Arianrhod

Arianrhod (pronounced ahr-ee-AHN-hrod) is the Welsh Goddess of the moon and keeper of the wheel of time. Her name means “silverwheel.” She is the daughter of the Goddess Don (often identified with the Irish Danu), and sister of Gwydion and Gilfaethwy. Her uncle Math was a king who was under a peculiar curse—unless he was at war, he had to rest his feet in the lap of a virgin. When his footholder is raped by Gilfaethwy, Arianrhod offers to take her place. To be sure that she was a virgin, Arianrhod had to step over the wand of Math’s magician. As she did so, she gave birth to two children: a boy named Dylan and another boy who was not fully formed. Dylan, whose name means “son of the wave,” went immediately to the sea and swam away. The other boy was taken by Gwydion and hidden away. Arianrhod had fled in shame back to her castle.
The unformed boy grew quickly and Gwydion took him to see his mother. Arianrhod was still ashamed of what had happened, and she placed three curses on the boy: that he would have no name unless she gave him one; that he would have no weapons unless she gave them to him; and that he would have no human woman as a wife. Gwydion took him away and continued to raise him, while trying to figure out a way around the curses.
When the boy was a bit older, Gwydion disguised himself as a shoemaker and went back to see Arianrhod. While he was fitting her for shoes, the boy threw a stone and killed a bird. Arianrhod noticed, and said that the fair-haired boy had a skillful hand. Gwydion threw off his disguise and pronounced that Arianrhod had named her son–Lleu Llaw Gyffes (shining skillful hand). Thus was one of the curses broken.
A few years later, Gwydion and Lleu returned to Arianrhod’s castle, disguised as bards. Gwydion created an illusion of an armada of ships coming to attack the castle. Arianrhod rushed to arm all within the castle against the invaders, and Lleu was one of those that she armed. Thus was the second of the curses broken.
The last curse, that Lleu would have no human wife, was broken when Gwydion and King Math worked together to form a woman out of flowers. They named her Blodeuwedd (face of flowers), and she became Lleu’s wife.
Arianrhod’s cruelty to her son and Gwydion’s efforts to stop her are not without reason. Gwydion had raped his sister, and he was the father of Dylan and Lleu. Arianrhod never forgave him, and her curses on Lleu were meant as punishment for Gwydion. Despite her unwanted motherhood, the most enduring image of Arianrhod is from a statue which has been dated to 100 C.E., in which she is nursing her sons.

Brighid

Brighid (pronounced BREED) is the Celtic Goddess of fire. She rules over many types of fire—the fire of the forge (as Goddess of smithcraft and metal working), the fire of the hearth (as Goddess of healing), and the fire of creativity (as Goddess of poetry). Brighid is seen as a triple Goddess, and she is associated with three different spheres—high (leaping flames, tall forts, wisdom), middle (hearth and home), and low (wells and sacred springs).
Brighid’s festival of Imbolc (pronounced IM-molk), celebrated on February 2, is the start of the agricultural year. This is the time when the Goddess in her aspect of Cailleach the Crone drinks from the Well of Youth and is transformed once again into the maiden, Brighid. Imbolc is also known as Candlemas or Saint Brigid’s Day, since Brighid was adopted by the Christians who came to the British Isles.
Variations on Brighid’s name, which means “exalted one,” include Brid, Bride, Brighde, Brigid, Brigindo, Brigandu, Brigan, Brigantia, and Brigantis, and she is also known as:
Breo Saighead (fiery arrow)
Brigit Búadach (victorious)
Brighid-nam-Bratta (Brighid of the Mantle)
Brighid-Muirghin-na-tuinne (conception of the waves)
Brighid-sluagh (of the immortal host)
Brighid-nan-sitheachseang (of the slim fairy folk)
Brighid-Binne-Bheule-lhuchd-nan-trusganan-uaine (song-sweet Brighid of the tribe of the green mantles)
Suibhal-bheann (mountain traveler)
Cú-gorm (grey hound)
Sireadh-thall (seek beyond)
Brighid of the Harp
Brighid of the Sorrowful
Brighid of Prophecy
Brighid of Pure Love
St. Bride of the Isles
Bride of Joy

Cymidei Cymeinfoll (pronounced KEEM-ud-day KEEM-een-vol) is the Welsh Goddess of war. Along with her husband, Llasar Llaesgyfnewid, she lived beneath a lake in Ireland, until Matholwch, King of Ireland, tried to kill them. Cymidei and Llasar escaped to Wales, taking with them the Cauldron of Regeneration which they guarded. When a warrior was killed in battle, he was thrown into the cauldron, and would emerge alive but without the ability to speak. They gave the cauldron to Bendigeidfran, King of Wales, also known as Bran.
When Bran’s sister Branwen was to be married to Matholwch, their half-brother Efnisien threw a fit and mutilated several of Mathowch’s horses. In appeasement, Bran gave Matholwch the cauldron as a peace offering to take back to Ireland. Unfortunately, the marriage was not a happy one and Branwen sent word back to Bran that she was being mistreated. He and Efnisien invaded Ireland to get their sister back. The Irish were winning, because the cauldron could keep regenerating their dead warriors. Efnisien leapt into the cauldron and broke it, turning the tide for the Welsh but losing his life in the process.
Cymidei Cymeinfoll’s name means “big belly of battle” in reference to the fact that she could give birth to a fully armed warrior every six weeks.

