USBoS

2010-07-03T12:58:00.002-04:00

I know I said I wouldn't post here anymore; but this is important.

Some trolls flagged my Writing Magic blog as spam, and now Google is being all "well, you MIGHT be spam, so we have to look over your blog."
So, it's Saturday, and I probably won't get my blog back until Monday; unless the trolls keep attacking it. Like, fuck, really?

I post one article about meteorites and suddenly, I'm spamming the internet?

I'm going to keep a backup blog going now; and if this happens one more time, I'm leaving blogger for good and switching to a new blog host entirely.

USBoS is Closing...

2010-06-07T21:19:00.003-04:00

...But Writing Magic is opening!

I thought about it, and I think that I'll feel better when I start using Writing Magic.

You can follow that blog for pretty much the same but more professional and less messy. It's still undergoing it's face lift, so be patient. Thank you for being loyal followers of USBoS, and I hope that you'll like Writing Magic just as much.

CLICK HERE FOR WRITING MAGIC

Depression Loves Company...

2010-06-06T20:41:00.003-04:00

In 73 days, USBoS will officially be one year old, and, I don't think I planned some of this well. My tag cloud is too gunky, I don't post a lot, and it's becoming a lot like my Livejournal blog, which is really a scary and immature blog where most of the typing is in modified lolcat or 4chan slang.

I'm getting into the swing of doing my daily tarot blog again, because it's something I really want to do. But what about the rest of my Pagan ramblings or information? I almost feel ashamed of USBoS now.

I've had some bad days recently. I've got people pressuring me to do things that make me want to tear my hair out. I've been either very excited about my path or I'm depressed and wonder what the hell I'm doing with my life. The only thing that has kept me going is a ritual I'm writing, and the thrill of writing more.

I'm thinking about scrapping USBoS in favor of my less gunky blog, Writing Magic. WM is much easier to overhaul.

My plans are more essays and information, but done properly. Well-researched and well-written, properly edited, with source lists and links. The tags cloud wouldn't be shown, but the search feature would be prominant. It would have everything from proper reveiws about books, to simple, short essays on a certain tarot card. It would have pagan poetry, from me or from others. Maybe I would even write some Pagan-y short stories.

What does everyone think?

Proofreading

2010-05-31T14:04:00.003-04:00

I buckled down and finished most of my ritual. I managed to forget a whole section though! Now I'm into the proofreading stages. This is, easily, my least favorite.

If anyone wants to give it a read-through before it's posted here on the 21st, drop me a comment here and you can help proofread it.

Writing Rituals-Planning Stage

2010-05-27T18:25:00.002-04:00

I'm writing a ritual for June 21st. It's for both Litha and for my own rededication and cleansing.

It's hard, particularly when some statues are on order and won't be here until June; I work better if I'm looking at the object. But, since I don't know how long shipping will take, and I'm hoping that they will arrive before June 21. Enough about that though.

I've got a rough list of supplies written, so that's a plus, right?

Inspiration

2010-05-13T13:31:00.005-04:00

There are lots of things in this world that can be called inspirational, but everyone has a few certain things that are overwhelmingly inspirational.

Mine are volcanic storms and the sky at night:

What are yours?

My Beliefs Survey

2010-05-09T13:50:00.002-04:00

This was “borrowed” (read: stolen) from Cricketsong and Hex. I love surveys, so when Hex told me about a Pagan survey, I was all over it. I found the original link from Cricketsong, so, here we go!
(Also: I got the okay to go on that Pagan shopping spree of mine. I’ll be writing a big, old-school ritual, and I will keep you all posted on that).

Basics
Do you have a magickal name, If so what does it mean?
I do have a magical name. It’s also my main screen-name. As a Technopagan, I’ve found that my screen-names are often “magical”. It’s currently Hetshepsit Quetzalxochitl. Hetshepsit is one of the spellings of the female pharaoh of Egypt. Quetzalxochitl is Aztec and it means “Precious flower”.

How did you find Wicca/Paganism?
I knew about Paganism from when I was little. I basically had the concept that it was a catch-all for the religions of the ancient cultures like Rome and Greece. I officially started learning about it when I was sixteen/seventeen.

How long have you been practicing?
I “converted” at eight, but I didn’t do anything until I turned sixteen/seventeen. It’s been about 3-4 years.

Solitary or group practitioner?
Solitary, but I’ll work with a few trusted people.

What is your path?
Eclectic Egyptian, Mesoamerican Technopagan.

Are you out of the broom closet?
Yeah, for the most part.

Who is your patron God?
Quetzalcoatl and Cama Zotz

Who is your patron Goddess?
I don’t have one officially yet, but I’ve been getting a lot of inklings to look into the Hindu aspect of “Shakti”, which is a combination of Paravati, Saraswati and Lakshimi.

What Goddesses do you worship?
Isis mainly, I think.

Do you fear dark aspects in Gods/Goddess, or rather respect them?
I respect them; I think it would be very hard for me to fear a darker aspect of a deity.

Do you worship the Christian God?
I don’t by name, because the concept of the Christian God has been twisted over the years. Could the Christian God exist? Of course, anything is possible.

Do you ever worship animals?
I don’t know if worship is the right word. I respect them, and sometimes ask for animal spirits for help.

Or plants?
See what I said with animals

Nature
Do you regularly commune with nature?
Not really.

Ever walked barefoot in the woods?
I don’t think so. Last time I was in a legit woods, I was young, and I think if I had been barefoot my mother and grandmother would have had a heart attack.

Taken a camping trip just to talk to nature?
Uh...no.

Describe the moment you felt closest to Mother Earth?
Being outside at night, preferably on a clear night. On a patio, with some snacks and a fire (candles or a fire pit). A field or back yard would be perfect, not a woods. I’d like to see the sky and the horizon.

What is your power animal?
Of the animals I feel close to, my most powerful is the shark.

Do you have a familiar?
At the moment no, I’m waiting to find her again. My familiar was my first cat Booballah. We had to put her down when I was young.

Have you ever called upon the powers of an animal in ritual?
Not yet.

Or a plant?
No.

Do you hug trees?
Uhh, not recently.

Give them gifts?
I do like giving gifts to nature and animals. We made bread twists for Yule last year. I had some, my mom had some, we saved some for dad, and we threw the rest outside for the birds to eat.

What is your favorite flower to work with?
I’ve always been drawn to aloe and cactus. I don’t think those count as flowers. I don’t really have a favourite flower.

What is your favorite tree to work with?
I love all sorts of trees! I adore big oak trees (despite my allergy to them), cherry trees, and pretty much any tree that grows in the rainforest. I also like the scent of pine (that’s the most earthy scent I like!) so I think pine as well.

Wheel of the Year
What is your favorite Sabbat?
I don’t really have a favourite. I like Yule because my mom gets so excited about it and the excitement is so contagious. I also like Ostara, because around that time is my favourite weather.

What if your least favorite Sabbat?
That’s a tie between Mabon and Lammas. I’m not really a big fan of fall.

Have you ever held a ritual on a Sabbat?
Only very VERY small ones.

Ever taken a day off work to celebrate a pagan holiday?
No, but I might take them off when I work.

Do you celebrate Yule on the 21 rather than the 25?
Um...we celebrate Yule from the 20th to the 31st. My mother loves the winter holidays.

Have you ever felt the Veil thin on Samhain?
Not yet.

Ever danced the Maypole?
Nope.

Know what the Maypole symbolizes?
Yes!

Ever made love on Beltane?
Nope

Do you usually celebrate the pagan Sabbats?
I try to.

Divination
Do you use Tarot?
I love tarot. I need to get back into the swing of it.

Do you use runes?
No.

Do you use a pendulum?
I have one, and I’m just getting the hang of it.

Do you use dowsing rods?
No.

Do you use astrology?
I love astrology, and I’m going to learn about it soon.

Any other form of divination?
No. I’ve heard about gemstone divination, putting all your stones in a bag and drawing them, but I haven’t tried it.

Spells
What was the first spell you did?
I think it was a purification spell.

What was the latest?
A cleansing spell.

Ever done a love spell?
Nope, not yet

A job spell?
Not yet!

A healing spell?
Not quite a spell, but close to one.

What was the most powerful spell you've ever performed?
Uh, I don’t really know.

What deities do you usually call on?
Depends on what I’m doing.

Cryptology
Do you believe in Vampires?
Uhh, I don’t know.

Warewolves?
I have no idea

Shape shifters?
Yes.

Elves?
Yes.

Faeries?
Yes.

Dragons?
Yes.

Nymphs?
Yes.

Sprites?
Yes.

Mermaids?
I love mermaids! I want to be one...so that’s a yes

Sirens?
Sure!

Satyrs?
(Has to make a lame joke here) It’s all Greek to me!

Ever "seen" any of the above?
Yes, I have.

Ever talked to any of the above?
I’ve heard them, but I’ve never carried out a conversation with them

Ever used any of the above in magick?
I call upon the faeries all the time.

Do you have one of them as a personal guardian?
Not so much guardian, more like traffic controller. I “have” a little purple faerie (Leiko), and she likes to make sure things go her way when it comes to spirits. She’s small, but she’s fierce.

Random
Do you see a rabbit, a man or a woman in the moon?
I see...a moon?

Own a cat?
Yes.

When you mediate what does your happy place look like?
I don’t really have one.

Do you work with Chakras?
I want to start, and I’m learning all about them!

Do you believe in past lives?
Yes.

Do you believe in soul mates?
I don’t really know.

Do you have a spirit guide?
I think so.

Is it always love and light?
No, I don’t think so.

Priestess Spirit

2010-04-30T15:40:00.002-04:00

My online BFF Hex has a new blog I think you ALL should check out.

It's called Priestess Spirit, and it's got some really interesting articles and theories.

Grounding and Centering

2010-04-28T14:39:00.002-04:00

I've seen countless differnet ways to ground and center yourself, either before a ritual/spell, or before bedtime.

So, what technique works best for you?

From Lunar Wisdom: Finding your Magical Name

2010-04-13T14:07:00.003-04:00

I'm going to be honest. I have an issue with names. They can sometimes freak me out. CricketSong of Lunar Wisdom posted about Finding your Magical Name using numerology. It looked so cool, so I'm trying it myself. You can read her original article here: Finding Your Magical Name.

My birth name is Lea Elisabeth Wright. My number adds up to 2 or 11, depending on if you follow master numbers
My magical name is Hetshepsit Quetzalxochitl, which adds up to 9
My birth date adds up to 11 and 2 as well.

Her birth name and magical name added up and matched each other. Mine don't. Proof positive my real name sucks?

Podcast Channel Up!

2010-04-12T15:54:00.002-04:00

My podcast channel is up and running. I've only got video's about my own path up now. I'll be updating every Wensday and Friday.

MissDemet's Pagan Podcasts.

Four Stores down to Three

2010-04-08T13:40:00.002-04:00

So, I just found out that one of only four "New Age" stores in town closed. It was the crystal store too.

I'm really sad now.

Survey

2010-04-03T19:26:00.002-04:00

I'm thinking about starting a YouTube channel with some videos about Paganism. My survery questions are:

1. Would you be interested?

2. What sort of content would you like?

Let me know in the comments.

Maiden, Mother Crone.

2010-04-02T13:03:00.002-04:00

Hex wrote an awesome article about the Maiden, Mother, Crone model in Wicca.

I highly suggest you read it here: Maiden, Mother, Crone

Altars

2010-04-01T13:19:00.001-04:00

I just got a book about altars and it has reminded me how much I adore altars. I wish I had more space, because I have plans for dozens of altars ranging from ones that cover a desktop to little itty-bitty shelf-sized ones.

At least I can have fun planning them, even if I can't put them up.

The Planets Spread

2010-03-16T16:10:00.000-04:00

I just invented this spread! You lay out 10 cards, and each card represents a planet.

1
2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9
10

1. Sun: This represents you
2. Mercury: news
3. Venus: love
4. Earth: work
5. Mars: Conflicts
6. Jupiter: goals
7. Saturn: creativity
8. Uranus: fears
9. Neptune: desires
10. Pluto: Changes

To see a reading using this spread, please check out UFO Planets Spread.

Could I Get Any More Unique?

2010-03-12T17:58:00.003-05:00

Okay, we all know that I'm special, and of course I'll provide (Pagan) examples.
1. I'm an Egyptian pagan. Patron deities? Aztec and Mayan.
2. Cama Zotz contacts me via The Discovery Channel and Facebook (okay, maybe that doesn't make me special, but it makes people around me special. I'm special by association).
3. My animal totems include: cats, bats, cows, coatis, jaguars and a new one.

And this new one is very much unique. I thought Lisey's giant squid totem was different. I think I win:
This, my lovelies, is a frilled shark. No, that isn't CGI or some other digital artwork. It's a real shark. This exact shark died in captivity (it was sick to begin with).

I'm either amazing or crazy, with an animal like this. I am in love with it. Seriously. It looks so amazing.

My Candle Making Afternoon

2010-03-11T17:08:00.016-05:00

My mom got me a candle making kit, and I made four candles with it!
The candles are 100% soy wax, so they are really nice!
These are the three scents I usd for my candles. The kit came with a vanilla scent, but I prefer these.
The Ostara oil is from Sacred Mists and the Mexican Coaco and the Eucalyptus are from The Body Shop.

So, this is our improvised water bath. I'm getting a cheap double boiler so I can make more candles. Double boilers work better.

The blue one is my mom's Ostara candle, the red is my eucalpytus candle, and the purple are my Mexican chocolate candles.

Tree of Life Tarot Spread

2010-03-07T12:27:00.001-05:00

This reading is from my Anubis Oracle book. This spread is to help you with a metamorphosis or understanding your higher self.

The cards are arranged like this:

1 3
2

4

Position one represents where you are coming from.
Position two represents what it will take for you to change.
Position three represents what will motivate you.
Position four represents your highest potential future.

