Friday Form A Circle - The Omen Quest Divination Ritual

The Omen Quest
Divination Ritual
Source Unknown

The Omen Quest is based on the folk traditions of Scotland and other Celtic countries and is described and detailed in some of Tom Cowan's books on shamanism and Celtic shamanism. To the Celts, the places that were betwixt and between were doorways into the unseen world and the careful observer could tap into the magic of such places and receive information. Omens are observations of the everyday world around you. The positioning of a tree branch or the reflection of the sun on a puddle, suddenly take on new significance.

To do the omen quest, form a question that you would like answered. This is not the time for yes or no questions, something more complicated. The Summer Solstice is the time when our planting and planning of Imbolc, Ostara, and Beltane should becoming manifest. Once you have your question, go outside. Being in a natural place is always better, but there's no reason not to do it in a city. Spirit is everywhere. When your outside, find a betwixt and between place. Betwixt and Between is a border where you are neither in one place or another. Here are some examples:

• The Solstice - We are on the border of the growing light and the growing dark time of the year.
• Dawn/Dusk - The border of day and night - more importantly, not day or night.
• In A Doorway - neither in the house nor out of the house
• With Clothes On But No Shoes - neither dressed nor undressed
• In A Gate - neither in nor out
• On The Curb - neither in the street nor on the sidewalk
• In The Shadow Of A Tree - not beneath the tree but under the tree
• Shadows Of Any Kind - in the sun, not in the sun
• Edge Of The Water/In The Surf - neither on land nor in the water

Find your betwixt and between place. The more betwixt and between, the better. Take some deep breaths and ground and center. The reports in folklore ask you to "say your prayers and charms." So call on the help of the powers that are important to you, spirit guides, guardian angels, Gods, Goddesses, ancestors etc...

Think of your question. With that in mind turn to the East, close your eyes and ask - Where am I? Wait with your eyes closed until you feel a signal or an urge to open them. What is the first thing you see/experience? This is your omen. Now, the omens are simple every day things like:

• oak tree
• bird flying
• bird flying south
• sound of a hammer banging
• golden glow on the horizon
• woman in red dress approaching

Write down your first impressions with appropriate adjectives:

• dying oak tree
• knobby oak tree
• young oak tree
• oak tree with two trunks

If you write down an omen that sounds like: yellow 1954 Volkswagen beetle with flat tire. Crying woman with bleached blond hair sitting inside. Child on skateboard passing car on sidewalk heading S-SW on boulevard as hot dog man shouts, "Get 'em while their hot!" You missed it. Probably only one of those things is the first thing you saw. So keep that in mind. Write it down and move into the other three directions doing the same.

Turn to the South, close your eyes and ask - What is my strength?

Turn to the West, close your eyes and ask - Where am I going?

Turn to the North, close your eyes and ask - What is my power?

These are questions about your main question, what is my power in this situation/problem/change of life? Thank the powers and guardians you asked to help you.

Now is the time to interpret your omens. Some will be obvious to you. Remember, these were given to you and were chosen, because you would be able to know what they mean. So if you see lavender waving in the breeze, don't grab every herb lore book to find out what lavender means, what does it mean to you? Some will not be so obvious. I was once given an omen of a young oak waving in the breeze for my strength. To interpret it, I did a meditation and saw myself becoming the young oak. By shape-shifting into the oak, I saw the world through its eyes and its relationship to the rest of the forest. I realized that the message it was trying to give me was about living in community. My strength was community. Some other things may be confusing because you can't tell what you're seeing. I spotted a rock at the base of a tree as an omen. I went closer to the rock and it had painted on it "Believe". So, I think the omen in this case was not the rock, but the message "believe". Tom Cowan gives the example of the "golden glow." On further investigation, it turned out to be the sun reflecting on a yellow pool cover. Based on the person he was questing for and their discussions, they decided the omen had to do with the golden glow and not a pool cover. So, think on your omens. Journal and meditate on them. In the end, they will give you answers.

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Disclaimer: No one involved in this blog or its contents may be held responsible for any adverse reactions arising from following any of the instructions/recipes on this list. It is the reader’s personal responsibility to exercise all precautions and use his or her own discretion if following any instructions or advice from this blog.

Friday Form A Circle – Solitary Faery Queen & The Green Man Summer Solstice Ritual

Faery Queen & The Green Man Summer Solstice Ritual
From the Aurora Lights Circle (I included the link, ‘cuz I had one, but it’s dead )

Litha - June 21. Litha or Summer Solstice or Midsummer is the longest day of the year and celebrates the Sun at the height of his power. It includes the elements of Fire and Water for the sacred marriage of the God and Goddess and to acknowledge the need for the Sun and the rain to help the crops grow.

Activities for Litha:

• Play under a lawn sprinkler
• Have a picnic in a park
• Bless some water and then water the plants you planted on Ostara
• Decorate your front door with birch boughs, fennel, and roses
• Make a bird feeder*

Introduction to the ritual: In Ireland, the summer solstice was dedicated to the faery goddess Aine of Knockaine. In Wales & Britain, this was a time of Cerridwen and her magical cauldron. However, it was said in a great many places that this was a powerful time for faeries, elves & other supernatural beings. Today, Pagans believe that all the Little People are abroad in great numbers during this balance of Light & Dark. If you are on good terms with them, it's said that standing within a faery ring will help you see them.

It's an excellent time of the year to become friends with faeries and other such beings June & the Summer Solstice was considered the time of the Green Man and the Faery Queen in Northern Europe in particular. It's certainly a powerful Moon month for you to work on & strengthen your psychic abilities & contact with other realms of being. In the Mediterranean areas, this was a time of Pan & the Forest Goddess. Pan, with his pipes, enticed nymphs & maidens to rendezvous with him in the green woods for love & pleasures. The Green Man and the horned god Cernunnos may well be the Celtic version of the very ancient Pan.

