It has been brought to my attention that some readers are having difficulty leaving comments. My apologies to any of you who have been getting error messages that say that you have left too many comments in too short a time. This is a bunch of bunk, of course, and I do really want to read whatever it was that you kindly took time from your day to try to post!

Unfortunately, this is a problem that I have experienced repeatedly on the site and my web host insists that there is nothing wrong. I have asked them to look into the issue again and hope that we can find a solution. Finally.

Do you think there is some sort of trickster cyber faery living in my code? I'm not sure technical support is prepared to deal with faery mischief.

In the mean time, I can share the trick I use if this happens to me when I am trying to respond to a comment someone has left. I switch browsers. I'm not sure if it is that Movable Type doesn't recognize you if you are commenting from a different browser, but somehow this works for me. (I usually use Safari and switch to Firefox to get around this bizarre comment problem.) If any of you have the patience to go to this length to leave a comment at Blogickal.

I certainly do appreciate when someone cares enough to comment! I will try to remedy this as soon as possible.

Love and blessings to you, my friendly readers.

UPDATE

My web host tells me that this problem is related to the Captcha password feature. For some reason, when the Captcha code isn't entered properly the error message one receives is this crazy thing about posting too many times. How stupid is that!?

See, there is a trickster faery living in my code!

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 11:01 AM | Comments (0)

A mourning dove perched on my back deck this morning. Among the different birds I've seen, this is the first time she has come to visit. She's hopped off to the yard below now, but I can still hear her cooing.

As a totem animal, the dove represents the feminine, peace, maternity, prophecy.

The dove is the embodiment of maternal instinct. She is connected to Mother Earth and her creative energies. Her mournful call speaks to our deepest self and stirs our emotions. The voice of the dove is a rain song and brings us hope of a new beginning.

The dove is the totem of "Between Times" and shows us the time of the thinning of the veils between the physical and the spiritual world. Listen for her call with your soul.

Source: Animal Totems

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 10:17 AM | Comments (0)

A little madness in the Spring
Is wholesome even for the King,
But God be with the Clown,
Who ponders this tremendous scene—
This whole experiment of green,
As if it were his own!

- Emily Dickinson

This poem would have been perfect yesterday, April Fool's Day, when everyone is un poisson d'avril and silliness rules the day. It was a day, too, when the air was warm, even the crazy wind, and rain fell on the buds that are loosening toward leafhood. It feels that Spring has truly arrived at last here in Boston.

My ennui of Friday turned into the flu by Sunday, so I spent my April Fool's Day lying on the sofa and coughing up a lung. I am having fun with this Greta Garbo voice I've got - at least until it goes and then I can only croak like some otherworldly frog. You want to talk about boredom? There are only so many reruns of Charmed and Law and Order a girl can take! Today I venture out to get my hair done - a trim on the grand chop of a few weeks ago to remind me why I did it - and a bit of beauty for my upcoming date. That Venus, she knows her stuff!

More later, darlings!

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 9:07 AM | Comments (1)

The following article is by Jenna Avery, CLC, Life Coach for Sensitive Souls. Reprinted with her permission.

Several empathic and sensitive readers have shared that they struggle with knowing when they're experiencing their own feelings versus feelings they have "picked up" from someone else.

To review, empathy is the ability to tune into and experience another person's feelings as if they are your own. Sometimes we even process emotions for other people so they don't have to, which isn't exactly fair to either person. For more information about empathy, see my article Understanding Empathy. Most empaths are untrained intuitives who haven't learned to strengthen their boundaries and consciousness to make their psychic ability work for them. Once you have developed your empathy, you'll be a clairsentient or skilled empath, able to clearly distinguish between your feelings and someone else's feelings.
Here are some key steps to developing your ability, and beginning to discern what you are experiencing:

1. Make It Conscious
As an empath, you naturally tune into other people. The key is to learn to do it consciously. Recognize and accept that you can pick up on other people's emotions. Name what you are experiencing, and don't second-guess it. This is part of learning where your boundaries are. My coaching teacher, Marcia Collins, uses a wonderful technique of naming out loud every emotion she picks up. She understands emotion as simply being "energy in motion," and chooses to experience it as such.

I also recommend using yarrow flower essences to help you raise your consciousness around your empathy and learn to differentiate your emotions from others.

2. Know *How* You Are
In order to tell the difference between someone else's emotions and your own, you first have to know how you are feeling. Regularly tune into yourself and ask, "How am I feeling right now?" Another helpful tool is the use of morning pages -- writing three pages, stream-of-consciousness style, every morning. Meditation is also a powerful way to strengthen your energy field and sense of yourself.

3. Know *Where* You Are
Are you in your body? Are you grounded? You can learn energy skills to ground yourself so you can be more present in your body and in your own experience. You might also try breathing into the places in your body where you feel tense, anxious, or are experiencing an emotion. This will help bring you back to yourself. Spending time in nature or simply getting outside is also of great benefit. I've heard it said that being around the nature spirits of plants and animals can help us discharge what we pick up.

4. Use Self-Inquiry
Once you are conscious and aware of your own experience, then you can start to dialogue with yourself when you pick up something that you suspect isn't your own. Simply ask, "Is this mine?" Then, allow the answer to come from deep within. When you do pick up on something that's not yours, spiritual teacher Sonia Choquette recommends saying, "This is not my experience." Also try, "This is not mine. Everything that is not mine, leave now!"

5. Establish Strong Boundaries
Strengthening your boundaries on both an energetic and interpersonal level will also help you learn the difference between what's yours and what's not. To do this, work with saying no, honoring your own needs, and learning energy shielding techniques. Consider also that others have created their own experiences on a soul level and that they don't need you to rescue or overly identify with them. In fact, doing so may actually be a disservice to them. Sonia calls that a "vote of no confidence."

6. Clear Away What You Do Pick Up
If something just won't go away, chances are it's not yours. Keep paying attention and keep asking questions. If you have picked up on something that isn't yours, you can use energy techniques, take Epsom salts baths, or you can get help from an energy healer to help you clear it away.

7. Know When and Where You Are More Susceptible
Your awareness will be much more resilient when you are taking proper care of yourself and aren't worn down or overstimulated. Remember, being highly sensitive is both a gift and a responsibility.

You may be able to prepare for your "trouble spots." For instance, spending more time with your family and friends over the holidays may be empathically tricky. I suggest putting a pre- and post-event plan in place to check in with yourself. You might even want to have an Epsom salts bath lined up in advance!

8. Consider Your Environment
Give serious thought to carefully choosing the people you spend time with. Make sure you have a good support system in place, made up of people who understand and validate your experience, for times when you do run aground. As a sensitive and empathic soul, you ARE affected by other people. It's worthwhile to be conscious about the people you choose to be with.

