Administrator February, 2012
Hello Readers!!!
This issue of PaganPages is brought to you by:
This issue is packed full of wonderful information on Imbolc, as well as, your favorite columnists. Have a happy and safe holiday!
Be sure to leave us your thoughts, ideas, and impressions. Happy Reading!
Hally Rhiannon Nammu February, 2012
Raising the Vibration
There has been such an increase into awareness and insight of Spiritualism as well as the shift into Spiritualism that I wrote an Ebook on it… mostly because it is all about the energetic vibration and why this is so crucial right now.
The awareness of the collective is becoming more apparent and it is this that is being affected by incorrect information or those that want to take advantage for the gain of ego, not the collective.
To understand what this all means we need to take a step back…
Simply what does all of this mean?
Some believe we are in the Piscean Age, where as others know that we are actually in the Aquarius Age and have been for some time now.
Some believe that DNA can influence our energetic vibration, when in reality it is our energetic vibration that can influence our DNA.
Then there are those that believe that Spiritualism is purely physical, when the truth is that Spiritualism is connected to the physical however, completely separate to the physical.
Who is to be believed. They are all sound viable. Is the easy answer the right one or is the right answer simply the one that doesn’t need the wow factor of fabrication because it simply is; it exists, it is, without judgment, ego or belief.
As mentioned in my article last month there are two prominent vibrations occurring – the negative and the positive. The two will always exist; the two must exist for there to be balance. However, if the collective choose to go with the negative vibration this will cause a lowering of the vibration for all energetic beings and ultimately the planets and universe. Imagine what the impact of this will be…
If the vibration is positive and raised this will allow the fundamental of all life and existence – evolution and fulfillment of purpose.
The collective is driven by the majority which is determined by the individual that ironically is driven by the minority. It is said that ninety to ninety-five percent of the population are classified the ‘majority’ and then the minority are classified as the ‘esoteric’. It is the esoteric that create the change; the evolutionary shifts that cause the majority to move where they need to. It is done so obviously, so blatantly that it is never noticed. It is like breathing – it is done in every second of every day and yet no thought is given to this extremely necessary function.
The ironcy is that to raise your vibration it is as simple as listening to a song that inspires you. You know what I mean – that song where each note can be felt in your being right down to your toes and all the way through to your heart. It is that song where you can’t help but forget your surroundings and feel your body responding. This simple example is how natural and fundamental raising our energetic vibration is.
Some believe that to raise the vibration it is about being positive all of the time. It is so much simpler than that – it is aligning to yourself because being yourself is being in natural state; the easiest state to be in.
Aim not to follow what the fad is or an incredible movement into fabricated untruths; simply align to you, your core values and all aspects of yourself. It is here that your vibration will increase, it is here that your purpose will be found and fulfilled. It is here that you will become aware of your connection to the collective and what this means for you.
In other words, going back to what we started on… believe the truth within to find the answers to those questions that only you will ever know.
(For anyone that is curious or interested in my latest release “7 Common Mistakes in Spiritualism” go here: http://www.creativebalance.com.au/7-common-mistakes-in-spiritualism/
Perthro Pathfinder February, 2012
Today’s article finds me with questions. Questions about the god’s involvement in our lives. Do they merely observe, and guide, and not interfere, or are they actively changing circumstances in our lives to teach us lessons, or to provide for certain experiences?
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what is really going on in our lives. Is it all random, with no discernable path, or is there someone pulling the strings? Do the gods and goddesses watch us, and see where we are going, without taking an active role in what happens? If they do, they how do we explain how certain events seem to correlate, or as the term is used, are “synchronous”, whether in a good way or a bad way? We’ve all had that feeling, when one thing goes wrong, it seems others follow, and then there are times when a seemingly minor fortuitous event happens just before it’s needed, such as finding a 50 dollar bill on the road, just when an unexpected bill comes in to the amount of exactly 50 dollars. Is that the gods? I’d like to think so. Some things that happen are just too synchronous to be thought of as coincidence. Think about the people in your life right now too. Everyone you interact with on a daily basis, if you think about it, is probably there for a specific reason. My life is full of instances when I can say I learned a certain concept from a certain individual, and if that person had not been there at that exact time and place, and it had been sooner, or later, the outcome would not have been the same. So there is definitely an argument for the gods, or fate, or whatever you want to call it, having an influence in our lives.
But what if it’s all set up ahead of time, by US even (see some of my previous articles if you want to check out my opinion on that), and then all the gods have to do is sit back and watch how it all plays out? They may have even chosen to make themselves available as guides, or just to make their presence known, but to adopt a strict posture of non-interference. This is also a likely scenario, because while to our perceptions they can do amazing things, in actuality, most of the encounters I’ve heard about with deities involve them not changing a person’s life or course, but rather showing the path, and allowing the person to choose to take it.
There is also the possibility that it could be a little bit of both. They could be actively making things happen, while guiding us along our paths. I know in my own life, and the situations I’ve encountered, it’s a good bet they’re watching while poking and prodding too. I’m only human though, and have no idea about the truth of it all. I can only live my life and hope that it’s a good one, and rest easy knowing the gods are out there, one way or the other, taking an interest in what we are, and where we’re going.
It’s good to know we’re not alone.
Miss Dana February, 2012
The twelve months of Virtues continues.
Our second month on our journey is centered on the word love. There is a lot of power in that four letter word. We use it without thinking about it most of the time and for me it usually involves ice cream or shoes. Many times the word love is spoken to convey a deep connection with another person. There is cynicism at times as well.
In January we looked at Simplicity as the foundational building block for the year of virtues. The power inherent in love gives depth and meaning to all we pursue, in our interactions with each other and in our personal interactions with the deities in which we draw strength. For of all the possible intent we may have, the teaching of Harm None is another way of saying Love All. Good, bad and ugly.
In the Christian New Testament, the power of love is front and center. The Jesus story is all about love walking among humanity and being an example. In literature through out the ages the lessons of love are explored. Shakespeare was the master at showing the consequences of love forsaken as well as embraced. These are just two examples. There are as many more as there are people on this planet.