The ritual: If possible, hold this ceremony outside at night. If you don't have a secure place, or have nosey neighbors, hold it inside a darkened room lit only by candles. Have ready fruit & flowers as offerings. You'll also need a green cord long enough to go comfortably around your waist. Have a few cookies to share with the faeries & elves. Dress in a comfortable robe. A garland of flowers is nice to wear on your head. At least have a vase of flowers near by. Either play a tape of flute or pan-pipe music or make the music yourself. Have beside you a chalice to Pan & the Lady of the Greenwood. Be happy & enjoy yourself, for Pan & the Lady don't like long faces & negative vibrations. Raise the chalice in offering, then take a drink. Chant:

"Strange music floats within the glade,
From reedy pipes that Pan made
The woodland god of Nature old
Has come back as the tales foretold.
With horned head and tapping feet,
I shall not fear him when we meet.
Great Pan is Nature at her best.
His soaring notes can give us rest
From care and worries, synchronized us with
the water, Earth, and skies."

Take some fruit & flowers to an eastern point. Lay them there & say:

"Great Pan and Lady of the Greenwood,
Release your pleasant breezes
To blow sweet and fresh upon the land."

Take fruit & flowers to the South. Lay them there & say:

"Great Pan and Lady of the Greenwood,
Let the tender sunbeams warm the Earth
And bring continued life."

Do the same in the West:

"Great Pan and Lady of the Greenwood,
Bless us with refreshing, renewing rains."

Finish by laying fruit & flowers in the North:

"Great Pan and Lady of the Greenwood,
Let the seasons come in the proper times,
Both on the Earth and in my life.
Bless me with good things.
Let life's lessons not be harsh and cruel.
All hail Pan and the Lady of the Greenwood!"

Raise one end of the green cord and kiss it. Say:

"The Lady of the Greenwood is love and happiness.
Her consort bows to her will this night.
Great Lady, bless me with all good things
And make my life fulfilled and bright."

(Save the green cord to wear on other occasions when you contact Pan and the Lady.) Lay an offering of cookies at each circle-point beside the flowers,
always moving clockwise, and saying at each point:

"All you Nature spirits and faeries,
I welcome your presence and aid."

Relax and let yourself be open to communication with the Little Ones and the woodland deities. If you do a meditation, invite them to make an appearance during your quiet time. Ask their aid in protecting your property, home & pets. Some of the Nature spirits and faeries will stay in your home year round if they are made welcome. End your ritual by thanking them for joining your celebration.

*Nest Building – For the Birds
From Tori’s Mom - She does come up with some good stuff. (Per Mom "Once in a while)

Wash the bag that onions come in. Collect dryer lint (you know, the crap off the screen you hafta clean with each load) in it. When it is full weave a string thru the top. You can then hang it in a tree for the birds, for their nest building.

Disclaimer: No one involved in this blog or its contents may be held responsible for any adverse reactions arising from following any of the instructions/recipes on this list. It is the reader's personal responsibility to exercise all precautions and use his or her own discretion if following any instructions or advice from `this blog.

Friday Form A Circle – Full Moon/Cleansing Rite

Full Moon / Cleansing Rite
I have no source info on this :(

Special tools:

• Cauldron filled with salt water

Altar Devotion.
Cast the circle.
Invocation of the Goddess:

I greet the Lady and call upon thee
Mighty Mother of us all, bringer of all fruitfulness.
I ask you, Mother, to descend upon my circle
And reside within me, thy priest/ess.

Invocation of the God:

I call upon thee O Great Father,
Sun and Consort of the Mother,
Who brings her light and warmth.
Come forth Mighty Horned One.
Live now within the body of this thy priest/ess.

Cleansing:
Anoint forehead with salt water

"I cleanse my thoughts
That they might be pure and honest -
Grant that they always be pleasing
To the God and Goddess."

Anoint throat

"I cleanse my voice
That all that I say
Might be for good
And naught for ill or harm."

Anoint heart

I cleanse my heart that it might be open,
Giving and full of light.
Grant that I might give freely
Of my love and care to others."

Anoint hands

"I cleanse my hands
That I might use them
For workings of good,
To help and never to harm."

Anoint feet

"I cleanse my feet
That they might take me far in life,
That my journeys may be
Filled with love, light, peace
And the joy of the Goddess and God."

Meditation for a time.
Cakes and Wine (eating bread and drinking wine or juice to restore energies spent during ritual). Release the circle, thank the God and Goddess.

Disclaimer: No one involved in this blog or its contents may be held responsible for any adverse reactions arising from following any of the instructions / recipes on this list. It is the reader's personal responsibility to exercise all precautions and use his or her own discretion if following any instructions or advice from this blog

Friday Form A Circle - Solitary Sabbat Spring Equinox Ritual

De-Anna Alba's Solitary Sabbat Spring Equinox Ritual
Written by De-Anna Alba from Pagans Online – but the link is dead – well not dead it takes you to a search engine now…

A Pace-Egging Ritual

The use of eggs in Spring Equinox rituals is a centuries-old custom. Our Pagan ancestors first used eggs in Spring fertility rituals in a variety of ways. With the coming of Christianity, the use of eggs was transferred to the celebration of Easter. The Greek Orthodox church uses red colored eggs to this day. They say the red color represents the blood of Christ shed for us in anticipation of the resurrection. (I feel there is a much older, more accurate, and certainly more Pagan explanation. It symbolizes the blood of birth that happens all over the animal kingdom at this time of year in the northern hemisphere. And by extension, represents the whole cyclical theme of death and rebirth, with an obvious emphasis on the rebirth part of the cycle.)

The use of eggs was also transferred to the "childish" celebration of Easter, including the Easter egg hunt, the Easter bunny (another fertility symbol), and various other sensuous treats like chocolate kisses, cream-filled eggs and jelly beans. (In other words, the fun and fertility were taken out of the original celebration and given to the children, while the adults concentrated on sin, suffering and getting their mortal souls saved via the crucifixion and resurrection of one divine sacrifice.

Modern Wiccans and Pagans have been reclaiming the fertility symbolism of the egg in their Spring Equinox rites for some time now. It usually takes the form of garden/seed planting rituals for those born with, or encouraging, a green thumb. Or, the use of colored or decorated eggs to encourage fertility to happen in their lives in one form or another--fertility of mind, body, spirit, whatever. This ritual is a variation on this last theme.