9. Keep Practicing
The more you practice the easier this will become, as you build up your own experience and learn to rely on it. The more you work with this, the better you will be able to differentiate and choose when you want to connect with someone empathically or not.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I give special thanks to Elaine La Joie, fellow coach, intuitive, and energy healer/light body worker, for consulting with me on this article.

Copyright November 2005, Jennifer K. Avery

Jenna Avery, the Life Coach for Sensitive Souls, offers an original coaching program designed to guide highly sensitive souls to a deep sense of inner rightness, so they are inspired to step forward and shine. You're invited to visit her website to take her free online assessment, "Is Your Sensitivity Working For You?"

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 1:25 PM | Comments (1)

Who knows what a mandala is? Class?

While I had a vague notion, I wanted to know what a mandala really is, so I Googled. Ask and ye shall find, for here is a web page that tells us precisely What is a Mandala?

Some excerpts:

The word "mandala" is from the classical Indian language of Sanskrit. Loosely translated to mean "circle," a mandala is far more than a simple shape. It represents wholeness, and can be seen as a model for the organizational structure of life itself--a cosmic diagram that reminds us of our relation to the infinite, the world that extends both beyond and within our bodies and minds.

~

The "circle with a center" pattern is the basic structure of creation that is reflected from the micro to the macro in the world as we know it. It is a pattern found in nature and is seen in biology, geology, chemistry, physics and astronomy.

~

The mandala pattern is used in many religious traditions. Hildegard von Bingen, a Christian nun in the 12th century, created many beautiful mandalas to express her visions and beliefs.

In the Americas, Indians have created medicine wheels and sand mandalas. The circular Aztec calendar was both a timekeeping device and a religious expression of ancient Aztecs.

In Asia, the Taoist "yin-yang" symbol represents opposition as well as interdependence. Tibetan mandalas are often highly intricate illustrations of religious significance that are used for meditation.

~

Representing the universe itself, a mandala is both the microcosm and the macrocosm, and we are all part of its intricate design. The mandala is more than an image seen with our eyes; it is an actual moment in time. It can be can be used as a vehicle to explore art, science, religion and life itself. The mandala contains an encyclopedia of the finite and a road map to infinity.

Carl Jung said that a mandala symbolizes "a safe refuge of inner reconciliation and wholeness." It is "a synthesis of distinctive elements in a unified scheme representing the basic nature of existence." Jung used the mandala for his own personal growth and wrote about his experiences.

It is said by Tibetan Buddhists that a mandala consists of five "excellencies":

The teacher • The message • The audience • The site • The time

An audience or "viewer" is necessary to create a mandala. Where there is no you, there is no mandala.

So now I know what I have been making all day!

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 1:43 PM | Comments (0)

Labradorite is a favorite stone at one of my favorite jewelry designers, adorn + cherish. I have a pair of their wonderful sparrow charm and labradorite earrings. Beyond being a popular component in jewelry-making, this mysterious and beautiful stone has an interesting history and is known for its magical properties.

The name labradorite comes from the province of Labrador in Canada, whose coast is one of the primary places from which labradorite is mined. A member of the feldspar family, labradorite is often confused with opal. Most commonly found in varying shades of grey, black and blue, rarer forms of labradorite can also be green, white, pale orange, and even pink.

It is commonly believed that labradorite was "discovered" by missionaries in 1770 and some of the first stones were presented to the British Museum in 1777. However, there is evidence to suggest that labradorite was used by Algonkian tribes in the state of Maine dating back to the year 1000, although for what purpose it is difficult to know. According to an Eskimo legend, the Northern Lights were once imprisoned in the rocks along the coast of Labrador, and then a wandering Eskimo warrior found them and freed most of the lights with a mighty blow of his spear. Some of the lights were still trapped within the stone however, and thus we have today the beautiful mineral known as labradorite.

Labradorite does indeed capture light. When light shines into the stone it is literally trapped among the crystal layers within, reflecting from one layer to the next. When the light finally exits the stone, its wave length has slowed considerably. The thickness of the crystal layers within a particular piece of labradorite and the speed of the wave of light entering it determine what colors you will see. The most familiar color is blue. Rarer specimens will reflect red, gold, green or violet. Labradorescence is the term jewelers and geologists have given this amazing phenomenon.

Given the stone's ability to capture and transform light, it is easy to see how labradorite became imbued with magical abilities and associated with the power to heal, transform and illuminate. Humans quickly adopted it as a power stone, recognizing in its dual nature between dark and light a useful tool. Associated with both Moon and Sun energies, this balance can help us bring our physical and spiritual bodies into alignment with the natural cycles of the Universe.

Labradorite is thought to stimulate the imagination, release inhibitions, build self-confidence and aid in communication with spirits. It is an excellent gem for journeys or meditation, allowing us to calmly move through various dimensions of being. Labradorite also is said to give strength and enhanced intuition when one is experiencing times of change, helping to eliminate illusions and lighting a clear path to our goals.

If you deal with a stressful job, labradorite can help replenish your physical and emotional stamina. Its calming energies are wonderful for lowering blood pressure. Other healing energies from labradorite include relief from cold symptoms, rheumatism and gout. It can bring your body into a healthy regular cycle, aiding digestion and elimination, and it can bring clarity to patients suffering from brain disorders.

Labradorite is associated with the sacral chakra, the zodiac signs of Leo, Sagittarius and Scorpio, and the planets Neptune, Pluto and Uranus. Using labradorite can help you tap into their energies.

To utilize labradorite's powerful properties you can wear jewelry made from the gemstones, carry a piece of the stone in your pocket or a charm bag, place it on an altar or special place in your home, or use it in a ritual or spell.

Crystal Gemstone Spell: Labradorite

Crystal gemstones and other rocks were important tutors and tools of ancient shamans - the first healers and magical practitioners. Because they store information indefinitely, Earth's memories and secrets may be accessed through stones. Specific gemstones are used to magically enhance spells and enable us to discover and activate our own optimum power.

Labradorite repairs, cleanses and strengthens the aura. It also encourages perseverance and determination. Sleep with a labradorite under your pillow.

If you use any stone regularly for spells or other work, maintain a regular cleansing schedule for the crystal as well. To cleanse any stone of magical energy, put it in a bowl of water and leave it overnight in the moonlight.

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 7:48 PM | Comments (1)

Yes, dear readers, another witchy wine! This one? Phantom, a blend of old vine Zinfandel, Petite Syrah and old vine Mourvedre from Bogle Vineyards in Clarksburg, California.

This wine is so witchy, I don't know where to start. The image of twisted old vines, the dense, earthy qualities of zinfandel and mourvedre. I mean, the word mourvedre even sounds like it should be the name of a potion.

When you go to the description of Phantom on the Bogle website, the first thing they offer is the dictionary definition of bogle:

bogle \bõ’g?l\ n. [Scots, perhaps from Welsh] A goblin; a specter; a phantom; a bogy, boggart or bugbear.

