MM and welcome to my kitchen. Come in, sit down and grab a cuppa something yummy while we chat. This month I would like to talk about milestones of life. These are the moments in your life that make a huge difference as well as some that are smaller but equally important. We all know the big ones; marriage, birth, death, but what about coming of age? What about Croning? These and some others are important as well.

I am sharing some ritual ideas and plans for some of the life rituals that I have been involved in.

First as I see it is the birth rite. When your child is first born, or about to be born. Having a ritual that will ask the goddess of birth and motherhood to come in and watch over you and your child during this time. Creating a sacred space for your birthing to happen. Many of us will set up a circle, calling the element to bring the energies so that the baby will be exposed to them firsthand. Call of God and Goddess to be present at the birth and to guide and protect during the birth. This is a personal event and can only be written and enacted by the parents and the High priest or priestess involved.

Second would be the naming ritual. This is when you would present your child to the circle and to the Goddess and God in a formal setting, placing the guidance for the future with the deity of your choice. You would Name your child in front of the God and Goddess and elements you would start by bring all involved to the space. Casting circle, calling you elements and deities as well as your ancestors. Then picking up your child you would introduce that child to each element, deity and ancestor and then to each person in the circle. At this time you would expect each element, deity, ancestor and person in the circle to “gift” your child with a blessings or gift that will assist in its growing up.

Third as I see it is the coming of age ritual. This ritual would happen around age 13, when a female begins her cycle and male would start growing facial hair. These are signs that there bodies are maturing and they would have been (in the past) considered adults. This is when the child is introduced as an “adult” to the elements. This ritual is when you may want to give your child elements that could be incorporated into their altars. Wooden Athame, flameless candles for the quarters, I went to the craft store and found figurines that could be used to represent each of the elements and God and Goddess. Or you could talk to a pagan friendly potter and have them shape representation for you. If your child has been raised in the craft then they will know how to honor their Altar. You may just need to guide them a bit.

Fourth on my list would be birthday rituals.. Every year we are alive is a blessing (of at least I hope you feel that way) and should be celebrated by reaffirming you beliefs and desires. This can be as simple as a birthday candle wish or as elaborate as a full blow ritual that you re-assert your commitment to your Deities.

Now I know some may think that I have the line up a little off as I am listing Marriage or Handfasting as less important than birth . Well times are changing and many women are choosing to have children but never to marry. Or same sex couples who either don’t marry or cannot yet by law marry are still having children. So in my order of important marriage is a bit down the list. This does not mean that I hold them any less sacred. I have been married to the same man for over 20 years. But many do not feel that traditional marriage is the way to go. Handfasting seems to be the ritual of choice. This entails casting your circle but leaving a door cut in it. Invite all the guests to enter and be welcome and then guide the groom in. circle him clockwise into the circle and stand him at the altar. When ready the bride enters in circle and is also walked clockwise into the circle placing her in front of the groom. Then close the circle. I personally do not ask who gives the bride away as I do not consider her property to give away. But if this is a choice of the bride then this is where that should happen. The official (HP or HPS) would bind their left hands together and allow then to speak either prepared vows or vows they have chosen. I have then guided them around the circle, introducing them as man and wife to each of the elements and Deities. Asking guidance for their energy to be separate but join together thus strengthening them. Then walk them again introducing them as man and wife to all the guests and then allowing them one last walk around the circle to the doorway (at this time people could be throwing flower petals or blowing bubbles until they leave through the door cut in the circle), the guests can follow out and then as they go forth the official and then thank the elements and Deities.

Sixth I would say is the Aging ritual or the croning rite. This is to celebrate that we have found a new phase of our lives. We are no longer maidens, youth that are running round fertilizing and propagating the earth. And we are no longer the Mothers (fathers), chasing kids and teaching them how to be good people. We are now the crones; the wise ones who have hopefully learn a wealth of information and can now help guide our children and their children in being a force of good in our world. Help guide the changes to heal rather than harm. This is a more personal ritual that is between you and your Deities or with your coven (group) and you and Deities.

