Magickal Enchantments

New at Magickal Enchantments!

2010-02-11T06:12:00.000-08:00

Greetings all,
I am very excited as I recently invested in a lot of new oils and restocked my herbs. Thank the Goddess for tax season, lol.
I have been getting more and more requests for oils for men lately. I am always being told how good I smell, which I love of course. This leads to me explaining that I create my own blends which then leads to "Do you make oils for guys?"

I have always tended to direct my products towards women as I actually use my products as do my friends and family. I looked into the best scents for men, started putting together a list of oils and when they arrived I immediately began creating.

I greatly enjoy spending time in my sacred space creating. There is nothing like it and I am so lucky to be able to have a large space to call my own in my home.

I created a few different blends and have listed two of them as of now.
The 1st blend is called Blue Moon for men and carries a sexy and light citrus blend with a touch of musk. Seductive and uplifting!
My 2nd blend for men is called Sacred Oak. This is a really nice spicy, woodsy blend. It carries a wonderful blend of oils such as petitgrain, amber, anise, patchouli, oakmoss, and some other secret ingredients..:) My husband confiscated the 1st bottle of this blend. It was really nice to have my hubby coming into my sacred room and asking for a bottle of oil! He uses the Meg Healing Oil frequently however that is out of need rather then want, lol. This oil he really wanted to wear!

I can also create these blends in a spray for men who do not want to wear oils.

I have also purchased items like charcoal tablets and some other supplies that I will start listing soon.
My other exciting purchase was my new woodburning tool with attachements! I cant wait to start working on some new wands and other items that I have been working around in my head for a while now. It is hard when you want to create something in particular but you do not have the tools necessary to create them! Frustrating to say the least.
I also created some new aromtherapy blends that I added to the shop. One is a Grief and Sorrow Oil. This oil is to be used when going through a difficult phase in life. Anything from financial issues, the loss of a loved one, etc. This is a light blend that contains a blend of essential oils all known for their powers of relaxing the mind and body during times of extreme stress and depression.
Another new addition is Jealousy Oil. This blend contains oils that work on feelings of jealousy, inadequacy, and low self esteem.

The car charms sell so quickly so I added some new ones to the shop. I am glad everyone enjoys them.
Please stop by Magickal Enchantments to check out my new items!

P.S. As you can see in the pictures below I also invested in some new bottles for my creations. I love these new colored bottles!

Here are some pictures of some of my new additions:

Butterly Car Charm

Blue Moon for Men

Sacred Oak for men

Grief and Sorrow Oil

Jealousy Oil

The Winner of the Custom Spirituality Kit Goes To...

2010-01-09T07:01:00.000-08:00

My Witchlet and I picked the winner of the Custom Spirituality Kit winner on New Years Day. I am sorry it took me a bit to post the winner, however without further ado.

The Winner of the Custom Spirituality Kit goes to...

The Soccer Mom!

Congrats to you Soccer Mom! I look forward to working with you to create the perfect spiritual kit for you.

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2010!

And don't despair over not winning this giveaway, I will be posting another soon enough...:)

Blessed Be,
Kat

The holidays are over!

2009-12-27T13:56:00.000-08:00

Greetings to all. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. I have to say that I am relieved to be able to get back to normal. The stress of the holidays is so draining!
I first want to remind everyone that you have less then a week to enter my latest giveaway for the Custom Spirituality Kit. Please remember that to be eligible you have to be a follower of my blog, you have to blog or tweet about the giveaway as well as telling me why this is a good giveaway for you.
With that said, I would like to tell you about my new items that I am sooo excited about as well as the work I recently did on my besom. I recently participated in a trade with a wonderful ETSY seller. Her shop is called EarthWrappedJewelry. I am in the middle of creating for her a Custom Spirituality Kit and in return she created some lovely items for me.
The 1st item is a beautiful Natural Quartz Druzy Geode Necklace.

This natural druzy geode slice is one of Mother Nature's finest. Light, white & yellow agate, with tiny quartz crystals. Mineral deposits are also visible. This druzy geode has lots of sparkle. Weaved with .999 Fine Silver wire on a Sterling Silver frame and comes on an 20" silver chain.

My second item is a Quartz Crystal Weaved Pendant with Amethyst Accents.
A large Quartz Crystal 45mm X 9mm x 7mm has been weaved with .999 fine silver. Small Amethyst rondelles have been added and really accent this crystal.

My third item is a Rainbow Moonstone Sterling Silver Pendant.
This beautiful Rainbow Moonstone has been weaved with a basket of fine silver. Stone is 10mm.

She also wire wrapped a lovely silver ring with an aqua marine bead. You can see this in the pics below.
The craftsmanship in EarthWrappedJewelry's items is unparallel. Each item is enchanting and magickal. They are all lovely additions to my metaphysical jewelry collection.
If you would like to check out her other wares please visit the link below.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/EarthWrappedJewelry

I also decided that my trusty Besom needed a makeover. I have been thinking about it since I posted that blog about the use of besoms and how we Witches tend to neglect them at times. I have been guilty of that but no more! I put a lot of thought into this and finally decided to get to work. Once I decided what I wanted to do I got to work.

I added a nice quartz crystal to the tip of my besom and surrounded it with onyx, snowflake obsidian, dalmatian stone, and crystal chips.

The top of my besom has black velvet ribbon wrapped around it. I also atttached crystal chips to that. I then took purple and black ribbons and wrapped them around the length of my besom also adding some to dangle down the sides. I have a black velvet rose that wraps around the bottom of the wood handle as well. Around the twigs I also wrapped the black velvet ribbon and added clear and dark purple gems to the twigs as well.
At the top of my besom I added a cluster of beads and charms and for the handle I used black and white seed beads in patterns of six of course.
Forgive the pictures as my camera is broken and I have to rely on my video camera as my camera and it does not have a flash. So without further ado here is my new Besom....

And here is a pic of me with my new jewelry on performing a reading for an online client...:)

That is all for today. Again, don't forget to pass the word about the Custom Spirituality Kit giveaway. I look forward to seeing who wins. All names will be added to a hat and the winner will be picked randomly.

Brightest Blessings to all!

New Giveaway~Custom Spirituality Kit!!!!!!

2009-12-12T05:03:00.000-08:00

Are you feeling stagnant and unmotivated? Perhaps you feel as though something is missing in your life, but your not sure where to begin looking for it. The time has come to connect to your spiritual roots and inner light. Your life is a gift and how you live it is your choice.

I am pleased to offer to my blessed followers a new giveaway. I wanted to give away something really special for the new year to one of you. I decided to start off the new year with my biggest giveaway yet.

A Custom Spirituality Kit!

This kit will contain a Custom Blended Oil, A Custom Blended Herbal Sachet, and a Crystal specific to the intent we decide is right for you. Each item will be made to your specific spiritual needs.

You and I will converse through emails or chat to decide what is the best way for you to connect to your inner light and to aid you with living a life where you feel more confident, focused and spiritual.

I want everyone to understand that as a Tarot Reader and Spiritual Counselor I value confidentiality. Nothing you say to me will ever be repeated. I have heard everything so nothing you say will shock me either. To create the perfect kit for you, I will need you to be honest and open with me.

I greatly enjoy creating custom orders and it will be my pleasure to create for you a custom kit. I look forward to starting off the new year creating this for one of my followers. I thank each and every one of you for staying with me this year and I look forward to a prosperous new year for all of us.

Please note that if you have won one of my giveaways in the past it does not mean that you do not qualify for this giveaway. As long as you follow the below instructions, you are eligible to win this giveaway.

I will announce the winner on New Years Eve!

To Qualify for the giveaway you must do ALL of the following:

1. Be a follower of my blog.

2. Blog about this giveaway.

3. Comment on this blog telling me why you would like to win this particular giveaway.

~Note, if you do not have a blog you can Twitter about the giveaway. Please leave me your blog address so I know that you have shared this giveaway in your blog or on your Twitter.

Also, I offer a Custom Spirituality Kit in my shop if you would like to check it out. That contains an Oracle Reading, A Custom Oil, A Custom Herbal, A Custom Incense, and a Crystal. The photo shown in this giveaway is an example only and is from my shop listing of a Custom Spirituality Kit.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=33938027

Thanks to all and Good Luck!

We Have a Winner!

2009-12-07T04:54:00.001-08:00

And the winner of the Winter Solstice Swag is a new follower by the name of:
Talullahsworld!
Many thanks to all who entered and I will have another giveaway soon so stay tuned...:)
Magickal Blessings to all for a magickal Yule.
The Celtic Witch

Note~Picture shown in a new item I added to my store yesterday. It is a trio bracelet set of amethyst and metallic beads. Really cute if you would like to check it out.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/magickalenchantments

New Product Giveaway~Winter Solstice Swag

2009-11-16T05:16:00.000-08:00

Juniper and spice, and everything nice. That is what you will be getting with my latest giveaway.
My Witchlet and I had a busy weekend creating. Saturday was a rainy day here in New England so we spent the day drying apples, oranges and lemons. We sprinkled the apple slices with a blend of cloves, allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon before baking. We put them on wire racks on top of a baking sheet in a 250 degree oven for two hours. They came out perfect and my house smelled fabulous all day!
We also strung cranberries and wired them into hearts and circle shapes for ornaments.

Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day so we grabbed our collecting bag and headed to the park. Our collection bag is one of those green bags you buy for the market so you do not use the plastic bags. I have tons of those so we turned one into our collection bag. In this bag we have two pairs of scissors, a marker, two small glass jars with tops, and paper lunch sacks. This bag is great and having the separate bags allows us to collect and label our goodies.
We collected juniper, pine, pine cones, berries, grapevine twists, and acorns. We were at the park for about 3 hours and we had a wonderful time my Witchlet and I. It was a peaceful day and we even saw a little baby chipmunk with his little cheeks fat with nuts.
After our collecting we went for lunch at Burger King, Bella's choice, not mine..:)
Of course driving home I felt this tickling on my neck and pulled a lovely bug off of myself. It is amazing that I didn't get into an accident with the screaming and checking myself while driving for other members of the bugs family that were in my mind making a home in my scalp! Luckily it was only a 3 minute drive to Burger King where I almost stripped naked in the parking lot checking for bugs.
When we got home we soaked our acorns and pine cones in hot soapy water and scrubbed them clean. I also cleaned off the pine and juniper with lukewarm water.
Once our goodies were dry we created these lovely Winter Solstice Swags.
I created three, one for my shop, one for me, and one for the winner of this giveaway.
Your Winter Solstice Swag is made up of Pine and Juniper for it's base. I then added three cinnamon sticks, acorns, and pine cones. At the top is a spiced dried apple slice with a dried lemon slice and a lovely metallic bead in the center. I added a green crescent moon, a green star, and a gold star, which I glued on in different places on the swag. At the very top is a bow of green ribbon with a lovely green lamp work bead in the center.
The total piece measures about 10 inches long give or take.
This piece smells lovely and would make a lovely addition to your holiday decor.

Here are the magickal meanings of the objects in your Winter Solstice Swag:
Acorn:
Plenty, prosperity, good luck, birth, patience, and fruitfulness.

Cinnamon:
The masculine principle, power, love, spirituality, success, wealth, and healing. Associated with the Sun, and the element of fire.

Clove:
Strength, courage, and protection. Associated with Jupiter and Uranus, and the element of fire. Used in magical works for cleansing, protection, to bring prosperity, and to keep away negative forces.

Juniper:
Courage, protection, purity, and confidence. Associated with the planet Mercury.

Lemon:
Harvest, passion, discretion, luck, uplifting, energy clearing, and pride. Associated with the Sun. Said to bring protective spirits.

Pine:
Honesty, strength, fertility, generosity, silence, hope, solitude, and immortality. Pines cones were carried to increase fertility and for longevity. Pine needles have been burned as an incense to purify and cleanse. Branches were placed over beds to keep sickness away. Associated with the planet Mars and the element of air.
Pine Cone have been powerful, and ancient, symbols of Eternal Life

Apple:
Love, fertility, divination, luxury, knowledge, and romance. The apple has been associated with sexuality in most cultures.
Celtic: Fruit of knowledge, prophecy, and magic. The Silver Bough. The ancient Celts believed the apple had strong magic powers. It is also associated with the Other world. In many Celtic myths, people who travel to the Isles of Women and enter the Land of promise are met by a beautiful woman who carries an apple branch and promises to grant them their heart's desire. The apple was used to symbolize the goal of a quest.

To be eligible to win this enchanting Winter Solstice Swag you must:
1. Be a follower of my blog.
2. Comment on this post.
3. Tweet or blog about this giveaway and leave me the link to wear you have done so.
4. Please make sure I have a way to contact you if you are the winner.

Thanks to all and good luck!

Grab your Besoms My Fellow Witches!

2009-11-14T05:09:00.000-08:00

Last night I grabbed one of my old Magical Almanacs to read. I love my Magical Almanacs and I have them going back to 1999. They are filled with information on various areas of the craft and I never lack for reading material.

The article that I opened up to was one about brooms and how we Witches often overlook how effective they are in magic. I am also guilty of this and tend to save my broom for magical house cleanings and for clearing my sacred space. Shame on me however, I should know better. A broom is so much more than that. After all, we Witches are known for having magickal brooms so why aren't we using them more?

The broom itself functions as a symbol of the sacred marriage of the God and Goddess, a rite that has been symbolically reenacted each spring by followers of earth religions for thousands of years. The pole portion represents the phallus of the God, and the bristles symbolize the mound of Venus that guards the opening to the Goddesses reproductive organs. When both parts are united in a completed broom they form a potent magical symbol of wholeness and creative potential.

This sexual imagery makes the broom the perfect choice for a magical tool to use in fertility rites of all sorts. It is also used at the conclusion of many Pagan marriages (called Handfastings) as the couple "jumps the broom" after exchanging their final vows.

In the distant past women would ride their brooms hobbyhorse style over newly tilled fields to encourage growth, and through barns and pasture lands to encourage the reproduction of animals.

Because brooms represent the totality of the deity-both male and female aspects- they have been used as talismans of protection. They have been placed under beds, across entryways and windows, at the entrances to sacred space, and they have stood guard at hearth sides.

The sweeping action of the broom itself, its ability to cleanse any area through which it is taken and to take whatever debris it collects to someplace else, is so obvious that the magical potency of this simple action is to often overlooked.

In the article I read last night which was written by Edain McCoy, she tells us about a well-to-do Irish lass named Alice who owned a magic broom that got her into big trouble.

A seventeenth century Irish widow named Dame Alice Kyteler knew the secret of the broom, and was apparently adept at using it to good effect until she was caught in the act and condemned to death for practicing Witchcraft.

Alice loved her children and was willing to use magic to help them succeed. She would take her broom out into the streets of her native Kilkenny late at night and begin a methodical sweeping action that was aimed toward her home. While doing this she would chant a magical rhyme in which she bid all the wealth in town to come to her eldest son William who lived with her.

No one knows just how long the very prosperous Alice had been working at this spell when she was discovered by a neighbor and reported as a Witch, but we do know that she was able to escape her persecutors and flee to England with most of her considerable wealth in tact.

Do you think she used her broom to escape her persecutors? I like to think so..:)

With the economy the way it is, I expect all of you to grab your besoms this evening when the moon is high and start your methodical sweep to bless your home with prosperity. You know that I will be out there!

So my fellow Witches, grab your brooms and start using them like they want to be used...:)

Brightest Blessings,

The Celtic Witch

Note, I would also like to add that especially at the holiday season our homes get bogged down with stress and negative energy. This is supposed to be the season of good will.

A good way to cleanse your home of negativity is to grab your broom and starting at your front door move in a clock wise motion through your home sweeping out all negativity. Be sure to get under beds and all closets and corners. While you sweep you can chant something like this or use your own words:

"Sweep, Sweep,

With this broom.

All bad out of this room.

Sweep, Sweep,

All good in.

The bad to never return again."

Be sure your magickal broom never actually touches the floor. Keep in mind that this is a spiritual cleaning and should be done after your regular cleaning for maximum effect.

Ta~Da, My New Wand!

2009-11-07T06:12:00.000-08:00

I have finally completed my wand! I am so excited about it. When we went apple picking last month I collected some very nice apple branches. Once home I went through the braches and picked out a nice branch that felt just right in my hand. I peeled and sanded it. With a pencil I then drew some symbols on it that I wanted to wood burn. I am not an artist in any way so I kept the symbols simple. I am also new to wood burning so I was so scared to death to take that tool to my lovely wand that I almost didn't do it. I finally got up the courage last night to try it and I am quite pleased with the results seeing that it was my 1st time wood burning. I drew a pentacle at the top of the wand, a bit under that a Goddess with two crescent moons on each side of her, under that a triple moon, and at the bottom a god symbol. I drew swirls coming out of each symbol to run around the wand at a curve.
I then placed a lovely quartz point at the top and used a pretty purple ribbon at the top and bottom.
I chose my favorite charms and beads to adorn my wand and then used purple and white ribbon to hang down the side.
I am so happy with this wand that I can't put it down, lol. It feels so good in my hand, it was meant for me. I also burned my initials on the very bottom of the wand.
Here are some pics:

I would love to hear your thoughts and stories of how you all made your own wands.

I hope to get around to making one for my shop soon. I also have some lovely white birch branches that I collected a while back intending to make a wand from them as well.

Wishing everyone a bright and blessed weekend.

p.s.

I added some new items to my shop if anyone would like to take a peek. I created a Peaceful Sleep Kit, a Peaceful Sleep Spell Candle, and some Sleep Incense that I will be listing this weekend.

www.TheCelticWitch.com

Blessed Be!

Pagan Pride Day 2009

2009-09-27T05:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the Rhode Island Pagan Pride Day and I stopped in for a bit intending to treat myself with a little something. Last year I was a vendor however this year I did not participate as a vendor but I didnt want to miss out on the day.
It was a beautiful day weather wise, the sky was blue, there was a nice breeze, and the energy floating around the event was wonderful. I got their early when they 1st opened at 10 am. Last year they gave away goody bags with samples but apparently there weren't any this year..:(.
While going through the stands I came across a Tarot deck that I have been wanting since its recent release. The Tarot of The Sweet Twilight. I purchased this from The Silver Willow which can be found in Rehoboth, MA. Their website is www.thesilverwillow.com. They have a wonderful assortment of Pagan items and the owners are warm and friendly.
The Sweet Twilight is a beautiful deck from Lo Scarabeo featuring the artwork of Christina Benintende. This deck is like no other I have owned or seen. The images on each card are enchanting. They invite you into a world full of mystery and beauty. While some of the images do have the key symbols, others do not making it a perfect deck for the intuitive reader.
The box that the deck comes in has the following poem by W.B.Yeats:
Out-worn heart, in a time out-worn,
Come clear of the nets of wrong and right:
Laugh heart again in the great twilight,
Sigh, heart, again in the dew of the morn.