So, where does that leave us as Pagans? How does Love fit in with our view of the world? There has been a lot of hate hurled toward us throughout the ages. For me, the Burning Times brings up all kinds of negative thoughts with Love nowhere to be found. But I do believe that the power of intent is real and all comes back to me magnified. I work at releasing my own sense of hate in order to walk my talk and bring blessings to me and mine.
My walk with the Goddess has allowed me to fully sense the meaning of love in a very organic way. The quiet I feel during meditations opens my whole being to a sense of unconditional peace and love; An acceptance for who I am at my core – every molecule – past, present and future. In the quiet of that moment, I hold all that is dear to me in love. Surrounded by pink light and released to the higher good of all concerned. Love at it’s most basic. The Simplicity of love.
As February unfolds, and commercials and card companies are everywhere extolling the virtue of love, let it remind us to turn within and find the power and depth of that word. Love.
Alora February, 2012
The Ethics of Astral Travel
As moderator of an online Out of Body group, many of the new members have the same questions, but every once in awhile we get a new question. A few years back, a man introduced himself, explained that his first experience had been unintentional; he woke up walking around his bedroom while seeing his sleeping body on the bed. He then explained that his current goal was to astral travel around someone else’s house to prove that he could and did leave his body. His question was, what was the best way of going about doing this?
I absolutely understand. Astral traveling is amazing, awe-inspiring, breath taking. Unworldly. Really stop to consider the heaviness of that word—unworldly—and what it takes to accomplish something that qualifies for that label. To want to share this phenomenon is natural, to want to prove to others that one has accomplished consciously leaving their body is expected. However…
However, is exploring another person’s home without their consent or knowing, to prove to them that you were there (in any state of being) really ethical? I don’t believe so, and I told this member as much, but that opened up a new question: what are our ethical duties in the astral plane?
In a quick informal poll in the group, I was fascinated to discover that the men who responded all felt that there shouldn’t be ethics in the astral at all, rather that ethics were for the physical plane only. The woman felt the opposite, that we should continue to treat others as we want to be treated.
Would you be happy to learn that someone was walking around your house without your consent? There are plenty of volunteers who welcome astral travelers into their home (myself included) so is canvasing the home of someone who doesn’t know you might show up morally correct? There are times when travelers cannot control where they show up, and there are travelers who ask to see a friend or loved one and arrive at their house. An OBE’er can’t exactly call ahead for permission, which is why there is no easy answer to the question of what is, and isn’t, ethical astral traveling.
Another topic that often surfaces is astral sex. Is it wrong to participate in astral sex if one is in a monogamous partnership in the physical world? Is it wrong to participate for any reason?
Many travelers find themselves in the act without any effort or initiation from themselves, and many more find that while in an out of body state, being intimate with others feel exactly right. No guilt, no drama, just a perfectly natural means of interacting with other souls.
I discussed it with my spouse and neither of us considers it wrong for our marriage, while I’ve spoken with others who do feel that astral sex is a form of infidelity.
Obviously different people will have different opinions on all of this and the other topics regarding the moral “right’s” and “wrong’s” of life outside the body. Let’s talk about it and open ourselves to such discussions with love and respect for each other. I recommend asking yourself first what is acceptable when traveling by starting with the Golden Rule, “Do onto others as you would have done unto you.” Would you want someone walking around your house without your consent? Is affection without a body something you want your partner engaging in?
Spirit Healer February, 2012
Imbolc meditation 2012
Imbolc is a celebration of the coming of Spring, and with Spring comes inspiration, creativity, and growth. Imbolc is the traditional time of Spring Cleaning, both of our physical world, as well as our inner world. We need to clean out old patterns of thinking and behaving that no longer serve us, so we don’t get stuck in a loop, chasing our proverbial tails and wondering why we aren’t getting anywhere.
For this meditation, you should have handy something to write on and something to write with. Make sure you will be undisturbed for at least 20 minutes. Consider recording your own voice reading this meditation so you can really get into it, or having a friend record it for you if hearing your own voice distracts you.
Make your body comfortable, and tell the nagging voices in your mind to shush.
Breath deeply, and pay exquisite attention to each breath. How does breathing feel? What do you smell and taste in the air?
How does the air feel as it enters your throat and passes into your lungs?
How do your lungs feel as they expand and deflate?
Relax with each breath. Relax every inch of your body. Relax your mind, and allow yourself to drift into that trance-like state just before sleep.
You are in a safe place, a sacred place, YOUR sacred place. How does it look to you?
Take your time looking at your sacred space, and making changes to it with your will until it feels perfect for you in this moment.
When you are ready, find a door. Know that when you open this door, you will find a wooded path, a path that will lead you to a cave. No harm will come to you on this path. You are safe, protected, and loved.
When you are ready, open the door.
Follow the path to an inviting, cozy cave, lit from within by a hearth against the back wall. The floor of the cave is soft dirt, and the walls are decorated with metal armor and weapons, beautifully detailed metal-work.
There are stacks of books by the entrance, and you know that they are full of poetry and prose, words that express and call to mind all the beauty and wonder of the universe and the experiences of life.
In the center of the cave, there is an anvil between the flames of the hearth and a simple well in the middle of the floor. By the well stands a girl with long wild hair that shines with all the shades ever seen in flame, and large swirling eyes that reveal every shade of water, from the healing tropical seas to the preserving arctic glaciers. You know She is the maiden form of the Celtic Goddess Brighid, and you kneel before Her so that you and She are face to face.
Brighid the Child takes your face into Her hands and gazes into your eyes. Her gaze fills you with unconditional love, the love a baby feels for her mother, and a mother feels for her child. This pure love fills you, healing all the scars in your chakras and your aura, and fills every cell of your being, illuminating you from within.
When you feel like you can’t possibly take in anymore love, Brighid the Child opens Her arms for a hug. You embrace Her, holding Her to your chest, resting your head against Her soft hair.
As you settle into the hug, you notice a warm sensation where your chest meets Hers. The warmth gets hotter and hotter until you are sure there will be a scorch mark on your breast. Though it doesn’t hurt, you are afraid that it will.
