A Pagan Tapestry

apologies for missing Esbats

2012-01-24T13:12:00.001-07:00

I don't know if I have mentioned it here, but I am making a living training horses and after a lifetime of not being injured by horses I have managed to get hurt twice in the last year.
This time was January 2 and probably thanks to the mud and ice I ended up only bruised and sore and not blogging much for several weeks.
I just realized yesterday that I was about to miss the New Moon and did a quick ritual late last night. If you also missed it, it was only yesterday so go ahead and do a New Moon ritual and set the tone for the next month.
The next Full Moon is in February, but in between is Imbolc. One of my favorite days of the year, regardless of the weather it brings spring. I will be posting information on Imbolc which is celebrated on the 1st or 2nd.

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-25T18:29:00.000-07:00

I don't even notice that this is a commercial for beer. Every frame of this lovely minute is a classic holiday greeting card. Enjoy! and enjoy this holiday week.

December New Moon in Capricorn

2011-12-24T08:29:00.001-07:00

New Moon in Capricorn, December 24, 2011 at 1:07pm EST.

If you are trying to develop some new habits of manifesting and appreciating and you have not tried this ritual yet, now would be an good time. The next Full Moon is near the beginning of the new year, an excellent time to take stock and offer thanks.

This is also an excellent time to do some cleansing; cleanse your ritual tools, cleanse the whole house with a sage and lemon grass smudge.
Crystals are often overlooked and they pick up energy from anyone who handles them and can become less effective when you want them for healing or ritual.
Hibiscus Moon offers a video demonstrating several different ways to clean your crystals HERE.

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repeating New Moon ritual

You will need:

One candle to honor the Goddess in her new moon, blue or white is nice, any color is fine. I have a large pale blue/green candle that I use for all moon rituals.

Incense or sage for cleansing the area.

A small unused notebook and a pen.

Four items to honor the elements.
I sometimes use:
a small bottle of sand for the element of earth
a feather for the element of air
a red candle for the element of fire
a small cup of water for the element of water

When I am in a candle mood I use candles for the elements:
brown or green for earth
yellow or pink for air
red or orange for fire
blue or white for water

Cleanse the area with incense or sage. I create sacred space by simply grounding and centering and visualizing an area around myself filled with energy, closed to random or chaotic spirits and open only to those I invite.

Call the Elements.
I start with Earth. If you are using candles, light them as you call each Element.
Calling them can be as simple as 'I call the Element of Earth to attend and add energy to this sacred space' or as elaborate as you wish.

After calling the Elements, take a moment to honor Goddess, ask her to look favorably on this ritual that you offer up to her and light the candle for her.

Take a few minutes to sit quietly. Reach out to the Elements for additional energy and power. Fill the space around you with their power and energy and reflect on the new moon as an opportunity for new beginnings. An opportunity that we are offered over and over again.

Take your notebook and write something along the lines of:
I will manifest these things that I desire and need in my life and I will do so without harm to anyone else.

Then begin to write down what you need to create in your life. It can be a few things or many. Large or small, tangible or not.

Concentrate on manifesting these things in your life without harming anyone else.

Release the energy that you have created with this work and send it out into the universe to do your bidding.

Thank the Goddess for her presence in your life and put out her candle.

Thank the Elements for loaning you their energy and ask them to return to their own realms, putting out their candles (if any).

Bring yourself back to normal time/space, ground the energy creating your sacred space.
_____________________________

On the full moon take your notebook and cross off any items that have manifested in your life since the new moon. On the next new moon create a new list, leaving off the things that have already arrived. Do not just cross off and add to the old list, each new moon write down the new list.

On her blog Liz has a cleansing ritual bath that would be a wonderful way to prepare for this ritual. Check it out at Lizzie's Logic.

Blessed Solstice

2011-12-22T09:38:00.001-07:00

And for those of you celebrating the Summer Solstice - Happy Litha!!!

Solstice

2011-12-21T08:01:00.001-07:00

Sunrise today 7:17
Sunset today 4:38
(Denver CO)

Winter Solstice (Yule) is a very special Sabbat for me. I find myself slowing down as the days get shorter and colder, I can nearly come to a halt around Solstice. The return of the sun and the promise of another year creates energy for many of us, including me.

This is the Drumming up the Sun gathering at Red Rocks outside Denver. This one was several years ago. Tomorrow morning pagans and mystics of all types will gather again in the dark and the cold to greet the return of the sun. A ritual passed down through the eons in many different forms that survives all attempts to diminish it.

how is your holiday season going?

2011-12-19T06:43:00.000-07:00

Noland Comics on Facebook

December Full Moon, Oak Moon

2011-12-10T18:57:00.000-07:00

Also called the Cold Moon.
The Full Moon reigns supreme in this time before the solstice as we approach the longest nights of the year. This is a good time for ritual concentrating on the Moon.
This is also a good time for winding up unfinished projects, letting go of grievances and losses and focus on the coming year.
Winter Solstice is on the 22nd.

spam and spam and spam

2011-11-26T07:37:00.000-07:00

You would not believe how much spam has been generated by the little blog post over a year ago titled House Cleaning Witchy Style. Fortunately Blogger has caught them, at least many of them, I haven't actually checked the post comments for a long time. I am willing to bet that of the companies trying to use this post as a launch point for their ad, MOST of them have not read the post - they would probably be horrified.
LOL - just had to share. What has drawn the most spam on your blog?

December New Moon

2011-11-25T09:54:00.000-07:00

Sagittarius New Moon at 1:10 am EST
I have been posting our repeating New Moon Ritual, but honestly I have not been keeping up with it myself. I just started a workout program, recently started changing my diet, reorganized my work life with a better schedule. I am ready for good changes in my life and I am going to commit to this ritual.
If you are seeking change in your life, join me.

______________________________________________

repeating New Moon ritual

You will need:

One candle to honor the Goddess in her new moon, blue or white is nice, any color is fine. I have a large pale blue/green candle that I use for all moon rituals.

Incense or sage for cleansing the area.

A small unused notebook and a pen.

Four items to honor the elements.
I sometimes use:
a small bottle of sand for the element of earth
a feather for the element of air
a red candle for the element of fire
a small cup of water for the element of water

When I am in a candle mood I use candles for the elements:
brown or green for earth
yellow or pink for air
red or orange for fire
blue or white for water

Cleanse the area with incense or sage. I create sacred space by simply grounding and centering and visualizing an area around myself filled with energy, closed to random or chaotic spirits and open only to those I invite.

Call the Elements.
I start with Earth. If you are using candles, light them as you call each Element.
Calling them can be as simple as 'I call the Element of Earth to attend and add energy to this sacred space' or as elaborate as you wish.

After calling the Elements, take a moment to honor Goddess, ask her to look favorably on this ritual that you offer up to her and light the candle for her.

Take a few minutes to sit quietly. Reach out to the Elements for additional energy and power. Fill the space around you with their power and energy and reflect on the new moon as an opportunity for new beginnings. An opportunity that we are offered over and over again.

Take your notebook and write something along the lines of:
I will manifest these things that I desire and need in my life and I will do so without harm to anyone else.

Then begin to write down what you need to create in your life. It can be a few things or many. Large or small, tangible or not.

Concentrate on manifesting these things in your life without harming anyone else.

Release the energy that you have created with this work and send it out into the universe to do your bidding.

Thank the Goddess for her presence in your life and put out her candle.

Thank the Elements for loaning you their energy and ask them to return to their own realms, putting out their candles (if any).

Bring yourself back to normal time/space, ground the energy creating your sacred space.
_____________________________

On the full moon take your notebook and cross off any items that have manifested in your life since the new moon. On the next new moon create a new list, leaving off the things that have already arrived. Do not just cross off and add to the old list, each new moon write down the new list.

On her blog Liz has a cleansing ritual bath that would be a wonderful way to prepare for this ritual. Check it out at Lizzie's Logic.

November Full Moon - Snow Moon

2011-11-10T10:25:00.003-07:00

The Full Moon in Scorpio-Taurus is on November 10 at 3:16 pm EST

The November Full Moon is often known as the Snow Moon, Beaver Moon or Tree Moon.
This is a time of year to strengthen bonds with family and friends. The winter is coming and depending on others used to be necessary for survival. This is an old attitude that perhaps we should rely on more.

This is a good time of year for divination, remember that at Samhain the curtain was at its thinnest, that hasn't suddenly changed. Get out your Tarot cards, Runes, Pendulums, Crystals or whatever other tools you use and ask for guidance in the coming months.

Full Moon is, of course, a time that magical people of all traditions gather to honor the Goddess, or reflect on the universal energy or offer respect to local Gods and Goddesses.
If you do not have access to a Coven, a Grove, a Kindred, a Clan or another gathering and you feel that a community ritual would suit you best, look for the nearest Unitarian Church. Chances are they are holding a Circle tonight.

Along with ritual, this is a good time for relieving stress, teaching your body to relax, using meditation and essential oils can calm the mind and body and make the stresses of life easier to handle.
Try a simple cleansing/relaxing bath as part of your ritual today. Substitute or leave out ingredients to make use of what you have at hand. Lavender is relaxing to the mind and body and citrus is cleansing.
Mix:
one cup of powered milk
half cup of espsom salts
half cup of sea salt
8 drops of lavender essential oil
4 drops lemon essential oil
Mix and pour into running bath water

I turn off the electric lights, light a candle and do a meditation while I am soaking in the heat and wonderful feelings from this bath.

Full Moon Blessing to you

A guest post by T.Thorn Coyle

2011-11-06T08:44:00.000-07:00

A post on The Wild Hunt, just in case you missed it...

Guest Post: Theology in Motion

feeling stuck?

2011-11-02T07:14:00.001-06:00

Here is a quick checklist on directing your thinking to enable you

to manifest what you need

instead of dwelling on the opposite.

Manifest Anything

Our thoughts create our reality, don't let yours run amok.

Samhain

2011-10-31T18:03:00.001-06:00

The Brits called her Morgan Le Fay, the Celts called her Morrigan. She was the ruler of the Isle of Avalon and the death Goddess. "The ambivalence with which she is traditionally represented echoes our own fear of her deep and ancient wisdom." Michael Babcock
It seems fitting to think of her on Samhain. I don't recommend calling on the Morrigan on this night for special favors unless you already have a relationship with her, but a recognition of her power and her connection to our rituals this night would be appropriate.

Samhein, Samhain, Samhuiin, Halloween, All Hallow's Eve, Oiche Shamhna, Nos Calan Gaeaf, Hallowmas, All Saints Day, Hollantide. Those are just some of the names from the British Isles. The day to honor the dead is known around the world and is usually at this time of year.

What we call the thinning of the veil between worlds is a force that people from ancient times have felt and honored. Even the Catholic Church at the height of its power in Europe could not stamp out this festival and had to settle for co-opting it. It is a powerful, mystical time of the year.

In Celtic lore, the Great Horned God dies at Samhein and passes into the underworld. He will be reborn at Yule and the Wheel will turn again. The Goddess is now seen in her Crone aspect, healer and destroyer as the winter progresses.

This is the end of a year. It is a time to look back on the year just passed, honor the dead who have crossed over during this year and take accounting of our own lives. It is a time to be honest with ourselves about what we have accomplished or failed to accomplish and what we want to do in the coming year.
Not in the way of making resolutions that has become a silly game played on January 1st, but a real committment to move forward with our lives.
In the last few years I have begun celebrating Samhain as the end of the year and the Winter Solstice as the beginning of the next year. The time in between is for meditating and thinking and making plans for the future. It is a quiet time of the year in nature and I try to take advantage of that and quiet down my own life, my thoughts and my energy.

Celebrate Samhain with an acknowledgement of the thinning of the veil, send thoughts, requests or just good feelings to those that you know who have passed to the other side and might be listening on this evening. I will set an extra place at the dinner table tonight just in case a passing spirit wants to stay for a while and be included in an earthly ritual.

Other than the spiritual side of the day, there is also, Trick or Treat, costume parties, time to act silly and see how you look in black and orange, pumpkin carving, corn mazes, haunted houses (the fake kind), and at least locally, the Witches Ball.

Have fun and be safe.

(reposted with some editing from 2008)

October New Moon

2011-10-26T08:23:00.001-06:00

New Moon in Scorpio on October 26, 2011 at 3:56pm EDT

If you are having some financial woes, try this chant on this New Moon to help get you going again.