Lastly would be the passing on ritual. The ritual that we would use to guide our loved one on to whatever afterlife we may believe in. and to raise energy to heal the damaged hearts of the living. In this ritual we, as the family of the dead, would cast circle, asking each element to watch over our loved on and guide them into the resting place. We would call whatever deity we may have used or that the dead used, and ask that Deity to light the way so that our loved one would not stray or become lost. Lastly we may ask our ancestors to make a place among them for a much beloved member of the family and to help them to transition and to add their wisdom to the mix. After we would ask each person to remember the loved one with a good memory, because that loved one will never truly be gone.. Only harder to reach. And as long as we keep them in our hearts we will never lose them at all.

Now most if not all of these rituals are causes for celebration. Even a death can be celebrated as a life well lived and a soul who is now able to visit with God and Goddess. I wish there to be a big beach BBQ as my “wake” I want to crying, just laughter and memories of how I may have touched their lives.. joyful that I am now moving on to my turn on the wheel.. and that I may yet see them in another form.

That being said, celebrate. Have a big happy party, enjoy life in it many many phases. Share happiness and love and live connected.

Thank you for coming and checking my kitchen out.

Blessed Hearth and Home

The Hearthkeeper

We as witches are very aware of Karma. Many of us follow the Rede which states” An it harm none, do as thy will”. But it says much more than that.  It is a guideline for life, but it (or something like it) is essential as Karma does not care about what path you walk, what religion you follow or anything else. It only believes in the cosmic law… for every action there is an equal or greater reaction.  Whatever you choose to put out into the world , in thought, word and deed, WILL COME BACK. Some believe that it may come back threefold. Seriously.. if that does not make you stop and think carefully about what you do I don’t know what will. No amount of forgiving or asking deity for help will change this. It is the way of energy… proven even in science through quantum physics.

So look more closely at the Wiccan Rede.. and take from it what may help. Much can be used in the everyday.. I WILL NOT BE USING EVERY PASSAGE OF THE REDE AS MUCH COVERS RITUAL AND SPIRITUAL AREAS, I will only be touching on what can be used in our everyday in respect to Karma. I may write the complete break down of the rede at a later date as it really does help to break it down and examine each aspect to better understand it.

Bide within the law you must, in perfect love and perfect trust

Live you must and let to live, fairly take and fairly give

This easily translates, you need follow the laws of the land you live in. trusting that the laws are just and that other will follow them as well.

Do what you need to, to live your life and allow others to do the same. Be fair and honest and give help and care and expect to be treated as you treat others.

Light of eye and soft of touch, speak you little, and listen much.

Honor the old ones in deed and name, let love and light be our guides again

This could translate to how you look at people and how you see them as well as how you connect with them, gently with care and concern, not anger and harm. Keep your opinions to yourself so that when you do speak you will be known to have thought through your word and they will be well meant.

I take this as honoring our ancestors, both dead and living, with our words and action, showing that we were taught well and mean well. Letting love of all people, family and Deity guide our action as well as our reactions.

Mind the three-fold law you should, three times bad three times good

When misfortune is here how, wear the star upon your brow

This can be translated into remember that what you put out WILL come back to you, whether it is good or bad ends up being up to you.

When things go badly, remember your spirituality, with a pentacle on your head. This could be something as simple as a dash of water, draw a pentacle to an oil anointing.

These Eight words the Rede fulfill

“An it harm none, do what you will”

These words are a guideline, they can be translate to mean: if you are sure that your action will harm no one (very difficult to do) and this includes yourself or your environment. Then you can do what you wish. This as I said is way more difficult then you may think.. Since you in no way can be 100 % sure that your actions will not harm another. So what do you do??

Well at this point your intention plays a MAJOR part in your Karmic return. If you truly intended that your action harms no one. One way I deal with this is asking Goddess and God to please guide my action so that it harm no one but help me to the greatest advantage

Basically this guideline is telling you that if you want good Karma then you should put good out ahead of harm or bad. I do not use the term Evil as I feel that not only is that a concept that does is more secular than spiritual. But it also labels actions as unredeemable. If you can be truly evil you may never be anything else. But if you are bad then you have the ability to be good.

