WOW! What a month I've had. Between family drama (I think Pluto is in retrograde?) and cleaning up and job junk, my partner and I have moved AGAIN!
We're back in East TN, from 8 months in Kentucky.
I have so much going on!
As we prepare for a few weeks with my in-laws and are looking for new jobs and a new home, I'll post a few basic witchy things about our move such as travel protection, a small altar for our room, and some other things going on magically.
I do want to post the books that I grabbed to have on hand as the rest of mine are packed up and stored.
They are: Llewellyn's Magical Almanac and Spell-a-Day almanac for 2011. I read daily forcast as it were for inspiration for my day. Sometimes they inspire me to do a spell, write a journal entry and maybe even a blog post! Totally recommend them.
I also grabbed my Prakriti (Ayurveda) book to keep my healthy lifestyle inspired and I plan to dig out my Cunninghams herbal encyclopedia in the next week as I'm doign quite a bit of herbal work right now.
Other things I have ready:
My altar in a box - 1 deck of basic tarot cards (small), 1 large quartz crystal, 1 mini chalice, 1 bottle of sea salt (try salt packets as well), 1 small bottle of olive oil, 2 small white candles (also try tea lights), 1 small altar cloth decorated with pentacle, 1 lighter, and a couple sticks or cones of incense.
I also have readily available a fairy statue/candle holder, my teeny medicine Buddha and my Ganesh statue. I recommend having whatever available that makes you feel connected to patron deities or the divine no matter how small.
We've only been back in TN for...about a week now. I still plan to check in at Dillys in Kingsport, Three of Cups, Atlantis and Caravan Mystique in Johnson City. There's also a few places I havent been yet that I want to check out (specifically a small local in Greeneville, TN). Just wanted to give my fav witchy spots a shout out!
P.S. Apparently I moved just in time for the End of the World on May 21 ^_^
Friday, May 20, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Spiritual Housecleaning
I was reading the 2011 Llewellyn Almanac and enjoyed the article on Spairitual Housecleaning by Deborah Blake. Since my last couple of posts have been on spring cleaning and protection, I thought I would add a few suggestions from the article.
Blake, like many writers who broach the topic of adding spirituality to mundane acts, like house cleaning, explains that by doing so you add a bit of magick to your everyday life. I would also like to add, that by doing so, a witch can keep herself in the practice of raising and grounding energy and of keeping the area around her free of harmful and non-beneficial energies.
I liked how Blake wrote this article with all witches of all walks of life in mind, not just the ones who own their own home and live in an area that has easy access of nature and the land but also those who live in urban areas and apartments. By adding this and the alternatives to the cleansing such as walking around the inner rooms of an apartment or around the owned property, a witch doesn't feel hindered by his or her living arrangement.
Blake also gives the reader free reign on when she will be performing her magickal housecleaning, rather than encouraging the witch to perform the cleaning on a specific date such as Spring Equinox.
One of the things that Blake encourages doing when doing spiritual housecleaning is smudging, which I failed to mention in my last post. Sage smudging is a very powerful action that can be done when cleansing the home, sacred space, etc. My husband is a big believer in sage smudging and uses the smudge bundles whenever he does a healing whether its a personal one or on another person.
Blake starts out the instructions for spiritual housecleaning by opening the windows (or one window if its cold out) and smudging each room, starting at the room's boundaries. She adds that this can be followed by sprinkling salt and water along the room's boundaries.
I definitely encourage any witch to buy one of these Almanacs and reading the nifty little articles that can help add a little magick to everything you do.
Blake, like many writers who broach the topic of adding spirituality to mundane acts, like house cleaning, explains that by doing so you add a bit of magick to your everyday life. I would also like to add, that by doing so, a witch can keep herself in the practice of raising and grounding energy and of keeping the area around her free of harmful and non-beneficial energies.
I liked how Blake wrote this article with all witches of all walks of life in mind, not just the ones who own their own home and live in an area that has easy access of nature and the land but also those who live in urban areas and apartments. By adding this and the alternatives to the cleansing such as walking around the inner rooms of an apartment or around the owned property, a witch doesn't feel hindered by his or her living arrangement.
