Messages In This Digest (9 Messages)
- 1a.
- Household Spirits From: Lady Nightshayde
- 2a.
- The Noisy Neighbor Spell From: Lady Nightshayde
- 3a.
- Healing Poppet From: Lady Nightshayde
- 4.
- A Modern Witch's Spell to Bring Reconciliation From: Lady Nightshayde
- 5a.
- Water Magic From: Lady Nightshayde
- 6.
- Room for Love From: Lady Nightshayde
- 7.
- Dealing with Elementals, Ghosts, and Other Beings From: Lady Nightshayde
- 8a.
- Sacred Disposal From: Lady Nightshayde
- 9.
- Samhain Correspndences From: Lady Nightshayde
Messages
- 1a.
-
Household Spirits
Posted by: "Lady Nightshayde" LadyNightshayde9@aol.com nightshayde99
Sun Sep 25, 2011 11:16 pm (PDT)
Household Spirits
There was once a general belief that spirits or fairies dwell in human homes, guarding them and occasionally undertaking domestic tasks in return for small rewards, such as a bowl of cream or a warm place by the hearth.
Such spirits are found throughout the world, from Hawaii to Scotland, from Spain to Russia. A belief in house spirits is very ancient. The ancient Romans honored protective brownie-like spirits called lares and penates. They gave monthly offerings of garlands on the hearth and daily offerings of food. In return, these spirits protected the house and its wealth. Ovid portrayed the lares as similar to dogs--he said that both guard the house and are faithful to their masters. The penates, meanwhile, were depicted in idols made of wax or ivory and placed on special shrines in the house. They were worshipped along with the domestic goddess Vesta and were responsible for the house's food supply and the success of the harvest.
The lares and penates also played a wider role in Roman society. The penates publici were the protectors of the Roman state and were worshipped in a state cult. There was also a public cult of the lares vicinales, or "neighborhood lares."
The annual feast of the lares was the Compitalia. It was celebrated soon after the Winter Solstice, when merrymaking accompanied the performance of theatrical farces. Some elements of the festivals gave rise to later Christmas customs. The Compitalia called for the use of artificial light, and the lares traditional sacrificial victim was the pig--sometimes a traditional Christmas fare.
Though some Victorian writers claimed that the concepts of household spirits may have spread with the Roman Empire, there is enough evidence to prove that a belief in such spirits evolved independently in places as far apart as China, western Europe, and South America. Folkklore tells us that house fairies were once a common feature of English domestic life. In the twelfth century, a spirit called Malekin caused a commotion in the Suffolk home of Sir Osborn de Bradwell by discoursing learnedly in Latin on scriptural subjects. In Persia and China, it was the custom to make offerings to the house spirit before entering a dwelling. In northern Euirope, it is customary to take bread and salt when visiting a home. In many parts of the world, blood sacrifices were made to the spirit of the place whenever foundations were laid for a building. Animals or even human victims were buried alive under the cornerstones to provide protective spirits.
Today, house fairies often have a mischievous side and like to play tricks on the human inhabitants of a dwelling. Such pranks might include rattling the fire irons, smashing crockery, hiding objects, or making a mess. House fairies are easily offended. Some house fairies object to the presence of a cat or a dog, and most of them will disappear for good if given a suit of clothes.
Fairies are much associated with the domestic hearth. The hearth was once the central focus of the home, providing warmth and food. House fairies, such as brownies, may be derived from an ancient belief in household gods or spirits that protected the home. The hearth was their means of entrance and egress, their shrine and altar flame. They often try to gain access to a house in order to warm themselves by it and are angered if they are kept out. Some fairy homes lie beneath human hearths, and the hearthstones are their doors.
by Anna Franklin,
copyright 2001
The light of a hundred stars cannot equal the light of the Moon.
Love Each Day,
Lady Nightshayde
http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/13Witches/
http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/Whispering Witches/
http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/MagickalMe als/
http://groups.yahoo/group/ NightshaydesNews
- 2a.
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The Noisy Neighbor Spell
Posted by: "Lady Nightshayde" LadyNightshayde9@aol.com nightshayde99
Sun Sep 25, 2011 11:16 pm (PDT)
The Noisy Neighbor Spell
If you'd like someone to move out of your neighborhood, try this spell at sunset on the eve of a new moon.
