Great Candles at this Etsy Store

Love the presentation of this candle. See more from this Etsy seller at:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/58232737/samhain-between-the-worlds-ritual-candle?ref=sr_gallery_21&ga_search_query=witch&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=&order=&includes[0]

Thought for today

To achieve your magickal goals try this task:


Think only that which you wish to experience.

Is Sharing Spells/ Ritual effective?- Part One

DEFINITIONS

In the article “When a Spell Becomes a Ritual-Magical Definitions for Pagans and Wiccans,” Elizabeth Yetter, points out the differences between a Ritual and a Spell.

Spells

Modern day Wiccan spells are very much like the spells used centuries ago. There are the spoken words, usually a rhyme that states a desire, and there are usually a few props, such as candles and incense. According to Hill and Williams (1965), “[t]he power of the spell derives from the power of words and incantation” (p. 154). For example, a love spell may require the person searching for true love to light a red candle and chant a simple set of words. After the person performs the spell, she is finished. She will not need to cast the spell again.

Rituals

Rituals, on the other hand, do not rely on the power of incantation alone. Instead, rituals rely on repetition. In the Oxford American Dictionary (1980), ritual is defined as “a procedure regularly followed” (p. 585). By this definition, a simple spell can become a ritual when the same person repeats it for a continuous desired effect. A repetitive procedure can be a group ritual where a coven initiates a new person into their group. The same welcoming ritual will be performed each time a newcomer decides to join the coven. Another form of ritual is casting a circle. Casting a circle is performed each time a practitioner of Wicca performs an act of magic, and is meant to create a magical barrier of protection.

Read more at Suite101: When a Spell Becomes a Ritual: Magical Definitions for Pagans and Wiccans http://www.suite101.com/content/when-a-spell-becomes-a-ritual-a31916#ixzz11IN6AOiK

Another dictionary defines a ritual as:

Ritual- according to the Free Dictionary

a. The prescribed order of a religious ceremony.

b. The body of ceremonies or rites used in a place of worship.

2.

a. The prescribed form of conducting a formal secular ceremony: the ritual of an inauguration.

b. The body of ceremonies used by a fraternal organization.

3. A book of rites or ceremonial forms.

Right, we’ve got the definitions out of the way. Now lets get down to the reasons we seek to perform these spells or rituals.

WHY PERFORM THEM?

Rituals in themselves give us a sense of stability. Performing a ritual over and over again inculcates certain ideas and associations in our minds. We begin to feel comfortable that things are going right.

But why do we need to feel this way? Spiritual practice as a whole connects the individual to the wider existence. Whether we work in a group, or on our own, the intention is the same. We like feeling a part of something larger than ourselves. All spiritual paths create this connection. Where witchcraft is concerned, however, our free-will gives us permission to actively do something to change our situation. Once we decide the direction we wish to go, a spell is usually our first option to introduce the change. For some, ritualizing the change assists with the reinforcing of the idea, and keeps the person on track for a longer period of time. This usually happens with deeper inner work which requires a mental shift in the perception of the practioner, nessecary over a longer period of time. We all know that changing an in-built mind programme is not easy.

In order to create the change that we want, our symbols in our work must connect with our inner core. For us to know the symbols that connect deeply, we need to know ourselves. A good place to start is the symbols/associations that we are drawn to most. It is also extremely helpful to know how we learn. This will be dealt with in the next Blog post.

Does the Spell or Ritual correspond to your inner core?

LEARNING STYLES

Some basic learning styles are visual, auditory, tactile, and I would like to add olfactory and gustatory. This are of course linked to the five senses, and all senses are required to cement the experience of the spell/ritual. Workers in Magick are all tactile. We want to do the work ourselves, not sit passively by and have it done for us. J In my experience developing a practice for myself, I have come to learn that the most effective spells are those where there is a lot of use of colour and scents. I am a very visual person, drawn to colour (being an artist I guess) and smells have a profound effect on my mental state, and can trigger emotions. As for the auditory part, silence is best for me. I can focus best there. (Some people work best with music). I have not explored the gustatory method effectively, and have only done two spells chanelling energies into food I prepared, the idea being that by ingesting the food I was ingesting the energies which would give me the power to achieve my spell’s goal.

Basic guidelines for each of the learning styles would be:

Visual – Knowledge of colour associations, symbols and understanding of emotions caused by images. Crowley’s Liber 777 is still the best reference for this.  http://hermetic.com/crowley/libers/liber058.pdf

Colour Therapy knowledge helps greatly. And techniques can include drawing the goal, crafting the image through collages etc while planning out the colours and symbols which would be used.