Blake also gives the reader free reign on when she will be performing her magickal housecleaning, rather than encouraging the witch to perform the cleaning on a specific date such as Spring Equinox.
One of the things that Blake encourages doing when doing spiritual housecleaning is smudging, which I failed to mention in my last post. Sage smudging is a very powerful action that can be done when cleansing the home, sacred space, etc. My husband is a big believer in sage smudging and uses the smudge bundles whenever he does a healing whether its a personal one or on another person.
Blake starts out the instructions for spiritual housecleaning by opening the windows (or one window if its cold out) and smudging each room, starting at the room's boundaries. She adds that this can be followed by sprinkling salt and water along the room's boundaries.
I definitely encourage any witch to buy one of these Almanacs and reading the nifty little articles that can help add a little magick to everything you do.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Spring Cleaning: Protection Charms
Just about every witch or practitioner I know has a charm or two for protection. Whether its in their cars, homes, purses or on their person.
I have 2 protection charms that are very prominent in my life: the evil eye in my car and the orgone accumulator on my t.v.
Evil Eyes are those blue disks with blue, white and black eyes painted on them. They are very popular in Southern Asia but can usually be bought at craft stores and new age shops. Evil Eyes are said to deflect any bad energy sent at you, whether intentional or not. This included anyone looking at you or your things covetously, cussing you when you accidentally pull in front of them, or a serious curse upon your well-being.
Orgone Accumulators are crystal and copper designs in special resins that work to turn EMFs and un-beneficial energies into beneficial ones. They work best when set in the area of your home that sets off the most micro-waves or EMFs. I would set it on our laptops but ours is the size of a fist and our laptops are constantly moving. So ours sits on the t.v. in the central area of our home.
I try and cleanse my protection charms about once a year. This is partly so the don't leave their intended space for long (and so I don't forget to put them back) and partly so that I'm not constantly handling them and changing their energy.
To cleanse them, I use a small white candle (usually a tea-light), tea tree oil and water in an oil burner and/or a preferred incense, sea salt and filtered water and a rag.
I usually draw a circle and ask my guides to watch over me and bless my actions but this is not normally a formal circle or calling the quarters. You may perform a formal circle if you wish.
With each charm, I'll wash it over with some sea salt and water. I visualize the grim of bad energies caked on their being scrubbed away to reveal the shining charm, almost like new. I then dry each one off and prepare to recharge them and cleanse them spiritually.
In order, I hold the charm above the flame (being careful not to burn myself) and charge the charm with the cleansing and protecting power of fire, which burns away the bad and lights the path. Above the incense and/or the burning oil I charge the charm with air's ability to clear the bad and breath new life or a breath of fresh air. With the clean water I recharge each charm with water's cleansing ability to wash away the bad and change the tides/energies for good. With the salt I ground each charm and charge it with the strength of earth to stand against bad energies like a protective shield or fortress.
I thank those energies that have helped me, ground the energy I have stirred up, and close the circle. I immediately put each charm back where it needs to be.
This small rite can also be done after a move since the charms are dealing with ricocheting energies.
I have 2 protection charms that are very prominent in my life: the evil eye in my car and the orgone accumulator on my t.v.
Evil Eyes are those blue disks with blue, white and black eyes painted on them. They are very popular in Southern Asia but can usually be bought at craft stores and new age shops. Evil Eyes are said to deflect any bad energy sent at you, whether intentional or not. This included anyone looking at you or your things covetously, cussing you when you accidentally pull in front of them, or a serious curse upon your well-being.
Orgone Accumulators are crystal and copper designs in special resins that work to turn EMFs and un-beneficial energies into beneficial ones. They work best when set in the area of your home that sets off the most micro-waves or EMFs. I would set it on our laptops but ours is the size of a fist and our laptops are constantly moving. So ours sits on the t.v. in the central area of our home.
I try and cleanse my protection charms about once a year. This is partly so the don't leave their intended space for long (and so I don't forget to put them back) and partly so that I'm not constantly handling them and changing their energy.
To cleanse them, I use a small white candle (usually a tea-light), tea tree oil and water in an oil burner and/or a preferred incense, sea salt and filtered water and a rag.