For this spell you will need these ingredients:
A yellow candle
A teaspoon of salt
Half a cup of olive oil
A chicken feather
Collect the items together and go to a quiet area in your home where you can be alone. Light the candle and put the salt into the cup of olive oil. Pick up the feather and repeat these words:
'Cauda Draconis,
Help me in my time of need.
I want (say the person's name)
To move away from me.'
Dip the feather into the olive oil and, as soon as you are able, wipe the feather on the ground in front of your house and near your neighbor's house (make sure nobody sees you).
NOTE: You should first have attempted to reconcile any difference between yourself and your neighbor using mundane means before resorting to magick!
~From "How to Turn Your Ex-Boyfriend into a Toad & Other Spells for Love, Wealth, Beauty & Revenge" by Deborah Gray and Athena Starwoman~
The light of a hundred stars cannot equal the light of the Moon.
Love Each Day,
Lady Nightshayde
http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/13Witches/
http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/Whispering Witches/
http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/MagickalMe als/
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- 3a.
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Healing Poppet
Posted by: "Lady Nightshayde" LadyNightshayde9@aol.com nightshayde99
Sun Sep 25, 2011 11:17 pm (PDT)
Healing Poppet
To provide someone some healing magic, make an image of wax and incorporate some hair or a photograph from the person to be healed. Put your wand on the poppet's chest and name it for the person concerned. Wash it in running water, saying: "Be cleansed of disease and negativity." Wrap it in a blue cloth, saying: "I call upon the goddess to bless and heal [your friend's name], here represented by this poppet." Leave the poppet on the altar or other safe place until the healing is completed. Afterwards, wash the poppet in running water. Place your athame on its breast, and say: "You are no longer the image of [your friend's name]. Return to the elements from which you came." Break the poppet into pieces and throw it into running water.
by Anna Franklin
The light of a hundred stars cannot equal the light of the Moon.
Love Each Day,
Lady Nightshayde
http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/13Witches/
http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/Whispering Witches/
http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/MagickalMe als/
http://groups.yahoo/group/ NightshaydesNews
- 4.
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A Modern Witch's Spell to Bring Reconciliation
Posted by: "Lady Nightshayde" LadyNightshayde9@aol.com nightshayde99
Sun Sep 25, 2011 11:17 pm (PDT)
A Modern Witches' Spell to Bring Reconciliation
In Druidic times, Samhain was a time to set right any matters that caused dissension between members of the tribe. In keeping with this tradition, many modern Witches and Pagans perform a spell on Halloween night, if necessary, to reconcile differences and heal anger between friends or lovers.
To perform such a spell you will need a piece of parchment, Dove's Blood ink (available in most occult shops and mail order catalogues), and a hallowed fire source such as a Sabbat bonfire, a sacred cauldron fire or even a candle burning within a Jack O'Lantern.
Begin by writing in Dove's Blood ink your intent upon the piece of parchment. After thrice reciting the following incantation, close your eyes and visualize your intent as being manifest, and then cast the parchment into the bonfire or blazing cauldron, or light it by holding it over the Jack O'Lantern's candle and then place it in a fire-proof container and allow it to burn away to ashes:
"Nicnevin, Nicnevin,
O Ancient Crone of Wisdom,
upon thee I call
on this darkest of nights.
Nicnevin, Nicnevin,
O Governess of Magick,
With love I beseech thee
empower this rite.
My spell I do fashion
and cast it with passion
by Witches' Law of Three:
As I will, so shall it be."
In Druidic times, Samhain was a time to set right any matters that caused dissension between members of the tribe. In keeping with this tradition, many modern Witches and Pagans perform a spell on Halloween night, if necessary, to reconcile differences and heal anger between friends or lovers.
To perform such a spell you will need a piece of parchment, Dove's Blood ink (available in most occult shops and mail order catalogues), and a hallowed fire source such as a Sabbat bonfire, a sacred cauldron fire or even a candle burning within a Jack O'Lantern.