Auditory – Key to this is the understanding of the emotions that musical keys evoke in ourselves. Just like there are visual universal symbols, there are universal emotional reactions to the vibrations of the notes. More information on this can be found at: http://www.oldenwilde.org/oldenwilde/members/diu/quadriv.html

And also at http://www.gradfree.com/kevin/some_theory_on_musical_keys.htm

Olfactory- This obviously is where the incense comes in. Knowing the associations for each scent is also key. But also remember that if the scent is offensive to you its best to find an alternative. Liber 777 can also help as well as http://www.alchemy-works.com/planetary_corresp.html

Gustatory- Deals with the effect that taste has on our emotions. This is addressed in Magickal Cooking. The most comprehensive look at this aspect I have seen has been in the WITCHSCHOOL’s course on Magical cooking. But to culminate a spell with “cakes and ale” associated with your goal has to be exciting to anyone! Of course a knowledge of herbs and their associations help as well.

Herbs for health: http://www.moonsmusings.com/pagan/kitchen.html

General herbal associations: http://www.angelfire.com/ny4/sylverspage/herbs.html

Additional resources: http://www.ecauldron.net/bookherbals.php




The next part of this topic will explore how we can understand our touch stones and open discussion on creating our own rituals.

            

Family in UK captures Fairy on film.

Fantastic Video showing a fairy flying away from people. Love it!

Up comes Samhain

So up comes what has to be my most favourite time of year. I have always felt a connection to Halloween. And thats an odd thing.

Living on an island that does not celebrate this holiday at all there was a total absence of pumpkins, ghosts and goblins from my childhood days. There was, however, a feeling of something otherwordly hovering all around me between the periods of September to the end of October. At that time every year, I would get melancholy, pensive, in my analytical mood and it was only as I got older and removed myself from the prevailing mental constructs that I began to look inward more closely and analyze the moods I had.

I see the event as an opportunity to embrace things that we fear. Those dark,  decrepit feelings and moods that we are told are evil, wicked and destructive. As I grew older, I realized that there is the opportunity to take these very energies and channel them into something that may be positive. I have learnt that in time of emotional stress, or great challenge; summoning the powers of these moods assists in dealing with the seemingly great problem. The power of mischief can be very useful in dealing with fear.. mischief thought, not acted on. In this way, you control it, it doesn't control you.
I have summoned a warring spirit to deal with apathy.

None of these things, mind you required a whole lot of ritual. It was a simple matter of having felt the feeling and tapping into its strength to deal with whatever adversity was occurring at the moment.

Halloween, to me, gives permission to embrace the other side of ourselves. To look freely beyond the veil into those things that we fear, and learn to deconstruct that fear, turning it into a useful tool for taking us further spiritually.

Every year I pick one of those dark feelings in my inner self, and figure out a way to use those energies positively. I do not suppress them, for they will torture me and grow into something uncontrollable. I believe that finding a way for them to be expressed, in the context of being a useful tool is a much more appropriate way of dealing with them.

Embrace your dark side...and always remember...and ye harm none (including yourself) so mote it be.

One year more today

Haven't blogged for a while because I have been thinking about my future goals, and where I have come from to where I am heading.
Ironically, with all my wish for a life transformation (the kind of OMG! event that really has your life change) I am at heart a home body. My birthday present list runs more along the line of experiences...things are only temporary....experiences cause growth and stay with you. Some of the experiences I would like to have are:

1) The feeling of being a Sweepstakes Winner
2)The feeling of accomplishing something huge
3) The feeling of contributing to a great shift in the mental perception of some issue
4) The feeling of having the freedom to go wherever, whenever and not be bound my obligations, responsibilities and duties for a while..(Vacation away from home?)

I had set out this year to make these my to do list, however I have not accomplished even one. Number 2 is a possibility this year or early next year.
Still working on learning to "Think only what I wish to experience," and that is by far a most difficult task.

Beautiful Magic Boxes

Beautiful work by Elaine of Magic Boxes. Follow her blog with instructions here:
Magic boxes Blog
Or go to her website here:
Magic Boxes

Creative Furniture

Just posted this because I love it and I thought I'd share it.

Tim Burton

And another from the Tim Burton archives.......a delightful little animated film, said to be his first. Love the poem...most chanty.....

Tim Burton wedding cake

I am a huge Tim Burton fan, and couldn't resist this cake. I want one!!!!!!!!!
This is the perfect wedding cake for my dark side.....hmmmmmm now where can I find a victim...I mean groom........