“You are safe,” Brighid the Child whispers. “Let me kindle your heart with mine. Let your passions awaken, and let your creativity flow. Trust Me, and trust yourself.”
You whisper, “I trust You. I trust myself,” and a spark ignites in your heart.
Your heart-flames burn away old frustration and anger, leaving only the fierce love of the Goddess and the will to create with Her.
Tears run down your cheeks, washing away stagnant emotions, the sadness, fears, and doubts that once blocked you.
Brighid the Child holds you and strokes your hair until you are balanced and calm, cleansed and filled with joy and gratitude.
As you dry your eyes, She offers you a drink of water from Her well, which you accept with thanks. As you drink, savor the sweet flavor. Know that the tears you cried left an empty space inside you, and that this water is filling that space with nourishment, confidence, and sacred knowledge.
You thank Brighid for Her gracious gifts, and ask Her what you can do to call this feeling back to you at will.
Listen for Her answer. What does She say?
What does She show you?
When you are ready, give the Goddess a gift from your heart. Then bid Her farewell, and leave the cave.
Follow the path through the woods, back to your sacred doorway.
Enter your sacred space, and breath deeply into your being.
Feel the air expand your lungs, and feel them deflate as you exhale.
Feel your diaphragm stretch and contract with every breath.
Feel your heart beat in the rhythm of life, your rhythm.
What can you feel with your skin?
What can you taste on your tongue?
What do you smell with your nose?
What can you hear with your ears?
What do you see with your eyes?
How does it feel to be back in your body?
Welcome home.
Now write down any ideas that have come to you before they turn to ash or wash away!
Administrator February, 2012
Dravite
Brown Tourmaline. Strongly associated with healing and cleaning in the will chakra. Excellent for the legs, as well.
Eilat
Excels in healing emotional and physical aspects of heart/lungs and throat. Flushes out/heals hurt, fear, stress, loss. Antidepressant. Sinuses. Mouth. Bone and tissue regeneration. On Solar Plexus, aligns the subtle bodies, harmonizes heart, mind and body. Self-expression, creativity. Balances yin/yang. Draws out pain, inflammation, fever.
Elestial
Special form of clear/smokey quartz. Changes confusion/illusions to clarity, seeing truth, overview. Psychicness, openness to higher self/God/spirituality. Stimulates crown chakra to rise above situations , emotions. May initially intensify lower thoughts (ego, denial, self-judging…) to release these blocks to open heart/mind. Healing brain cells from drug/alcohol use. Use as a bridge stone to enhance energy flow between chakras.
R. Wolf Baldassarro February, 2012
Do We Need Parapsychology?
When one speaks about a topic which is controversial it is important to understand the concept of a paradigm, or underlying worldview. It can be thought of as a framework of beliefs which are so taken for granted that most people are not even aware they have made any assumptions. A paradigm helps us to make sense of the world around us. In terms of science, it not only determines what is true, but how truth itself is determined. There is an obvious “catch 22” to this. If one doesn’t recognize the underlying assumptions made with a paradigm, it has the potential to limit our perception of the world, what we can discover, and how we can determine that knowledge.
The old paradigm, which many have held since the days of Descartes, states that the subjective and objective worlds are completely distinct, with no overlap. Subjective is “here, in the head,” and objective is “there, out in the world.” The Cartesian paradigm presupposes that there are objective ways to define and measure the fixed external world, which the followers of this paradigm would say is the only world that matters.
Writer and philosopher Elbert Hubbard (1857-1915) eloquently quipped that “the supernatural is the natural, just not yet understood.”
The formal scientific study of paranormal phenomena began in 1882 with the foundation of the Society for Psychical Research in London, England. Early efforts attempted to dissociate psychical phenomena from the pop culture trend of Spiritualism and superstition, and to investigate mediums and their claims of evoking spirits or apparitions.
But 100 years later most people still think that paranormal research is either a group armed with night-vision tech stumbling around buildings in the dark in search of ghosts and fame, or simply the study of any subject that is weird or bizarre (i.e. Bigfoot and UFOs/aliens). Parapsychology is, and has always been, so much more than the former, and has nothing at all to do with the latter.
Paranormal research does NOT concern itself with UFOs, urban legends, vampires, witchcraft, or mythical creatures (a study known as cryptozoology). What parapsychology DOES study is the seemingly abnormal qualities of the physical universe in a scientific quest to find order and meaning in life. It is the ultimate exploration of the human condition and the discovery of all that the brain is capable of becoming; some of these concepts the legendary Carl Jung touched on with his theories of the collective unconscious and synchronicity.
A lot of people inappropriately use it as a synonym for “paranormal investigators,” such as when referencing the cast of Ghost Hunters or Paranormal Adventures; what’s more, parapsychologists have also been linked with “psychic” entertainers, magicians, and illusionists. Some self-proclaimed “psychic practitioners” even falsely claim to be parapsychologists, going so far as to wave about bogus doctoral credentials.
This is not to say that all psychics are that way. I am personally acquainted with a few very adept and talented psychics here in the Detroit area. Life, however, is rarely as glamorous as Hollywood portrays for them. At best they are ignored or written off as delusional; at worst they are harassed and fired from work. Often psychics are exploited by mainstream media for fluff pieces in October, and mocked by the same the other 11 months of the year.
There are the inevitable frauds, scammers, and crooks. This is an unfortunate truth, and a few bad apples have spoiled it for everyone else. It is inexcusable that these charlatans con money out of vulnerable and naïve people. This is why no respectable group ever charges for its services.
It should be noted that many parapsychologists take an empirical, data-oriented approach to psi phenomena. However, some researchers regard the current findings of parapsychology as having a wide variety of important implications about the spiritual, physical, and psychological nature of humankind.
Parapsychology is fascinating because of the implications it places on society, science, and how we understand the very nature of existence. Psi phenomena suggests that what science knows about the nature of the universe is incomplete; that the accepted limitations of human potential have been underestimated; that western assumptions and philosophical beliefs about the separation of mind and body may be incorrect; and that religious assumptions about the divine nature of miracles might have been misguided.