Then there are the winemaker notes:

The black magic is back…Phantom. Three unique varietals combine lush berry and fierce spice into a full-bodied wine. Intensely fruit forward on the entry, this deep ruby apparition begins with aromas of blueberries, violets and chocolate-covered cherries, dusted with touches of black pepper. From the deep dark depths, subtle notes of spice, clove and mocha emerge and compliment the concentrated fruit characters of this wine. Aging for two years in 1, 2 and 3 year-old American oak barrels has yielded a vexing array of toasty oak aromas to Phantom. Though this wine is remarkable now, age in the bottle will only integrate the three distinct varietals more. Welcome the winery ghost into your home again with this latest vintage, and enjoy with full-flavored and hearty meals…before it vanishes again.

And last but not least is the vignette on the rear label of the bottle:

In the dark recesses of the cellar you sense a a presence, hear footsteps. Why is it these things only happen when you are alone? In the shadows, a glimpse of muddy boots and old blue jeans...the lurking legacies of hard work an determination left by those who have come before you.

We are proud to carry on the traditions of our founders with this unique red wine: a deep ruby apparition that personifies the true spirit of the Bogle.

How wonderful! Just don't drink it alone!

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 5:32 PM | Comments (1)

Nervous System is a mathematically inspired jewelry design company founded by a couple of brainy chicks who graduated from MIT. Jesse and Jessica developed a computer program that uses pattern generating algorithms to create the designs for the jewelry. From their write-up at Daily Candy:

The Los Angeles-based duo writes and runs pattern-generating computer scripts that create delicate, naturey designs. Then they replicate the patterns in real form, using materials like stainless steel and silicone rubber to forge earrings, brooches, necklaces, and bracelets.

One of the coolest parts of the Nervous System website is the Play and Learn page where you can play with an applet they've created to simulate the growth of coral and dendritic crystals. The applet is based on an algorithm called "diffusion limited aggregation." (For the mathematically challenged among us they have kindly provided links to information that explains what diffusion limited aggregation is.) Luckily for us, we don't actually need to know the math to use the applet to create interesting designs, but there is an advanced application where you can plug in specific numbers to control how the applet generates the designs. Once you create a design you like, you can have it made into a piece of jewelry.

What, you ask, does any of this have to do with magick?

Using mathematical formulas to create jewelry designs reminded me of a post by Essais from May of last year wherein she described a system she had developed for creating sigils from sudoku puzzles "via a complicated numerology system involving ogam and fractions." Sigils fascinate me, with the endless possibilities they present for magickal application, and I would like to incorporate them into my own work. I was mightily impressed with what Essais had done and hoped that she might share her technique. Clearly there is something in the numbers that works for her magickally.

If it's possible to use mathematical formulas to create sigils, why not talismans and charms? If you knew - or were able to figure out - how to change the numerical parameters of the Nervous System design applet and you were using magickally significant numbers, you could control the creation of a design so that the end product was infused with magickal properties. Once the design was rendered as a piece of jewelry you'd have a mathematically magickal charm to wear.

This idea is extremely appealing to me. I love talismans and charms and have lots of jewelry charged for one purpose or another. I would love to give Nervous System a try. Using numerology or other methods to determine what numbers to use would be easy enough. The trick would be finding a math whiz who could help me understand diffusion limited aggregation!

Come to think of it, diffusion limited aggregation sounds like the name of spell. I mean, who wouldn't want to limit diffusion? But I digress . . .

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 1:16 PM | Comments (0)

As anyone who has read my blog for a while may recall, I've developed a thing for finding wines with witchy titles. Remember Les Sorcieres and Aqua Pumpkin? After devouring the books and seeing The Golden Compass last night, my head is full of thoughts of His Dark Materials and heresy=free thought, so I was very amused when I saw this bottle of wine on the shelf of my little neighborhood market: Les Heretiques.

As described by The Wine Buyer:

This special cuvee made by Andre Iche is a blend of Carignan from 70-year-old vines and Syrah. Les Heretiques commemorates the massacre of Minereve in 1208. Inhabited by members of the Cathari religious order, a pacifist Christian, non-conformist group that prospered during the Middle Ages, the destruction in Minereve was only one of the many Crusades led by the Roman Catholic Church, who, calling the Cathari “heretics,” persecuted them in town after town. The Cathars’ story, one of the unquenchable spirit of man, juxtaposed with the inhumanity of man, imparts new significance on Languedoc’s ruined towers and castles, some sitting high and seemingly inaccessible, on mountaintops.

I also found a mention of this wine at Compleat Winegeek (how appropriate this old fashioned spelling is!) that says Les Heretiques has a "cool label designed by Andrew Scott, the J.D. Salinger of the Internet." Never heard of him, but okay.

We're having a snow storm in Boston at the moment and I'm toasty and warm in front of my fire. A friend is coming over for some wine and conversation, so I'll be able to give a report on how free our thinking gets after we finish drinking this bottle!

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 7:14 PM | Comments (1)

Today was a glorious day, in so many ways. First of all, it was beautiful and sunny, without a cloud in the sky. I had reserved a Zipcar convertible Mini for the day with the intention of driving up to the North Shore to do the things I like to do: drive along the beach, poke around in Marblehead, go to Salem to check out the terrific witchy stores and get a reading with Doug at Pyramid Books. What can I say? It ended up being a truly magickal day.

In Marblehead I found a 1925 collection of the stories and poems of W.B. Yeats. I also found some hair barrettes - this may not seem like much of a big deal but as my hair gets longer and the weather warmer, I have had a need, and it's so fulfilling when you find just what you were looking for at a cute boutique in a lovely oceanside village. In another shop I also found a fun pen that is something between a ballerina and a fairy - whatever she is, she is covered in yellow feathers. What fun I will have writing with this pen!

(Yellow became something of a theme today. You may remember some time ago I blogged about yellow being The Color of Happiness. I've been working on getting more yellow in my life - literally and figuratively. Today was a very Yellow day.)

In addition to witchy window shopping in Salem, I visited AromaSanctum, a wonderful essential oil and fragrance shop a friend of mine introduced me to some months ago. I have been imagining a specially blended Yellow oil to use in meditation, spell work and aromatherapy ever since my happiness dream. Akuura immediately understood exactly what I was after and between the two of us we came up with the perfect mixture of bergamot, tangerine, frankincense and opopanax. Bergamot is a great mood elevator and anti-depressant; tangerine, as a member of the orange family, also stimulates happiness and added a bright citrus note; frankincense has very strong solar energy and is useful for shining light in dark places; opopanax is very protective and offers a grounding element. My Yellow oil is born!

