Happy Samhain

October 31st, 2008 | → Leave Comment Filed under Updates |

Samhain Ritual

by: Sandra Kynes

Setup
Items for this ritual include: Two white candles and four black candles; Four small sprigs of bittersweet; One branch of bittersweet; Strands of black, white and red yarn cut to twelve-inch lengths placed in a basket on the altar; Pomegranate seeds in a bowl; A piece of candy.

Background
Samhain is a time of transition as the earth prepares for winter’s rest and we prepare for our journey through the dark of the year. Samhain is a time to reflect and remember ancestors, loved ones, including pets, who no longer walk this earth. It is important to remember them and speak their names.

Samhain is a time of transition when we begin our journey through the dark of the year. Just as Persephone descended to the Underworld to guide the spirits of the departed, so we descend into ourselves to find the path our spirits needs to follow. This year has waxed with the fullness of life and now wanes into shadow. Our souls take rest in the dark as the wheel of the seasons makes its final turn.

Cord Magic
Following are instructions for working with the cord during the ritual. Take three strands of yarn—one of each color. Very slowly, twine them together. You can braid them or simply knot them together. Tie at least three knots. If you want to use more knots, do so in multiples of three. Work your love into the yarn. When you have finished, hold the yarn between your palms and send your energy to your loved ones. They will feel your warmth.

The Ritual
Holding the branch of bittersweet, walk widdershins (counterclockwise) around your circle, saying:
Tonight I cast my circle with bittersweet for tonight is bitter sweet with thoughts of those I love who have passed to Tir-na-nog. This is the time of Hecate, Cerridwen—the Dark Mother who stands alone. This is the time to contemplate the cycle of life, death and rebirth for tonight the veil between the worlds is thin. The circle is cast. Hallowed is this space decreed.

Place the branch of bittersweet on the altar.

Place a sprig of bittersweet at the edge of your circle before calling each direction. Light a black candle after speaking.

I look to the North, place of silent caverns. Spirits of Earth, you nourish me in life and wrap your welcoming body around me in death. Gather here in the name of Inanna; in the name of Tammuz. Be with me this night.

I set my gaze to the East, source of breath. Spirits of Air, you are with me at the beginning and depart with me when I leave this realm. Be with me in the name of Astarte; in the name of Dumuzi. Be with me this night.

I call to the South, source of transforming flame. Spirits of Fire, your brilliant spark guides me through the cycles of life. Come in the name of Hestia, in the name of Horus. Be with me this night.

I turn to the West, place of deep wells and underground springs. Spirits of Water, you carry me through the ebbs and flows of life on your never-ending tides. Join me in the name of Isis; in the name of Osiris. Be with me this night.

Light one of the white candles after saying:
Dark Mother, you come to me alone this night in mourning for your son; in mourning for your consort. The God has departed to the Underworld and the Wheel of the Year follows him into darkness. Crone of the Ages, I call on you, be with me this night.

Light the other white candle, and say:
I take time to honor those I love, those who have gone before. In remembrance I speak their names.

Say the names of those you want to remember, then continue:
Hecate, Cerridwen, guide the spirits of those named here this night.

Take time to honor those you have named and to celebrate their lives. Hold in your mind the memories of those whose names you spoke. Think of how they have touched your life. Feel their presence with you in this hallowed circle.

Cord Magic
As you work with the cord/yarn chant:
Mother of Darkness, these names I share,
Of those I love now in your care.
Guide them gently with love so sweet,
Blessed be until we meet.

When you finish chanting, place the yarn on your altar. Set the piece of candy with it. This will carry the intention to sweeten your loved one’s journey into their next life.

Take the bowl of pomegranate seeds from the altar. Lift it and say:
This year has waxed with the fullness of life and now wanes into shadow. My soul will take rest in the dark as the wheel of the seasons makes its final turn.

Squeeze the pomegranate seeds, and with a finger place a drop of the juice on your lips, then say:
May my spirit find its path.

Take time to contemplate the dark months ahead and how it can be a time of renewal for you. Use your usual method of grounding.

Dark Mother, Ancient and Enduring One, guide me, watch over me and my loved ones both here and departed. I stand at this gateway with you and thank you for your gifts of restoration and renewal. Blessed be.
Extinguish both white candles. In turn, extinguish the black candles.

Water of Life, you sustain me before birth and nourish me as I grow. Spirits of Water, thank you for your presence this night. Stay if you will; go if you must. Blessed be.