Energies combine

Two paths has been emerging within my psyche, and at first I was looking at them seperatly, but now I see how they have been coming together slowly. Now I see where all the experiences before would have reached this point eventually.

The two issues which have been coming to a head are:

1) My creative side wishes to create something of mastery...something beyond the current mind. Something that requires me reaching further than myself.

2) My magickal mind wishes to seek something with a deeper meaning. It wishes to know something fully to the point of mastering the topic or issue...a deepening of faith or magickal connection.

And the two are related. Looking back at my life's journey I realized because what I sought, was far away from the mainstream of my experience, I had to sample bits and peices to eventually reach this point of knowing where my passion lies and understanding what I was meant to do with these experiences I have gathered.

One of Deborah Lipp's books highlights the problem I have in my mind. As an eclectic seeker I have walked among many magickal paths. But my eclectic mind seems to gloss over the details, getting the "jist" of the topic, and not seeking the deeper detailed meaning behind every line, every symbol and every hand gesture.
As she puts it :

Best of Traditional Wicca
Structured ritual: This imparts confidence to the participants; in a word, they know what they are doing. It engenders thoughtfulness. Traditional Wiccans are taught that each part of the ritual and each rule is there for a reason, so they tend to look for the reasons within ritual. Traditional rituals tend to have an overarching logic; the whole thing holds together.

In her analysis of the methods of approaching the Eclectic ways; she comments:

Worst of Eclectic Wicca
Dilution: A Wicca that allows everything and has no inherent rules can be very watered down and tepid, and eclectic ritual sometimes reflects this.

Now there are arguments against this very theory which Lipp herself outlines in her book: The Study of Witchcraft, but these are the point that resonate with me currently in my present state of mind.

From this point on, I am building a foundation for the future. It's the time for it. Saturn is in my Sun sign.... the energies are coming together. I want something less flighty, with more meaning. I want to create a strong solid foundation from which I can launch my future. Now that I know where I want to go, now that I have given up the traveling all over my brain, and trying different things, and I know the paths I want to be on, and I know the street where I want to live... so to speak.
I have realized my fear "triggers" and have dissolved their power, conquering my demons so to speak. I have explored all the other distractions and have found them lacking.

 Where I am heading now, I am heading because I know that this is where I am meant to go.....like going home....where my heart is...... Blessed Be.

                         

To cast or not to cast..or maybe how can I cast?????

My mind is still out on this one. I have been robbed.....they took my digital cameras and my cell phone. Now how can I cast a spell to force them to return them??
My mind is twisting and turning and weaving today. My intent for the spell is revenge....bad that is....as much as I think about charming my items so that they will be returned...I realize that I may be interfearing with a beings free will....wish I could freak the living daylights out of the buggers. Wish I could send a message that would curl the hair on their eyebrows in fear.
But that will be harming a person......
How do you weave a spell, which does not seem vengeful, or does not interfere with the person's free will, on a robber who stole something from you?  "An it harm none" so doesn't apply........

I could do a spell for Justice...but Justice does as Justice will do....meaning that any unresolved injustices I have done will come back to be settled with me. Not that I can think of any deliberate injustice I have done on anyone......but then some actions which are noble can cause reactions which are not.

Sigh........ my mind wrestles with the ethics of this one......better to just let it go...and let the Goddess handle this in the manner she sees fit.
Will do some protection spells on the house for now.

Back after a spell

I know I have seemed "missing in action over the past month, I do apologize. My laptop's harddrive had gone to the netherworlds and I had no real access on which to blog. Cannot imagine blogging at my day job. I can just see the looks on people's faces ..."My boss is a witch???" For sure no one will be objective or open minded in their dealings with me.

In the mean time my mind had turned to things of a more practical nature..I have been creating stitching witchery LOL ...okay sewing, and brushing up on those skills. Also my family has been taking a lot of my mental space. Single moms tend to have to think for more all.

The above pic is the cover of a magazine I found lately. Altantis Rising looks at alternative possibilities of explanations for our existence, history, science etc...it requires serious open-mindedness and makes a great read.

For the Trinis, yes I found it here. In Ellerslie Plaza's Drug Store in Maraval...just by chance. Its available online too. Google it.

The other series here is Wooden Books which I think I have mentioned before. You can buy the PDF of the book directly from them, or order the book at Amazon by clicking the link below.
I know for local witches finding research material is difficult, and expensive. I understand. 


......Hmmmm.....perhaps we should consider a book rental system...but I am hesitant to get any pages ripped out from my sweeties....you know how they are.
Anyway, I am back online, and the information would keep coming..........