I look forward to performing readings with this lovely and truly one of a kind deck.
I also purchased some new crystals. Two beautiful large chunks of rose quartz, a selenite tower, and two crystals to add to my Witchlets crystal collection. For her I purchased a lovely midnight blue goldstone in a heart shape and a pretty bunny carved from soapstone. She loved them both.
I came to see that my best purchase was my Selenite tower. Although I have a large collection of crystals I have never owned Selenite before. This crystal resonates with energy and is said to help one connect with their higher self and to become aware of our own divinity. It has many uses for healing and magick however the one I learned quickly was it's ability to aid with dream recall. I am someone that has trouble remembering my dreams and only once in a while will one stick with me till the morning. I am also a very deep sleeper and once I fall asleep I sleep like a rock till the morning. Last night I placed my selenite on my headboard shelf right above my pillow. Let me tell you, I awoke last night about 3 times from dreams! How I wish I had thought to place my journal next to me! I was to tired to get up and get it and of course I didn't remember them this morning. I look forward to working more with this crystal. It is said that Selenite was a healing tool in Atlantis. It can be used to scry into the past, present and future. Past life regression are also assisted with selenite. It increases sensitivity, greater insight, psychic development, mental clarity, and removes blockages. It is said to be perfect for accessing ancient knowledge. How did I only now purchase this wonderful crystal? Perhaps I was not ready for its power and now I am.
I also purchased Llewellyn's 2010 Witches Spell a Day Almanac, The Llewellyn's Sabbats Almanac for 2010, and The Witches Almanac for 2010. The Witches Almanac is based right here in Newport Rhode Island. Nice bunch of guys running that table. I can’t wait to start receiving their newsletter. Go check out their site at www.thewitchesalmanac.com.
I try to purchase these almanacs every year as they are full of wonderful stories, recipes, crafts, and lore. The Sabbats Almanac is a great almanac with crafts, lore, and recipes for each Sabbat. A definite addition to every Witches book supply. I personally love books and can’t get my hands on enough of them, especially older additions of anything related to the old ways.
I would also like to give a shout out to a local seller right here in my hometown of Johnston, R.I. Here name is Liz and she creates some wonderfully organic items. Liz is a certified herbalist and is friendly and more than happy to answer questions with her wealth of herbal knowledge. Check her out at www.mywickedgarden.com
So, those were my treasures from Pagan Pride day.
Wishing everyone a great week.
The Celtic Witch

Winner of Floral Spice Giveaway

2009-09-13T06:25:00.000-07:00

The winner of the Floral Spice Giveaway is Bridgett! Bridgett writes a lovely Holistic Blog if you would like to check out her writings..

http://allnaturalboo.blogspot.com/

Thanks to all who entered and I will be offering a new giveaway soon! As always, if there is something you would like to see for a giveaway from my shop feel free to drop me a line..:)

Brightest Blessings,

Kat

Samhain Guided Family Meditation

2009-09-03T04:21:00.000-07:00

I have a wonderful old book called "Circle Round, Raising Children in Goddess Traditions"
The Authors goal for this book is to support families building their own spiritual tradition, by bringing you celebrations, explanations, activities, and the experiences of other families. The author’s definition of families being loving people who join together in the hard and important work of raising children. Children and families need love and support. The goal of this book is to offer these things.

I thought I would share this short story that can be used as a Samhain Guided Meditation for yourself, your children or perhaps as a guided family meditation or story.
So grab a cup of tea and sit for a spell...

Circle round, close your eyes and imagine...
It is late at night on Halloween, and you are very excited. All evening long you've been out, dressed up in costumes, collecting candy and apples and other treats from the houses in your neighborhood. Now you are quiet. It is time to go to sleep, but you can feel the magick in the air.
"Do we have to go to sleep?" you say.
"Tonight is a night for magick dreams," say the old ones.
"Set out an apple for Grandfather Deer, and maybe he will take you someplace."
You choose your best apple and set it out on the windowsill for Grandfather Deer. Then you lie down and close your eyes.
Now the room is filled with an earthy, animal smell. Open your eyes, and before you stands the glowing spirit of Grandfather Deer, the oldest and wisest stag in the forest, with many branching antlers he wears proudly on his head.
“Hop on my back, and I will take you someplace" he says.
You climb on his back, and hold tight to his antlers. He moves so swiftly and smoothly, you feel like you are flying, out of the house, over the tops of the trees, out past the streets and the cars, out into the spirit world of swirling color.
At last you come to a sandy beach by the shore of a dark ocean. You are not afraid, even though you can’t see much in the dark.
Get down off my back," Grandfather Deer says. "I cannot take you any farther. Now you must go on by boat."
You slide down off Grandfather Deer's back, and thank him. A boat glides across the water and you hear the crunch of sand under the keel as it reaches the beach.
"Do you wish to ride in my boat?" says a voice. You can’t see anyone, but you know the voice is magic because it sounds different to everyone who hears it. Some hear a woman’s voice, some hear a mans. Some hear a child or an animal or a bird.
What do you hear?
"Do you wish to visit the Shining Isle across the Sunless Sea?" the voice says.
"Yes," you say.
"Then you must pay me something."
"But I don’t have any money, I’m only a kid," you say. And you left all your candy at home.
"I like stories better than money or candy," says the voice. "Tell me a story about something you have done that was hard for you to do."
What story do you tell?
"Climb into the boat," says the voice.
You climb aboard, and the boat slips away from shore. It moves silently over the dark water.
In the distance, something shines. Slowly it grows bigger and brighter. You begin to smell something very sweet on the air, something that reminds you of fruit and flowers.
Now you see the shining thing is an island in the distance that grows bigger as you approach. On the shore are beautiful trees and flowers that shine with a light of their own.
"Who lives on that island?" you ask.
"The beloved dead, and the unborn," says the voice.
"Am I dead?" you ask.
"No. Tonight is Halloween, the only night of the year when the living can visit this island."
The boat reaches the shore, and the sand scrapes under its keel.
"Thank you, thank you!" you say, jumping off and wading through shallow water to the shore.
You step up onto the shore of a magick land that looks different to every person who comes here. You see the most beautiful place you can imagine, and just the sort of place you like best, whether it’s a valley or mountains, or a beautiful garden or a beach or a warm house. Someone is there to greet you, an ancestor, someone who loves you very much.
Who is it?
Is it someone you know and miss and remember, or someone you have never met before? Or is it someone you have met in a dream?
You play for along time, and at last, when you get hungry and thirsty and tired, an old, old woman appears. She is so old her face is covered with wrinkles, but her eyes are so bright they glow like two big round moons. At her feet is a big, round iron pot, a cauldron, and she is stirring something in it with a big wooden spoon, around and around and around.
You go close to the cauldron and look inside. At first it seems dark, but then you notice thousands of tiny, glowing lights, like little stars. Around and around and around they swirl, until you get a little dizzy watching them.
"Those are the souls of the dead," the old woman says. "And they are also the souls of the unborn. In my cauldron, I brew them back into life. Would you like to taste my brew?"
She holds out her spoon and puts one drop of her brew on your tongue. It tastes like the best thing in the world you can imagine. Just one drop is enough to leave you perfectly satisfied. You look into her eyes again and realize she is the Goddess.
"Remember this taste," she tells you, "whenever you are afraid or have to do something hard. It will give you strength and courage. But now it is time to go."
Sadly you say goodbye to the Goddess, to your ancestor, to everyone you have met here on the Shining Isle. You walk slowly back to the shore. A whole year will pass before you can visit here again, but you will remember your ancestor, and maybe in your dreams you will meet again.
At the shore the boat waits for you. You step inside and feel the scraping of the keel on the sand as it pushes off across the dark, dark waters of the Sunless Sea.
On the opposite shore Grandfather Deer waits. You smell his warm, animal smell and the rich smell of the moist earth. Now the boat reaches the shore again, and you thank the magic person who has guided the boat for you. You jump out, splashing through shallow water. and hop onto Grandfather Deer’s back.
Again you fly through the swirling colors of the spirit world, back over the treetops and the streets, to your own house again. You thank Grandfather Deer as you slide down from his back and feed him his special apple. Then you curl up to sleep, warm and safe in your own bed.~

New Piece, Goddess Cluster Ring

2009-08-31T04:52:00.000-07:00

Last night I made my 1st attempt at making a wire wrapped ring. I have been wanting to make one for so long and have not got around to it. However yesterday I tucked a piece of Labradorite in my head scarf so it rested right at the crown of my head and had a very creative day.
If you have never tried using crystals in this way, give it a try. I also tuck them into my bun or ponytail when I am not wearing a head scarf, which I usually am. If there are no crystals hiding in my hair, chances are they are tucked into my bra. I use crystals on a daily basis for many different types of needs from headaches, to prosperity, to anxiety, to creativity. You name it and there is a crystal that can aid you with it. I am lucky enough to have a very large supply of different types of crystal at my home as I have been collecting them for years.
ok, On to the ring..:)
I would love to hear your thoughts on this piece. Next time I am going to make the band a bit wider. I used Peridot as it is a wonderful crystal for healing, prosperity, and calming anger and anxiety. It is a lovely crystal that has a lovely hue to it.
I added a silver spiral goddess charm to the center. She is decorated on both sides so no matter which way she turns she looks lovely. She is around a size 7 1/2.

I also would like to say Greetings to my new followers! Thank you for taking the time to read and follow my blog! Best of luck to everyone who entered the Floral Spice Giveaway, I will be picking a winner this week! Also, the winner is picked at random. All names are placed into a bowl and my youngest usually picks the winner.
Thanks for all your blogs and tweets, much appreciated!
Brightest Blessings to all!

Floral Spice Perfume Oil Product Give Away!

2009-08-27T13:52:00.000-07:00

Greetings all,
I don't usually "toot" my own horn when it comes to my creations however,....:)
I loooove my new oil blend Floral Spice! It came out so awesome that I can't stop wearing it!
It is spicy and enticing and enchanting all rolled into one! I am more prone to the spicy woodsy blends but the little bit of floral added to this blend really completes this oil. I receive compliments every time I wear it.

It was time for a new product giveaway so I am offering a bottle of this oil blend to one of my followers. All you have to do is comment here and I would also appreciate if you would spread the word about this giveaway...:)
Twitter it, mention it in your blog, Facebook it, any of those would be appreciated.
I will choose my winner by next week.
Remember, you have to be a follower of my blog as well as commenting here for a chance to win. Once the winner is picked, I will announce it here.
Good Luck all!

The Goddess Kuan Yin

2009-07-31T16:42:00.000-07:00

Kuan Yin is believed to have been the daughter of a wealthy, cruel man who desired her to marry for status. Gentle Kuan Yin, in hopes of gaining spiritual enlightenment, disobeyed her father and entered a temple. There, she quickly became known for her kind deeds and compassion. But her father was so angered by her act that he had the girl killed. For her good works while alive, Kuan Yin was brought to heaven where she could enjoy an eternity of bliss.
But as she searched for heaven's gates, Kuan Yin heard a cry from below. It was someone suffering upon the earth, someone in need of her help. Then and there she vowed never to leave humanity until every last person was free from woe. For this vow, Kuan Yin was transformed into a Goddess.
Today the goddess Kuan Yin is widely worshipped. She is believed to heal those sick of heart and body, mothers and children in distress, and even seafarers in storms.
To often in life we are overwhelmed by troubles. Sorrow encompasses us-and there is only so much we can do. For those beset by worries or illness, the merciful goddess Kuan Yin is a wonderful goddess to invoke.
Many believe that the magickal act of saying Kuan Yin's name helps the troubled gain comfort. Others choose to go on pilgrimages to the goddess's temple on the mountain of Miao Feng Shan; to win her notice, they shake rattles and other noisemakers as they pray.
The next time you feel overwhelmed with worries, spend some time in nature. Choose a place that is beautiful and serene; even if you live in a city, a quiet glade of trees is often only a train ride away. Bring with you a small offering of fruit or a flower for Kuan Yin.
When you reach your destination, take some time to walk around. The act of walking suggests the passage of time: Time will pass and so will your problems, as difficult as that may be to believe.
When you find a quiet spot where is in unlikely you will be disturbed, sit and unburden yourself to Kuan Yin. State aloud what is bothering you and why. She will understand, compassionate goddess that she is. Take your time. Remember, the act of saying Kuan Yin's name aloud is believed to bring peace to even the most troubled of hearts.
When you have finished, leave the goddess your offering - and thank Kuan Yin for her help.

This information about the goddess Kuan Yin came from my enchanting book:
Embracing the Goddess Within by Kris Waldherr.
This is a lovely book and has been a wonderful addition to my collection of pagan books. You all know what a shameless book whore I am...:)
Brightest Blessings,
The Celtic Witch
)0(

A Brief Introduction to the Beliefs of Buddhism

2009-07-18T10:41:00.000-07:00

I want to apologize for this post taking so long to appear! To my defense I have been busy with my shop and I recently wrote a new article for Ye Olde Witches Brew. I now have my own blog there as well as starting a column where I take pagan themed questions from readers and post their letter and my answer on the column. If any of my readers here have anything they would like to see addressed on that column feel free to contact me through this blog or through the online publication!
With all that said, today's post is about Buddhism. I recently purchased a book on Zen and am greatly enjoying my read. I decided to share some of this with you.

The Enlightenment of the Buddha is central to Buddhism. The word "Buddha" means "enlightened" or "awakened". It refers to a fully enlightened being who has awakened from the sleep of ignorance or who is enlightened about both his or her own nature as well the nature of the world. Historically, the word Buddha is most often used to refer to Siddhartha Gautama, a prince of the Shakya clan in ancient India (sixth century BC) who, after a long spiritual struggle, had a great spiritual awakening and became the Buddha, the Enlightened One. As the enlightened sage (muni) of the Shakya clan, he also came to be known as Shakyamuni Buddha.
In his enlightened experience, the Buddha gained insight into the suffering or pain that pervades our existence. He discovered a new mode of awareness and way of living driven neither by the grasping of desire nor by the aversion of hatred. This enlightened awareness is free of the ignorance and delusion that is characteristic of our normal consciousness. It finds expression in a host of positive qualities, most importantly, great wisdom and great compassion. These are exemplified in the life of the Buddha.
The Buddha embarked on a long life as a teacher in Northern India in order to communicate this experience, with its liberating knowledge, to others. He founded a community of followers establishing the basic patterns of institutional life, meditative practice, and philosophical and religious thinking known as Buddhism.
The teachings of the Buddha are preserved in the Buddhist scriptures (sutras).

Buddhists take refuge in the Three Jewels:
The Buddha, who has realized enlightenment
The Dharma, the teaching of the Buddha
The Sangha, the community of Buddhist practitioners.

The young prince Siddhartha Gautama is depicted as having everything one could desire-wealth, bodily beauty, intelligence, a beautiful wife and child, abundant leisure time and so on-yet something was lacking in his life. Despite all that surrounded him, he was still troubled by the fact of death and by the fundamental questions of existence. Awareness of his own and others pain provided the starting point for Siddhartha's spiritual quest. A long search culminated in his becoming the Buddha, the Enlightened One.
It is said that when the Buddha had his awakening, his great enlightenment experience, he doubted whether he could communicate something so profound to others.
After some hesitation, he set out on his quest to teach the knowledge he had gained.
Rather then talk about his great experience, even though it is what made him the Enlightened One, Shakyamuni made the fact of suffering and pain the starting point of his teaching. Acknowledgement of pain is the entry point into a deeper investigation of reality, an opportunity to begin to know things as they are rather then as we might imagine them or wish them to be.
The truth of suffering is the first of the Four Noble Truths.

The Four Noble Truths:
The truth of suffering, dunkhaThe truth of the arising of suffering
The truth of the cessation of suffering
The truth of the path to the end of suffering

According to the Buddha, the cause of the angst in our lives is to be found in the patterns of clinging and aversion that dominate our minds and govern our actions. From moment to moment, we are driven by the desire to get rid of or avoid pain. So enmeshed have we become in patters of desire and avoidance that these patterns have assumed lives of their own and come to control our lives. We do not act in clear awareness, but under the control of often unconscious drives and emotions. Our actions, rather than satisfying our desires, often result in further frustration and antagonism.

That is a brief introduction to Buddhism. It is so much more then what I have provided here and I have found what I have read so far to be completely enlightening!
I hope you enjoyed the read and that it has inspired you to look further into this enlightening way of looking at life on your own. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog!
Don't forget to let me know if you would like to be the first reader featured on my new column at Ye Olde Witches Brew. Send in your questions or what nots!
Brightest Blessings,
Kathy

Winner of Past Life Reading Picked!

2009-05-12T05:24:00.001-07:00

I picked the winner of my past life reading giveaway!
The winner is Gwenevier! Congrats to Gwenevier on winning this giveaway.
I look forward to reading for you.
I will start a new giveaway soon.
Brightest Blessings to all!

Quick Reminder, Last Chance to Enter into Past Life Reading Giveaway!

2009-05-07T05:04:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be picking a winner for the Past Life Reading Giveaway by this weekend. You only have another day to leave your comments in the post for that giveaway. I know I said I would have picked a winner by now but life has been busy these last few weeks so I am sorry about that.
With that said, time is short people, a winner will be picked soon!!! I am very excited to be doing this reading and I cant wait to see who the winner will be.
Winners are picked randomly, literally, lol. Everyones name is put into a bowl and my youngest daughter picks the name out. So hurry up and leave your comments so that I can add your name to the bowl! You have to be a follower of the blog AND leave a comment in the giveaway post to be eligible to win.
Also, please leave me your email if you dont mind, it makes it so much easier for me to contact you when you win.
Best of luck,
The Celtic Witch
)0(

Past Life Reading Giveaway

2009-04-20T14:17:00.001-07:00

Here is my next giveaway, a past life reading through the Tarot. This is something that I am going to start offering in my etsy shop so I figured it would be the perfect item to offer here first.
Reincarnation has long been one of the esoteric tarot's hidden teachings and is the perfect tool to aid with recalling past lives.
In 2005, ABC did a story on a 6 yr. old boy named James Leininger. His family believed he was the reincarnation of James M. Huston, Jr. a world war 2 fighter pilot. A number of people, including Huston's own sister have been convinced by the vivid details the boy recalls from his life and death.
Some people believe that stories like these are proof of the reality of reincarnation, others claim these memories are nothing more then dreams or vivid fanatasies. What do you believe?
I do believe in past lives and have had glimpses of what I can only assume are my own past life through meditation and astral travel.
If you are interested in exploring your past life then comment on this post and let me know why you would like to have this reading done.
I will be picking a winner for this one within the next week or so, I know I usually give more time then that but I am looking forward to performing this reading...:)
I will include a picture of your layout along with your layout explanation. These will be sent to you via email. I will need your full name (given at birth) and your date of birth.
I look forward to hearing from you all.
Brightest Blessings,
Kathy

Spending Time With Faeries

2009-04-10T14:06:00.001-07:00

With Spring in mind I thought an entry about the faeries would be appropriate.

Faeries love nature as much as Witches and will occasionally manifest in it, although their ability to stay there is as limited as our ability to remain long in the astral. And because of the deep archetypal association of faeries and nature, many witches new at faery contact find that a natural setting better facilitates faery sightings and contact whether in a shifted or normal waking state of consciousness.

Shifted state contacts with faeries are often easier in natural surroundings because this is where both your conscious and subconscious minds have been conditioned to believe you will find them. Remember however that if you are disturbed while in a meditative state, you will probably be unpleasantly jolted back into yourself -a metaphor for a quick return to waking consciousness. This will not cause you any harm, but such interruptions repeated over time can cause your subconscious to become leery of the process, making it harder for you to achieve the state of mind you seek.
Wide awake faery sightings are much harder to achieve even by those skilled in the art, and you will have better success if you use a light, eyes partially opened trance. Remember that the Fae, like woodland animals, have every reason to be distrustful of human motives and are not likely to just walk up to you.