Begin by writing in Dove's Blood ink your intent upon the piece of parchment. After thrice reciting the following incantation, close your eyes and visualize your intent as being manifest, and then cast the parchment into the bonfire or blazing cauldron, or light it by holding it over the Jack O'Lantern's candle and then place it in a fire-proof container and allow it to burn away to ashes:
"Nicnevin, Nicnevin,
O Ancient Crone of Wisdom,
upon thee I call
on this darkest of nights.
Nicnevin, Nicnevin,
O Governess of Magick,
With love I beseech thee
empower this rite.
My spell I do fashion
and cast it with passion
by Witches' Law of Three:
As I will, so shall it be."
by Gerina Dunwich; From The Pagan Book of Halloween: A Complete Guide to the Magick, Incantations, Recipes, Spells & Lore by Gerina Dunwich
The light of a hundred stars cannot equal the light of the Moon.
Love Each Day,
Lady Nightshayde
http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/13Witches/
http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/Whispering Witches/
http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/MagickalMe als/
http://groups.yahoo/group/ NightshaydesNews
- 5a.
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Water Magic
Posted by: "Lady Nightshayde" LadyNightshayde9@aol.com nightshayde99
Sun Sep 25, 2011 11:18 pm (PDT)
Water Magic
Water is the essence of life. We are, in fact mostly water. As a fertilized egg we are 96 percent water; our adult bodies consist of more than 70 percent water. Amniotic fluid has a similar make up to seawater, and the fetus in the womb echoes our evolution from the ocean. Seventy percent of the Earth is covered by water. We are born in water and all life depends on it.
Water can take the form of a liquid, a solid, and a vapor. It is colorless but it enables us to see the colors of a rainbow. Water has no form, but gives form to everything. Water is billions of years old but can constantly rejuvenate itself.
Water is at the heart of many of life's rituals, from baptism at birth to the ceremonial washing of a body at death. There are water rituals for almost any event in life. Ensuring an easy birth, recovering from illness, succeeding in an examination or new job, attracting more money or peace or wisdom--all can be encouraged by the ritual use of water.
Immersing yourself in a river is perhaps the most intimate contact you can have with a deity, and this symbolic consummation of the man/woman-god relationship may be the origin of the earliest water rituals. Shrines were often built in places of natural beauty where there was a river, a spring, or a waterfall. today's "shrines" have a more urban slant, and can be as mundane as the kitchen sink. Your bathtub, washing machine, swimming pool, or any other fixture of modern life can all be used for water rituals.
Water rituals include bathing, baptizing, cleansing, and purification. Even perfumes are an example of a small water ritual. Other rituals include having a home sprinkled with blessed water, spraying yourself with charged water to restore energy vibrations, and soaking in a charged bath to draw in or release energy. Even the simple act of drinking a glass of water can be a ritual if you want it to be.
Ritual water works in two ways: it gives energy and it takes away energy. Water gives health, wealth, and wisdom because of its sacred origins or its blessed condition. It takes away evil, bad luck, or the spiritual grime of daily life by virtue of its purity and simple cleansing properties.
Water and Emotion
Water is the element of emotions and feelings. Qualities such as intuition, compassion, empathy, sympathy, devotion, aspiration, intention, appreciation, integrity, harmony, beauty, balance, serenity, fluidity, grief, apathy, joy, and love all have a different kind of watery feel. Think of the different ways water moves. It can be like the tumultuous tumbling of a waterfall or the stillness of a stagnant pond. The magic of water is involved with pleasure, friendship, marriage, fertility, happiness, healing, sleep, dreaming, psychic acts, and purification. If you are facing any sort of life problem in any of these areas, working with water can help.
Just the same as water itself, emotions are best dealt with if they are allowed to simply flow on their own. When you call upon water in your rituals, you will find that it has a smooth, calming effect. Its energy is crisp, cool, and refreshing. Water tends to have an initial impact, and then it slowly dissipates. It has a ripple vibration that means its effects are lasting but can have a few waves here and there.
If you are using water to work with relationships, remember that it is a receptive element and is governed by the female aspect. Water is also a giving element, and it usually gives unconditionally. Any gift of love should come with no strings attached. Water teaches us to feel on an inner level, and this is why water is usually associated to intuition. Using this inner intuition almost leads to success.
Drinking Water Ritual
You can do this easy ritual with your children, family members and friends. Place a glass of water on a table in your kitchen or dining room. Gently say to the water, "I love you," and "thank you." At the same time, visualize all the waters on Earth connecting with each other. Your love and thanks will be sent out to all the water on Earth through the water in the glass.