You can read a my reading with this spread here: Finding Your Higher Self

Makeup and Spirituality

2010-03-04T14:58:00.003-05:00

I tend to keep my makeup (mundane life) and my spiritual life separate. Today, however, I couldn't. I did a makeup look based on my Cama Zotz altar set up.

All my products and more photos are at my makeup blog here: MissDemet's Makeup Mayhem

New Project!

2010-03-01T16:54:00.002-05:00

I know, I have about half a million projects going on. Well, this one is hardcore.
You all remember I got the book Composing Magic by Elizabeth Barrette, and the book has exercises. 86 of them to be exact.

I started a new blog. One exercise, one for each day. From March 1st to May 25th.

You can follow me at Writing Magic to keep tabs on this project.

For Pondering

2010-02-24T11:17:00.002-05:00

Okay, so, in pretty much every culture, an eclipise is a very powerful event. Solar, of course, being more powerful, but lunar just as important.

I live in Ontario, and trust me, we rarely get to see eclipses, we get lunar ones. Sometimes.

My question for pondering is: you can get lists of eclipses, solar and lunar, all over the world for the upcoming year(or years). Even if I can't physically see the eclipse, can I still perform eclipse-specific rituals and harness the power of the eclipse? Would it help if I had a live feed on the internet of the eclipse, or can I just visualize it? Or, is it a bad idea?

Anyway, any thoughts would be appreciated!

Spirtual Playlist

2010-02-22T13:39:00.002-05:00

I posted about a spiritual playlist before, but I thought I'd post my updated list.

I use music in ritual not for any spiritual needs, but to help drown out my voice and the voices of whoever else may be in the house. If I have music playing, then people know not to bug me unless it's really important. When I have music playing during ritual, I feel more at ease with performing it, because then I don't feel like everyone can hear every word I say.
All of these are instrumental or pretty much instrumental.

Anyway! Onto my list! And feel free to share your own!

Alf Leila-Baleegh Hamdy
Exotica-Banzai
Anubis-Banzai
Sandsotrm-Da Rude
Pompeii-e s Posthumus
Ajab-Emad Sayyah
Ahzaan Wa Afraah-Emad Sayyah
Cursum Perficio-Enya
Zion-Fluke
Big Wednesday-Free*Land
Egyptian Queen-Hamdy Said
Yama Layali-Hossam Ramzy
Isis Unveiled-Hossam Ramzy
The Land of the Pharaohs-Hossam Ramzy
Through the Ankh-Hossam Ramzy
The Cobra's Dance-Hossam Ramzy
Pilgrimage of the Lost Children-Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke
Ninna Nanna-Lulu Rouge
First Snow-Nox Arcana
Dread Rock-Oakenfold
Ritual of Daggers-Unknown
Exotic Ethnic-RevenG
Divine-t.A.T.u.
All The Things She Said-t.A.T.u.
Perfect Enemy-t.A.T.u.
Friend of Foe-t.A.T.u.
Cosmos-t.A.T.u.
Loves me Not-t.A.T.u.
We Shout-t.A.T.u.
Waste Management-t.A.T.u.
Happy Smiles-t.A.T.u.
Chernobyl Reaction-Ural 13 Diktators
Highest Spirit-Unknown
Title Music from A Clockwork Orange-Walter Carlos
Theme from A Clockwork Orange-Walter Carlos
March from A Clockwork Orange-Walter Carlos
Bells of Avalon-Unknown

Composing Magic by Ellizabeth Barrette

2010-02-18T14:50:00.002-05:00

Oh my gods, thank you SO much Magaly Guerrero of Pagan Culture for sending me this book. I started reading it pretty much as soon as I got it, and was in love. I'm so inspired. I can't wait to get started.

Composing Magic is a book about how to write different Pagan-related things. It explains how to write religious poetry, songs/hymns (yes, I know it's a Christian term, but that works for me), prayers, spells and rituals.

I find that a lot of Pagans who follow very popular paths (Celtic being number one, followed by Norse and Native American) are very blessed with finding spells, rituals, prayers and poems with thier own deities and associations. Don't get me wrong, these are super easy to edit, but sometimes I don't like doing that.

When I google "Cama Zotz", I'm lucky to get information I need, let alone prayers and rituals about him.

Plus, I don't always like using "Mad Lib" style of rituals or prayers (Mad Lib Style: you fill in the blank, as it were, like the Mad Lib games).

So, I'm going to be writing my own stuff. HOW EXICTING! I can do all my edits and re-writes on my computer, then handwrite them out using my blown glass dip pen my cousin bought me.

Awesome.

When Life Happens

2010-02-15T17:38:00.003-05:00

Life happens. It seems like, nothing is happening then WHAM! Life! I had a very spiritual Imbloc, and then I almost unwound myself by pretty much distancing myself from the spirtual. In fact, my once very religious desk is now covered in my very mundane makeup. Yes, it's clear I need more space.

During the day, instead of workingon writing up pages for my BoS, I've been cross stitching. At night, I've been writing fiction.

I confess, I feel kind of bad about it. I have a lot to do, because I feel bad that I'm stagnant now. I can't go learn more things, via books or the internet, because it's a lot easier in the long run to get these pages done, then it's much easier to weed out duplicates.

I feel like I can't move on until I get these pages done, and they weigh so heavily on my mind, and yet I'm more motivated to write fiction, and cross stitch.

There are two days a week (on average) where I am busy and can't sit down for hours on end and stitch, and when I get home, I tend to be exhausted and unmotivated to stitch. These days, I think, will be my best bets for doing BoS pages. Then, at night, I tend to watch a movie or TV episodes and veg out. When I watch those, I can also work on my pages, instead of just staring at the screen wide-eyed. I tend to work slower during these moments, so it's not the end of the world if I only do one or two pages. Then, I can still work on fiction during the night, and not feel guilty.

I also need to get back into the swing of doing tarot readings. I miss it. I have a new deck, and I think I'll make the bag tomorrow.

Life happens, and I guess I need to take these all in strides. I need more time management. I can't wait until I can share some of my pages with you guys, both my "informational" pages, and my new "theory" pages that I'll be writing myself.

Random side note: I went to our local fabric store, and they had fox tails for collars on wicked sale. As much as I don't like buying fur where I don't know the whole history of the pelt (see, with my rabbit fur hat, I knew the fur was reclaimed from old coats and things, so I feel better about it than, say a 'fresh' rabbit hat), I saw these tails, at only $10, and was in love. I forgot about them, and went to examine fabrics, and I was drawn to the tails again.
Turns out: Cama Zotz likes fur and pelts. So, now, my bat beanie baby is slightly more threatening with a fox tail wrapped around it. I'll get pictures, eventually.

Cracked.com

2010-02-12T18:00:00.003-05:00

Okay, Cracked.com is hilarious.
I just read one of thier old articles "11 Movies Saved by Historial Inaccuracy", and I just read number three, about the film "Apocalypto"

Apocalypto's inaccuracy was the fact that all these Mayan's did was sacrifice people to Kukulkan/Quetzalcoatl. Okay, the Mayan's did sacrifice people, but not to Kukulkan/Quetzalcoatl.
In the words of Cracked:
"In fact, the Mayan sun god Kukulkan, to whom the sacrifice is made in the movie, never asked for and was never given such a sacrifice, so whatever priest was offering Kukulkan a human heart was probably just creeping him the fuck out."

Now, I want to have a movie night with Quetzy and watch Apocalypto to laugh.

Knot Magic

2010-02-11T13:48:00.002-05:00

Knot magic is one of the easiest forms of magic. I'm not talking about it directly today. I'm talking about knot magic that we use every day but don't even realize it.

One of my best friends (you know who you are) does knot magic without realizing it. She crochets. She recently made crochet ornaments for everyone in her residence that had a christmas tree. So, when she crochets she thinks about them, how excited they will be, and the like. Thus, she is using a form of knot magic.

I've recently started doing cross stitch. This can also be seen as a type of knot magic, and can explain why I haven't been posting OR working on my personal BoS. Right now, I may only be working on more fan-art stitches (I've done three: two Star Trek, one Re-Animator, and I'm working on my fourth-Ozymandias from Watchmen), but I plan on making religious themed ones too. My fanart ones are fun, I will admit, but I think when I stitch symbols, or deities, that I'm going to find it incredibly meditative.

There is a good article here on knot magic.

Four Elements Spread

2010-02-07T14:08:00.002-05:00

1(North)
4(West) 2 (East)
3 (South)

North symbolizes fire and intuition
East symbolises air and thought
South symbolises earth and sensation
West represents water and feelings

This is a reflective spread, designed to help you with what you need to focus on.

I used this spread today, and you can read it here: Four Direction Spread Reading

Happy Imbloc!

2010-02-02T18:48:00.013-05:00

Today I got up early (for me) and set up my altar. I went shopping and I came home to an AWESOME post by Pagan Culture (aka one of my favorite blogs). I was picked to be Touched by Pagan Culture. The post is here. Read it!

Technical Note: I've noticed my followers widget isn't working. I'm working on it, so keep checking back.

ANYWAY! Onto the fun stuff.

So, this is my altar. Yes, it’s also my desk, which is why there is a lamp. I don’t have much ritual space. In fact, I have the floor and this desk. I would have everything on the floor, but because of my cat, it was better on my desk. As you can see, there are four place settings, I’ll explain them. And yes! Those are Hello Kitty glasses. They are all I had. I got some plain, basic glasses today for ritual use for offerings, along with plain plates.
The altar cloth is a silk scarf with a Western Native (so...British Columbia) image on it. I believe it’s an eagle. I picked it because...I have no idea. My Mayan Square one was too small, so this was my second choice.

This is Quetzalcoatl’s place. He’s my patron God, so I thought it would be nice to put him first. I love them all equally, of course. Anyway, his candle, the red one, felt right, and the blue holder is due to the fact Quetzy’s colour association is traditionally blue. The egg (and stone chunk you can’t really see) are made of malachite, the same colour as Quetzy appeared to me in my dream/vision. He’s got tequila and 70% dark chocolate (which he adores).

This is my welcoming plate to Cama Zotz. Yes, that is a giant Beanie Baby. It was all I could get last minute. His candle is dark purple and fig scented. It smelt dark and forest-y, so I thought of the rainforest. He was the one that asked for this altar, funnily enough. He’s got tequila and 70% dark chocolate.

Moving right along, this is my Egyptian place setting. The three candles are for Thoth, Ptah and Bastet. The stones, which you can’t see, are ones from the bases of each of my four statues, Sobek, Thoth, Anubis and Isis. They have a glass of tequila, and a plate with both milk chocolate Hershey Kisses and some 70% dark chocolate.

My final place setting is for my little flower faerie, Leiko. She is like the traffic controller to my room. She’s small, but she can be deadly if she wants to be. Anyway, the purple agate slab is hers, along with all the purple stones I have, beside the purple candle. Did I mention she liked purple? Anyway, the glass is filled with a pink lemonade cooler called Vex. It’s sweet, and almost like cream soda. She likes sweet things. She has Hershey Kisses. We got her those for Samhain one year, and she loved them. She said they were just the right size.

Presents!
In my shopping adventure, we went to The Weather, and they had a sale! 30% off! It was awesome. So, let me show you what I got. I got some plain clear quartz (not shown).

This is a Smokey quartz ball. Total impulse buy. I did not need it, but damn I wanted it. It’s so pretty, photo’s can’t do it justice.

Obsidian heart for Quetzy. One of Quetzy’s sacred stones is obsidian. I can be a bit of a purist when it comes to which deities have which stones. I follow my intuition at times, like with the malachite, but sometimes I just go with what the book says.

These next three things are for Cama Zotz. He got a slab of obsidian, because he is a God of the night, the underworld, and all manner of darkness. Obsidian is black. See! Connection! The heart is hematite. I was looking through my stones and he wanted a piece of hematite I had. I was like “okay, you can’t have this piece because it’s totally not suited for you, but I’m going out today to get you some.” The hematite I had was okay, but not perfect, and I wanted it to be perfect.
But, the best thing for him was the rose quartz skull I found. See, this is what binds Cama Zotz and me together. The rose quartz is me, my personal stone, and the skull is his, the personification of what he is (being the God of the Underworld and whatnot).

Long post was long, thanks for reading it all!

Imbloc Tomorrow

2010-02-01T21:36:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is Imbloc, and I've had a huge desire to do an altar. I just re-organized my makeup cabinet, because I got a train case and rolly suitcase like thing, because I'll be transporting my makeup around instead of having it in a cabinet, so now I have even more space.

It started as a simple altar, and it's making me change around everything. I'm jumping the gun when it comes to spring cleaning.

Anyway, I'll post pictures of my altar tomorrow.

Good and Evil and Deities, Oh My!

2010-01-28T22:56:00.003-05:00

I can reasonably say I’m addicted to the game Treasure Madness on Facebook. The game is simple: dig up treasure. I’ve been playing for about a week, and I love it. Today, I found an artefact that made me gasp out loud.
I’m used to the Quetzalcoatl artefact’s that turn up (I’ve got two of the three so far), and the other deity statues, though nice, don’t do anything for me.

You might remember my latest DotD post, Cama Zotz. Well, the treasure I found was of Cama Zotz. I felt such a strong desire to call out to the God when I found the treasure on Facebook, but I went to Google and looked up a bit more information, but couldn’t find any. All the information says he’s a pretty ambiguous kind of Deity.

Has anyone else worked with a Deity that was more “ambiguous”? I don’t want to say “evil”, because I don’t believe any deity to be evil, but you have to know how to respect them. I don’t know if I should let Cama Zotz into my life, or if I should stay away. I’m really confused.

My (non-Pagan) friend suggested waiting it out and seeing how things play out, but any other suggestions would be really appreciated.

I've always had a bat animal totem, and have always been drawn to the creature, going so far as to trying to convince my parents to let the city put a bat house in one of the trees in our backyard.

Quick Question

2010-01-27T13:50:00.002-05:00

Do any of you find it hard to plan for Sabbats? Do you do the same thing every year? Do you feel like you're in a rut and want to shake things up?