The ritual is to take place on, or near the Spring Equinox. If you are not able to do this on the actual day of the Equinox, or would prefer to do it on a weekend, I'd suggest you do it the weekend before the Equinox instead of after it. Part of the intention behind celebrating the Sabbats of the Wiccan year is to participate in and encourage the actual turning of the Wheel of the Year - to make sacred the cycle itself. If you wait until after the holiday, you've lost the opportunity to participate in the sacred turning (although you can still honor this after the fact).

Depending on your time, inclination, and perhaps your physical capabilities, you can do this ritual in one of two ways. It's intended to be a ritual that includes some walking and/or driving around. If this seems too much for you for whatever reason, you can simply eat the eggs over a period of days. Read on to see what I mean. The purpose of this ritual is to seed things you would like to have come into your life during the upcoming season of birth, growth, maturity and harvest. You will decorate one egg for each of the things you wish to have bloom or bring to fruition in your life. Take some time during the week before the ritual to decide what those things will be. If you're like me you'll need to write them down so you don't forget. Think about any colors, symbols or designs you might associate with each thing you want to manifest in your life. Write them down as well if you need to.

Conveniently enough, Easter is coming soon, so you'll be able to go out and buy egg dying kits. Just be sure the kit you choose includes one of those wax crayons for drawing on the eggs. You know, the kind that writes in invisible wax on the egg and then the writing (or drawing) magically appears on the egg when it is placed in the coloring medium. If you're planning on doing the pace-egging part of the ritual, you'll need to locate a small digging trowel or trench-shovel as well. The object here is to symbolically decorate each egg and then take it to a place associated with the things you'd like to bring into your life and plant it there. For example, if you want to bring more psychic ability into yourself, you might want to take an appropriately decorated egg to a body of water and drop it into it. Water is associated with things psychic. If you need to slow down the pace of your life, you might want to bury an egg dedicated to that purpose at the base of a slow growing tree, like an Oak If you want to bring love into your life, trying burying the appropriate egg in a spot beneath the intertwining branches of two trees. You get the idea

On the day of the ritual, hard boil your eggs. That night, gather together all the things you will need to create the number of eggs you'll need. Set it all up in your ritual space. (On a practical note, you may wish to turn your kitchen table into your altar for the night so that you'll have plenty of space in which to work and access to other things you might need from the kitchen that you may not have anticipated, like water, spoons, towels, etc.) Have your usual altar accoutrements there as well. Once your altar/work area is set up, take a few minutes to mentally / physically prepare yourself for ritual. (Ritual bath, meditation, smudging, whatever you usually do.)

Cast your circle, call the quarters and invoke Goddess (or do whatever it is you do to create sacred space and call on/up the divine). Now begin creating your eggs. Be sure to concentrate on/visualize what you want to have happen as you create them. Repeat affirmations to yourself about each one if you find that Magically useful. When you are done with all of them, place them in a basket or cauldron and say a spell over them that summarizes all the actions/things you'd like to have manifest. Dismiss your circle, etc.

Now take your basket of eggs, your trowel, and anything else you think you'll need, and "plant" each seed/egg where you think it Magically belongs, thinking about the egg's intent as you "plant" each one. This could take place within the space of a couple of hours or over the space of a couple of days, depending on your own preferences. If, for whatever reason, you are unwilling or unable to take your eggs out and "plant" them, simply put them in a basket and place them in the refrigerator. Then eat one each day for breakfast until they are gone, visualizing the Magic of each egg being planted within you and beginning to take root and grow at once.

That's it! If you have children you can have them make eggs with their own wishes for themselves on them. Then you can hide them as in the traditional Easter egg hunt, and have them find them. Be sure to tell them that the finding and eating of each egg will be the trigger that releases the spell on each egg to begin coming true in their lives.

Disclaimer: No one involved in this blog or its contents may be held responsible for any adverse reactions arising from following any of the instructions / recipes on this list. It is the reader's personal responsibility to exercise all precautions and use his or her own discretion if following any instructions or advice from this blog.

Friday Form A Circle – Ostara/Eostar Ritual

Ostara/Eostar Ritual
from Under A Silver Moon

Needed:

• Spring flowers
• Cauldron
• Spring water
• Flowers/buds/blossoms, etc for wearing (optional)
• Pastel colored candles
• A small potted plant

Flowers should be laid on the altar, placed around the circle and strewn on the ground. The cauldron can be filled with spring water and flowers, and buds and blossoms may be worn as well. A small potted plant should be placed on the altar. Arrange the altar, light the candles and incense, and cast the Circle of Stones. Recite the Blessing Chant. Invoke the Goddess and God in whatever words please you. Stand before the altar and gaze upon the plant as you say:

"O Great Goddess,
You have freed yourself from the icy prison of winter.
Now is the greening,
When the fragrance of flowers drifts on the breeze.
This is the beginning.
Life renews itself by Your magic,
The Earth Goddess.
The God stretches and rises,
Eager in His youth,
And bursting with the promise of summer."

Touch the plant. Connect with its energies and, through it, all nature. Travel inside its leaves and stems through your visualization - from the center of your consciousness out through your arm and fingers and into the plant itself. Explore its inner nature; sense the miraculous processes of life at work within it. After a time, still touching the plant, say:

"I walk the Earth in friendship,
Not in dominance.
Mother Goddess and Father God,
Instill within me,
Through this plant a warmth for all living things.
Teach me to revere the Earth and all its treasures.
May I never forget."

Meditate upon the changing of the seasons. Feel the rousing of energies around you in the Earth. Works of magic, if necessary, may follow. Celebrate the Simple Feast. The circle is released.

Disclaimer: No one involved in this blog or its contents may be held responsible for any adverse reactions arising from following any of the instructions / recipes on this list. It is the reader's personal responsibility to exercise all precautions and use his or her own discretion if following any instructions or advice from this blog

Friday Form A Circle - * Satrina's Solitary Ostara Ritual *

* Satrina's Solitary Ostara Ritual *
written by Satrina J. Starlight; this had a link with it, but it’s dead :( If this is yours, and you have a site, let me know, I’ll link ya!