2 more works

I worked on these yesterday also. One is an herbal blend. It can be used as a general herbal blend for mojo bags or sprinkling around the area. It can also be burned as a loose incense on charcoal. The 2nd is a bottle. 


This is a Home Blessing Herbal Blend. I have plans to do a home blessing later this month or next month. This is the recipe I used: 

1/2 teaspoon of each of the following dry  herbs: 
peppermint for happiness
hibiscus for harmony
rue for protection
rosemary for peace of mind
lavender for love
valerian for tranquility
and a small amount of red rose buds.

I crushed them all together in my mortar. 

My next work, I got from The Element Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells by Judika Illes.
Dragon's Blood Public Peace Protection
Mix sugar, salt and dragon's blood powder. Place in a small bottle and seal with red wax. Keep it in the kitchen to maintain peace in the home and between family members.  

My bottle is about 2 inches high, or 1/2 ounce. I used 1/2 tsp of sea salt and sugar and a few chunks of dragon's blood resin. I ground them all together in my mortar the slowly spooned in into the bottle (I REALLY need a small funnel!!!!) I then laid the bottle on it's side and melted a red candle over it until I got what you see above! I placed the bottle on the top part of my stove where it can been seen by everyone!

My Red Brick dust

I finally took the time to make my own red brick dust!! I will say that it is very hard work!

This is what I started off with. I actually have a few of these around the yard. The people who lived here before us used them as flower bed borders.

I hit the brick a few times with the hammer to break it into smaller, more manageable pieces. The piece on the top is the only piece I wound up using. I definitely recommend using a towel you don't mind getting messed up!!  This is what happened after only a couple of hits!! Also, be sure to do it on smooth concrete. Where I was is some old sidewalk stones that are rough and the towel kept getting caught in it. When I moved to the smooth carport floor, I didn't have that problem.   

After about 15 minutes or so, this is what I have now to work with: 

I kept working for another 10-15 minutes on it and got most of the bigger chunks down to finer bits. It's not really smooth dust, but for me, it will serve it's purpose.

I wanted to explain more these 2 items. Both are exactly what they say!!! And obtaining both can be fairly easy. 

Red Brick Dust 
It is exactly what it says!! Obtain a red brick, the kind used to build houses and such. I usually find mine in new home construction sites. No, I don't steal them. I got for the refuse pile and grab bits and pieces from there.   Take them home and crush in what ever manner you chose to get the dust. As you can see above, some use a mortar and pestle. Or you can wrap the brick in a towel and crush it with a hammer.   


Graveyard Dirt 

    Despite what some think, Graveyard Dirt is exactly that....dirt obtained or purchased from a graveyard or several graveyards. It's been said ( as seen in the last post) that graveyard dirt is actually slang for certain herbs or herbal mixes. But that is not the truth!!! There are several different manners of collecting graveyard dirt and there are certain types. 

It is advised to pay for graveyard dirt. Some leave money, rum, whiskey, etc. (not a whole bottle, just pour a shot or 2 on the grave). The reason is so that you don't make the spirit of the grave angry for stealing. Basically, you are appeasing the spirit and asking for their help. It also helps to know the situation for which you are going to use the dirt so that you know what kind of graves to collect from. You wouldn't want to collect from a murderer if you are doing what would be considered good work!!! 

I have read that you can collect from several different graves in several different graveyards. But this is another "to each his own". I've personally collected it from one grave in a single graveyard. 

For more information on graveyard dirt and working with it, I HIGHLY recommend visiting Lucky Mojo here

"Red Brick Dust: This is actual powdered red brick dust, believed by many, especially in Missouri and Louisiana, to have protective magical qualities. It is also reputed by some to draw money and business. Lay a line down at the doorway for protection from your enemies, or to draw customers to your place of business.

Hot Foot Powder: used in African American hoodoo folk magic to drive unwanted people away. It is a mixture of herbs and minerals, virtually always including cayenne pepper, and usually other ingredients such as sulfur, black pepper, graveyard dirt, bluestone, gunpowder or salt.

Graveyard Dirt: There are basically three ways that Graveyard Dirt is employed in hoodoo: in spells of protection, in enemy tricks, and in coercive love spells . Despite its inclusion in such harmful formulas, graveyard dirt is not evil per se, and it has uses all its own that reflect its venerable stature in the African religious practice of ancestor veneration.

In African-derived magic such as hoodoo and Obeah, graveyard dirt is an important "magical link" (in the Crowleyan sense of that term), because of the powerful cultural beliefs centered around the role of the dead in rituals of invocation. This was and remains especially true in the Kongo, from whence most African-American slaves came, and in West Africa, where most Afro-Caribbean slaves came.

(You may find veneration of ancestors rather misleadingly called "ancestor worship" by earlier Western scholars, and you will often see it referred to in that way in books published in English prior to the 1990s, but American and European scholars have recently come around to using the more accurate African term "ancestor veneration," due to their contact with Africans who have entered academia and gotten on the internet .. and still practice ancestor veneration.)