I find it hard to plan for them, because I feel like I'm just copying rituals out of books or from websites.

Any advice?

Steady as the Beating Drum

2010-01-24T00:41:00.001-05:00

Steady as the beating drum
Singing to the cedar flute
Seasons Go and seasons Come
Bring the corn and bear the fruit

By the waters sweet and clean
Where the mighty sturgeon lives
Plant the squash and reap the bean
All the earth our mother gives

O Great Spirit, hear our song
Help us keep the ancient ways
Keep the sacred fire strong
Walk in balance all our days

Seasons go and seasons come
Steady as the beating drum
Plum to seed to bud to plum
Steady as the beating drum

I adore this song, but the bolded part is my favorite.

It's Okay Pluto, I'm Not A Planet Either

2010-01-23T22:24:00.003-05:00

Pluto was always an epic planet, in my opinion. Now that I’m studying astrology, it’s even more of an epic planet. Pluto has so much influence on the world and on generations.

I thought I’d just offer up the signs that Pluto has been in during my lifetime, and you can decide what you think.

By the way: the weird years for the planet in certain signs are due to Pluto’s erratic orbit.

Pluto in Scorpio: This is my sun sign in It’s planet, so I guess I feel oddly connected to the planet. This happened from 1984 to 1995 (I was born in 1990). This generation will be obsessed with all things sexual Even more, however, they will be the generation to bring about a biological revolution, including human cloning.

Pluto in Sagittarius: is obsessed with long journeys. This is the generation (1995 to 2008) that will want to go into outer space, the only true long journey left.

Pluto is currently in Capricorn. This happened last time in the 1760’s and 1770’s. Pluto is death and rebirth. When it was in Capricorn, sign of organization and of organizations, the sign of authority, there was the first truly successful revolt against an empire. The American Revolution. Those born with this placement included the people who made the French Revolution, as well as one who established a new authority, Napoleon. He was the first modern dictator, extending state authority further than ever before.

The Flu

2010-01-21T12:57:00.003-05:00

I'm really sorry about the lack of postings. I have felt so out of sorts and just wanting to sit around all day. I think I have the flu, and I've got to do podcasts for my makeup blog, which I was going to do this week but felt like hell, so I didn't and now I feel bad about that.

I have so many things I want to do, and all I can manage to do is sit around.
I think I might attempt to make a podcast today, so you can check out my makeup portfolio link in the side-bar for seeing a bit of me.

I do, however, promise to get back into routine. Imbolc is coming up, so I'll plan something fun for that.

Animal Image Protection Spell

2010-01-18T12:52:00.005-05:00

This is a spell used to protect your pets, great for all animals, but really good on housepets that go outside and think they are outdoor animals, like my silly kitty.

You will need a photograph of your pet and protection oil. A good protection oil recipe is found here at A Witch's Cauldron

1. Paint protective runes, hieroglyphs or other symbols onto the image
2. Anoint with protection oil
3. Keep the image in a discreet spot, touching up periodically with protection oil.

If you don't want to ruin the photo, you can paint the ruins IN protective oil over the photograph.

Giving Stones back to the Earth

2010-01-14T16:40:00.003-05:00

I have about five or six stones in a plastic baggie with crystals. These crystals, I have no idea what they are, and they feel more like regular rocks you find on the ground than any sort of special crystla. Long story short: I don't really like them.

So, I want to get rid of them, and I don't want to just toss them. I'm thinking about giving them back to the Earth.
I have a couple of ideas.

One, I go out when I have time, maybe after class tomorrow, and just toss them either in the small forest near my house, or by the small pond by the house. The pros would be they would be out of my room and I could get it done right away. I would smudge the stones and then take them outside and toss them wherever I chose. The cons, however, would be that when the snow melts, though the small stones will probably be carried away, a few of the larger ones would then rest atop the earth.

The second option is that I can wait until spring and bury the stones in the muddy grass. This would really "give" the stones back to the earth, but it would be messy and I would have to wait until all our snow was gone, which would be April.

I'm up for suggestions, ideas, or just voting on which idea you think would work. I keep staring at this bag of stones and all I can think of is getting rid of it.

Health and Happiness Spread

2010-01-14T15:55:00.003-05:00

I've been sick iwth a pretty bad cold, but I've been fighting though it, but all around feeling exhausted. I've been sleeping up to 12 hours a day, and really stuffed up, so forgive my lack of posts on all my blogs.

This is a tarot spread callde Health and Happiness, and I thought I'd show you the spread and a reading with it

Card Layout:
1 5
2 4 8 6
3 7

1. The state of your health in the past
2. Current state of your health
3. Possible future state of your health
4. What/who can help you to improve or maintain your health
5. What made you happy in the past
6. What makes you happy now
7. Possible event that will make you happy in the future
8. What/who helps augment your sense of happiness and well-being

Veiw a reading with this spread at my tarot blog, here: Necronomicon Tarot: Health and Happiness

Creating a Solar Charged Infusion

2010-01-12T16:01:00.002-05:00

If you can depend upon consistent warm, sunny weather, extremely powerful infusions may be created via solar power. These infusions contain the power of the sun as well as that of botanicals.
You need at least two weeks of sunny, warm weather. Weather is unpredictable, so check your local forecast. If one day out of 14 it rains, it's not the end of the world, but as long as it's mostly sunny and mostly warm, you're good to go.

1. Place the botanicals inside a jar with a tight-fitting lid
2. Pour oil over them (make sure the botanicals are completely covered)
3. Add one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
4. Leave the jar to sit exposed to warm sun all day and in a warm cupboard (or exposed to moonbeams, if it’s warm) all night, for two weeks. Strain through cheesecloth until all the botanicals have been removed

The Ethics of Spell-casting

2010-01-10T23:07:00.001-05:00

If you have picked up a spell book, most common being The Element Encyclopaedia series, you probably have flipped through it and stopped at some love spells, or wealth spells.

“The universe wastes nothing. Everything is simply, transformed.”
This is a sentence, from the remake of The Day The Earth Stood Still, that sums up what spell casting is. Any Pagan who performs spells will tell you that when you cast a spell, you are exchanging energy with the universe.

This is not about how to cast spells. I believe that you can read the theory, but you never really learn how to cast spells until you try it.
This is about the ethics of spell casting.

When you flip through any spell book you will have spells that a majority of Pagans say will are “unethical” and “not worth the risk”. Well, this can be confusing. How do you know what would be ethical?

Most Pagan’s go by the three-fold rule which basically states that what you exchange with the universe will come back three times.
I can provide a simple example.
My cousin fell at hit her head. She could have died (but she is, thankfully, alright). I performed a simple distance healing spell. Meditation only. In response, the universe helped my cousin, and helped me perfect using eye liner.

This is an example of how the universe repays me. I sent my energy to my cousin, the universe replaced it with energy to do eye liner. As a makeup artist who was struggling with eye liner, this is a very positive thing. However, if you send your energy out in a bad way, such as cursing someone, the energy that will return to you will be negative.

The universe is like a cosmic mirror, you will put out your energy, be it negative or positive, and the universe will then amplify it, and send it back.

This is why in my Book of Shadows you will not find spells that are “negative”.
The obvious categories of hexes and curses are, of course, absent.

What about the more “grey areas”? These include spells like love spells and money spells.
These are special cases, where they can be both positive and negative. In these cases, you must read the spell fully, and understand its possible repercussions. Now, when studying my spell book, I read each of these. Let me tell you, it was a bit crazy.

I’ll talk about love spells. They are usually employed to make a specific person to fall on love with the caster. This counters ethics. As you are using magic to make someone fall in love, this interferes with the other person’s free will. However, there are love spells that don’t target a single person, but rather signal ones availably to the universe and allow romance to enter one’s life. This does not interfere with free will as there is no specific target.
Money spells work similarly. Some spells for money will bring you the opportunity to earn more money, which will require some work and quick thinking on your part. Do not expect the universe to give you everything you want.

But then, why did I include banishing spells?
This is another special case. In the case of banishing spells, you are using these against a person who is a serious threat to you. These are not spells for getting rid of the jerky boyfriend! These spells take careful consideration, and should not be used lightly. This is up to the spell caster’s discretion.

Spells are fickle things. You have to be able to really think ahead. It requires good decision-making skills. For younger witches, doing their first sort of spells, you should look for spells like a protection spell. These spells will help you learn how to do spells while still learning how your spells affect the universe. This is especially good for teenage witches, who may still lack the foresight to make a good decision. I know you hate to hear it, but I was a teenager once (I’m only 19 now!) and trust me, we don’t know everything. Spells can help with basic decision making, if you know your ethics.

It’s a good idea to do a bit of Googling “Pagan Ethics” and learn a bit of general ethics, then apply them to spell casting.

Cama Zotz

2010-01-08T22:58:00.004-05:00

It’s been a LONG time since I did a Deity of the Day.

I’ve been re-reading the Silverwing series by Canadian author Kenneth Oppel. These are targeted at kids, but I’ve loved them since I got them almost ten years ago. There are four books: Silverwing, Sunwing, Firewing, and Darkwing. The first three draw heavily on Mayan and Aztec mythology, including the bat god Cama Zotz.

Cama Zotz was a leaf-nosed bat, who rules over darkness, death, and sacrifice. Cama Zotz is said to have a bat kingdom in the underworld. He is the antagonist in the Hero Twin myth.

Cama Zots is also known as Camazotz, Sotz and Zotz.

Cama Zotz has been featured in a lot of pop culture including:
- The animated film Hellboy: Sword of Storms
- The novel A Wrinkle in Time
- Dungeons & Dragons
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer Lost Slayer book series
- Vampire Plagues book
- Stephen King’s Datk Tower series.

I love bats personally, so I’m going to leave you all with some bat pictures, including the adorable fuzzballs known as the Honduran white bat.

Gemstones and Tarot

2010-01-07T16:24:00.002-05:00

I keep pieces of rose and clear quartz with each of my tarot decks, to help keep my energy (from the rose quartz) within the decks, and to help get rid of all outside influences (the clear quartz).

Today I did a reading with my UFO tarot deck (read it here), and I was thinking "Hmm, should each of my decks have a certain stone?" I was looking at my dark sunstone when I was thinking this.
I'm going to do a bit more thinking on it, maybe take a trip to The Weather and get some stones for each deck.

The Universe Wastes Nothing

2010-01-06T19:05:00.002-05:00

I know a few people who have had big, live-altering events. My uncle, a borderline alcholoic, was told he could not drink again; my cousin, again a bit of a binge-drinker, was also told that she could not drink again.

This makes me ponder things.

I think everything happens for a reason. The universe does not do things by accident (hence my title, The Universe Wastes Nothing), and that whatever deities you believe in do these things for a reason. So, why was my cousin told she couldn't drink anymore, from a spiritual point of veiw?
I think she needed a kick in the ass to grow out of this childhood "binge drinking" phase; to realize that she didn't need alchohal to have fun with her friends, and if she did, she needs better friends. She has potential, she's got a good career plan, and I think her need to fit in and get drunk would hold her back.
Thus, the Universe said "No, you can't be pressured by other people."

Do I hate drinking? No, of course not. I hate teenagers and adults who think that drinking is the most important thing.

Does everyone listen to the universe? No, that's the sad part.

Pekko

2010-01-06T12:15:00.002-05:00

It's been a while since I did a DotD.

Today's, I'm going to introduce you to Pekko. Pekko, also known as Peko, Pellon-Pekko, Pellonpekko and Pellervo, is the God of fields and crops. He protects all growing crops and encourages them to grow.

He can easily be petitioned by offering him beer, or growing beer crops (such as barley).

Sycnonized Emotions

2010-01-05T12:00:00.002-05:00

On Sunday, I did a tarot reading about how everything is going to sort of "click". My aunt and I went out, and I thought we'd talk about Paganism, but we actually talked about my future, and she gave me the idea to do alternative therapy.
And everything clicked.

I love tarot readings, and I really love it when they really do work out.

You can read the full reading here.

Number Correspondences-Two

2010-01-04T09:26:00.002-05:00

The number two is the origin of contracts, it is the symbol of diversity, of inequality, of division and of separation. Two is an evil principle, a number of bad omens, characterizing disorder, confusion, and change. Two represents balances, a balance of energy, gentleness, nature, imagination, romance, couples and love.

Yeah, I know, two is a bit psychotic in that regard, as it means both balance and inequality. When using two in numerology, you really have to pay attention to his number, because of the two hugely different things it represents, so use your intuition.

Psychic Herb Jars

2010-01-03T12:43:00.002-05:00

A herb jar to enhance your powers physically and mentally.

Fill one jar with the following:
Cinnamon [for dream magick]
Nutmeg [for good luck]
Allspice [healing]
Ginger [lunar magick]
Basil [protection]
Fennel seeds [spiritual healing]
Garlic [spiritual purification]
Marjoram [protection]
Sage [spiritual purification]
Cloves [protection]
Mustard seed [protection]

Before you do any scrying-of any kind-inhale the scent deeply and shake the jar gently.

The Parts of the Egyptian Soul

2010-01-02T10:18:00.002-05:00

The ancient Egyptians believed in the plurality of the soul, which each part representing different qualities or aspects of the individual. This is significant as different gods were sometimes considered to represent aspects of the souls of other deities. These parts were:
Ab: The heart, center of moral awareness and good and evil. The Ab lived with the gods if it passes judgement, balancing Maat’s feather of truth.
Akhu: Meaning effective one, the radiant immortal part of the person, created by the uniting of Ba and Ka and residing in the Sahu.
Ba: Can be translated as impression, and depecited as a human-headed bird, this part of the soul represented the personality of the person.
Ka: the life-force
Khabait: the shadow, that could partake of funerary offerings for sustenance, and leave the tomb.
Ren: The true name of the person, describing their essence
Sahu: the vessel of the spiritual body
Sekehm: the ethereal personification of the life force of the person.