To successfully find faeries in natural outdoor settings, one must first find a quiet and secluded spot to relax and where few other humans are likely to be at that time.
Next, you must find the sort of places where faeries are likely to be found.
Finally, you must offer some sort of inducement for them to manifest in the physical world, such as a bowl of milk or a bit of fresh butter. The first two of these things have a profound effect on how, and how well, your mind is programmed for faery sightings, and the last is just common sense.

Faery mounds are traditionally the homes of faeries throughout much of the world and would be a good place to start your search. The best time to approach a faery mound is mid summer while wearing protective charms. Faeries are very active at this time and are known to revel for days to and just after this Sabbat. To see a faery at midsummer, go to a faery mound and if it is possible, place yourself in a light trance. Tap on the side of the mound lightly three times and request it to open for you in the name of the Goddess. Then stand back and see what happens.
Faery rings, faery trails, and faery islands are popular faery sites, but they are also the ones most fraught with danger. However, a little common sense can untangle many of these murky legends for us.
A faery ring is a dark ring of grass, perfectly round and distinctly deeper in color then the grass which surrounds it. This is another of those freaks of nature which no scientist has ever been adequately able to explain. Pagans have long believed them to be the faeries magick circles, and numerous reports of faery rituals and revels within them have been chronicled.
A faery trail, or path, is like a faery ring except it is a long trail of dark grass rather then a circle. Often the trail goes on for miles, and again, there is no scientific explanation for it. These trails are believed by pagans to be the paths taken by the trooping faeries on their Rades.
If you wish to see faeries in a faery circle or on a faery path, sit at a respectful distance and slow and focus your thoughts. You might even request aloud to be permitted to see the faeries if they are there. Announce yourself as a fellow worshipper of the Old Gods and Goddesses, and as a friend who intends them no harm.

Remember that faeries as a whole cannot be summoned at will, nor controlled by egotistical magicians. They are sentient, living beings who are sensitive, and they deserve our respect.
I hope you have enjoyed this entry and been inspired to seek out the Fae on your own.
Don't forget to check out all my Faery treats at Magickal Enchantments!
Brightest Blessings,
The Celtic Witch

)0(

~Blog Winners~

2009-03-29T05:46:00.000-07:00

I picked three winners for my latest giveaway of Magickal Morning Glory Seeds.

I very much appreciate all of my followers and I want you all to know that.

The winners of the latest giveaway are:

~Ava from Handmade By Ava~

Ava has a lovely shop on etsy, stop by and check out her fabulous creations.

Here is a little about Ava:

"I have been creating jewelry for about 4 years and started selling my creations around 2 years ago. I really enjoy creating and use it as a chance to recollect and gain some much needed perspective. I am a mom of three, a full-time student. "

http://handmadebyava.etsy.com/

~Sarah from Cottage Garden Studio~

Sarah has a lovely shop on etsy as well and she offers wonderful items. Take a few moments to check out her enchanting wares at:

http://www.cottagegarden.etsy.com/

Here is a little about Sarah:

"My Etsy shop is Cottage Garden Studio. I offer my whimsical art and my husband’s fine mineral specimens. We are from the beautiful Northwest United States - Idaho to be exact. I've been an artist & teacher most of my life. I offer a variety of subjects including holiday art. I am very fond of Fall and Halloween. I also work in several mediums, acrylics, colored pencil and pen & polymer clay. You will also find some lovely mineral specimens in my shop. They are from the collection of my Dear Half Jim. He digs, collects, trades and sells these amazing pieces. They make wonderful display pieces or to compliment any altar. "

And last but not least Hibiscus Moon...:)

Please check out her blog at:

http://www.hibiscusmoon.blogspot.com/

She has a great blog with lots of great info and a wonderful way with words that will keep you reading.

Thanks to all of my followers and I will be offering another giveaway soon! Of course, if there is something you would like to see offered feel free to drop me a line. I would love to hear what products you would all like to see offered as a product giveaway.

Brightest Blessings to all!

Pictured item in this blog is one of latest additions to my shop.

It is an Herbal Kitchen Witch Charm and you can view this item by following this link:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22495333

Biddy Early, Irish Healer and Seer

2009-03-09T06:02:00.000-07:00

I have always had a great fascination with Biddy Early. I devour everything I can about her and call on her when doing any type of healing work.
I would like to share a little about Biddy and her life with you and perhaps she will spark an interest in you about healing and how you can aid those around you in a natural and loving way.

Biddy was born Bridget Ellen Connors in lower Faha near Kilanena in 1798. Biddy was the daughter of a small land farmer, John Thomas Connors and his wife Ellen Early. Biddy is described as being small in statue and pretty, a woman who kept her good looks throughout her life. While married four times, she always used her mother's maiden name, believing that her gifts were inherited through the female line. Her mother taught her all about herbs and how to make potions, just as her own mother had taught her.

As a child, Biddy wore clothes that her mother made by weaving fibers from the flax that was grown nearby. She spent most of her time alone and was said to "talk to the fairies". She was good humored and showed a keen intellect but, like most people of her time, she did not learn to read or write. With her family and friends she spoke Irish, but she also had some knowledge of English. She may also have spoken Shelta, the language of ancient mystics and Irish Travellers, but it is unknown where or how she would have learned it.
Biddy's Mother, Ellen Early was well known for her exceptional herbal cures and taught her daughter many of her recipes. These recipes were regarded as family secrets, as was common for the time. When Biddy was 16 years old, her mother died of malnutrition, leaving Biddy in charge of the household. Just six months after her mother's death, Biddy's father died of typhus. Unable to pay the rent, Biddy had no choice but to leave her childhood home. Little is known about this period of her life, but for the next two years she probably wandered the county roads, working where she could along the way and experimenting with herbal cures.

When Biddy was 18, she began working for a landlord in Carheen near Limerick, but she was often taunted for her aloof behavior. She left after a short time and went to live in the local poorhouse, where she was treated even more poorly. During this period, she would often walk into Gurteenreagh on market days, and it was there that she met her first husband, Pat Malley of Feakle. The couple faced a number of obstacles: Pat was twice Biddy's age and already had a son named John, and Biddy had no dowry to offer. However, there were advantages to the relationship as well, such as the security that Pat could offer, so they married. After their marriage, Biddy gave birth to a son and they named him Paddy. This would be Biddy’s only child.

The family lived in a three room cottage in Feakle, and this is where Biddy began to earn a reputation for her cures. Biddy never requested money for her services, but allowed her clients to decide how to compensate her. Whiskey and poitín were common trade items in those days, so her house was frequently stocked with an abundance of alcohol and eventually became known as a place where people could go to drink and play cards. This ready availability of poorly distilled alcohol may have contributed to the death of Pat Malley five years into the marriage. Biddy became a widow for the first time at age 25.

Biddie married her stepson, John Malley, shortly after Pat’s death. John was closer to her age than Pat had been, and the two of them got along well. During this marriage, Biddy's fame was increasing but her family life was frequently disrupted by large numbers of people coming and going at various times of the day and night. Her son, Paddy, left home some years after her marriage to John and never returned. John died in 1840 due to a liver ailment that developed from excessive consumption of alcohol, and Biddy was a widow again at 42.

One of the mysterious and interesting things about Biddy was her magick bottle. There are different stories on how she acquired the bottle and I will share them here with you.
At some point Biddy acquired a bottle that became as famous as she was. She would frequently look into the bottle, which contained some sort of dark liquid, when considering possible cures for her visitors. She took the bottle everywhere, and it was even with her when she died.

Biddy’s powers of clairvoyance are credited to this mysterious dark bottle. How this “magic” bottle came into her possession, has since become part of her myth and legend. Some believe her late husband Pat Mally gave it to her before he died, others believe it came to her from the “sidhe” (fairies). There are some stories that say she was away with the sidhe, and went to live among them for a time as a child. As a little girl it was said she could see and talk to the sidhe in their own language, which was different from Gaelic and that they taught her how to use her gifts.

She was instructed that by looking into the bottle with one eye and keeping the other eye open, she would be able to see what ailed people and view the future. In exchange for this ability, she was never to charge money for her services, or she would lose the power. She could accept gifts, but was to give away whatever was left over from her own needs. She must never allow others to look into the bottle, or else they would either die or go mad.

Biddy also brought relief to animals, and treated them with great care. In her time, the death of an animal could bring particular hardship to people living in a mainly rural farming community. Animals were relied upon for everyday living, and to lose one could lead to eviction if farming chores were not completed. Many of the stories about Biddy include tales of her healing a family’s most important horse or cow. She also helped many people restore their wells, often the only source of clean water, to solve problems that women ran into while churning butter. Water and butter were also vital to a peasant’s everyday life.

During the nineteenth century, superstitious belief in fairies and all things apparently supernatural was very strong, and when something happened that appeared to be miraculous, without the aid of the church, it was commonly and easily attributed to witchcraft and the devil. As such the local church viewed Biddy with suspicion, and all the local clergy were totally opposed to her. As her fame spread they even tried to warn off people who went to visit her. One story of the churches opposition occurred in 1865. While visiting friends in Ennis, Biddy was charged with Witchcraft under the 1586 statute, however the case was dismissed due to a lack of sufficient evidence. Many of the local people stood their ground against the clergy, maintaining she did nothing but good works.

In 1868, her third husband Tom died, but Biddy now seventy years old, still only looked fifty, and a year later married her fourth husband Thomas Meaney. However he too got sick and died within the year. Many believed her husbands all died from alcohol abuse, as there was so much whiskey and other strong liquors brought to her in payment. Her husbands did not need to work as she herself provided everything through her healing work. After her last husband died, Biddy’s own health slowly deteriorated, she died in April 1874 with a rosary around her neck and her mysterious dark bottle wrapped in a red shawl beside her.

Before her death and despite their differences, Biddy had befriended one of the local priests and asked him not to let her bottle fall into the wrong hands when she died. According to her wishes, the priest took the bottle and hurled it into Kilbarron Lake. Since then, such was the belief in Biddy’s legend, many attempts to trawl the lake in search of the bottle have been made, but to this day it has never been found.

So there is Biddy Early's story. It is by no means complete and there are different versions of her life of course. I invite you to do your own research into Biddy's life.
Last year I acquired a large blue glass bottle that I made into my own version of Biddy Early's Bottle. As soon as my computer is fixed I will add the pictures of it here for you to see.
So what did you think of Biddy Early's story? Do you find it inspiring?
I encourage you all to look to Biddy at times when you need healing knowledge, she has been a wonderful addition to my life and I wish the same for you all.
As always, I look forward to your thoughts on this blog entry.
Brightest Blessings,
The Celtic Witch
)0(

p.s. I will be announcing the winner of the Magickal Morning Glory Seeds this week as well. I have decided to pick two winners as I have quite a bit of seeds that I collected last season.

Rhiannon, A Welsh Mother Goddess

2009-03-01T04:10:00.000-08:00

By now, you all know how much I enjoy my Celtic and Irish mythology. I figured it was time to share another myth with my friends. Today I will be telling you about Rhiannon. Her story is an interesting one and I hope you enjoy your read.

Rhiannon, meaning great queen, was the otherwordly wife of Pwyll, ruler of Dyfed. Like other charachters of the welsh tradition she is thought to have once been a goddess, but with time and an eroding christian influence, she survives demoted to an otherworldly wife. Rhiannon is equated with the Roman Gallic Goddess Epona.
In the Mabinogion, she makes her first appearance riding a magickal white mare.
Her son's birth shares a mysterious parallel connection with a colt, and lastly she herself suffers a punishment of having to carry people on her back, as if she were a beast of burden. Tradition does preserve the birds of Rhiannon, who are her companions and a relic of her divinity. It is said their song was so potent an enchantment that it would wake the dead and place the living in a dream.
In the Mabinogion, the character of Rhiannon who resembles more fairy then Goddess, falls in love with a mortal, Pwyll- a man with otherworldly associations. His land of Dyfed was an area of Wales where the veil between this world and the next was treacherously thin. So our story begins....

Pwyll was holding court at the royal seat of Arberth, and in the evening he went to sit on a sacred mound of earth that legend said was a portal to the otherworld and where none could pass the night without vision or adventure.
As Pwyll sat patiently surveying the land, a woman riding a white mare appeared on the highway. He called to his men to fetch her, and while she looked to be traveling a gentle pace, none could catch her. The next day the scene was repeated and a faster horse failed to reach her. Pwyll suspected some illusion at play and rode out after her himself, but when his speed brought him no closer he called out to the woman asking her to stop, which she did, remarking that it would have been better for his horses had he asked long ago.
She drew back her veil and fixed her eyes upon him, and he thought their beauty and depth beyond compare.
He asked the purpose of her journey and she explained she had come on her own errand to find him. Pwyll was most pleased.
She introduced herself and went on to explain that her love for him had prevented her from marrying any other. But now her Father in the otherworld has promised her to a man named Gwawl against her will, and she would not marry him unless Pwyll rejected her.
Pwyll assured Rhiannon that she was his choice of all women. They then made a secret pledge to meet again in one year at her fathers palace. When the day came, Rhiannon had arranged a wedding feast and all would have been well if Pwyll, in a thoughless moment, had not agreed to grant an unconditional boon to a guest, who unbeknownst to Pwyll, was the jilted suitor, who naturally asked for the bride.
A clever woman, Rhiannon was quick to stall the wedding yet another year and gave Pwyll detailed instructions to return on the date dressed as a beggar with a magic bag she gave him. As a beggar he could ask Gwawl for the bag's fill of food from the feast and when the bag would not take its fill, Pwyll was to tell Gwawl that only a man of noble blood could quell the appetite by placing his feet in the bag.
All unfolded as planned, and when the trusting Gwawl obliged, Pwyll quickly enveloped and trapped him in the bag. Pwyll's men then fell upon the hall and entertained themselves in beating the bag, calling their amusement "Badger in the Bag". An injured Gwawl protested that he did not deserve such treatment, and the disgusted Father of the bride agreed. Pwyll called for a halt to the game and then pressured Gwawl to return Rhiannon. Gwawl agreed and was released.
The couple returned to Dyfed, where Rhiannon became a kind and capable Queen, but as she was foreign the people were reluctant to accept her. Furthermore, as she had not given birth to an heir, Pwyll came under pressure to forsake her. He refused, and in the fourth year a child was born, but the babe was then mysteriously stolen from under the noses of six sleeping nurses. Thinking they would face the death penalty for their neglect, the nurses conspired to kill some puppies and smear the queen's hands and face with blood, accusing her of devouring her own child in the night. Rhiannon suspected the plot and promised the nurses protection for the truth, but they stood firm six to one.
In the end, the queen herself asked for penance, rather than contending with the cruel company of the women. A council decided that for seven years she hould sit each day at the horse block, where she would tell passersby of her crime and offer to carry them on her back to the castle.
Rhiannon's tale traveled to a friend of Pwyll named Teirnyon, who began to suspect the babe boy who had come into the keeping of him and his wife was the son of the lord of Dyfed. They took the child to court, and Teirnyon told the strange tale of how on the first of May a colt would be born to his mare, but would then mysteriously disappear. The same night of the Queen's alleged crime, he had stood guard over his mare and newborn foal to fight off the mysterious apparition of a black hand that had reached out in the dark to snatch the colt. In the
wake of the unearthly creature, he had found the child, whom they took in and raised as their own. All the court agreed the child was the image of Pwyll, his father. With the return of her son, Rhiannon named him Pryderi (meaning "care" and "anxiety"), and he grew up to be the capable, much loved ruler of Dyfed. After the death of Pwyll, Rhiannon went on to marry the wise and respected Manawydan, son of Llyr.

So what do you think of Rhiannon's tale?
Why do you think her punishment was to carry people on her back?
I wonder how Pwyll, who loved her so much could believe such a story about his wife and allow her such a cruel punishment when she must have ached over the loss of her child as it was.
I would love to hear your thoughts as always.

Also, don't forget to check out my handblended Rhiannon's Anxiety Oil.
This lightly scented oil is blended with essential oils known to calm and relax the mind and body. Rub this oil on your pulse points and chakras to relax your mind and alleviate anxiety.
The smell is lovely and light so that it will not overpower any other scents you choose to wear.

I use only top quality essential oils mixed with organic carrier oils in my oil mixtures. They are safe to wear on your skin and can be used as a massage oil, bath soak or added to an oil burner to enjoy the aromatherapy values of this amazing oil.
Click the link below for more information on my Rhiannon Oil.
Magickal Enchantments

New Product Giveaway

2009-02-15T04:51:00.001-08:00

It's time for a Magickal Enchantments product giveaway. With Spring around the corner I decided on a package of my Organic Magickal Morning Glory Seeds to share with my lovely readers. I want you all to know how much I appreciate the time each of you take to read my postings and taking the time to comment on them as well. I enjoy reading all your posts so keep them coming!
These seeds are from my own garden. I am an organic gardener, I use no pesticides in my garden at all.
I collect and harvest my plants and seeds during the correct moon phases for each plant to be at its best.
These plants are my babies and each seed and bloom is lovingly collected and cured until it is ready to be sent to you to bring its beauty to your home.
The pictures are all from my garden and the seeds will be a mixture of the colors pictured. They are truly enchanting and endearing flowers and one of my favorites. It is an honor for me to share them with you. May they bring your home beauty, protection and happiness.

My Morning Glories have a lovely mixture of purple, dark blue, light blue, pink and white blooms. You will receive over 100 seeds in your packet along with directions on how to plant and care for your Morning Glories.
Morning Glories are a beautiful and magickal plant. They grow quickly and bring so much beauty to any area. I have them on my lightpost, growing on the rails on my stairs, on my fence and my trellis.
Morning Glories are also known for their protective qualities so plant them around your home to keep away negativity.

In magick this enchanting plant brings clarity of sight and is said to help with nighmares. The morning glory can be used to bind, banish, or promote attraction to someone or something. The morning glory vines are used to wrap around a poppet nine times to banish evil people. Monks decorated their manuscripts with pictures of Morning Glories. The seeds were used by Aztec priests along with ashes of poisonous insects, tobacco, and live insects for a body rub before sacrifices to make the victim fearless.
Today, the Mazatecs grind the seed in a metate, wrap the meal in a linen bag, and soak it in cold water. The decoction is fairly potent and provides a curandera (healer) with information about the illness possessing the patient. It is also used to locate lost objects.

I will anounce the winner of this giveaway in March so do not forget to become a Magickal Enchantments Blog Follower and to leave a comment or two on the blogs.
Winner will be chosen randomly.
Brightest Blessings,
The Celtic Witch
)0(

The Secret of Manifesting Wealth

2009-02-03T16:48:00.000-08:00

One of the secrets of manifesting wealth is the acceptance of energy in the form of money for the energy that you put out. If you have resistance towards the idea of having to pay for something or towards others asking for payment, then you are limiting yourself from receiving money for anything that you do, since
you think you should be providing it for free. This is the reason why many people remain poor financially when they could gain a lot monetarily for what they have to offer. They’re limiting themselves.

The truth is everything is available for free. No one actually owns anything because it is all part of the universe. Ownership is an idea where people agree what belongs to who and what rights do they have regarding it. Ownership of anything is all based on agreement between consciousness. When there is conflict of consciousness, people fight and take from each other by force against the will. When there is harmony of consciousness, people willingly agree in sharing or exchanging ownership of things.