Fire of Renewal, like a brilliant sun you warm me and remain forever a guiding light. Spirits of Fire, thank you for your presence this night. Stay if you will; go if you must. Blessed be.

Breath of Life, you carry me through my life as a constant companion to the rhythm of my heart. Spirits of Air, thank you for your presence this night. Stay if you will; go if you must. Blessed be.

Mother Earth, at my journey’s end may I return to rest in your loving cradle. Spirits of Earth, thank you for your presence this night. Stay if you will; go if you must. Blessed be.

If I fear death I cannot fully live, and if I fear life I will not find solace in death. Every beginning has and ending and every ending has a beginning. The cycles of my life continue in faith and unity with the love of the Goddess. Blessed be.

Prepping for Samhain

October 30th, 2008 | → Leave Comment Filed under Updates |

I’ve decided this year to do a sort of combinaiton traditional Samhain altar with Dia de los Muertos theme. Its coming together better than I had expected. I have 3 framed photos of my parents along with with some skeleton angels and representations of the season. I’m not quite done but I will see if I can get my frequently uncooperative camera to take a decent shot.

Not sure what I’m doing for Samhain this year. My area is very christian so its not like I can go down to my nearest densely wooded area and engage in a Spiral Dance. I’d either be doing it solo or I’d get shot by some crazy christian fundamentalists who swear that I’m invoking the devil. News for ya cheif, the “devil” is strictly a christian deity…..so if I don’t belive in your christianity then…..how can i….believe…….you know the rest.

Curandero

October 28th, 2008 | → Leave Comment Filed under Discovery |

My best friend has a very odd “thing” about him.  It hasn’t gone unnoticed over the years but largely unlabeled.

He’s is half-hispanic and always had this ability to heal. I always called it “Mutant Healing Power” but, hes rarely sick and has the ability to heal other people. Hes completely cured me of panic attacks and OCD. 

He told me a story about how his ex girlfriend and he went to a ren fair and bought these medallions with thier birth signs on it. He apparently used to wear it constantly. Anyway, when they broke up she kept his along with a few of his other baubles. She said that her daughter became sick one day. Constantly stopped breathing and then would vomit. Apparently this happened on an nightly basis. His ex (who is also a witch) felt that having her child wear the necklace would benefit her. Shortly after putting the necklace on her, she stopped.

We talked about this brefily tonight when I remember comming across shamanism. I always thought for some reason he was Druidic but, he is a healer. A good one. Also strangely psychic and empathic.  I looked up Curandero and found it to fit him.

A curandero (or curandera for a female) is a traditional folk healer or shaman in Hispanic America, who is dedicated to curing physical and/or spiritual illnesses.

They are often respected members of the community, being highly religious and spiritual. Literally translated as “healer” from Spanish, curanderos often use herbs and other natural remedies to cure illnesses, but their primary method of healing is the supernatural. This is because they believe that the cause of many illnesses are lost malevolent spirits, a lesson from God, or a curse.

There are different types of curanderos / curanderas. “Yerberos” are primarily herbalists. “Hueseros and Sabaderos” are bone/muscle therapists who emphasize physical ailments. “Parteras” are midwives.

Curanderos treat ailments like espanto (Spanish for “shock”), empacho (Spanish for “surfeit”), susto (”fright”), mal aire (literally, “bad air”), and mal de ojo (”evil eye“) with religious rituals, ceremonial cleansing, and prayers. While curanderos are capable of treating these ailments (and do), in reality they seldom do, for many ailments, such as empacho, can be treated by family members. Often Curanderos employ the use of sung Icaros to contact certain spirits to aid them in their healing work.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curandera

The Oghm (Celtic Tree months)

October 28th, 2008 | → Leave Comment Filed under Information, Learning |

In Celtic wicca, each month is represented by a tree. Not only a tree but a goddess, a number, a letter, a bird a color and etc. I created this document for you to use. All information in this doc was gathered mostly from The White Goddess by Robert Graves among other informational books.