On the night of a dark Moon, stand facing the North and say 3 times 3 this chant as you toss a fist full of Tea up into the air. By the next full moon you will have gained the money you desire.

“Money hearken and hear my plea,
I need money to come to me.
Bring thee money to my stead,
Money to buy a loaf of bread.”

By the next full moon you will have gained the money you desire.

You don’t have to use the last verse if you don’t feel it suits your thoughts or purpose in the magick. But it is a very old chant from generations passed and I find they understand my desires for whatever the need be.

by: Lady Abigail
All rights reserved under the US copyright laws and statues.
Copyright © 12312003
Thanks to Lady Abigail for her permission to publish this information

________________________________________________________________________________________________
And our repeating New Moon ritual:

You will need:

One candle to honor the Goddess in her new moon, blue or white is nice, any color is fine. I have a large pale blue/green candle that I use for all moon rituals.

Incense or sage for cleansing the area.

A small unused notebook and a pen.

Four items to honor the elements.
I sometimes use:
a small bottle of sand for the element of earth
a feather for the element of air
a red candle for the element of fire
a small cup of water for the element of water

When I am in a candle mood I use candles for the elements:
brown or green for earth
yellow or pink for air
red or orange for fire
blue or white for water

Cleanse the area with incense or sage. I create sacred space by simply grounding and centering and visualizing an area around myself filled with energy, closed to random or chaotic spirits and open only to those I invite.

Call the Elements.
I start with Earth. If you are using candles, light them as you call each Element.
Calling them can be as simple as 'I call the Element of Earth to attend and add energy to this sacred space' or as elaborate as you wish.

After calling the Elements, take a moment to honor Goddess, ask her to look favorably on this ritual that you offer up to her and light the candle for her.

Take a few minutes to sit quietly. Reach out to the Elements for additional energy and power. Fill the space around you with their power and energy and reflect on the new moon as an opportunity for new beginnings. An opportunity that we are offered over and over again.

Take your notebook and write something along the lines of:
I will manifest these things that I desire and need in my life and I will do so without harm to anyone else.

Then begin to write down what you need to create in your life. It can be a few things or many. Large or small, tangible or not.

Concentrate on manifesting these things in your life without harming anyone else.

Release the energy that you have created with this work and send it out into the universe to do your bidding.

Thank the Goddess for her presence in your life and put out her candle.

Thank the Elements for loaning you their energy and ask them to return to their own realms, putting out their candles (if any).

Bring yourself back to normal time/space, ground the energy creating your sacred space.
_____________________________

On the full moon take your notebook and cross off any items that have manifested in your life since the new moon. On the next new moon create a new list, leaving off the things that have already arrived. Do not just cross off and add to the old list, each new moon write down the new list.

On her blog Liz has a cleansing ritual bath that would be a wonderful way to prepare for this ritual. Check it out at Lizzie's Logic.

October Full Moon

2011-10-11T18:21:00.000-06:00

Full moon at 10:06pm EDT

The weather is still mild, if possible go outside tonight and enjoy the power of the Full Moon. A Full Moon Ritual does not need to be anything elaborate or take a lot of planning. Light a candle, say hello to the Goddess, meditate in the light of the Moon. Big elaborate rituals are great events, but just taking time to bow out of the modern world for a few minutes and share the wonder that people have felt for thousands of years when they watch the Full Moon can be a wonderful, powerful experience.
Many of us associate the Moon with the presence of Goddess, take a minute and tell her so.

Repeating New Moon Ritual

2011-09-27T07:16:00.004-06:00

New Moon on September 27 at 7:09am EDT

I am still doing this repeating New Moon ritual. I just love it. To me it is the perfect way to celebrate the cycle of cleansing, renewal and stepping forward.

You will need:

One candle to honor the Goddess in her new moon, blue or white is nice, any color is fine. I have a large pale blue/green candle that I use for all moon rituals.

Incense or sage for cleansing the area.

A small unused notebook and a pen.

Four items to honor the elements.
I sometimes use:
a small bottle of sand for the element of earth
a feather for the element of air
a red candle for the element of fire
a small cup of water for the element of water

When I am in a candle mood I use candles for the elements:
brown or green for earth
yellow or pink for air
red or orange for fire
blue or white for water

Cleanse the area with incense or sage. I create sacred space by simply grounding and centering and visualizing an area around myself filled with energy, closed to random or chaotic spirits and open only to those I invite.

Call the Elements.
I start with Earth. If you are using candles, light them as you call each Element.
Calling them can be as simple as 'I call the Element of Earth to attend and add energy to this sacred space' or as elaborate as you wish.

After calling the Elements, take a moment to honor Goddess, ask her to look favorably on this ritual that you offer up to her and light the candle for her.

Take a few minutes to sit quietly. Reach out to the Elements for additional energy and power. Fill the space around you with their power and energy and reflect on the new moon as an opportunity for new beginnings. An opportunity that we are offered over and over again.

Take your notebook and write something along the lines of:
I will manifest these things that I desire and need in my life and I will do so without harm to anyone else.

Then begin to write down what you need to create in your life. It can be a few things or many. Large or small, tangible or not.

Concentrate on manifesting these things in your life without harming anyone else.

Release the energy that you have created with this work and send it out into the universe to do your bidding.

Thank the Goddess for her presence in your life and put out her candle.

Thank the Elements for loaning you their energy and ask them to return to their own realms, putting out their candles (if any).

Bring yourself back to normal time/space, ground the energy creating your sacred space.
_____________________________

On the full moon take your notebook and cross off any items that have manifested in your life since the new moon. On the next new moon create a new list, leaving off the things that have already arrived. Do not just cross off and add to the old list, each new moon write down the new list.

On her blog Liz has a cleansing ritual bath that would be a wonderful way to prepare for this ritual. Check it out at Lizzie's Logic.

Equinox, Mabon and Ostara

2011-09-23T07:34:00.001-06:00

Image from Cauldron of the Goddess

and the Southern Hemisphere is celebrating spring and greeting Ostara

Fall Equinox

2011-09-21T11:52:00.001-06:00

The Fall or Autumn Equinox is this week, September 23, 2011.
Also known as Mabon, it is the major harvest festival and the time of counting down to winter. While the days have been getting shorter since the Summer Solstice, we tend not to notice too much until around this time in the fall, when suddenly it seems that we can feel the shortness of the days every day, earlier sundowns, darker mornings and we travel down the road to darkness until the Winter Solstice.
On the 23rd day and night are equal length and traditionally cultures around the world celebrate this day.
In our modern culture many people celebrate fall festivals without knowing why. Take away modern conveniences and our ancestors celebrate the fall as a time of plenty, knowing that not everyone will survive the winter and be able to celebrate the spring. In temperate climates winters can be harsh so the last days of warm days, full pantries and a little free time should be celebrated by all of us.

My Wheel of the Year is divided into Sun Festivals (Solstices and Equinoxes) and Fire Festivals (Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasad and Samhain). Celebrate this Sun Festival with friends and neighbors, eat out of the fall harvests and enjoy the changing of the seasons.

August Full Moon - Corn Moon

2011-08-13T06:14:00.000-06:00

The Corn Moon is one of the early harvest moons. Gratitude, happiness in a successful crop (agricultural or not) and celebration of a good year are all part of the time of the Corn Moon.
The Moon is full at 2:57 pm EDT

In the spirit of community I am taking part in the worldwide community meditation this weekend. The energy of the Full Moon endures for three day before and after. Join the meditation or plan your ritual within that time to celebrate the Full Moon. See the previous post for info on the group meditation.
Be inspired by the words of Doreen Valiente in the Charge of the Goddess. Even if you have read it a thousand times, sit under the Full Moon and read it aloud again.

Charge of the Goddess

Traditional by Doreen Valiente, as adapted by Starhawk:

Listen to the words of the Great Mother, Who of old was called Artemis, Astarte, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Diana, Arionrhod, Brigid, and by many other names:
Whenever you have need of anything, once a month, and better it be when the moon is full, you shall assemble in some secret place and adore the spirit of Me Who is Queen of all the Wise.
You shall be free from slavery, and as a sign that you be free you shall be naked in your rites.
Sing, feast, dance, make music and love, all in My Presence, for Mine is the ecstasy of the spirit and Mine also is joy on earth.
For My law is love is unto all beings. Mine is the secret that opens the door of youth, and Mine is the cup of wine of life that is the cauldron of Cerridwen, that is the holy grail of immortality.
I give the knowledge of the spirit eternal, and beyond death I give peace and freedom and reunion with those that have gone before.
Nor do I demand aught of sacrifice, for behold, I am the Mother of all things and My love is poured out upon the earth.
Hear the words of the Star Goddess, the dust of Whose feet are the hosts of Heaven, whose body encircles the universe:
I Who am the beauty of the green earth and the white moon among the stars and the mysteries of the waters,
I call upon your soul to arise and come unto me.
For I am the soul of nature that gives life to the universe.
From Me all things proceed and unto Me they must return.
Let My worship be in the heart that rejoices, for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are My rituals.
Let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you.
And you who seek to know Me, know that the seeking and yearning will avail you not, unless you know the Mystery: for if that which you seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find it without.
For behold, I have been with you from the beginning, and I am That which is attained at the end of desire.

Full Moon Meditation

2011-08-10T11:14:00.000-06:00

The Full Moon is almost upon us (more on that later) and there is a worldwide meditation being planned on Facebook. Here is the link
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=165700853500972
It starts on Friday evening and continues until Sunday morning. Join in, drop out whenever you wish, join in the energy. A solitary meditation, a group meditation or a Full Moon Ritual could all be part of the group energy.

Lughnasadh and Lammas

2011-07-31T11:50:00.000-06:00

I started writing a post about Lugh and realized I was repeating myself. So for those of you who read last year's post on Lughnasadh/Lammas - nothing new here, skip to the last paragraph if you would like a suggestion on your celebration. If you missed last year's post, enjoy.....

..Lugh..

Although they are both celebrated here on August 1 and many of us say "Lughnasadh or Lammas" as if they are one and the same, they are not.
Lughnasadh (don't even try the nuances of the Gaelic pronunciation just stick with LOO-nus-uh) is a harvest feast and games held at the order of the Celtic god Lugh to honor his foster mother Tailtiu. Tailtiu may have been a mother earth goddess. She died at the harvest and told her followers to remember her by holding games in her honor. Lugh carried out these wishes and the festivities and competitions that help to celebrate the harvest are named after him. Athletic competitions, music and dance, eating and drinking are all part of Lughnasadh.

Lugh was the god of all skills and arts and honored even today as the patron of blacksmiths.
The earliest mention of him describes him as a King of the Tuatha de Danann and the master of many arts. Later stories refer to him as the god of all skills and relate many stories about these skills. Still later, because of the harvest festival and games that were held at his order, he became associated primarily with the harvest.
His heritage, like many of the early Celtic gods, was complicated. Wikipedia does a good job of condensing it into a few lines:
Much of the early history of Ireland is recorded in the Book of Invasions, which recounts the many times Ireland was conquered by foreign enemies. According to this chronicle, Lugh was the grandson of one of the Fomorians, a monstrous race that were the enemy of the Tuatha de Danann. Lugh's grandfather, Balor of the Evil Eye, had been told he would be murdered by a grandson, so he imprisoned his only daughter in a cave. One of the Tuatha seduced her, and she gave birth to triplets. Balor drowned two of them, but Lugh survived and was raised by a smith. He later led the Tuatha in battle, and indeed killed Balor.

More information on Lugh can be found at Magic of Mythology
image found at PaganNews.com

Lammas, on the other hand, is a Christian celebration of the first wheat harvest. Farmers would take a loaf of fresh bread made from the current wheat harvest to church to offer as thanks and to ask for a blessing for the rest of the harvest. It was also called the Feast of the First Fruits and celebrated with bread and apples. This may a case of "if you can't beat em, join em" and a way to de-paganize a celebration without causing too much resistance. But this is primarily an Anglo-Saxon tradition and may only be related to Lughnasadh by coincidence. All farming cultures celebrate the harvest and these appear to be two separate celebrations by two different cultures at two different times in history.
I don't know how the two terms came to be interchangeable in neo-Pagan circles, but there is a distinct difference in their history.
Nowadays I think we are doing well to remember to celebrate the harvest at all (unless you happen to be a farmer) so I suppose the name is not all that important, but it is nice to know the origins of these things.