The purpose of business is in the organization and promotion of things. When we buy a bottle of water, we are not paying for the bottle or the water because nature supplies the water and what the bottle is made up of. We are paying for the work done in obtaining the raw materials, putting them together, marketing it and handling it to us. All this takes work and therefore those that do all the work for us so that we can experience such things without doing any of the work, receive money in exchange.

Money is only an idea to represent how much value you have provided for others. That is why ill gotten gains do not last because the universe is always reflecting what you do. When you take money without providing real value, money will be taken from you without giving you real value. When you provide lots of
value for others, you are meant to receive lots of money so that you can use it to receive value from others that is yours to rightfully experience. Then you are better able to provide even more value.

People who have resistance towards giving money in exchange for the value that others provide also have resistance towards receiving money from others for the value they provide. That is because they see money as scarce and limited. They want to increase the abundance of others by giving to them, but if they take anything in return, they would cause a decrease. But that very perception is oxymoronic, because they are still seeing lack in the person even when they are trying to express abundance.

All conditions in life are created by consciousness. You manifest exactly what you perceive. If you try to express abundance towards another while seeing lack in them, you will perpetuate conditions of lack in your experience with them. In order to experience abundance, you have to perceive abundance. If your
world really was abundant, then you’d expect that others have more than enough to give to you for what you give to them, and you’d receive joyfully knowing that they’ll keep having more themselves.

That is why people who have wealth consciousness keep getting wealthier compared to the rest of the world. They have the freedom to charge for whatever they do according to the amount they believe it is worth, even when it is to people who try to tell them they are charging too much, or should not be charging at all. It is because wealth conscious people perceive their reality as abundant and do not allow themselves to be affected be the perceptions of those that come from a limited consciousness.

If everyone in this world was wealth conscious and freely gave money to others and freely received it when it is appropriate, then everyone would be as wealthy as they could be. This is because energy would flow freely and hence everyone would be able to experience what they desire without holding back from paying for it, and others would not hold back from paying them for what they contribute.

The economy would be much smoother and the progress of the entire world would advance extremely fast. The state of the health of a body depends on the circulation of blood. The blood transports nutrients to the cells and transports waste away from them. The better the circulation the better the health will be. The
state of the wealth of a nation depends on the flow of the economy. Money helps to move the things that we want to us, and helps to move what we have to offer to others. Both health and wealth are really different forms of the same thing called well being, which depends on free flowing of energy.

Stop holding back paying for something you know will contribute to your progress. The more unlimited you become, the faster you will achieve everything you desire in life. Stop holding back offering your value for payment because when you make others pay for what you offer, you are allowing them to express abundance as well. You are perceiving them as having the money to pay and also the willingness to give it to you. You are saying that you are worth giving money to and others have money to give.

Since the flow of money is the flow of value, you should facilitate as much flow as possible in order to facilitate as much flow of value. Be flexible in your pricing of things in both directions. Set your price at a level where it is able to make the best amount of sales for the best amount of profits so that you and others would gain the best. If you under price or overprice, you are undervaluing yourself and others.

Because you are saying that you are not worth it or others are not good enough for what you are offering. Have a wealth consciousness by believing there is plenty of money to go around, because there really is. The world is awash in money. It is like Niagara falls. It is flowing for everyone but most of you are showing up with teaspoons. If you saw the world from a perspective of abundance, you would see that others have abundance of money to give to you and never have lesser for themselves. You would be willing to take as much as you desire freely and by doing so, you free others to take more for themselves.

Enoch Tan

Of course, let's keep in mind that a little magickal intervention never hurts either...:)

A Gift from Pagan Author Vila Spiderhawk

2009-01-19T04:35:00.000-08:00

Last week I received a package in the mail that contained two books from the pagan author Vila Spider Hawk. Vila and I have chatted online about possibly putting one of her books with one of my handcrafted items to sell as a set.
She sent me these books so I would be able to put something together that fit the books appropriately.
She sent me two books one is called:
Forest Song, Finding a Home
The other is:
Hidden Passages, Tales to Honor the Crones

Both books are enchanting to look at, the covers are done beautifully.
I decided to start with Forest Song and I started reading it Saturday evening.
I am halfway through this book and I can't put it down. Every chance I get I am picking it up to get in a couple of pages before the duties of Motherhood call to me.

I can feel this young girls pains and joys as if they are my own. As she walks through the forest, I feel Mother Earth calling to me. The characters in this book are wonderful and I wish they were my own friends!

I would love for my blog followers to look into purchasing this book so that we may all discuss it together. There are so many different aspects to this story, the twists and turns and the joys and sorrows.
I have always wanted to start a Pagan Book Club and this is a wonderful book to start with.
If any of you are interested in joining me on this journey through "Forest Song" leave a comment and let me know.
You can purchase Vila's books at:
www.vanillaheartbooksandauthors.com
as well as through Amazon.com

I can't thank Vila enough for the wonderful gift of her books! Over the last few days I have laughed and cried with Judy and I look forward to reading what the future has in store for her.
Thank you Vila!

Valentines Day and it's Pagan Origins

2009-01-16T09:07:00.000-08:00

For eight hundred years prior to the establishment of Valentine's Day, the Romans had practiced a pagan celebration in mid-February commemorating young men's rite of passage to the god Lupercus. The celebration featured a lottery in which young men would draw the names of teenage girls from a box. The girl assigned to each young man in that manner would be his sexual companion during the remaining year.
Instead of the pagan god Lupercus, the Church looked for a suitable patron saint of love to take his place. They found an appropriate choice in Valentine, who, in AD 270had been beheaded by Emperor Claudius.

Claudius had determined that married men made poor soldiers. So he banned marriage from his empire. But Valentine would secretly marry young men that came to him. When Claudius found out about Valentine, he first tried to convert him to paganism. But Valentine reversed the strategy, trying instead to convert Claudius. When he failed, he was stoned and beheaded.
During the days that Valentine was imprisoned, he fell in love with the blind daughter of his jailer. His love for her, and his great faith, managed to miraculously heal her from her blindness before his death. Before he was taken to his death, he signed a farewell message to her, "From your Valentine." The phrase has been used on his day ever since.
Although the lottery for women had been banned by the church, the mid-February holiday in commemoration of St. Valentine was still used by Roman men to seek the affection of women. It became a tradition for the men to give the ones they admired handwritten messages of affection, containing Valentine's name.

The first Valentine card grew out of this practice. The first true Valentine card was sent in 1415 by Charles, duke of Orleans, to his wife. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London at the time.

Cupid, another symbol of the holiday, became associated with it because he was the son of Venus, the Roman god of love and beauty. Cupid often appears on Valentine cards.

I hope you enjoyed that small history lesson on Valentines Day.
There wil be a short quiz later...:)
I wish you all a Valentine's Day filled with love and romance.
Don't forget to stop by Magickal Enchantments for all your magickal love and romance needs for this Valentines Day.
Brightest Blessings,
The Celtic Witch
)0(

Here are some of the enchanting wares you will find for purchase at Magickal Enchantments to make this Valentines Day one to remember. If you are searching for a new love or trying to romance your present lover Magickal Enchantments has your needs taken care of.

Love and Romance Spell Candle

Love and Romance Handblown Glass Herbal Witchball

Queen Maeve's Delight Sensual Oil

True Dragons Blood Oil

Dragons Blood is an empowering oil that has been used in spellwork for many years.
As well as empowering your spellwork, wear it daily for personal empowerment.
My Dragons Blood is made from true Dragons Blood Resin. Do not be fooled by synthetic variations of this oil.
This recipe has been handed down to me from a fellow practitioner of the craft. This recipe has been kept in her family for many years and I am thankful to her for sharing it with me.
Bottles and charms may vary upon availability.

Use for love, protection, exorcism, sexual potency, courage, Magical Power, Energy, Strength, Purification, Changes, Determination, Cleansing.
A drop of Dragon's blood added to other incenses increases their potency and power.

You will find many more items for Valentines Day at Magickal Enchantments!
Please go to: www.TheCelticWitch.com

Gypsies and their Enchanting Ways of Life...

2009-01-03T05:15:00.000-08:00

I have a great love and fascination with the Gypsies, I always have.
For this reason I have decided to include some blogs about their beliefs, ways of life and some of their magickal practices.
Some of the following information was taken from my book:
Gypsy Witchcraft and Magick by Raymond Buckland.
If you have an interest in the Gypsies then I highly recommend this book. Buckland is one of my favorite authors of books on the old ways. He is a reliable source of information and I enjoy his honesty about the old ways.

Omens, taboos, and prophecies, it's all part of everyday life for the Gypsies. The traditional Gypsy uses herbal lore, basic magic, and divination for practical matters. In other words, magick was a part of their everyday lives.
The Gypsies earned a reputation as thieves, a reputation that still follows them till this day. It is an undeserved label and one that came from the belief that they held that everything that exists does so for the pleasure and delight of human kind. They believe the trees and flowers, the birds and beasts are all here for our enjoyment. Consequently, when a Gypsy passes along a road and saw an apple tree bearing fruit, he would think nothing of stopping and helping himself. Similarly, to trap a rabbit or a pheasant for food was to enjoy that which the Gods provided. How, the Gypsy reasoned, could a man, farmer, or landowner object to this, for surely no man can own that which is given freely by the Gods?
So the travelers helped themselves to what others saw as their property. It was no wonder that, in their innocence, the Gypsies earned a reputation as thieves.
That innocence did not last long. Later, and in the present day, thievery is a result of fighting to exist, rather then being due to any earlier philosophies.
So began the persecutions from which the Gypsy people have still not freed themselves. Throughout Europe they had become a major social problem, especially since it was virtually impossible to force them into a sedentary way of life.
King Ferdinand of Spain, in 1492, banished them from his country. Any who would not leave, he said, should be exterminated!
Can you imagine how that felt? To actually be banished from a country or be put to death?
Despite being looked upon as "dirty" people, Gypsies are very clean and very much aware of the necessity for cleanliness. Gypsies also strive to be spiritually clean. They believe in such things as the evil eye, curses, black magick, and the like, and have many ways to cleanse and exorcise.
Gypsies do not curse people for the fun of it, as late-night movies and bad novels might have you believe! However, they will certainly not hesitate to turn a guajo's (a non-gypsy) negativity back on him or her. In this they differ from the Wiccans in that they will not sit back and wait for the gods to direct retribution- they will take matters into their own hands and act immediately. If they feel that evil has been directed at them, and they don't know from whom, they have ways of cleansing themselves of it. The Gypsy witch, also known as the shuvani, is especially adept at this.
The Romany believe in the "evil eye". They believe it is possible for someone to put a curse on someone else merely be looking at this person. This may or may not be done deliberately, for there are those who possess the evil eye without even realizing it.
A remedy for the evil eye, found among many Continental Gypsies, is to take a kettle to a stream and fill it with water, taken with the current, not against it.
Seven pieces of coal are placed in the vessel, along with seven handfuls of meal, and seven cloves of garlic.
The kettle is put over a fire and the water brought to a boil. Then it is stirred with a three-forked stick and the following is said:

"Evil eyes that look on thee,
May they here extinguished be!
And then seven ravens
Pluck out the evil eyes.
Evil eyes now look on thee,
May they soon extinguished be!
Much dust in the eyes,
So may they become blind.
Evil eyes now look on thee,
May they soon extinguished be!
May they burn, may they burn,
In the fire of all good!

I plan on posting more blogs on the Gypsy way of life as well as spells, charms, and divination's.
Thank you for stopping by Magickal Enchantments blog.
Don't forget to join my blog and leave a comment to be entered into the next giveaway which will be starting soon!
If anyone has a particular item from my store that they would like to see offered as the next giveaway prize I would love to hear about it!
The item that I hear about most I will offer.

Winner of the Holiday Oracle Reading!

2008-12-31T14:21:00.000-08:00

I wanted to let everyone know that the winner of my Holiday Giveaway Oracle reading was Sarah from N Style Designs. Congrats to Sarah..:)
Sarah creates lovely pieces of handcrafted jewelry. If you would like to check out her enchanting wares please visit her shop by following the link below:
www.nstyledesign.etsy.com

A little about Sarah:
I am a jewelry artist from the midwest. I have a wonderful husband and 2 children. I work mainly with gemstones and crystals. Some wonderful energy drew me toward them and now I feel the need to share that wonderful relationship with everyone else as well. I love creating things and I hope that my pieces can provide some people with as much happiness as I had when I created them.

I will be posting a new giveaway for the New Year shortly, so stay tuned.
Brightest Blessings,
The Celtic Witch
)0(

Holiday Stress Relief

2008-12-16T05:29:00.001-08:00

As we approach Christmas I thought I would post some stress relieving magickal ideas.
This is the most joyous time of year, I know, however it is also a stressful time for us as well. We have about 10 days left to finish up the last of our shopping as well as plan and purchase our holiday meal. And lets not forget about getting our houses in order before company arrives.
I figured we could all use some easy stress relieving ideas for this time so here they are:
Crystals are wonderful treasures for so many things and there are a few that can come in handy when dealing with stress and anxiety.

Banded Agate:
Energy type: Projective. Associated element: Fire.
Used for protection, to restore energy within the body and relieve stress.

Blue Agate:
Energy type: Receptive. Associated element: Water.
Used as an amulet to promote peace and happiness. Can be used to de-stress yourself by holding in your hand.

Red Agate (Blood agate):
Energy type: Projective. Associated element: Fire.
Used to promote calm and inner peace, it can also be used to heal the blood and guard against insect bites.

Amethyst
Powers & Magical uses: Dreams, Overcoming Alcoholism, Healing, Psychism, Peace, Love, Protection against theft, Courage, Happiness.
Energy type: Receptive. Associated element: Water.
Use to prevent insomnia and nightmares by sleeping with a piece of amethyst under your pillow. It is a reducer of stress, so it can be used to great effect in today's pressured lifestyle. Use amethyst to calm fears, raise hopes, and enhance spirituality. Amethyst can also be used to enhance psychic abilities, and aid meditation.
An all round gemstone that you should not be without.

Chrysocolla
Powers & Magickal uses: Peace, Wisdom, Love.
Energy type: Receptive. Associated element: Water.
Used to sooth the emotions, and promote loving relationships.

Blue Quartz:
Energy type: Receptive. Associated element: Water.
Used to promote peace and tranquillity.

Rose Quartz:
Energy type: Receptive. Associated element: Water.
Used to open the heart chakra, and to promote peace and harmony.

Sodalite
Powers & Magickal uses: Healing, Peace, Meditation, Wisdom.
Energy type: Receptive. Associated element: Water.
Used to reduce stress levels and lower blood pressure.

That is a decent selection of crystals that you can use to relieve stress. Make sure to cleanse them first of course and then carry them as close to your skin as possible.
Crystal information found on WiccaChat.com

Here are some simple spells. I love bath spells as a simple bath is relaxing on its own, adding magick to it can only make it better.

A PEACE BATH
Draw a bath for yourself. Pour a tablespoon or so of milk into a large bowl of water and say:
'Water ripples on the breeze...'
Add several rose petals (fresh or dried) to the bowl of water and milk.
Say: 'Thistledown flies through the air...'
Stir the water, milk, and rose petals with the index finger of your right hand. Say:
'Silent as the mighty seas...'
Gently pour the mixture that you have created into the bath. Say:
'Peaceful here without a care.'
Step in. Bathe for as long as you wish.
Let the water absorb negative thoughts and worries. Allow yourself a few moments of healing.

TO CREATE CALMNESS AND HELP CONCENTRATION
You need: White candle Jasmine or Pine incense Sprig of sage
This is best performed at night, but it can be done any time of day.
Light the white candle and the incense stick.
Close your eyes and hold the sage close to your nose, and breathe in its calming scent.
Keep holding it as say:
"Calming powers of sage and pine, Add order to this life of mine. (name)
By the four corners, elements, God and Goddess too, If this gift seems fit to you,
Then please grant calmness unto him/me. So mote it be, So mote it be."
Repeat as necessary. 3x3 times. It always works within a day or two.

I really liked the idea of this one....
DEPRESSION/STRESSED SPIRIT SPELL
Everyone knows someone who is or has been depressed or really stressed out so
make time in your magical + social life for them. Give them a helping hand by writing
this on paper and then burning it to release the magic:
Magic moon burning bright,
Let mine will be done this night.
Answer now my Pagan Spell,
Let all with ______ now be well.

khakani.com is where I came across these spells. This site has a nice selection of free spells and chants.

I hope you all enjoyed this post and found some things you can utilize to reduce any holiday stress you may be experiencing.
Brightest Blessings,
The Celtic Witch
www.TheCelticWitch.com

Pagan Yule Songs, chants and more!

2008-12-06T04:36:00.000-08:00

Twas the eve of midwinter, and all through the coven
The Witches were cooking strange things in the oven.
There were mugwort frittatas, and dragon's-blood stew
And mescaline eggnog and mandrake fondue.
There were hot mountain oysters and road-kill paté
And spotted-owl kidneys, and wombat flambé.

The circle was cast and the herbs had been smoked
In hopes that the Goddess would soon be invoked.
When out by the hot tub arose such a clatter
I jumped on my broom to see what was the matter.

And what should I see in the blackberry thorns
But a soaking wet Goddess and eight unicorns!
"I was just sitting down with my vibrating phallus
And a good book," she muttered, "You bitches are callous.
I came when you called, over all my objections,
And got lost in the woods -- you give lousy directions.
You turkeys invoked me, now look at my dress
My period's late and I've got PMS."
She cursed as she muttered; she looked like a wreck
The unicorns whimpered and sat on the deck.

We gave her some weed and we got her some grub
We bought her clean towels and she soaked in the tub.
Then she rose, hot and dripping, and gave us her blessing
And jumped in her chariot, without even dressing!

"On Isis! On Eris! Oya and Astarte!
On Ishtar! Inanna! Kali and Hecate!"
We heard her exclaim as she climbed through the air
"Thank Goddess there's only eight sabbats a year!"

by Aurora Borealis Medicine Turkey

This was in my 2006 Grimoire and I always get a kick out of reading it!

Here are some other tidbits for your reading pleasure..

This is a chant that is spoken before casting a circle, usually repeated three times. It is very powerful - often spoken before spells invoving the release of negativity, anger, and inner struggles:

The troubles that haunt me, that burn me inside,
Move out from my body and into the sky.
Into my body flows purity and peace,
I am cleansed by the Goddess, my struggles released.

To get rid of your anger:
In your right hand, hold some sandy dirt. Poor all your anger into it and then say:

Anger I bind within my hand,
Now I toss it to the land
With harm to none, and for the good of all, so shall it be!
Now throw the dirt over your shoulder and walk away without looking back.

Hark the Neo-Pagans Sing
by Sunblade
(Tune: Hark the Herald Angels Sing)
Hark the Neo Pagans sing,
Glory to the Holly King!
Peace on Earth and mercy mild,
God and Goddess reconciled,
Hear us now as we proclaim,
We have risen from the flames,
Our ancient Craft now we reclaim,
In the God and Goddess' names
Hark the Neo-Pagans sing,
Glory to the Holly King!

Herne by highest love adored,
Herne the ever-reborn Lord,
At all times behold Him come,
Offspring of the Holy One,
Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see,
Hail incarnate Deity!
Our ancient Craft we now reclaim,
In the God and Goddess' names
Hark the neo-Pagans sing,
Glory to the Holly King!