Physicists have an interest because of the proposition that we have a misunderstanding about space and time, and the transfer of energy and information.
Biologists are interested because psi implies the existence of non-physical methods of sensing the world.
Psychologists are interested in the theories regarding the nature of perception and memory.
Philosophers are interested because psi phenomena specifically address many age-old philosophical debates concerning the role of the mind in the physical world, and the nature of the objective vs. the subjective.
Theologians and the general public tend to be interested because personal psi experiences are often accompanied by feelings of profound, deep meaning.
A cornerstone of the current scientific worldview is that human consciousness is nothing more than a result of the functioning of brain, body, and nervous system. No matter how different the mind may seem from solid matter, it is generated solely by electrochemical functioning and so it is absolutely dependent on it. When the brain dies, so does consciousness. From this perspective, claims of the survival of bodily death and the resulting apparitions are mere wishful thinking. Furthermore, the limits of material functioning automatically determine the limits of mental functioning, thus ESP and PK are impossible, given the establishment’s understanding of how the world works.
Still, psi phenomena have occurred in all cultures throughout history, and continue to occur; and some of the reported phenomena have been convincingly verified using scientific methods. Because psi seems to transcend the assumed limits of material functioning some interpret psi as supporting the idea that there is something more to the mind than just the firing of neurons and electrochemical reactions.
This “non-physical” aspect, which is not restricted by space or time, might survive bodily death. If so, there may be important truths contained in some spiritual ideas and practices.
The research in parapsychology may have implications for spiritual concepts but parapsychologists are not driven by some hidden spiritual agenda. Some critics of parapsychology seem to believe that all parapsychologists have hidden religious motives, and that they are really out to prove the existence of the soul. This argument is as absurd as claiming that all chemists have a secret agenda in alchemy, and the quest to attain riches by turning lead into gold.
Despite all its claims, there are just some things that mainstream science can’t explain about the universe. Parapsychology really acts as the center of scientific doctrine and theory, with lines leading to and from every branch of the other sciences. Together they form an intricate web of knowledge and understanding that is only limited by the egotistical whimsy of those who think they know all there is to know about the nature of the universe based on their blind obedience to one limited train of thought.
© 2012 R. Wolf Baldassarro/Deep Forest Productions
Vivienne Grainger February, 2012
Finding, Preparing, and Using Magical Tools and Supplies
This is Lesson Three of a year-and-a-day instruction program in becoming a witch.
Finding magical tools and supplies is much less onerous than it once was. The internet is lousy with sites that will eagerly supply herbs, stones, athames, chalices, jewelry and amulets of every description, powders, and potions to the neophyte. How to choose, how to choose?
One way to choose is swiftly. Buy an “altar kit,” which will usually include an athame, a ready-made wand, possibly a chalice, often an altar cloth, some herbs, and usually a candle and holder or two. Drop fifty bucks, often what a chalice or athame can cost to begin with, and off you go.
Another way is slowly. Wait until a particular athame or chalice speaks to you. It need not be labeled that, of course, and will often be cheaper if it is not. Determination and a willingness to haunt pawn and thrift stores can often provide these tools very cheaply. (My chalice happens to be a $2.99 20-oz. iced-tea glass I found at Tuesday Morning. I’ve simply never seen any other cup that reminds me so strongly of what Water is than that chunk of blue and green glass.)
Do be aware that not every “athame” described as such is, in fact, an athame. Technically, an athame has a double-edged blade. Like many (but not, alas, all) traditions, this one has a practical underpinning: a double-edged blade allows energy to flow more easily through it.
Many of us have two athames, or more properly an athame and a boline, usually one black- and one white-hilted. Which of these is kept sharp to use, and which kept only to cut energy, varies by tradition.
Chalices are ideally of silver, a metal associated with the Moon, traditionally the most watery of the planets. This is not to say that a cup of other material which calls you back to pick it up three or four times should not be your chalice, but you will sacrifice that easy association with the element, and the power which comes with it. If your chalice is silver, on the other hand, you will make an ongoing sacrifice of the time and effort needed to keep it polished. If you have sufficient skill to throw or build a ceramic chalice, or create one of wood, while it will lack the association with Water, it will gain a great deal of power through your creation of it, provided you are mindful of its function while you do so.
Most of us cannot craft our own athames or chalices. We can and should, however, craft a wand.
The default wood for witching is willow. However, if you are given wood by having it fall in front of you, by all means accept the gift of the tree. (Be sure to leave a gift in return: a coin, a hair. Also, thank the tree.)
Wand material is as big around as the tip of your little finger, the length of your forearm from funny bone to tip of longest finger, and straight throughout that length. Sycamore wood, for instance, is rarely straight enough to use for a wand.
Fashioning a wand from raw wood will require several months of drying, followed by hours of sanding with increasingly fine grits, as well as much effort put forth to remove knobs, burls, and branch ends. This work is best done by hand as the meditative state entered into will give your wand life. Also, the electricity used for running power tools is enough to overwhelm the personal energy that would otherwise accumulate within the wand.
Once it’s finished, you will have felt it come alive in your hand. Really. It’s an unmistakable experience, and you will know that you are in the presence of the Other. Wand-selves are not human-selves.
At that point you will also become aware whether it is appropriate to carve it with symbols or add decoration: crystals, feathers, windings of silk thread, silver charms. This is not solely your own decision to make, and you should reach agreement on what is to be done with the wand itself, unless you are bound by a tradition. (Wand-wood which consents to come into the possession of a tradition-follower also consents, in my experience, to the constraints of that tradition.)
There is no rule that says a wand has to be wood. My primary wand is a seven-inch quartz crystal which refused to let me leave the shop until I had parted with most of my then-week’s income for her (she has also insisted throughout our decade of working together on remaining skyclad: staying completely undecorated). My first wand is of wood, and I am experimenting with creating a copper wand for use in energy workings, that is, spells which will not have a direct physical manifestation. Although knowing me, I’ll get curious and try him for other things, too, if he consents.