Celebrate by offering thanks for our abundant earth. Light candles of orange and yellow, burn incense of rose or sandalwood. Prepare a meal of lamb, wheat bread, apples and wine and offer it to Lugh or whichever deity you owe some thanks to. Don't forget to include some fun in the day including some games or competitions. photo found here

New Moon Ritual

2011-07-30T11:34:00.003-06:00

The New Moon is Saturday, July 30 at 2:40 pm EDT

I am still doing this repeating New Moon ritual. I just love it. To me it is the perfect way to celebrate the cycle of cleansing, renewal and stepping forward.

You will need:

One candle to honor the Goddess in her new moon, blue or white is nice, any color is fine. I have a large pale blue/green candle that I use for all moon rituals.

Incense or sage for cleansing the area.

A small unused notebook and a pen.

Four items to honor the elements.
I sometimes use:
a small bottle of sand for the element of earth
a feather for the element of air
a red candle for the element of fire
a small cup of water for the element of water

When I am in a candle mood I use candles for the elements:
brown or green for earth
yellow or pink for air
red or orange for fire
blue or white for water

Cleanse the area with incense or sage. I create sacred space by simply grounding and centering and visualizing an area around myself filled with energy, closed to random or chaotic spirits and open only to those I invite.

Call the Elements.
I start with Earth. If you are using candles, light them as you call each Element.
Calling them can be as simple as 'I call the Element of Earth to attend and add energy to this sacred space' or as elaborate as you wish.

After calling the Elements, take a moment to honor Goddess, ask her to look favorably on this ritual that you offer up to her and light the candle for her.

Take a few minutes to sit quietly. Reach out to the Elements for additional energy and power. Fill the space around you with their power and energy and reflect on the new moon as an opportunity for new beginnings. An opportunity that we are offered over and over again.

Take your notebook and write something along the lines of:
I will manifest these things that I desire and need in my life and I will do so without harm to anyone else.

Then begin to write down what you need to create in your life. It can be a few things or many. Large or small, tangible or not.

Concentrate on manifesting these things in your life without harming anyone else.

Release the energy that you have created with this work and send it out into the universe to do your bidding.

Thank the Goddess for her presence in your life and put out her candle.

Thank the Elements for loaning you their energy and ask them to return to their own realms, putting out their candles (if any).

Bring yourself back to normal time/space, ground the energy creating your sacred space.
_____________________________

On the full moon take your notebook and cross off any items that have manifested in your life since the new moon. On the next new moon create a new list, leaving off the things that have already arrived. Do not just cross off and add to the old list, each new moon write down the new list.

On her blog Liz has a cleansing ritual bath that would be a wonderful way to prepare for this ritual. Check it out at Lizzie's Logic.

***Lughnasadh, also known as Lammas, is coming up in two days***

July Full Moon - Mead Moon

2011-07-14T19:48:00.001-06:00

July is a time for divination and meditation. The energy is slowing down, the first harvests are about to begin. July is an excellent time for prosperity spells and for planning for the immediate future. .

The July Full Moon is dedicated to Mead - the nectar of the Gods. Mead is a symbol of prosperity and celebration.

Celebrate the abundance in your life and use this time to gain more of what you need. There is a prosperity spell on the Borrowed Book of Charms page that is short and simple and directs the natural flow of this month's energy, using the Tarot to help direct this spell.

Earth Prosperity Tarot Spell

The July Full Moon is on July 15 at 2:40am EDT

Happy Solstice!

2011-06-21T06:58:00.001-06:00

In the northern half of the world we are enjoying the Summer Solstice.

Happy Winter Solstice to everyone in the southern hemisphere.

February Full Moon - Storm Moon, Quickening Moon

2011-02-18T06:35:00.002-07:00

February Full Moon 3:36am EST

In the Northern Hemisphere energy is beginning to flow, you can feel the earth starting to awaken, but the winter is not over and for our ancestors this was a time of extreme hardship and of hope that spring would arrive soon.
This is a good time to center your ritual around cleaning out the old to make room for the new. Get rid of clutter and unused items. Make your living and work space fresh and clean. Leave space in your life for the next cycle.
This is also a time to do fertility rituals.
As we look forward to spring, don't forget to honor the moment we are in The stark, cold, quiet February Moon should not be rushed past on the way to spring.

repeating New Moon Ritual

2011-02-02T18:54:00.001-07:00

The New Moon is Wednesday, February 2 at 9:31pm EST.

You will need:

One candle to honor the Goddess in her new moon, blue or white is nice, any color is fine. I have a large pale blue/green candle that I use for all moon rituals.

Incense or sage for cleansing the area.

A small unused notebook and a pen.

Four items to honor the elements.
I sometimes use:
a small bottle of sand for the element of earth
a feather for the element of air
a red candle for the element of fire
a small cup of water for the element of water

When I am in a candle mood I use candles for the elements:
brown or green for earth
yellow or pink for air
red or orange for fire
blue or white for water

Cleanse the area with incense or sage. I create sacred space by simply grounding and centering and visualizing an area around myself filled with energy, closed to random or chaotic spirits and open only to those I invite.

Call the Elements.
I start with Earth. If you are using candles, light them as you call each Element.
Calling them can be as simple as 'I call the Element of Earth to attend and add energy to this sacred space' or as elaborate as you wish.

After calling the Elements, take a moment to honor Goddess, ask her to look favorably on this ritual that you offer up to her and light the candle for her.

Take a few minutes to sit quietly. Reach out to the Elements for additional energy and power. Fill the space around you with their power and energy and reflect on the new moon as an opportunity for new beginnings. An opportunity that we are offered over and over again.

Take your notebook and write something along the lines of:
I will manifest these things that I desire and need in my life and I will do so without harm to anyone else.

Then begin to write down what you need to create in your life. It can be a few things or many. Large or small, tangible or not.

Concentrate on manifesting these things in your life without harming anyone else.

Release the energy that you have created with this work and send it out into the universe to do your bidding.

Thank the Goddess for her presence in your life and put out her candle.

Thank the Elements for loaning you their energy and ask them to return to their own realms, putting out their candles (if any).

Bring yourself back to normal time/space, ground the energy creating your sacred space.
_____________________________

On the full moon take your notebook and cross off any items that have manifested in your life since the new moon. On the next new moon create a new list, leaving off the things that have already arrived. Do not just cross off and add to the old list, each new moon write down the new list.

On her blog Liz has a cleansing ritual bath that would be a wonderful way to prepare for this ritual. Check it out at Lizzie's Logic.

Imbolc, Brigid and a New Moon

2011-01-30T20:27:00.000-07:00

If you have any plans whatsoever to start anything new, now is the time. The energy for new beginnings is strong over the next few days.

February 1st is Imbolc. The halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. The return of the sun is beginning to be felt in earnest. The heat and the light are increasing. Lambing season, the ultimate sign of spring in most of Europe, is nearly underway. It is not spring, but the earth is beginning to wake from the winter sleep and small signs of the new season are everywhere. A simple traditional way to celebrate this day is to light a candle in every room of the house, or simply turn on a light in each room and take a moment to appreciate the difference that light makes and be grateful for the return of the sun.

http://www.careyoxler.com

February 1st is also the traditional day to honor the goddess Brigid, Celtic goddess of fire, both the fire of the hearth and the fire of the forge. She is a goddess of creativity and new beginnings, created in fire. Throw open all the doors and windows of your home on this day and stand in the front door and invite Brigid into your home, with all of her energies for new life and creativity.

February 2 is a New Moon; always a good time to take stock of what you want to bring into your life and take action in ritual and in the rest of your life to make it so.

A strong combination of energies, don't let it slip away.

Full Moon

2011-01-19T07:17:00.000-07:00

Full Moon today, January 19, more later.
PRICORN-CA

Jan. 19:
    21:22 GMT, UT
Jan. 19:
      4:22 PM EST
      3:22 PM CST
      2:22 PM MST
      1:22 PM PST

the Wheel turns....

2010-12-31T17:57:00.000-07:00

... and a new year begins. May the Goddess bless us all in the coming season.

Happy Holidays

2010-12-24T09:40:00.000-07:00

The energy is crackling

2010-12-20T17:36:00.000-07:00

If the clouds allow I will stay up and watch the eclipse tonight and skip Drumming up the Sun. :-(
The full lunar eclipse on the winter solstice will not happen again for 80+ years (2094 or something along there).
I took this from my back yard, 6 hours before the eclipse. Not a good shot but from a hand held digital camera with no special lenses... not bad...the moon is enormous, just waiting to put on a show when that perfect alignment takes place.

Tonight and tomorrow

2010-12-20T06:13:00.002-07:00

Driving home yesterday evening the nearly full moon was spectacular. The multicolors of pale blue, wispy clouds and cold temps combined to make the sky look like the surface of a frozen pond, lit up by the moon shining on it. I don't think I have ever seen it look like that.

Tonight through early tomorrow is the lunar eclipse of a full moon, tomorrow is Solstice. I am trying to decide between staying up very late to see the eclipse and getting up very early to attend Drumming up the Sun. I can't do both, I have to go to work and have to get a few hours of sleep somehow. For the Solstice I will be attending a small gathering of women doing a guided meditation. What will you be doing?
Here is some info about the eclipse, including times in different areas from SpaceRef.

Solstice Special!

2010-12-10T06:17:00.000-07:00

This year the Winter Solstice, the Full Moon and a lunar eclipse will all take place on December 21st.
Be sure to plan something special.
I will be at Red Rocks at dawn joining in the Drumming up the Sun ritual. If you are in the Denver area, please join us.
I haven't decided on a Full Moon ritual for that evening yet, I will let you know.

repeating New Moon ritual...

2010-12-05T05:52:00.001-07:00

The New Moon is Sunday December 5 at 12:36pm EST.

You will need:

One candle to honor the Goddess in her new moon, blue or white is nice, any color is fine. I have a large pale blue/green candle that I use for all moon rituals.

Incense or sage for cleansing the area.

A small unused notebook and a pen.

Four items to honor the elements.
I sometimes use:
a small bottle of sand for the element of earth
a feather for the element of air
a red candle for the element of fire
a small cup of water for the element of water

When I am in a candle mood I use candles for the elements:
brown or green for earth
yellow or pink for air
red or orange for fire
blue or white for water

Cleanse the area with incense or sage. I create sacred space by simply grounding and centering and visualizing an area around myself filled with energy, closed to random or chaotic spirits and open only to those I invite.

Call the Elements.
I start with Earth. If you are using candles, light them as you call each Element.
Calling them can be as simple as 'I call the Element of Earth to attend and add energy to this sacred space' or as elaborate as you wish.

After calling the Elements, take a moment to honor Goddess, ask her to look favorably on this ritual that you offer up to her and light the candle for her.

Take a few minutes to sit quietly. Reach out to the Elements for additional energy and power. Fill the space around you with their power and energy and reflect on the new moon as an opportunity for new beginnings. An opportunity that we are offered over and over again.

Take your notebook and write something along the lines of:
I will manifest these things that I desire and need in my life and I will do so without harm to anyone else.

Then begin to write down what you need to create in your life. It can be a few things or many. Large or small, tangible or not.

Concentrate on manifesting these things in your life without harming anyone else.

Release the energy that you have created with this work and send it out into the universe to do your bidding.

Thank the Goddess for her presence in your life and put out her candle.

Thank the Elements for loaning you their energy and ask them to return to their own realms, putting out their candles (if any).

Bring yourself back to normal time/space, ground the energy creating your sacred space.
_____________________________

On the full moon take your notebook and cross off any items that have manifested in your life since the new moon. On the next new moon create a new list, leaving off the things that have already arrived. Do not just cross off and add to the old list, each new moon write down the new list.

On her blog Liz has a cleansing ritual bath that would be a wonderful way to prepare for this ritual. Check it out at Lizzie's Logic.

Solstice Sun Wheel Ritual 2010

2010-11-28T16:03:00.001-07:00

Beth Owl's Daughter, me and many many other are taking part in a Solstice Sun Wheel Ritual. She is kicking it off on her website. Please visit Solstice Sun Wheel Ritual for more information and join in.

no explanation...

2010-11-24T21:27:00.001-07:00

So today, against my better judgment, I was in a grocery store to pick up a bottle of Martinelli's Sparkling Cider for a friend. The place was packed, elbow to elbow, and I wasn't having any luck. I didn't even know what it looked like and after cruising through several rows of drinks and asking two frazzled clerks (who pointed me in opposite directions) I gave up, decided to pick up a couple of bottles of pop and call it done.
I made a beeline for the Mountain Dew (my favorite) and there on the shelf, between two bottles of Mt. Dew, was a single bottle of Martinelli's Sparkling Cider. I picked it up and then looked up and down the adjacent aisles for where it belonged. No luck.
When I checked out the clerk said she thought it had sold out a couple of days ago.