In Palo Mayombe, a mostly Cuban and Brazilian survival of Kongo religio-magical practgice somewhat admixed with Catholicism, the dirt from graves is kept in a "prenda" on an altar.

In hoodoo, as in African magic and in Palo, graveyard dirt can be used for good or for ill. There are several well-known love-spells that utilize graveyard dirt, and just as many spells to hold someone down or restrain them in some way (what British people might call a "binding spell".

In hoodoo, the ritual of collecting graveyard dirt -- by the practitioner him- or herself -- is called BUYING graveyard dirt. The usual payment in the US, since the 19th century at least, has been a silver dime, preferably a Mercury dime (this brings up thoughts about that earlier thread about Mercury / Hermes / Eshu / Nbumba Nzila / Eleggua). Customs vary, but generally the dime is offered to the dead in the entire graveyard or to the specific spirit from whose grave one will dig the dirt.

If one wished to do harm, one might buy the dirt of someone who "died badly" -- before their time, through execution, or so forth, because their spirit, once invoked, would be inclined to perform evil deeds with little compunction. If one wished to bring about love, one might buy the dirt from someone who loved one in life (a relative or a deceased spouse, for instance) because their spirit, once invoked, would be inclined to help one achieve lasting love. Some workers prefer dirt from a baby's grave, because they say that the spirit thus invoked is malleable and biddable; but others say it is too weak, being young, and will not prove as effective as dirt from the grave of an adult.

This practice of the individual buying dirt from a graveyard led early on in hoodoo to the root worker / herbalist buying the dirt and then re-selling it. No stigma is attached to this practice, but the re-seller may be questioned closely as to whether the dirt was properly "bought and paid for." I have ads in old catalogues in my collection dating back to the 1920s in which graveyard dirt was offered for sale to the African-American community, so this is not a recent phenomenon. -- like most of the merchantile aspects of hoodoo, it arose as urbanization made the personal gathering of symbolic ingredients difficult to achieve. The price of graveyard dirt is usually nominal -- it's dirt cheap.

Neo-pagan authors such as Scott Cunningham have written that graveyard dirt is "just code" for certain herbs, such as mullein, but this is easily proven untrue by simply asking the average root-worker. In the African-American community (if not the Wiccan community) graveyard dirt is dirt from a grave that's been ritually "bought and paid for." ~ Hoodoo in Theory and Practice by Catherine Yronwode


Differences between Voodoo and Hoodoo
Hoodoo and Voodoo are often mistaken for one another. Some believe that the terms may have a common etymology. Simply put, Voodoo is a religion, whereas Hoodoo is a group of magical practices.

The ancient African religion of Vodoun is an established religion with its ancient roots in West Africa. Its modern form is practiced across West Africa in the countries now known as Benin, Togo, and Burkina Faso, among others. In Haiti, Cuba, and other Caribbean islands, the worship of the Vodoun gods (called lwa or loas) is practiced in a syncretic form that has been greatly modified by contact with Catholicism. The Voodoo of Haiti and Louisiana Voodoo are better known to many English speakers; similar practices among Spanish speakers in Cuba are called Santeria.

Hoodoo shows obvious and evident links to the practices and beliefs of African folk magico-religious culture. The Hoodoo practiced in the U.S. by the enslaved Africans was brought from West and Central Africa, specifically, the area that is now known as the Congo and Angola, Togo, Nigeria and other West African regions. ~ wikipedia

Badb

Badb (pronounced BIBE) is the Irish Goddess of war. Along with her sisters Macha and Anu, she forms the triple Goddess known as the Morrigan. All three could take the form of crows or ravens, and would fly over battlefields, choosing who would die and who would live. They would then take the souls of the deceased in their black wings, flying them off to the Otherworld. Badb would sometimes take part in the battles herself, usually in the form of a wolf. She had the power to cause confusion in the opposing soldiers and courage in those on her own side.
Badb, Macha, and Anu are the daughters of Ernmas, an Irish mother Goddess, and Delbaeth, High King of Ireland. They are also the sisters of another triplicity of Goddesses: Banba, Eriu, and Fodla, Goddesses of Irish sovereignty. Where the latter three Goddesses embodied the sovereignty of Ireland, the former three protected it, through war but also through life. Badb is said to have a cauldron similar to that of Cymidei Cymeinfoll, in that it can provide life to those who have died. Legend says that Badb will cause the end of the world some day when she lets the cauldron boil over and flood the world.
Badb’s name has been translated as either “crow” or “boiling,” both of which fit her mythology. Variations of her name include Badhbh, Bave, Baobh, Badhbh Chaointe (“weeping raven”), and Badb Catha (“battle crow”), and she was known in Gaul as Cathubodua, Cathubodva, Catubodua, or Cauth Bodva.