In the context of the soul’s nature, it should be emphasised, that as with many early religions drawn upon sources for modern paganism (such as ancient Greece, Rome, Norse, ect), the ancient Egyptian religion had no doctrine of reincarnation. Instead, they believed that a person had only one life in a physical body.

Now, I do fully believe in reincarnation. I believe that the parts of the soul are still there, and they work together to form a soul. I also see all these parts as individual symbols.

New Tarot Blog

2010-01-01T17:05:00.002-05:00

I jsut started a new tarot blog with my daily readings.
I did my first reading together. It may not be the best, but it's a start.

Check out Arcanium here: http://tarotown.blogspot.com/

2009 In Review

2009-12-31T14:27:00.001-05:00

As they year is drawing to a close, I thought I’d do a bit of reflecting over my past year. I think 2009 wasn’t a “good year” overall, but I did have some ups as well as some far downs.

I think my biggest accomplishment and something I’m the most proud of is my starting this blog and actually keeping it going. It’s constantly evolving, just like I am. I’ve grown up so much in just disciplining myself to do this.

I think my personal writing has evolved, and I feel a lot more confident in what I’m writing. My character designs are still a bit weak, but that is something I can improve on.

This was the year I had enough confidence to talk to a guy that I liked, and though it didn’t work out, in the long run I think I learned a lot about what I like and don’t like in relationships.

I think some things I want to work on are overcoming my jealousy, because I can get extremely jealous.

My big spiritual goal for 2010 is to do a daily tarot reading.

Dream Fragments Healing Bath

2009-12-30T16:55:00.002-05:00

Have you ever had a dream where, when you wake up, it leaves it's residue and makes you feel disgusting for the entire day?

I did, and though I still feel a bit gross, I also feel a lot better. Here's what I did

You will need
- Sea salt
- a candle with a scent pleasing to you
- an oil with a scent pleasing to you
- a book (optional)

1. Draw a bath. Add as much or as little sea salt as you want.
2. Put a few drops of oil onto each of your chakra points. Anoint the candle with the oil as well. Don't worry about what the candle/oil smell or colour symbolizes, just make sure they are pleasing to you
3. Light the candle, get in the bath
4. Draw a line of sea salt on your stomach, and tell the salt to draw out the dream residue. Leave the salt there until you feel ready to remove it.
5. While the salt works, read a book if you choose, while soaking.
6. Wash the salt off

Thoth and I

2009-12-30T14:02:00.002-05:00

And yes, that was the best title I could come up with.

Come to me, Thoth, O noble Ibis,
O god who loves Khmun;
O letter-writer of the Ennead,
Great one who dwells in Un!
Come to me and give me counsel,
Make me skilful in your calling;
Better is your calling than all callings,
It makes men great.
He who masters it is found fit to hold office...
You are he who offers counsel,
Fate and Fortune are with you,
Come to me and give me counsel,
I am a servent of your house,
Let me tell of your valiant deeds,
Wheresoever I may be;
Then the multitudes will say:
“Great are they, the deeds of Thoth!”

I talk a lot about Quetzalcoatl. He’s around me a lot more than other deities, though I’ve got my fair share of spirits that come by, especially fairies. I thought today I’d talk about the first deity I ever worked with, who still checks up on me sometimes.

I first worked with Thoth when I began to set out on my Pagan journey. He was always an observer, watching what I did, and how I worked. He was always that sort of gentle background push, unlike Quetzalcoatl who has a very big personality. Thoth was always subtle, and unless he wanted me to know he was around, he could very much “sneak in”.

I don’t know what first drew me to Thoth. I like writing, I like learning (certain things), and that could be it. There was something markedly exotic about the Egyptian pantheon in general that drew me more than the others that are traditionally studied as part of the History units in grade school. Maybe it was nostalgia on my part from the old lessons in Sunday School, from the Exodus story.

There will always be something that draws me to Egypt, even though I can’t quite put my finger on what that is. There is something about the grandness of the ancient culture. Yes, I know that I have a very romanticised view of it all. That won’t change how it pulls on my heartstrings.

Symbology of Blood and Hearts in Mayan Cultures

2009-12-29T15:53:00.002-05:00

The Mayan's are pretty well known for human sacrifice. As it turns out, most of the artwork we see of human sacrifice, with the removal of the heart, was saved for special ceremonies. Most Maya sacrifice was by decapitation.

The blood was a symbol of man’s debt to the gods who had created him; the heart, as the most vital organ, was the most precious food for the lords of creation.

Animal Omens

2009-12-28T13:01:00.002-05:00

I found this list in a book Lisey let me borrow called Witches All. It's a good book, really interesting. Lots of really good history in it.

This is a list of animal omens. I've never actually used animals for divination, so this list is also just for fun.

If you hear an owl hooting in the forest before midnight, it warns of trouble to come. If heard after midnight, it is a sign that death is near.

When you see a frog in early spring, creep up behind it and gently stroke its back with your finger. You will know true love before the snow flies.

And if you see a spider:
In the morning-you’ll know shame
At midday-pleasure and profit
In the afternoon-a gift it brings
In the evening-joy and mirth

Upon seeing crows, remember
One for sorrow,
Two for mirth,
Three for a wedding,
Four for a birth

Bad tidings in one quarter; an omen of disaster in another yet all witches know: black cat arrives, good fortune thrives

It is a bad omen to meet or follow a flock of sheep

A visit from a tricoloured cat will bring good luck. If you can entreat it to stay, magic paths will open before you.

Should a black dog coming to your home unbidden and take up residence with you—welcome the beast, for you can be sure good fortune will follow

Update

2009-12-27T14:40:00.003-05:00

It's kind of hard to get back into regular postings after a bit holiday series like that.

If you're curious, I'm working on a Pagan 101 series called "Ten Things Every Pagan Needs", hopefully will be ready by the time I go to school on January 8th. The series basically explains ten things that I think Pagans need to really get started. I think we all remember how overwhelming it can be.

One last note: I'm also done my raw documents! About 400 pages to go!

Quetzalcoatl Bust and Oils!

2009-12-26T15:10:00.008-05:00

My mom gave me some awesome Pagan stuff for Yule.
This is an Ostara Sabbat basket. It has everything for a small Ostara ritual. It comes with incense and two charcoal blocks to light them, a candle that looks like Vicks Vapo-rub, Ostara oil, a rose quartz and citrine in a pretty bag, a mini-broom and a scroll that gives a breif history of the holiday. The moon-cloth is really nice too, and it came in a basket so I can use it too!
This is a dark sunstone crystal ball. I have a small chunk of this, as does my friend Kristine. We call them our drag queen stones.
These are some more oils my mom got me. The mini ones were on sale! I have Oregano, Grapefruit, Myrtle, Eucalptus, Angelica Root and Chamoile.

Yes! This is a Quetzalcoatl bust! Just like the one's on the temples and at Disney!
SMOOCHIES!

Side note: There was a bit of a kafuffle involving Quetzalcoatl and mistaken identity this week. Big thanks to my cousin Ash and Hex for letting me vent and helping me figure it all out.

12 Days of Yule: Day Twelve

2009-12-24T13:16:00.001-05:00

Well, I did it. We’ve reached the final day of the Twelve Days of Yule. I’m really kind of relieved. It was a little tricky, and a bit crazy with all the prep for Christmas.

Today, I’m not going to talk about me. I want to talk about you guys. So, I offer you all a prompt to think over: what are your traditions? What do you all do for the holidays, religious, cultural or otherwise?

12 Days of Yule: Day Eleven

2009-12-23T14:15:00.000-05:00

My mom and I are Pagans. Actually, I’m going to be a bit more specific. I’m an eclectic Pagan who customizes how she worships, and my mom is a Wiccan. My dad is a Christian/Agnostic.
Yeah, we’re a pretty crazy bunch, with a lot of conflicting ideas.

We’ve had to really compromise this year for the holidays (my mom converted this year). Yes, we have four Christmas trees, and we have a nativity and a pentagram. It’s a little strange when people walk in.

I think we see Christmas as an excuse to hang out with family and friends and spoil them, without really much religious overtones. Even for Yule, I don’t think we’re doing that much out of the ordinary. My extended family doesn’t even say grace unless my grandmother is there, so they really don’t have any sort of religious connection either.

Anyway, do any of you have to blend your holidays? How do you do it?

I have a question as well. I like some of the Christian holiday music. Mary’s Boy Child is probably my favourite. Does this make me a bad Pagan?

12 Days of Yule: Day Ten

2009-12-22T14:13:00.001-05:00

My family likes Christmas specials and movies. Well, my mom does. We watch all of them. Most of them are usually about Santa and family, but some of the “informational” specials, like a History of Macy’s or whatever have some religious tones that don’t even mention Paganism.

BUT! We watched a special on Food Network, the show Good Eats had a great special. The host talked endlessly about how it was not a Christian holiday. He was very much ignoring the Christian adoption of the holiday and focused on Saturnalia and Yule.

It was a really nice surprise to be honest. I love it when we get little goodies like this. Hopefully more people will realize the history of the holiday season now.

Happy Yule!

2009-12-21T14:18:00.000-05:00

For everyone who celebrates Yule, or other Solstice-based holidays, I want to wish you all the best holiday season, and lotsof fun and good health and all that jazz. I'm never good with this sort of thing, so I'm just gunna say it again: Happy Yule!

12 Days of Yule: Day Nine

2009-12-21T14:11:00.004-05:00

Green and Red are our traditional colours for this time of year, but what do they symbolize? Each colour resonates differently with each person, so these are just "common" associations. Do a bit of personal research to see what works, or doesn't work, for you.

Green
Uses: Healing, promotes prosperity; money, rituals for good Luck, fertility, harmony, and rejuvenation, earth mother, physical healing, success, tree and plant magic, growth, personal goals, generosity, abundance, good fortune, monetary, charity, wealth, renewal, marriage and balance, north cardinal point
Element: Earth
Direction: North
Chakra: Fourth, heart Chakra
Planet: Venus, Jupiter, Mars
Day: Friday/Venus-Love, friendship; Wednesday/Mercury-Business transactions; Thursday/Jupiter-Luck, prosperity
Number: 4
Magical Tool: Wand, Cauldron
Scent/Oil: Elder, mint, musk, sage, vanilla, pine, sweetpea, mugwort, patchouli, vervain, cinnamon, marjoram
Plant/Herb: Birch, catnip, blackberry, coltsfoot, foxglove, thyme, yarrow, feverfew, burdock, pennyroyal, plantain, briar, verbena, elder, basic, cedarwood, sage, dill, clove, mugwort
Wood: Bitch, elder, almond, hawthorn, fig, oak, palm, pine
Animal: Gnomes, Dwarfs, fishes, bee, bull, rabbit, rat, alligator, turtle, grasshopper, bison, frog
Stones: Emerald, Peridot, jade, malachite, coral, green tourmaline, aventurine, green quartz, gold, silver, rock crystal, onyx, azurite
Tarot: Emperor, sevens
Gods: Agathadaimon, Bonus, Daikoku, Eventus, Buddha, Gansea, Inari, Jambhala, Jupiter, Pluto, Tamon
Goddesses: Anna Koun, Anna Perenna, Benten, Brighid, Buddhi, Carna, Chala, Felicitas, Foruna, Janus, Kichijo-Ten, Lakshmi, Ops, The Muses, Vasudhara, Syn
Gender: either
Zodiac: Cancer, Aquarius, Pisces and Leo
Colour Codes: #008000, #00FF00 (same colour, just different codes for some reason)

Red
Uses: Love, passion, good health, energy, strength, enthusiasm, element of fire, stamina, career goals, charity, fast action, lust, moon blood, driving force, survival, sexual love and potency, fertility, courage, will power, increases magnetism in rituals, romantic atmosphere, south cardinal point, draws Aries and Scorpio energy, enthusiasm
Element: Fire
Direction: South
Chakra: Root Chakra
Planet: Mars
Day: Tuesday
Number: 5
Magical Tool: Sword, cauldron, incense burner, candle
Scent/Oil: Dragons Blood, Basil, Pine, Cinnamon, Mullein, Musk
Plant/Herb: Sunflower, Nettles, Holy Thistle, Crowfoot, Hops, Wormwood, Cranesbills, Chilli Pepper, Chives, Spikenard, Onion, Cornflower, Rose, Mustard, Garlic Rosemary, Dill, Hibiscus, Woodruff, Tobacco, Pepperwort, Heather, and Yew
Wood: Redwood, Cherry
Animal: Bear, Horse, Wolf, Ram, marsupials and night creatures, Tigers, Lions, Badger, Alligator, Ants, beetle, Cardinal, porcupine, Chicken, and Peacock
Stones: Ruby, garnet, bloodstone, spinel, red tourmaline, red topaz, agate, rubelite rhodonchrosite, Quartz crystals, tigers eye, pyrite, tektite, diamond, red jasper
Tarot: The magician, cups, fives
God: Achilles, Ares, Atlas, Hercules, Mars, Thor, Zeus
Goddesses: Athena, Eris, Kali, Minerva
Gender: Male
Zodiac: Taurus, Gemini, Leo, Capricorn, Sagittarious
Colour Code: #FF0000

12 Days of Yule: Day Eight

2009-12-20T13:22:00.001-05:00

Yule symbols are pretty universal during the winter season, so no doubt you already know most of these!

Holly berries and leaves
Apples
Winter birds such as Cardinals
Fairies
Lights
Snowflakes
Candles
Stags
Suns
Moons
Gingerbread men
Mistletoe
Acorns
Bayberry and cranberry garlands
Wreaths
Santa’s
Mirrored Glass Globes
And of course, the Yule Log.

These symbols are so popular today, because they are ancient symbols, so we don’t really think they have much symbolic value.
Nice short post compared to my last three days!

12 Days of Yule: Day Seven

2009-12-19T13:36:00.011-05:00

Our Yule Decorations

This is pretty much a photo post with all our decorations. But, it’s also a prompt: Share your decorations with me! This isn't the full album, but there is a link to that at the bottom of the post.

