Going the distance

     Okay, so you decided to manifest something into your life... you've checked the correspondences, you've gathered all the supplies, you followed the ritual to a T. But your spell still flopped like big hair on a hot humid day... even the most simple spells won't go anywhere without will. The second hardest part of the witches pyramid to follow is will ( the hardest part, being, to keep silent). To will requires you to focus your thoughts and work in a positive way to reach your goal. What... you thought that because you asked nicely the universe was going to give you what you want? Nope... you have to work diligently in positive ways that align you with your goals, be that through meditation, prayer, physical things such sympathetic magic or physical actions to align yourself with your goals (remember like attracts like), or all of the aforementioned. You want a job or a better job? Check the classifieds, attend a job fair, beat the streets business to business handing out your resume. You want a deeper connection with Spirit ( Lady and Lord)? Align yourself with them through meditation, hold rituals in their honor (in our house we hold "I'm thankful for" prayers). These are just a few examples and not at all a complete list....So don't sit and watch the grass grow!  In closing, your will is your strongest tool to manifest your desires.

Garnet infused Pomegranate sun tea

Garnet infused Pomegranate sun tea:  Used to gain wisdom

• Large clear glass jar full of spring water
• 4 pomegranate tea bags
• 1-2 cleansed and charged garnets (depending on size)
• sweetener of your choice

Fill glass jar with spring water. Add tea bags, and garnets. Set in a sunny location for an hour or so, then check for strength. Pour over ice, sweeten and enjoy!

*for those of you who haven't heard of crystal infused teas, but would like to use them, I encourage you search the internet for more info.*

Fairies, and how to attract them

          I do believe in fairies...I do, I do!....which is why I decided to try and attract more of the fae to my humble abode. Fairies are known for being notoriously shy and like to hide. If you truly want to interact with these elemental beings, you're going to have to create an environment where they feel comfortable. I've found that you'll need to start with belief, for that is the foundation with anything magically speaking. As children we have the innate ability to see the unseen, our imaginations haven't been tainted with what is "real" and what is not. Now that we've established the belief part, I'll move into the creating physical space...

    
Build a fairy house: Pick a location that is off the beaten path, somewhere that won't be disturbed. What you see above is, a simple lean-to, outfitted with fairy sized amenities. It's nestled under a hedge to lend a bit of privacy. Fairies enjoy a lot of greenery and natural surroundings, so using mostly natural materials is a plus. You can construct an abode for the fae out of hollow tree trunks or miniature wooden doll houses, even stacked rocks will do. This year I made mine out of fallen limbs from the trees out behind my house. Really, only your imagination can limit you on a project like this one. Include bright colors, and shiny objects in your building materials. You can even add bells or small wind chimes, for fairies love music and may want to party all night! However do not include anything made of iron. It weakens them and they have a very large distaste for that type of metal. For those of you who live in an apartment and don't have an outdoor space, you can always do a massive house cleaning (fairies are a cleanly loving folk) and hang some shelves or use some empty space on an already existing book shelf to make a home for them.

Create a fairy garden: Fairies love flowers and use them to make clothes, shoes, hats, and for food, medicine and wine. So include some of their favorites in your garden and your sure to attract the fae.

• rosemary
• chamomile
• lavender
• primrose
• bluebells
• pansies
• mint
• honeysuckle

those are just to name a few. Bushes that attract butterflies, and bumblebees are handy as well, for fairies like to hitch a ride on their backs. They also enjoy riding birds and dragonflies so maybe a water feature would be helpful also. Don't for get to leave regular offerings of some fairy favorites, such as milk, honey, and objects they can put to use, and your on your way to hopefully some fairy sightings.

Fairy Wand

     These last two weeks have been overly stressful. Between job hunting and errands, plus a hayfeverish kid or two, I was ready to sit down for a good cry. Obviously the *Spirit of Spring wasn't having it...with my head hunkered down and arms crossed over my chest feeling pretty butt hurt, it hit me (literally, don't laugh). My youngest had thown, what would turn out to be, the loveliest curvy branch between my feet. A bit disgruntled and mumbling, I picked it up. I was about to chastize her about thowing things at folks, when I realized the raw energy just billowing off this branch. It was speaking to me in that way inanimate objects tend to do. So I grabbed my trusty whittling knife and set to work. Each pass of the knife seemed to relieve some of the stress, and by the time the branch was stripped of it's bark and sanded my blood pressure had gone down significantly...

Bless my big nerdy SyFy loving heart I found my wand from the movie "Willow"(directed by Ron Howard). I have wanted one of these for forever! The moment the Fairy Queen Cherlindrea gave the wand to Willow Ufgood my heart went pitty pat!

Before

After sanding and oiling

     
     This was just the project I needed to bring me out of a funk...I hope Spring inspires something wonderful in each and every one of you!

*Yes I was speaking of the Goddess. I used the term Spirit of Spring to represent the playful nature of spring energy. Hope that cleared some confusion up.