Our religion , path  or spirituality does not allow for instant redemption. That is wholly a Judeo-Christian concept. That if you pay enough or say enough “ I’m sorries” that all your sins will be forgiven. Well the reality is that is load of GARBAGE. We a humans are completely responsible for our actions and somewhere down the line we will have to pay in kind for those actions; good , bad or indifferent. You decide what you want to deal with, in this life or the next. And what you are willing to do now to pay for later. I know that with those odds.. well I really want good, helpful and productive energy coming down the pike at me. So I limit the amout of negative, harmful and selfish things I do.

Now I am in no way saying that you cannot work towards prosperity, wealth and happiness. The whole “person gain” issue is completely a television show concept. And though it works for the Charmed Ones.. real life is different and if you need a job, well working towards it with magickal intention is not a bad thing. Just make sure your intention does not take away someone’s will, or give you something that you don’t deserve or have not earned.

With that said, good luck finding that balance that makes life work. Work within YOUR Rede, your code of conduct.. and your Karma.

Until next time

Blessed Home and Hearth

The Hearthkeeper

From all that I have read as well as lived,Celtic Magick is more a lifestyle than a religion. Celtic Magick is lived and breathed rather than planned and ritualed. There is constant daily emotional involvement; everything you do in your day has magickal intention.

Numbers are very important as well. 3, 5, 7 and 9 are considered very mystical numbers. That being said, you should do in sets of 3, 5, 7 or 9. This trains the brain by repetition to focus your energy and your intention.

One thing that makes Celtic Magick different is that it does not teach you that doing magick for yourself is selfish. It teaches that if you cannot do for yourself then how could you possibly do for others and that if your physical wellbeing is taken care of( food, home, bills, health) then your Spiritual will be able to focus on its well being. But the “Harm None” rule must apply. “DO WHAT YOU WILL IF YOU HARM NO BEING”

It benefits no one if you intentionally harm another being and the Karma is just NOT worth what little gain you may gain.

But the flip side of that is that Evil exists and should not be allowed to flourish and harm YOU. There are many creative ways to block harmful magicks from your home and life. By no means should you allow people to walk on you. Just make sure that you spend enough time being thoughtful of all your options and that you are sure you will not harm yourself or others.

Celtic Kitchen magicks are a bit different as it is sympathetic, helpful magicks. You bespell food to heal, strengthen and enrich your life, using your everyday utensils as your magickal tools. The wooden spoon as your wand, the pot as your cauldron, your stove as your candle. Many other kitchen tools have purposes that are magickal; you can look on the internet for correspondences’ to your kitchen tools

Every aspect of the meal you prepare is Magickal, from the purchase or picking to the preparation, to how you cook and finally how you serve it and eat it.

You would focus on the ingredients first, infusing them with your intention; remembering that you cannot impose your will on another, but that you wish to make it useful and available by those who eat of it. By using a mortar and pestle to grind your herbs and ingredients before adding then to the pan, will allow you to infuse them with your intention. Then you would stir the ingredients together, creating your spellwork on your meal. Stirring clockwise in repetitions of 3, 5, 7 and 9 will ensure the positive energy in every creation.

The Elements are very important in your Kitchen as well as in your life. Earth, Air, Fire and Water, they represent the 4 directions of the world, the 4 winds and the 4 quarters of the ritual circle. They are the forces and the energy of the universe and all the aspects of our lives. They also have…….

Earth- the food that grew, was nourished and produced from the soil

Air – the steam that rises from the cooking and the scents that are carried through the house.

Fire – the source your cook with, no matter if it is gas, wood oil or electric

Water – The liquid used to cook or what is extracted from the product while cooking.

Finally Spirit – the essence that you add by focusing your energy on the food.

Hearth magick is a process of transformation using all of the Elements.

No matter that much has changed since cook fires and hearths, the kitchen is still an Altar that a Kitchen Witch’s spells are created. When you say” You are what you eat” it could be true. With Hearth Magicks you can be healthier. Your health, wealth and wellbeing can be spelled right into the cooking of the food that you eat

It was once thought that your could protect yourself and your food by covering it, you could keep spells or hexes away from the food.  They used to say that if you salted your food that the cleansing properties would protect you and your foods.

Ultimately the end purpose of hearth magick is eating the food. Sharing your food with others can be a ritual bond, strengthened by love. Prayers of thanks upon eating should be directed to the ability to have the foods available, Some would thank that which gave its life for us to eat it, those of us with children find it easier to thank God/dess for the ability to eat it together and that we can share the food with each other.  Make sure that if you have spelled the food or have created it with a certain intention… that you tell all that will be eating it.

