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Spiritual Defense In my shamanic practice one question I get frequently revolves around spiritual defense. Some are asking how to keep “bad” or “evil” spirits away. Some want protection from negative energy. Some suspect or fear spiritual or energetic attacks being directed at them. From a shamanic perspective, this is not about projecting any kind of force field or armor or shielding. Shamanically speaking, the things we focus on we give power to. The more you dwell on the things you want protection from, the more vulnerable to them you become. Trying to project a defense just reinforces the need for it. Consider how you might protect yourself from being…

Are you cyclically confused? In a ceremonial quandary? Completely clueless? Wonder no more.                          *Ask Your Mama™                        Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Spirituality and Didn’t Know Who to Ask™ by ©Mama Donna Henes, Urban Shaman  A Question of Blue Balls Dear Mama Donna, I purchased some small bright blue chalky balls from your online Spirit Shop. I am fascinated by them and find them to be beautiful. Could you tell me what they are? And what they are for? Thanks. – Loving the blue balls in Brooklyn, Dear Blue, The blue balls are simply bluing. Bluing is a purifying agent. It’s what…

herbal smoking mixtures   Let’s work with the mint family, by making an herbal smoking mix. Any dried mint-family plants you have on hand can be used make a great healing smoke, especially if mixed with some mullein, and perhaps a few other herbs. Smoking can be good for the health of your lungs and your being. Careful application of hot smoke and burning herbs, near the body (smudges), on the body (moxibustion), and through inhalation (smoking) are healing techniques that have been used for thousands of years in myriad cultures around the world. If you choose not to smoke these herbs, you may still wish to try them out…

Some Secret Place “Whenever you have need of anything, once it be in a month and better when the Moon is Full, there you shall assemble in some secret place and adore the Spirit of Me, who is Queen of All the Witches.”(1) We meet under the Full Moon, dancing the ring as the light pours down, raising power, sending energy, feet pounding the earth. What do we need from the Goddess? Who is She? The dance is part magick, part prayer and part ecstasy. As we perform our ritual within the Circle we create energy that is palpable. It rolls up our bodies and makes us shiver. As the…

Only a Game?      I have always had a fascination with the different ways to conjure up ghosts and spirits, though I personally would never attempt to do so because the risks are too great.  I spoke before about the Ouija Board and how it stuns me this is marketed as a “game” for kids to play.  If you are inexperienced and unprepared the danger of inviting the spirit world in is immense.  Bloody Mary is another example I have talked about, a game that young people play at sleepovers trying to call this vengeful spirit to appear in the mirror.  Recently, I have come across more modern versions of…

Hiddenite   A spodumene, like kunzite.  Green.  Best known for drawing prosperity.  Clears heart to receive.  Eases love or money loss.  Calming.   Howlite   Gently absorbs and uplifts stress, tension, anxiety, emotional intensity, etc.  Quietly loving and calming.  Works with the heart center, bringing greater gentleness, patience, tact.  Helps bones, teeth, and other calcium aspects of body.   Holly Blue   This stone is excellent for fish aquariums or for offering up as a symbol of connectedness to the Piscean Age now past.  It is an exceptional alter stone, and can be placed on the dining table to represent thankfulness for the sustenance received.  If is a purifier of…

This month’s herb is a special one, for its species holds two powerful herbs in occultism. Juniperus communis, or Common Juniper and Juniperus Virginiana, otherwise known as Cedar wood (Cedar for short). So as a special treat I will be posting occult correspondences for both these popular magickal and medicinal herbs. First up:   Folk name: Common Juniper Parts used: leaves, berries, wood, essential oil Planet: Sun Element: Fire Gender: Both, this herb has feminine and masculine energies Goddess/God: Inanna also called Ishtar Medicinal uses: The cones or “berries” yield brown dye and the antiseptic, diuretic, and detoxifying Juniper oil, used to treat cystitis, acne, eczema, cellulite, and rheumatism. Folklore:…

BEAR BED ~ Gift of Dreamtime ~  “Man is a genius when he is dreaming.”~ Akira Kurosawa, considered one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema In the quiet Autumn forest, Great Mother Bear drinks deeply and intently from the cool, running stream. She slowly lumbers over to her hallowed den, where she will dwell in sacred hibernation, the magickal state of Dreamtime. Mother Bear will dream from October through April, avoiding the harsh deprivations of winter. Preparation for over-wintering begins in summer when she gorges on carbohydrate-rich foods to gain weight, and before tucking into her long winter’s nap she gains 40 pounds of…

May is here!  By now, most of us are blessed with the beauty of a fully blooming Earth.  Here in the deep South, we are enjoying “the yellow season”.  The pollen is so thick that it makes everything including the air itself, yellow!  Only rain can clear the air and we are blessed with rain this year.  The energy of life is contagious and before we exhaust ourselves let’s remember the source of this life.   The affirmation for May is   I rest in the arms of Mother Goddess.   Fully nestled within the beauty and bounty of Spring, I am, indeed, resting within the fragrant, colorful arms of…

My name is Raushanna, and I am addicted to the Tarot.  From that moment in 2005 that I spread before me the cards from my very first Tarot deck, the Morgan Greer Tarot, I was hooked.  So many beautiful and frightening and serene and powerful and thought-provoking images, all packed into 78 cards!  So many symbols to understand!  Thus began a journey that has only intensified with each new deck I examine and with each spread I throw.  My efforts to understand how the elements and numbers and astrology and the Hebrew alphabet and the Tree of Life and the other components of the Tarot can all work together with…