November Full Moon, Snow Moon

2010-11-20T09:47:00.001-07:00

The Full Moon is on November 21 at 12:27 EST.

The Snow Moon (also called the Mourning Moon, Tree Moon and Beaver Moon) tells us that winter will soon be here. It is a time to stock up for the winter, count your abundance and prosperity, be grateful and plan for the winter. Also keep in mind that winter, just like every other season, will pass. This is a good time of the year to look to divination to help with your plans.

You may not be able to count on a visible Moon for your ritual, here is a simple way to bring the Moon indoors.
Use any jar or pillar candle. White or a very pale color works very well. Set it in a plain bowl, glass is beautiful, I like to use a metal mixing bowl. If you are using a tall pillar candle you will want to fix it to the bottom of the bowl with a few drops of melted wax so that it doesn't tip over a try to float. Fill the bowl with water as close to the level of the flame as possible. The light reflection on the water will mimic the changing face of the Full Moon. You can even add a little liquid soap to increase the reflections.

Here is a Full Moon ritual that you might like to try.

Sit a moment and reflect on the Mother aspect of the Triple Goddess. She who is always present in our lives. She will nurture and guide and love; all we have to do is be present and open to Her.

Gather pure white energy from above and below and create your sacred space. Call upon Earth, Air, Fire and Water to watch over and guard this space for this little time.

Light your candle for the Goddess, offer her your being, ask of her anything that you need in your life.
Read out loud the words that were written to honor Her. Offer any prayers that you wish, make any other offerings in Her name. After the reading, meditate in your sacred space for a while, listen for any wisdom that comes to you. When you are ready, thank the Goddess, thank the Elements and release them.

Listen to the words of the Great Mother;
she who of old was also called among men
Artemis, Astarte, Athene, Dione, Melusine,
Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Cybele, Arianrhod,
Isis, Dana, Bride
and by many other names:

Whenever ye have need of anything,
once in the month, and better it be when the moon is full,
then shall ye assemble in some secret place
and adore the spirit of me,
who am Queen of all the witches.

There shall ye assemble,
ye who are fain to learn all sorcery,
yet have not won its deepest secrets;
to these will I teach things that are yet unknown.
And ye shall be free from slavery;
and as a sign that ye be really free,
ye shall be naked in your rites;
and ye shall dance, sing, feast,
make music and love,
all in my praise.
For mine is the ecstasy of the spirit,
and mine also is joy on earth;
for my law is love unto all beings.
Keep pure your highest ideal;
strive ever towards it;
let naught stop you or turn you aside.
For mine is the secret door
which opens upon the Land of Youth,
and mine is the cup of the wine of life,
and the Cauldron of Cerridwen,
which is the Holy Grail of immortality.

I am the Gracious Goddess,
who gives the gift of joy unto the heart of man.
Upon earth, I give the knowledge of the spirit eternal;
and beyond death, I give peace and freedom
and reunion with those who have gone before.
Nor do I demand aught in sacrifice;
for behold,
I am the Mother of all living,
and my love is poured out upon the earth.

Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess;
she in the dust of whose feet are the hosts of heaven,
and whose body encircles the Universe.
I who am the beauty of the green earth,
and the white Moon among the stars,
and the mystery of the waters,
and the desire of the heart of man,
call unto thy soul.
Arise, and come unto me.
For I am the soul of nature, who gives life to the universe.
From me all things proceed,
and unto me all things must return;
and before my face, beloved of Gods and of men,
let thine innermost divine self be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite.
Let my worship be within the heart that rejoiceth;
for behold,
all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals.
And therefore let there be beauty and strength,
power and compassion, honour and humility,
mirth and reverence within you.

And thou who thinkest to seek for me,
know thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not
unless thou knowest the mystery;
that if that which thou seekest
thee findest not within thee,
thou wilt never find it without thee.
For behold,
I have been with thee from the beginning;
and I am that which is attained
at the end of desire.

~Doreen Valiente~

found on Facebook...

2010-11-17T18:09:00.000-07:00

Understand spiritual experiences, the afterlife, your sixth sense, all in one Powerful Holistic Resource. Free in-home trial.

This is an advertisement for a "Wiccan" site on Facebook. I think it is nice that we are moving into the mainstream and all, but do we have to copy the televangelists and turn everything into a commercial venture?
This is, of course, no more Wiccan than buying salvation by sending your donation in the postage paid envelope to the mega church is Christianity, but somehow most people seem to understand the latter and not the former.

new resources site

2010-11-10T07:10:00.000-07:00

Here is a new (to me anyway) site that is gathering resources. I will be adding it to my resource page. Check it out and let me know what you think.

house cleaning witchy style

2010-10-30T19:08:00.001-06:00

I have a hard time getting started with housework, once I get going I like making everything clean and shiny, it's just that I can find lots of reasons for avoiding it.
This morning I lit a bundle of sage and some sweetgrass in a cauldron, but some Blackmore's Night blasting on the stereo and got a lot done. The house looks clean, smells clean and FEELS clean.
Works every time.

2 Days to Samhain

2010-10-29T07:31:00.001-06:00

The wonderful thing about this fire festival is that you can celebrate it on the 31st, on the day before, the day after, all week or all month. There is Halloween for the kids (and the kid in everybody), All Soul's Day for the Christian mystics among us (and there are lots) and Samhain for those of us on the pagan path.
You can be as open as you want, everybody wants to believe on Samhain. I will be setting a table for the ancestors, handing out candy to the trick-or-treaters and later enjoying a ritual.
My favorite farmstand says they had to hire extra help this year to get the pumpkins ready and the corn stalks bundled.

A Full Moon Cleansing Ritual

2010-10-21T19:38:00.008-06:00

First clean your ritual space, get rid of any clutter, clean and dust the area.

Lay out the items you need.
Cauldron or other heat proof container
White sage and sandalwood incense
3 candles in orange and red
Candles for any other deities or spirits
Items to be cleansed such as crystals, tarot cards, etc

Light the charcoal in the cauldron or heat proof container so it will be ready for the incense when you are ready to begin. (Make sure it is not accessible to pets or children and is in a safe place away from any flammable material.)

Take a ritual bath or shower with salt and any essential oils that you like.
Begin grounding yourself and letting your mind calm down as you shower or bathe. Use music if you want.

Dress in clean clothes (or go skyclad).

Place sage and sandalwood on the hot charcoal and smudge the area.

Take several deep breaths and take a moment to ground yourself.

Cast a circle and call the Elements to guard you during your ritual.

Invite specific deities or spirit guides into your circle (Do not randomly invite entities into your circle, only well known and trusted entities that you wish to take part in the ritual.)

Call on the Goddess and dedicate this ritual on this Full Moon to her. Light the three orange and red candles in honor of the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone on the Blood Moon.

‘Mother Goddess, from whom all things come and unto whom all things return, I ask that you bless this ritual in this time and space. The Blood Moon that I celebrate tonight is the time of change and preparation for your children and I dedicate this cleansing to you and ask your blessing.’

Add any additional prayers that you wish.

Take the items to be cleansed and hold them in the smoke from the sage and incense. Visualize any negative energy leaving the items and white light and glowing energy soaking into the items. Do the same for yourself. Visualize negative energy leaving your body and light and glowing energy taking its place. Take your time doing this, relax and visualize.

Meditate for a while on the meaning of the Blood Moon, the transition from autumn to winter, the cleansing that you have performed and making room for positive energy in your life.

Put out the candles and say thank you to the Goddess and other entities.

Release the circle and thank the Elements for their help and remind them to return to their own realms.

*** It has been pointed out to me (thank you, Pallas Renatus) that the moon will be void of course during the peak of the Full Moon phase. Normally I wouldn't expect this to affect a Full Moon ritual, but due to the cleansing aspect of this planned ritual, I am going to wait until Saturday evening. A Full Waning Moon should be wonderful. You can find more information here. ***

for the upcoming full moon...

2010-10-21T08:04:00.001-06:00

As I already mentioned, I am feeling bogged down and fighting off negativity. So I am going to do a cleansing ritual for the Full Moon.
Supplies (always optional)
3 candles in orange and red for the Blood Moon
white sage
other incense, I like sandlewood with sage
and I light candles for the other entities that I invite into sacred space; for me, some specific spirit guides and Bast

I am going to clean my work space, my tarot decks, my crystals and my pendulum. All items in everyday use that are probably as clogged up as I feel.
more later

Spirit Day

2010-10-20T08:05:00.002-06:00

I'm wearing purple today to support LGBT youth - make your profile pic purple today for Spirit Day at http://glaad.org/spiritday

coming up...

2010-10-20T06:37:00.000-06:00

The next full moon is this Friday evening, should be perfect for ritual.
I am feeling dragged down by the mundane, stifled and restless. I think a full blown ritual is in order and I will come up with something to share.
In the meantime, I am teaching my first Tarot class on Saturday... anyone have any advice?

I'm back!

2010-10-19T19:11:00.002-06:00

My internet connection has been turning off and on for a couple of months. Since I have work that I HAVE to do on the internet I have been limiting my time online mostly to that. I have kept up with those of you on Facebook, but that's about it. Sorry for the long hiatus, I am glad to be posting again in time for Samhain.
Full Moon this weekend.

More tomorrow!

I haven't disappeared

2010-09-01T06:20:00.001-06:00

I am having internet problems.

Isaac Bonewits

2010-08-12T16:54:00.009-06:00

October 1, 1949 - August 12, 2010

May the Goddess guard him.
May he find his way to the Summerlands.
May his family and friends know peace.

I like Blogger

2010-08-10T19:03:00.003-06:00

Blogger has a spam detector which I have never bothered to look into. I figured it is just easier to moderate comments, or delete the occasional sales pitch instead of trying to figure out the spam feature.
I just got a message from Blogger that they have activated the spam detector for this blog. I have quite a few blogs, only this one now has a spam filter.
It coincides with a long rambling message from some busy body Christian wingnut who wanted to explain to me that I was consorting with the devil by practicing this "idolatry." He would, of course, be willing to show me the way to salvation. I left the message up - it's on the latest New Moon post. I don't want anyone to start a food-fight, it is just a good reminder that in many minds, freedom of religion means pick your favorite variety of Christianity.
I had to smile over Blogger taking the initiative to turn on the spam blocker for me. Apparently THEIR spam identifier includes this type of message.
Thank you Blogger.

Lughnasadh and Lammas

2010-07-31T20:36:00.011-06:00

..Lugh..

Although they are both celebrated here on August 1 and many of us say "Lughnasadh or Lammas" as if they are one and the same, they are not.
Lughnasadh (don't even try the nuances of the Gaelic pronunciation just stick with LOO-nus-uh) is a harvest feast and games held at the order of the Celtic god Lugh to honor his foster mother Tailtiu. Tailtiu may have been a mother earth goddess. She died at the harvest and told her followers to remember her by holding games in her honor. Lugh carried out these wishes and the festivities and competitions that help to celebrate the harvest are named after him. Athletic competitions, music and dance, eating and drinking are all part of Lughnasadh.

Lugh was the god of all skills and arts and honored even today as the patron of blacksmiths.
The earliest mention of him describes him as a King of the Tuatha de Danann and the master of many arts. Later stories refer to him as the god of all skills and relate many stories about these skills. Still later, because of the harvest festival and games that were held at his order, he became associated primarily with the harvest.
His heritage, like many of the early Celtic gods, was complicated. Wikipedia does a good job of condensing it into a few lines:
Much of the early history of Ireland is recorded in the Book of Invasions, which recounts the many times Ireland was conquered by foreign enemies. According to this chronicle, Lugh was the grandson of one of the Fomorians, a monstrous race that were the enemy of the Tuatha de Danann. Lugh's grandfather, Balor of the Evil Eye, had been told he would be murdered by a grandson, so he imprisoned his only daughter in a cave. One of the Tuatha seduced her, and she gave birth to triplets. Balor drowned two of them, but Lugh survived and was raised by a smith. He later led the Tuatha in battle, and indeed killed Balor.

