This year I stepped it up a bit. I started my cleansing a few days before with fasting and a detox. Immediately before the rite I took a ritual shower and imagined that all my banes were washing down the drain. I used a peppermint and rosemary body wash because they are purifying herbs. I dressed in an cotton robe/dress given to me by my Uncle from his homeland, Ghana. It's purple and hand embroidered and despite it's origins, I can't help but think of the Celts whenever I wear it. My ritual took place outside with me barefoot. I wanted to FEEL the earth. I set up my altar underneath a large maple tree that I've worked magick with since childhood. I called the quarters, and began my rite. The wind was pesky. But the candles remained lit exactly as long as I needed them. Once that part of the ritual was over, they were immediately out. And though it had been cloudy all day, the sun seemed to come out just for my purification. After the ritual I felt clean inside and out, physically, mentally, and spiritually. Immediately following my ritual it began to downpour and it was amazing. It was as if the universe itself was washing away my pain, my fears, my guilt.
While my favorite sabbats are honestly Mabon and Samhain, the Summer Solstice has always been important to me. For me it is a time or rebirth and rededication. Of cleansing the soul and getting rid of the old, the bane, and the no longer needed. I have preformed the same ritual every year for the past 5 years, and I have rededicated myself on the solstice for the past 7. My ritual is a combination of the ritual given in the BOS at the back of Cunningham's Solitary Wicca and the ritual given by DJ Conway in Celtic Magic. Considering that it was written by other people, it sounds kinda lame. But it's one of the most powerful and meaningful rituals I perform. Conways's rite comes first, and it's a rededication to the gods. Cunningham's comes second. For that you prepare a small cloth pouch the night before. It has to be hand sewn because you poor out all your illness, negative feelings and experiences, etc from the entire year into each and every stitch. You then fill it with herbs associated with the solstice. During the rite you ask the sun to purify you and then you burn the pouch and visualize all your banes burning away. You honestly walk away feeling like a new person. Lighter. Freer.
This year I stepped it up a bit. I started my cleansing a few days before with fasting and a detox. Immediately before the rite I took a ritual shower and imagined that all my banes were washing down the drain. I used a peppermint and rosemary body wash because they are purifying herbs. I dressed in an cotton robe/dress given to me by my Uncle from his homeland, Ghana. It's purple and hand embroidered and despite it's origins, I can't help but think of the Celts whenever I wear it. My ritual took place outside with me barefoot. I wanted to FEEL the earth. I set up my altar underneath a large maple tree that I've worked magick with since childhood. I called the quarters, and began my rite. The wind was pesky. But the candles remained lit exactly as long as I needed them. Once that part of the ritual was over, they were immediately out. And though it had been cloudy all day, the sun seemed to come out just for my purification. After the ritual I felt clean inside and out, physically, mentally, and spiritually. Immediately following my ritual it began to downpour and it was amazing. It was as if the universe itself was washing away my pain, my fears, my guilt.
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So I got the idea for this after a friend of mine expressed the fact that while she was interested in Wicca and Paganism, she was afraid to just google it because she was well aware that some site were good and some were complete crap. So here are my favorite pagan sites:
http://paganwiccan.about.com/ http://hellenismos.us/b/ http://www.moonsmuses.com/ http://www.waningmoon.com/darkpagan/ http://www.pathcom.com/~newmoon/index.htm http://www.patheos.com/Pagan.html http://www.sacredfire.net/altindex.html http://teenwitch.com/ http://witchvox.com/ http://sacred-texts.com/ http://www.classes.witchschool.com/login.asp http://www.northernway.org/school/onw/celtic/cstudyhall.html http://teenwitch.com/guide/goddessplan.html#basics I've always got most of my information from books. Or simply googling. I was never afraid of finding a crap website. If I found one I found one, and would then return to my search and move on. I never looked at it as a big deal. And to be honest, I was always less interested in the informational sites and way more interested in all the little shoppes! Folk Names: Common Lilac
Gender: Feminine Planet: Venus Element: Water Powers: Exorcism, protection Magickal Uses:
Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magickal Herbs http://healthmad.com/conditions-and-diseases/medicinal-properties-of-blooming-lilacs/ Knot Magick isn't something I have a lot of experience in, but it's as familiar to me as my favorite childhood songs. Growing up, my mother would braid her hair every morning and then she would braid mine, as she was braiding she told me to make a wish. She was braiding the wish into my hair. Later, when my grandmother taught me to braid, she would tie yarn to the back of a kitchen chair and tell me to think of what I wanted as I braided and then to carry the braid with me for luck. Well, those yarn braids didn't always turn out so great, and they usually ended up in the washer with my jeans. I didn't think of this as magick growing up. I hadn't thought back on those memories for a long time, not until the letter K was coming up and I was having trouble coming up with something to write about. Braiding may not necessarily be knotting, but magickally it works it much the same way. Macrame is something of a middle ground between braiding and knotting, and it's a skill I was taught in Girl Scouts. There are various styles and techniques withing macrame, the easiest to learn consisted of three strands and looks something like this if repeated over and over to make a bracelet: Generally, that's how I use my knot magick. I knot my wishes and intentions into bracelets which are then worn. I just made one for my best friend for his upcoming birthday for good luck and protection: I also made one for my neice for when she's born (only a few more weeks!) for protection, health, and joy: You can use many materials to make such bracelets, but I prefer embroidery floss because of the many color options. Both of the bracelets I've shown are my own pattern using four colors. The first uses two strands of each color that are used as one strand, the second does the same using 3 strands per color. Also incorporated beads into that one.