Satene

Satene is the Seram Goddess of the Underworld. The Seram people of Indonesia say that she was born from an unripe banana. When another Goddess, Hainuwele, was killed as a witch, the man who found her body, Ameta, took her arms to Satene. She created a spiral gate on the dancing ground where Hainuwele had been killed and stood in the center of it. Satene told the people that she was leaving the world and they would have to pass through the gate to see her again. The gate became the doorway to the Underworld, and those who were able to pass through when they died were reborn as people. Those who were unable to pass through were instead reincarnated as animals or remained on earth as spirits. When people did pass through, Satene would hit them with Hainuwele’s arms, and those who passed to her left formed one tribe, and those who passed to her right formed another. Satene’s name, which means “judgment,” is also seen as Mulua Satene.

Celebrating Ostara: Ostara Activities

Celebrating Ostara: Ostara Activities

 

 

Celebrating the changing of the seasons and the Pagan sabbats is sometimes considered to be something that must be done with elaborate rituals and feasts.  The modern domestic witch, however, knows that not only should we celebrate the whole season (not just one day), but we can work the celebration into our daily lives through appropriate activities.

Here are a list of ideas for celebrating spring, whether on Ostara or on another day:

• Spring clean your house physically, then magically
• Color eggs.  Blow out a few raw eggs, color them and fill them with finely ground herbs corresponding to a magical intent
• Research egg magic
• Get outside with kids or friends and play old fashioned games like red rover and tag
• Start clearing out space in your yard for a garden, or getting your garden beds ready to plant
• Practice oomancy
• Perform a spell or ritual focused on healing the earth
• Go out for a walk and look for signs of spring: robins, nests being built, flowers buds, bulbs shoots, plants starting to green
• Buy a new broom for magical or mundane cleaning
• Do meditations focused on new beginnings or growth
• Practice weather magic
• Make paper flowers and use them to decorate your home or altar
• Take your broom outside and use the handle to thump the earth to "wake it up"
• Have an egg hunt
• Learn about the migration of butterflies or the plight of the honey bee. Vow to take steps to help them on their way
• Have a seed blessing ritual
• Start seeds indoors or out
• On the morning of Ostara, plan to have a bonfire or light candles as a way of greeting the return of light and the sun.
• Eat eggs for breakfast on Ostara morning and bury the rinsed shells in your garden to promote prosperity and abundance of your crops
• Try to incorporate at least one traditional correspondence into you daily life through the spring season: cook with seasonal foods, use traditionally colored cloth napkins,  display a vase of wildflowers on your table,  burn traditionally scented incense, etc.

Ereshkigal

Ereshkigal (pronounced ay-RESH-kee-gal) is the Sumerian Goddess of death and Queen of the Underworld. She is the daughter of Nammu, Goddess of the primordial sea, and Anu, God of the sky, and twin sister of Enki, God of the waters. Shortly after her birth, she was carried off by the dragon Kur to the Underworld, where she became its ruler. She is also said to be the older sister of Inanna, Goddess of love, war, and fertility, and she is mostly known from the myth of Inanna’s descent to the Underworld. Ereshkigal’s husband Gugalanna, the Bull of Heaven, had been killed after Inanna sent him to punish Gilgamesh, and Inanna went to the Underworld to pay her respects to her sister. Ereshkigal feared that Inanna was actually coming to take over the Underworld, and had her servant remove an article of Inanna’s clothing at each of the seven gates that she had to pass through. When she finally arrives naked at the foot of Ereshkigal’s throne, Ereshkigal strikes her sister dead and hangs her body from a hook behind her throne.
Another myth of Ereshkigal tells of how she came to have a second husband, Nergal, God of war and plague. Nergal was first sent to the Underworld with a message from the other Gods to Ereshkigal. He was so impressed that he petitioned the Gods to let him visit a second time, and the great God Anu warned him not to eat or drink anything in the Underworld and not to get too close to Ereshkigal. However, Ereshkigal seduced Nergal and they stayed in bed for seven days. Nergal then left the Underworld and returned to the heavens. Heartbroken Ereshkigal threatened to raise the dead until they outnumbered the living if the other Gods would not send Nergal back, and he returned to the Underworld and married her.
Ereshkigal’s name, which means “lady of the great earth,” is seen as Erec-kigala, and she was also known as Irkalla, which is another name for the Sumerian Underworld.

Vanth

Vanth is the Etruscan Goddess of death. She appears when death is near and also helps guide the newly dead to the Underworld. Vanth is depicted as a winged woman, wearing a short skirt and with only leather straps across her bare chest. There are sometimes eyes on her wings, symbolic of the omnipresence of death. The items that Vanth carries are also representative of her role as a psychopomp or escort of the dead—she carries a torch to light the way and a key to open the gates to the Underworld. Other items that she is sometimes shown with include a sword, a scroll, and snakes, all symbols of fate. Vanth’s name, which has been interpreted as “one who keeps the door,” is also seen a

Menhit

Menhit is the Egyptian Goddess of war. She came to Egypt from Nubia, and was identified with Sekhmet, another Goddess of war. Since Sekhmet was depicted as a lion-headed woman, Menhit was shown the same way. Menhit is the wife of Khnum, God of the source of the Nile, and mother of Heka, the God of magic. As with the other lioness Goddesses, she acted as a protector of the King and his armies, proceeding ahead of them to shoot fiery arrows at their enemies in battles. Menhit’s name, which means “she who slaughters,” is also seen as Menhet, Menhyt, Menchit, and Menkhet.