Preparation: For decorating the altar use dyed eggs and pink and green ribbons or streamers. Prepare the altar with the God and Goddess candles and the supplies for casting the circle. Include a soil-filled cauldron, a sword, a small shovel, a small pot, a few seeds of your favorite flower or herb, a Corn Dolly, and a Grape Dolly. The Corn Dolly should be dressed in white. The Grape Dolly should be dressed in green. The cauldron should be placed in front of the altar. Begin by casting the circle. Say:

Here I am on this day, Ostara, Lady Day, Rite of Eostre,The Vernal Equinox, And the first day of the planting season. I am here to understand life, death, and rebirth,and to give reverence to those who have endured each

Bow your head to think about how Ostara fits in one of the three groups above and how it fits in the Wheel of the Year. Say:

I stand at the gate between the living and the dead on this night when both light and dark are equal. I am here to witness the union of my Goddess, Mother Earth, the waxing Lady of the Moon,and of our God, Green Man, the waxing Lord of the Sun. Conception. . . a necessary transition on the Wheel of the Year

Lay the Dollies next to each other on the pillow. Say:

Now is the time of the Great Rite between the beloved Maiden, one of the three faces of my Goddess,and her consort, the beloved Sun King,one of the three faces of my God. I watch as the Goddess is impregnated by the God with the seeds of conception

Unite the blade of the sword with the depth of the cauldron symbolizing the Great Rite. Leave the sword standing. Hold the God candle and mingles the flame with the Goddess candle. Replace these on the altar and set them closer than they were before. Say:

The Elder Gods wish to bestow upon us the gift of knowledge.Thus they shall speak

Hold the Grape Dolly and Corn Dolly up high, one in each hand. Say:

These wise words are their gifts. 'There is a time for every purpose under the heavens above. Now is the time to sow that which will be reaped come fall and winter. Now is the time of the conception of the Divine Child which is necessary to keep the Wheel of the Year turning. As I plant these seeds of child and harvest, each dependant upon the other, the Wheel of the Year turns, the land also ready to take to it seeds.It is now your time to begin your sowing of seeds, material, spiritual, and symbolic, to ready you for the coming seasons.' So mote it be.

Place the Dollies closer to each other on the pillow. Say:

The Gods have shown me the way. Now, on this day of Ostara, at this time of planting and beginning, I shall sow my own seeds for the coming seasons.

Use the small shovel to transfer soil from the cauldron to the small pot. As you are plating the seeds, you should be thinking about your goals as though they were the seeds. You can now conclude the ritual. Say:

May these newly planted seeds material, spiritual, and symbolic, bring to me plentiful fruits and bounties.

Close the circle. Serve yourself hard boiled eggs, honey cakes, and eggnog. You can leave the cauldron and sword on the altar until Beltane to remind you of the seeds sewn on this day. Also leave plastic colored eggs to remind you of the conception of the Divine Child.

Disclaimer: No one involved in this blog or its contents may be held responsible for any adverse reactions arising from following any of the instructions/recipes on this list. It is the reader's personal responsibility to exercise all precautions and use his or her own discretion if following any instructions or advice from this blog.

Friday Form A Circle – Ritual for Internal Well Being & Luck In A New Home

Ritual For Internal Well Being And Luck In A New Home
found at khakani’s mystical world

Timing: At the Waxing moon.
Be sure to  gather things you need for the second part of the Ritual/Spell when making your preparations. 

Needs:

• A vial (about 100 ml) of water from a steadily flowing river, rain water, (bottled mineral water or sea water will work, but shouldn’t be first choice)
• Two blue candles
• Two white candles
• A candle in the color you feel best represents yourself
• A grey candle
• A black candle
• An orange candle
• Freshly picked lavender
• Crushed leaves & petals of a white rose
• Sage (optional)
• Blessed salt (optional)
• Blessed water (optional)

Before you begin sweep or vacuum the floor and generally clean the room you will be performing the ritual in. Remember, you’re creating Sacred Space.

Light the blue candles and place at the north and south points of a circle cast in your main living room. Light the white candles and place at the east and west points of the same circle. Scatter the lavender and rose evenly around the perimeter of the circle and sit within it, facing the north point. Cross your arms loosely over your chest and focus your awareness on the breath entering your body and slowly spreading through it. Return your focus slowly to your environment and extinguish the candles using the river water, kneeling before each as you do so, in the order north-west-east-south.

Light the candle that represents yourself and say:

'This is me, me in all things'.

Light the black candle and say:

'This is all the bad luck that has dragged my footsteps.
Trouble, disappointments and tears are here.
This bad luck now leaves me forever'.

Light the grey candle and say:

'All that was bad is neutralized.
All my bad luck is dissolved'.

Light the orange candle and say:

'This is the energy coming my way,
To get my life moving
And speed up the change'.

Sit quietly for a while and visualize the negative energies being whisked into the grey candle and dissolved into empty nothingness. Visualize the orange candle drawing good energy and good luck towards you, see the air stirring about with possibilities and opportunities. Let the candles burn down completely (take the usual safety precautions). Now close your circle.

You may like to "smudge" each room with by burning sage In a small bundle. You could  also sprinkle blessed and consecrated salt and water in each room of the house as you say a blessing and prayer asking for a happy life and good luck in your new dwelling.

Disclaimer: No one involved in this blog or its contents may be held responsible for any adverse reactions arising from following any of the instructions / recipes on this list. It is the reader's personal responsibility to exercise all precautions and use his or her own discretion if following any instructions or advice from this blog.