Silent Night
by Ellen Reed
Silent night, Solstice Night
All is calm, all is bright
Nature slumbers in forest and glen
Till the Springtime She wakens again
Sleeping spirits grow strong!
Sleeping spirits grow strong!

Silent Night, Solstice Night
Silver moon shine bright
Snowflakes blanket the slumbering earth
Yule fires welcome the Sun's rebirth
Hark, the Light is reborn!
Hark, the Light is reborn!<.p>

Silent Night, Solstice Night
Quiet rest till the Light
Turning every the rolling wheel
Brings the Winter to comfort and heal
Rest your spirit in peace!
Rest your spirit in peace!

Dancing in a Wiccan Wonderland!
by Alexander and Aarcher
Pagans sing, are you listenin'
Alters set, candles glisten,
Its a magical night, we're having tonight
Dancing in a Wiccan Wonderland

Blades held high, censor smoking,
God and Goddess, we're invoking,
Through Elements Five, we celebrate life,
Dancing in a Wiccan Wonderland,

Queen of Heaven, is in her place,
Triple Goddess, now the Crone face
Above and below, She's the Goddess we know,
Dancing in a Wiccan wonderland.

Now the God, is the provider
Supplying game for our fire,
Above and below, He's the Horned one we know,
Dancing in a Wiccan Wonderland

In a circle we can burn a Yule fire,
And await the rising of the Sun,
It's the great wheel turning for the new year,
Loaded with abundance and great fun

Later on, by the fire,
Cone of Power, gettin' higher
Its a Magickal Night, we're having tonight,
Dancing in a Wiccan Wonderland!

THE 13 DAYS OF SOLSTICE
- words by Pashta MaryMoon

ON THE 1RST DAY OF SOLSTICE THE GODDESS SENT TO ME
THE WILL TO 'HARM YE NONE'

ON THE 2ND DAY OF SOLSTICE THE GODDESS SENT TO ME
GOD AND GODDESS BLESSINGS
AND THE WILL TO 'HARM YE NONE'

ON THE 3RD DAY OF SOLSTICE THE GODDESS SENT TO ME
3-FOLD LAW
GOD AND GODDESS BLESSINGS
AND THE WILL TO 'HARM YE NONE'

ON THE 4TH DAY OF SOLSTICE THE GODDESS SENT TO ME
4 DIRECTIONS CALLED
3-FOLD LAW
GOD AND GODDESS BLESSINGS
AND THE WILL TO 'HARM YE NONE'

ON THE 5TH DAY OF SOLSTICE THE GODDESS SENT TO ME
5-POINT PENTAGRAM
4 DIRECTIONS CALLED
3-FOLD LAW
GOD AND GODDESS BLESSINGS
AND THE WILL TO 'HARM YE NONE'

ON THE 6TH DAY OF SOLSTICE THE GODDESS SENT TO ME
6 REALMS OF BEING (Tibetan B of D)
5-POINT PENTAGRAM
4 DIRECTIONS CALLED
3-FOLD LAW
GOD AND GODDESS BLESSINGS
AND THE WILL TO 'HARM YE NONE'

ON THE 7TH DAY OF SOLSTICE THE GODDESS SENT TO ME
7 GLOWING CHAKRAS
6 REALMS OF BEING -
5-POINT PENTAGRAM
4 DIRECTIONS CALLED
3-FOLD LAW
GOD AND GODDESS BLESSINGS
AND THE WILL TO 'HARM YE NONE'

ON THE 8TH DAY OF SOLSTICE THE GODDESS SENT TO ME
8 HOLY SABBATS
7 GLOWING CHAKRAS
6 REALMS OF BEING -
5-POINT PENTAGRAM
4 DIRECTIONS CALLED
3-FOLD LAW
GOD AND GODDESS BLESSINGS
AND THE WILL TO 'HARM YE NONE'

ON THE 9TH DAY OF SOLSTICE THE GODDESS SENT TO ME
9 CHANTING MUSES
8 HOLY SABBATS
7 GLOWING CHAKRAS
6 REALMS OF BEING -
5-POINT PENTAGRAM
4 DIRECTIONS CALLED
3-FOLD LAW
GOD AND GODDESS BLESSINGS
AND THE WILL TO 'HARM YE NONE'

ON THE 10TH DAY OF SOLSTICE THE GODDESS SENT TO ME
10 SPHERES OF KABBALA
9 CHANTING MUSES
8 HOLY SABBATS
7 GLOWING CHAKRAS
6 REALMS OF BEING -
5-POINT PENTAGRAM 4 DIRECTIONS CALLED
3-FOLD LAW
GOD AND GODDESS BLESSINGS
AND THE WILL TO 'HARM YE NONE'

ON THE 11TH DAY OF SOLSTICE THE GODDESS SENT TO ME
11 KIN OF THE CIRCLE (+P&Ps=13)
10 SPHERES OF KABBALA
9 CHANTING MUSES
8 HOLY SABBATS
7 GLOWING CHAKRAS
6 REALMS OF BEING -
5-POINT PENTAGRAM
4 DIRECTIONS CALLED
3-FOLD LAW
GOD AND GODDESS BLESSINGS
AND THE WILL TO 'HARM YE NONE'

ON THE 12TH DAY OF SOLSTICE THE GODDESS SENT TO ME
12 SIGNS OF THE HEAVENS (zodiac)
11 KIN OF THE CIRCLE
10 SPHERES OF KABBALA
9 CHANTING MUSES
8 HOLY SABBATS
7 GLOWING CHAKRAS
6 REALMS OF BEING -
5-POINT PENTAGRAM
4 DIRECTIONS CALLED
3-FOLD LAW
GOD AND GODDESS BLESSINGS
AND THE WILL TO 'HARM YE NONE'

ON THE 13TH DAY OF SOLSTICE THE GODDESS SENT TO ME
13 FULL MOONS SHINING
12 SIGNS OF THE HEAVENS
etc.

Pagan Parenting

2008-11-23T17:59:00.000-08:00

I came across a great page in the latest issue of Circle Magazine that I wanted to share with you.
It's about raising a child Pagan and I found it very enlightening and I hope you do as well.
To Raise a child Pagan is...
...to teach the ways of the past through ritual.
...to build confidence slowly and surely.
...to reveal the sacred through out the day.
...to expand the notion of extended family.
...to allow wisdom to be gained through failure.
...to be assured infinite opportunities to talk and teach, listen and learn.
...to embrace the power of youth.
...to lead by example.
...to invite exuberant imagination.
...to foster self-love.
...to gain knowledge through fresh young eyes.
...to have the help and guidance of a tribe.
...to embrace the full range of emotion and show how to channel it.
...to instill a feeling of being connected to a whole.
...to behold the human potential realized.
...to run barefoot and wild, surrounded by laughter.
...to create a world of possibility and wonder.
...to encourage personal responsibility.
...to demonstrate respect for nature.
...to wish you were raised pagan yourself.
...a gift to the universe and an incredible honor.
By Peggy Burke
Madison, Wisconsin

As a Pagan parent there is always the search for quality and substantive materials and organizations that will contribute to your children's intellectual and spiritual growth.
The internet now provides an easier access to sites on Pagan Family practice, activities, and networking.
Here are some sites I am sure you will enjoy visiting.

www.paganparenting.com
www.spiralscouts.org
www.circleround.com
www.mysticwicks.com

Here are some pagan oriented books:

"Family Wicca" by Ashleen O'Gaea
"Raising Witches, Teaching the Wiccan Faith to Children" by Ashleen O'Gaea
"Celebrating the Great Mother: A handbook of Earth Honoring activities for parents and children" by Cait Johnson and Maura D. Shaw
"My First Little Book of Wicca" by Rev. Velvet Rieth
"Raising Pagans, When daddy is catholic and Mommy is a Witch: What's a couple to teach their children?" by Kathleen Richard

Enjoy all!

"Twas the Night Before Yule..."

2008-11-04T19:49:00.000-08:00

'Twas that night before Yule, when all 'cross the heath,
Not a being was stirring; Pagan, Faerie, nor Beast,
Wassail was left out and the altar adorned,
To rejoice that the Sun King would soon be reborn.
The children lay sleeping by the warmth of the hearth,
Their dreams filled with visions of beloved Mother Earth,
M'lady and I beneath blankets piled deep, had just settled
down to our Solstice sleep.
Then a noise in the night that would leave us no peace,
Awakened us both to the honking of geese.
Eager to see such a boisterous flock,
When we raced to the window, our mouths dropped in shock!
On the West Wind flew a gaggle of geese, white and gray,
With Frau Holda behind them in Her gift-laiden dray.
The figure on Her broomstick to the North sky made it clear,
La Befana was approaching to bestow Yuletide cheer.
From the South came a comet more bright than the Moon,
And we knew Lucia would be with us soon.
As these Spirits sailed Earthward o'er hilltops and trees,
Frau Holda serenaded Her feathery steeds:
"Fly Isolde! Fly Tristan! Fly Odin and Freya! Fly Morgaine!
Fly Merlin! Fly Uranus and Gaea!
May the God and Goddess inside you soar,
From the clouds in the heavens to your cottage door."
As soft and silent as snowflakes they fell;
Their arrival announced by a faint chiming bell.
They landed like angels, their bodies aglow,
Their feet left no marks in the new fallen snow,
Before we could ponder what next lay in store,
There came a slow creeking from our threshold door.
We crept from our bedroom and were spellbound to see...
There in our parlor stood the Yule Trinity!
Lucia the Maiden, with Her head wreathed in flame,
Shown with the radiance for which she She was named,
The Lightbringers eyes held the joy of a child,
And she spoke with a voice that was gentle, yet wild:
"May the warmth of this household ne'er fade away."
Then she lit our Yule log which still burns to this day.
Frau Holda in Her down cloak stood regal and tall,
The Matron of Solstice, the Mother of all,
Under Her gaze we felt safe and secure.
Her voice was commanding, yet almost demure:
"May the love in this family enrich young and old."
And from the folds of Her cloak showered coins of pure gold,
LaBefana wore a kerchief on Her silvery hair;
The veil of the Crone who has secrets to share,
In Her eyes gleamed a wisdom only gained by spent youth.
Her voice was whisper, but Her words rung the truth:
"May health, glad tidings, and peace fill these rooms."
And she banished misfortune with a sweep of Her broom,
They then left a gift by each sleeping childs head,
Took a drink of our wassail, and away they all sped.
While we watched them fly off through the night sky we laughed,
At the wonderous magick we had found in the Craft.
As they departed, the Spirits decreed...

"Merry Yule To You All, And May All Blessed Be!"

Yule Legends, chants, stories and family crafts.

2008-11-04T18:37:00.000-08:00

According to legend, the snowflake was formed from the tears that Demeter cried after Persephone’s descent into the Underworld. The microscopic flakes have six sides, and since six is the numerological digit associated with affection, the snowflake was used by Pagans as a winter symbol of love
Christmas Trees and Plants
The tree was an important symbol to every Pagan culture. The oak in particular was venerated by the Druids. Evergreens, which in ancient Rome were thought to have special powers and were used for decoration, symbolized the promised return of life in the spring and came to symbolize eternal life for Christians. The Vikings hung fir and ash trees with war trophies for good luck.
Holly, ivy, and mistletoe were all important plants to the Druids. It was believed that good spirits lived in the branches of holly. Christians believed that the berries had been white before they were turned red by Christ's blood when he was made to wear the crown of thorns. Ivy was associated with the Roman god Bacchus and was not allowed by the Church as decoration until later in the middle ages, when a superstition that it could help recognize witches and protect against plague arose.

Yule Log Hike

Materials: Warm Clothes, Sense of Adventure.

This is an activity that can be done the weekend before Yule. On a bright crisp morning, dress the family warmly and head for the park, mountains, or beach. As you hike along, looking for that special Yule log to place in your hearth, also be looking for decorations to make it personalized by each member of the family. Select a proportionally sized log that will fit easily into your fire place. Ash, oak, or cedar make great Yule logs. Try to find one that has already fallen and is on the ground. On the beach, driftwood can be found and obtained for your log. As you are looking, or on your way back home look for natural decorations to adorn your Yule log with. Traditional adornments are, pine cones, leaves, holly sprigs, mistletoe sprigs, rosebuds, winter flowers, wheat stalks, and corn husks. If you must cut anything from a living plant, remember to ask and thank the plant for its gift. If you don't have a fire place, select a smaller log, slightly flat on one side so that it doesn't roll. Adorning the logs will appear farther along in the activities. (Explain how the Yule log was set ablaze on Solstice night to help vanquish the dark and add strength to the returning sun.)

Welcome Sunshine Bells

Materials:
Thin Cardboard, Pencil and Scissors, One Light yellow and One Bright Yellow Felt Square (10"x10"), 7 Small Jingle Bells, 12" Gold String or Cord, White Glue, Buttons, Glitter, Sequins.

Help child to draw a circle 7" in diameter, and another circle 7" in diameter with eight 1" triangle rays on the cardboard. Cut out for patterns. Place circle on the light yellow felt square, trace and cut out. Do the same with the "rayed" circle on the bright yellow felt. Using a drinking glass as a guide, trace a circle in the center, on the back side of both felt cut-outs. Carefully fold each circle in half, and make a cut from one side of center circle to the other. Repeat 3 times for a total of 4 cuts per piece. This is how you will get the decoration over the doorknob. Next, line up the circles and the cuts so that the rays extend 1" from behind the light yellow felt circle. Glue together. Allow the child to draw designs on the front of the ornament with glue. Sprinkle with glitter and glue on some sequins and buttons. Cut gold string or cord into three 4" strands. Tie jingle bells (spaced) onto the gold string or cord. Glue string/cord to the bottom of the Sun decoration on the back side. Allow to dry. Place on a doorknob that the bells will jingle as the door is opened and closed. ( Tell children that more than just the sun brightens our lives everyday. Explain the way to welcome the Yule sun back into their lives is to keep the brightness in their hearts all year long. Jingle bells make a warm and inviting sound, and therefore should jingle each time someone enters or leaves a room.)

Cup O' Sunshine

Materials:
Terra-Cotta Pot, Paints and Paintbrushes, Styrofoam Block, String, Scissors, 1 yd 2" wide Green Ribbon, Yellow, Red, and Orange Lollipops and Sugar Sticks, Jelly Beans.

Clean terra-cotta pot if necessary. Allow to dry. Paint outside and down to first lip of inside with a bright solid color. After this base coat dries, decorate with other colors. When completely dry, place a block of styrofoam in the bottom of the pot. Cut green leaves out of the ribbon and tie to lollipops with string. Push the lollipop sticks into the styrofoam block to anchor them. Add the sugar sticks and fill rest of pot with loose jellybeans. (Explain to children that during the dark part of the year, sometimes we need to make our own sunshine. Let them know that bright colored gardens and flowers will be back in the spring, and this little pot of sunshine will cheer up a sick friend or relative.)

Adorning the Yule Log

Materials:
Holly, Mistletoe, Rosebuds, Pine Cones, Evergreen Sprigs, Gold String/Cord, Gold Bows, Apple Cider, Flour.

After cleaning off the Yule log, let the children decorate it how ever they chose. Glue, wire, or small holes in the log will help to adhere the decorations. Once the log is decorated, "wassail" (toast and douse) it with a libation of apple cider. Finally, dust the log with white flour, set in grate in fireplace, and (parents only) set ablaze. (Explain to children how Yule logs used to smolder for 12 days before there was another ceremony to put the log out. Then apart of the log was strapped to the plow the next spring to spread the blessings over the land, and another piece was saved to light the next Yule's log, the next year.)

Yule Chant Solstice Blessing
Brightly burns the Yule log tonight
Magic dances in firelight
Hold my hand and join the song
Raise the Sun King bright and strong
Dark is giving way to light
As brightly burns the Yule log tonight!
---Akasha

Twas the night before Yuletide and all through the glen
Not a creature was stirring, not a fox, not a hen.
A mantle of snow shone brightly that night
As it lay on the ground, reflecting moonlight.

The faeries were nestled all snug in their trees,
Unmindful of flurries and a chilly north breeze.
The elves and the gnomes were down in their burrows,
Sleeping like babes in their soft earthen furrows.

When low! the earth moved with a thunderous quake,
Causing chairs to fall over and dishes to break.
The Little Folk scrambled to get on their feet
Then raced to the river where they usually meet.

“What happened?” they wondered, they questioned, they probed,
As they shivered in night clothes, some bare-armed, some robed.
“What caused the earth's shudder? What caused her to shiver?”
They all spoke at once as they stood by the river.

Then what to their wondering eyes should appear
But a shining gold light in the shape of a sphere.
It blinked and it twinkled, it winked like an eye,
Then it flew straight up and was lost in the sky.

Before they could murmur, before they could bustle,
There emerged from the crowd, with a swish and a rustle,
A stately old crone with her hand on a cane,
Resplendent in green with a flowing white mane.

As she passed by them the old crone's perfume,
Smelling of meadows and flowers abloom,
Made each of the fey folk think of the spring
When the earth wakes from slumber and the birds start to sing.

“My name is Gaia,” the old crone proclaimed
in a voice that at once was both wild and tamed,
“I've come to remind you, for you seem to forget,
that Yule is the time of re-birth, and yet…”
“I see no hearth fires, hear no music, no bells,
The air isn't filled with fragrant smells
Of baking and roasting, and simmering stews,
Of cider that's mulled or other hot brews.”

“There aren't any children at play in the snow,
Or houses lit up by candles’ glow.
Have you forgotten, my children, the fun
Of celebrating the rebirth of the sun?”

She looked at the fey folk, her eyes going round,
As they shuffled their feet and stared at the ground.
Then she smiled the smile that brings light to the day,
“Come, my children,” she said, “Let's play.”

They gathered the mistletoe, gathered the holly,
Threw off the drab and drew on the jolly.
They lit a big bonfire, and they danced and they sang.
They brought out the bells and clapped when they rang.

They strung lights on the trees, and bows, oh so merry,
In colors of cranberry, bayberry, cherry.
They built giant snowmen and adorned them with hats,
Then surrounded them with snow birds, and snow cats and bats.

Then just before dawn, at the end of their fest,
Before they went homeward to seek out their rest,
The fey folk they gathered ‘round their favorite oak tree
And welcomed the sun ‘neath the tree's finery.

They were just reaching home when suddenly it came,
The gold light returned like an arrow-shot flame.
It lit on the tree top where they could see from afar
The golden-like sphere turned into a star.

The old crone just smiled at the beautiful sight,
"Happy Yuletide, my children," she whispered. "Good night."