I usually draw a circle and ask my guides to watch over me and bless my actions but this is not normally a formal circle or calling the quarters. You may perform a formal circle if you wish.
With each charm, I'll wash it over with some sea salt and water. I visualize the grim of bad energies caked on their being scrubbed away to reveal the shining charm, almost like new. I then dry each one off and prepare to recharge them and cleanse them spiritually.
In order, I hold the charm above the flame (being careful not to burn myself) and charge the charm with the cleansing and protecting power of fire, which burns away the bad and lights the path. Above the incense and/or the burning oil I charge the charm with air's ability to clear the bad and breath new life or a breath of fresh air. With the clean water I recharge each charm with water's cleansing ability to wash away the bad and change the tides/energies for good. With the salt I ground each charm and charge it with the strength of earth to stand against bad energies like a protective shield or fortress.
I thank those energies that have helped me, ground the energy I have stirred up, and close the circle. I immediately put each charm back where it needs to be.
This small rite can also be done after a move since the charms are dealing with ricocheting energies.
Spring Cleaning: Magick and Mundane
My mother is the world's biggest lover of lists. She has a list for just about everything whether its shopping, wish lists, to-do lists, book lists, etc. She has encouraged this habit in me so I've made a basic list of things I need to do in order to finish my spring cleaning.
If you decide to make a list yourself, you can actually add a lil magick to the mix by asking guides (whatever you please, including deities of the hearth and home or maybe some friendly house faeries) to bless this list as a sign of your intentions and give you aid and motivation to get the listed projects done. You can event add a few runs or sigils to the paper for added energy and motivation if you are like me and need that little kick to get going.
My partner, Night, and I have a very small apartment. It literally is a box and the bathroom has the only door, aside from the front entrance door. Everything else is in the same room including bedroom, sitting area and kitchen. So this is the cause of my organizational grief.
My first thing to do, before I start cleaning, is to put up all the clothes, take out all the trash, and clean all the dishes. Then, the fun starts, I get to go through everything, EVERYTHING, and pick out what I no longer want or need (and can reasonably part with) and put the mess in bags and boxes to take to Good Will or the dumpster.
The next thing to do is a thorough cleaning of the apartment. If you have a house, this will probably be taken a day at a time. I will vacuum, mop, wash, dust, and polish until I am worn out. Then I'll get my cleansing tools together. For me, this is usually sea salt, filtered water, a purple rag, and intention. You could also ad your besom as a cleansing and clearing magickal tool but as I do not have one, it is not on my list.
I will salt the corners of each area, banishing un-beneficial and bad energies (I no longer say negative after reading Penczaks' book The Inner Temple of Witchcraft) and protecting the home. Salting each corner is something I do just about every new moon or so for protection of the home and those in it. My cat usually follows each salting with a good investigative sniff and then a nod in my direction as if she approves.
I will also add salt to warm water and bless it with protection and cleansing. With the purple rag I will literally wash the walls and the tiled kitchen bathroom floors with the blessed water. I'd do the ceiling too but I can't reach and my partner doesn't feel its necessary.
With the same salt water or with a smaller bowl of higher salt concentration, I'll draw runes and sigils of protection over the front door and the window-sills, using my index and middle finger.
I will also burn incense and a mixture of tea tree oil and water in an oil burner to add to the protection and cleansing. Tea tree oil is not only a protective oil but also rids the area of molds, bacteria, fungus, and viruses. I also mix tea tree oil with alcohol or witch hazel and water and spray it around the bathroom to prevent fungus.
To end the day, I'll call upon my guardians, spirits, faeries, and deities to bless this home, those who live here, and all those who enter it with love in their hearts. I ask that they protect us and keep us. So Mote It Be.
If you decide to make a list yourself, you can actually add a lil magick to the mix by asking guides (whatever you please, including deities of the hearth and home or maybe some friendly house faeries) to bless this list as a sign of your intentions and give you aid and motivation to get the listed projects done. You can event add a few runs or sigils to the paper for added energy and motivation if you are like me and need that little kick to get going.
