service is about to implement a drastic change. In an attempt to save the organization from its financial crisis, an announcement was made that effective August 2013 there will no longer be mail delivery on Saturday. The estimated annual savings they’ll accrue from this landmark decision is about $2 billion annually.
Sure, it might take some getting used to. In fact, this change might seem like a radical and sudden blow to “old school” Americans who rely on their daily dose of snail mail. But we live in a digital age and as a result, a vast majority of Americans pay their bills online. To that end, the rise of E-commerce is the main reason why packages will continue to arrive on your doorstep on Saturday despite the major change to regular mail.
So what does this have to do with Astrology? Interestingly enough — everything! As you might have already heard, we’re in the midst of a cataclysmic shift in society due to the planetary connection between Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn. Uranus is all about breaking up the status quo. Uranus tends to do this in a most sudden and disruptive fashion but when he’s in Aries — oh boy is it immediate! This is about exercising your individual autonomy — a potentially dicey situation when you’re looking at collective shift.
Pluto is about destruction and elimination. Pluto knows when something has died and needs eradication from your personal space in order to help you move onto bigger and better things. The death phase is not always easy. However, once you’ve endured it, you can usually appreciate that you would not be where you are unless you let go of what no longer could be. In the sign Capricorn, we’re dealing with large government structures and corporations … in other words, big business and big politics. The power behind the “big wigs” is now under intense scrutiny. Where we as individuals once felt powerless under the clout of such potent figures, suddenly we’re ready to give them all a good old slap in the face thanks to Uranus in Aries.
We’ll all get a healthy dose of personal revolution thanks to the Uranus-Pluto squares activity until 2015, but this cycle can also be tracked collectively. In fact, the upheaval in government, political and corporate structures might be quite significant.
Without a doubt, the massive shift in how the US Postal Service runs its organization is a reflection of this incredible Uranus-Pluto energy. The government run agency (Pluto in Capricorn) is about to institute a revolutionary change in how they’re operating (Uranus) and it will affect individuals all throughout the United States (Aries). It’s interesting to note that the US Postal Service is the only self-supporting (Aries) government agency (Capricorn). They receive no tax dollars to help fund their operating expenses, relying exclusively on the sale of postage, products and services. How fascinating that the square between Aries and Capricorn energy reflects in the very essence of what the US Postal Service essentially is.
What’s also intriguing to note is that the single greatest factor that’s likely to contribute to the success of this decision is the overwhelming backing of the public (7 out of 10 Americans support this change). This phenomenon is due to a Uranian influence on the mailing system. Over the years there has been a significant decline in paper mail due to a majority of Americans turning to paying their bills online. Uranus, among other things, rules technology and the Internet. Fascinating, eh?
We can certainly assume that the remaining five exact mathematical hits of Uranus square Pluto between now and 2015 will result in even more memorable instances of government and corporate break downs and restructuring to better suit the individual. After all, that’s what the essence of this square is meant to achieve. The US Postal Service is a fine example of a government agency that’s doing what it must in order to survive. Uranus in Aries = every man for himself. Even if something in the corporate structure (Capricorn) has to die (Pluto) first. Like Saturday afternoon mail.
Items You Will Need:
None
Instructions:
The animal kingdom is very important to those who immerse themselves in natural magick. Sometimes you may want to communicate with animals or simply see the world through their eyes. A simple spell for merging your mind with animal is as follows:
Center yourself by sitting or lying upon the ground, closing your eyes, and imagine a whirlpool of energy surrounding you travelling in clockwise motion from your head down to your feet, back up to your head, and back down to your feet. Continue this imagery until you feel grounded and centered, oblivious to daily distractions and cares. Once centered, allow your mind to wander to the animal you wish to merge with. Don’t force the imagery, rather allow it to happen.
Picture this animal clearly in your mind. Watch it, empathize with it, feel yourself merging with it. Imagine what it is like to be the animal. Imagine the sights it sees, the smells it senses, the motivations and ways of thinking it may have. Become those thoughts. Merge with the animal by dissolving the distinctions that make it separate.
Once you have fully merged with the animal, you can communicate with it. Ask it what you want to know. Tell it what you want it to know.