Until next time

Blessed Home and Hearth

The Hearthkeeper

The seasons have a powerful effect on us , but also, according to some Earth magicians,

subtly affect magickal workings. Theses are the different types of magicks that could be

preformed during the different seasons.

SPRING: A time for healing; purification, spring cleaning of ones self as well as ones

surroundings; psychic awareness; paying bills; fertility; planting magickal gardens; &

ecological rituals. Air magick.

SUMMER: A time for love, marriage, friendship, beauty, protection, courage, magickal

energy, physical energy, & strength. Fire magick.

AUTUMN: A time for money, employment, new possessions (including cars & homes).

Water magick.

WINTER: A time for banishments of disease, habits & addictions, seeking past lives.

This is a time for introspection, meditation, reading, & magickal exercises designed to

renew the magician for the coming spring. Earth magick.

SPECIAL TIMES

LIGHTNING STORMS: are periods of intense energy. All spells cast during storms will be empowered by them, and may prove to be more effective. Protection rituals are ideal at these times.

RAINSTORMS: are fine for purification, love, compassion, friendship, beauty rituals, & releasing guilt & jealousy.

SNOWSTORMS: are the time for gentle magick, purification, & stilling emotions. Release unrequited love.

HEAVY WINDS: empower rites designed to break addictions, assist study, & travel spells.

SEARING HOT DAY: charge rites of protection, courage, & energy.

Blessing until next Month

We do not often think about candles when we light them. Well we do if we are lighting them for Ritual or for a spell. But what about outside of that?  Candles are one of just a few links that we have with out ancestors. We do not think about the fact that candle have no race, religion or creed. Candles have meaning in just about every life, religion, race. We light candles for the magick of ritual, whatever the religion. We light then for the magick of romance. We light them for the magick of a simple birthday wish. We light them when we are happy and when we are sad. How many of you can remain untouched by seeing a candle light vigil or a midnight mass. What about the first birthday candle.. Or the 100^th.

We not only use for birthdays but for anniversaries, or to remember a loved one passed on. We use one candle or many candles to help us make a connection to the Divine, whatever face we see.

But for Pagans, Wiccan and Witches candles are used more often. We use them in our everyday. One single tealight lit for a sick pet, friend, loved one. 4, 6 or more, lit to invoke the elements, Deity, archangels, ancestors. Anointed candles used for healing, love, a new job, prosperity. We have different colors for different uses, oils to add to it.

No longer are candles just animal fat used to light our way in the dark. They are a large part of our everyday. How many household have no candles in them. Many are highly scented so we use them to refresh our home, or to bring back great memories of years gone by. History relived by a single flame.

You can find much about the history of candles, but only if you want to know. I will not run on about it, even if I do find it fascinating. There are many great sites to help you get good tips on making your own candles. But honestly, in this day and age, you need only make the candles if you have a special reason or ritual. You can get great colored, scented or plain candles at the local grocery or corner store. And some specialty places like  Partylite.

I will add a chart for candle colors and uses. These are not universal as many do not always agree. Remember that it is your intention more than any candle color that makes your rite or ritual.

White:

White candles are universal, they are like white light which has all of the colors, they are used in protective, consecration and cleansing rituals, for healing the whole person, for spiritual matters, and for contact with one’s higher self and angels or spirit guides.  White is a good color for rites-of-passage work, especially for birth, marriage and welcoming rituals. White candles can also be substituted for any other color. Like silver, white is associated with female energies, lunar rituals and with the goddess and the moon.

Silver:

Silver is the color of the moon and the moon goddess. It is potent for all forms of divination, telepathic abilities, for astral projection, and for rituals to invoke female power, intuition. Silver candles can remove negativity and promote inner stability.

Gold:

Gold is the color of the sun. Golden candles are potent for wealth and recognition, as well as long life. Use them for ambitious schemes and money-making rituals that require an instant or substantial return. Gold is also the color of male power, energy and change.