A staff is a very large wand, usually the height of the bearer. Often a staff-bearer will use a branch of the staff as a wand, which is much handier in small spaces and far less likely to take out a fellow-worshiper’s front teeth when gestured with!
My wands are all completely different, energetically. The wood wand is shy, but still unalterably Other; the crystal is of course a her own being, with very strong opinions and a will to match. The copper is reticent, somewhat unwilling as yet to work with me, but I have just begun to craft him (his male-ness is the one fact I know of him). If that does not change, I shall make a Working to send him on to be with the person he needs.
Altar cloths are another tool of which many witches have multiples. They can vary by color, adding that hue’s power to a spell when chosen wisely. Those of Celtic persuasion may use green for all their work; white and black are also often chosen if a single cloth must suffice. My finding has been that either solid color or tie-dye works best. (Tie-dye, being essentially a random manifestation, seems to have some associations with the deep mind. Possibly that’s only true for those of us who lived the sixties, or wish we had.) There is nothing to say against using an ancestor-created cloth, either: great-grandma’s embroidered tablecloth, for instance.
Candleholders, cauldrons, and incense burners are elemental tools: Fire, Water, and Air respectively. A sword, the super-sized athame, is like it a Fire or Air tool, generally owned by a coven rather than the individual witch. (Some traditions view the wand as Fire and the blade as Air, some the reverse.) Many witches have a besom (broom) which they use to sweep energy clean, and a platen engraved with a pentacle for the Earth tool. Safety note: resin candleholders are flammable, and therefore a Bad Idea if your spell requires allowing a candle to burn down and out.
Anything can be made into a magical tool: mezzaluna, stand mixer, computer, pen, Tarot deck, meditation cushion, trowel, lock, set of scales. In general, you will find it more difficult to charge a plastic object than one which is made of wood, glass, plant fiber, stone, or metal. Plastic also does not hold a charge, although as this material becomes an increasingly familiar part of our lives, that may change. My money’s on the stuff becoming an artifact of Earth, eventually.
Ritual clothing is also a tool. Resist the urge you will inevitably feel toward long, flowing sleeves, as they have a magnetic attraction to candle flames and staining liquids. If they pursue you in your dreams, make gathers in the material, or alternatively sew ribbons to the sleeve to tie it close to the wrist. A robe can be consecrated just as other tools are. (And, erm, I’ve gone so far as to have magical underwear and socks.)
Magical tools are of necessity a possession of the Goddess (arguable exception: ritual wear), so they should be cleansed of prior associations, even those of manufacture unless you made the tool yourself, and dedicated to Her. The easiest way to do this is with incense, and salted water or motherwort tea.
A word of caution on the acquisition of used blades: a blade used to shed blood will prove extremely difficult to clean energetically. Think hard about using it at all, because blood, even very old blood, attracts many low-level entities who may not harm you (or at least I’ve never heard of that happening), but crowd around the space and time in which you are working, and may dissipate or use for their own ends the energy you generate.
Incenses bear the energy of three Elements: Earth, from which all incenses come whether they are of plant or animal material; Air, their method of dispersal, and Fire, which gives them life. Frankincense and myrrh, combined, make an excellent cleansing and dedication incense. If you wish to conduct those operations separately, either lavender incense or smudge sticks can perform the cleansing.
Mugwort tea is often used for dedication. Salted water (the salt drives out any energetic impurities) must be wiped from metals quickly, as it is likely to tarnish or pit them.
When to dedicate a tool? The day of the Full Moon is best, but the ceremony should be completed before the Moon begins to wane. Void-of-course Moon is not a good time for the work.
Once you have set a date, write your dedication. In my experience, rhyme and rhythm work very well to lube up the subconscious, and notify it that yes, Work is going to be done.
Sample:
“Mother Great, Mother Divine,
“Lend to me this tool of Thine.
“From this day, from this hour,
“I use this tool to wield Thy power.”
You can probably do better than that. But you get the drift.
Preparations: clean the area and the altar itself. Brew the tea if used. Set the tea or salt and water, the incense, incense burner, lighter or matches, lighting candle in holder if used, on the altar, and tool(s) to be consecrated nearby but not on the altar itself. (Have you thought about consecrating your altar table or surface? Wipe it down before you begin.) Fill your chalice if you will be using it; place the water in a bowl if not. If you are using salted water on a metal tool, you will need an absorbent cloth to wipe the tool clean.
Cast your circle, sweep it clean, call in the elements/quarters, call in the Goddess and God (in whichever order you feel appropriate).
Light the lighting candle if you use one. Fire the incense, and allow the smoke a couple of minutes to build.
Take up a pinch of salt, and cast it into the chalice or bowl, saying, “O thou creature of Earth, Thee I call upon to cast out any impurities from this water.” If you’re using tea, pour it into the chalice or bowl, and say, “O thou creature of Earth and Water, be thou cleansed of any impurities.”
Take up the incense stick or holder in your dominant hand, and the tool to be consecrated in your non-dominant hand. Wave the incense over and around the tool four times, chanting as you do so.
The first time, face East and chant, “O creature of Air, I ask of Thee to cleanse this tool, and consecrate it to magical use.”
The second time, face South and chant, “O creature of Fire, I ask of Thee to cleanse this tool, and consecrate it to magical use.”
The third time, face West and take up the salted water or mugwort tea and sprinkle the tool with it lightly, chanting, “O creature of Water, I ask of Thee to cleanse this tool, and consecrate it to magical use.” If you used salted water on a metal tool, wipe it clean immediately.
The fourth time, face North and chant, “O creature of Earth, I ask of Thee to cleanse this tool, and consecrate it to magical use.”
Place the tool on the altar, in its appropriate quarter according to your tradition’s elemental associations. Bow to the North, the Goddess’ direction, and say, “Great Goddess, to Thee and Thy purposes I dedicate this tool.”
Repeat as desired. End the ritual by taking down the circle and dismissing the Elements and deities.