Yule

2008-11-02T05:05:00.000-08:00

As we begin the Pagan New Year I thought I would write some blogs on Yule. The lore and mythology behind it as well as adding some recipes and spellcrafting ideas for you all.
Yule is a time of the Goddess of the Cold Darkness and the birth of the Divine Child, the reborn Sun God. It is a time of renewal and rebirth during Winter, and the turning of the Earth force tides. A time when the waxing Sun overcomes the waning Sun. In some traditions, this is symbolized by the struggle between the Oak King and the Holly King.
The Holly King, represents the Death aspect of the God at this time of year; and the Oak King, represents the opposite aspect of Rebirth (these roles are reversed at Midsummer).
The myth of the Holly King/Oak King probably originated from the Druids to whom these two trees were highly sacred. The Oak King (God of the Waxing Year) kills the Holly King (God of the Waning Year) at Yule (the Winter Solstice). The Oak King then reigns supreme until Litha (the Summer Solstice) when the two battle again, this time with the Holly King victorious.
Examples of the Holly King's image can be seen in our modern Santa Claus. He dons a sprig of holly in his hat, wears red clothing, and drives a team of eight (total number of Solar Sabbats) reindeer, an animal sacred to the Celtic Gods (deer). Mistletoe and holly came into modern Christmas celebrations through the memorializing of this battle. The holly with berries are hung in honor of the Holly King and mistletoe in honor of the Oak King. Although the Holly King and Oak King are mortal enemies at the two Solstices - Yule and Litha - it should be remembered that they are actually two sides of one whole, and neither would exist without the other.
Deities to honor at this time of year include all Newborn Gods and Sun Gods, and all Mother Goddesses and Triple Goddesses. Appropriate Yule Gods include Apollo (Greek), Ra, Osiris, Horus, (all three are Egyptian), Lugh (Irish-Celtic), Odin (Norse), Father Sun (Native American), and Jesus (Christian-Gnostic), to name a few. Goddesses might include the Morrigan, Brigit (both Celtic), Isis (Egyptian), Demeter, Gaea, Pandora, Selene, and Artemis (all five are Greek), Juno and Diana (both Roman), Astarte (Middle Eastern), Spinning Woman (Native American) and the Virgin Mary (Christian-Gnostic).

Spellwork for balance, beauty, peace, and harmony are great to perform at this time of the Pagan year. Love spells and spells to increase happiness are also appropriate. Key actions to remember for Yule are introspection and meditation.

The most common colors used at this Sabbat are red and green, but gold and white are also quite appropriate.
Stones to be used at this celebration include bloodstones, rubies, and garnets. Animals associated with the Yule Sabbat are stags, squirrels, wrens and robins. Mythical creatures associated with Yule are the Phoenix, and trolls.
Herbs and plants that can be used include holly, mistletoe, evergreens, poinsettias, bay, pine, ginger, valerian, and myrrh.

Yule Incense
Recipe by Scott Cunningham

2 parts Frankincense
2 parts Pine needles or resin
1 part Cedar
1 part Juniper berries

Mix and smolder at Wiccan rites on Yule (on or around December 21st), or during the winter months to cleanse the home and to attune with the forces of nature amid the cold days and nights.
(The above recipe for "Yule Incense" is directly quoted from Scott Cunningham's book: "The Complete Book of Incense, Oils & Brews", page 100, Llewellyn Publications, 1992.)

Winter Solstice Ritual Potpourri
Recipe by Gerina Dunwich

20 drops musk oil
25 drops pine oil
1 cup oak moss
2 cups dried mistletoe
1 cup dried poinsettia flowers
1 cup dried bayberries
1/2 cup dried rosemary
1/2 cup dried holly leaves and berries
3 crushed pinecones

Mix the musk and pine oils with the oak moss, and then add the remaining ingredients. Stir the potpourri well and store in a tightly covered ceramic or glass container.

(The above recipe for "Winter Solstice Ritual Potpourri" is quoted directly from Gerina Dunwich's book "The Wicca Spellbook: A Witch's Collection of Wiccan Spells, Potions and Recipes", page 164, A Citadel Press Book, Carol Publishing Group, 1994/1995)

Invoking the Holly King
by Ginger Strivelli

Today we do bid Hail to our beloved Holly King
With these ancient carols, we do again sing
He who is called Father Christmas is returning yet again
As the Solstice's longest night has finally begun
We await you, Santa Claus, Lord of Winter
To honor you on this day that you always were
Saint Nicholas, patron of children on Gaia's sphere
This invocation, we pray you do hear
Come bless us, upon this season of the Yuletide
Great Holly King as you fly upon your sleigh ride
Whether your gifts to us be physical or spiritual
We know that they will always be most magical
Grateful, because we know your blessings' great worth
We offer a blessing of our own --- Peace on Earth!

TRADITIONAL DECORATIONS :

Oak
Oak was revered widely. The oak groves were home of the Druid's God and represented power. The oak also stood for Diana and her successive lovers.

Bay
The use of bay descends from the Roman's use of this plant and its association with the Roman Sun God Apollo. Bay was adopted by the Celts for use in blessings of strength and health in the New Year.

Holly
The oak and holly are sacred to the druids. They represent the myth of the battle of the Oak and Holly Kings. The Oak King, representing rebirth, fights with the Holly King, representing death, and defeats him. The sun begins to get stronger. The Oak Kings rules till the Summer Solstice when the fight begins again, this time the Holly King wins. The sun gets weaker. We may find remnants of the Holly King in the character of Santa Clause. The sprig of holly in his cap and his red clothes are a dead giveaway.

The evergreen nature and red berries of holly are a symbol of enduring life. The red berries also are a symbol of the blood of the Goddess. In spells and rituals holly is used for attaining magickal goals, divination, spells for boosting male sexual prowess. Holly is cut in mid summer and is considered especially strong if found growing on the sacred oak.

Both holly and ivy are considered symbols of eternal life.

Mistletoe
Mistletoe is the golden bough of classic legend. It is Viscum album of Europe, with leaves in pairs like wings and white berries. Because of their color, these berries were associated with the semen of the gods and so the plant was given phallic associations. It was (and is) sacred to the Druids. Mostly cut in mid summer for the summer Solstice, it was also used for the Winter Solstice. A golden sickle did the deed, symbolizing for the Druids castration of the god.(The reason for castrating the god was not found during this research.) A white cloth was used to catch the mistletoe before it hit the ground.

The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe is said to derive from the ancient idea that all legal matters were to be settled once and for all under a bough of mistletoe. Kissing under the mistletoe was also considered important for hand fasting. It was an announcement of future intentions, and was repeated after the ceremony.

As mistletoe ages and whithers it turns a golden color. This may connect it to the golden bough legends. This plants was also thought to have the ability to find buried treasure because of an association with the underworld.

In Norse legend mistletoe is a symbol of death and resurrection. The God Baldur was slain with spear made of mistletoe by the blind god Hodur. All things on earth and in heaven had sworn not to harm Baldur because of the petitioning of his mother. It is told that mistletoe had been forgotten by Odhinn in her petitions. All the gods were having fun throwing things at Baldur and watching the projectiles swerving to miss him. Loki grabbed a stick of mistletoe and helped the blind Hodur throw it at Baldur, killing him. Another version says mistletoe was forgotten because it roots in trees not in the ground, being between and not part of the earth or the heavens.

Because of its many, strong, pagan associations mistletoe was banned from the churches.

Candles
Candles and fire were used as sympathetic magick to lure the sun back. Candles were left burning on Christmas Eve to guide the Christ child through the darkness. They were lit by the oldest member or head of the house, who would also extinguish them in the morning. It was a bad omen if one was accidentally blown out, and unlucky to touch one after lighting.

Christmas tree
This tradition comes straight from pagan worship of trees and the spirits they contain. Common stories tell of christmas trees being unknown in English speaking countries till the German Prince Albert brought the traditions with him when he married Queen Victoria in 1840. The German name used for these trees is tannenbaum, said to be related to tinne or glastin, the sacred trees of the ancient Celts.

European priests, dendrophori, traveled to a sacred grove and selected a pine tree. They brought the tree back to the town, set it up and decorated it. One type of decoration was an effigy of the gods. This may be the origin of the gingerbread men hung on trees to this day.

According to Christian legend, the German Protestant leader Martin Luther was walking in the woods. He came upon a tree with ice covered branches. The beauty of the sun shining through the branches inspired him. Luther brought the tree back and lit candles behind the tree to show others the beauty.

Trees, Evergreens
Evergreens were considered a manifestation of diety and so, sacred. They remained green did not die each year. A representation of the goddess, the Druids decorated trees each Yule with images of wishes for next year. Fruits were used to symbolize harvest, nuts for fertility, candles, and love charms.

In ancient Greece the fir tree was considered sacred to Artemis, the moon goddess who presided over childbirth.

Being the symbol of renewed life and the return of crops and harvest, evergreen decorations were to be removed by the 12th night after the Solstice. If they were taken away too soon it would mean the loss of prosperity in the coming year, but had to be taken down by Candalmas. Depending on tradition, the greens were either left to whither or were burnt in ceremony. To burn while still green, however, would put household protection in jeopardy.

Yule log
To the Celts, the Yule log was a phallic symbol. The log representing the god, three holes representing the goddess were drilled on top. Three candles, one red, one white, one black, symbolizing the impregnation of the goddess were placed in these holes. To symbolize the intertwining of goddess and god, holly and mistletoe were added. Different contries had different traditions, for example, the Slavs used one candle in orange or gold, colors of the god.

Wassailing
Men and boys, followed by the women, would enter their orchards at dusk on the 12th night. With them they brought trays, pans, kettles and cider. One tree was chosen to represent the orchard. Everyone drank a toast to the chosen tree and poured cider on its roots. Toasted bread soaked in cider was left in a fork of it's branches. Sometimes a branch was pulled down and dipped in a kettle of cider. Some of the men may have bowed down as if carrying heavy sacks of fruit. Women and children danced and shouted. All this to ensure a plentiful crop the next year.

Virgin birth
The original meaning of virgin has been almost lost. It has nothing to do with a breaking of the hymen of a woman. The word was first used to describe priestesses in Mediterranean temples in Roman Pagan times. It meant an independent woman not bound by local law. She had no husband and took as many lovers as she wanted.
In creation myth, the Virgin Goddess gives birth to her son on the Winter Solstice. The Virgin Mary, gives birth to her son, but being virgin in a very different way.

Wreaths
Wreaths use the symbolism of the circle, no beginning and no end. The circle has been used as such a symbol for 4,000 years or more. Scandinavian peasants used wreaths as decoration for Yule, using pine cones and fruits.

Other symbols
Symbols representing Yule include an eight-spoked wheel and bells from the Norse which were used to celebrate dawn after longest night and to frighten powers of darkness highest this night. Other symbols are bayberry, holly, mistletoe, Yule Trees or a small potted tree. Sun or God symbols, such as acorns, pine cones etc.

LORE :
To insure growth and prosperity, burn a pair of bayberry candles.
If you see the sun shining through the branches of an apple tree on Christmas day, next season's crop will be good.

MAGICKAL ASSOCIATIONS FOR THE HOLIDAY :
COLORS :
Gold, White, Green, Red

PLANTS :
Mistletoe, Balsam, Fir, Pine cones and needles, Chamomile, Comfrey, Sunflower, Apple, and any dried summer herbs.

STONES :
Clear quartz, citrine

It is a good time for goal setting magick, new ideas and projects.
Thank you for stopping by Magickal Enchantments Blog, I hope you enjoyed your Yule Reading.
Brightest Blessings,
The Celtic Witch
)0(

'Twas the Evening of Samhain

2008-10-28T05:07:00.000-07:00

'Twas the evening of Samhain, and all through the place

were pagans preparing the ritual space.

The candles were set in the corners with care,

in hopes that the Watchtowers soon would be there.

We all had our robes on (as is habitual)

and had just settled down and were starting our ritual

when out on the porch there arose such a chorus

that we went to the door, and waiting there for us

were children in costumes of various kinds

with visions of chocolate bright in their minds.

In all of our workings, we'd almost forgot,

but we had purchased candy (we'd purchased a LOT),

And so, as they flocked from all over the street,

they all got some chocolate or something else sweet.

We didn't think twice of delaying our rite,

Kids just don't have this much fun every night.

For hours they came, with the time-honored schtick

of giving a choice: a treat or a trick.

As is proper, the parents were there for the games,

Watching the children and calling their names.

"On Vader, On Leia,

On Dexter and DeeDee,

On Xena, on Buffy,

Casper and Tweety!

To the block of apartments

on the neighboring road;

You'll get so much candy,

you'll have to be TOWED!"

The volume of children eventually dropped,

and as it grew darker, it finally stopped.

But as we prepared to return to our rite,

One child more stepped out of the night.

She couldn't have been more than twelve or thirteen.

Her hair was deep red, and her robe, forest green

with a simple gold cord tying off at the waist.

She'd a staff in her hand and a smile on her face.

No make-up, nor mask, or accompanying kitsch,

so we asked who she was; she replied "I'm a witch.

And no, I don't fly through the sky on my broom;

I only use that thing for cleaning my room.

My magical powers aren't really that neat,

but I won't threaten tricks; I'll just ask for a treat."

We found it refreshing, so we gave incense cones,

A candle, a crystal, a few other stones,

And the rest of the candy (which might fill a van).

She turned to her father (a man dressed as Pan)

and laughed, "Yes, I know, Dad, it's past time for bed,"

and started to leave, but she first turned and said

"I'm sorry for further delaying your rite.

Blessed Samhain to all, and a magical night."

Copyright (c) 1999 by Cather Steincamp

Samhain Faery Myth and Magic

2008-10-25T11:03:00.000-07:00

Possessing the power to bewitch or bedevil humans with their illusions, known as glamours, fairies gradually found their way into the myth and folklore of many European cultures.
The inhabitants of pre-Christian Ireland also believed that Samhain was a time when a strange dark-skinned race of goblin like creatures with occult powers emerged from their secret hiding places. Resentful of the human race for taking over the land that was once theirs, they delighted in creating as much mischief as possible. Some were merely pranksters, while others were more evil natured and regarded as dangerous. According to legend, every seven years these creatures would steal human infants or small children and then sacrifice them to their god.
Because Samhain was a night on which the fairy mounds stood wide open, all manners of fairies, mostly baneful, were free to walk the earth. Also, any person careless or unfortunate enough to step upon an open mound would fall victim to permanent enchantment by a fairy spell and either succumb to madness or waste away from a mysterious and incurable illness. However, according to Celtic folklore, on Samhain night, when neither human nor fairy needed any magickal password to enter, an open fairy mound could, like quicksand, pull an unsuspecting mortal into the world of fairies, where he or she would be doomed to remain forever.
Samhain was more than a night when spirits walked the earth. Like the other great festivals dominating the old Celtic calendar, Samhain was also connected with fertility of the earth and its animals. It was a time when the final harvest was celebrated and when farmers throughout the land brought their livestock down from the pastures and made preparations for the coming of winter.
In Ireland, the Tuatha de Danann are active just before Samhain and will bless your home for a small portion of your harvest. But any crop left unharvested after sundown on October 31st is taken by the Phookas, baneful faeries who render the crop unfit to eat. Spelled Pwca in Wales, these baneful faeries remain active until spring.
Just before Samhain the final harvest had to be gathered in. Whatever was left in the fields after this time would be taken by malevolent faeries. But just in case some of these creatures wished to jump in early, bells were often tolled all during the day of October 30th, the last day of the harvest, to ward off encroaching faeries as the work was being done. An old Mother Goose rhyme reflects this ancient custom with the words, "The boughs they do shake and the bells they do ring, so merrily comes our harvest in..."
In general, baneful faeries are more active during the last quarter of the waning moon, and helpful faeries are more active at the waxing. Inland water faeries are generally friendly, while sea faeries are more malevolent, a concept which no doubt grew out of the dangers of sea travel. Good faeries are commonly more active from Beltane to Samhain, and the more mischievous ones from Samhain to Beltane.
To protect yourself from baneful faeries at Samhain, hang dried apples or dried heather over your doors.

A Fairy Spell

A spell to enable a person to perceive fairy rings and to hear the sound of fairy music calls for the following herbs to be gathered, diced, and then baked into a tiny oaten cake:
bay, mistletoe, rue, thyme, vervain, and yarrow.
Anoint the cake with a bit of honey and three drops of rose oil.
On Halloween night, as the moon of enchantment is rising in the sky above, place the sweetened cake under a tree or a bush in your garden as an offering to the fairy-folk. According to witches lore, if your magick is true and your heart filled only with sincerity, the fairies will open their secret and wondrous world to you right before your very eyes.
The other times of the year when such a spell is said to be effective are: at moonrise on Lady Day (March 25th), Easter, the first day of May (known as May Day, Beltane, and Walpurgis), the Summer Solstice (June 21st), Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

There were hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of different types of faeries who inhabited the ancient Celtic lands, but in Ireland (where it was once believed that all cats were actually fairies in disguise) it was the Phooka (pooka) that was particularly feared on Samhain, when it took great pleasure in tormenting humans. The supernatural’s of the night possessed the power to shape shift, and they were known to often take on the disguise of a black horse with hideous features.
The Celts devised numerous charms to protect themselves against the Little People. The ringing of bells (especially church bells) and the hanging of iron horseshoes above doorways were two methods believed to be effective in keeping spiteful fairies at bay. Many people in various parts of the world still believe that iron is a metal that repels and protects against all manners of fairies. It is commonly used in the making of magickal amulets and talismans for protection.

I hope you enjoyed the latest Samhain post.
Brightest Blessings,
The Celtic Witch
)0(

Samhain Ancestor Meditation and more...

2008-10-17T04:55:00.000-07:00

Samhain is known as the night when the veil between this world and the next is at its thinnest. It's a time to sit back and honor the spirit world, and call upon those ancestors who came before us. After all, if not for them, we wouldn't be here. We owe them something, some gratitude for their ability to survive, their strength, their spirit. Many Wiccans and Pagans choose Samhain as a time to honor their ancestors. If this is something you'd like to do, you can celebrate with a ritual or by hosting a seance or dumb supper in their honor.
In addition to these more formal rituals, you may also want to take some time alone for a quiet meditation. This is a point in the Wheel of the Year when the spirit world is a bit closer than normal, and if you've never tried to contact your ancestors before, now is a good time to do it.

When performing an ancestor meditation, people experience different things. You may find yourself meeting a specific person that you are aware of in your family history, maybe you've heard the stories about great-uncle Joe who went out west after the Civil War, and now you have the privilege of chatting with him, or perhaps you'll meet the grandmother who passed away when you were a child. Some people, however, meet their ancestors as archetypes. In other words, it may not be a specific individual you meet, but rather a symbol -- instead of adventurous great-uncle Joe, it may be a non-specific Civil War soldier or frontiersman. Either way, understand that meeting these individuals is a gift. Pay attention to what they say and do -- it may be that they're trying to give you a message.

Setting the Mood

Before you perform this meditation, it's not a bad idea to spend some time with the tangible, physical aspects of your family. Bring out the old photo albums, read through wild Aunt Tillie's diary from the Great Depression, get out your grandfather's old pocket watch that almost sank with the Titanic. These are the material things that connect us to our family. They link us, magically and spiritually. Spend time with them, absorbing their energies and thinking of the things they've seen, the places they've been.

You can perform this ritual anywhere, but if you can do it outside at night it's even more powerful. Decorate your altar (or if you're outside, use a flat stone or tree stump) with the symbols of your ancestors -- the photos, journals, war medals, watches, jewelry, etc. No candles are necessary for this meditation, but if you'd like to light one, do so. You may also want to burn some Samhain spirit incense, which of course I will happily provide you with at
www.thecelticwitch.com (sorry, had to get in a little shameless promotion)

Claiming Your Birthright
Close your eyes and breathe deeply. Think about who you are, and what you are made of, and know that everything within you is the sum of all your ancestors. From thousands of years ago, generations of people have come together over the centuries to create the person you are now. Think about your own strengths, weaknesses and remember that they came from somewhere. This is a time to honor the ancestors who formed you.