Friday Form A Circle – Ritual To Get A Job

Job Ritual

Here are the things you need:

• 3 white candles(to add to your spiritual strength)
• 1 pink ( to add to your general success)
• 1 yellow ( to instill confidence)
• 1 green ( for money, luck financial success)
• 1 purple ( to give ambition, and to promote business progress)
• 1 black ( to soak up the negative energies)
• Oils, either success oil (if you have it) or Frankincense oil, your choice really.
• Incense: frankincense, or myrrh( again your choice)

Carve into each candle a pentagram  Anoint the candles. Write on a piece of parchment paper what you desire and if you know the name of the person that would do the interview write their name on the paper. If you don't have the name of the person interviewing you, write down the company name. Then write down these words, for Power, Skill and Fame

Helimaz
Feridox
Solodar.

Now meditate and say this ritual:

Daily desire in myself grows
To have (name what it is you desire) in my life show.
Soon this reality I will know.
What I am seeking will seek me
I have the power to see it through
So my desire to ( name desire) will come to me
Energy flowing giving added strength to me
Success in my desires growing steadily
(name desire) is realized quickly
(name desire) coming to the fore
(name desire) to have forevermore.

Sit and meditate on what you want, Repeat this ritual for 9 days.
This ritual needs to be done at night. At the end of the 9 days, burn the paper over the green candle.

Disclaimer: No one involved in this blog or its contents may be held responsible for any adverse reactions arising from following any of the instructions / recipes on this list. It is the reader's personal responsibility to exercise all precautions and use his or her own discretion if following any instructions or advice from this blog.

Tuesday Try A New Taste – Brigit’s Serpent: A Baking Meditation

* Brigit's Serpent: A Baking Meditation *
By Starhawk, Diane Baker and Anne Hill

Early on Brigit's morn
Shall the serpent come from the hole,
I will not harm the serpent,
Nor will the serpent harm me.

You will need:

• 4 C flour
• 3 T sugar
• 1 t salt
• 1 T double acting baking powder
• 4 T butter or margarine at room temperature
• 1 1/2 C milk (or soy milk)
• jam
• dried fruit (cranberries, apricots, raisins, currants or cherries)

Set aside six raisins or cranberries. Chop the remaining dried fruit until you have a cup and place it in a bowl. Cover it with water and let it soak. Put the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder into a sifter. As you sift them together, say thank you for the different kinds of grains and foods that grow out of the earth. Cut the butter into small pieces, add to dry ingredients and mix, using your fingers. Say think you for any of the extra good things in your life - the things that you don't need but that make life more fun or richer, like butter on bread. The butter should end up so well mixed in that you can hardly see it, the four just looks a bit grainer than before. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Think about the well you have inside you, and what you need right now to fill it up. Pour the milk into the well, remembering that the Goddess always does fill our well of love and joy and ideas, and thanking her. Mix everything together, kneading it with your hands just enough to make it stick together. Don't knead it too much or it will get tough. Divide the dough into three parts. On a floured pastry board, roll and pull one section of the dough until it makes a long thin cylinder. Then roll it lengthwise with a floured rolling pin until it is even longer and thinner. IF you don't have room on the board, use the table. The dough should end up about 1/4 inch thick or slightly less. Spread jam on the dough, not quite to the edge. Make a line of the dried fruit all along the jam-covered dough. Think about what in your life you would like to see bear fruit, what poems you'd like to write, what pictures you'd like to paint, what creative things you'd like to do, and ask Brigit's blessing. Fold the dough up and over the fruit, so that you make a long tube. Pinch the seams shut. Grease and oil a cookie sheet. Place the tube on the cookie sheet and form it into a loose, open spiral. Form one end into a triangular serpent's head and place raisins or cranberries for eyes. Repeat with the other two sections of dough. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Baking temperature is important. If your oven is not reliable, take special care. Before serving, say:

Brigit, we offer you this serpent,
Made of grain, and milk,
With thanks for the food that feeds our bodies,
The fire that feeds our spirit,
And the waters of healing.

Break off pieces and feed each other, saying:

May Brigit's serpent bring you inspiration.

Friday Form A Circle - Solitary New Moon Ritual

Solitary New Moon Ritual

Tools:

• cedar or sage smudging wand
• white candle
• bell
• athame

Cast the circle. Use the smudging wand to purify the space as you move around the circle.

Invocation to the Goddess

(ring bell with arms in Goddess position, arms in a V above your head)

Great Hecate, Queen of the Underworld, Protectress of all Magic,
It is my will on this night of the new moon to overcome my shadows 
To  bring about change.
I invite you to my circle to assist and protect me in my rite.

 

Invocation to the God

(hold athame with your hands in the God position, crossed over your chest)

Great Anubis, God of Protection
It is my will on this night of the new moon to overcome my shadows
To bring about change
I invite you to my circle to assist me and protect me in my rite.

Statement of Intent

Dark is the night as I reach this turning point
Here is a time of death, yet a time of rebirth.
Endings and beginnings
Ebbings and flowings
A journey done and a journey yet to start.
As the wheel turns, I see birth, death and rebirth
And I know that every end is a beginning.

Meditation

Remember a time in your life when you were miserable, depressed and felt like you couldn't go on. Let the painful memories overtake you, feeling yourself weaken and become frightened. Put yourself back in that pain-filled time in your life. As you meditate on that time, sink down the floor and curl up in an embryonic position. You are completely obsessed by pain and depression. The shadows around you lengthen and darkness spreads.

Then -- Arise! Light your white candle and hold it high overhead. Say:

In darkness, there is light!
I feel energy and life returning to me!
I feel my heartbeat strong
I feel the power of the universe and the power of the
Goddess and God within me.

Pass the candle over your body, tuning in completely with the light, feeling its power heal and protect you. Allow its rays to completely penetrate your being, healing and cleansing you. As you are doing this, chant:

Let the light cast out all darkness

Cakes and wine. Thank the God and Goddess for their presence. Close the circle.

 

Disclaimer: No one involved in this blog or its contents may be held responsible for any adverse reactions arising from following any of the instructions/recipes on this list. It is the reader's personal responsibility to exercise all precautions and use his or her own discretion if following any instructions or advice from this blog.