Celtic Tree Months.doc

The 3 fold Law and goals

October 16th, 2008 | → Leave Comment Filed under Updates |

13 goals of a Witch

1. Know yourself
2. Know your craft
3. learn
4. apply knowledge with wisdom
5. achieve balance
6. keep your words in good order
7. keep your thoughts in good order
8. celebrate life
9. attune with the cycles of the earth
10. breath and eat correctly
11. exercise the body
12. meditate
13. honor the goddess your mother earth

3 fold law

The “Law” of Witches is the “THREE-FOLD LAW OF RETURN”. Basically, this is the natural law of “cause and effect”. The Goddess charges us to exercise great care in all that we, as Witches, do and say and even think. The Threefold Law takes the notion that “what we reap, we will sow”, a few steps further..in fact, THREE steps further. For what we do “for good or for ill, shall be returned to us threefold.” In light of this fact, Witches are loath to cause any harm, lest it be returned to them in spades!!

When we come to really understand the Three-Fold Law and it’s ramifications, we can see that although on the surface, it acts like a prohibition, it also serves as a source of blessing. Witches seek to heal and to help all of Life, and when we are working for “the good of all”, it is natural that the “good” will come to us also. But it falls on us multiplied and empowered..three-fold is quite an increase no matter what mathematical method you use!

“Revenge” on the other hand, is defined as “an urge to get even” (we’ve all been there!) or “to inflict harm in reaction to an insult” (we cannot go THERE!) It is difficult sometimes, especially when our loved ones have been hurt, to follow the principles outlined here…VERY difficult. Never the less, that is what we are instructed to do. It is a matter of trust…trust that the Goddess will take care of it…trust that the Universal Laws apply to everyone equally…trust in the Three-Fold Law…and trust in yourself as a Witches, strong in your beliefs. We all go through deep soul searching when confronted with this issue. How we decide to respond tells us a lot about ourselves. It can be a valuable lesson that can change our life.

My dark little obsidian

October 16th, 2008 | → Leave Comment Filed under Updates |

So I bought some obsidian to help remove negativity. I was on my bed meditating with it in my hand and…………….i passed out.

Oddly though, I had the most intense nightmares. I’m not the wake up screaming kind of person, but more waking up and thinking “What the hell was that about?!” I put the stone down and went back to sleep and everything was fine after that. The odd thing was, I rarely dream. I dont know why. I dream maybe once every other month or something.

Weird. No more meditating at 11pm!

Empath

October 9th, 2008 | → Leave Comment Filed under Discovery |

There is something I’ve been wanting to post about but never really had the time to put thoughts together. I have a terribly hectic life. I work my normal day job, but I’m also starting my own business and that takes up my nights and weekends.

Anyway back to the subject at hand. I have always had this thing about me, I’m not really sure what it was until I started down this path.  I don’t expect anyone that reads this to belive me, so this is just more for me than anything else.

I’ve come to the realization that I am not psychic. I’m not telepathic. I’m not able to feel the presense of a being higher than myself. I dont feel power surges. I dont feel like I’m being lead somewhere.  I don’t feel much of anything supernatural.

What I Do infact feel, weirds me out more than all of that. I am Empathic. I could never understand my anxiety disorder. I started having it when i was 20, took drugs for it for a while but the weird thing is, I was and have always been able to control it. I’ve noticed my anxiety would increase or “activivate” when I was in situations where I had a friend that was hurting or a family member. Nothing was ever about me. Thats what the most confusing part was. I had nothing to be anxious over. I still don’t but i get attacks when I’m around anger or greif. I can’t go into funeral homes or airports, I litterally freak out. I could never understand why, but I would just have to leave. It was like i was afraid of something.  But i’ve realized that there are left over remnants of intense emotion. I absorb them and I have an attack.

Now i know you can say “anxiety attacks are normal, alot of people have them” yeah thats true, but how many people can control them? Not many. When I was diagnosed with them I did alot of research about it and so did my psychiatrist. After Zoloft, Buspar, Paxil, Prozac and etc, I still had them, granted they would numb it a little but the never went away. It wasn’t until i realized that I can heal myself, that i am incontrol. Coincidentally this is when I first started down the pagan path. When I would see a car accident or go into a hospital I would feel it coming but I started telling it “NO, STOP” and it stopped. That was the biggest Wow moment of my life when I stopped my first attack.

When a person is said to be an “Unconscious Empath”, it simply means that they are not schooled in that particular psychic ability, and they are a walking “Psychic Energy Sponge”.  This is a person who is “Picking-up energy from others unintentionally”.  Until they learn how to correct this behavior, they will usually suffer on the spiritual, emotional, mental and even physical levels.  They have the ability to literally sense, and absorb other people’s symptoms, and problems.   

I dont know how i feel about all this just yet.