This is our fairy tree. The "presents' under it are actually wrapped up tarot card boxes.
This is our personal family tree. It has the presents for the people in the house under it (me, my mom and my dad). It's all Star Trek ornaments. The lights are all red for Red Alert!

This is a very blury image of our tree in the front hall. The presents under it go to the extended family, which are getting packed up in buckets now that the christmas party is done.

This is our 4th and final tree, the miniature tree with our mini ornaments.
My mom got this about a million years ago. It's a tin nativity set. We put it out because it's really pretty and for my dad, who is still Christian. That's how we blend religions...we include him. Doesn't stop him from teasing us though.

The other pictures, including close up, are located here.

12 Days of Yule: Day Six

2009-12-18T13:33:00.001-05:00

These are some great crafts for kids and adults alike.

Solstice Dream Pillow
Materials
- ¼ ounce of the following: dried chamolmile, mugwort, catnip, hops, lavender
- Whole oranges and lemons
- Cinnamon sticks
- Allspice berries
- Myrrh or frankincense resin lumps
- 4 by 7 inch pieces of lightweight fabric (two per bag)
- Bits of ribbon, embroidery floss, scraps of lace, beads, ect for embellishment

This is a craft to do while you stay up all night on the Solstice.

Take the first five dried herbs and mix them in whatever proportion s you desire/have on hand. Mugwort is the dreamer’s herb, so the more of that you use, the more psychic your dreaming will be. Hops will lead to a sounder sleep for insomniacs. Catnip will make your cat go nuts and sleep on your face.

As the night passes, eat the oranges and drink lemon tea. You may retain the peels if you desire and dry them in an oven, but you do not have to.

Crumble everything up small, and put them into the bags. You can pre-make the bags, leaving one side open. It’s easier if you want to embroider or embellish the bag. Be sure the bag isn’t too hard, as you will want to sleep on it.

When you do eventually go to bed, put one of these into your pillowcase.

Yule Cinnamon Ornaments
These are not for eating but for decoration

- ¾ cup applesauce
- White glue
- 1 ounce cinnamon
- 1 ounce ground cloves
- 1 ounce ground nutmeg
- 1 ounce dried ginger
- Cookie cutters
- Dough

In a medium bowl, stir together the cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg and ginger Mix in the applesauce and glue. Work the mixture with your hands 2-3 minutes to from a ball. If the mixture is too wet, add more cinnamon, too dry; add more applesauce.
Lightly dust a clean surface with cinnamon. Roll out the dough to ¼ inch thickness. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters, and use a toothpick to make a hole at the top for hanging with a ribbon.

Dry in a slow oven 200 degrees F (100 degrees C) for several hours, or air dry in a sunny spot for 4 or 5 days. When dry, decorate with gingham and/ or ribbon.

Twelve Herb Yule Sachet
- 7 parts jupier
- 4 parts cinnamon
- 4 parts allspice
- 4 parts ginger
- 4 parts caraway
- 2 parts nutmeg
- 2 parts rosemary
- 2 parts lemon
- 2 parts orange
- 1 part clove
- 1 part bay
- 2 pinches orris
Tie up in a small square of green, red, or Yule print cloth and give as gifts or scent the house for Yule.

12 Days of Yule: Day Five

2009-12-17T12:10:00.001-05:00

Today is a little different. Instead of giving you a brief history of Yuletide food, I’m going to give you some recipes!
Feel free to share your Yule recipes, and to try these ones out.

DRINKS

The Candy Cane
- ¾ ounces of berry flavoured vodka. Smirnoff makes a really good raspberry flavoured one
- ¾ ounces of peppermint schnapps
- ¾ ounces of white Crème de Cacao
- ¼ ounces of grenadine
- Soda water
The original recipe calls for half and half, but it tasted better without it

1. Pour the vodka, peppermint schnapps, white crème de cacao and grenadine into a cocktail shaker with ice
2. Shake well
3. Pour into a martini glass rimmed with crushed peppermint candy (to rim a glass, crush the candy in a bag and pour onto a small plate. Then wet the rim of the glass in water, or one of the liquors. We used the soda water. Then, while the rim is wet, plate it in the plate of crushed candies. Twirl it a bit, then carefully turn it over. The glass will be rimmed!)
4. Top off with soda water

This should make 2-3 drinks, depending on your tastes.

Wassail
Wassail is the traditional drink of Yule. We had seen a wassail recipe on a TV special on the Food Network, but it sounded disgusting. This is a recipe that is less like egg nog, and more like warmed, spiced apple cider. This drink has no alcohol, so the little ones can enjoy it as well.
This batch makes ten cups of wassail.

- 1 quart apply juice
- 1 quart apple cider
- 8 oranges
- 4 lemons
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- 16 cinnamon sticks. Ten will be for garnish
- 10 whole cloves
- 10 whole allspice betties
- ½ teaspoon of mace

In a large pot, combine apple juice and cider. Wash and slice the oranges and lemons and add them to the pot. Create a spice pouch by wrapping 6 cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice and mace in a piece of cheesecloth or muslin and add that to the pot as well. Simmer for at least 30 minutes. Ladle into mugs and garnish with a cinnamon stick.

FOOD

Chocolate Peppermint Yule Log
This will show you how to make the cake itself and the peppermint icing. The icing can, of course, be substituted for whatever you like.

The cake:
Makes one 12 by 17 inch cake. The cake can be rolled, wrapped in plastic and kept at room temperature up to a day. After the one day, you may unroll the cake and put the icing on it, then roll it up again to make it easier.

- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
- 1/3 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
- 2/3 cup sifted cake flour (Not self rising)
- Pinch of baking soda
- 7 large eggs
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Butter a 12-by-17 inch rimmed baking sheet. Line with parchment paper. Butter paper, and dust with cocoa; tap out excess. Into a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, and baking soda.
2. Combine eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a missing bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water; whist until the mixture is warm to the touch and the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat. With an electric mixer on high speed, whisk until mixture is thick, pale, and tripled in volume. This should take about six minutes.
3. In three batches, sift flour mixture over egg mixture, folding it in after each addition. While folding in last addition, pout in melted butter; fold in thoroughly.
4. Gently spread batter evenly in prepared pan, smoothing top with an offset spatula. Tap pan against counter to remove ait bubbles. Bake until cake is springy to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes
5. Run a sharp knife around the sides of cake, and invert onto a kitchen towel dusted with cocoa. Starting at the long side, roll cake into a log, incorporating towel. Let cool completely seam-side down.

Peppermint Icing
Makes about 8 cups. You will need a candy thermometer

- 1 ¾ cups sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons of light corn syrup
- 6 large egg whites
- ½ teaspoon pure peppermint extract

1. Combine 1 ½ cups of sugar with the water and corn syrup in a small heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until the sugar has dissolved and mixture is clear, about 4 minutes. Without stiffing, bring to a boil over high heat, occasionally washing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystals from forming. Continue to boil until syrup registers 230 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, with an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk egg whites until soft peaks form With mixer running, gradually add remaining ¼ cup sugar. Reduce speed to low: carefully pour hot syrup down side of bowl. Raise speed to medium-high, and mix until cool, thick and shiny, 12 to 15 minutes. Mix in peppermint extract. Use immediately.

Caraway Breadsticks
Makes 3 dozen
- 1 ¼ ounce package of active dry yeast
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
- 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup vegetable shortening
- 3 ¼ cups flour

Blend the year and ¼ cup of the warm water. Let stand for 5-10 minutes, until foaming. Mix in the remaining water, sugar, nutmeg, sage, caraway seeds, and salt. Add the egg and the shortening, beating vigorously with a spoon. Sift the flour, mixing well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Divide the child dough into three dozen small pieces. Roll into eight 1-inch pencil-like strips and place them 1 inch apart on a greased baking sheet. Let rise for about 1 ½ to 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the breadsticks for 12 to 15 minutes.

Caraway seeds are used to help fertility, health, strength, intellect, protection, and anti-theft

For Santa’s Reindeer
Everyone leaves out milk and cookies, but what about the reindeer? We used to leave out carrots and celery, but there are many recipes for magic reindeer food. Most of these recipes are harmful to any birds or small animals that happen to eat some too. This is a nature-friendly version you and your kids can throw out on Christmas Eve so the reindeer aren’t forgotten.

- ½ cup oatmeal
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup red or green sugar crystals (you can find these in the cake decorating section of your local supermarket)

In a small zipper food storage bad or empty shaker container, mix the ingredients above. Sprinkle it outside for the reindeer to eat on Christmas Eve.

12 Days of Yule: Day Four

2009-12-16T14:06:00.002-05:00

Welcome to Day Four of the Twelve Days of Yule. Today, I’m going to tell you about different winter traditions from around the world. This is by no means a complete list.

Bodhi Day: This is a Buddhist festival, on December 8th, celebrating the day the Buddha (Siddhartha Guatama) experienced enlightenment

Samhain: October 31-Nov. 1. This is the Celtic New Year, and the mark of the beginning of winter

Winter Solstice: Dec. 21: this is the longest day of the year

Imbolc: February 1 or 2 (there is some debate), this marks the official end of winter for the Celts

Chinese New Year: This happens in late January-early February, and is considered the end of winter on the Chinese calendar.

Saint Nicholas’ Day: Dec. 6th, a Christian feast day

Christmas: Dec. 25: This is the so-called day that Christ was born. The original date was stolen from the Romans (see below)

Twelfth Night: January 5; this is the end of the twelve days of Christmas

Candlemas: February 2, this is the day when Christ was supposedly presented at the Temple.

Yule: The Germanic winter solstice festival, celebrated on Dec. 21

Diwali: The festival of Lights in Hinduism. This is a five day festival that celebrates good over evil. It occurs between mid October and mid November

Hanukkah: this is an eight day Jewish festival commemorating the miracle of the oil after the desecration of the Temple in 165BCE

Purim: This occurs in late February or March, it celebrates the victory of the Jews over the Persian Empire.

Eid ul-Adha: This is a Muslim holiday commemorating the Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ismael. This date changes, as it is based on a lunar calendar. For the first decade of the 21st century, it will fall in the winter months

Inti Raymi: This is a winter solstice festival, though it is celebrated in June, as it is in the Southern Hemisphere. This is an Incan celebration that is still celebrated in Cuzco.

Matariki: Another Southern Hemisphere festival. This is the celebration of Maori New year, when the Pleiades star cluster rises.

Yalda: A Persian festival that celebrates the winter solstice, and the victory of light over dark (good over evil).

Saturnalia: This is the Roman winter solstice festival, taking place from Dec. 17 to the 25. The Christians adopted this holiday so that the Roman soldiers would convert. This is the feast of Saturn.

Lupercalia: This is a Roman end-of-winter festival celebrated on February 15th.

12 Days of Yule: Day Three

2009-12-15T14:02:00.001-05:00

This post could, technically, fit in with Day 9, which is the symbols of Yule and Winter, but it was requested.

The Yule Log is the representation of the rebirth of the God, and the coming sun. As the log burns, it gives off heat, and thus represents the coming sun. The log is traditionally oak or pine. The log is then covered in appropriate sun symbols, and burned, usually for the Twelve Days of Christmas. In some cultures, the new log was lit by using a small piece from the log burned the year before.

The tradition of burning a Yule Log was German at first, though it gained popularity. It was popular in the British Isles in the 17th century, but died out during the Industrial Revolution.

Today, the Yule Log is a symbol of the holiday season, and many television stations will broadcast a burning fireplace on Christmas morning. This is not a true Yule Log, as it is not carved or blessed in a Pagan sense.

A Yule Log is also a kind of dessert cake made of a dense sponge-like cake, and rolled into a log shape. It is usually chocolate.

12 Days of Yule: Day Two

2009-12-14T13:46:00.002-05:00

There are many different Winter deities, form various pantheons. Here is a short list of deities associated with Yule.
- Aket (Egyptian)
- Apollo (Greek)
- Changing Woman (Native American)
- Chronos (Greek)
- Eve (Christian/Jewish)
- Father Sun (Native American)
- Gaia (Greek)
- Heket (Egyptian)
- Helios (Greek)
- Horus (Egyptian)
- Janus (Roman)
- Jesus (Christian)
- Kwan Yin (Chinese)
- Lilith (Christian/Jewish)
- Llew/Lugh (Celtic)
- Ma’at (Egyptian)
- Metzil (Aztec)
- Nox (Greek)
- Oak/Holly King (Celtic)
- Pandora (Greek)
- Pax (Roman)
- Ra (Egyptian)
- Saturn (Roman)
- Ukko (Finnish)
- Virgin Mary (Christian)
- Yachimata-Hiko (Japanese)
- Yemana (African)

Yes, I did include the Christian Virgin Mary and Jesus, simply because they are associated with the holiday. This list is by no means complete, but it should give you a good grasp.
Stay tuneed for tomorrow: the Yule Log

12 Days of Yule: Day One

2009-12-13T12:48:00.002-05:00

Welcome to the Twelve Days of Yule! Today is day one, all about Yule!

Yule is the date of the Winter Solstice, which is usually December 21st. This is the longest night of the year, and when the days grow longer. Between Summer and Winter Solstice, the days grow shorter as the Earth turns farther away from the sun. The winter solstice marks the coming of spring, as the days are “reborn”.

In many Wiccan Yule stories, the Goddess gives birth to the Sun on this day. Some women stay up all night to help the Goddess give birth.

Just like for Christians, Yule is a time of celebrating with family and friends, exchanging gifts, and feasting.

Yule is the next holiday after Samhain. While Samhain was a celebration of death, Yule is a celebration of life. It doesn’t just mean physical life, but also new ideas. As winter is perceived as a quiet time, we can listen to our own ideas and creativity.

The Christians took December 25th as their date of birth for Jesus to help the Pagans, who had numerous winter celebrations, convert. Theologists tend to believe that Jesus’ actual birthdate was in the spring.