Sunday Surprise - “To Be A Witch” & “Tips for Solitary Practitioners”

Both of these pieces were found at Joelle’s Sacred Grove – Well, the “Tips for Solitary Witches” was found in my Book of Shadows, but apparently originally came from there… *grin*

TO BE A WITCH.....
author unknown

To be a witch is to love and be loved.
To be a witch is to know everything, and nothing at all.
To be a witch is to move amongst the stars while staying on earth.
To be a witch is to change the world around you, and yourself.
To be a witch is to share and give, while receiving all the while.
To be a witch is to dance and sing, and hold hands with the universe.
To be a witch is to honor the gods, and yourself.
To be a witch is to Be Magick, not just perform it.
To be a witch is to be honorable, or nothing at all.
To be a witch is to accept others who are not.
To be a witch is to know what you feel is right and good.
To be a witch is to harm none.
To be a witch is to know the ways of old.
To be a witch is to see beyond the barriers.
To be a witch is to follow the moon.
To be a witch is to be one with the gods.
To be a witch is to study and to learn.
To be a witch is to be the teacher and the student.
To be a witch is to acknowledge the truth.
To be a witch is to live with the earth, not just on it.
To be a witch is to be truly free!

Tips For Solitary Witches
written by Jim Garrison

There are a lot more self-initiated Witches out there than practically any other variety.  While it is a valid and legitimate spiritual path, self-initiation also  poses a few unique challenges to those who would seek the Old Gods on their own.  If you are contemplating self-initiation and the building of your own spiritual practice based on the Wiccan model, here are some tips to help make the process  go a bit more smoothly.

You have every right to initiate yourself and to follow your own, unique paths to the Gods.

No one has a monopoly on wisdom, nor on the Mysteries.  Anyone who approaches the gods with sincerity, respect, and integrity  can and will discover their own way to commune with these essential  forces of nature. It requires creativity, persistence, and determination - it is a challenging path to take.

Clarify your intent.

Ask yourself "Why am I doing this?" It is wise that you examine your motivations  - pursuing such an intensive path as solitary Wicca is not something  to do on a whim, nor is it a "fun" hobby. It's work, and plenty of it. You don't get to take advantage of someone else's previous efforts, except for what you can get out of books. You have to build your own foundation, and establish a mythos and context within which to work.  You can just declare yourself a member of your own tradition, but what will it mean?

Gather your resources.

You need to establish a set of ground rules - guidelines for what you want  and what you plan to do. This will require reading everything you can get.  Try to read a diversity of authors, and don't just read about Witchcraft  - broaden your horizons as much as possible.

If you find something you like, adapt it

Don't just lift it out of its context. Once you have a basic framework  within/upon which to work, rewrite everything to fit your emerging vision.  Don't be worried about perfection - you will re-write things many times as you develop and grow. The more you learn, the more you'll be able to enhance, refine, and desire to modify your first attempts at a ritual.  When members of a tradition refer to basic things such as their oaths,  the creed of their sect, whatever degree they may have been initiated  into or whatever, these things all mean something within that tradition. When you are self-initiated, it's all up to you what it all means to you  - in as far as it applies to you and you alone. Develop your own unique versions of those elements of the Craft that you choose to adopt. It's perfectly fine to toss out all the old stuff  and start out on your own path. If you do, there's a lot of baggage to deal with, and you might not want to toss the baby out with the bath water. Take some time and reflect upon these things. Make no hasty decisions.  Seek to understand your impetus and motivation for removing or including the various bits and pieces of Craft material. Personal creativity is a vital part of the Craft. There's not much room for dogma in an ecstatic, experiential religion.

Draft a statement of your core beliefs

Sign it, date it, and place it in your journal or Book Of Shadows (BOS). Choose a time each year to re-examine it, meditate upon it, and amend it if desired. Sometimes this is a good thing to do during the winter months,  perhaps at Candlemas or Imbolc. You decide.

Document all of your sources, wherever possible.

Give credit to where credit is due. You have nothing to gain by trying to pretend that you wrote Gerald Gardner's books. Keep yourself honest  and avoid the ego-inflation that comes with plagiarism. Given time, and effort, you will develop your own rites. When you do, you don't want to dilute the meaningfulness of the moment by that nagging little  voice that reminds you that you didn't really do it. Respect your  creativity, maintain personal integrity, and let things develop naturally. You'll be glad you did.

Remember degrees refer to experience, not rank.

Too many readers of books assume that the various degree systems refer to the rank and level of power of an individual, and so they strive to get  to the top of the ladder as fast as possible. Don't. The degrees are a system of landmarks to allow us all to identify those who have undergone similar experiences. When you are working alone, there's little to be gained by initiating yourself into the third degree, assuming the title of elder, or even calling yourself a Witch queen or magus. These things all have very real meanings, and claiming what is not rightfully yours is the surest way to bar your ever attaining it for real. Take your time. Learn all you can,  and work with the gods and mighty ones.

One big advantage you have as a solitary practitioner is the lack of politics and disagreement.

You decide what to do and just do it. This is impossible in group situations where you must deliver cues, explain what you are doing, and accommodate multiple interpretations and viewpoints. As a solitary you know exactly what you are attempting to do, how you want to do it, and you are free to do whatever you will - it's just you and the gods.

Solitary work is ideal for self-transformation and healing.

You can focus on building up your self esteem, creating new habits, and modifying your lifestyle to suit your spiritual outlook. As a solitary  practitioner, you can build your sabbat and esbat rituals around your goals and needs in ways that a group could never do. As you progress, as healing occurs, as changes take place, you will find your practice likewise changing. Consider this a form of sympathetic magic. As you become more fully integrated and whole, your rituals will become more balanced and holistic as well. The Craft is a healing path, so why not approach it as such?

We all learn at different rates and in different styles.

Working alone makes it possible to modify everything to suit your schedule, circumstances, and requirements. Creativity and sincerity can guide you in making your Craft practice a viable and vital part of your life. No matter what disabilities, hindrances, or restrictions you may have in your life, you can practice Wicca - if you truly,  honestly desire to do so.

Be yourself.

Don't try to be something you're not. Remember the words of the Charge Of The Goddess,

"...if you do not find it within you,  you shall never find it at all."