Energy Incense

     Hope you like this video tutorial... making videos is NOT easy! Pardon Sophie's potty break... lol...she's trying to make her film debut! 

DIY Elemental Candles

     It always happens...just when you think you have everything you need for a ritual set up,

On Honoring Devas

     I have this sweet basil plant that sits next to my sink absorbing the best of the sun's rays. By absorbing I mean taking up almost the entire window...Little Shop of Horrors comes to mind whenever I stand next to her...I chat with her while I pick her ready leaves and pinch off the flowering tops. She's my friend. But recently she has grown out of control, and I was forced to take drastic measures. Usually I just take what we need for dinner and what not, but something had to be done....

Basil's first big pruning sniff...sniff...

     Now that I've snipped her, my mind naturally wandered on to how to thank her for her sacrifice...So I've come up with this idea to make an offering spot right inside her pot.

    First, I constructed a Deva (nature spirit) statue, out of clay and dried basil (from this plant):reason being, I wanted to thank that particular Deva for it's assistance in the care of my herb. Next, I empowered this Deva to be a guardian against drought, draft, and pests (these are issues that arise with keeping plants indoors for the winter). Then I held a thanking ritual for said Deva and herb. If any of you have worked with nature spirits before, you know to mind your P's and Q's, they can be vicious when doling out punishment for what they consider misdeeds...so mind your manners and don't be an oath breaker. Devas/Faeries/Nature Spirits take that very seriously!!! If you really want to work with these archetypes, do some research.


     Ready for the show and tell?!?  Here we go...

To dry the basil quickly, I used the microwave. I washed and thoroughly dried the leaves. Then I placed them in a single layer on a paper towel. I set the microwave for 30 seconds and checked them for dryness. If they still have places on them that haven't dried I add another 15 to 30 seconds.

    Then I used my hand mixer to grind the herbs (my preference). For those of you who use a mortar and pestle feel free to do so. I use my hand mixer when my wrists can't hold up to the strenuous activity of grinding by hand. *And if your curious, NO, the mixer doesn't change any of the energies, if anything it amplifies my intentions.*

    Now that it's ground to bits, I took what I needed for the Deva, and saved the rest.

    Some thing you may need or want to use: dried herb, plant material, or flower buds to mix into the clay; water to moisten the clay when necessary, scraping and flattening tools; stones and embellishments that are complimentary; and don't forget your imagination (use visualization and meditation techniques to contact the Deva of your herb/plant/flowers).


                               What my Deva looks like completed

     Once completed, I held my Deva in my hands closed my eyes and told it, through visualization, what my intentions were. Then I sprinkled some blessed water on it, and the growing herb (that was my activation ritual). Next I gave an offering witch included a chant (please use your own, makes it more personal and connects you, your chosen herb/plant/flowers, and Deva on a deeper level).

what it looks like finished



Basil is still trying to overtake my window altar

     I had a blast working with the Deva energies...as you can see my basil is happily growing away. It's obvious she can't wait to get back outside (been inside since first frost). Here's a little extra on honoring Devas: offerings of milk and honey and shiny things make the nature spirits happy. That's small potatoes compared to all the good they did for this once struggling inside herb. To all of you planning your gardens; do you plan on incorporating nature spirits?!? Please feel free to share your knowledge and experiences with these archetypes. Be blessed all!


     

Crocheted Witch's Hat

     .....so I've been mulling the idea over to make and sell these Witch's hats....Not sure what the best avenue to market them on is...anyone have any suggestions?!?

Add caption



     

Divination friendly Diet

     The definition of divination as stated in the Merriam-Webster dictionary.com is:

1

: the art or practice that seeks to foresee or foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge usually by the interpretation of omens or by the aid of supernatural powers

2

: unusual insight : intuitive perception

     but what is this "supernatural power"?

Cauldron

"Double double toil and trouble

fire burn and cauldron bubble..."

~Shakespeare~

          The Cauldron, ancient symbol of the Goddesses womb. That from which all life is said to spring from. Aside from being thought of as the cradle of all things living, dead, or reborn. The cauldron is also associated with the cardinal point West, and the element of water. It's correspondence to the Witch's Pyramid is "To Dare", or Audere in Latin...delving a little further into that last statement...Diwrnach's cauldron wouldn't serve a coward. In other words, only someone who has gumption and absolute faith in their abilities can reap the rewards of Diwrnach's cauldron. Personal experience has shown me that it takes great courage to believe in yourself and your abilities, which is the crux of Audere.

     On most working altars is a cauldron used for a variety of purposes. Whether large or small the cauldron represents inspiration and transformation. Three legged ones correlate to the Triple Goddess, while the four legged symbolize the elements....an interesting factoid I hadn't heard before suggests a link between the cauldron and modern day physics...According to section II page 144 of Silver RavenWolf's Solitary Witch, Cauldron's "represent the "unmanifest (seen in this instance as liquid form) becomes manifest through the  transformation of light (the heated cauldron)." I can see this theory in action while making black salt in my cauldron or other notions and potions. Also through the birth of the Roman Goddess Venus born of sea foam. My thoughts on this being that, the sea has long been thought of as a cauldron, add a little heat from the Sun and viola life (primordial soup speaking). In a cauldron add heat and it becomes a cornucopia of inspiration and transformation, you just have to dare to reach for it.