My partner, Night, and I have a very small apartment. It literally is a box and the bathroom has the only door, aside from the front entrance door. Everything else is in the same room including bedroom, sitting area and kitchen. So this is the cause of my organizational grief.
My first thing to do, before I start cleaning, is to put up all the clothes, take out all the trash, and clean all the dishes. Then, the fun starts, I get to go through everything, EVERYTHING, and pick out what I no longer want or need (and can reasonably part with) and put the mess in bags and boxes to take to Good Will or the dumpster.
The next thing to do is a thorough cleaning of the apartment. If you have a house, this will probably be taken a day at a time. I will vacuum, mop, wash, dust, and polish until I am worn out. Then I'll get my cleansing tools together. For me, this is usually sea salt, filtered water, a purple rag, and intention. You could also ad your besom as a cleansing and clearing magickal tool but as I do not have one, it is not on my list.
I will salt the corners of each area, banishing un-beneficial and bad energies (I no longer say negative after reading Penczaks' book The Inner Temple of Witchcraft) and protecting the home. Salting each corner is something I do just about every new moon or so for protection of the home and those in it. My cat usually follows each salting with a good investigative sniff and then a nod in my direction as if she approves.
I will also add salt to warm water and bless it with protection and cleansing. With the purple rag I will literally wash the walls and the tiled kitchen bathroom floors with the blessed water. I'd do the ceiling too but I can't reach and my partner doesn't feel its necessary.
With the same salt water or with a smaller bowl of higher salt concentration, I'll draw runes and sigils of protection over the front door and the window-sills, using my index and middle finger.
I will also burn incense and a mixture of tea tree oil and water in an oil burner to add to the protection and cleansing. Tea tree oil is not only a protective oil but also rids the area of molds, bacteria, fungus, and viruses. I also mix tea tree oil with alcohol or witch hazel and water and spray it around the bathroom to prevent fungus.
To end the day, I'll call upon my guardians, spirits, faeries, and deities to bless this home, those who live here, and all those who enter it with love in their hearts. I ask that they protect us and keep us. So Mote It Be.
Update
Greetings and apologies my readers. I know I don't keep up on this blog nearly often enough.
That being said I hope to write a bit more frequently now as I'll have much more to write about. My partner, friend and myself are shaking the dust off our wands and brooms so to speak. We're honing in our abilities and love of the craft and taking our city by storm in search of like minds, shops to buy necessary tools, and so on.
Sounds a little gung-ho, I know but that's just how excited I am about this new decision and revelation the 3 of us have had.
Spring is also on the way and the best part of spring, for me, is spring cleaning. Out with the old and the clutter, shine up the neglected. I'll be doing a few projects for spring cleaning outside the mundane and plan to share them with you along with how to mix some magick in with my normal cleaning.
So if you can find it in your heart to forgive a neglectful witch, please continue reading and maybe add some of your own ideas into the mix. I love comments ^_^
That being said I hope to write a bit more frequently now as I'll have much more to write about. My partner, friend and myself are shaking the dust off our wands and brooms so to speak. We're honing in our abilities and love of the craft and taking our city by storm in search of like minds, shops to buy necessary tools, and so on.
Sounds a little gung-ho, I know but that's just how excited I am about this new decision and revelation the 3 of us have had.
Spring is also on the way and the best part of spring, for me, is spring cleaning. Out with the old and the clutter, shine up the neglected. I'll be doing a few projects for spring cleaning outside the mundane and plan to share them with you along with how to mix some magick in with my normal cleaning.
So if you can find it in your heart to forgive a neglectful witch, please continue reading and maybe add some of your own ideas into the mix. I love comments ^_^
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Stick to it!
All the great teachers encourage learning of new skills but they also encourage dedication ot what you do best.
The Golden Dawn members said find a type of divination that is easiest and best done by your hand and use it. This means that if your skills in Tarot are considered a mastery by many and you find a sort of friendship and comfort in your tarot deck, then stick to it rather than struggle and fight to learn how to read tea leaves and crystal balls.
I have learned thsi lesson fairly well after studying tarot, beating my head against the wall called Numerology, and tortured myself and a poor pendulum for hours I have returned to my original ways: scrying via dark mirror or sphere.