Then it was off to Pyramid to see Doug. He has done a number of readings for me in the past and I like to visit him when I'm in Salem. Although he uses tarot cards, he's really doing a psychic reading. When I feel like I need advice and insight into something specific, I go see Doug. To make a long and complex reading short, I'm moving into a very good cycle and now is the time to pursue a business opportunity as well as to work very actively to manifest love in my life. He advised following the cleansing work I've done with some claiming of my physical space - painting and some new furniture will be just the ticket. And Doug agreed that the New Moon in Cancer coming up on July 14th will be the perfect time to perform love spell work, but cautioned me to consider and plan my spell very carefully. (I'll keep you posted on that.)

While I was drooling over Pyramid's selection of tarot and oracle decks, I came across one I couldn't resist: Dog Wisdom. One of my primary spirit guides is a wolf. An interesting thing that he has been doing lately is to turn into a puppy and follow me out of the spirit realm. I'm taking this as a sign that I'm meant to find a dog as my familiar. Since I can't have a dog where I'm living now, a dog oracle deck seemed like a fun way to bring a canine influence into my magickal work. The guide book to the Dog Wisdom cards says:

It's up to you how you choose to use the Dog Wisdom cards. You can pull one or more cards daily for an inspiring and uplifting message for the day ahead, or you might choose to ask a specific question while you shuffle the cards and then pick a card to receive clarification and guidance for a particular issue or problem. Allow the inner wisdom of these adorable puppies to give your life more clarity and perspective.

With titles like Believe in Yourself, Forgiveness, Perseverance, Responsibility, Stand Your Ground, Venture Out and Wonder, it's easy to see how these cards could be a useful tool toward finding topics for meditation or guidance. The fact that they have pictures of puppies on them is just a bonus.

My magickal day is not quite over yet. A friend is coming over and, while we still have the convertible, we're going to take a drive, get some dinner, perhaps go for ice cream at Christina's in Cambridge, and enjoy the view of the Stars with the top down.

The Moon is in Leo today. Leo is ruled by the Sun and when the Moon is in Leo, it is a time for enjoyment and warmth. You see. The perfect Yellow day! Magickal indeed.

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 7:17 PM | Comments (5)

The witch's broom - or in my case an apartment-sized Bissell canister vacuum cleaner - is by far one of the most powerful magickal tools you own. Trust me. I've learned this from personal experience. Using your broom, and some sponges and any other cleaning implements you have around, you can free your home of harmful or unwanted energy and completely transform the space in which you live, love, worship, be.

Transformation has been a big theme for me over the past year or so. My life has changed in lots of ways, I've done a lot of shadow work, I had a significant birthday, and there have been signs coming at me from every direction that now is my big chance to move into another, more fulfilling, happier stage of my life. As all good witches know, there's rarely room for new unless we banish the old. Emotionally, I'd done a lot of that work, but I decided it was time to add a physical component, to cleanse my home of a great deal of energy - most of it generated by me - that not only was no longer serving me but was standing in the way of my own progress. So I decided to use the last of the Waning Moon before the auspicious New Moon in Taurus arrived to give my apartment a good cleansing.

At it's basic level, the point of a cleanse like this is to sweep all of the energy that no longer serves - that hinders you in your work, that keeps you from moving on to the next phase of your life, that simply feels wrong - out of your home along with the dust and detritus that accumulates through the daily acts of living life. As we sweep the floors and dust the shelves and scour the sinks, we are, by virtue of the work we're doing, ridding our home of the unwanted energy that has stuck there as well. With focused intention, this part of the work is even more powerful. Imagine literally wiping away the energy like gunk that has been clinging to the surfaces in your home and happily escorting it out as you set the rubbish on the curb for collection and removal. (I'm an urban witch, so this is what I do. If you live a rural or country area where burning rubbish is permitted, so much the better.) When we perform this kind of cleanse for ourselves, we create space for new, more useful and desired energy to enter our lives, along with other, more concrete things that we hope to manifest.

As I was working, mostly it was a simple act of cleaning my apartment, but my intention was so strong that when I was done, the magick I had worked was unmistakable. Everything was in its place, nothing had changed, but everything was different. My home felt different. I felt different.

You are making your way for the Divine to inhabit the space that you inhabit, and keeping your temple a fitting space for the miraculous.

- Dianne Sylvan

After doing a thorough physical cleanse of their space, many witches also choose to perform a ritual to seal the deal, so to speak, with smudging and other spiritual and psychic forms of cleansing. Once this ritual cleanse is complete, it's often advisable to do some warding and protection magick to make sure that your newly cleansed space is safe from any unwelcome energy that might try to make it's way into the space you just opened up. A friend of mine with a bit more experience in this area than I have is going to help me perform the final cleansing ritual and protection magick some time next week when we can tap into some appropriate lunar energy.

Many, if not most, books on magick and Wicca will at least refer to the magickal cleansing of one's household. The Circle Within has a nice section on the topic in The Temple Hearth chapter, wherein Dianne offers some practical advice on going about the work. Other books focus more on the ritual part of the cleanse. I'm particularly fond of a little book called House Magic: The Good Witch's Guide to Bringing Grace to Your Space. Going beyond the simple act of cleansing, House Magic covers practical concerns as well as astrology, candle magick, altar building, magickal symbols and correspondences, feng shui, and all manner of information to help make the home a safe, happy, sacred space.

I only wait a little longer,
And watch her radiance in the room;
Here making light a little stronger,
And there obliterating gloom

from The Secret, Cosmo Monkhouse

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 4:50 PM | Comments (0)

Many Moons ago I wrote about Witchy Wine. Alas, my corner wine store no longer carries Les Sorcieres, but today I found a new one: Aqua Pumpkin.

The label you see here is from a Chardonnay, although I'm drinking the 2004 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir. It's terrific - flavorful and earthy. I wish I had a better image of their label, because it's a perfect complement to Blogickal, with a color scheme of purple, green and orange. And of course the Aqua Pumpkin proudly displayed in the center.

From the label:

Aqua Pumpkin came about from the chance positioning of children's crayons, harvest sleep deprivation and a sense of humor.

Pour the sunshine, enjoy the playground, and always share.

A PUMPKIN FREE WINE

Could there be a more perfect wine for witches who are so inclined?

Aqua Pumpkin - Fine Wine from Happy Grapes

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 5:26 PM | Comments (5)

Slade at Shift Your Spirits has a post and interesting comment thread going on how to calculate the meaning of your name with numerology. This involves assigning numbers to each of the letters in your name and then arriving at a "soul urge" number and and "expression" number for yourself. (Check out Slade's post for instructions for the numerology and interpretation chart, and be sure to read the comments!)

Slade and most of the commenters experimented with different variations of their name (first, full, given, chosen) to see how the results would differ depending on which name they used. I was curious about the difference between a given and a chosen name too. What insight is revealed when you compare the differences?