Place small notes or stickers saying "thank you" near your faucets or sources of water to remind you of the importance of expressing your gratitude to water. Each time you have a drink, bathe, water plants, wash laundry, or do anything involving water, give thanks for its availability and usefulness.
The water element can help you manifest what you want in life. Think of how water can help things pick up speed and flow. Before drinking a glass of water, write down a word that embodies something you are trying to manifest in your life, such as "success." Tape the word to the glass and focus intently on it, then drink the glass of water, imagining it filling you with the qualities of the word.
Household water Ritual
While you are doing the dishes, washing vegetables before cooking, or washing your clothes in a sink, imagine your love and gratitude for water overflowing from your heart through your chest, shoulders, and arms, and going out through your hands into the water going down the drain pipe. Your vibrations will go through the flow of water very easily into the drain, into the nearby rivers, and finally into the ocean. The vapor from the ocean will build clouds and then the water will fall down as rain onto various parts of the world. In this way, the energy of love and gratitude that originated from your heart will be transmitted all over the world through the water network. This is an easy ritual that you can do every day and every time you use water.
Group Water Blessings
Host a gathering of friends and family around a pond or a lake, or along a river or the seashore. Stand in a circle, holding hands, and say simple expressions of gratitude for the water. Remember that the power of prayer is proportional to the square of the number of people. What you give out, you will receive back. This is a great ritual to do for local bodies of water that need healing, but can also be extended to other places in need.
How about sending love and gratitude to the Jordan River to raise the vibration of water there? Many Israeli and Palestinian people are living along the river's banks. There is no border in the path of flowing water. People on both sides certainly drink the water originating from this river, and their bodies will be filled with the vibration of love and peace that you send.
Other areas of the world where wars and conflicts are continuing, such as the United States and Iraq, India and Pakistan, Afghanistan, nations in Africa, and so on, can all benefit from healing water prayers. Send love to the water where people are suffering from pain and sorrow. It will change into healing water, and everything and everybody will be filled with a vibration of love and harmony.
Alone or in a group, visualize that the vibration of love and gratitude is transmitting into the world's water as golden or silver light. Imagine that all of the waters of the world are clean, clear, and sparkling, making the whole planet shine brilliantly. When filled with the highest vibration of light, everything is healed and harmonized. Visualize the faces of all the people on Earth smiling. Then visualize the vibration overflowing like an endless fountain, reaching every part of the glove and healing the whole world.
Bathing Rituals
Water is the element of purification and can be a highly useful element to work with in solving everyday problems. If you've had a stressful day or you have pain in your body, you can use the water element to literally wash your pain and stress away. Just stand in the slower for several minutes and imagine all the pain, tension, anxiety, and strain leaving your body, and see the water carrying it all down the drain. The heat from warm water will also help melt away muscle tension.
Soaking in a bath can either help you purify and cleanse your aura or help draw in certain energies. For a purification bath, start with a clean tub. Fill it with warm water and add about two cups of sea salt. Swirl the water around counterclockwise with your hand to dissolve the salt. If there is a particular issue you want to be freed of, focus on this while you imagine it dissipating and dissolving away with the salts. Soak in the tub for about twenty minutes, then pull the plug out. Stay in the tub while the water drains away completely, taking with it any negativity.
If you are trying to attract a mate or want to make yourself more beautiful, take a copper scrubber (often used in the kitchen) and rub down your body with it gently in circular motions while you are in the shower. Copper is the metal of Venus and is said to change your vibration so you can attract a lover.
water Elements
You may also wish to call upon water's elementals and spirits in your rituals, or use its associations to enhance their effect.
Although water is technically clear, it is associated with shades of blue. Medium blue represents water used for healing physical conditions, such as increasing hydration. Deep blue is more attuned to mental and emotional aspects of water. Water that is blue-black has to do with spiritual matters, and is usually associated with the subconscious. Water can also take on shades of green, gray, or indigo, depending on your purpose. Use different colored glasses or pitchers, such as cobalt blue, to lend different moods to your water.