Have you dedicated your very own self to the Goddess? If not, consider it. Consider it heavily before you do so, though, because if you carry through with it, you will become Her tool. This is not usually a very comfortable function, but believe me, it has its rewards.
Supplies are a bit different from tools, in that they do not require consecration. A “supply” is something that is not merely used but also used up: incense is a supply, the incense burner a tool. Herbs, essential oils, and candles are the commonest supplies. Ready-made oils, potions, and powders also qualify.
Upon purchase, take an herb, oil, potion, or powder into your non-dominant hand, and feel, and appreciate, its power. My very favorite incense in the entire world is nag champa, which feels quite different energetically from my second-favorite, dragon’s blood.
Once you’ve done that, put the supply into your dominant hand, and raise your non-dominant hand. Pull that power down into yourself, and push it out into your supply, “charging” it. Repeat before use.
You can do the same with essential oils. Candles are basically blank slates waiting to be programmed … although you can feel the energetic difference among soy, paraffin, and beeswax candles.
Wrapping a tool or supply in silk will insulate the charge. (I buy old stained silk shirts from thrifts for a dollar or two, and use the pockets for pouches and the sleeves to store wands, candles, and incense.)
Candles of disparate colors should not be stored in contact with one another, as the colors will leach. I use tissue paper a lot in crafting sigils, so that’s available in my home. I wrap figure and reversing candles with it. Other than those specialized types, my candles are all of five colors, and each has its own box inside a drawer.
(Five colors? Yep. Orange attracts, black banishes, shrinks, or negates, green asks for personal growth, gray disperses [not the same as banishing], and white purifies, heals, and increases. Those five functions cover every spell, or at least I’ve seen none yet which fall outside one of those categories. — If I were going to add a sixth color, it would be magenta, which speeds up the work of any spell.)
Once a tool or supply is consecrated, there are opposing opinions on whether it should be used in daily life. “A consecrated tool should be reserved only for spiritual functions!” snaps A, whereupon B puts fists to hips, scowls, and snarls, “A consecrated tool used for mundane purposes sanctifies all parts of life!” Which seems more logical to you? As with so much of life, there is no universally correct answer. Choose one, and live it.
Consecrated tools on my altar: shell-rattle, mini-cauldron, chalice, platen, pentacle, flint and steel, candleholder, essential-oil diffuser, incense holder, feather smudge fan, Book of Shadows, fountain pen and ink, Tarot deck, Goddess and God figurines, offering bowls, lighting candle, black- and white-hilted knives, two wands (the crystal stays at the top of my keyboard), and God and Goddess candles and holders (while supplies, the candles are also consecrated). Of these I created the God figure, the shell-rattle, the feather smudger, the platen, and the wands; I also modified the Goddess figurine.
There’s an ashpot too, for whatever a spell might generate in the way of physical waste. While necessary, it’s not consecrated.
Consecrated tools not on my altar: chef’s knife, breadmaking bowl, yoga props (mat, strap, blocks, practice journal, and meditation wrap), gardening tools.
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Overview: Creativity is a gift from the Goddess. If, while creating any of these tools, you have a Wild Idea, go for it.
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How to Create a Shell Rattle
Needed:
cowrie shell 3+” long
13 dried soy or other small beans or grains
scissors
length of leather or fabric fringe 2-3 times the length of the opening in the cowrie shell; instructions for using braided cord below
glue if necessary
Cut the fringe free of its header. Knot one end of each strand; pull as tight as possible. Cut the fringe to random lengths if you like.
Put the beans into the cowrie.
Thread the knotted end of a fringe into the cowrie through the large opening at one end. Gently tug on the fringe until the knot is seated at the far end of the opening. Repeat until the opening is filled very full indeed. When you cannot insert any more fringe, pull the last one you were able to get in toward the large opening, seating it as securely as possible.
Use glue to seal the opening if you lose any beans upon test-shaking.
It is possible to make a shell rattle of fabric fringe, although most such fringes will be subject to fraying and should not be cut free of their header. Should you prefer fabric to leather, cut carefully, and stabilize the ends of 2-3 cowrie-opening lengths of the fringe (whipstitch or melt. Don’t double). Apply glue to one side, and glue two lengths together. See if that fills the opening. If not, glue on a third length. Fill cowrie with beans. Apply glue to both sides of multi-ply fringe header, and insert into opening.
It is also possible to use a twisted-braid cord instead of fringe. Untwist the braid. Cut braid strands to length desired + 2″ (about 5 cm) – err on the side of “too long.” Do be aware, however, than if the fringe is very long, it will tangle incessantly. Knot one end of each strand, and proceed as for leather fringe. If you wish the fringe to lie straight, and not in the waves resulting from being braided, wet thoroughly after mounting to shell, comb strands straight, and allow to hang down until dry.
My cowrie, made using leather fringe, did not require glue. As I’ve only made one with leather, I can’t say whether this was luck or not; three fabric-fringe rattles did need it.
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How to Create a Feather Smudge Fan
Needed:
Feathers
Thin strong string
Wider material in color of choice, to wrap “handle” of fan
Scissors
Possibly glue
Find out where the crows hang out in your town. In spring and fall, you will have a plethora of shed feathers to choose among, but any time of year you’ll find some. If you don’t want to use crow feathers, which are universally black, you’ll have to choose feather colors, too.
Assemble 10-15 feathers.
Put feathers into one hand. Tap ends gently on a level surface, until they are aligned. Arrange into a “fan.”
Wrap feather quills (the “root end”) with thin strong string and knot securely. (I used 20-lb. nylon fishing line.)
Overwrap with wider material in Air color (yellow, pastels) or color to match the feathers. Tuck the end of the wrap material inside. Glue to secure, if needed.
Alternatively, you can purchase an inexpensive paper fan, and glue feathers to it. You won’t need wrap material, but you will need smaller feathers to cover the quills of the larger at the bottom of the fan. Once you’re finished, the fan will no longer shut.
My crow feathers are wrapped in black and did not require glue. I chose to use it on two smudge fans I made as gifts.