Kitchen Witch Bottles

Kitchen Witch Bottles

A Kitchen Witch Bottle
Scott Cunningham - adaption

Place three needles, three pins, and three nails into a small glass bottle.

Add a clove of peeled garlic (or if the bottle is very small,a spoonful of crushed or powdered garlic) and a pinch of dried thyme;

Then fill the bottle with sea salt, shake vigorously nine times, and seal the cap with red wax.

Place the bottle in a cupboard where it won’t be seen, and it will protect your kitchen from food poisoning and other culinary disasters.

Bottle of luck-
This ritual is excellent to attract luck towards you.
What you'll need:
-7 green candles
-patchouli incense
-1 green glass bottle or pot
-symbols of luck (for example: an old lottery ticket, a rabbit's foot, a horseshoe or figure 7 cut out of cardboard)
-7 coins of 1, 5 or 10 hundredths

Ritual:
Light your 7 candles and your incense. Then, fill up your pot or bottle with all of the symbols of luck that you gathered, as well as with the coins. Raise the bottle towards the sky and speak this invocation aloud:

Ram Chance,
Ram Fortune hear me,
Let your breath enter my bottle.
Let everywhere the luck be with me.

Close the bottle well and seal it with green wax. Before leaving to play any games of chance, or if you need extra luck for some endeavor, agitate your bottle so that luck will accompany you.

A Kitchen Witch Bottle
A Kitchen Witch Bottle will protect your food from contamination or burning.
There are many ways of constructing these, but I like to put three needles,
three pins and three iron nails into a jar filled with salt. Seal it tightly
and shake it vigorously nine times. Place three dabs of red wax along the
seal. While you're constructing your Kitchen Witch Bottle, visualize your
kitchen as a peaceful, safe place, full of delicious aromas, and savory
food.
Place your Kitchen Witch Bottle on a top shelf of your cupboard where it
will not be disturbed.

WITCH'S PROTECTION BOTTLE
Get a glass jar such as a Mason jar, or even a baby food jar, anything that has a lid to it.
Fill the jar halfway with small sharp objects such as pins, metal scrapings, broken glass,
razor blades, etc. Be careful when you are filling the jar! Once the jar is half full with
these objects, fill the jar up with a holy water mixture of salt and water.
Put the top on the jar and be sure it's secured.
This jar should be buried in the ground at least twelve inches deep.
As long as the bottle remains in the ground, you will be protected from harm that is
sent your way. If you bury the jar somewhere away from home, and you wont know
if it will still be there in a year (City Witches don't always have backyards), then
be sure to repeat this process each year.

HERBAL WITCHES CLEANSING BOTTLE
To make an herbal cleansing bottle, pour a layer of sand in a large clear bottle.
Add layers of dried herbs, one at a time: first rosemary; then lemon peel, sage, cedar,
black peppercorns, lavender, dill, bay leaf, and rowan.
When the bottle is full, focus cleansing protective energy into the herbs and sand,
and see a golden light radiating from the bottle.
Visualize the herbs driving away negative influences.
Cork and seal the bottle with white wax.
Using a permanent marker, draw the Algiz rune on one side of the bottle, and on the
other side draw a pentagram.
Set the bottle near your front or back door, and every six months, uncap,
Pour herbs out into the woods or your compost heap, and thoroughly wash
and dry the bottle before filling it with a new round of herbs.

HOUSE PROTECTION SPELL
1 glass bottle or jar with cap mixing bowl funnel (you can make one with a rolled up piece of paper)
9 herbs of choice from list: (Acacia, Aloe, Angelica, Anise, Ash, Basil, Birch, Blackberry,
Blueberry, Broom, Caraway, Carnation, Cedar, Cinquefoil, Clover, Cotton, Cypress, Dill,
Eucalyptus, Fennel, Flax, Foxglove, Grass, Hazel, Heather, Holly, Irish Moss, Ivy, Lilac,
Mandrake, Marigold, Mistletoe, Mugwort, Mulberry, Oak, Olive, Pine, Primrose, Raspberry,
Rice, Rose, Rosemary, Sandalwood, Spanish Moss, Thistle, Valerian, Violet, Willow)
Pour the nine selected herbs into the mixing bowl one by one. As you pour each one in say
these words (replace the blank with the name of the herb):
"________ that protects, protect my home and all within."
Once all of the herbs have been added to the bowl, mix them with your hands.
Visualize you home being safe and secure as you mix.
Cap the bottle or jar and bury it outside, in front of your front step.
If you live in an apartment or other place that would prevent you from doing this, place the jar some
where out of view but still near your doorway.