Recite your genealogy, aloud if you like, as far back as you can go. As you say each name, describe the person and their life. An example might go something like this:

I am the daughter of James, who fought in Vietnam
and returned to tell the tale.
James was the son of Eldon and Maggie,
who met on the battlefields of France,
as she nursed him back to health.
Eldon was the son of Alice, who sailed
aboard Titanic and survived.
Alice was the daughter of Patrick and Molly,
who farmed the soil of Ireland, who
raised horses and tatted lace to feed the children...

and so forth. Go back as far as you like, elaborating in as much detail as you choose. Once you can go back no further, end with "those whose blood runs in me, whose names I do not yet know".

If you happened to meet a certain ancestor, or their archetype, during your meditation, take a moment to thank them for stopping by. Take note of any information they may have given you, even if it doesn't make sense just now, it may later on when you give it some more thought. Think about all the people you come from, whose genes are part of you. Some were great people some, not so much, but the point is, they all belong to you. They all have helped shape and create you. Appreciate them for what they were, with no expecations or apologies, and know that they are watching over you.

Samhain was a significant time for divination, perhaps even more so than May or Midsummer’s Eve, because this was the chief of the three Spirit Nights. Divination customs and games frequently featured apples and nuts from the recent harvest, and candles played an important part in adding atmosphere to the mysteries. In Scotland, a child born at Samhain was said to be gifted with an dà shealladh, “The Two Sights” commonly known as “second sight,” or clairvoyance.

Apple Magic
At the heart of the Celtic Otherworld grows an apple tree whose fruit has magical properties. Old sagas tell of heroes crossing the western sea to find this wondrous country, known in Ireland as Emhain Abhlach, (Evan Avlach) and in Britain, Avalon. At Samhain, the apple harvest is in, and old hearthside games, such as apple-bobbing, called apple-dookin’ in Scotland, reflect the journey across water to obtain the magic apple.

Dookin' for Apples
Place a large tub, preferably wooden, on the floor, and half fill it with water. Tumble in plenty of apples, and have one person stir them around vigorously with a long wooden spoon or rod of hazel, ash or any other sacred tree.

Each player takes their turn kneeling on the floor, trying to capture the apples with their teeth as they go bobbing around.Each gets three tries before the next person has a go. Best to wear old clothes for this one, and have a roaring fire nearby so you can dry off while eating your prize!
If you do manage to capture an apple, you might want to keep it for a divination ritual, such as this one:

The Apple and the Mirror
Before the stroke of midnight, sit in front of a mirror in a room lit only by one candle or the moon. Go into the silence, and ask a question. Cut the apple into nine pieces. With your back to the mirror, eat eight of the pieces, then throw the ninth over your left shoulder. Turn your head to look over the same shoulder, and you will see and in image or symbol in the mirror that will tell you your answer.

(When you look in the mirror, let your focus go "soft," and allow the patterns made by the moon or candlelight and shadows to suggest forms, symbols and other dreamlike images that speak to your intuition.)

2008-10-12T19:55:00.001-07:00

I was browsing through my collections trying to decide what to share with you on my blog and decided on Celtic Women’s Spirituality by Edain McCoy.
This is without a doubt one of my favorites books.
So grab yourself a cup of tea and sit for a spell.
Here is a small copy of her writings on Samhain, the italicized parts are me.:)

So much has been written about this popular festival that it seems redundant, as well as daunting, to try to compress it all into a brief description emphasizing the women's aspect. This is primarily the celebration of the new year and a feast of the harvest ending, and a reaffirmation in our beliefs in the eternal cycles of death and rebirth. On Samhain we celebrate the spirit world and honor our ancestors. This festival may even have roots far back into pre-history, to a time when unity through mother blood bound tribes together, and worship of female ancestors formed the basis of their spiritual orientation.
The crone, as Goddess and ancestor, is the supreme deity of this festival. Samhain is the night when the old God, her son and lover, dies, and she goes into mourning for him until she can transform herself into the virgin who gives him rebirth. The images of her as the Halloween hag stirring her bubbling cauldron comes from the Celtic belief that all the dead souls return, like the God, to her cauldron of life, death and rebirth to await reincarnation.
To celebrate this Sabbat you can follow an old Irish custom and place candles in your windows to illuminate the spirits travels. "This is one of the traditions that I also incorporate into my own celebrations as well"
Because the doors to the other times and places are wide open on this night, it is a goot time to try some past-life work. This can be done alone or with a group. If you are not familiar with any of the methods for doing this, now is the season for discovery.
You could also mourn the dead God with the traditional women's keening wail, and offer comfort to the grieving Goddess.
"Now this last suggestion really called out to me, give comfort to the grieving Goddess? I could actually offer her something beneficial? Something other then worship? It made me realize that I pray to the Goddess, I show her love and praise. I trust in her and I request aid from her as well. However I had never thought to offer my comfort to her! So, this Samhain I will incorporate this into my ritual in my own way. Just some food for thought ya all...:)"

I also thought you would enoy these poems...
(poem by: Elspeth Sapphire)

It is the time of burning leaves,
The crispness of the air has awakened
Memories both dark and hidden,
Memories of past feasts partaken.

I sit comfortly in this silent room
Computer keyboard beneath my fingers
Yet...my mind is never frozen here
In times past it wants to linger.

I 'see' a bonfire raging on a hilltop
With my people all gathered around
Our prayers to the Gods I shout,
Yet, in my dreams I hear not a sound.

The drums beat, the people dance
Wildness fills the autumn night.

The Other Side is so very close--
The Veil just beyond the fire light.

I reach, I feel, I almost touch...
Spirit fingers entwine with mortal
Then dawn's first light appears
And seals again the fragile portal.

I turn away from the cold ashes
Let the wildness leave my aching soul.

Another year til another Samhain...
On that night again I'll be whole.

(poem by: R. A. Melos )

A Witch's Words To Her Familiar On Samhain

Still your mind,
and still your soul,
heed the words that make you grow,
listen to the winds of the sages,
learn the wisdom of the mages,
handed down to us from the ages.

Time is ours,
but only fleeting,
hear the wings of eternity beating,
soon enough we'll all be meeting,
and each of us merrily greeting.

The moon will be full,
and round,
and bright.
And we'll be wisked away,
in the dead of night.
To the place we are meant to be,
to learn and grow,
and maybe see,
a spectre of what we should be.

Time is ours,
frozen, but brief,
allowing us to release our grief,
to open our hearts and minds once more,
and step through the sacred door,
of time and space, and futures past,
to teach us the spells to cast.
So we may once again be free,
to live and love and blessed be.

So still your mind,
and still your soul,
and open your heart,
and set yourself free,
on this Samhain, I challenge thee.
Learn the truth from mages old,
the truth which was foretold.
The time is right, the night is new,
we can learn what not to do.

Warnings from the great beyond,
we'll heed them or all cry,
for lies can no longer be told,
when you look me in the eye.
I've learned a lesson, bold and true,
and now there are but a few,
who understand the depth of change,
and how we all must rearrange,
our thinking and goals,
for times anew,
if the world is to survive,
for me and you.

We've got our work cut out for us,
my friend.
And we must not fail,
before the end,
or all will be lost,
and fate will be no more,
and finally the great beyond,
will close the door.

Time and space will exist no more,
my friend,
my familiar,
we must work to prevent war.
Peace must prevail for ten thousand years,
and we must make sure it does.
Our souls eternal bond will hold,
as our bodies grow old.
Fear not the great beyond,
my friend,
for it is a beginning,
not an end.

Our work will continue for eternity,
until everlasting peace shall set us free.

(poem by: unknown )

Dear Ancestor

Your tombstone stands among the rest;
neglected and alone
The name and date are chiseled out
on polished, marbled stone
It reaches out to all who care
It is too late to mourn
You did not know that I’d exist
You died and I was born.
Yet each of us are cells of you
in flesh, in blood, in bone.
Our blood contracts and beats a pulse
entirely not our own.
Dear Ancestor, the place you filled
one hundred years ago
Spreads out among the ones you left
who would have loved you so.
I wonder if you lived and loved,
I wonder if you knew
That someday I would find this spot,
and come to visit you.
So that was the latest edition of the Samhain blogs.
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your read.
Kat

~A Witches Halloween~ Samhain

2008-10-09T16:16:00.000-07:00

On the last day of October, when the darkness of night drapes the sky like a shroud and the crisp air grows sweet with the aroma of fallen autumn leaves, magick and mystery abound. This is the night when the shadow realm beckons and the veil that seperates the world of the living from the world of the dead grows most thin. The great wheel of the year has once again completed its cycle, and the time of endings and beginnings has arrived.
This is Halloween.
Known by many names~Samhain, Shadowfest, Old Hallowmas, All Hallows Eve, Festival of the Dead~ this special night of the year is the most important of the eight annual Sabbats. It is a time when the spirits of deceased loved ones and friends are honored, as well as a time to gaze into the world of things yet to come.
For Pagans around the world, Halloween is, among other things, a night of ancestors, a harvest festival, a time of magick and mirth, and a New Years Eve celebration.
Halloweens roots are undeniably pagan however Halloween and its celebrations should not be restricted to witches and others who identify themselves as neo-pagans.
As a new era begins, the pagan path is shining its light on more and more people who are experiencing a growing spiritual need to reconnect with Mother Nature and the ancient ways.
So, in honor of my favorite holiday, all of the new blogs will be devoted to Samhain. They will be filled with history, lore, poems and spells all based on Samhain, so sit back and enjoy for Samhain is near....

Superstitions and Omens:

Unwise is the person who sits or sleeps beneath a hawthorn tree on Halloween, for on this day of the year, when malevolent spirits roam the Earth, fairies are said to hide within hawthorns and cast their strange enchantments upon the mortals who unknowingly rest beneath these trees.

If a cat of the most sinister shade of black should cross your path on Halloween, this is said to be one of the unluckiest omens you could ever receive. This superstitious belief, which is widespread thoughout the United States, Spain, Belgium, is less common on the British Isles, where black cats have long been regarded as the harbingers of good luck.

Enchantments:

Rowan Tree Protection Spell
To keep yourself safe on Halloween from bewitchment, ill wishes, or the evil doings of supernatural beings, cut a branch of a rowan tree that is covered with red berries. With a red thread, attach it to your clothing or hair as you thrice recite the following magickal verse:

"Rowan Tree and red thread,
Gar the Witches dance their dead."

The rowan tree has long been regarded as the most magickal of all trees, and its protective powers are legendary. However, if you are unable to find a rowan tree to complete this spell, you can still protect yourself on Halloween simply by wearing something that is red. According to occult folklore, the color red works exceptionally well in keeping sorcerers and supernaturals at bay. And that is the reason why I use red thread in my protective witchballs...:)

Cookery

Samhain Cider
2 quarts apple cider
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 cup apricot brandy

In a large pot, combine the apple cider, confectioners sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger. Simmer slowly on low heat for about 15 minutes. Take care that the cider does not boil. Add the apricot brandi and then serve the cider while it is still warm.
Refrigerate any leftover cider.
Serves 8

That was the first edition to the Samhain blogs and I hope you enjoyed your read.
Brightest Blessings,
The Celtic Witch )0(

Fall Flower Magick

2008-10-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

As fall rushes in and I finish the last of my harvesting from my summer garden I look for things that are growing this time of year. Fall brings us an abundance of magickal items to collect, many found at your local gardening store or right in your own neighborhood.
I thought I would share some of these items with you and their magickal uses.

Chrysanthemums~ In flower magick this flower invokes protection. At this time of year as we come closer to Samhain when the veil between the world is thin this is a handy flower. This flower is available in many colors and each color carries its own magickal meaning.

Red~ love
Yellow~ joy and cheer
Purple~ power and passion
White~ invokes truth
Bronze~encourages a happy and peaceful home

Think about setting some of this flower out in pots around your home to invoke their own powers and here is a charm you can use while performing this:

"The chrysanthemum is a magickal flower indeed,
It brings love, joy, and protection with all possible speed.
In this season of Autumn, I spin this fall flower spell,
Believe in this natural magick and all will be well."

The Chinese brew a tea from the flowers to reduce fevers.
You could separate the petals of this flower and sprinkle them to stop an argument and to calm fiery tempers.
Sprinkle the flower heads into a warm bath to get rid of a bad mood.
Mums are also the flower of choice for decorating your altar for autumn rituals.

Pumpkins
What is fall without pumpkins? The original idea behind jack-o-lanterns was to frighten evil spirits away. Its a good idea to incorporate a pumpkin into a spell to remove or block any negativity or bad luck that may be surrounding you or your home. Carve your pumpkin into any witchy design that you like, place a black candle inside and as you light the candle repeat this charm three times:

"Bright pumpkin that glows and candle of black,
Send bad luck away, turn negativity back.
By all the enchantment of three times three,
Lady hear my spell, Blessed Be."

Here are some other late summer and fall blooming flowers to keep your eye out for to use in your Flower Magick...

~ Morning Glory (Ipomoea) - The morning glory is an old-fashioned, fall-blooming annual vine.
I have this flower surrounding my home, it grows on my lamppost, my stair railings, my fence and on my garden trellis. It is one of my favorites and the colors are vibrant and beautiful.
It is available in a wide range of colors from white, pastel shades of pink, and blue to true blue and deep purple. In the language of flowers, the morning glory “greets the new day.” Also any truly blue flowers are sacred to the goddess Aphrodite. For flower fascinations, use the blue blossoms for love, peace, and for promoting mental health. The morning glory is associated with the planet Saturn, which means that foliage, vines, and blossoms can and be incorporated into protection spells. Try the deeper blue and purple colored varieties to safeguard your home or property. Morning glories grow well in full to part sun. Be sure to keep them well watered during the hot, dog days of late summer.

~Aster (aster hybrids.) - The flower of the Goddess. Also known as Michaelmas daisies, asters come in gorgeous shades of blue, white, pink, and purple. The aster is sacred to most of the Greek pantheon, and attracts butterflies to your yard. I have the purple variety in my yard and they are still blooming now. According to flower folklore the aster conveys the message of variety, delicacy, and patience. Incorporate asters into spells and charms to enhance loving vibrations and healthy emotions. Adding these beautiful flowers to your garden brings love and contentment to your entire household. The aster prefers a sunny location and likes moist, well-drained soil. USA cold hardiness zones 4-9

~ Black-eyed-Susans (Rudbeckia) - These drought-tolerant perennials thrive in sunny spots and are a wonderful addition to any garden by providing bold splashes of golden color from summer through fall. I have a few of these still blooming but not for much longer however they did bloom just about all summer and they are a joy to look at.
In the language of flowers they symbolize “justice.” So they would be ideal to add to any spells where this was an issue. The seed heads of the black-eyed-Susan's are attractive to songbirds, so don’t cut these back in the late fall, let the birds have them. USA cold hardiness zones 4-9

~Autumn Clematis (Clematis paniculata) - In the language of flowers, the clematis stands for the beauty of the mind and ingenuity. Work a tiny blooming cluster or two this fall into enchantments that call for a little cleverness and resourcefulness. This free-flowering vine blooms in tiny snow-white clusters of fragrant blossoms in the autumn months. The 15-25 foot vines are aggressive and grow quickly, so keep it trained on an arbor or fence. If it starts to get away from you, it can be clipped back to a manageable size in the spring. This plant blooms on new growth, in the fall. USA cold hardiness zones 4-8

~Pansies (Viola) - These cool-temperature-loving flowers are sacred to Eros/Cupid. Pansies have many folk names including, kiss-me-at-the-garden-gate, love-in-idleness, Johnny jump-ups, and heart’s ease. According to legend, the god Eros accidentally shot one of his love-inducing arrows into the pansy, causing it to smile. The happy face of the pansy has been grinning ever since. These sassy, multi-colored flowers are incorporated into garden witchery spells and charms for easing a broken heart and for spreading cheer. Pansies are wonderful in the garden or tucked into pots and containers for seasonal color. If planted in the ground in the fall and then mulched with leaves in early winter, pansies will bloom again the following spring. Here’s a fun Garden Witch tip; during the fall months look for the “Trick or Treat” variety. These pansies are a mixture of orange, black and purple colors, and absolutely enchanting to add to your garden just in time for Halloween/ Samhain.
My next blog will of course be devoted to Samhain as it if my favorite holiday. I will also be running a Samhain contest for a free Oracle Reading. Details coming soon...
Until then brightest blessings and I wish you all well,
The Celtic Witch
)0(

Arianrhod

2008-06-07T06:25:00.000-07:00

Arianrhod is the Celtic Moon-Mother Goddess who was known throughout the land for her stunning beauty.
She was the daughter of the Mother Goddess Don and her consort Beli.

She is ruler of Caer Sidi, a magical realm in the north. She was worshiped as priestess of the moon. The benevolent silver sky-lady came down from her pale white chariot in the heavens to watch more closely over the tides she ruled. Her Festival is on 2nd December, she is also honoured at the Full Moon.

A star and moon Goddess, Arianrhod was also called the Silver Wheel because the dead were carried on her Oar Wheel to Emania (the Moon-land or land of death), which belonged to her as a deity of reincarnation and karma. Her consort Nwyvre 'Sky, Space, Firmament' has survived in name only. Caer Arianrhod is the circumpolar stars, to which souls withdraw between incarnations, thus she is identified as a Goddess of reincarnation. The Mother aspect of the Triple Goddess in Wales, her palace was Caer Arianrhod (Aurora Borealis), or the secret center of each initiate's spiritual being.

And here is her story....

Arianrhod is the daughter of the Welsh Goddess Don and the sister of Gwydion. Gwydion was counselor to King Math who could only remain alive if his feet lay in the lap of a virgin at all times except when he led his armies into battle. During one such battle the virgin who had held King Math's feet was raped, and so there was need for a replacement. Gwydion recommended his sister, Arianrhod. King Math put her virginity to the test by asking her to step over his magic wand. As she stepped over the wand she gave birth to a boy child with yellow hair. The child cried loudly, and Arianrhod, humiliated, ran for the door, dropping yet another small object on the ground in the process. Before anyone could catch a glance at the object, Gwydion wrapped it and hid it inside a chest. King Math then performed rites for the yellow haired boy child, naming him Dylan. Dylan immediately ran for the sea and received the sea's nature and was never seen again.
A time later Gwydion presented Arianrhod with the object that he had hidden in the chest - a second boy child. Arianrhod was outraged at the "evidence" of her humiliation at the hands of King Math and rejected the child.
She laid on him three curses:
He shall have no name except one she gives him.
He shall bear no arms except ones she gives him.
He shall have no wife of the race that is now on the earth.
Gwydion was outraged by these curses and worked to break them. He disguised himself and the boy child as shoemakers and traveled to Caer Arianrhod. When Arianrhod went to have shoes fitted, the boy child threw a stone at a bird and deftly hit it. Arianrhod commented on the child's skillful hand. At that Gwydion revealed himself and the child and stated that she had just named him - Llew Llaw Gyffes, the Shining Skillful Hand. This threw Arianrhod into a firey rage and she stormed back to Caer Arianrhod swearing that the boy would never bear arms or have a human wife.
Again Gwydion tricked Arianrhod into breaking her own curse. He disguised himself and Llew as travelers and sought refuge in Caer Arianrhod. While they were there Gwydion caused an illusion showing a powerful armada of ships advancing on Caer Arianrhod. Making ready for battle Arianrhod threw open her armory and armed her retainers. Gwydion suggested to Arianrhod that she give arms to him and Llew (still in disguise) and they would fight at the defense of the castle. She readily agreed and thereby, unwittingly, granted arms to her son, breaking the second curse. Gwydion then revealed themselves to Arianrhod and told her that she may as well take the arms back from her son, as there really was no battle to be fought.
Enraged at being tricked a second time, Arianrhod took comfort in her third curse - that Llew would have no human wife. Gwydion, upset at the cruelty Arianrhod was showing her son, vowed to break this curse also. Gwydion went to King Math and explained Llew's plight. Combining their magic they created a woman made of flowers, Blodeuwedd, to be wife to Llew, and broke Arianrhod's third curse.
Humiliated by King Math, thwarted by her son, forsaken by her brother, Arianrhod retreated to her castle Caer Arianrhod. Here she later drowned when the sea reclaimed the land.