Yule is also a representation of the last of the three “stages” of life. This is the time when the Mother has grown into the Crone, and the Hunter is now the Sage. As winter ends, so does these stages of life, and they are reborn as Children.

Yule is, basically, the celebration of the rebirth of the Sun. This is why we exchange gifts, much like the same way the Christians do.

Happy Yule!

12 Days of Yule Starts Tomorrow!

2009-12-12T12:52:00.002-05:00

Letting everyone know, my 12 days of Yule starts tomorrow with a breif history of Yule.
These are going to be fun, festive days, so be sure to check them out!

Egyptian Altar Oil

2009-12-11T14:36:00.001-05:00

Use this recipe to create an Egyptian Altar Oil.

4 drops Frankincense oil
2 drops Myrrh oil
1 drop Cedar oil

Sorry about the sort-ish post today, I'm working on my Twelve Days of Yule posts.

Makeup Portfolio

2009-12-11T01:07:00.001-05:00

This has nothing to do with Paganism. I just want to let you know I've launched my personal makeup portfolio, and you can check it out here: MissDemet's Makeup Mayhem

MissDemet is a name that will be explained later. Anyway, if any of you are into makeup, check it out!

New Comment System

2009-12-10T17:51:00.001-05:00

I got a new comment format for the blog. Now you can send replies!
Tell me what you all think.

Making an Oil Based Infusion

2009-12-10T12:10:00.003-05:00

This is a basic process for creating an oil based infusion. Use any base oil, though the easiest to get would be olive oil.

The standard proportion suggested is that for every cup of oil, one ounce of fresh herb or one-half ounce of dried herb is required. Unless otherwise advised, do not exceed these proportions.

1. Place the botanical material in a stainless steel bowl
2. Cover with the oil
3. Gently heat over simmering water, either in a true double boiler or in an improvised water bath—a saucepan one-quarter filled with water. The bowl with the herbs must not sit on the bottom of the pan but float in the water. As it is very easy for oil to scorch and burn, this process needs constant supervision for safety. Keep the oil covered
4. Stir once in a while. Simmer gently for thirty minutes. The oil should not be allowed to get too hot because if it smokes, bubbles, or burns, an acrid fragrance will develop, spoiling the infusion.
5. Allow the oil to cool. Then all the botanical material must be strained out through multiple layers of cheesecloth or a fine non-metal strainer, Strain twice, if necessary, or more. If the plant material is not removed, the oil may turn rancid
6. If an infusion recipe includes essential oils or flower remedies for enhancement, add them now, once the oil is strained and cooled
7. Store the infused oil in an airtight container.

If you are making large quanities of oil, you'll need a presverer. The easiest to find is vitamin E. Buy vitamin E capsules from the pharmany, and peirce them, mixing it into the mixture.

You can use a crock-pot for the water bath. Maintain the same proportions. Leave the pot on a low heat for approximately two hours, then strain as above.

1000 Pages To Go!

2009-12-09T13:32:00.003-05:00

So, last night I officially hit the "1000 pages to go" mark on my USBoS. This, of course, does not include my tarot decks to work with, but hey, 1000 pages over two books isn't bad. Okay, on a technical note its 1002 pages, but that's only because I went to bed last night to watch Harry Potter 6, which then proceeded to give me an incredibly surreal dream.

So, if we want to be specific, I have 375 pages (out of 603) to type up in my Symbol book. A little less than HALF the book was one chapter.

I have 627 (of 1035) in my Spell book. I'm on the chapter about the Evil Eye. I've skipped somje chapters in this book because the spells don't sit right with me, like the dominating spells and the hexes. I read each spell and deside if the risks of the spell are worth it.
For some, there is really no risk, such as the spiritual cleansing spells. Others, like the dominating spells, interfere too much with other people without there consent.
"But Lea!" I hear you all tell me, "you wrote up banishing spells!"
Banishing spells for people is indeed a last-chance-completely-desperate-no-other-option option. Yes, they do interfere with people without thier consent, but, unlike dominating spells and hexes, these people can be a legit threat to you. When you perform a person banishing spell, it really means they have overstayed thier welcome and are interfereing with your life WAY to much.
Each of these banishing spells does contain some degree of risk, and it's up to the spell-caster to choose if the risk is worth it.

So, then, why aren't I including the hexes and dominaing spells?
These types of spells are the spells that, unlike banishing spells, are spells in which you aren't getting rid of a problem, but exterting your power. For these spells, the risk is much higher, not to mention they can go very wrong. In these cases, unless you want a reputation as a "black witch", taking the risk to control other people or cause them harm on purpose is not worth it when there are other, less risky spells you can use, such as making yourself invisible to the people you want to hex.

In the end, spells all carry a certain degree of risk, and it is up to the spell caster to deside if the risk is great enough.

I have no idea where that little rant came from, but I think I'll polish it up for another one of my "lessons" postings.

12 Days of Yule Count-down

2009-12-08T21:01:00.002-05:00

Just a heads up here: on DECEMBER THRITEENTH I'm going to start a 12 days of Yule series. Each post will be holiday themed, from our Christmas trees (yeah, trees. We have four) to traditional Yule foods.
So, the posts will run from Dec. 13 to the 24th. But, I do need ideas. 12 posts is a lot; I was struggling with 7 for Halloween Week.
Anyway, any suggestions?

Huge Thanks!

2009-12-08T16:40:00.002-05:00

I want to give a HUGE thanks to Hexeengel for advertising my blog and forum.
So, to return the favour, I'm going to advertise her.

I met her on Livejournal, but she now has a blogger blog called Wicca 101 and Beyond. This blog is filled with all sorts of interesting lessons about Wicca, but some of what she writes about can be adapted to all sorts of pagan traditions.

She's incredibly helpful, so if you have any questions about Wicca, she would be the best person to ask.

So! Go visit her blog!Wicca 101 and Beyond

New Home Floorwash

2009-12-07T14:12:00.002-05:00

This spell is for the first time you clean your new home. It basically gives you a blank slate for moving in. If you can, clean the floors, counters, and other surfaces before you unpack most of your stuff, so that you can clean all the residual energy.

1. Make a strong infusion from basil, hyssop, and pine needles
2. Strain and add to a bucket of rinse water, with vinegar
3. Cleanse floors and surfaces as needed

A Book of Shadows-A Guide

2009-12-06T13:57:00.003-05:00

A Book of Shadows, in a traditional sense, is a Wiccan book, or set of books, that holds the individuals or covens basic ritual works, from reference lists to simple observations jotted in the margins. Some books are very organized, even self-published for the group or individual. Other books are very unorganized to an outsider.

Most Wiccan covens treasure a Book of Shadows. Such books are rarely mass published or even shown to non-initiates. In them, the coven’s specific beliefs and modes of worship are thoroughly or sketchily outlined. Though contents and organization of these ritual manners vary, most Books of Shadows include instructions for the circle casting and banishing; religious rituals; the consecration of tools; laws; coven organizational notes magical rites; prayers and perhaps herbal lore. Some contain lists of the coven’s pantheon, training exercises for new students and, finally, initiation ceremonies.

Such books are vitally important to the establishment and maintenance of all Wiccan covens, for without them, the coven’s specific rites and other lore must be carefully memorized and passed down by word of mouth. This always leaves room for error, misinterpretation, and even loss of the material. Don't misunderstand this: no Wiccan tradition has been able to record every single bit of information—though I’m trying to. Much is verbally passed from teacher to student. Still a covens Book of Shadows provides and unchanging guide and memory trigger for the practitioner.

There are many different Books of Shadows today. Some are used by hundreds of Thousands of Wiccans. Others are created by Solitary Wiccans and never shown to others.

Not every coven is very secretive about their Book of Shadows. Some will, if the coven is particularly old, well-known or has famous members/past members, the coven will publish a section or their entire Book, and other Pagan’s will adapt the coven’s practises into their own. This is helpful for people who are overwhelmed when it comes to creating a book of shadows, or are anal about such things. Like me. I was going to hand write my BoS, put it in a binder, and I just about killed myself. I may not look organized to someone like my mother or aunt, but I do have a system.

Some pagans have more than one Books of Shadows, with many different volumes. For example, a coven or individual may keep a volume for holidays and traditions, a volume for spells, a volume for reference, a volume for personal observations, a volume for divination practise, you get the idea.

Some Books of Shadows are simply reference books, complied as a quick-and-easy guide. This is what my digital Book of Shadows is. I call it USBoS, and it’s got a whole folder on my computer desktop, and a backup on my external drive. Before it got huge, it used to be backed up on a USB thumb drive. I save observations on my blog, and once I start reading tarot, I’ll have a tarot folder divided by months and probably posted to my blog. This is the Technopagan version of a traditional Book of Shadows. Some may keep multiple disks or thumb drives as backup copies. DON’T SKIMP ON THE BACKUP!! I can’t stress this enough. I really can’t.

Books of Shadows are very personal things. Do what feels right for you. If a blog is the way to go for you, as it is for me, do it! Most blog hosts can be made private so that you or only certain people can read it. If you go for the traditional, hand written copies, there are plenty of notebooks, binders, and scrapbooking stuff you can look into (some links are at the bottom of this post). The thing with Paganism, you can make things like this customizable. Instead of deciding between what translation of the bible to use, you can design a Book of Shadows from the bottom up. This is a great way to imprint your energy in the book itself. Technopagans can do that too, it’s not just for the people who want to hand write a BoS. Technopagans imprint energies in different ways, that’s all. Everyone has a unique energy transferral...thing, as everyone is different.

I hope this guide has helped you pick out what you want to do for a Book of Shadows, and has helped you understood what a Book of Shadows really is.

LINKS
For Scrap Bookers
Sacred Mists Create-A-Grimoire
Michaels Arts and Crafts Scarpbooking

For Hand-Writers
Arsenic and Old Lace Writing Suplies
Green Earth Journals
Staples Business Depot Binders
Staples Business Depot Journals

For Technopagans
Staples Business Depot USB Drives
Staples Business Depot External Drives

Please note: the only ones I know FOR SURE are in Canada are Green Earth, Michaels, and Staples. I think Sacred Mists also ships to Canada, as I think my mother got me some Yule presents there, but I won’t be able to know until the 25th. For my American friends, you’ve got more choices in pagan-themed items (lucky!) so you can look at local pagan stores as well.

Pagan Prompt-What If God Was One Of Us?

2009-12-05T13:01:00.002-05:00

I was listening to this song, and I came up with a good blog prompt.

If God had a name, what would it be
And would you call it to his face
If you were faced with him in all his glory
What would you ask if you had just one question

And yeah yeah God is great yeah yeah God is good
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

What if God was one of us
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home

If God had a face what would it look like
And would you want to see
If seeing meant that you would have to believe
In things like heaven and in jesus and the saints and all the prophets

And yeah yeah god is great yeah yeah god is good
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

What if God was one of us
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home
He's trying to make his way home
Back up to heaven all alone
Nobody calling on the phone
Except for the Pope maybe in Rome

So, the question for you guys to answer is, What if God was one of us? (Or Goddess, or whoever you want to put in there)

The Egyptian Cobra

2009-12-04T14:02:00.004-05:00

Appearance: The cobra was almost always portrayed rearing up and with its hood dilated. The Greek word uraeus is typically used to describe the cobra in this pose. The word may have its origins from the Egyptian words which meant "she who rears up". The species of cobra represented as the uraeus is the Naja haje.

Meaning: According to the Story of Re, the first uraeus was created by the goddess Isis who formed it from the dust of the earth and the spittle of the sun-god. The uraeus was the instrument with which Isis gained the throne of Egypt for her husband Osiris.
The uraeus was a symbol for various things from early times including: the sun, Lower Egypt, the king and a number of deities.

As the sacred creature of the Delta city of Buto, the reptile was known by the same name. She soon became an emblem of all of Lower Egypt. The uraeus was often depicted with the vulture Nekhebet who served the same function for Upper Egypt. Together they symbolized the unification of the two lands. The creatures also appear together in the pharaoh's nebty or "Two Ladies" name.

The cobra was also called the "fiery eye" of Re and two uraei were sometimes depicted on either side of the solar disk.
A gilded wooded cobra called netjer-ankh ("living god") was found in the tomb of Tutankhamen. It is representative of the cobra's associations with the afterlife. In funerary works, the cobra is often depicted spitting fire. Two cobras doing just that were said to guard the gates of every "hour" of the underworld. During the Late Period, uraei were also shown towing the barque of the sun in funerary papyri. In all of these examples, the cobra's protective nature is clearly demonstrated.

The cobra was also representative of various deities such as Neith, Ma'at, and Re.

Health and Healing Oils

2009-12-03T14:41:00.002-05:00

With my cousin's healing going well, and my own healing, I figured I might as well share a really good list of scents that aid in healing and promote general health.
Use them either as incense, aromatherapy, annointing candles, in the bath, whatever else you can think of.

Bay
Carnation
Cedarwood
Cinnamon
Coriander
Eucalyptus
Gardenia
Juniper
Lemon Balm
Lime
Lotus
Myrrh
Narcissus
Palmarosa
Peppermint
Pine
Rose
Rosemary
Sandalwood
Spearmint
Violet

Paganism and Fertility

2009-12-02T17:14:00.002-05:00

Another late-ish post. Sorry everyone. I saw my cousin today. Thanks to everyone for sending your healing thoughts. She's doing great. You can't tell she was in the hospital only two days ago.

This is another prompt from LJ. I wrote it yesterday, but for some reason after visiting my cousin, as much as I love her to death, I feel like I need to share this post.

What do you think about (most forms of) Paganism including celebrations of fertility into it's scared year? Do you think that the Pagan celebration of fertility offers something positive to the culture? If so, what, and if not, why not?