The established traditions - Gardnerians, Alexandrians, Algards, Sheba, Georgian, and so on - have specific rites they have developed. Established traditions have  structures, essential teachings, practices, customs, and shared history that provides a collective context that cannot be accessed by the power of your will, no matter how hard you try. You can access many of the same truths, learn the same secrets, celebrate the same rituals, and experience the same mysteries, but you cannot initiate yourself as a Gardnerian or Mason. Think about it. Why on earth waste your time trying to be something you're not?There's precious little room on the path to spiritual development for self-deceit. Those who truly are drawn to the Craft value honesty. It is absolutely required of you if you have any spiritual aspirations whatsoever. You can lie to yourself, but you'll never fool the Gods.

The above article was written solely by Mr. Jim Garrison.

Disclaimer: No one involved in this blog or its contents may be held responsible for any adverse reactions arising from following any of the instructions/recipes on this list. It is the reader's personal responsibility to exercise all precautions and use his or her own discretion if following any instructions or advice from this blog.

Friday Form A Circle - Solitary Yule Ritual

Solitary Yule Ritual
found at The Crone’s Cottage

Tools needed:

• A Green Altar Cloth
• A Cauldron w/Lid or Cover Plate
• Holly Sprig Wreath
• Mistletoe Sprig Wreath
• 12 Low Vibration Stones (flat oval river rock work well) \
• 1 Black Votive Candle
• 1 Green 12" Taper Candle
• 1 White 12" Taper Candle
• 1 Gold (12hr) Pillar Candle
• Pine Incense
• Bowl of Water w/ Pine Sprig in it
• Plate of Sand
• Athame
• You are welcome to add any personal items of your choice

Preparation:
This ritual showed be performed right after sunset. About an hour before, sweep area moving in a deosil manner. Yule symbols such as Poinsettias, Pine Cones, and even a decorated Yule Log nearby (if too big for altar) adds to the ambiance. Place the proper candles and symbols at the four cardinal directions. Place the gold God pillar candle at right top of altar. Place the white Goddess taper candle at the top left. Place your Pentacle (or a plate with a Pentagram drawn on it) in the center of the altar. Place your Cauldron to the right of the altar, with the black votive candle, Holly sprig wreath around it , inside. Cover cauldron with lid or cover plate. Place the green taper candle and mistletoe wreath where they will be behind you at the beginning of the ritual. Outline your circle perimeter with 11 of the low vibration stones (save 12th to close circle when you enter. Place the rest of your tools and props according to personal preference. Take a shower or bath for purity. Sit quietly for a period to ground and center. When ready put on some soothing music associated with the Sabbat and your ritual. Enter the standing stone circle and close with 12th stone. Cast circle by envisioning flames of Yule colors red, green, and gold coming up between the stones. When all become a continuous line, step up to the altar.

Begin:

"From the darkness is born the light,
From void, fulfillment emerges
The darkest night of the year's at the threshold,
Open now the door, and honor the darkness."

Take the lid/plate off the cauldron and light the black votive candle inside. Step back from the cauldron and give silent honor to the Holly King, the ruler of the dark half of the year. Call quarters, start by lighting yellow candle in the East:

" Powers of Air, step forth from the darkness,
Enter my circle , as dark gives 'way to light.
Bring along with you the essence of pine trees,
Remind me of Springtime as I face Solstice Night."

Light the pine incense and place on Pentacle/Center Plate. Light the red candle in the South:

"Powers of Fire, step forth from the darkness,
Enter my circle, as dark gives 'way to light,
Bring along with you the first glint of tomorrow,
Remind me of Summer as I face Solstice Night."

Pick up the Athame and brandish it in the flame of the candle to reflect the light. Place on the pentacle/Center Plate. Light the blue candle in the West:

"Powers of Water, step forth from the darkness,
Enter my circle, as dark gives 'way to light,
Bring along with you bittersweet memories
Remind me of Autumn as I face Solstice Night."

Pick up the bowl of water, sprinkle water with pine sprig in Pentacle/Center Plate. Light brown candle in the North:

"Powers of Earth, step forth from the darkness,
Enter my circle, as dark gives 'way to light,
Bring along with you the land that now slumbers,
Remind me of Winter and this cold Solstice Night."

Pick up the plate of sand, sprinkle sand in a line around the other symbols. Step back from the alter for a moment and contemplate the seasons of the past year, and how their lessons have brought you to where you are today. When ready, begin again:

"Dark my surroundings, and cold be this night
But Thy labor, Blessed Mother has reborn the Sacred Light
The Child Divine, The most honored Sun.
Shall return with the sunrise again, Two will be One."

Remove the Holly wreath from around the black votive candle. With your right hand, present it to the four elements in a deosil manner. Finally, in a clockwise motion, place it behind you, to signify the death, "passing", of the Holly King. Turn back to the altar. Then with your left hand, reach behind you, and in a clockwise motion bring forward the Mistletoe wreath and the green candle. Present them to the elements, slide the wreath over the green candle and place the candle in its holder in the cauldron. Light the green candle with the black votive candle:

"Hark! Behold the Rebirth of the King of the Woodlands!
Behold the Oak King, strong and vital he rises!"

Snuff the black votive candle and with your right hand, place it behind you in a clockwise motion. Turn back to the cauldron, close your eyes, and silently honor the Oak King. Begin again:

"Awake now Thy Mother, Thy Lover, Thy Lady -
Awake now Thy Goddess of Life, Death, Rebirth."

Take the green candle out of the cauldron and light the white Goddess candle on the altar. Replace the green candle in the cauldron. Take the white Goddess candle with both hands and hold out at arm's length over the cauldron:

"Awaken, my Lady, look upon Thyne Divine Child,
His rebirth while You slumbered was subtle and silent.
The Stag King, the Green Man, Lord of Fertility,
He awaits thy wakening gentle and benevolent"

Place the white Goddess candle back in its holder at the left top of altar. Step back and assume the Goddess position. In a bold voice:

"All hail the Oak King, His rebirth; a promise
All hail the Divine Child, Giver of Life
All hail the Blessed Sun, reborn to the Mother
For he retakes His throne at the end of Solstice Night!"