My given name is Angela.
Soul urge - 7 - introspection, analysis, spirituality
Expression - 4 - limitations/restrictions, system, order

My chosen Wiccan name is Angela-Eloise.
Soul urge - 5 - freedom/variety
Expression - 6 - service to others/responsibility

It's really interesting to me that, according to this system, my given name indicates a person who looks inward for answers and whose expressions are restricted by some system of order. This is surprising given that I'm actually very extroverted in personality. But if I really think about it, I can see how this could be true. My Wiccan name appears to be more free and expresses itself as being devoted to others. Perhaps what the difference between the two reveals is that my Wiccan self is my real self finally finding a means or an avenue for soul-fulfilling outward expression. Does this suggest that the name we choose for ourselves is a truer reflection of who we are as as a person?

I interpreted "soul urge" and "expression" as similar to the way you use personal soul cards in Tarot. This is a technique I learned from my first tarot teacher. Again with numerology, you use your birthday to determine which cards in the Major Arcana reflect your personality and your soul. The personality card represents what a person projects to others, what others see, one's persona or mask. The soul card represents the real person beneath the exterior. So, I equated "soul urge" from Slade's exercise to the soul card and "expression" as the personality card.

To figure out your personal soul cards, you add the numbers of the day, month and year you were born, then add the numbers of the result. A person with the birthday of March 12, 1958 would be 3+12+1958=1973; 1+9+7+3=20. The first number represents a person's personality card, which in this case is Judgment (XX in the Major Arcana). Then you reduce the first number to a single digit - 2+0=2. The second number represents the soul card, which in this case is the Priestess (II in the Major Arcana).

For myself, I add the numbers of the day (29), month (4) and year (1967) I was born to get 2000. This is reduced to 2. When the first number you get is a single digit number, it means that there is no persona card, only a strong card of the soul - who you are and what you project are the same. In my case, I am a Double Priestess.

The soul of the PRIESTESS is expressed through love, service, peace, gentleness, harmony, and quiet meditation. The PRIESTESS blossoms with a simple life dedicated to metaphysical work. Cultivate a peaceful environment away from the limelight. The total bliss of samadi (unity of body, mind, and spirit) is available to the PRIESTESS who walks the inner path of spirit and service without thought of a reward.

It seems the numbers may be trying to tell me something.

You can learn more about Tarot and Numbers - and the meanings of your personal soul cards - in Chapter 8 of Susan Levitt's book Introduction to Tarot.

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 9:15 AM | Comments (14)

The first total lunar eclipse in nearly three years:

A shadow falls on the moon during a lunar eclipse as seen from Amman, Jordan. Reuters photo by Ali Jarekji

The Associated Press reports.

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 9:26 PM | Comments (1)

A few days ago a coworker and I were discussing the recently reported, depressing news about the decimation of honeybees. Hecate brought our attention to it in this post highlighting reportage by The New York Times. Bad news indeed.

I snapped this bee, who was enjoying a zinnia at Martha's Vineyard Glassworks.

But the news isn't all as grim. An article in today's San Francisco Chronicle says that bees may have found their saviors in a somewhat less than obvious place: urban gardeners.

[Professor Gordon] Frankie, an entomologist at UC Berkeley and a specialist in the behavior of native bees, has been the leader of a decadelong urban bee research project. By documenting bee diversity and populations in urban gardens throughout California, he's discovering which flowering plants attract native bees and determining whether urban gardens can support bees.

According to Professor Frankie, as suburban developments replace wild habitats where native bees once thrived and agricultural practices, which often include widespread pesticide use and plowing under native plants, destroy numerous bee populations, urban environments have the potential to become safe havens for struggling bees.

The dire circumstances facing our native pollinators is the motivation behind Frankie's project. As native bees in the wild dwindled, Frankie began documenting bee diversity and frequencies in urban environments to determine whether urban gardens could support reasonable native bee populations.

As I have said before - joining many of my brothers and sisters in this belief - pagans should be on the forefront of environmental activism. What could be a more satisfying way to do your part than to grow a bee garden?

"Instead of planting a garden with only the flowers you enjoy, look around at the flowering plants that are native to your area. Those are the plants that will attract the bees. The bees know what they need, and they'll come. If you plant it, they will come," [Professor Frankie] said.

One of the challenges of being an urban pagan is that we often don't have the ability to experience nature the way we might like. Growing a bee garden, even if it's just a few potted plants on a fire escape, could provide the opportunity to grow your own herbs and to plant other things that are important to your magickal work, in addition to saving native bees. Having a few bees around could be a good thing. As animal spirits, bees' wisdom includes connection to the goddess Diana, understanding female warrior energy, reincarnation, communication with the dead, helping earth-bound spirits move on to their proper place, concentration, and prosperity.

UC Berkeley has a wonderful website that tells you all you need to know about planting urban bee gardens.

And what do bees have to do with chocolate? Frankie says:

In a world without bees, the only choice they'd have would be the dried-out tortillas or rice cakes, since wheat and rice are self-pollinated. Even chocolate, from the cacao plant, depends on the pollination of bees.

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 1:09 PM | Comments (0)

As a modern witch I'm always tickled when I find witchy supplies in unlikely places. For instance, Pottery Barn is selling Easter Egg Candles. What could be better on the Ostara altar than egg-shaped colored candles?

Our focus at Ostara is on the return of Spring and the abundance it brings. This is the time when the great Mother Goddess welcomes the young Sun God and conceives the child who will be born again at Yule, the Winter Solstice. The Great Rite, symbolic of the sexual union between God and Goddess, became a tradition to be enacted on Ostara. The positive effect of this rite, a form of sympathetic magic, helped to bring fertility to the land and people and the animals.

Pottery Barn's Easter Egg Candles

Easily recognized as symbols of fertility, eggs are rich with significance for the celebration of Spring. In ancient times the return of the birds meant an important protein source had returned. The ability to find eggs in the fields and forest often meant the difference between health and hunger in the lean days before the harvest.

Eggs were an important part of the festival of the Thesmophoria - sometimes called the Eleusinian Mysteries - which honored Demeter and Persephone and focused on manifesting the return of Persephone, the return of Spring. A highlight of the festival was a procession of children carrying sacred objects, including colored eggs. Celebrants ate Ostara eggs in an attempt to assimilate the spirit of the goddess. The idea was to produce an incarnated blessing of fertility, both of the crops and of children.

The most common colors associated with Ostara - and therefore for colored eggs - are lemon yellow, pale green and pale pink. Other appropriate colors include grass green, all pastels, Robin's egg blue, violet, and white. Pottery Barn's egg candles come in a set of four - one each of sage green, periwinkle blue, ivory and white. Besides being delightfully egg-shaped, the candles handily have the following correspondences:

Green: Promotes prosperity, abundance, and success; stimulates rituals for good luck, money, harmony, rejuvenation and fertility.

Blue: Primary spiritual color; for rituals to obtain wisdom, harmony, inner light, or peace; confers truth and guidance; helps with dream interpretation - using your dreams in a magickal way to solve problems, find answers, etc.