Pink:

Pink is the color associated with Venus, the goddess of love, so pink candle  are excellent for matters involving the gentler aspects of love, romance, affection and friendship, the healing of wounded emotions, for quiet sleep and for the mending of quarrels. They can also be used for all family matters, for the rekindling of trust and for new relationships.

Yellow:

Yellow is the color associated with Mercury. Yellow candles therefore encourage activity of all kinds, but especially mental exercise. Use them in rituals where you wish to gain another person’s confidence and approval, or to win someone around in business or intellectual matters; to sharpen logic and for good luck on a journey. Yellow is also for careers in business, communications or the media.

Orange:

Orange is another solar color, a color of fertility, both physical and mental, of creativity and growth, for self-esteem and confidence, abundance of all kinds and independence.  Above all, orange candle are for joy and for the successful integration of all aspects of the personality into a harmonious whole.

Red:

Red is the color of Mars,  and is the color of courage, determination, action, energy, sexual passion and potency. Red candles are burned to increase the life force, for survival, physical health, strength, pleasure, will power, and to overcome injustice and bring about change. This is therefore a very powerful color and should be lit for worthy aims only and when you are in a positive frame of mind.

Purple:

Purple is associated with Jupiter. It represents the wise teacher.  In magic, purple candles provide a link with higher dimensions and can bring happiness to all who yearn for something beyond the material plane. Purple candles aid meditation, past-life work, candle and mirror scrying, divination, astral travel, and are good for psychic protection and for the prevention of nightmares.

Blue:

Blue is the healing color and is associated with Jupiter and other father/sky gods in their role as law-givers and powerful rulers. blue candles can expand the boundaries of possibility and create confidence and power mingled with altruism and idealism.  Blue candles can be lit for the expansion of mental horizons, for success and the increase of possibility. They also represent the expansion of physical horizons and travel. As well as offering protection and calm in the midst of times of crisis and turmoil.

Green:

Green is the color of Mother Earth and so is potent for healing, for rites involving the natural world, herbs, gardening and tree magic, for growth and, by association, the growth of money in prosperity rituals. When green candles are used in rituals for wealth, they tend to encourage a gradual increase in profits or resources.

Brown:

Brown candles can be used in rituals to locate lost objects and for anything to do with the home, older people, practical matters and pets. As brown is another color of Mother Earth, brown candles can act as grounding, balance and protection,  bringing success through hard work, and for money or material and financial security. Brown is a nurturing color and is the natural focus of maternal matters, instincts, and acceptance of others with faults and weaknesses. .

Black:

Black candles can be potent in all forms of banishing magic, for leaving behind old sorrows and redundant relationships, for acknowledging grief and for rituals of parting. Black is also the color of acceptance, as well as the color of forgiveness. Black is another earth color, containing both male and female energies.

Much of this information has been gather from the internet, books and emails that have been used or shared with me. I do not have the exact author/s of this information. And take little credit for how it has been written or adapted her.

Until next time

Blessed Home and Hearth

The Hearthkeeper

I recently watch a movie called “Eat, Pray, Love”. And in this movie there was an old Italian parable about the man who daily for most of his many years asked this Statue of a Saint the same thing… “Saint, Please let me win the Lottery. Then one day the statue comes to life and says to the old man “My son, Go by a lottery ticket.”

This struck me again with how much we ask, of others, of God and Goddess, of the world around us. But how often do we take the time to listen for the answers?

Too often we walk around thinking if we only had an answer, or even a clue about the answer or even a better understanding of it all that we would be, richer, happier, smarter..

But we do not take the time to listen for the answer. We have it… it is there. In our hearts … in our heads. The Charge of the Goddess tells us that “And you who seek you findest me not within thee, you will never find me without, for behold – I have been with thee from the beginning, and I am that which is attained at the end of desire.” Translates to God/dess is you and you are God/dess. You do not need to look outside of you for ALL the answer. And when you ask for the answer, listen for the answer.

Years ago I received one of those silly chain letter. You know the ones I am talking about… they have a great/ sad/ poignant message followed by the nasty “send this to …. People or something terrible/ wonderful will happen to you.  But the story stayed with me for years. It was about a young man who kept asking God/dess to show him some sign that they were there. And every time he asked some moment of beauty regaled the world. But this man was so self-absorbed that he could not see and was again disappointed. He always wanted someone else to show him the miracle instead of looking at it and “seeing” it. We need to look with-in and see/hear our answers. When we do not we then miss many of the things we may need to grow and heal and learn. The answers are within. We are all perfect manifestations of God/dess. We have only to ask ourselves and s/he will show us the answers.