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How to Create a Paten (Altar Plate)
Needed:
Material
Design
Engraving tool
Patience, or bandages and 3AO (Triple Antibiotic Ointment)
Acquire a slab of metal, stone, glass, or other scribable material of the size and shape you wish. If you work in fired ceramics, you have absolutely got this one sacked; you’ll inscribe your paten when it’s either wet or at the leather stage, and after that you don’t need instructions from me!
Draw, print out, or copy design(s) to be inscribed.
Transfer the pattern onto the material using carbon paper; trace with thin-line permanent marker.
Using an engraving tool appropriate to the material of the slab, carve the pattern. Remember that using a lot of force to scribe a line only makes any error big, deep, and hard to get out. Be patient; go gently multiple times.
Keep in mind that bleeding all over the paten because you cut yourself while engraving it is not required. However, be prepared for that eventuality; stock up on bandages and 3AO before you start.
Polish if necessary.
If desired, apply clear protective coating.
My paten is round, of copper, engraved with a pentagram, and was a stern teacher of patience who gave me a scar to remember the lesson by.
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How to Make a God Figure
Acquire the action figure of your choice, and dress as desired, creating the clothes yourself. Make a wig of your own hair clippings if possible. Fingers from gloves make great medieval-or-earlier shoes if leather, and pants or hose if cloth.
TOS Spock is dressed as Otzi the Iceman on my altar, and Elderly Spock is dressed as Odin and keeping watch over my books. Karl Urban’s McCoy is Mercury-in-boots on top of my desktop computer. How did you guess that I’m a Star Trek geek? However, my athames are not bat’leths. One can go too far.
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How to Make or Modify a Goddess Figure
Acquire the Goddess figure of your choice. Thriftshop Barbies work well; their former owner imbued them with great girl-energy. ist’s wooden figure models may also be used. Replace any jewelry She wears with the best you can make or afford, and use paint judiciously to make Her more awesome. Pearlized or silvery transparent wash always works. Consider diluting blush and lipstick color with the wash before applying Her makeup. You can also make a wig for Her of your own hair clippings, or other cordage if that is not feasible. If She is clothed, consider making replacement garments yourself of the best quality fabric you can find – you’ll need, at most, a yard of it.
Bast got a real lapis-lazuli earring and gold leaf on Her collar and base, as well as emerald-green eyes with ebony pupils, and all of Her except Her eyes was washed with pearl. Venus, my other Patron, wears heavyweight embroidered silk paisley sold as a placemat and bought for a buck at a yard sale. She got the pearly-makeup treatment, two coats of pearlization on top of it, and an embroidery-silk wig; She looks much more “Goddess” than “Barbie.”
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Next month: How to move your mind from everyday consciousness into magical consciousness. Blessed be!
OSusun S. Weed February, 2012
Here Comes the Flu Season
Along with the beauty of fall days comes the need to get ready for winter. Time to get out my long underwear and my warm wooly socks. Time to nourish my immune system so cold days won’t be days of colds – and flu.
I don’t rely on modern medicine to keep me healthy, but if you usually rely on a flu shot to protect you, you may feel frightened by your inability to get one this year. You may be wondering what you can do instead. Or you may have discovered that flu shots don’t give protection from all types of flu, just the ones the makers guess will be active this winter. And you may wonder if there isn’t some other way to prevent the flu. Or maybe, like me, you prefer not to use shots or drugs unless absolutely necessary. You may wonder what herbs and remedies are the best to have on hand to help your family deal with the flu.
No matter what your situation, now is a good time to give yourself the benefit of Wise Woman Ways to prevent – and deal with – the flu. These flu preventers and flu remedies are simple. They are quite safe. And you don’t have to be rich to use them. Wise Woman herbal medicine is people’s medicine. Mama Medicine. You can buy most of the things I discuss in this article – and you can find them growing freely, too. You can buy the herbal preparations I mention already made – and you can easily make you own for pennies, too.
These Wise Woman Ways are supported by both tradition and science. Wise women through the centuries have kept themselves and their families safe from contagious diseases. And science has found good reasons for their effectiveness. I hope these tips will help you face winter’s ills with confidence and good health.
Beat the Flu
The best way to prevent the flu is to build a powerful immune system. While this can’t guarantee that you won’t get the flu, neither can the flu shot. Here are my favorite ways to keep my immune system strong:
{ Eat more garlic.
{ Drink nourishing herbal infusions daily.
{ Make immune-strengthening soups; or add immune-strengthening herbs to canned soup.
{ Use anti-viral herbs as needed.
Eat More Garlic
One of the best immune-system helpers is garlic. Dr. James Duke says it contains at least 17 different factors that nourish and support powerful immune system functioning. herbalists in the middle ages relied on it to prevent infection from the plague, so it might keep us safe from the flu. Garlic is anti-bacterial, too. If you don’t like fresh raw garlic, powdered garlic is just as good. The dose is 1 or more cloves of raw garlic per day, or up to a teaspoon of garlic powder. Here are a few of my favorite ways to eat raw garlic:
{ Top scrambled eggs with minced raw garlic.
{ Put chopped raw garlic on pasta and cover with tomato sauce.
{ Try minced raw garlic on a piece of hot buttered toast. Delicious!
{ Add minced raw garlic to your baked potato.
{ Mix chopped raw garlic and olive oil with hot cooked greens like kale or spinach.
Drink Nourishing herbal Infusions
Nourishing herbal infusions are the basis of great nourishment for the immune system and the entire body. They are full of antioxidant vitamins, minerals, proteins, phytoestrogens, and hundreds of protective phytochemicals that work to help you ward off the flu and colds too. Here’s how I make a nourishing herbal infusion:
{ Choose one herb: nettle, oatstraw, red clover, comfrey leaf, linden flowers, or violet leaf.
{ Place one full ounce, by weight, of any one herb in a quart jar. A canning jar is best.
{ Fill the jar to the top with boiling water.
{ Screw on a tight lid.
{ Let it steep for four hours, or overnight.
{ Strain the liquid out, squeezing the herb.
{ Refrigerate the infusion. It will be good for 24-36 hours.