WORRY JAM JAR SPELL
Worries and anxieties that are becoming too big and interfering with daily life benefit from this spell.
Take and cleanse a jam jar or box with a tight fitting lid.
Write the problem on a slip of paper Pass it through the 4 Elements, and pop it in the jar,
reciting the following spell. Leave the jar in the moonlight, but visible to yourself.
Each time the problem sneaks into your mind, think of the jar.
You are only permitted to worry if you go and remove the lid and the slip of paper.
You'll find that soon, you can't be bothered to even give it thought.
When the problem is resolved, remove the slip and bury or burn it, giving thanks to the Lady.
Into this vessel secured up tight
I place my anxieties that they might
Find their right level within my life
Be only acknowledged when I say it's right.
I swear that I will not give thought to my woe
Until such time to this vessel I go
And take off the lid and grieve, for I know
That unless the lid's missing, trapped is my foe.
It may not escape into my daily way
And trouble my thinking during the day.
Some time in the future when I feel I may
Dispose of this vessel with no debt to pay.

TO STOP A TROUBLE MAKER JAR
Write the name of the person on a piece of parchment/paper, fold it twice.
Take a lime and cut it twice, once diagonally and once horizontally, but don't cut it all the
way into four pieces. Place the paper or parchment inside the lime and hold it together with
two long steel nails. Place the lime into a clean glass jar and put into it some ash, salt and
vinegar and screw the lid on tight. The ash and salt are supposed to thwart their efforts to
cause you trouble of any kind, and the vinegar and lime should sour their own affairs at the same time.

HOUSE PROTECTION JAR
1 glass jar 1/2 to 1 cup salt 3 cloves garlic 9 bay leaves
7 tsp. dried Basil 4 tsp. dill seeds 1tsp sage 1tsp anise
1tsp black pepper 1tsp fennel 1 bowl
In the morning ideally on a bright sunny day assemble the items.
Place in the bowl and say: "Salt that protects, protect my home and all within."
Add the cloves of garlic: "Garlic that protects, protect my home and all within."
Crumble the Bay leaves and place in the bowl:
"Bay that protects, protect my home and all within."
Add the basil and say: "Basil that protects, protect my home and all within."
Add the dill and say: "Dill that protects, protect my home and all within."
Add the sage and say: "Sage that protects, protect my home and all within."
Add the anise and say: "Anise that protects, protect my home and all within."
Add the fennel and say: "Fennel that protects, protect my home and all within."
Mix together the salt and the herbs with your hands, throughout the movement
of your hands and fingers lend energy to the potent protective items, visualize
your home safe and as a shining secure place. Pour the mixture in the jar and cap tightly,
Place it in your home with these words: "Salt and herbs, nine times nine
Guard now this home of mine"

INSPIRATION JAR
Purpose: To bring on inspiration. For creativity.
Ingredients: Mason jar Small crystal Dried orange peels (two-thirds) Dried mint (one-third)
2 drops orange essential oil 1 drop mint essential oil Square piece of black cotton fabric
Rubber band Orange fabric paint or orange acrylic Orange ribbon
Note: The color orange is the color of creative energies.
The shading (how dark or light the orange is) that you use will denote the level of creative
energies you wish to channel. A dark orange will take you deep into the creative energies
while a light orange is less intense.
Moon cycle: No moon cycle is selected for this spell because all phases of the moon hold
different levels of creative energies, including the dark moon. If you follow moon phases,
choose the cycle that fits your purpose best.
Gather ingredients. With a clean and dry jar before you, place the mint first and then the
orange peels inside, filling it up about two-thirds of the way. Add two drops of orange
essential oil and one drop mint essential oil. More if you are using a large mason jar.
Stir ingredients together. Take the small crystal in your hand and say something such as:
"Creativity come to me
In whispers and dreams
And visions that gleam."
Place the crystal inside the jar with the potpourri.
For the lid, cover the opening of the jar with black fabric so that the side of the fabric
hangs down over the edges about 2 inches.
With a pencil, mark the center top of the fabric.
Take the fabric off the jar, lie it flat on a hard surface.
Using orange paint, acrylic or fabric paint, paint on a spiral.
While the paint is drying, cover the jar temporarily with a lid so that it doesn't get spilled.
Spiral: The spiral is a symbol of the dance of life. It shows the continuous cycle of ourselves
going inward (within ourselves/our psyche) and then going outward (expressing ourselves).
Black: The black fabric in this spell is used as an absorption color.
Black absorbs all colors, all energies.
By placing the orange spiral on this we are signifying just what those energies are that the
black is absorbing, all creative energies.
Once the paint is dry, place the fabric on the jar once again.
The spiral should now be on the centered top of the jar's mouth.
Holding the fabric in place, wrap the rubber band around the sides to hold it in place.
Next, tie the orange ribbon overtop of the rubber band.
Keep this inspiration jar in your work area, where you do your writing, painting, drawing,
or keep it by your bed to bring on inspiring dreams.

GOOD LUCK HERB JAR
To attract good fortune into your life or change a streak of bad luck to good, fill a small jar
(leaving a bit of space) with any combination of the following magical herbs: buckthorn bark,
chamomile, clover, dandelion, frankincense, heal - all, honeysuckle, huckleberry leaves, Irish moss,
Job's tears, John the Conqueror, khus -khus, lotus, lucky hand root, mistletoe, myrrh, nutmeg, rose
hips, rosemary, sandalwood, spearmint, star anise, thyme, Tonka bean.
Seal your jar tightly and keep it in your kitchen on a shelf or a windowsill.
Place your hands upon the jar each morning upon rising, and say :
To God and Goddess I do pray
Guide me through another day
Let good fortune come my way
Good luck hither now I say
After reciting the magical incantation, gently shake the jar a few times and then
kiss it before putting it back.
I suggest using the same jar for a maximum of 13 days, then return the herbs to
the Earth and repeat if necessary.

