Valentines Day and it's Pagan Origins

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
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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...

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.

Pagan Yule Songs, chants and more!

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

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!