When we learn to listen to our inner voice, the one that we call our conscience, we will then find that our guidance.. Our answers were not so far away as we thought.

Blessing until next Month

It occurred to me there are people here out there who would not know where to start in performing a Ritual.

This is a basic framework. Feel free to adapt and adjust to what you need as you grow and learn..

Set up your altar. Things that should be on it include:, candles, athame, wand, chalice, salt, water, , a pentacle, decorations that fit the time of year or Sabbat you are working with.

Cleanse the area.

Ritual cleansing

Take a broom and stand in the area to be used as a sacred space. Close your eyes and visualize bright clear energy coming in the top of your head. See the energy flow down into your broom and visualize the broom cleaning away any negative energy. Sweep clockwise and then sweep the negativity out a door or window, shutting it after them. The door or window can be marked with a drawn pentagram (in the air or on the door with a fingertip).

Go back to the area to be used. Put water and salt in a dish. Mix them with a finger. Face the East and say: With Water and Earth I cleanse the east. Dip your fingers in the water. Sprinkle the water around the arc of the circle, moving from East (Air) to South (Fire) to West (Water) and then North (Earth). ( You would reverse if you lived in the Southern Hemisphere.) Do this for each of the directions saying with Water and Earth, etc. at each quarter.

When finished return the salted water to the altar

Light some incense. The burning of the incense mixes with the air. Say: With Fire and Air I cleanse (or bless) the East . Go around the circle again, visualizing it being cleansed (or blessed). Only cleanse if it were the first time using the area, since the sweeping has already taken place – or if there’d been a disturbance there since the last ritual.

Put the incense on the table. Let it burn out.

Starting the ritual

Pick up the athame or just use your finger. You do not NEED the tools but they help with the focus. Face East. Draw a pentacle in the air, pushing through the center of it to “seal” it. Move from East to South to West, to North, back to East. Visualize an energy bubble being created as you move. The energy comes from the Earth through your body and out the point of the athame or finger.

When you have completed the circle, return to the point where you started, make another pentacle, fix it as you did the first and say, “The Circle is Cast.”

Calling the Four Quarters/Elements/Watchtowers

One way to do it is to call on the Elements. You can do it as Watchtowers or simply say something like:

( Facing East) Element of Air, that which provides us with the breath of life, I welcome you to my Magickal circle this night. Light a Yellow candle.

(Facing South ) Element of Fire, that which provides us with warmth in the dark of night, I welcome you to my Magickal circle this night. Light a Red candle.

(Facing West) Element of Water, that which provides us with moisture and life, I welcome you to my Magickal circle this night. Light a Blue candle.

(Facing North) Element of Earth, that which supports us and brings life to us, I welcome you to my Magickal circle this night. Light a Green or Brown candle.

Call to the Goddess

Blessed Lady, Mother of us all,

Be here tonight for this Magickal rite.

Lend me your strength, your love, your compassion.

Blessed be She!

Call to the God

Blessed Lord, Father of us all,

Be here tonight for this Magickal rite.

Lend me your power, your force of will,

Blessed be He.

At this point you will want to do what working you planned, either healing, meditation or Ritual. I recommend learning to do ritual for quite a  long time – like a year – as a celebratory rite rather than as a time to do Magickal  working.  So you are comfortable in this form .Speak from your heart.

Closing

Blessed Lord, thank you for my Rite

and lending your powers to mine.

Go in peace and love. Blessed be.

Say the same thing for the Goddess, substituting Lady for Lord..

Facing each element walk counter clockwise saying:

Element of (name element), thank you joining my rite.

I bid you return in peace and love. So mote it be!

Put out each candle as you do.

Pick up the athame. Go to the pentacle you have fixed. Put the athame in it, cut down and suck up the energy of the circle into the athame. Move in a counter clockwise motion.

When done ground out the energy. This can be done with Libations(cookies and drink)( food grounds out most energies. Do not eat before ritual if you plan on magickal healing or workings.)