——By Ghost Writer
It’s seems fitting on ‘World Human Spirit Day’ that I share a powerful way to energize your spirit. Both Feng Shui and vibrational healers agree that the healing color of green can cleanse and rejuvenate your Chi while raising your spirits as well. Close your eyes and imagine your entire body surrounded by a ball of clear green light. As you inhale, breathe in this light and visualize it circulating all throughout your body. When you breathe out, exhale toxins, imbalances and impurities along with anger, rage and fear. Repeat this exercise six times to make your spirit refreshed, revivified and restored. The ripple effect guarantees that you will uplift the entire world.
By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com
Many Native American traditions teach that there are twelve Earth Personalities that make up the Earth Medicine Wheel. These form an earth-centered horoscope that gives us valuable information about our totem animal, our personality, and our spirit-task in life. Find out which Earth Personality you are, as well as your totem animal and your principle life-lesson:
March 21 – April 19: The Awakening Time. Falcon. Your principle lessons: Discovering that happiness comes through sharing, and that individuality need not be selfish but van be expressed more fully when it is in harmony with others.
April 20 – May 20: The Growing Time. Beaver. Your principle lessons: Your worst emotional traumas are likely to be in those areas of your life in which the tendency to form attachments extends into close personal relationships and becomes possessive. Through the grist of experience you are cultivating flexibility, adaptability, and compassion. You need to give others the “space” to be themselves, just as you demand the space to be “you.”
May 21 – June 20: The Flowering Time. Deer. Your principle lessons: The rifts you have with others indicate divisions within yourself. You are learning how to co-ordinate that which appears to be contrary but which truly is complementary.
June 21 – July 21: The Long Days Time. Woodpecker. Your principle lessons: To learn to treasure the moment. Not to dwell on regrets of the past or on expectations of what may be in the future, but to recognize that the power to make changes ins always in the Now! The challenges you face on your Earth “Walk” are to enable you to mature through the experience of closeness. Much stress and anxiety may be caused through tenaciously holding on to what has served its purpose, and through mistaking attachment for love. The ability to let go is often a test of true love.
July 22 – August 21: The Ripening Time. Salmon. Your principle lessons: You are frequently faced with situations which challenge your stubborn resistance to change, and with the need to become more flexible and adaptable through developing a regard for the emotional needs of others. You are learning to recognized that fulfillment comes not so much through the forcefulness of making things happen, but through allowing things to be.
August 22 – September 21: The Harvesting Time. Brown Bear. Your principle lessons: Whatever you are searching for is to be found where you are. You are learning to know when to exert energy to effect a change, and when to accept circumstances that cannot be changed.
September 22 – October 22: The Falling Leaves Time. Crow. Your principle lessons: To gain the inner strength that comes from acting firmly on your convictions, and acquiring the wisdom that results from making sound judgments.
October 23 – November 22: The Frost Time. Snake. Your principle lessons: Your impatience causes you pain and discomfort, but such traumas are teaching you the need for proper timing. Being confronted with seemingly formidable tasks and difficult tests is part of the regenerative process inherent in your nature, which can enable you to transform what was into that which may now be. Such challenges push you beyond your own self-limitations.
November 23 – December 21: The Long Nights Time. Owl. Your principle lessons: Learning to manage your potentials by not dissipating your energies in too many directions at once. Attainment of inner sight so you can perceive beyond the obvious, and a warm heart so you can be compassionate towards those who stumble around in the dark.
December 22 – January 19: The Renewal Time. Goose. Your principle lessons: These are derived from your efforts to arrange and conserve, for their purpose is to teach you self-reliance and self-sufficiency in order to establish your own identity.
January 20 – February 18: The Cleansing Time. Otter. Your principle lessons: To help you to find the courage to act more on an inner “knowing” than on other peoples expectancies. You are learning to turn visions into practical realities through struggle and even adversity.
February 19 – March 20: The Blustery Winds Time. Wolf. Your principle lessons: To learn to become more discriminating in facing the demands that are constantly made upon you. The challenges of your life are for the purpose of enabling you to break free from entanglements that are limiting and restrictive, so your horizons can be extended.
Is Big Foot real or a hoax? It doesn’t really matter, because he has ambled into your reading to remind you of life’s mysteries. Not everything can be explained, not everything can be touched—but that doesn’t mean it don’t exist. Suspend your logic for a bit, and be open to the mystery.
Witches Of The Craft® 
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