Any sort of receptacle can represent water, such as a chalice, cup, goblet, or cauldron. Mirrors, too, can represent water's reflective surface. But don't limit yourself to the usual household objects. Sinks, buckets, puddles, silver spoons, birdbaths, umbrellas, washing machines, garden hoses...anything associated with water can be turned into a magical tool. The sea, fog, or rain can all be used to perform water magic, too.
Many flora and fauna can be symbolically used to represent water. Exotic flowers such as water lilies, jasmine, gardenias, and roses, and the herbs yarrow, Irish moss, and sandalwood all complement water rituals. And of course the graceful willow is always found growing near water sources. All animals that live in the sea, including fish, whales, and dolphins, are obvious choices for water magic, but don't forget mythical creatures such as dragons, mermaids, naiads, and nymphs.
The zodiac signs of Scorpio, Cancer, and Pisces are all water signs, so conducting rituals during their months could add an extra boost to your desired effects.
Using stones as aquamarine and amethyst, or the metals of mercury, silver, and copper (particularly in the form of an instrument such as a resonant bell) are all excellent choices for use in water magic.
Many water-magic rituals involve an object being tossed or placed in or on a body of water, like a penny in a fountain for a wish. The surrounding waters can charge up an object, such as a crystal placed in a bowl of water under the Full Moon, or can help to purify an object with a symbolic pouring away of the water afterwards.
How you use these elements is entirely up to you. You may choose to surround yourself with pictures of the flora or fauna, add food coloring to your bath, pour a glass of water from a silver pitcher, or any number of things to honor the role of water in our daily life. When your cup is full, have a drink in honor of life.
by Chandra Moira Beal
copyright 2007
The light of a hundred stars cannot equal the light of the Moon.
Love Each Day,
Lady Nightshayde
http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/13Witches/
http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/Whispering Witches/
http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/MagickalMe als/
http://groups.yahoo/group/ NightshaydesNews
- 6.
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Room for Love
Posted by: "Lady Nightshayde" LadyNightshayde9@aol.com nightshayde99
Sun Sep 25, 2011 11:19 pm (PDT)
Room for Love
The light of a hundred stars cannot equal the light of the Moon.
Love Each Day,
Lady Nightshayde
http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/13Witches/
http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/Whispering Witches/
http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/MagickalMe als/
http://groups.yahoo/group/ NightshaydesNews
- 7.
-
Dealing with Elementals, Ghosts, and Other Beings
Posted by: "Lady Nightshayde" LadyNightshayde9@aol.com nightshayde99
Sun Sep 25, 2011 11:20 pm (PDT)
DEALING WITH ELEMENTALS, GHOSTS, AND OTHER BEINGS
Do you ever hear funny noises in the night and you know it's not the heater or the cat? Do you ever discover that something is missing or has been moved? Does a place suddenly fluctuate in temperature, or do you feel like you're being watched? No, you're not on the newest version of a Fox real-life TV show. You probably have some spirits around your place.
Contrary to many literary and Hollywood stories, having spirits in your home is not necessarily a bad thing. In our path, we often work with spiritual beings, especially around Samhain. They can be elementals, element energy, totem animals, spirits of the deceased, guardian angels, lost souls, the guardian spirit of the place, or an energy you forgot to thank and release the last time you were in circle. The list goes on and on. It can get downright crowded if you're not careful. How do you deal with such visitors?
First of all, do your research. Stop groaning. I know, I know, I'm always talking about research, but research is important. Know what it is you're dealing with. Read up on the history of your town, your street, your property. Find out what happened to the people who lived there before you. It doesn't have to be anything as dramatic as a murder or a madwoman in the attic. It could be something as simple as an unfortunate dog hit by a car who died on your property last week.
During a waning Moon, do a major housecleaning, top to toe. Then take two white candles and a green candle. Set up an altar in your usual fashion, only do it in the place where the disturbance is usually the strongest. Cast your circle, creating a safe space between the worlds. Call in guardians for each quarter and ask them specifically to do just that, guard. You want to make sure you are inside a protected space. Burn some spirit incense. I usually use a combination of rosemary, sage, patchouli, frankincense, and just a dash of mugwort.