Say: The circle is open but unbroken. May the peace of the God/dess be forever in my heart.

Blessing until next Month

The reason for this is that I have done food recipes, I have done flower recipes, I think I have even done a recipe for Happiness. But often when you are writing a spell or a ritual you find that you are stumped. So I am going to give you the “recipe” that I follow and you can use it, modify it, or throw it out. Just like any other recipe.. Being a Pagan, Wiccan or Kitchen witch, well sometimes you need a little boost or formula. This works for me.

Most of you know by now how to Google ” correspondences”  on the web. There you can find all the moon, season, color, astral etc..etc.. that you may need for a ritual. Here is a form, a recording sheet to keep in your BOS. I do not remember where it came from or who gave it to me, but I share it with you now..

RITUAL RECORD SHEET

* Type of Ritual:

* Date & Time made:

* Moon Phase & Astrological

* Weather:

* Purpose of Ritual:

* Tools & Other Items Required:

* Deities Invoked:

* Approximate Length of Ritual:

* Results of Ritual:

* Ritual Composition:

* Additional Notes:

I often use this as an outline for my rituals. I have in the past copied it and kept hard copies for when I ritual outside or in another venue.

I think I have one of these for spells and I  will include it at the end of the article.

So here is my BASIC RITUAL RECIPE

1. Gather ALL of the tools you will need.
2. Gather all of the folks that will participate in the ritual( or take a few deep breaths if you are alone)
3. Cleanse and Bless with water, salt and incense)
4. Cast Your circle ( some cast trice, some only once.)
5. Call your elements( watchtowers) clockwise. I call from the North but not everyone does. Light your elemental candles at this time.
6. Call upon the Goddess and the God(  if you revere both.) Light your God/des candles at this time.
7. Call upon your Ancestors( skip if you do not)
8. Do the meat of your ritual at the time you chose.
9. Do any meditation or energy raising that your ritual calls for
10. Spend a few moments Grounding. This is often the time to do “cakes and ale”. Food grounds you pretty quickly and gives everyone a chance to come down from the energy raising. Take this time to make any announcements you may have for future rituals
11. Thank your Ancestors and release them, snuff the candles
12. Thank God/dess and release them, snuff the candles
13. Thank the elements and bid them leave. Often they are just released and not told to go home. They stay and cause mischief. Snuff the candles
14. uncast your circle walking .
15. Thank all for the energy they put in and for coming to your ritual. If you were alone than take the time to look back and be proud of your ritual.
16. At this time I would use any left over cakes and ale to feed the elements and Deity for all that they give us. Often refer to it as “feed the tree” time.

This is what has worked great for me. Has lead to a great ritual that flows pretty smoothly all the time. If you create a formula that works for you, Your own “recipe” then you will be able to do ritual anywhere, any time without having to stop and plan it much. Keep a ritual box on hand in your car, or house that has all you will need, candles, incense, matches, snuffer, oils, altar clothes, incase  you find yourself in the woods and want to ritual. Or a group get together and find you want to do a healing ritual. You have it all there. Silly little small toolbox or tackle box works great.

And the following is the spell worksheet that you can copy and use for your own.

WORKSHEET FOR SPELLS

* Type of Spell:

* Date & Time to be performed:

*

* Astrological Phase:

* Specific Purpose:

* List of Ingredients &/or Supplies Needed:

* Specific Location Required:

* Date, Time & Astrological Phase When Used:

* Results:

* Deities Invoked During Preparation &/or Use:

* Step By Step Instructions for Preparations &/or Use:

* Additional Notes:

Until next month
Merry Cooking and Blessed Eating
The Hearthkeeper

PS. If there is anything you would like to see here.. Please email me at  thehearthkeeper@gmail.com

Blessed be…

SOLAR & LUNAR ECLIPSES:

These are dramatic moments for magicians.

Many natural magicians use the suggestive power of an eclipse to fuel spells involving banishments, unlike in the past, when magicians were urged not to perform magick during eclipses.

THE SUN

Some may wait months for the sun to enter the proper sign of the Zodiac.

This is fine for major workings but unrealistic for working everyday magick.