More information on Lugh can be found at Magic of Mythology
image found at PaganNews.com

Lammas, on the other hand, is a Christian celebration of the first wheat harvest. Farmers would take a loaf of fresh bread made from the current wheat harvest to church to offer as thanks and to ask for a blessing for the rest of the harvest. It was also called the Feast of the First Fruits and celebrated with bread and apples. This may a case of "if you can't beat em, join em" and a way to de-paganize a celebration without causing too much resistance. But this is primarily an Anglo-Saxon tradition and may only be related to Lughnasadh by coincidence. All farming cultures celebrate the harvest and these appear to be two separate celebrations by two different cultures at two different times in history.
I don't know how the two terms came to be interchangeable in neo-Pagan circles, but there is a distinct difference in their history.
Nowadays I think we are doing well to remember to celebrate the harvest at all (unless you happen to be a farmer) so I suppose the name is not all that important, but it is nice to know the origins of these things.

Celebrate by offering thanks for our abundant earth. Light candles of orange and yellow, burn incense of rose or sandalwood. Prepare a meal of lamb, wheat bread, apples and wine and offer it to Lugh or whichever deity you owe some thanks to. Don't forget to include some fun in the day including some games or competitions. photo found here

I am going to do it.

2010-07-28T17:55:00.001-06:00

And I am putting this on my blogs, FB, everywhere just so I don't stick it in a drawer and forget about it.
The Artist's Way is a 12 week project to free your creativity.

The first chapter includes a written commitment to follow through for the full 12 weeks. I am starting it tonight.
There is a website that has good information for anyone who is interested at The Artist's Way

seeker blog

2010-07-27T06:36:00.002-06:00

I am trying to get my blogs up and running again. While I have been on hiatus from blogging, I have been acquiring lots of info to share and want to get to it.
The Seeker blog is semi active again and needs your input. We had some discussions going and I dropped the ball.
I want it to be a good resource and I have decided to add a bloglist for each of the methods of divination listed on the page. I started with some Tarot bloggers. I have more, I will put them up later today or tomorrow. If you have or know of a good divination blog of almost any kind please let me know.
So stop in and visit and leave comments and information at Seeker.

July Full Moon, Mead Moon

2010-07-25T08:34:00.009-06:00

The Full Moon is July 25 at 9:37pm EDT

The Moon card from the Sacred Circle Tarot

Mead is the nectar of the gods. Now is the time to celebrate the fruits of the earth. The early harvest is nearly ready. The earth is in full bloom. Enjoy your life. Gather your herbs and do a spell for prosperity. Share your mead with the gods. Celebrate what you have accomplished.

smudging

2010-07-23T20:54:00.002-06:00

The Full Moon is coming up this weekend. Do you have any tools, cards, etc that you would like to smudge in time for ritual, but it takes forever to cleanse tools properly in the smoke of an incense burner?
Here is a way to do it fast and create a lot of smoke, so either do it outside or throw open the windows and doors.

Take a large flower pot, the big terracotta pots or something that shape works the best and a small baker's cooling rack. If there are holes in the bottom of the pot, cover them securely. Place a layer an inch or two deep of sand or fine gravel, like aquarium gravel, in the bottom. Place your incense charcoal in the bottom and light. Add your smudging incense or herbs. I like sage, not everybody likes the smell. Sandalwood is another good cleansing incense. Place the cooling rack on the top of the pot. Lay your tools or cards on the rack. The smoke will swirl deep in the pot and come out in a large cloud instead of a drifting spiral and it will fill the opening, covering whatever is on the rack.

Strength

2010-07-22T21:41:00.003-06:00

I did a guided meditation a couple of days ago and was told to pay attention to the Tarot card "Strength" This is the Shadowscapes Tarot.

The card speaks of perseverance, having confidence and unshakable resolve. There are many kinds of strength; strength is adaptive and passionate but not uncontrolled.
This card also attaches the swan and cats to the central figures. The swan is a Celtic symbol of movement and success or glory. Cats have been seen in many cultures as symbols of freedom and creativity, in this context they might also be a distraction from the main goal.
As an outcome card Strength tells us to keep moving toward the goal and attain success. As an advice card Strength tell us not to let emotions run unchecked and distract us.
Strength can also be about courage and a reminder that courage is not the absence of fear, but rather taking action in the face of fear.

and ye harm none....

2010-07-16T16:12:00.002-06:00

and ye harm none, do as thou will

I don't get all wrapped up in this. Lots and lots of discussions about what this means. I think you either have a moral compass or you don't and either way this is a simplistic, albeit confusing, directive.

I think Crowley proposed a more challenging way to think about this:
Do as thou wilt shall be the whole of the law. Love is the law, love under will.

And St. Augustine of Hippo phrased it slightly differently:
Love and do what thou wilt.

Draw the Circle

2010-07-13T18:38:00.002-06:00

any energy to spare?

2010-07-12T18:58:00.001-06:00

Send some good energy and do a little magick for me, would ya?

Here is the scenario, as short as I can make it.
A couple of years ago I started doing PR in the Horse Industry. I am a competitor and instructor and I loved learning how to do this. Made a fair living working for a marketing company.
A year and a half ago I quit to take care of my mother who had terminal cancer and passed away in December. Since then I have been working part time and trying to get a PR business of my own up and running. Part time with a long commute still eats up the day and I am sooooo unmotivated to work on this in the evening.
Fast forward to present.
I have my website up and looking as good as I can make it right now, I could dither and tweak it forever, but that doesn't help.
I have collected a list of companies that fit what I do and how I like to work.
Here is the kicker:
I took off a week (unpaid) from the part time job to jump start this endeavor. I want at least 2 new clients by the end of the week.
And I hate this part. I love doing the work and dealing with the clients and the media, but I hate selling myself to prospective clients. I can find many many many reasons for procrastinating.
I am doing magick, I have a schedule that I have managed to stick to for, oh, half of the day, with progress on the other half.
If you have any energy to spare, even in the form of a kick in the pants it would be appreciated.
And if you have a little magick to send my way I would be eternally grateful.

Repeating New Moon Ritual

2010-07-11T16:58:00.001-06:00

Sorry this is late, I was thinking the New Moon was on the 12th.

New Moon is July 11 at 3:40 pm EDT

the new moon is in Cancer

You will need:

One candle to honor the Goddess in her new moon, blue or white is nice, any color is fine. I have a large pale blue/green candle that I use for all moon rituals.

Incense or sage for cleansing the area.

A small unused notebook and a pen.

Four items to honor the elements.

I sometimes use:

a small bottle of sand for the element of earth

a feather for the element of air

a red candle for the element of fire

a small cup of water for the element of water

When I am in a candle mood I use candles for the elements:

brown or green for earth

yellow or pink for air

red or orange for fire

blue or white for water

Cleanse the area with incense or sage. I create sacred space by simply grounding and centering and visualizing an area around myself filled with energy, closed to random or chaotic spirits and open only to those I invite.

Call the Elements.

I start with Earth. If you are using candles, light them as you call each Element.

Calling them can be as simple as 'I call the Element of Earth to attend and add energy to this sacred space' or as elaborate as you wish.

After calling the Elements, take a moment to honor Goddess, ask her to look favorably on this ritual that you offer up to her and light the candle for her.

Take a few minutes to sit quietly. Reach out to the Elements for additional energy and power. Fill the space around you with their power and energy and reflect on the new moon as an opportunity for new beginnings. An opportunity that we are offered over and over again.

Take your notebook and write something along the lines of:

I will manifest these things that I desire and need in my life and I will do so without harm to anyone else.

Then begin to write down what you need to create in your life. It can be a few things or many. Large or small, tangible or not.

Concentrate on manifesting these things in your life without harming anyone else.

Release the energy that you have created with this work and send it out into the universe to do your bidding.

Thank the Goddess for her presence in your life and put out her candle.

Thank the Elements for loaning you their energy and ask them to return to their own realms, putting out their candles (if any).

Bring yourself back to normal time/space, ground the energy creating your sacred space.

_____________________________

On the full moon take your notebook and cross off any items that have manifested in your life since the new moon. On the next new moon create a new list, leaving off the things that have already arrived. Do not just cross off and add to the old list, each new moon write down the new list.

On her blog Liz has a cleansing ritual bath that would be a wonderful way to prepare for this ritual. Check it out at Lizzie's Logic.

Are you a witch?

2010-07-04T17:39:00.000-06:00

Do you self identify as a witch, regardless of whether you ever use that term to describe yourself to others?

Why do you? What makes you a witch? Or why don't you?

Send me your answer at pagantapestry@gmail.com
I want to print the answers I get as a group in a post. I will remove all names except my own and I will give you my answer too.

This looks like a very interesting book

2010-07-03T06:38:00.002-06:00

Wicca, Magickal Beginnings
by
David Rankine, Sorita D'Este

I listened to an interview with David Rankine on Witchtalk (blogtalk radio) and I can't wait to read this book. I plan to order it this week.

David talked about the origins of Wicca and Witchcraft, what we know and what we don't know.

He traces the idea of Witchcraft back through time through the contemporary writings. References to witchcraft are continuous throughout history. And if you reject the idea of a continuous cohesive history of witchcraft, what about the idea of a continuously emerging practice, reinventing itself?

In his interview David also talked about how Wicca today is not a distinct practice but an eclectic collection of ceremonial magic, folk magic and mythology. I hope that he covers this in depth in the book also.

If this book lives up to the interview it will be well worth reading. I'll let you know.

OOPS...big correction....I originally listed this interview as being on Hex Education and it was not. It was on Witchtalk....sorry bout that Kharagan! You can listen HERE.

a cornerstone?

2010-06-29T17:09:00.003-06:00

Horatio did not much like being confronted by a ghost. And he did not much like Hamlet saying to him:

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

I think that somehow this must be a tenet of Paganism.

Isn't the unknown, unrecognized, undreamed of possibilities....what we are all about?

June Full Moon

2010-06-25T19:58:00.000-06:00

The June Full Moon is at 7:30 am EDT.
There is also a partial lunar eclipse earlier in the morning and visible from the Pacific.

Lover's Moon, Strawberry Moon, Rose Moon, Honey Moon, Flower Moon

Unlike some of the winter full moons, it seems that everyone wanted to name this moon. But all names are about good things, abundance, beauty, love.
Now is the time to take care of your garden, your job, your family, the things that are important to you.

This Full Moon feel like a good time to share ritual with friends. The coven that I occasionally circle with is, I think, out on the mountain tonight. I forgot to check their schedule. The local Unitarian church is holding a circle in a city park. I might join them.

I offer Full Moons to the universal energy, Goddess and do not usually bring specific goddesses or other energies into circle. The white peonies bloomed very late this year and there are some left for my altar. Peonies are spring flowers (usually) and can symbolize a prosperous life or marriage.

Full Moon blessings to all of you.

Hekate

2010-06-24T06:20:00.002-06:00

There is a new book out on Hekate, HEKATE Her Sacred Fires by Sorita d'Este, Raven Digitalis, and Vikki Bramshaw. Cool, I am planning to read it. But I am not building an altar for Hekate and declaring that I am now working with her as I order it from Amazon. I follow a lot of blogs and all over the blogosphere I am seeing people popping up with this new found interest in Hekate and claiming a deep understanding and relationship with her. And while some new to the Craft have always been smitten with the idea of Dark Goddesses, it is hard to watch. I saw one blog this morning of a very sincere and quite inexperienced writer, who was delighted just a few weeks ago to find Cunningham's books, now writing about her new workings with Hekate.
I know a few, a very few, people who work with Hekate. They are thoughtful, careful and respectful in their dealings with her. Yes, they are excited about the new book too, but they are not basing their relationship on it.
For anyone thinking of approaching a Dark Goddess based on one book or online chatter, Tolkien offered some very good advice, "do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger."
Apply that to the Dark Goddesses and think about it before you ask one of them to dance.

Mineral and Crystals

2010-06-22T20:00:00.001-06:00

I have Cunningham's book on Gem and Crystal Magic, but I am looking for something along the same lines, but with more stones and crystals and more information. Any suggestions? I was thinking about the Crystal Bible, I have seen it in stores and enjoyed looking through it, but I found the mineralogists on Amazon pointed out errors in crystal structure, class etc. Not really into that, but those things are easy to look up and if you don't get those right and your proof reader doesn't check, it has to make the rest of the information suspect. I may be passing on a good book, but I would like to find something else. Any suggestions?