My triple legged cauldron

 

References

world wide web:

http://www.celtnet.org.uk/gods_d/diwrnach.html

books:

Solitary Witch by Silver RavenWolf



      

    

Crafting

     For as long as I can remember, I have always been crafting something by hand. Whether it was mud pies, with special ingredients, or chalk masterpieces on the sidewalk, even pipe cleaner people, complete with googly eyes. Finding new ways to make things my own, has always been a passion of mine. When I first started my magical journey some 20 odd years ago, the first thing I wanted to make was a potion. Not just any potion, a potion to grow out a bad haircut (evidently this hair snafu still haunts me, I avoid beauty shops like the plague)...funny that the first thing I thought of was a magical way to fix the situation, instead of just waiting it out...lol... So off I ran to the library to find an answer...I found the perfect potion and set out to make it! My Mom was none to happy that I used her good Vodka...boy did I suffer for my art that day! So the day came when my potion  had fermented enough to use...I was so excited as I unscrewed the lid...only to be sorely vexed at the smell! I wasn't putting that stinky crap on my head...back to the drawing board! My line of thinking settled on essential oils to fix that odor. The next batch turned out a more pleasing aroma...thus the magical art of Crafting was born in me.

     "Craft, then, is more than a manual art. It is a connection with yourself; a valuable tool that you can utilize to alter your life."
~Taken from Spell Crafts by Scott Cunningham & David Harrington


     The candle shown below is an idea taken from Silver RavenWolf, that I tweaked a bit to suit my own desires. If you want to make one of your own here is the link Water Wick & Oil. I hope you all enjoyed this post for week 5 of the Pagan Blog Project.






Water Wick & Oil candle




    

Imbolc

          Imbolc is the celebration of the first signs of spring. The literal translation of Imbolc is "Ewe's milk". At this time of year the teats and udders ,of the livestock, are beginning to engorge in preperation for their birthing. Our ancestors celebrated this festival of light in many ways...The making of the Brideog (Bree-jog),

Book of Shadows

     Most Pagans/Wiccans these days have a Book of Shadows. They may be as simple a composition book, or detailed, like the one from Charmed. They contain your knowledge thus far on your magical journey. Spells, recipes,

Bind Runes

        Runes are an ancient system of divination given to us by the migratory Teutonic peoples of the Iron Age. Gleaned from visions, these symbols were matched with the sound values of the Nordic alphabet. They became widely used by most of the Northern European tribes. The Germans, Vikings, Goths and the Old English, each developed their own set of runes and meanings.

Athame

        An Athame is a double edged ceremonial dagger. Pottery has been found in Rome dating back to 200 B.C., depicting ancient peoples using short swords for  ritual purposes. The Athame is linked to the element fire, and represents will. Though most usually have black handles, any double edged dagger can be used.

                                  How to make a training Athame

Affirmations

       Affirmations are statements used to overwrite negative thought patterns and bring about positive changes in one's charachter. Our minds spew forth a litany of negative programing. Whether those be from outside influences, or from within, they enable us to  become blocked and stagnant. No longer able to move forward we wallow in a mire of self deprecation.
     There are a few ways to do affirmations. My personal favorite is verbal. While looking in the mirror, say out loud a positive statement about an area of you charachter you wish to improve. For example, if you have trouble keeping calm in tense situations, you would say "I am able to keep a level head in stressful situations". Repeat this daily, morning, noon and at night before bed.
     Writing your affirmations down is another way. Before bed completely fill a page with your positive statement. Continue to write the same thing every night until the desired thought pattern is achieved. If your curious to see how long this takes, keep track by dating each one.
     Audio playback is helpful as well. Simply make a recording of yourself saying your positive messages, then listen to them frequently thoughout the day. The idea here is repetition. If you do something enough it becomes ingrained in your mind.

Pagan Blog Project underway

     This blog will be participating in the  Pagan Blog Project this year. Every Friday, starting January 6th 2012, I will post something Pagan, Wicca, Witchcraft etc. related. Each week my posts will focus on a letter in the alphabet, to keep the project on track. My question to you, is: For my first post of the letter A, what would you like me to post about? Here are a few suggestions...
Affirmations
Akashic Records
Allspice
Athame
Athena

Happy New Year!

At long last I have returned! With all of the holiday commotion over, I can now concentrate on this little bloggy blog. Sorry I have been remiss in my duties...lol. But I didn't know exactly how I wanted this blog to progress (don't want to be a repeat or copycat). That being said; I have a question for you folks. I thought adding some videos,  how to's and what-not, would fit my eclecticness to a tee. So I want your opinion to video or not to video. Also if you have any suggestions, please feel free to share. I want this blog to be the best it can be, and that will require your help. Oh and stop on by my page on facebook too, I have been sharing info like crazy there as well.