White: A balance of all colors, effective for spiritual enlightenment, purification, protection, cleansing, clairvoyance, healing, truth seeking; rituals involving lunar energy; may be substituted for any other candle color

Ivory: While I haven't found a specific correspondence to the color ivory, we could, by its similarities to yellow, gold and silver, consider the correspondences for those colors. Yellow is about activity, creativity, drawing, pulling, compelling, and unity. Yellow brings the power of concentration and imagination to a successful ritual: used in rituals when you wish to gain another's confidence or persuade someone or in rituals that require solar energy. Gold fosters understanding and attracts the power of cosmic forces; beneficial in rituals intended to bring about fast money or riches. And silver removes negativity and encourages stability; helps develop psychic abilities; attracts the influence of the Mother Goddess.

All correspondences with particular usefulness at Ostara and for our work to manifest abundance in our lives, whatever form we need that abundance to take.

Pagan News has a nice overview of Ostara, which provided some of the information for this post, and has a great discussion of colored eggs and how to incorporate them into Ostara rituals and other celebrations of Spring.

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 6:32 PM | Comments (2)

What is it that Rosemary Clooney sang about coming over to my house? Well, I think the Fey have decided they like it here.

One particularly mischievous fellow has settled on my keyboard, I think, because whenever I type code to fix buggy things with my site something entirely other than what the code I type is supposed to render actually shows up on the screen. The Fey is the only possible explanation for this.

I was very grateful, however, when one of the Fey returned my favorite bobbie pin. Yes, I know, it's of questionable sanity to have a favorite bobbie pin in the first place, but I do. It's smaller than most and I can't find any more like it anywhere. So I'm weird. And it was missing and now it's back, about which I am happier than I suppose a hair implement should make a person.

Moving right along ...

Queen of Wands, The Fey Tarot

Some interesting developments have been happening on the home and work fronts lately. I decided it was time to check in the Fey Tarot to see what today in particular had in store, generally speaking.

They're telling me that I'm going to want to fall back on old habits and sources of security, but the source of current happiness lies in confronting fear and transforming bad into good. The Queen of Wands is Magic for me today; to manifest this transformation I must be a creator, cultivator, healer and all-around generative soul.

On the heels of Brigid's day, that makes perfect sense to me.

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 8:15 AM | Comments (1)

Tomorrow we will have a New Moon in Capricorn, which is generally a time of material ambition, work and duty. What a good day for starting a new job! Tomorrow I begin to work part-time at a wonderful stationery and gift shop in my neighborhood - the perfect place for this sheepy gal and a great way to add some fun to my usually solitary freelance practice.

The last New Moon, which was in optimistic Sagittarius right before Winter Solstice, was all about banishing the last vestiges of things lingering from the old year that might no longer be serving us to make room for good things in the new year. I wrote about this bringing opportunities for growth and how the Waxing Capricorn Moon that followed the last New Moon, with its focus on material ambition and work, could be auspicious for new job magick. I was right! Within that same lunar cycle I got a new job.

Tomorrow's New Moon in Capricorn offers us another excellent opportunity to work new job magick, or to manifest anything new in our lives that has to do with Capricorn's earthly realm. We are ambitious, conscientious, reliable, prudent and patient when the Moon is in Capricorn. We focus on traditions, responsibilities and obligations and search for status and financial security. Spiritual and intellectual pursuits may tend to fall away. It is important to be careful not to be so focused on our ambitions that we behave insensitively or without empathy.

Cafe Astrology has more on the New Moon in Capricorn in This Week in Astrology

Spell Work

As with last month, the exact timing of the New Moon falls just as the Moon turns void-of-course - tomorrow's New Moon is at 11:01 pm EST. Most witches agree that a void-of-course Moon is not optimum for spell work, which makes New Moon spells tricky to time this month too. Generally, I advise using the Dark Moon - the last hours before the New Moon, particular the Midnight before - to work banishing or releasing spells and to wait until the Moon enters its Waxing phase to work any spells intended to manifest anything new. Are you in a job you hate? Now is a good time to work on moving it out of your life. However, given the potential a Capricorn New Moon represents for finding a new job, I think a spell timed precisely for 11:01 pm EST (or even just a hair past), would still have the power you need if finding a new job is what you are asking for.

On Friday at 1:16 am EST, the Moon moves into brainy Aquarius. Although we like to exhibit an independent streak when the Moon is in Aquarius, its energy does make us intellectual and inventive. If you prefer to wait until the Moon is Waxing to work any magick for manifestation and a new job is the thing on the top of your magickal to-do list, the Aquarius energy could give you the ingenuity to think of a job you hadn't considered before.

Correspondences for spell crafting are listed below:

Continue reading "A New Job for A New Moon"

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 6:15 PM | Comments (3)

The principle of core shamanism says that there is a universal set of techniques people use to interface with the spirit world that are common to and a basis for all magickal traditions. The archetypal image of the witch is closely connected to that of the shaman. Witches and shamans were the healers and wise ones of their communities and their ability to connect to the spirit world allowed them to serve their communities in a variety of other ways. Things you can read in medieval manuscripts suggest that traditional witchcraft shared much with certain shamanic practices, among other reasonable evidence that ancient witches and shamans share common roots.

Most magickal people believe in the existence of both a physical world and non-physical, spirit worlds. Shamans work with the concept that actions in one realm have consequences in the other and that information obtained in the spirit world can be used to create tangible effects in the actual world. They act as messengers, traveling from one world to the other to communicate directly with spirit guides and to bring necessary medicine and information from the spirits to their people. While different cultures have different ways of representing these different worlds, most accept the basic concept of an underworld, a middle world and an upperworld. Traditional witches ended up focusing their magick in the middle world, on the healing arts and manifesting earthly abundance through healthy crops and farming in the agrarian societies in which they lived. Part of the reason for this might have been because Christianity came along and co-opted "heaven" and "hell," effectively removing the role of spiritual communicator from the witch's repertoire. By working with shamanic concepts and techniques, modern witches can expand their abilities to work in all worlds once again.

In the third level of training with Christopher Penczak, and his corresponding book The Temple of Shamanic Witchcraft, we learn the ways of the shaman and how to integrate them within our practice of the craft. The practice of core shamanism, and how it relates to the traditions of witchcraft, is a primary focus of Christopher's own work, as well as being an important area of study within his teaching.

By looking to the surviving native traditions, we can find many missing elements of European mysticism to restore shamanic practices to witchcraft. We are expanding beyond folk magick and circle ritual to truly become walkers in both worlds, and learn to be a bridge, a partner between the realm of spirit and the realm of form.

In the beginning, studying Shamanic Witchcraft was an interesting intellectual exercise but I didn't feel any particular spiritual connection to or affinity for shamanic practice. I learned much about the various cultures from which our modern understanding of shamanism comes and I had some interesting journeying experiences, but nothing resonated particularly strongly for me. Perhaps, I thought, shamanic techniques were not for me - not all witches are necessarily masters of every aspect of the craft. Along the way, however, something shifted.