We are, currently, a culture obsessed with sex and “sexiness” and sex appeal. There is a book by Ariel Levy that I think every woman should read called Female Chauvinist Pigs.
What was almost more surprising than the change itself were the responses I got when I started interviewing the men and -- often -- women who edit magazines like Maxim and make programs like The Man Show and Girls Gone Wild. This new raunch culture didn't mark the death of feminism, they told me; it was evidence that the feminist project had already been achieved. We'd earned the right to look at Playboy; we were empowered enough to get Brazilian bikini waxes. Women had come so far, I learned, we no longer needed to worry about objectification or misogyny. Instead, it was time for us to join the frat party of pop culture, where men had been enjoying themselves all along. If Male Chauvinist Pigs were men who regarded women as pieces of meat, we would outdo them and be Female Chauvinist Pigs: women who make sex objects of other women and of ourselves. (http://www.ariellevy.net/books.php?article=2)

Fit that in with conservative views on sex, especially teenage sex, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.
These conservative views in the (sorry American friends) South, fed by the Christian Right Wing have made any religion that sees sex in a positive regard is, well, sinful. And God forbid the woman get any pleasure from sex; she’s not the important one here.

Pagan cultures offer a positive view on sex. Not the “Stupid Spoiled Whore” ideals that seem to be ingrained into the culture. Every time I turn on Spike TV to watch CSI, I get commercials filled with skinny, leggy, “sexy” woman who have breast implants, shaking their ta-tas to see some foul smelling shampoo (yes Axe, I’m talking about you!). Whereas these ads are telling you, a woman, to be next to naked ALL THE TIME and be thin enough that a child could break you, Pagan cultures are telling you, a woman, that you are a crucial part of the world, and that your sex appeal should not be flaunted. This isn’t to say that you have to wear a sack, but it says that you have to be careful about who you sleep with.

Sex is a powerful thing. Just like any powerful thing, if it’s used in the wrong way, the results are disastrous.

While fertility is a beautiful thing, we are a fully developed nation and there is no reason that you have to run the risk of getting pregnant, or getting someone else pregnant, each time you have sex. Sex ed, not just abstinence only, needs to be taught. They started us at grade six. Sure, I was grossed out, and when I was in grade ten I was glad to be done with it, but it has taught me so much. I even had a more risqué dream, and the only thing I could do in said dream was go buy condoms.

Fertility is just as powerful as sex, and with the lack of sex ed, fertility is being abused just like sex is being abused.

I think that most Pagans understand that sex and fertility are the things that keep, well, everything surviving, however we also know that not taking control of our own sexuality and fertility are dangerous things and can lead to unforeseen consequences.

It’s like breaking a horse. You get a wild horse and indulge it; you’re going to end up with a lot of problems. Sex and fertility is that horse. If you properly break that horse, you’re going to get the greatest animal you’ve ever had. Just like sex: if you understand sex and fertility, and know what you and your partner want—both long and short term—you’re going to have a wonderful ride.

Psychic Protection Cleansing

2009-12-01T17:18:00.004-05:00

Yeah, I'm a bit late today...I was out of town and am now exhausted.

Moving on.
Cleansing spells are important aspects of a Witches everyday lives. This is one to help clear debris in your third eye and thus improve psychic vision. If you read tarot cards, pendulums, or use other forms of psychic...ness, you will need to perform a pyschic cleansing spell at least once a month, but perhaps more depending on your own needs.
This one is fairly straight forward, and is a modifed Native American smudging ceremony.

You will need
- Smudge stick
- Bowl or shell
- Matches
- Large feather
- Crystal. Any crystal that aids in cleansing will do. Amethyst clusters and clear quartz are always good choices.

Smudge yourself and the room around you. Smudge your crystal too. Place your crystal close by you to absorb any negative energy in order to gather all the strength you need. If you are performing this cleansing before bed, keep your crystal by your bed.
Center yourself, breathe deeply and evenly. Now call on the four Great Animal Spirits to cleanse and protect your space. Say: “Great Eagle, spread your wings before me. Keep my safe.” Next say: “Great Bear, please stand behind me. May you sharp claws protect my back.”Now call on Coyote saying: “Great Coyote, stand on my right and may your sharp wits protect me.” Finally summon Buffalo: “Great Buffalo, please stand to my left and keep me and this place safe.” Imagine all four Great Spirits surrounded and protecting your space.
Carry out an aura cleansing ritual and spread the bright white light to encompass the spirits and your whole room. Thank the spirits and ask them to keep up their protection as long as is necessary.

Water-An Overview

2009-11-30T13:37:00.004-05:00

Thank you all for your kind words and thoughts toward my cousin. She's better, and only has a closed fracture, so she won't be needing surgery, but she is getting every test known to mankind to figure out what happened.
Thank the Gods for universal health care<3

Anyway, the real post today:The element of water, my favorite element
This was written for me about a billion years ago by Lisey.

The Physical: Water, in its physical form, is used in many rituals – if not most – by Witches. It represents the “Blood of Life,” for it travels around earth in veins and gathers in large pools as blood would in the aortas. It is often Blessed and becomes Holy Water, which is used as protection, purification, “baptism”, and exorcisms. (In exorcisms the Holy Water is often infused with certain herbs and essential oils that have characteristics which may aid in the expulsion of the demon.) Water is also used in rituals as a base to creating another form of Holy Water, salt water. This form of Holy Water is created simply by mixing sea salt (or other pure salt) with charged or previously Blessed water. This form of Holy Water is the most common used in rituals.
Water in its physical form is also used as the base for elixirs, though many people use a pure alcohol such as vodka (vodka has a longer shelf-life).

The Metaphysical:
Gender: Feminine
Direction: West
Elemental: The Undine. Undines are sensitive creatures who are said to be extremely beautiful and have similarly beautiful voices and love singing. Undines are said to only be women, though when concerning the ultimate balance of life, there surely must be a male form or a male creatures of equivalence.
Colour: Though traditionally it is said to be green, most Witches today use blue (or any colour you associate Water with).
Ritual Tool: The chalice, which holds the Charged Water (meant for drinking) or the Blood of the Mother (wine, or pomegranate juice) like a womb. Also the cauldron (another womb figure).
Zodiac signs: Cancer, Pisces, and Scorpio
Archangel: Gabriel
Time: Dusk
Season: Autumn
Senses: Taste
Metals: Mercury, Silver
Characteristics: Emotions, intuition, the unconscious mind, the womb, fertility, dreams (also associated with air), shamanistic journeys, healing, ebb and flow, purity, soothing, deep psychic work, renewal (spiritual), communication with spirit guides, the inner self, storms, death, mist, dew and fog.
Activities: Dream work, shamanic consciousness work, soul/self journeys, healing circles, self healing, love, vision quests.

Need your Prayers and Hopes!

2009-11-29T19:20:00.003-05:00

Third post today, which is a first. I really do hate to petition you all for this.

So, it is 7:30 at night, and my uncle just called, saying my cousin is in the hospital with some kind of open fissure after a concussion.
She’s been under a lot of stress, and I think the combination of triggers, like work and school, has just taken its toll on her.
She’s in the hospital, and all the information has been transferred to a neuro-surgeon in Hamilton, deciding if she needs immediate surgery (which would be tomorrow I’m assuming) or if she just needs to be hospitalized for a time. The problem is, the situation isn’t quite clear yet. She is coherent and talking, a bit fuzzy from the concussion.
Anyway, I will keep updating you all on her condition, but please send us, her and her family your healing energy at this time.
Thanks

EDIT: 11:36pm. It's a closed fracture, which is a lot easier to heal and recover from than an open fracture.

Pagan Forum Open

2009-11-29T14:33:00.002-05:00

That's right, I made my forum. It's up and running.
Sign up, be active, tell your friends and most of all, have fun

http://usbos.forumotion.com/

Pegasus

2009-11-29T13:06:00.003-05:00

Believe it or not, people can indeed have mythical animals as totems. In this case, Pegasus refers to any winged horse.

Inspiration
This totem will give you inspiration, quick and agile wisdom and the ability to fly over any situation.
He can be a helper with astral travel; and a protector during your travels.
Teaches humility and boundaries.
Can help change evil into good.

If you are feeling down, call upon a Pegasus, or if you attempting any sort of travel. I think that if you are attempting astral travel for the first time, you should call upon a Pegasus to help you, as it can be a very emotional and taxing time.

Quick Update

2009-11-28T14:05:00.002-05:00

Hey......you guys are probably getting really tired of my insecurities that I keep posting about. Heh, sorry about that. I really am.

That being said, I am going to start a forum sometime this week. For now, I'm going to be the only moderater, but that may change. I will NOT be providing a link until I get it set up, so don't ask HOWEVER feel free to suggest features for my forum. I love hearing your ideas.

I'm also really attempting to buckle down on typing up my USBoS (my personal one) so that I can start doing one of my favorite things...TAROT! That's right, starting in the new year I will be doing tarot card posts as well as my regular posts. Now, this might take some time, I've got 1315 pages to type up still. I'd scan, but we don't have a scanner. My goal is to type up AT LEAST 315 pages by Christmas (that's only 12 pages a day), but hopefully more. We will have to see, Christmas is busy at our house.

There is one other project I'd like to understake once I get all my personal USBoS organized. I'm thinking about doing a series/course on technopaganism. A lot of it would be for my own benefit as well as the benefit of others, as it is still fairly "new" in a sense. What I would attempt to do is adapt traditional Wiccan and Pagan practises and beliefs with a techno-savvy flare. I would attempt to explain my view of technopaganism and how I blend old and new.
I've already added a few such technopagan things to some of my posts, like with colour magic, but eventually I'd like to write up a whole "course".

Ack, I feel so bad for the lack of Pagan-ness. I'm trying to get back on track, please bear with me.

Coffee Grounds Banishing Spell

2009-11-27T12:50:00.002-05:00

This is rather quirky person-banishing spell, but does require a little bit of finesse.
To make the spell more potent, and maybe scare them off before even doing the spell, offer to read thier coffee grounds like tea leaves. Don't just be depressing like Professor Trelawny! Actually read thier grounds and be honest with what you see.

Anyway, the spell.
Invite your target over to your home and serve fresh brewed coffee. Offer to read their coffee grounds. When they have left, immediately gather your spell materials.

1. Gather the dirt from your targets foot prints of, alternatively, gather dirt from under a chair in which they were the last person to sit
2. Combine this dirt with cayenne pepper, ground sassafras and used coffee grounds (preferably from their own cup)
3. Sprinkle this on the target’s front doorstep

Happy Thanksgiving to my American Readers

2009-11-26T14:29:00.002-05:00

I understand that in a lot of American homes, Thanksgiving is a huge celebration. Us Canadians tend to use ours as a day to get off work and get drunk. Ours is also in October.

Anyway, do any of you have Thanksgiving traditions?

We don't, we go to my aunt's and have turkey or ham and pie. That's really about it. It's also around my uncle's birthday, so we more or less celebrate that.

A Couple Quick Questions

2009-11-25T18:08:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone. I know a lot of people are looking for a very active and interesting pagan community online. Yes, there are some if you go hunting, but I'm wondering if you would all like something like that connected to this blog.
I'm considering making a forum, run and moderated by me and maybe some other dedicated volunteers. I know this can be seen as a quick grab for popularity, and yes, I would like to have a popular pagan blog, but at the same time I do also want to encourage community of ALL pagans.

I think that this may be my eventual goal. At a certain number of followers (say 50-100), I'll create a forum. Then with a certain number (150 let's say) I add in a chat feature or have chat nights.

It's just a thought.

Brown

2009-11-25T14:39:00.002-05:00

Brown is a boring colour for a lot of people. And yes, I will admit, it is not one of my favorite colours. But, for certain types of candle and colour magic, brown is a very important and key colour.

Technopagans: use hex triplet #964B00 for brown!

Used for: Healing animals or the home, balanced colour, neutrality, house blessing, locates physical objects that have been lost, influencing friendships, special favours, attract money and financial success, influence Earth Elementals, improves powers of concentration, ESP, intuition, study, telepathy, spiritual attachment to the earth. Peace in the home; herb magic; friendship
Element: Air/Fire
Direction: East/South
Chakra: Spleen Chakra
Planet: Mercury/Mars
Day: Tuesday-Physical action, Wednesday-mental action, Sunday-both actions
Number: 2
Magical Tools: Wand and Censor
Scent/Oil: Dill, lily of the valley, savory, honeysuckle, sweetpea, jasmine
Planet/Herb: Ferm, Lily of the Valley, Marjorma, Savory, Valerian, Vervain, Alstonia, Buckwheat, Calamint, Snapdragon, Flax, Senna, Wandering Jew, Mugwort, Rue, Ferugreek, Gardenia
Wood: Hazel, Beech, Lemon Tree, Maple, Orange Tree
Animals: Bear, Horse, Wolf, Ram, marsupials and night creatures, Tigers, Lions, Badger, Alligator, Ants, beetle, Cardinal, porcupine, Chicken, Peacock,Swallow, prairie dog, butterfly, scallop, bison, butterfly, catbird, crane, fox, hawk, martin, squirrel
Stones: Moss Agate, Carnelian, Alexandrite, Orange Sapphire, Quartz, Orange Calcite, Petrified Wood
Tarot: Eights
Gods: Atlas, Janus, Terminus, Pan, Zeus
Goddess: Athena, Bast, Carna, Diana, Lilith, Kali, Melusine, Minerva, Rhiannon, Syn
Gender: Female

A special note about Dark Brown. Though all browns are "earth" colours, the darker the brown, the closer the connection to the Earth and Earth benefits.

Have My Posts Been Sucking Recently?!

2009-11-24T14:38:00.002-05:00

Well, I think they have. I've been detoxing, and it's not been a pretty picture over here. No, I wasn't addicted to hard drugs or anything like that.

As it turns out, I've got a food sensitivity to one of my favorite foods and I've been getting that all out of my system. Let me tell you, it has not been pretty. Today, so far, has been a good day. Yesterday was a bad day. Hopefully my days will start getting better and better. It's a whole diet revamp, and it really isn't easy, mostly because, though I'm not actually missing the foods I can't have, I'd just rather not eat, which probably isn't a good idea. I do get some cravings for food, but not many. Right now, I'm really craving Kelsey's chicken strips. Been caving them ever since I really got sick.