Then, invite in the spirit, making it clear that it can only enter the sacred space with good intention, sort of like going to Switzerland. The circle is neutral territory. Your fears and the spirit's crankiness need to be left outside. Sit down and have a chat with the spirit. Find out who it is, and what it wants. Does it need your help in some way? Is it attached to the house? Can you work out some arrangement to coexist in peace and trust? Ask questions and really listen to the answers. Usually, you can work out some sort of agreement, such as "I will leave out a libation for you or include you in my circle work if you don't scare the guests or smash the china."
I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to listen. Don't assume that you know what the spirit has to say. Don't assume it will be the same as the research that you've done. Perhaps the history is incorrect, or perhaps the spirit is lying. Just because it's a spirit doesn't mean it's telling the truth. Rely on your intelligence and your instincts. You're dealing with an individual, and it is important to give this individual spirit the same attention you would if it was in material form. Many spirits are lost, confused, angry, lonely, and frustrated that they're not understood. Also, the spirit's value systems may be different from yours. If you need something specific, explain what it is as clearly as you can. This can take several days, or even weeks. Be very patient. Usually, after the first conversation, things quiet down a bit, at least until you can work things all the way through.
If you work things through, terrific. You now have an extra roommate. I have yet to get any of the spirits I know to do the dishes and vacuum for me (darn it), but they do often help. They are terrific at letting me know when something is wrong, whether it is someone trying to illegally enter via the fire door, or someone who left a burning cigarette in the hallway.
What happens if it is not a particularly nice entity and you can't come to an agreement? This is rare, but it does happen. Then you need to get out your banishing tools and do a full-scale banishing ritual. I've found the dark of the Moon to be the most useful for this. Read several banishment rituals, and come up with your own from the inspiration. Use the strongest banishing incense and oil that you can come up with. Call on your guardians and totems to come into the circle and help you. Cast your circle for your entire home and property. Starting in the north, moving counterclockwise, perform the banishing. Make sure you go into all cupboards, closets, nooks, crannies, crawl spaces, tool sheds, etc. Once the banishing is done, start in the north again, and move clockwise throughout the entire space to seal it.
When the New Moon begins the next day, do the strongest protection ritual you can find and enforce it every day until the Full Moon. You will need to re-cleanse and reseal the space every month. It won't need to be as complicated a ritual, but it needs to be done.
Even in a banishing, however, treat the entity with respect. There doesn't need to be high drama hocus-pocus, just firmness and clear intent. It is your home and you have the right to make it a safe, magical place. Most spirits will respect and enjoy that. If not, it is now your space and you must secure it.
What about if and when you move? Cast another circle and invite the spirit(s) in. Explain why you have to move and where you are going. Some spirits are bound to a place, and will stay where they are. Make sure you take the time to bid them a respectful goodbye, and thank them for everything. Some spirits may use this as a reason to continue their journey separate from you. Again, thank them and wish them well. You can always reconnect at Samhain. Some may wish to go with you. Discuss it with them and come to a mutual understanding.
When you move into a new place, preferably before your belongings arrive, take some time to get to know any spirits that already reside there. Include them in your cleansings and consecrations. Talk to them about their place in your life and whether they should stay or go. Help them feel respected and real.
Work with spirits, respect them, and enjoy an unusual and fulfilling relationship unlike anything you could share on Earth.
by Cerridwen Iris Shea,
copyright 1999
The light of a hundred stars cannot equal the light of the Moon.
Love Each Day,
Lady Nightshayde
http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/13Witches/
http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/Whispering Witches/
http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/MagickalMe als/
http://groups.yahoo/group/ NightshaydesNews
- 8a.
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Sacred Disposal
Posted by: "Lady Nightshayde" LadyNightshayde9@aol.com nightshayde99
Sun Sep 25, 2011 11:21 pm (PDT)
Sacred Disposal
There's always one detail left over after executing the perfect ritual: what to do with the residue--the wax that melted on your altar cloth, the ash left from the incense, the bits of salt either in a bowl or sprinkled at the perimeter of the circle. All of these may remind you of a ritual well done, but they do present a problem, both energetically and physically, when you wish to move on to your next magical act. Few books really say how to dispose of these items beyond a vague suggestion to bury them. Since burial may not always prove Earth-friendly, please consider the following options for disposing of used ritual items.