After spending a few weeks journeying to meet our own spirit guides and to practice traveling to the realms of the underworld and upperworld, in one class we actually made a shamanic journey to retrieve medicine (the shaman's magick) for a classmate. It was a particularly powerful experience and one of those moments that reaffirmed the correctness of my pursuit of this particular spiritual path. I made a successful shamanic journey on behalf of my "client." Without knowing anything about them ahead of time, I reached her personal spirit guides and brought back the animal medicine they instructed me was necessary for her - this is a basic element of the shaman's service. The medicines that my partner brought to me when our roles were reversed have proven to be most beneficial over the past several weeks; I really needed them to help me manage some deeply personal challenges and changes. We were, as it turns out, good shamans!

One of the most important things we did in this class was shadow work. The belief is that before a shaman can be of service to others, she must make a personal journey of discovery and healing. Most people are familiar with the concept of "the dark night of the soul." This is what this work is about - descending into the darkness to find out what dwells there, make peace with it, and incorporate it as part of our magickal self. The shadow represents the parts of ourselves that we hide from, that we are too afraid to face. It is only by welcoming these banished parts of ourselves back into our consciousness that we can heal them and thus be ready to perform healing work for others. It is the magickal equivalent to "physician, heal thyself." Christopher calls the process of this shadow work "distilling the shadow." This helps us to identify our shadow self and know what we're looking for when we journey into the dark.

Throughout the class we kept a shadow journal. In it we recorded the things that we associate with fear, anger, resentment, guilt - trigger words that represent the ways that the shadow tends to manifests. Over time, patterns become clear and the shadow begins to reveal itself. On the last night of class we performed a ritual wherein we burned our shadow journals and then made a journey to the underworld to find our shadow self. It was an intense and often difficult process for everyone, myself included. It also culminated in one of the most transcendent experiences I have yet experienced on my path as a witch. I came away from that evening a changed person. A stronger woman, a better witch.

This class included other lessons and other magickal work, including dream work, but for me these were the two experiences that affected me the most. I realize that even if I am not destined to become a shaman I am better than I expected at using shamanic techniques. In the end, my work in this class yielded some profound personal experiences as well as some valuable new tools.

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 5:00 PM | Comments (4)

The sky is a very odd shade of grey this afternoon. Usually Boston's grey sky has a bluish cast but this one appears to be a warmer shade, tinged with brown or yellow. It's the color of what, in Southern California, we referred to as "smaze," the combination of smog and haze that would sit on the horizon above the Pacific.

And that's the other weird thing about it. The color has descended and is tingeing everything with same unfamiliar hue. Not the fog, just the color. The clouds remain in the sky looking ominous. It's like when the sky turns green just before a tornado strikes. What is going to strike after the sky turns a peculiar shade of grey?

Where's that giant Crayola box when you need it?

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 3:12 PM | Comments (1)

Steph at The Witch Within has been doing some interesting divination for the new year using numerology and tarot. I thought it would be fun to give her methods a try.

The first thing is to find your personal year number for 2007 by adding your birthday to the year, like this: 4 + 29 + 2007 = 2040; 2 + 4 = 6. So my personal number for 2007 is 6. (This works on a 12-year cycle, so if you get a number higher than 12, you continue to add the single digits of your number until you end up with a number between 1 and 12.)

Once you know your personal year number, there are many resources that can give you predictions for what 2007 has in store for you. I used the one that Steph recommended at Tarot.com. Here is their forecast for number 6:

This is a year of progress and financial advancement. Major career opportunities present themselves. It is a challenging year in which personal growth is joined with new responsibilities and challenges.

This is a year of domestic responsibility and attention to the needs of family and friends. It is a time of heart felt emotions and some sacrifice. It is a time for comforting and caring.

You realize the importance of your place within your community. You will be called upon to help others bear their burdens. You are the proverbial friend in need.

You must work to create an atmosphere of harmony and balance. It is often a time when marital issues surface and need attention. However, you possess the understanding to deal with such issues effectively if you apply yourself with love and flexibility.

These deep feelings bring renewal to relationships and often a birth in the family.

May is an emotional month filled with the promise and the stress of imminent changes. June is a breakthrough and a relief. September brings advancement, October self- reflection and readjustments, and December brings a sense of completion and fulfillment.

Then, using her personal year number, Steph chose a tarot card of the year. For me, with the number 6, my tarot card for the year is the 6th card in the Major Arcana: The Lovers.

The Lovers is a complex and often misunderstood card. On the surface, it is about Love and finding the ultimate partner. While that can be true as a basic reading, this card carries much more nuance and depth than that. It is also about choice, communication and connecting with your higher self.

Of course, nothing can replace your own wisdom and insight working with the tarot, but again turning to Tarot.com, here is one interpretation of The Lovers:

Classically, the energy of this card reminded us of the real challenges posed by romantic relationships, with the protagonist often shown in the act of making an either-or choice. To partake of a higher ideal often requires sacrificing the lesser option. The path of pleasure eventually leads to distraction from spiritual growth. The gratification of the personality eventually gives way to a call from spirit as the soul matures.

Aecletic Tarot has this to say about The Lovers:

LOVE is a force that makes you choose and decide for reasons you often can't understand; it makes you surrender control to a higher power. And that is what this card is all about. Finding something or someone who is so much a part of yourself, so perfectly attuned to you and you to them, that you cannot, dare not resist. In interpetation, the card indicates that the querent has come across, or will come across a person, career, challenge or thing that they will fall in love with. They will know instinctively that they must have this, even if it means diverging from their chosen path. No matter the difficulties, without it they will never be complete.

Ruled not by an emotional water sign, The Lovers is actually ruled by Gemini, an air sign. Gemini is the communications sign; it's all about messages and making contact. Also, as it is represented by the twins, Gemini is about finding your other self.

The Lovers, The Fey Tarot

Finally, I offer you some insight into The Lovers from The Fey Tarot:

To meet, even in diversity; to choose, even in doubt; to love, abandoning oneself to the heart and to life. The present moment is not the past and not the future, yet it embraces them both. Man does not come from the Earth nor from the Sky, yet his spirit is attracted and composed of both. There is no need to be afraid of the differences or to choose between them, but to perceive how each thing is completed by the other.

This card is first a card of love, either toward a partner, a child, or a friend, but its significance is deeper. Often each one of us is torn by conflicts between contrasting sentiments and sensations, very often between the needs of our spiritual nature and the contingencies and necessities of material life. The card of The Lovers once indicated the need to choose. However at times there is no need to choose but to conserve both opposites, in peace.

I have been reading with this deck almost exclusively for the past few months and am enjoying the Fey approach to interpreting the cards. I love this deck's beautiful Lovers card; it's very different from the way most Lovers are depicted.