Anyway, I'm semi-back on track with typing up my USBoS, so better blog posts should soon follow.

Pagan Clothing

2009-11-23T13:14:00.002-05:00

Today's prompt comes to us via LiveJournal.

Do you have any pagan-themed articles of clothing, that are not specifically for ritual, that you wear often? If so what are they?

To put it simply, no, I don’t have any Pagan-themed clothing. I do, however, have an ankh ring, a pentagram ring, and numerous Pagan themed necklaces.

What about you all? Do you have pagan-themed clothing?

20 Followers?!

2009-11-22T00:11:00.002-05:00

I now have 20 followers. Oh wow guys, you are totally awesome! I love you all!
This is also my 150th posting.

Casting an Egyptian Circle

2009-11-21T13:10:00.007-05:00

I went to the ROM yesterday, and had a fairly good time. My photos are on my aunt's camera, so you'll get them in tomorrow's post. They put on a new wing, and it looks good, but messes with perception, even inside.
What I was most impressed with was the gift shop: it used to be a dingy little afterthought with everything either too expensive or things you could get for kids. Now, they have all sorts of things, including reproductions. I got the four canopic jars. Why did I get them? Well, I'm a visual person, and the four sons of Horus (the canopic jars) are used in making an Egyptian circle, which is a ritual I'm going to share with you today.
I found this in a book called Egyptian Paganism for Beginners, which I reviewed here, but was modified a bit by me.
Any basic Wiccan circle can be modified to fit any tradition or theme you want.

You Will Need
- Four candles of tea candles for the four quarters. These may be placed in coloured holders, or the candles themselves may be coloured to represent the directions. Traditionally: yellow for air in the east, red for fire in the south, blue for water in the west and black for earth in the north. You may use whatever colours you feel symbolize the elements and directions
- Two candles for the altar or shine, these should be in the deity’s colours or white
- An image of the deity
- A wand
- A sistrum or rattle. You can use a singing bowl or drum if you can't find a sistrum. They can be hard to come by
- A compass if you need help figuring out directions
- If you are a visual person like me, you can get a set of the four canopic jars, and place the corresponding deity in each direction, to give a more visual boundary to your circle.
The shrine or altar should preferably be placed in the east, the direction of sunrise, or else so that you are facing toward Egypt. This might be hard to do if you have a permanent altar set-up.

You may wish to have a copy of this ritual printed out with you while performing the ritual, in order to make sure you are following all the steps. It is also a good idea to do a couple “run-throughs” of the ritual, to get a basic feel for the ritual. In that way, you can also modify it to fit your own tastes before the actual ritual begins.

STEP ONE: Calling the Elemental Powers
Light the candles or tea candles at the four quarters, but leave the candles on the altar unlit when you start. Face the altar and compose yourself. Relax. Visualise a white light shining down from above. It comes from a divine source and bathes you and the room in its cleansing power, removing all unwanted influences from the vicinity. Image the divine light entering through the top of your head and flowing down your spine, awakening the latent psychic-etheric energy that is in your spine (like Chakras). A force also rises up your body form the earth. Imagine these forces within your body, imbuing you with power.
Take up your wand or use your finger, and turning clockwise, face east. Point your wand or finger toward the east and visualize the power flowing out toward where you point. Moving clockwise, draw the circle around your working area, from east to south, to west, to north, to east. As you draw it, visualize it as a line of bluish-white light flowing from the tip of your wand or finger, emanating from the power circling in your spine. Take your time to do this, pausing at each quarter is necessary—you may need to allow power to gather before you continue. When you have completed the circle, see it as a line round the circumference of a great protective sphere that encompasses you and your place of working, creating a sacred space within it.

STEP TWO: Calling the Sons of Horus
Always turning clockwise, take the sistrum, face east, and shake it. Sat: “Hail to you, Lords and Ladies of the East, Powers of Air! Hail, Lord Qubhsennuf! Please be present at this sacred place and witness this rite.” You need to project the words out onto the astral plane or realm of the imagination. The sound does not have to be loud in actuality, but it should be imagined as long enough to call the elemental air to you. As you chant the name three or four times, visualize Lord Qebhsennuf approaching in the form of a falcon—a golden bird of prey. He comes to rest at the edge of the circle as a tall, falcon-headed man, and behind him you can see a sunny sky with windswept clouds. You may “hear” clairaudiently a greeting from the neter. Reply politely, thanking him for coming (you may reply with your “inner voice” rather than speaking aloud).

Turn south, shake the sistrum. Say: “Hail to you, Lord and Ladies of the South, Powers of Fire! Hail, Lord Duamutef! Please be present at this sacred place and witness this rite.” Visualize him as a black jackal—a slim, doglike animal resembling a greyhound with erect, pointed ears and a bushy tail—approaching through a desert landscape. He comes to rest at the edge of the circle as a jackal-headed man (or woman as this neter is sometimes female), seen against a background of flames. If he greets you, thank him for coming.

Carry out a similar procedure in the west, calling on the power of water and Lord Imsety. See him as a bearded man standing on the seashore with the waved behind him.

Repeat the procedure in the north, but this time calling on the powers of earth and Lord Hapi. Visualize the neter approaching in the form of a baboon or ape. He stands at the edge of the circle as a baboon-headed man, seen against a background of plants and trees.
These four guardian spirits are the Four sons of Horus.

STEP THREE: Empoweing the Altar
Turn clockwise and face the shrine or altar. Shake the sistrum. Say:
The heavens are opened,
The earth is opened,
The West is opened,
The East is opened,
The southern half of heaven is opened,
The northern half of heaven is opened,
The doors are opened,
And the gates are thrown wide open to Ra
As he cometh forth from the horizon.

If performing the ceremony at night, you may wish to replace Ra with the name of a moon god such as Thoth or Khonsu.

Shake the sistrum. The circle is now cast. Light the candles on the shrine or altar. Say:
The shining Eye of Horus cometh
The brilliant Eye of Horus cometh
It cometh in peace;
It sendeth forth rays of light unto Ra in the horizon
And it destoryeth the powers of Set according to the decree.
It leadeth them on and it taketh possession of him
And its flame is kindled against him
Its flame cometh and goeth about and bringeth adoration;
It cometh and goeth about and bringeth adoration;
It cometh and goeth about heaven in the train of Ra
Upon the two hands of thy two sister, O Ra
The Eye of Horus liveth
Yea, liveth within the great hall;
The Eye of Horus liveth
Yea, liveth!

Thus, the circle is ready for work. Be sure that if you invoke a deity, you should thank them at the end of the rite.

STEP FOUR: Closing the Circle
Go round the circle counter-clockwise, stating in the east and pausing at each quarter to thank the respective elemental powers and neter. For example, in the east, shake the sistrum and say: “Lords and Ladies of the East, powers of Air, and Lord Qebhsennuf, thank you for attending this rite. Hail and farewell!” Visualize the neter departing, taking the elementals with him and the door to the elemental world closes. Extinguish the candle or tea candle as this happens. Use the energy to send a word or blessing to the elementals. Othewise, send a healing thought to those in need—candles in this rite should not be blown out unless they are used in this way. If you do not send a blessing, snuff out the candles on the altar.

Blog Prompt, Part Two!

2009-11-19T12:56:00.002-05:00

In a commentary in the Times Online Michael Reiss argued that Darwinian thinking clarifies and deepens religious faith by decentering humanity so that we might better appreciate the Universe and our place it. Do you agree with his thoughts or not? Why? Also: What are your thoughts on the relationship of Science & Religion?
This prompt also comes to us via pagan_prompts on Livejournal.

I know a lot of people of many different faiths take creation stories at face value. Now, I do like creation stories, even ones that aren’t of my religion. They are, indeed, nice stories.

I believe in evolution, and all sorts of the “scientific” or “atheist” answers to how things came into being. Now, saying that, I do believe in religion as well. I do firmly believe in both.

I do think that, as a pagan, a Darwinian approach to things, believing that humans are just other animals and that we share common ancestors with all sorts of animals, I do think that it does make people appreciate the universe as an entity onto itself, instead of a plaything for humans. A lot of religions preach that humans are the most important thing EVER. Now, while to some extent this can be seen as true, but in the grand scheme of things, everything is important from the smallest single-celled organism to the largest animals.

So, to put it simply, yes, I agree that Darwinian thinking de-centers humanity and gives us a more global perspective.

On the relationship of science and religion? I see it as a symbiotic relationship. I think that it is possible to balance them and believe both. The problem is so many fundamentalists, who are so vocal, say that science is wrong, and cannot be right because their religion is the only thing that is right. To quote Bill Maher, “Anyone who tells you that they know, they just know what happens when you die, I promise you, you don't. How can I be so sure? Because I don't know and you do not possess mental powers that I do not.” I firmly believe this. Yes, I can have faith in what I believe, but damned if I know for sure.

The problem lies in blurring the line between faith and fact. It is a pretty much fact that there were early hominids. It is my faith that the Egyptian gods are watching over us. Blurring these lines and spilling my faith into what I know as fact is when things get ugly.

Just a note: Tomorrow’s post might be a bit late, as I will be at the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum). We’re going to see the Dead Sea Scrolls, and all their new stuff. The ROM recently got a new wing, so it should be fun.
Places we are hitting for sure: the Dead Sea Scrolls, Dinosaurs (my dad wants to see them), Egypt (for me!), Vanity Fair Portraits, “Shreyas and Mina Ajmera Gallery of Africa, the Americas and Asia-Pacific” (I think this is new...I don’t remember it. Hopefully it has some stuff from Meso-America.) I’ll probably schedule a post for the afternoon, and depending on how tired I am, I’ll post about my ROM adventures and pictures!

Two-Parter Blog Prompt: Part One

2009-11-18T12:05:00.002-05:00

What is your personal spiritual history? If you have changed religious traditions from the tradition in which you were raised in what prompted this change? Is there anything that you feel would make you consider changing to a different path in the future?
Today’s blog prompt comes to us via pagan_prompts on LiveJournal.

My spiritual history is a bit of a gong show. I don’t know if my parents went to church every Sunday before I was born, but after I was born, we sure did! I was baptized Presbyterian at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Kitchener. I don’t know how connected I really was to it, but I know when the movie Prince of Egypt came out, I was like “to Hell with Jesus! I wanna be Egyptian!” and thus I bought a few of those kids history books about Egypt and learned a little bit about some of the Gods. I firmly believed that the Egyptian Gods were real, because they were way cooler than Jesus. I was eight, what did you expect? (Picture is of my old church)

I still went to church until I was about ten, but by this time I had been exposed to Quetzalcoatl from the Animated Star Trek, and, being about nine at the time, happily included the long-lived space alien in my personal pantheon.

When I stopped going to church, I admitted to myself that I was probably agnostic, even if I didn’t know the word for it. Though I did believe fully in the evolution theory and all the science explanations for how the world came into being, I still believed there was a “God” figure. I always stuck pretty close to the Egyptians, but kind of forgot about Quetzalcoatl for the time being. I was a scientific agnostic, I guess

When I was in grade eleven, I met Crazy Pagan Girl, also known now as Lisey, and I longed to talk to her about the large silver Pentacle she wore, but I could never buck up the courage. However, the universe had other plans for us, and thus in the next semester, being the only person she knew, we became friends and I finally could learn about paganism and Wicca the way I had always longed to learn about it.

At the time, we both identified as Wiccans, and together we both grew into the eclectic paths we are on today. I don’t know where either of us would be spiritually without each other.

In summer of 2008, I branched out on my own, and really formed my own religion. Entirely customized from dozens of traditions. And, my religion is always changing. For a time, I thought my patron God was Thoth, and though he does enjoy my company and will gladly assist me, we now know that Quetzalcoatl is indeed my patron. I think that’s what really drew me to paganism: it’s always changing and you can really be your own person and express all sorts of individuality while still being connected to the whole.

Part two comes tomorrow!

"What Does God Need With A Starship?"

2009-11-17T19:32:00.002-05:00

If you happen to watch lame sci-fi movies, you might recognise that quote from Star Trek V, The Final Frontier. In it, the Enterprise goes into the center of the galaxy, and discovers “Eden”. On the planet Eden, they discover “God”.
Of course, he’s not actually God, but a super powerful alien who was trapped. If you’ve watched Next Generation, you probably know the Q. Well, this God was probably a trapped Q.

Don’t worry, the rest of this post isn’t about Star Trek.

The reason this post is so late is because I went to see 2012. Okay, it was an alright movie, got your adrenaline pumping and whatnot, but it was totally...bad. I’m not exactly sure what else to call it but “campy”.
Though, everyone is right: the effects are STUNNING.

Onto my point: this movie, in my opinion, pretty much sold the idea that humanity is alone in the universe. No god, no super-advanced aliens, nothing but our governments (and of course they don’t give a damn about you, unless you are filthy rich).

It is not the concept that we are alone in the universe that scares me. It’s the idea that there IS a God who let the world be destroyed by natural means.
I’m going to get this out of the way: if mankind destroys the world, then they kind of had-it-coming.
Okay, back to the rant.

In 2012, the Earth is destroyed by the sun and the core. Cataclysmic tectonic plate movement causes super-volcanic eruptions and 9.8 earthquakes. Most of the world is submerged in water or uninhabitable due to global climate change. These events were not man-made, they were forces of nature.
My question is then, if God (whatever God you want...Isis, Quetzalcoatl, Allah, Saraswati, ect...) exists and watches this happen, then isn’t God a total douche? It almost seems like the ultimate defeat: admitting that your creation is “bad” and destroying them so violently.

I’m probably over-thinking it.

2012 was a fun movie, it was fun to see it on the big screen with all the explosions and the effects were great, but it had too many big questions that were unanswered. There were a couple of cute guys though! With lovely accents.