I have found several convenient methods for sacred disposal. These methods require me to use more than one "sacred vessel" to sort out my disposal needs. A flowerpot sits on my altar, serving as a ritual litter basket. In case of overflow, I keep the empty glass holder for a seven-day candle next to the altar after cleansing it with a salt water solution.
I sort the physical debris from ritual into three categories: the
recyclable, the nonrecyclable, and the biodegradable. For those interested in conserving matter or cost, most items can be reused. I advocate cleansing and reusing whatever possible as a courtesy to Mother Earth. Some other occultists may argue that this practice leads to frustrating energy buildups, but I have never had a problem in my personal practices. Among conservation methods, you can try melting down wax from old candles and reusing the wax to make new candles or figures. Also, I always save and cleanse my stones unless I am using them for an offering, in which case I always bury them or offer them in a body of running water.
I always take time to sort my ritual debris. I usually place recyclable items, such as certain types of plastic used for wrapping, in the glass candle container. After the jar is full, I sort out the items into pieces to send to the recycling plant and pieces to cleanse and reuse. Fortunately, few of the standard ritual items that I know of are non-recyclable. Those rare items that are nonrecyclable, usually residue from package wrappings and so on, I place in a box or garbage bag and send with reservations to the landfill. A quick sprinkling of salt water seems to clear any psychic residue I might send along, and I also mutter a prayer that the items reach sunlight so they have a better chance of biodegrading. I think the only items that have ever significantly caused me this problem was the plastic wrap from candles, but with recent changes in recycling technology even those plastics now go to the recycling bin.
Biodegradable items, as much as possible, go in the flower pot on my altar. I take leftover wax, wet and dry herbs, and even incense dust and put it in the compost heap in the back of the property where I live. This way their remains can break down, and they can reincarnate as new life.
Remaining salt, juice, and wine are tricky as each has a chemical
composition that can damage some plants. These byproducts I try to consume myself, or else I offer them at some dirt crossroads.
In the process of determining how to handle my ritual byproducts I've also learned how to manage typical household damage from ritual products. My favorite technique for removing candle wax from clothing, cloth, and carpet is to place a paper towel over the stain and then set an iron on low over the paper towel. After a few moments, the wax melts into the paper towel and is nicely removed from the inappropriate area. Red or white wine stains come out nicely with a mild solution of sea salt, water, and lemon juice. Burns do not come out well, ever.
After an incense ritual, I don't always have the energy to give my altar the immediate cleansing it deserves. In these cases, I have learned to apply a "three day rule." I clean my altar within three days of the ritual, giving it a good cleansing with salt water, sage, and sometimes a candle blessing as soon as I've completely wiped off all the dust. There are exceptions to this rule: if the energy from a ritual was particularly intense or volatile, I try to have it cleaned by the next day at the latest. Ideally, after such an intense ritual, cleaning should occur within two hours.
Cleaning up can usually take a small delay, but it is still important magical maintenance, just as crucial as house cleansings. Energy builds in all the magical workings you do. By cleaning out ritual byproducts regularly and promptly, you can better control the type of energy that surrounds you. In extreme cases of neglected "housekeeping," the buildup can lead spells astray and make room for some poltergeist activity. In milder and much more common cases, the energetic "gunk" acts as a demotivator, leading to a feeling of lethargy or disinterest for the more psychically sensitive in a living area. When this occasionally hits me, I've always found a good, old-fashioned house cleansing sets me back in the mood to do my work. By giving my altar a good scrub, I can further motivate myself to return to my magical practices.
Don't limit your cleaning to ritual tools and your altar. I admit that I personally am a lousy housekeeper, but even then, once a month (New Moon is a good time for this) I do my best to clean up flat surfaces, dust a bit, and bring some order to my natural entropic state. Although the process itself can be exhausting, it eventually rewards me with energy and a positive outlook. The physical cleanliness will reflect itself in the astral and make house cleanings and blessings a quicker and more rewarding process as well.
If you need to clean your altar immediately, a simple solution of water and sea salt that has been blessed will work. I've used this solution in plastic spray bottles, sometimes enhanced with essential oils like cedarwood for purification or sandalwood for psychic energy. If I have a need to perform ritual two days in a row, a quick spritz across the altar prepares the space for me so I can start on my work before giving the space the intensive cleaning and attention it deserves.