Summer Solstice

2010-06-21T06:33:00.002-06:00

BBC photo from Stonehenge, Summer Solstice 2010.

Unlike the Winter Solstice, which was and to some extent still is, a time of quiet desperation and hope. The Summer Solstice is a time of celebration. The harvest is coming, the days are long, the weather is warm.

Most of you know by now that I am more a digging in the dirt kind of pagan than a formal ritual kind of pagan. I offer these few days of Solstice celebration to Amaterasu, Japanese sun goddess, who brought the dawn to the earth. I spent a little time tending my poor neglected garden yesterday and today I am planning lunch in a park by a lake. I will spend some time reading and thinking about the sun gods and goddesses and their role in human celebrations.
If you are engaged in formal ritual this solstice, may I suggest that you also go outside, put your feet in the dirt and turn your face to the sun and feel the life of this planet, this universe, coursing through you.

Scroll down to the next post for the story of Amaterasu.

Amaterasu

2010-06-21T06:07:00.001-06:00

Amaterasu

The Japanese Shinto sun goddess, ruler of the Plain of Heaven, whose name means 'shining heaven' or 'she who shines in the heavens'. She is the central figure in the Shinto pantheon and the Japanese Imperial family claims descent from her ¹. She is the eldest daughter of Izanagi.She was so bright and radiant that her parents sent her up the Celestial Ladder to heaven, where she has ruled ever since.

When her brother, the storm-god Susanowa, ravaged the earth she retreated to a cave because he was so noisy. She closed the cave with a large boulder. Her disappearance deprived the world of light and life. Demons ruled the earth. The other gods used everything in their power to lure her out, but to no avail. Finally it was Uzume who succeeded. The laughter of the gods when they watched her comical and obscene dances aroused Amaterasu's curiosity. When she emerged from her cave a streak of light escaped (a streak nowadays people call dawn). The goddess then saw her own brilliant reflection in a mirror which Uzume had hung in a nearby tree. When she drew closer for a better look, the gods grabbed her and pulled her out of the cave. She returned to the sky, and brought light back into the world.
Later, she created rice fields, called inada, where she cultivated rice. She also invented the art of weaving with the loom and taught the people how to cultivate wheat and silkworms.
Amaterasu's main sanctuary is Ise-Jingue situated on Ise, on the island of Honshu. This temple is pulled down every twenty years and then rebuild in its original form. In the inner sanctum she is represented by a mirror (her body). She is also called Omikami ("illustrious goddess") and Tensho Daijan (in Sino-Japanese pronunciation).

She was called the 'illustrious ancestress of the Emperor' prior to 1945. At that time, the Japanese Emperor disclaimed any form of divine ancestry and polytheistic ancestor worship was no longer permitted.

This article by Micha F. Lindemans found here.

Healing prayer for the gulf

2010-06-13T19:46:00.004-06:00

Perhaps more useful than sending all our anger blasting out into the universe.

Dr Masaru Emoto's healing prayer:

"I send the energy of love and gratitude to the water and all the living creatures in the Gulf of Mexico and its surroundings. To the whales, dolphins, pelicans, fish, shellfish, planktons, corals, algae and all living creatures...I am sorry. Please forgive me Thank you. I love you."

source: Donnaleigh de LaRose on Facebook

Our repeating New Moon Ritual

2010-06-12T07:05:00.000-06:00

New Moon is June 12 at 7:15 am EDT
the new moon is in Gemini

You will need:

One candle to honor the Goddess in her new moon, blue or white is nice, any color is fine. I have a large pale blue/green candle that I use for all moon rituals.

Incense or sage for cleansing the area.

A small unused notebook and a pen.

Four items to honor the elements.

I sometimes use:

a small bottle of sand for the element of earth

a feather for the element of air

a red candle for the element of fire

a small cup of water for the element of water

When I am in a candle mood I use candles for the elements:

brown or green for earth

yellow or pink for air

red or orange for fire

blue or white for water

Call the Elements.

I start with Earth. If you are using candles, light them as you call each Element.

Calling them can be as simple as 'I call the Element of Earth to attend and add energy to this sacred space' or as elaborate as you wish.

After calling the Elements, take a moment to honor Goddess, ask her to look favorably on this ritual that you offer up to her and light the candle for her.

Take your notebook and write something along the lines of:

I will manifest these things that I desire and need in my life and I will do so without harm to anyone else.

Then begin to write down what you need to create in your life. It can be a few things or many. Large or small, tangible or not.

Concentrate on manifesting these things in your life without harming anyone else.

Release the energy that you have created with this work and send it out into the universe to do your bidding.

Thank the Goddess for her presence in your life and put out her candle.

Thank the Elements for loaning you their energy and ask them to return to their own realms, putting out their candles (if any).

Bring yourself back to normal time/space, ground the energy creating your sacred space.

_____________________________

On her blog Liz has a cleansing ritual bath that would be a wonderful way to prepare for this ritual. Check it out at Lizzie's Logic.

book: Druid Magic

2010-06-05T18:49:00.002-06:00

I found a copy of Druid Magic by Maya Magee Sutton in a used bookstore for a couple of dollars. I leafed through it, it looked like it might be fun to read and there was a section on Druid history. Since Druid history is a highly debated subject I thought it might be interesting to get this author's take on it so I bought it. I admit I also felt bad for it all alone on an entire wall of Christian writings and one book by Edgar Cayce. It obviously needed a home.
I looked it up on Amazon and found reviews all over the place. By far the majority liked it. Some liked it with reservations and a few really tore it to bits. The best I could tell, the main criticism wasn't so much what was written but rather that it wasn't scholarly enough. At least two critics who really hated it suggested that readers stick to authors like Ellis.
Hmmmmm..... I have The Celts: A History and Celtic Myths and Legends by Peter Beresford Ellis. He is the acknowledged authority in the field and I have manage to plow through these books and probably will read his books on the Druids. BUT, his writing is academic and can be pedantic. It is not for light reading with some education thrown in. Druid Magic, from what I can tell just leafing through it and reading the first few pages, is not intended as a serious scholarly work, but rather as an informative and relatively easy read.
If everything about the Druids is supposed to be written in the most arch and academic style possible in order to be worth reading.......then it isn't going to be very interesting. Even I know that real information on the Druids is sketchy at best and therefore some writers go to extreme lengths to defend their hypotheses.
I also know that reconstructionists believe that the Druids were the scholars and record holders of their day....but does that mean that everything has to be on the far side of serious? I learned more history from the history professor who thought that history was a hoot than from the one that droned on and on about it.

I'm just starting to find things to read about the Druids and already questioning the wisdom of the self identified high mucky-mucks of the tradition. Oh wait, don't tell me.... Wiccans aren't the only ones who go online with preposterous titles and awe inspiring resumes and wait for the masses to swoon at their feet.

Summer Solstice

2010-06-03T19:25:00.003-06:00

Hibiscus Moon had these wonderful Summer Solstice Sachets in her Etsy store and featured on Facebook. I just had to have one. Citrine, pyrite, lavender, meadowsweet, sage, heather and more. All some of my favorites. I could have put it together myself, but as you can see, she puts a lot of energy and care into her work and I am happy to include that energy in ritual.
Now I am starting to plan a ritual for Litha and I am pondering selecting a deity that I don't usually work with to honor. A Sun Goddess. The only male god I work with is Hern and he is not a sun god. (a few words about Hern here)
It's early yet. Any suggestions for a Sun Goddess?

Hare Moon, Planting Moon, May Full Moon

2010-05-27T20:30:00.001-06:00

May Full Moon

Known as the hare or planting moon, this moon arrives in a time of romance, passion and wisdom. Seeds that you have planted are beginning to grow. You may have to make choices about which path to take, which career track, which romance. Sit back for a moment and observe the things that are manifesting in your life. Use your favorite divination to help make choices.

Full Moon is May 27th at 7:07pm EST.

World Tarot Day

2010-05-24T16:40:00.001-06:00

May 25 is World Tarot Day. There are some special activities planned on some very good tarot sites and shows. Here are the ones I am going to be listening to.

World Tarot Day.org

Tarot Today on Blogtalk Radio

Beyond Worlds - Tarot Tribe

Check out the link for the times in your area and enjoy World Tarot Day.
If you know of any others - if you are doing something special yourself, please post it in the comments.

my newest favorite card

2010-05-22T12:05:00.000-06:00

The Hierophant from the Shadowscapes Tarot

I have never had much connection to the Hierophant. He is supposed to be a voice of wisdom, more earthly wisdom than the High Priestess, but I have always had a hard time relating to him. He is often depicted with Christian trappings and usually appears to me to be the filter from the divine to me, the usual religious filter. Since this represents everything I have rejected in my spiritual life, I often do not give him much weight in a reading or I find myself looking for knowledge of negative things because he is there. My own little quirk, I admit.

But Stephanie Pui-Mun Law has created a Hierophant that I want to listen to and that I can listen to without being distracted by the organized religion themes found on many cards.

This Hierophant speaks of the wisdom of the earth because he is of the earth, not a go-between.

Here is the artist's description:

"The Hierophant's roots reach deep, entwined around secrets and traditions and the ages. He believes in ritual and ceremony, in pursuing knowledge and deeper meaning and in the rigidity of a belief system. He elucidates the spiritual and brings it to the earthly plane. He is calm and in possession of himself and he is the teacher who can help unravel mysteries."

It is amazing what a different image can do for our perceptions.

Druidism

2010-05-19T19:35:00.000-06:00

Can anyone recommend some good reading about modern Druidism? Or even opinions about what is a waste of time.
I went to Amazon last night to see if I could find something and there is so much! I know enough about witchcraft to be able to browse books and see what might be interesting reading, but I am kind of at a loss about Druidism and have a new curiosity. Help me out.

Our repeating New Moon ritual

2010-05-12T05:22:00.000-06:00

New Moon is May 13 at 9:04 pm EDT
the new moon is in Taurus

You will need:

One candle to honor the Goddess in her new moon, blue or white is nice, any color is fine. I have a large pale blue/green candle that I use for all moon rituals.

Incense or sage for cleansing the area.

A small unused notebook and a pen.

Four items to honor the elements.

I sometimes use:

a small bottle of sand for the element of earth

a feather for the element of air

a red candle for the element of fire

a small cup of water for the element of water

When I am in a candle mood I use candles for the elements:

brown or green for earth

yellow or pink for air

red or orange for fire

blue or white for water

Call the Elements.

I start with Earth. If you are using candles, light them as you call each Element.

Calling them can be as simple as 'I call the Element of Earth to attend and add energy to this sacred space' or as elaborate as you wish.

After calling the Elements, take a moment to honor Goddess, ask her to look favorably on this ritual that you offer up to her and light the candle for her.

Take your notebook and write something along the lines of:

I will manifest these things that I desire and need in my life and I will do so without harm to anyone else.

Then begin to write down what you need to create in your life. It can be a few things or many. Large or small, tangible or not.

Concentrate on manifesting these things in your life without harming anyone else.

Release the energy that you have created with this work and send it out into the universe to do your bidding.

Thank the Goddess for her presence in your life and put out her candle.

Thank the Elements for loaning you their energy and ask them to return to their own realms, putting out their candles (if any).

Bring yourself back to normal time/space, ground the energy creating your sacred space.

_____________________________

On her blog Liz has a cleansing ritual bath that would be a wonderful way to prepare for this ritual. Check it out at Lizzie's Logic.

Elemental Garden

2010-05-10T06:52:00.000-06:00

Wander over to A Witch in Time and see how to build an Elemental Garden.
This is a wonderful idea.

I'm so excited....

2010-05-05T17:22:00.000-06:00

I got a new Tarot deck today. It's a new, new one, just released, I have been waiting for it. Check it out here...
Shadowscapes Tarot

Happy Beltane!

2010-05-01T06:23:00.000-06:00

Beltane

2010-04-30T07:12:00.003-06:00

Edinburgh is expecting 12,000 people to show up to celebrate the fire festival there. I would love to see that.

Beltane is the ultimate fire festival. The third of three spring fertility festivals and named in honor of fire, Bel, itself. It has long been celebrated in northern Europe and is one festival that the Church was hard pressed to attempt to co-opt. The maypole beat out the crucifixion as a way of celebrating spring, hands down.