However, there are other solar cycles worth following…

SUNRISE: As light stretches out from the eastern horizon. When the Night runs from the Day. This is an excellent time to perform rituals involving purification, business success, study, employment, travel, releasing guilt & jealousy, healing diseases, & the conscious mind.

NOON: When the sun shines far above at full strength. This is a time for that which involves magickal energy, physical energy & strength, protection, money & courage.

SUNSET: The sun run from the dark, this signals the time for breaking addictions, weight-loss, banishing misery & pain, transforming anguish & negative habits.

NIGHT: This slow and sleepy time is for beauty, dreams, psychic awareness, spirituality, sleep, sex, love, friendships, peace, and releasing stress.

THE MOON

It waxes & wanes each month, rising an hour or so later during each twenty-four hour period. When it is full, it rises as the sun sets.

There are different types of spells performed at the different phases of the moon.

The Moon’s phases & the types of magick appropriate to them are:

WAXING MOON: (From New to Full) When the Moon is waxing it is a time for beginnings, health & healing, psychic awareness, beauty, fertility & all positive magickal workings.

FULL MOON: All positive magickal spells are performed beneath the potent glow of the Full Moon, including protection, love, healing, purification, psychic awareness, money & travel.

WANING MOON: (From Full to New) This is the time for banishments of habits, addictions, disease & negative thoughts. Jealousy, guilt, & hurts are released under the waning Moon. The old is swept away to make room for the new.

Blessing until next Month

S.Dunham

Harm none.  Short and to the point.  That being the case, it’s a law we can live with.  Besides, it’s easy enough to follow.

Right?

Well…….

Seems like most applications should be fairly obvious…

For example, not to do bodily harm, to ourselves or anyone else.

Do not wish ill, manipulate, or deliberately hurt someone’s feelings.

We even know better than to damage as we become successful.

These things go without saying.

But what about all the things we can’t know or control?

Like how something we say might affect someone else.

What if it is taken out of context, and angers them or brings on pain.

What if they react and endanger themselves?? Does some of that responsibly come to us…? You bet it does, we started the wheel in motion.

Words have power–much more power than we could ever imagine–and the actions they evoke aren’t always what we intend.  This is the reason that we need to be extremely careful with what we say and how we say it.  And that isn’t always as easy as it seems. But we also need to be aware of what we think. As Pagans/ Wiccans/Witches we are all aware that thoughts have as much power as words. So if we wish ill against someone could be as bad as saying it outright.

Your actions come into play here as well. Not that we would ever intentionally harm another living soul.  But we need to be aware that the harm none law is very cut-and-dried, and it doesn’t allow for personal intentions.  What IS important is the end result: harm none, and that means taking control of our lives, our emotions, and our personal energy.

Now some will take this to extremes, not eat meat because it harms an animal . Or wear masks so they do not breathe in a bug and harm it.  God/dess set up this place very well. Carnivores eat other carnivores or herbivores. Herbivores eat plants and bugs. It is the cycle of life. If you chose a different cycle that works great for you, but condemning someone for not following your way is harming them. See what I mean about how difficult it can be.

Now I will not touch on the use of magick as there are way too many differing paths and arguments on the “grey” areas between what is considered Light and Dark Magick. But as long as no one gets hurt and everything is okay.  Right?

Well, not necessarily.

Think about what happens when we toss a stone into a pond.  The stone hits the surface.  Ripples appear.  They radiate in an outward and encircle areas previously unaffected by the original stone toss.  Such is the case with the ripples of magick.

What this means is that every spell we cast has the capacity to affect many lives–even the lives of people unrelated to the magical goal.  If the spell is beneficial to all, there’s no problem.  But how do you know what is beneficial for someone else??  How can we possibly know what’s good for people we haven’t even met?

Does this mean that all magic is bad?  No.  It does mean that we need to think things through…  We need to be absolutely certain of what we want and why.  We need to have a clear view of things as they really are. Why? Because in doing so, we may discover that the very thing which seemed to warrant a magical solution at the onset doesn’t need one at all, and is best left to its natural cycle.

And if you still choose to continue with your desire then you need to be aware that the ripples will also bounce back and in the end effect you. So make sure that you are prepared to take the responsibility for your action.

Blessing until next Month

S.Dunham