For full ritual closure, you might want to offer a prayer to an appropriate underworld, Earth, or reincarnation deity. Here is a simple prayer that you might want to use:
"Blessed Gaea, all giving Mother
I return these children to you.
Hold them, love them, consume them.
Until again, they are ready for the world.
So mote it be."
All things, even disposal, should be done with reverence. Humor is
appropriate, too, but keep in mind that these objects served your higher purpose well and deserve to be honored for that service. All ritual acts are sacred--even the ritual act of disposing.
by Diana Olsen
Blessed Be,
Lady Nightshayde
The light of a hundred stars cannot equal the light of the Moon.
Love Each Day,
Lady Nightshayde
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- 9.
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Samhain Correspndences
Posted by: "Lady Nightshayde" LadyNightshayde9@aol.com nightshayde99
Sun Sep 25, 2011 11:22 pm (PDT)
Samhain Correspondances
Symbolism
Symbols
Herbs
Foods
Incense
Colours
Stones
Celtic (Pagan) New Year, The Third Harvest, the Dark Mysteries, Rebirth through Death.
Gourds, Apples, Black Cats, Jack-O-Lanterns, Besoms.
Mugwort, Allspice, Broom, Catnip, Deadly Nightshade, Mandrake, Oak leaves, Sage and Straw.
Turnips, Apples, Pumpkin Pie (see Recipe below!), Cranberry Muffins, Mulled Wines, Beef, Pork, Poultry.
Heliotrope, Mint, Nutmeg, Apple, Sage.
Black, Orange, White, Silver, Gold.
All Black Stones, preferably jet or obsidian.
Samhain Incense Recipe
3 Parts Frankincense
2 parts Myrrh
1 Part Rosemary
1 Part Cedar
1 Part Juniper
Crush all ingredients together until ground to a fine paste, tis best to use a Mortar and Pestle for this if you have one available. Burn upon lit charcoal blocks within a fire proof container.
Suggested Altar Decorations
Seasonal items should decorate the Altar, as is usual. Grains, turnips, pumpkins and dried flowers are appropriate (being the Final Harvest Festival). Some extras that you may also wish to consider are things like apples, tarot cards, runes, hazel nuts, divination wands and a plate of food to be left outside for the wandering spirits. A yellow candle with a sun painted on it is a worthy representation of the dying God. The Altar cloth is black, the Altar candles should be red and black.
Suggested Ritual
Cleanse yourself and your space in your normal manner (there's suggested Cleansing instructions for the Ritual Bath, Self and your Sacred Space in our Glade of Worship section that you may like to try).
Cast the Circle in your usual manner (there's a suggested Circle Casting Instructions in our Rituals section you may like to try!), Invoking both the God and the Goddess. Once this is done, light the God candle. Say:
"On this night when the dead once more walk freely among the living, we pass into darkness and do so willingly, for we know that it is simply the turning of the wheel. We give thanks to the God and the Goddess for the bounty that They have provided us over the summer.
On this night , the Lord of the Hunt, the Lord of the Sun passes away from us. We realize, however, that it is simply the cycle of life, and we wait for that time when the Sun will once more be born of the moon. As this candle represents the Lord of the Sun, so does it's blowing out represent the passing of the Lord of the Sun."
Having said this, extinguish the God candle. This candle is not to be lit again until Yule. Now is the time to invoke the crone aspect of the Goddess by saying:
"Goddess of the stars and of the waning moon, Goddess of magic and wisdom, whisper in my ear whatever you may and trust that the knowledge will be wisely used. Lend your power to my spells and rituals and trust that they will result in no harm to any of your creatures, great or small."
Now is the time for any magick or seasonal activities which you had planned to perform this evening, and things such as drumming and chanting, carving apples or pumpkins, divination (with the Tarot, runes, wands, hazelnuts, or a pendulum) or Scrying in fire, smoke or water are all popular on this Sabbat. After any Magick is finished, then celebrate with Cakes and Ale, before banishing the sacred circle. Take the offering dish outside, and bury the offerings in the earth. Remember to leave a plate of food outside for wandering spirits.
The light of a hundred stars cannot equal the light of the Moon.
Love Each Day,
Lady Nightshayde
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