Recently, fate and spirits have given me a little bit of an abrupt love-tap as I stepped into Three of Cups, a local Botanica. Looking at the herbs and curios, I found myself standing before a jewel case holding crystal balls and wands. My eyes and full attention were drwn to a dark orb about the sixe of my fist that looked to be ring upon ring of black, green, gray, and smoky midnight blue.
If you have ever felt the tug of something that resonates with your very core, you will understand how I felt as my heart core vibrated madly and my every thought cried out, "Thats Mine!"
Sadly, the sphere was a little expensive, being made of Ranbow Obsidian with few marks. I let it be, thinking of my pocketbook.
A week or so later, I returned to Three of Cups and was again in front of the jewel case, looking down at the rainbow obsidian which continued to call to me.
A dear friend of mine gave me a jarring boost to buy the stone. He said that if I didnt buy it, then there would be a chance that someone else would buy it and might use it without the dear respect it deserves...someone who I did not feel much liking towards.
So I bought the stone and overcame some hesitations I had towards scrying. Now I realize that I have a natural affinity towards this form of divination and have been a fool to turn from it as I have for more worldly accepted forms, for forms that people happily pay to have done.
Please take heed and do what your soul calls for and do not shun it.
The Golden Dawn members said find a type of divination that is easiest and best done by your hand and use it. This means that if your skills in Tarot are considered a mastery by many and you find a sort of friendship and comfort in your tarot deck, then stick to it rather than struggle and fight to learn how to read tea leaves and crystal balls.
I have learned thsi lesson fairly well after studying tarot, beating my head against the wall called Numerology, and tortured myself and a poor pendulum for hours I have returned to my original ways: scrying via dark mirror or sphere.
Recently, fate and spirits have given me a little bit of an abrupt love-tap as I stepped into Three of Cups, a local Botanica. Looking at the herbs and curios, I found myself standing before a jewel case holding crystal balls and wands. My eyes and full attention were drwn to a dark orb about the sixe of my fist that looked to be ring upon ring of black, green, gray, and smoky midnight blue.
If you have ever felt the tug of something that resonates with your very core, you will understand how I felt as my heart core vibrated madly and my every thought cried out, "Thats Mine!"
Sadly, the sphere was a little expensive, being made of Ranbow Obsidian with few marks. I let it be, thinking of my pocketbook.
A week or so later, I returned to Three of Cups and was again in front of the jewel case, looking down at the rainbow obsidian which continued to call to me.
A dear friend of mine gave me a jarring boost to buy the stone. He said that if I didnt buy it, then there would be a chance that someone else would buy it and might use it without the dear respect it deserves...someone who I did not feel much liking towards.
So I bought the stone and overcame some hesitations I had towards scrying. Now I realize that I have a natural affinity towards this form of divination and have been a fool to turn from it as I have for more worldly accepted forms, for forms that people happily pay to have done.
Please take heed and do what your soul calls for and do not shun it.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Fresh Breath of May
I hope that all had a fabulous Beltain/May Day.
I certainly did.
Along with having a weekend of at home dates with my beloved, I also started a new project:
A ScrapBook of Shadows.
My plan is to gather up my working spells and start a few new ones and put them together artistically.
My pages should include samples of herbs, stone chips, poetry/chants uses, and so on along with the actual spells and photographs. I also want to bookmark a few pages with handmade book marks with gemstones that correspond with the type of spell.
Sounds like a big undertaking but there is no dedline.
I am also interested in perhaps putting together a scrabooking group specifically on SBOSs.
I hope everyone's May Day was as enjoyable as mine if nt more so ^_^
I certainly did.
Along with having a weekend of at home dates with my beloved, I also started a new project:
A ScrapBook of Shadows.
My plan is to gather up my working spells and start a few new ones and put them together artistically.
My pages should include samples of herbs, stone chips, poetry/chants uses, and so on along with the actual spells and photographs. I also want to bookmark a few pages with handmade book marks with gemstones that correspond with the type of spell.
Sounds like a big undertaking but there is no dedline.
I am also interested in perhaps putting together a scrabooking group specifically on SBOSs.
I hope everyone's May Day was as enjoyable as mine if nt more so ^_^
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