I drink two to four cups nourishing herbal infusions daily – over ice, heated up with honey and milk, or mixed with other beverages.
Make Immune Strengthening Soups
Cooking herbs and vegetables together for a long time extracts minerals, activates immune-strengthening phytochemicals, and increases the levels of available antioxidants. Raw foods weaken and stress the immune system. To make an immune strengthening soup:
{ Chop at least half an onion per person and sauté in olive oil until translucent.
{ Add at least two cloves of garlic, sliced or chopped, per person and sauté for a minute.
{ Add two or more cups of water or vegetable broth per person.
{ Add one cup per person of chopped seasonal vegetables such as:
carrots, cabbage, celery, corn, burdock, turnips, potatoes, tomatoes, parsnips
(If using canned soup, begin here.)
{ Add one small handful of seaweed per person.
{ Add one ounce fresh, or one-half ounce dried mushrooms – any kind – per person.
{ Add one-quarter ounce dried tonic roots per person.
{ Add generous amounts of antioxidant seasoning herbs and some sea salt.
{ Bring to a boil; simmer for an hour.
{ Turn off fire and let your soup mellow in a cool place overnight.
{ Serve it the next day, heated up, with freshly-baked bread and organic raw milk cheese.
Seaweeds build powerful immunity. Kombu and wakame are excellent in soups. Cut them small; they swell to 5-7 times their dried size when cooked.
All mushrooms strengthen the immune system. Dried shitake are available and inexpensive at Chinese grocery stores. Reishii, maitake, and other medicinal mushrooms are delicious, as are the more common button mushrooms, portabellos, and dried porcinni.
Tonic roots help our livers, lymph, and kidneys work well, protecting us from infection. I often put these tough roots into a jelly bag and drop that into the soup so I can fish it out before serving. I use one or more of these, fresh or dried, depending on what I have available:
{ Siberian ginseng
{ Astragalus
{ Burdock
{ Dandelion
{ Chicory
{ Yellow dock
{ American ginseng
Seasoning herbs from the mint family - rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, marjoram, and sage are loaded with antioxidants. I don’t just season the soup with them; I add them by the handful for the greatest impact on my immune strength.
Anti-Viral Herbs
Anti-infective herbs can help us prevent the flu – and assist us if we do get sick. Colds and the flu are caused by viruses, making them more difficult to treat than bacterial infections. Viruses are more vital than bacteria and harder to kill. There are many anti-bacterial herbs – including yarrow, echinacea, elecampane, and poke – but few that are anti-viral. Of these, my favorite is St. Joan’s/John’s wort. If any herb can prevent the flu, St.J’s can.
Of course, even flu shots don’t prevent all types of flu, and they don’t prevent colds, so even if you do get a shot, it’s a good idea to have some anti-viral and anti-bacterial herbs on hand. The distinction between them is not so important once you are sick. Both types of herbs will alert the immune system to the infection and help it gather the resources needed to counter it. Did you know that the achy muscles and headachy feeling we get with the flu is not caused by the flu itself but results from the immune system gobbling up all available resources so it can clobber the flu virus?
St. Joan’s/John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum)
This beautiful yellow flower yields a blood-red tincture that I take by the dropperful to prevent viral infections such as the flu. A dropperful in the morning throughout the cold months is adequate for prevention. I increase that to 2-3 dropperfuls a day if I have been exposed at home or at work to the flu. If I do get sick, I will use other herbs to counter the infection. Capsules of St. J’s are ineffective; I only use the tincture.
Echinacea (Echinacea augustifolia)
The tincture of echinacea root is a well-known anti-infective. When I feel an infection brewing, I use large doses of echinacea to build white blood cells and encourage T-helper cells. The dose of echinacea root tincture is 1 drop for every 2 pounds of body weight, as frequently as every hour or two in the acute phase of an infection, 2-4 times a day otherwise. I have seen echinacea relieve terrible flu infections.
Important: I do not use echinacea as a preventative; it doesn’t seem to work that way. I do not use any part of this plant except the root. I do not combine it with goldenseal, which I believe hinders the immune system. I do not take echinacea in capsules.
I make a quart of echinacea tincture each fall as my winter insurance. Here’s how I do it: Put 4 ounces of dried Echinacea augustifolia root in a quart jar. Fill to the top with 100 proof vodka. Cap tightly and label. Shake daily for the first week then weekly for at least eight weeks.
Poke (Phytolacca americana)
The tincture of this root is so powerful some authors consider it poisonous. You may have a hard time finding it for sale. But poke is an important helper when flu “bugs” have taken over. I would not take poke as a preventative; it is far too strong. I use poke root tincture to kick my immune system into high gear. The dose is one drop – yes, only one drop – once or twice a day for no more than a month, although in serious cases I may use up to 8 doses a day. Poke root tincture can harm the kidneys if it is taken continuously. I never take capsules of poke root.
Elecampane (Inula helenium)
The tincture of this root is a favorite for clearing lung infections and countering the flu. The usual dose is 10-15 drops 2-3 times a day, but I would increase the dose to 6 times a day in an acute situation. I expect to see results within a day or less. I would only take elecampane if I had an active infection; it has little protective value. I never use elecampane capsules.
Elder (Sambucus canadensis)
Elder flowers are a nice remedy for those with a feverish cold, but for those with the flu, I prefer elder berries. The most common way to take them is in the form of a syrup. The immune enhancing properties of elder berries are renowned in Europe and slowly gaining popularity in the United States. Elder berry syrup also eases coughs and lung congestion.
Winter is Coming
Herbs may not seem strong enough to prevent or counter the flu, but they are. When we use herbs to maintain and regain health, we not only take a big step toward health independence but a small step toward peace on our planet. Instead of making war on weeds, I use them. Instead of making war on nature, I let Her guide me. Instead of making war on myself when I’m sick, I nourish myself toward greater health, greater peace.
Green blessings surround us. Herbs not only protect us from the flu, they can uplift our hearts and bring us joy in trying and uncertain times.
1. Wash your hands; this is the single best way to avoid the flu.
