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),