HERB JAR TO ENHANCE YOUR POWERS PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY
Fill one jar with the following:
Cinnamon [for dream Magic
Nutmeg [for good luck]
Allspice [healing]
Ginger [lunar Magick]
Basil [protection]
Fennel seeds [spiritual healing]
Garlic [spiritual purification]
Marjoram [protection]
Sage [spiritual purification]
Cloves [protection]
Mustard seed [protection]
Before you do any scrying or any kind or psychic work, inhale the scent
deeply and shake the jar gently.

SACRED SALT JAR
This is not only great to have for oneself, but it makes a nice gift to someone special if you
happen to know what scents they like or stones they like. Since what you put into it is "yours",
it is like giving a part of yourself, too.
This mixture is excellent to charge stones in and to "simmer energies". Once it has blended
for a few months, a pinch can be added to rituals, etc., bathwater or as a gift to Mother Earth.
You can also make a "starter salt" as a gift for a friend. You can also give of your own sacred
salt mixture to a special friend to help blend powers and energies when they make their own
sacred salt mixture.
The mixture should be made and kept in a covered stone or Earthen jar, but can be made
and kept in a covered glass jar until you find one that is suitable. There are thoughts on what
kind of salt to use. Some use rock salt, some Earth salt and some sea salt, some even use
normal table salt. Whatever salt you use, make sure that it is "natural" and not iodized.
You blend the salt with chopped or ground herbs, tiny crystals, small stones, nuts seeds,
jewelry, locks of hair, ground incense and a few drops of your favorite oils, anything that
you wish. Even rose petals and other flowers, or a lock of hair. When you have cleansed
and charged stones and crystals by sun and Moon, place them in this mixture to store until
you wish to use them or give them as gifts.

MAKING A WITCHES BOTTLE
First select the Bottle you want to use. Your bottle maybe clear or tinted. If you're working with
a colored bottle, choose a color that suits what you are doing. Tinted bottles are great for spells
that use color correspondences. Once you have a bottle, wash it with warm soapy water, or
cleanse it in the ocean. After you have washed it, magically cleanse it and bathe it in the light
of the full moon. When the bottle is clean it is time to fill it. There are a lot of options when it
comes to contents, here are a few examples:
For Protection from unfriendly forces, you can fill the bottle with very sharp objects such as
nails, pins, safety pins, & needles, or sand.
By collecting herbs, resins, leaves, roots, and spices and filling a bottle with them, you can
concoct a wide variety of Wards, Spells, or Talismans. Add a base oil or cider vinegar and
you have wonderful gifts for your friends, these would enhance their magical life as well as
their cooking! You can also fill the bottle with a variety of flower petals selected for their
healing properties, attributes, or correspondences to planetary or other forces.
You may want to include a bit of alcohol, vinegar, or olive oil to preserve the flowers.

SPELL OF THE WITCH'S BOTTLE
1 jar - 1 red cloth cut into the shape of a heart some of your own hair clippings -
some of your own nail clippings - 13 iron nails - 13 black-headed pins - 1 cup of sea salt
The making of the witch's bottle is very simple and should be done as early on in your
practices as you possibly can. Never let another person know that you are making the
bottle, or it's location. Place all of the items on your altar and take a few minutes
to meditate on magical protection, for your safety. Take up your hair and nail clippings
and place them into the jar saying:
"Here do I present myself"
Take up the 13 iron nails and place them into the jar saying:
"Here are my swords of protection"
Take up the salt and place it into the jar saying:
"Here is salt to purify me"
Take up the red heart-shaped cloth. Hold it high and say:
"Here is the heart of any who wish me harm"
Stick all 13 black-headed pins into the cloth heart and say:
"Let any who wish me harm or any who wish me ill,
feel the pain of their own heart's hate, rebounded by this witch's will"
Place the pin-studded heart into the jar. Next fill the jar with your own urine. This sounds
revolting, but urine is a powerful fluid-condenser, and by doing this is symbolic of saying
that you think any spell which is cast against you is a useless and worthless gesture, and
this is the frame of mind you should take while performing this act. When the jar is filled,
or at least halfway so, cork it up with a red tapered candle. Light the candle and as it burns,
it will drip wax to seal the bottle. Take it out and bury it somewhere near your home.
Say the following:
"Blessed Mother of the Darkened Moon, I pray that you grant me this boon. A bottle of
protection do I bury here: to protect me from those both far and near. May any curse or
magic spell placed on me, be dispelled. Rebounded on the sender be, In accordance
with the Law of Three."
Once the bottle is buried, it should never be dug up again. To do so would be to release
all of the negativity that it has absorbed for you. If another person digs up the bottle, it
will not affect them, as it is designed to absorb negativity aimed directly to you.
This energy is tied to you and you alone. It cannot affect another person.
Do not dig up the witch-bottle for any reason. If you move to a new location,
the witch-bottle will continue to work for you. The witch's bottle is buried in the earth
so that the earth may ground the energies of the negativity directed towards you.
One bottle should be all that is needed.