Now is the time for meditation and any spellworkings. Spellworkings associated with Yule include those for peace, harmony, love, and happiness. Next celebrate with the Cakes and Ale (Fruitcake* and Spiced Cider *) ceremony, saving some for the wee Folks, outside. Thank the Goddess and snuff Her candle. Thank and release the elements:

"Carry sweet tidings, 'round the world and beyond,
I charge thee as messengers Earth, Water, Fire, and Air
Let all rejoice loudly in the Oak King's return
Teach all that you meet, with the glad tidings you bear."

Snuff each Quarter candle in a widdershins manner. Step back and face the cauldron and the green candle still burning bright.

 

"Before my circle, tonight, I close
Blessings I ask for this house and my kin
Tomorrow at daybreak, when I arise
A special flame I will carry, within
And a gold candle upon my altar I'll light
Adding my will to the Sun King's intent
To climb aloft in the vaulted skies
And for strength back to me;
Three times, strength I've sent."

Snuff the green candle. Take the Mistletoe wreath and place it on the other symbols on the Pentacle/Center Plate. Release the circle. Clean up, leaving the gold God pillar candle in center front to light upon rising in the morning. You are done.-

Friday Form A Circle - Solo Samhain Ritual

* Solo Samhain Ritual *
c 2001 Erica Frank

Samhain Ritual, short version, suitable for solitaires; based on the Mystic Spiral ritual style.

Items needed:

• A knife (must be sharp)
• Apples or Grapes (preferably room temperature or warm) Pomegranate (preferably chilled)
• Standard ritual gear (candles, incense, altar, etc.)

Items you might want:

• Leafy garland or panpipes
• Two (greek-style) torches or dark robe
• Small serving dish(es)
• Small towel (pomegranates can be messy)

Call elements, Cast circle Invoke deities: (face main altar), and say:

"Gaia, who nurtures all life,
send your son Pan, Lord of the fields and flocks.
May he join me in celebration and revelry."

(Light God candle):

"Pan, master of beasts and rough, primal forces
-enter this circle; share your wild abandon
!Bring joys and lusts; bring the last kiss of summer
before the cold of winter. Join me, Pan! IO EVOE!"

[may add longer invocation to Pan]

(if in group, HP takes on the aspect of Pan, puts on a garland or plays pipes, etc.)

(face main altar), say:

"Ouranous, who rules the heavens,
send your daughter Hecate,
She who guards against the terrors of the night.
May she join me in celebration and reflection."

(Light Goddess candle):

"Hecate, queen of night and the restless spirits
enter this circle, share your peace and wisdom.
Bring calm and endurance; bring guidance 
through the winter until the days grow warm.
Join me, Hecate! IO EVOE!"

[may add longer invocation to Hecate]

(if in group, HPS takes on the aspect of Hecate, puts on dark robe, lights two torches, etc.)

Cycling of the year

Take the blade, and grapes [or apple]. Cuts into fruit (apples or grapes); serve them.

"I eat this last fruit of summer.
I am filled with the warmth
that has ripened this fruit on the vine [or tree].
I taste the Sweetness of life in the sun."

(Everyone eats, and pauses to think about the end of summer.) Place knife on altar. (If in group, Pan hands knife to Hecate. If solo, put down garland, take up torches or put on dark robe.) Say:

"Summer ends. Winter begins.
The fields lie fallow,
and the beasts sleep in their homes.
The Lord passes the mantle of guidance to the Lady
as the nights grow cold and long."

Take blade & pomegranate. Cuts into it, serve it on plate. say:

"I eat this first fruit of winter.
I feel the chill that ripened this fruit in the rind.
I taste the richness of life hidden away."

(Everyone eats, and pauses to think of what winter will bring.)

Worship & prayers

"Hekate Apotropaios, averter of evil--control the wrath of the dead, whose spirits cry out for vengeance, and who may lash out at anyone they can reach. Protect the living from their rage. Hecate Chthonia, lady of the underworld--you have dominion over the hostile spirits who wander; guide them to their resting places, and seal the gates between the worlds.

Hecate Phosphoros, light-bringer--bring us light and guidance as we stand in this doorway, this transition between peace and war. Let your torches show us the truths hidden in the shadows; lead us out of this darkness."

Remembrance & contemplation

"We now remember and honor those who have died this past year." Each person in circle goes to altar, and mentions someone who has passed in the last year that they will miss. If you have incense, each person lights a stick, or puts another pinch on the charcoal. (Or lights a candle.) If you have a token of the person (an item of theirs, or a photo), place it on the altar. (Doesn't have to be someone known personally.) Since last Samhain, I  mourn the passing of the following people:

George Harrison, musician
Peggy Lee, singer
Thor Heyerdahl, explorer
Ann Landers, advice columnist
Chuck Jones, animator.)

Continue until everyone in circle has had the chance to remember people.
Pause.
Simple Feast

Cakes & wine, bread and juice, or whatever your group uses. Thank the Gods. Say:

"Pan, lord of the fields in summer,
thank you for your presence,
for sharing your joy in life.
Before you depart to your winter realms,
we drink deep in your honor

[raise cup, drink, spill some in libation bowl, pass it to next person if any]...

Hail Pan! Hail & farewell!"

"Hecate, lady of night & magic,
we thank you for your presence,
for extending your protection to us.
Before you depart to take up your winter duties,
we drink deep in your honor

[raise cup, drink, spill some in libation bowl, pass it to next person]

Hail Hecate! Hail & farewell!"

Dismiss the elements, Open the circle.

(Anyone who wants the long version can email me at elfwreck@yahoo.com). Permission granted to use, copy or distribute, as long as credit is given and no money is charged.

Disclaimer: No one involved in this blog or its contents may be held responsible for any adverse reactions arising from following any of the instructions/recipes on this list. It is the reader's personal responsibility to exercise all precautions and use his or her own discretion if following any instructions or advice from this blog.