The poem is taken from the book "Ceridwen's Cauldron" by Gwdihw.
Lady Arianrhod
Arianrhod, Lady Fair
Fly over your caer, in the air
Served by the moth and the wren
The bat, bee and hidden men
Mother of Dylan, you did reign
You did not give his twin a name.
Your brother Gwydion sold you shoes
Your curse he made you quickly lose.
With a sling you saw your son
Lleu Llaw Gyffes, the fair one.
Arianrhod, Queen of the night
Refused arms for Lleu to fight.
When Math made ships out of mist
Lleu found a spear within his fist,
Her final curse forbade a bride
He found a flower maid by his side.
Gronw speared Lleu in the bowel,
Blodeuwedd changed from bride to owl
Arianrhod watched, high above
Giving Lleu both grief and love.
Binding him by silver thread
Thinking that he lay there dead.
Transformations took place
Feather grew from Lleu's face.
Gwydion changed him back to man
Healing him as magic can.
Arianrhod, Lady of the Wheel,
Reincarnator, help us heal.

Celtic Mythology

2008-06-07T05:56:00.000-07:00

Adventure, heroism, romance, and magic are a few of the elements that make Celtic mythology one of the most entrancing mythologies of Europe. Once a powerful people who dominated much of Europe, the Celts were reduced to a few small groups after the Roman invasions. However, their mythology survived, thanks largely to the efforts of medieval Irish and Welsh monks who wrote down the stories.

The Celts were a group of people who began to spread throughout Europe in the 1000s B.C. At the peak of their power, they inhabited an area extending from the British Isles in the west to what is now Turkey in the east. They conquered northern Italy and Macedonia, plundering both Rome and Delphi in the process. They had a reputation as fierce and courageous warriors and were viewed with respect by the Romans.
Celtic expansion reached its limit around 225 B.C., when the Celts suffered the first in a series of defeats by the armies of the Roman empire. Gradually, the Romans subdued the Celts, and by A.D. 84, most of Britain was under Roman rule. At the same time, Germanic peoples conquered the Celts living in central Europe.
Just a few areas, notably Ireland and northern Britain, managed to remain free and to continue and pass on the Celtic traditions. Six groups of Celts have survived to modern times: the peoples of Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, Wales, Cornwall, and Brittany.
The ancient Celts were neither a race nor a nation. They were a varied people bound together by language, customs, and religion rather than by any centralized government. They lived off the land, farming and raising stock. No towns existed apart from impressive hill forts. However, by about 100 B.C., large groups of Celts had begun to gather at certain settlements to trade with one another.
Celtic society had a clearly defined structure. Highest in rank was the king, who ruled a particular tribe, or group of people. Each tribe was divided into three classes: the noble knights and warriors, the Druids (religious leaders), and the farmers and commoners. The Druids, who came from noble families, were respected and influential figures. They served not only as priests but also as judges, teachers, and advisers. In addition, it was widely believed that the Druids had magical powers.

The ancient Celts had a vibrant mythology made up of hundreds of tales. They did not, however, record their myths in writing but passed them on orally. Our knowledge of the gods, heroes, and villains of Celtic mythology comes from other sources—mainly Roman. Yet the Romans sometimes referred to Celtic gods by Roman names, so their accounts were not always reliable. Moreover, because the Romans and Celts were battlefield enemies, Roman descriptions of Celtic beliefs were often unfavorable.

Major Gods. The Celts worshiped a variety of gods who appeared in their tales. Most were all-powerful local deities rather than gods with specialized roles. Each tribe had its own god, who protected and provided for the welfare of that tribe. Some of them had similar characteristics. For example, Dagda, the god of life and death in Ireland—known as the good god—resembled Esus, the "master" god of Gaul.
Some deities had more clearly defined roles. Among these were Lug, or Lugus, a sun god associated with arts and skills, war and healing, and the horned god Cernunnos, who was god of animals and fertility. The Celts also had a large number of important female deities. These included Morrigan, the "Great Queen"—actually three war goddesses, Morrigan, Badb, and Nemain, who appeared as ravens during battle. Another important deity was Brigit, goddess of learning, healing, and metalworking. Epona, the horse goddess, was associated with fertility, water, and death.

Major Themes. Magic, magicians, and the supernatural played a significant role in Celtic mythology. A common theme was the magic cauldron. The cauldron of plenty was never empty and supplied great quantities of food. The cauldron of rebirth brought slain warriors to life again. Myrddin, a magician in the Welsh tales, later became Merlin in the Arthurian legends.

Other important themes in the myths were voyages to mysterious and dangerous lands and larger-than-life heroes. The heroes experienced all kinds of adventures and often had to perform impossible tasks before marrying their loved one. Love, romance, and mischief also figured prominently. The gods played tricks on humans and on one another. Animals changed shape at will.

No Place for Satan

2008-05-28T04:45:00.000-07:00

The favorite, and crudest, Fundamentalist accusation against Pagans (and against Witches in particular) is that they worship Satin. It is quite simply not true, and it is astonishing how widely and unthinkingly this blatant lie has been believed.
Worship of the devil would be totally incompatible with the principles of Pagans. Pagans regard evil as an imbalance to be corrected, not as an independant force or entity.
Satan is a creation of Judeo-Christian Dualism, which has replaced the concept of creative polarity with that of good and evil as two independently existing forces at war with each other, instead of regarding evil as a state of imbalance requiring healing action. Dualism has also tended to identify good with the masculine and spirit, and evil with the feminie and with matter.
Jung made a substantial contribution to clear thinking on the levels of the psyche with his definitions of the conscious ego and the personal and collective unconscious, which should be in healthy interaction with each other. Official Christianity, with its fear of the feminie aspect, has always distorted this interaction into a Dualist confrontation between good and evil.
Paganism accepts the jungian view and is grateful to him for providing definitions which make the healthy interaction easier to understand and describe.
Pagans worship the same Ultimate as anyone else, however they may symbolize it. Monotheists, paradoxically, believe in two Ultimates, existing independently and at constant war with each other.
Satanism as a cult is alien to Paganism, which totally rejects it, whatever Fundamentalists and the gutter press claim. It is a negative image of Christianity, and its followers are often merely rejecting their upbringing by a wholesale inversion of parental beliefs, saying "up yours!" to Mom and Dad.
The notorious Black Mass is not a Pagan ritual, it is a Christian heretical blasphemy, a calculated mockery of the Mass by renegade Christians.
We do know of at least one group in Britian which calls itself Satanist, doubtless for initially rebellious reasons, but whose actual practises are above reproach; it will not allow anyone to be harmed, and we find its choice of name unfortunate and misleading. There are also groups which investigate the dark side, with the firm intention of getting natural light and dark in balance, and the names some of them choose may result in their being mistakenly regarded as Satanist.
The Christian image of Satan is a post biblical invention. In the old testament, Satan is a servant of God; his task is to test people's genuineness and ability to resist temptation (the book of Job gives a vivid account of this), and to report back to God accordingly. Not an endearing function, perhaps, but certainly not an evil one. Nor was Satan made into a fallen angel rebelling against his master, until much later.
Horns, throughout the old testament, are not a devilish symbol, but a sign of God given power. This symbol is recalled by the well known Michelangelo statue of Moses in the Vatican, which is equipped with horns.
But during the medieval persecution centuries, the image changed. The church inquistitors knew that Pagans and Witches worshipped a Horned God of Nature, which prompted them to equip Satan with horns so they they could say:
"Witches worship the devil, look, he has the horns to prove it!"
In Christian imagery, Satan is horned to this day, and most people believe mistakenly that he always has been.
Pagans do not believe that Satin exists, so how then can we worship him?
As with Paganism, there are many different forms of Satanism. It is generally accepted that it is divided into two seperate types, Traditional Satanism and Modern Satanism.
The first of these is the traditional anti-Christian Satanist, so loved by Hollywood horror film producers. It is the antithesis of Christianity; holding the notorious Black Mass, profaning all the Christian rites, defiling purity and reading the Lord's Prayer in reverse.
Traditional Satanism was originally a fantasy created by the church to instill fear into the population; later some elements of society adopted it as a rebellion against the Church's harsh laws.
If genuine traditional Satanists do exist, they are very secretive and remain rare.
Another type known as secular humanistic Satanism, is probably the most common, there
most well known orginazation of this category being Anton La Vey's Church of Satan. They do not believe in a personal devil nor in a personal God, but are egocentric in attitude. Their philosophy is devoted to opposing the restrictions and inhibitions forced upon man by the Christian Church.
They hold the Seven Deadly Sins to be virtues rather than vices, and this is echoed in La Vey's Nine Satanic Statements:

1. Satan represents indulgence, instead of abstinence!
2. Satan represents vital existence, instead of sprititual pipe dreams!
3. Satan represents undefiled wisdom, instead of hypocritical self-deceit!
4. Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it, instead of love wasted on ingrates!
5. Satan represents vengeance, instead of turning the other cheek!
6. Satan represents responsibility to the responsible, instead of concern for psychic vampires.
7. Satan represents man as just another animal, sometimes better, more often worse than those who walk on all fours, who, because of his divine spiritual and intellectual development, has become the most vicious animal of all!
8. Satan represents all of those so called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification!
9. Satan has been the best friend the church has ever had, as he has kept it in business all these years!

We can agree with the ninth statement only; the other eight, apart from being cynical, are all philosophically and theologically flawed.
This form of Satanism remains a rebellion against the church, and only attracts those who are dissatisfied with it. It therefore cannot be considered a true spiritual path.
Recently, Satanic groups like the Church of Satan have been making overtures towards the Pagan movement to support them against Fundamentalist opposition, arguing that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend"
We are glad to say that the Pagan movement has rejected this call for alliance; first of all Satanism, whether it likes it or not, has the same theology as Christianity and is not Pagan. It also has a philosophy which is totally alien to Pagan principles, disobeying the Wiccan eithic of "an it harm none".

The Lady of Shalott

2008-05-26T18:54:00.000-07:00

On either side the river lie Long fields of barley and of rye,
That clothe the world and meet the sky; And thro' the field the road runs by
To many-towered Camelot;

And up and down the people go, Gazing where the lilies blow
Round an island there below,
The island of Shalott

Willows whiten, aspens quiver, Little breezes dusk and shiver
Thro' the wave that runs forever By the island in the river
Flowing down to Camelot.

Four grey walls, and four grey towers, Overlook a space of flowers,
And the silent isle imbowers
The Lady of Shalott.

By the margin, willow-veiled, Slide the heavy barges trailed
By slow horses; and unhailed The shallop flitteth silken-sailed
Skimming down to Camelot:

But who hath seen her wave her hand? Or at the casement seen her stand?
Or is she known in all the land,
The Lady of Shalott?

Only reapers, reaping early In among the summer barley,
Hear a tune that echoes cheerly From the river winding clearly
Down to towered Camelot:

And by the moon the reaper weary, Piling sheaves in uplands airy,
Listening, whispers ''Tis the fairy
Lady of Shalott.'

There she weaves by night and day A magic web with colours gay.
She has heard a whisper say A curse is on her if she stay
To look down to Camelot.

She knows not what the curse may be, And so she weaveth steadily,
And little other care hath she,
The Lady of Shalott.

And moving thro' a mirror clear That hangs before her all the year,
Shadows of the world appear. There she sees the highway near
Winding down to Camelot:

There the river eddy whirls, And there the surly village-churls,
And the red cloaks of market girls,
Pass onward from Shalott.

Sometimes a troop of damsels glad, An abbot on an ambling pad,
Sometimes a curly shepherd lad, Or long-haired page in crimson clad,
Goes by to towered Camelot:

And sometimes thro' the mirror blue The knights come riding two and two:
She hath no loyal knight and true,
The Lady of Shalott.

But in her web she still delights To weave the mirror's magic sights,
For often thro' the silent nights A funeral, with plumes and lights,
And music, went to Camelot:

Or when the moon was overhead, Came two young lovers lately wed:
'I am half sick of shadows,' said
The Lady of Shalott.

A bow-shot from her bower-eaves, He rode between the barley-sheaves,
The sun came dazzling thro' the leaves, And flamed upon the brazen greaves
Of bold Sir Lancelot.

A red-cross knight for ever kneeled To a lady in his shield,
That sparkled on the yellow field,
Beside remote Shalott.

The gemmy bridle glittered free, Like to some branch of stars we see
Hung in the golden Galaxy. The bridle bells rang merrily
As he rode down to Camelot.

And from his blazoned baldric slung A mighty silver bugle hung,
And as he rode his armour rung,
Beside remote Shalott.

All in the blue unclouded weather Thick-jewelled shone the saddle-leather,
The helmet and the helmet-feather Burned like one burning flame together,
As he rode down to Camelot.

As often thro' the purple night, Below the starry clusters bright,
Some bearded meteor, trailing light,
Moves over still Shalott.

His broad clear brow in sunlight glowed; On burnished hooves his war-horse trode;
From underneath his helmet flowed His coal-black curls as on he rode,
As he rode down to Camelot.

From the bank and from the river He flashed into the crystal mirror,
'Tirra lirra,' by the river
Sang Sir Lancelot.

She left the web, she left the room, She made three paces thro' the room,
She saw the water-lily bloom, She saw the helmet and the plume,
She looked down to Camelot.

Out flew the web and floated wide; The mirror cracked from side to side;
'The curse is come upon me,' cried
The Lady of Shalott

The Lady of Shalott is one of my favorite poems and I hope you all enjoyed it as well. I never tire of reading it.
Brightest Blessings~!

Understanding Celtic Magick

2008-05-20T04:51:00.000-07:00

To the Celtic peoples, magic was as common as breathing. It was not something set aside for special occasions anymore than was their beautiful twisting artwork. Like their intricate designs that decorated even ordinary utensils, magic was part of everyday life.
The Celts had no difficulty reconciling materialism and spiritual insight because they clearly understood that each is present in the other, that matter is only solidified spirit. Today we have trouble accepting that magickal law. Our minds have been bombarded by prejudiced opinions until we have become programmed to believe a blend of the material and spiritual is impossible.
We have been taught an error: that to be spiritual one cannot be materialistic. In defining materialistic I mean concerned with material well-being, not controlled by material things. By continuing to believe this lie, we place ourselves within a tightly-bound area that prohibits us from manifesting, by magic, what we need in our lives.
Ritual magic removes this programming, sometimes with drastic effect in an unprepared person. The practise of magic will quickly bring out the hidden side of any magician. That is why it is so important for a magician to really, truthfully, know him or herself and exercise self discipline.
Ritual magic is merely the taking of energy from another plane of existence and weaving that energy, by specific thoughts, words and practises, into a desired physical form or result in this plane of existence. The whole idea of magic is to contact various energy pools that exist in a dimension other than our own. Magicians do this deliberately because these energies add a vast amount of power to the energy for manifestation that we hold within ourselves. The prime purpose of ritual is to create a change, and we cannot do that without the combination of these energies. We need the assistance of these energy pools, which can be called Gods, deities, and elementals.
Everything used during ritual is a symbol of an energy that exists on another plane. Whether or not the magician properly connects with that specific energy and believes he or she can work magic depends upon on how well he or she understands its representative symbol which is used on this plane or world. Study of, and meditation on, ritual symbols is an important part of training.
In order to bring through the energy of the Gods or energy pools, the magician must set up a circuit of communication along which that power can flow. This is done by ritual use of symbols, ritual itself, visualization and meditation. To keep the incoming power from dissipating before being directed toward a particular goal, rituals are performed within a cast and consecrated circle. This provides a neutral energy area which will not siphon off or dissipate the incoming energy.
To correctly contact the appropriate energy pool, the magician uses as many symbols as possible that represent a specific deity power. For example, he or she will choose a color, incense, plant, stones, and statue or picture to help his or her visualization.
Also be aware that if you consistently call upon one particular deity power to the exclusion of all others, you will eventually begin to manifest characteristics of that energy pool within your personality. If this is done correctly in order to gain positive results, these changes will become part of your magickal personality. If not, they can cause changes of a negative kind.

Faery Magick

2008-05-19T05:03:00.000-07:00

Faery Magick: Best Times and Places

It takes a certain kind of magick to believe in the world of faery. There has to be a deep and loving connection to the earth and an innocence of spirit. To discover the world of the fey, you must let go of what you think you know and allow yourself to experience a whole other level of awareness. You must pay attention to all your senses, both physical and psychic, if you want to encounter the faeries. However, you can stack the odds in your favor once you realize that there are certain times, places and days of the year when the veil between our world and the faery realm is thin. Faery activity is at it's peak and it is here you are most likely to have the best luck viewing, contacting, and working with the faeries.

As to the proper time to communicate with or to work your faery spells and enchantments, go for the classic "in-between" times. These 'tween times are at dawn, dusk, noon, and midnight. Dawn and dusk are the perfect 'tween times, as these moments during the day are neither one nor the other. It's somewhere magickally between daylight and dark. Noon marks the smack dab middle of the day. While many would never even consider trying a spell at noon, they need to open their eyes and realize that magickal opportunities surround them more frequently than they think. Sure, casting a spell at midnight is more likely to feel mysterious and witchy, but noon is a 'tween time to. Is it morning or night, or is it both? On the flip side midnight is the best known magickal time. As it is neither night nor morning, one calender day or the next, it actually hovers for a brief moment just in between the two.

The general rule of thumb when it comes to faery haunts is to look for the outdoor places that are also in between, such as a stream or riverbank. If you are standing on the banks, then you are neither in the water or on dry land, you are in between, same thing goes for ocean beaches and lake shorelines. Faeries are found in more places then just the forest; they like the water as well. Also keep your eyes open if you happen to be in a place where streams intersect or divide, and geographical areas where two or three rivers meet. These are natural, powerful, and sacred places.

The garden and the local woods also provide you with many excellent opportunities for working with faeries. Nature spirits love the flowers, so whether they grow in your backyard garden, you stumble across a little cluster of wildflowers tucked under a tree in the woods, or you happen across a field of wildflowers, faery activity will be present. Also, consider the hedgerows, under a tree in the park, at a crossroads in your neighborhood, or even under the stairs of your house.
It is certainly true that the faeries are out and about all the time and on every day of the year. However, there are days and then there are "days". The eight sabbats are prime faery days. So are the nights of the Full Moon, including the occasional Blue Moon. Also, some texts claim that you will find success on the day of the New Moon as well.

Hand in hand, with faery grace,
Will we sing, and bless the place.

This is an article I enjoyed from my Witches Datebook 2008 by Ellen Dugan so I thought I would share it with all of you.
Brightest Blessings,
Kathy