Here's a nice site for other knotting patterns: http://www.free-macrame-patterns.com/ Klamath Weed is a folkname for St. John's Wort and as today is St. Johns's Eve as well as Midsummer's Eve, and the herb is one of today's sacred plants, I thought this would be fitting for our rather late Herbal Wednesday and Pagan Blog Post! Most information is from Scott Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. All other sources will be listed below.
Other Names: Amber, Fuga daemonum, Goat Weed, Herba John, John's Wort, Sol Terrestis, and Tipton Weed. Gender: Masculine Planet: Sun Element: Fire Deity: Baldur Powers: Health, Protection, Strength, Love, Divination, Happiness Magickal Uses:
Sources: Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham The Herb Book by Jennie Harding The Herb and Spice Companion by Marcus A. Webb and Richard Craze JadeJade is generally green in color, but can also be purple such as the one my mother owns. It was called “greenstone” by the Moari of New Zealand. It is used to promote peace and serenity and is a symbol of love. It is also used for good luck and to make decisions. Jade is used in gardening magick to improve the health of the plants. It’s also a protective stone, especially against negative energies. Jade corresponds to the element of Water, the planet Venus, the heart chakra, and is the birthstone for March. JasperJasper is brown in color and is typically stripped with light and dark shades. It was called “Egyptian Marble” by the ancients and “the rain maker” my some Native American groups. Jasper can be used for centering, balancing, and grounding as well as to attract luck. It can also be used to reduce fear and guilt. The Ancient Egyptians believed it could increase sexual energy and they often wore it carved in the shape of a scarab beetle.“Legend says that Jasper would drive away evil spirits and protect against snake and spider bites” (shimmerlings). “Drinking jasper water on hour before each meal is said to promote weight loss (to create jasper water, place the stone each night into a glass of water and cover, by morning it will have become jasper water)” (Shimmerlings). Brown Jasper is associated with the element of earth, the planet Saturn, is the birthstone for October, and can align all chakras at the same time.
Sources: http://wicca.com/celtic/stones/stonef-j.htm http://www.shimmerlings.com/gemstones/jasper.htm http://www.shimmerlings.com/gemstones/jade.htm Saturday (6/23)
I just wanted to say that I seriously love your blog. I'm a young witch and I love reading your blog and I wish I knew more people like you(: blessed be! ---ofhorsesandwomen-deactivated201Aw, thank you. I’m glad you like it! =)
It’s been a very long and stressful week already. Monday I drive into work at 5am, after not sleeping at all, only for the kids’ dad to play hooky from work because he was running late (his words not mine). Tuesday I went to a funeral for a very close family friend, Peggy, and someone tried to tell me I wasn’t allowed to wear my head covering inside the church. I politely quoted a verse from Corinthians about womans head coverings and went on my way. Considering I was in tears before I even entered the building, I found the person rude. Both of Peggy’s sons, whom I’ve always been close to, also found them rude and I heard them tell the woman so after that’s hugged me and escorted me in. Their mother died of cancer and during her battle she often veiled instead of wearing a wig and in these last few months it was something we’d been able to truly bond over. Then today, after being told I was not needed to watch the kids the rest of the week, the grandmother called my employer to say that she’d changed her plans. Luckily my employer defended me and yolks her I’d already made plans for the week and that she was going to watch them anyway. So because I was dealing with that chaos I got home far to late to do my solstice ritual. Not that I really wanted to have a balefire in 90 degree heat. I also realized this morning that I forgot again this week to send out the magickal week at a glance post. On top of it all was dealing with the friend of mine who was supposed to be homeless as of today. But thanks to everyone’s prayers (you my loyal followers, my family, the sisters at Covered in Light, and the incredible members of the Christian Pagan Fellowship), his land lord gave him an extension. Not a few days, but a few months. Not only is he a close friend, but he’s also the man I love. He didn’t quite propose, but he was taking about our handfasting today, so I take that as a beautiful sign for me and my future sister wives.
So tomorrow is going to be spent celebrating the solstice and doing some stuff here. I want to get caught up on the pagan blog project, finish entering the glossary, get the faqs up, and regardless of how late I want to get the magickal week post out as well as queue up the next few months. I how you all have a very merry and blessed midsummer/Yule solstice season! One of my ex covenmates had a bonfire to celebrate Midsummer last night and invited everyone still in our coven, except me. I realize I’m being a tad childish, but I felt really hurt and left out. So I calmly and politely sent her a message and instead of responding me, this is what she put as her flipping facebook status: “You comment on a status and then message me. I don’t give a fuck that you feel left out. You mess with my mojo”. O.o WTF. Seriously?!???!? She was my best friend for over a decade. One of the first people I ever worked with in ritual. Instead of coming to me and expressing her concerns she just stopped talking to me completely and then pulled this. I do not understand. I’d also like to point out that the damn status I commented on wasn’t even hers. It was my sister’s. She just happened to be tagged in it. So freaking glad that a huge part of my ritual is about banishing negative feelings, illnesses, etc from my life. I always feel so refreshed afterwards. I need that so bad right now.
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