There is no wrong way to celebrate Beltane. Chances are there is a fire festival, Maypole dance or a drum circle near where you live. If not, and you don't want to start your own (those pesky neighbors again), simply do something outside. Walk, run, plant something, feel the sun on your skin. Light an orange or red candle, ask the Element of Fire to enter your life with it's passion and creativity. Honor whatever Sun God you converse with. This is the wild, passionate, masculine energy to balance the gentle, coaxing spring energy of Ostara. I'm not normally much on duality and balancing energies, but this is the obvious exception.

Happy Beltane!

April Full Moon, Seed Moon

2010-04-27T19:32:00.000-06:00

Fertility is in the air. This is the time for planting. Planting seeds. Seeds of plants, projects and magick. Do some magick for new beginnings. Plant some magickal plants in your garden for your magickal needs all year long. If you have been making plans, time to stop planning and start planting. Get started. Bring new things into your life to grow now.
I have containers for a container vegetable garden ready to go and I will be planting seeds at the Full Moon. And I am doing some herbal magick for my business to grow. I will put the spell I am using up on Borrowed Book of Charms tonight.

Full Moon is April 28 at 8:18am EDT more astrological information found here.

Earth Day

2010-04-22T06:45:00.003-06:00

If we were going to add a new sabbat to the Wheel, this would have to be it.

Earth Day

2010-04-19T22:02:00.002-06:00

The 40th Annual Earth Day is April 22

go to earthday.org for information

If you are on Facebook please check out Cascadian Farms fan page. They are pledging to donate $1 to organic farming research for everyone who pledges a green activity through their site. It doesn't cost you anything, you just click on one of the activities listed that you would be interesting in doing. Everything from installing a composting toilet to planting a tree.

listen more often to things than to beings

2010-04-16T19:59:00.001-06:00

tis the ancestors' words when the fire's voice is heard
tis the ancestors' words in the sound of the water

New Moon, Energy and Reiki

2010-04-14T05:14:00.004-06:00

I have been studying Reiki for a while, received my first atunement a few weeks ago and tonight I will do my first treatment on someone else. It has definitely helped me, now hopefully it will help another.

April New Moon

2010-04-14T05:09:00.006-06:00

New Moon on April 14, 2010 at 8:29am EDT. New Moon is in Aries.
Here is our New Moon ritual again.

You will need:

One candle to honor the Goddess in her new moon, blue or white is nice, any color is fine. I have a large pale blue/green candle that I use for all moon rituals.

Incense or sage for cleansing the area.

A small unused notebook and a pen.

Four items to honor the elements.
I sometimes use:
a small bottle of sand for the element of earth
a feather for the element of air
a red candle for the element of fire
a small cup of water for the element of water

When I am in a candle mood I use candles for the elements:
brown or green for earth
yellow or pink for air
red or orange for fire
blue or white for water

Cleanse the area with incense or sage. I create sacred space by simply grounding and centering and visualizing an area around myself filled with energy, closed to random or chaotic spirits and open only to those I invite.

Call the Elements.
I start with Earth. If you are using candles, light them as you call each Element.
Calling them can be as simple as 'I call the Element of Earth to attend and add energy to this sacred space' or as elaborate as you wish.

After calling the Elements, take a moment to honor Goddess, ask her to look favorably on this ritual that you offer up to her and light the candle for her.

Take a few minutes to sit quietly. Reach out to the Elements for additional energy and power. Fill the space around you with their power and energy and reflect on the new moon as an opportunity for new beginnings. An opportunity that we are offered over and over again.

Take your notebook and write something along the lines of:
I will manifest these things that I desire and need in my life and I will do so without harm to anyone else.

Then begin to write down what you need to create in your life. It can be a few things or many. Large or small, tangible or not.

Concentrate on manifesting these things in your life without harming anyone else.

Release the energy that you have created with this work and send it out into the universe to do your bidding.

Thank the Goddess for her presence in your life and put out her candle.

Thank the Elements for loaning you their energy and ask them to return to their own realms, putting out their candles (if any).

Bring yourself back to normal time/space, ground the energy creating your sacred space.
_____________________________

On the full moon take your notebook and cross off any items that have manifested in your life since the new moon. On the next new moon create a new list, leaving off the things that have already arrived. Do not just cross off and add to the old list, each new moon write down the new list.

On her blog Liz has a cleansing ritual bath that would be a wonderful way to prepare for this ritual. Check it out at Lizzie's Logic.

Witch's Ladder part 2

2010-04-11T18:24:00.005-06:00

Here is more on the Witch's Ladder.
Remember when you are making one, it is the intent that counts. This is not an arts and crafts fair and you will not be graded on the finished product, which will probably turn out better than you thought anyway. When I was working on mine the horsehair was winning a battle with the yarn and twisting this way and that. I was very frustrated but tried to focus on the intent behind everything that I braided into or added to the string. I was quite pleased with the finished product, it had taken on a life of its on, did not look like I had planned and worked just fine.
My witch's ladder is in the previous post (a few days ago). The one pictured here is from Ann Moura's website and *sigh* it does look quite beautiful, doesn't it?

Ok, enough of that. Here is a wonderful witch's ladder to make with/for a child who is having nightmares. This witch's ladder will act like a dreamcatcher. If the child is old enough, have them make it with you. (PS.. it will also work for an adult) There is a longer version that I will be posting on A Borrowed Book of Charms.

You will need:
18 inches of three different colored ribbons/string/yarn
blue or indigo for restful sleep
silver for dreams
black to repel negativity

Tie your first knot and begin to braid.
'Nightmares, monsters
All scary things
I'm no longer afraid
Protected by these strings.'

Braid three inches and tie another knot.
'There is nothing there in the dark
That isn't there in the light
Even when the sun is gone
My heart has perfect sight.'

Braid three inches and tie another knot.
'The moon is out my window
Shining down with love
Protecting me at night
Til the sun rises above.'

Braid three inches and tie another knot.
'Closet doors are closed
Nothings under the bed
Now it's time to sleep
And rest my tired head.'

Braid three inches and tie the last knot.
'No nightmares, no monsters
Not one scary thing
I'm excited about tomorrow
And the fun that it will bring.'

You can add small bells or tiny mirrors to the knots for additional protection. You can anoint your knots with oils if you like. Hang it above the child's bed or drape it over a headboard, where the child can see it every night.

It's time!

2010-04-10T12:56:00.004-06:00

Do your part to help the battle against colony collapse.

The Great Sunflower Project

Many studies have been done on our agricultural bee populations and in recent times the commercial beekeepers have experienced colony collapse. What scientists had not studied on a large scale was how the wild bees were doing and what effect that has on pollination of garden plants, crops and wild plants.

In 2008, we started this project as a way to gather information about our urban, suburban and rural bee populations. We wanted to enlist people all over the US and Canada to observe their bees and be citizen scientists. We asked them to plant sunflowers in their gardens so we could standardize study of bee activity and provide more resources for bees. Sunflowers are relatively easy to grow and are wildly attactive to bees. Since 2008, we have expanded the list of plants studied to include Bee balm, Cosmos, Rosemary, Tickseed, and Purple coneflower.

So far we've found that the on average our gardeners are likely to see a bee pollinate every 2.6 minutes. Surprisingly, over 20% of our gardens never saw a bee! We want to thank all of our citizen scientists for being our observers.

You can participate by getting annual Lemon Queen sunflower seeds from us, at your local store or through one of these seed sellers. The instructions are here. Do join us! It takes less than 15 minutes.

Witch's Ladder

2010-04-04T20:56:00.006-06:00

A friend of mine taught a class a couple of weeks ago in how to make a Witch's Ladder. I had never heard of a Witch's Ladder so I went along to learn about them. It is basically knot magic and has been around for a very long time. The Witch's Ladder had a reputation for a long time as being knot magic for hexes and binding only, but it has lately come to be seen as just another form of knot magic and used for almost any spell. The effort of making the ladder and the focus of the objects in the ladder make it a wonderful tool for an important spell.
This one has 13 knots for the Moons and 4 more for the Elements. It has feathers to represent the mystical association of birds as messengers to the gods, the colors are to honor the Goddess, for protection, for peace and for prosperity. It has a long piece of hair from a horse's tail woven through it. I made it to do a spell for my horse who has some trust issues and the hair is from her tail.

Other items frequently woven into a Witch's Ladder are small bells, colored bits of yarn, colored crystals, tiny mirrors and separate intricate knots. The knots can be tied or untied as a spell progresses or the whole thing can be made ahead of time and left intact, which is what I did.

More on Witch's Ladders in a few days and I will be posting some spells to go with it, one might be just right for you or perhaps give you an idea for a spell of your own.

Facebook and Networked Blogs - Oops, Never Mind!

2010-04-03T15:44:00.005-06:00

Sorry about that! Pagan Tapestry was a member of Networked blogs for about 20 hours.
I joined Networked Blogs to promote a work site and then I saw that there were some pagan blogs that I followed that were members so I signed up this blog.
But the business blog got screwed up by that network. I had it set up so that I could put an entry on the website blog, it would feed to my Facebook business page, go out to my friends and then feed on to Twitter and go out there. All automatic.
So today I wrote a piece on the website and it went nowhere, not to Facebook and not to Twitter. Tracking the problem I found that Networked Blogs was BLOCKING it from feeding anywhere except to THEIR page and if I wanted it to go to my friends, post on my FB business page or go to Twitter, they wanted me to PAY THEM for free feeds that I had already set up. So I deleted everything and blocked them.
Be warned if you ever want to use them for anything like this...you can do it yourself with help from FB and Twitter for free.
So, since I blocked them this blog is gone too....sorry about that!

Equinox

2010-03-20T20:27:00.006-06:00

The Equinox is a special time. Balance. The balance between major shifts in season. The earth in balance, pausing in its swinging motion; every living thing responds.

The Solstices are days of change, beginnings, endings. The Equinoxes are days of balance, harmony, peace.

The Goddess Ostara, accompanied by the pastel colors of spring, the hare and the egg is honored during spring equinox.

Earlier, at Imbolc, Brigid carved the beginning of spring out of the cold of winter with her wisdom and her sword.
Ostara walks a gentler path, accompanied by the hare rather than the sword and brings the balance of this moment with her.

My altar this year is a simple green candle, a small statue of a hare and some spring flowers. Dragon's Blood incense for cleansing.

March New Moon Ritual

2010-03-14T19:52:00.005-06:00

This is the New Moon Ritual that I posted a couple of times last year. I love this ritual and wanted to share it again.

You will need:

One candle to honor the Goddess in her new moon, blue or white is nice, any color is fine. I have a large pale blue/green candle that I use for all moon rituals.

Incense or sage for cleansing the area.

A small unused notebook and a pen.

Four items to honor the elements.
I sometimes use:
a small bottle of sand for the element of earth
a feather for the element of air
a red candle for the element of fire
a small cup of water for the element of water

When I am in a candle mood I use candles for the elements:
brown or green for earth
yellow or pink for air
red or orange for fire
blue or white for water

Cleanse the area with incense or sage. I create sacred space by simply grounding and centering and visualizing an area around myself filled with energy, closed to random or chaotic spirits and open only to those I invite.

Call the Elements.
I start with Earth. If you are using candles, light them as you call each Element.
Calling them can be as simple as 'I call the Element of Earth to attend and add energy to this sacred space' or as elaborate as you wish.

After calling the Elements, take a moment to honor Goddess, ask her to look favorably on this ritual that you offer up to her and light the candle for her.

Take a few minutes to sit quietly. Reach out to the Elements for additional energy and power. Fill the space around you with their power and energy and reflect on the new moon as an opportunity for new beginnings. An opportunity that we are offered over and over again.

Take your notebook and write something along the lines of:
I will manifest these things that I desire and need in my life and I will do so without harm to anyone else.

Then begin to write down what you need to create in your life. It can be a few things or many. Large or small, tangible or not.

Concentrate on manifesting these things in your life without harming anyone else.

Release the energy that you have created with this work and send it out into the universe to do your bidding.

Thank the Goddess for her presence in your life and put out her candle.

Thank the Elements for loaning you their energy and ask them to return to their own realms, putting out their candles (if any).

Bring yourself back to normal time/space, ground the energy creating your sacred space.
_____________________________

On the full moon take your notebook and cross off any items that have manifested in your life since the new moon. On the next new moon create a new list, leaving off the things that have already arrived. Do not just cross off and add to the old list, each new moon write down the new list.

On her blog Liz has a cleansing ritual bath that would be a wonderful way to prepare for this ritual. Check it out at Lizzie's Logic.

March New Moon is Monday March 15th at 5:01 EDT.