A Day In The Life Of A Green Witch

A Day In The Life Of A Green Witch

 

The Green Witch may begin her day with a pot of tea or coffee, each being laced with an herb or herbs appropriate for her intentions...You’re afraid your husband’s eye is straying, if not your husband himself? A pinch of nutmeg in his morning brew will do well to keep infidelity at bay. You’re going to be doing tarot readings on this morning and want to pump up your intuitive energies? A pinch of crushed bay leaves or a bit of ground anise to your tea or java will do just that.

 

When you cook up wonderful tasty dishes for your family, you keep this kind of herbal magick in mind. Does your family seem a little chaotic, disconnected, or argumentative today? Drop a pinch of rosemary or sage in the stew or mashed potatoes. The general public uses herbs every day in all kinds of mundane ways when they cook, never realizing the magickal potential contained within them. Oh, and be sure to stir your cooking pots full of food deosil only to instill positive energy.

The Green Witch will use herbs when cleaning her house, or scrubbing her floors...a little rosemary wash will clear your living space in a magickal way as you clean away the mundane dirt and grime. Are you having a little problem with mischievous spirits and it’s time for them to go? Light a white candle and a stick of sage or some sandalwood incense; walk deosil around each room, smudging the area.

Are you a busy soccer mom chauffeuring kids from school to various events and practices? The Green Witch will have within her vehicle a mojo bag for safe travel, within it will be plantain, calamus root, and a stone of tiger eye. If she’s like me, she’ll also have a special stone talisman created specifically to keep her passengers safe, tucked discreetly beneath the seat.

Your child awakens you during the night with bad dreams or fears of shadows and boogie men? Give her a small saucer of salt on her bedside stand and instruct her to take a pinch and toss it at the shadows that frighten her. Not only will this clear away unwanted entities, you have just taught your daughter that she has nothing to fear and that she is the one in control of her living space.

Having trouble winding down at the end of the day to get much needed sleep? Tie a bundle of lavender together and drop it into your bath water. Light a white candle and soak, grounding yourself, clearing your mind and relaxing your body. Finish up the day with a hot cup of chamomile tea just before turning out the lights.

The idea here is that the Green Witch incorporates herbs into her every day activities and chores and uses them with magickal intention.

I suggest Scott Cunningham’s book, “Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magickal Herbs”, for an extremely comprehensive list of herbs, their correspondences, and magickal uses.

The origins of Easter

The origins of Easter

 

Easter is another religious festival that has roots in pagan as well as Christians traditions.

Spring is a season of renewal and rebirth and Pagans have long held festivals during March or April to celebrate nature's rebirth. This was a suitable event for early Christians to merge with the story of Christ's resurrection.

The word Easter is derived from Ostara or Eostre, the name of the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring.

The goddess Eostre is associated with eggs and hares or rabbits. One legend says that Eostre found a wounded bird in the snow. Wanting to help she transformed it into a hare so that he could survive the winter. In the spring the hare laid a clutch of eggs, showing that it was still a bird at heart. The hare left these eggs as gift for Eostre.

In many pagan belief systems the hare or rabbit is a symbol of fertility and eggs are a symbol of life.

The ancient Egyptians, Persians, Gauls, Greeks and Romans all had traditions of giving eggs as gifts or as offerings to the gods during the spring.

Goddess of the Week: Hestia

Goddess of the Week: Hestia

 

I haven't picked a god or goddess of the week for a while, but a reader recently emailing me to ask about kitchen goddesses and that is a good reason to find one.

In Greek mythology, Hestia is the goddess of the home, the hearth the family and cooking. She is the ideal choice as my goddess of the week.

According to the website Pagan Magic:

"In Greek mythology Hestia, daughter of Cronus and Rhea is the virgin goddess of the hearth. The hearth fire of a Greek or a Roman household was not allowed to go out, unless it was ritually extinguished and ritually renewed, accompanied by impressive rituals of completion, purification and renewal.

"As the goddess of the family hearth she also presided over the cooking of bread and the preparation of the family meal. Hestia was also the goddess of the sacrificial flame and received a share of every sacrifice to the gods. The cooking of the communal feast of sacrificial meat was naturally a part of her domain."

We don't tend to have open fires for cooking in modern kitchens, but the ever-burning pilot light of the boiler that keeps our home warm and heats our water is something like a perpetual flame and I could imagine Hestia approving of our practical yet comfy 21st century kitchens.

If you have just had a lovely new kitchen installed - or spruced up your old one - Hestia would be an appropriate goddess to honour.

Suggestions for things to do to honour Hestia and to ask for her protection for your kitchen and home could include:

• Thoroughly spring clean and declutter your kitchen, and get your boiler serviced if it needs it
• Say a few words asking for Hestia's blessing and protection for your home when you relight your oven after thoroughly cleaning it, or light the pilot light of a boiler that is new or just been serviced
• Anoint a candle with a little vanilla oil and light it to honour Hestia, asking for her blessing
• Bake bread from scratch and say a few words of thanks to Hestia while sharing it with your family

Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hestia