Mundane and magickal

2010-03-07T16:17:00.008-07:00

I was reading Lizzie's Logic Blog where she is talking about the separation between our mundane lives and our magickal lives. I started to respond to it and my response got so long I felt it didn't belong in her comments, so I wanted to respond here.
Please go and read her blog too.

I have seen this discussed before, probably brought it up myself at least once, but I think this is a very important topic for pagans to think about.

We live in a society where many people go to church on Sunday, maybe go to a weekly social gathering of some kind that is church related on another day, pray when a disaster happens or they are scared out of their wits over something and that is called religion. Many of us were raised that way. There is very little crossover between daily life and religion... religion is Over There and daily life is here in the trenches.

This comes out of dogmatic, hierarchical religions where SOMEBODY ELSE tells you how to relate to deity. Where a book tells you what deity wants from you and on Sunday somebody stands up in front of you and tells you how to be a better person (or get what you want or stop sinning.... depending on the brand).
Well, SOMEBODY ELSE isn't with you all the time and even in this ultra Christian, puritanical society people look at you funny if you are carrying the book around all the time and constantly thumbing through it for guidance for the next 10 minutes.

And here is where pagans need to THINK about what they are doing and not just replace the god of Abraham with the god of whatever mythology you like.
Paganism is DIFFERENT. Not just in names and dates. IT IS DIFFERENT.
Paganism is about learning about deity for yourself, making decisions for yourself, taking responsibility for yourself, TALKING TO THE DIVINE in whatever form you perceive...FOR...YOUR...SELF.
All of the classes and books and podcasts and ALL of that is supposed to help you think for yourself, not do your thinking for you. If you are listening to a great pagan podcast in exactly the same way as you would listen to a minister deliver a Sunday sermon.....then YOU DON'T GET IT.

You are supposed to THINK about connecting with deity and then you are supposed to DO IT yourself...not let someone else lead you around by the nose or tell you in graphic detail how to do it.
If you are not connected to deity by yourself, if your paganism is restricted to circle or podcasts or classes being taught by a witch who did the hard work and figured out what works for him/her..... Then PLEASE go back to being Methodist or whatever, because you are just practicing Christianity under a different name.

[Lizzie is about now, VERY thankful that I didn't put this entire rant in her blog.]

Here are some very simple ways that I try to make sure that my pagan beliefs affect my everyday life. Tiny rituals all day long connect me to spirit, ground me and serve to remind me about what is important and what is not. I am not some goody goody, I just die laughing at the thought, but neither am I a go-to-church-on-Sunday-Christian.

I am a daughter of the Goddess, I am part of this living planet and I try to remind myself of this all day long, as many times as I can remember to.

I drive to work early, around sunrise, so it is easy for me to think of the Elements and make a little ritual out of driving to work. It gets interrupted sometimes while I rant about the driver that ran a red light in front of me, but it serves to bring me back to spirit and to remember to ask the Elements to watch out for me as I drive to work, just as I ask them to look out for me when I cast a circle and call on them to protect it. Same Elements.

Today I am working on the computer, listening to blogtalk radio, doing laundry and playing with the dogs. I am also burning a candle and incense in honor of Bast and thinking about her influence in my life. I am planning for Ostara, and as I watch the fog lift and the sun come out, thanking Goddess for a beautiful world and her beautiful energy, which I want to tap into more often.

No Sunday sermons, no dividing line between magickal practice and mundane practice. Try it, it's easy once you start making it a habit. It can change your life.

And that is the end of my rant.

Ariel on BlogTalk Radio

2010-03-07T09:51:00.003-07:00

I know that many of us listen to Ariel's podcast from the DCW or read his blogs and take part in his forum. So I wanted to give you a heads up. Ariel will be on BlogTalk Radio this evening, on Zaracon's show. It runs at 8pm EST and is a live show. You can also download it from iTunes later on.
This is the player that came directly from BlogTalk Radio, so it should work.

February Full Moon - Storm Moon

2010-02-28T15:05:00.004-07:00

Storm Moon also called the Quickening Moon or the Death Moon

The February Full Moon reminds us that we can weather any storm.
Imagine before modern society...February was a time of great hardship in the Northern Hemisphere. Lambs and calves were being born and perhaps there was a hint of new grass. But temperatures were extreme, storms were intense, the food selected in the fall to last til spring is running out. The first hint of spring brings hope, but not much else. Even spring harvest is far away and eating any livestock now means reducing the herd that will live 'til fall to supply food for the next winter. Now is the time to tighten the belt, keep the fires burning, nourish and care for any tiny living thing that brings hope. Few people in the western world live this way anymore, but the cycles of the seasons, the feelings of hardship and deprivation, the longing for spring are hardwired into us.

Take those feelings and the feelings that the cold and grey bring out in you and use them this Full Moon. Call on the Goddess for courage, for fortitude, for the wisdom to make good decisions in our lives. Our hardships, our life changing decisions, our goals and plans do not, in general, hinge on the turning of the seasons any more, but our ancestral memory does and this is the time to celebrate strength, to regroup in your life to rededicate your self to the things that you value. If your life is in transition, ask the Goddess for the wisdom to make the good decisions, not the easy ones. If things are going smoothly, ask the Goddess to be present as you continue down this path.

As you may know, I don't generally do magick on the Full Moon. Unless it is really necessary, I prefer to use these days to honor and celebrate the Goddess and life.
I will light a white candle and thank the Mother Goddess for life and do a meditation to connect with the energy of the universe.
Then I will burn some incense and thank Bast, who leaped into my life with a bucketful of courage not too long ago, to continue whatever it is that she is doing.

I hope your Full Moon is peaceful and blessed. Full Moon is at 11:38am EST.

Witchtalk again

2010-02-28T14:19:00.004-07:00

Here I am in the chat room again. Many more people this time. The guest is Donald Michael Craig, author of "Modern Magic" talking about the Kabbalah.
And I was wrong when I posted that these interviews are an hour long. They are two hours long. Very indepth talks and very enjoyable. 4pm EST on Blogtalk Radio. There is a link on the previous post from last week.

Witchvox

2010-02-25T17:09:00.003-07:00

Witchvox is now on Facebook. Search: The Witches' Voice Inc.
Become a fan and give them a welcome.

Witchtalk

2010-02-21T14:12:00.009-07:00

I am right this minute listening to Witchtalk live on Blogtalk Radio. I am in the chat room so I can talk to other listeners. I usually listen to Karagan on a podcast later in the week at work, but I have been wanting to experience this as a live interactive show, so here I am.
I will post a little about how this goes.
Witchtalk is becoming my favorite podcast/show right now. These hour long indepth interviews with pagan authors and activists are enlightening and inspiring.
This week the interview is with Sirona Knight. The link to the show is here.
Sirona is the co author of the beautiful Tarot deck, Shapeshifter Tarot. And an author with an impressive list of books to her credit. I have read a few of these, but for some reason the name of the author didn't click when I saw this interview. Here is a list on Wikipedia.

This was, as always, a good interview. Not a lot of 'chat' in the chat room. A few comments to the guest. I am going to try this again the next time I am at home when this show airs.

Is Imbolc over? Did I miss it?

2010-02-04T18:23:00.007-07:00

Short answer...No.
Depending on your sources Imbolc might be celebrated on February 1st, which is sort of traditional in North America. Or it might be celebrated on February 2nd, which is Candlemas Day, a Christian version of Imbolc. Or if you look at some astronomical data you might find that it is on February 4th. info found here
A friend of mine says her coven celebrated on the 2nd, according to their astrological data.
Many people, out of practicality, celebrate the Sabbats on their day off work, regardless of the actual date.

So, I wanted to take this opportunity to talk about my personal take on the Sabbats.
Many of us follow the Celtic calendar, more or less. Also known as the Wheel of the Year, this calendar shows us 8 Sabbats. Four of them are Sun Festivals, sometimes called the major Sabbats. These are the solstices and equinoxes. In my practice, the exact day and time that these fall on is important.

Some might say that modern science can pinpoint the exact moment of these occurrences, but how could ancient peoples have done this? So why should it be important?
All over the world are carved stones and piles of rock and carved crevices and holes in stone that line up precisely at the moment of these astronomical events. How they did this is not as important to me as the idea that they felt it was important to know the exact moment and mark it.
I try to mark these days on the exact moment also. A formal ritual on the day, if not at the exact time, has special meaning for me.

The other four Sabbats are known as the Fire Festivals or cross quarters.
In my practice the exact dates and times of these festivals are not as important as observing them.

In my thinking, the Sun Festivals are about what goes on in the heavens and the Fire Festivals are about what goes on here on the earth. The Fire Festivals are about celebrating the actual changes in the seasons and it is more important to fully appreciate these changes than it is to celebrate on a particular day.

Imbolc is an old Gaelic term that translates as 'ewe's milk' and refers to the beginning of the lambing season. This runs through mid-February and for the ancient Celts was the first tangible sign that spring was actually on its way.
Spring, the fertility of the flock, the turn of the wheel all were worthy of a celebration or Fire Festival.

In celebrating this day Brigid is often honored. Brigid is a Fire Goddess. She brings spring by breathing fire into the frozen earth.
Fire is the Element of creativity and passion. This is a good day to organize a ritual around creativity.
Do you need a boost in the area of creativity? Could you use her help in freeing up some creative feelings? Would you like to thank her for the creativity that you have and enjoy? Are you starting a new project/job that would benefit from a boost in creativity? Try your own variation of this:

Cast a circle, call the Elements to stand guard, light candles dedicated to Brigid.
Call on her and ask her to be present.
Take a few minutes and think about Brigid and her roles of shepherdess, fire goddess, healer and warrior. Think about where your own creative abilities or aspirations lay.
Make an offering to Brigid.
Sing, dance, draw, paint,write, cook, care for your plants, visualize the perfect fashion outfit, the perfectly decorated room, the abundant garden..... offer her, physically or mentally the best of your creative talents.
Now ask her to continue to bless your abilities and help you to find ways to grow. Meditate on this, visualize what you want to do, be receptive to any suggestions about how to grow and improve.
Thank Brigid for coming, put out the candles, let the Elements go and disperse your circle.

Happy Imbolc.

Full Moon and Brigid

2010-01-28T18:47:00.006-07:00

With a Full Moon and Imbolc so close together I am planning to connect the two. I want to ask Brigid for her blessing on Imbolc, as this day is dedicated to her. Since I don't normally work with Brigid I thought it would be nice (and polite) to introduce myself first by honoring her at the Full Moon.
Brigid is known by many names; Brigid, Bride, Brig, Brigantia, St. Brigid. She is a Celtic goddess of fire, a triple goddess. The Irish honored her fiery sword and the Scots honored her fire of home and hearth. She brings spring by breathing fire into the frozen winter earth and she is the shepherdess that delivers the first lambs of spring. Imbolc is dedicated to her and candles are used to represent her fire spirit. Christians named her St. Brigid and renamed Imbolc as Candlemas Day. But regardless of the name, the day was dedicated to asking the Fire Goddess for her blessings in the form of light and warmth.

Honor Brigid on the Full Moon with a simple candle ritual.
Connect with the Moon and the Earth in whatever way you wish. Meditation, music, dance, being outside in the light of the Full Moon are all great ways to celebrate the moment.

Anoint the candle with an oil that makes you think of Brigid. You may pick the oil you wish. Think of her various roles as warrior, guardian of hearth and home, healer, goddess of spring. Pick the oil for the association that helps you connect to the aspect of Brigid that calls to you.

Light the candle and mediate on the fire aspect of Brigid, ask her to be present with you at this time.
Make an offering the the form of a poem, song, blessing or prayer.

(This one is from Goddess Alive by Michele Sky)

I thank you Brigid, for you presence here in my home,
For giving me warmth of heart and hearth.
As the sisters of old, I have honored you in the traditional way.
May my love for you be felt through time and space,
Across the universe, upon the earth and under the sea.
Although the light of this candle goes out,
I carry your flame in my breast.

Most Blessed Brigid,
living light,
bright arrow,
sudden blaze,
Goddess of the sun
and of the eternal fire
I guard your flame.

***

That's all you need to do. Do more if you wish, but this is a respectful way to introduce yourself and the Full Moon is always a special day to connect with goddess.
Put the candle out and set it aside. You will want to use candles on Imbolc and this one can be relit and rededicated to her at that time.

Full Moon is Friday night/Saturday morning January 29/30 1:18am EST

image found here