In conclusion, I'd say I have lots of food for thought here. Much opportunity for positive change and abundance in the new year, combined with the promise of happiness and love. With my Venus in Gemini, perhaps this card portends a new love for me in 2007 after all! Though ultimately the most spiritually fulfilling love of all is to discover, finally, that we love ourselves.

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 4:49 AM | Comments (1)

My favorite resource for understanding the historic, symbolic and spiritual significance of the Celtic foundations for our Wiccan celebration of the turning of the Wheel of Year is Mara Freeman's book Kindling the Celtic Spirit: Ancient Traditions to Illumine Your Life Through the Seasons. It is organized in twelve monthly chapters that include seasonally appropriate mythology, folklore, literary references, crafts and recipes. Each chapter concludes with a meditation designed to promote personal and spiritual growth as we move through the cycle of the year: The Inner Cauldron.

The cauldron is one of Wicca's most powerful and revered objects. It is a symbol of transmutation, germination, and transformation. But above all it symbolizes the womb and the Goddess. The belief that the cauldron symbolizes the womb of the Great Goddess arises from the concept that everything is born out of it and returns to it. The cauldron mysteries are an integral part of Wiccan mythos.

Cauldrons have held a magical significance in many cultures throughout the centuries. In ancient Ireland, it was believed, cauldrons were never depleted of food during feasts. In ancient times they were use for human sacrifice, which was related to death and rebirth. In Greek mythology the Witch goddess Medea restored people to youth in a magic cauldron. In Celtic lore the cauldron is the symbol of the Underworld. In Greek and Roman mythology the cauldron was hidden in a cave. Some relate the cauldron to the Holy Grail (since the Grail is supposedly the chalice used by Christ at the Last Supper), and speculate this was why some Christians were not too eager to seek the Grail because of its association with the cauldron and the Goddess. One of the most famous cauldrons is the Gundestrup cauldron, now housed in the National Museum of Denmark, which dates back to the Second or First Century BC. The cauldron depicts Celtic deities and rituals and is believed to be druidic.

What better place to return to contemplate renewal on this, the darkest day of the year, on the eve of the birth of the Sun, than to the sacred cauldron?

Renewal

We have arrived at last at the close of the year, a time of endings and new beginnings. At Winter Solstice the seed of light is tightly folded within the bud of darkness. From now on, as the days grow longer, the sun-seed slowly unfurls from this center, through the spring days of Imbolc and Beltaine, to its full flowering at Summer Solstice. At this point it will reach the outermost ring of the year's spiral and begin to contract slowly toward the center once again. Perhaps this is the meaning of the spiral art carved by the ancient ones on the walls at Newgrange, aligned as it is to this most important time of the year. (It is also believed that there may be a hidden passage on the other side of the mound, aligned to the Summer Solstice sunset.)

As we look toward the threshold of a new year, we become more aware of our journey as a spiral that circles around yet continually moves us onward to the next cycle of our soul's evolution. Amid all the busy Christmas preparations, it is important to take some time to tune into the deep, dark womb of the year's midnight, to feel and enjoy the quiet interval that comes when the curtain has gone down over the stage of this year's rich drama and the new play has not yet commenced. (In my experience, a failure to take the "down" time in winter is the real reason behind those cold and flu bugs that make us rest whether we want to or not.) In the [year's final] meditation, we enter the silence of the Earth itself to experience its mysteries and to prepare for our rebirth into the light of a new cycle.

(Freeman, 2000, p. 377-378)

Continue reading "The Inner Cauldron: Renewal"

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 1:22 PM | Comments (0)

This New Moon comes a day before the Winter Solstice, which is a time of equal light and dark, representing the birth of the Sun, and ushers in the Waxing year. We have a unique and ideal moment to banish the last things lingering from the old year before we concentrate on building a new year and celebrating the return of the Sun and new opportunities for growth. Tonight's Dark Moon will be about as dark as they come and an excellent time to work any magick that calls upon Hecate, Goddess of the Crossroads, to help us leave behind that which no longer serves and to point us in the right direction to embark upon the next phase of our journey.

Tonight, Tonight � 2004-2006 Chobi at deviantART

Cafe Astrology, my favorite resource for all matters astrological, has this to say about tomorrow's New Moon:

A New Moon in Sagittarius occurs at 9:01 AM EST. This is an ideal time to focus on some of the constructive traits of the sign of the Archer--optimistic, enthusiastic, adventurous, honest, outspoken, independent--and consider how to positively incorporate these qualities into our lives. It's time to focus on goals that will increase our understanding and awareness, give us courage to expand our horizons, and gain confidence and optimism through a broader perspective. We can too easily get lost in the details of mundane existence. With this potent Sagittarius energy, we can find ways to transcend these details of day-to-day life and nurture our faith, hope, and vision. Because Sagittarius thinks in big terms, we may have a tendency to overdo our expectations--something to watch for. It's time to be a little more adventurous, and to set the stage for reaping the rewards from our braveries, as little or big as they may be, in approximately two weeks' time after the Full Moon occurs. Note that the Cazimi Moon (from 8:29 AM and 9:33 AM EST) is considered a very potent period for new endeavors. The Moon enters Capricorn at 11:39 AM EST.

The Moon is void of course from 9:01 AM EST, with its last aspect before changing signs (a conjunction to the Sun), until the Moon enters Capricorn at 11:39 AM.

Most witches agree that a void-of-course Moon is not optimum for spell work, which makes New Moon spells tricky to time this month. My advice is to use any time before 9:01 am EST to work banishing or releasing spells and to wait until the Moon enters Capricorn - and is in a Waxing phase - to work any spells intended to manifest anything new. However, given the potential brought about by the Cazimi Moon, I suppose it's best to consider that which you hope to create in your life and evaluate what energy is most beneficial to your workings. Does a Cazimi Moon trump a void-of-course? Only you will know for sure.

In any case, the idea of spending some time considering how we might increase understanding and awareness, find courage to expand our horizons, and gain confidence and optimism through a broader perspective certainly seems a worthwhile way to prepare for the blessings of Yule. Embracing the last of Sagittarius' energy to meditate on how to incorporate these goals into the Waxing year makes sense, regardless of what the Moon is up to.

After a tumultuous year of personal and professional upheaval, my inclination for using the New Moon and new year energies centers around magick for finding a new job. It's interesting that an overwhelming majority of my Witchcraft 3 classmates have been having similar experiences. I don't think I'm alone in hoping that the new year will bring a new job and some new opportunities along with it. While I don't like Saturn's contracting influence, Capricorn, with its focus on material ambition and work, can be a good fit for a job spell. All other energies taken into consideration, this New Moon does seem auspicious for new job magick.

Crown of Success Employment Spells

The Element Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells has a number of great job-related spells. My favorites are the ones using Crown of Success Oil. Crown of Success Oil assists in finding a job, landing the job, and keeping the job. It's also used to promote general professional success and to aid in career advancement, including promotions and greater financial benefits. Crown of Success Oil can be used to enhance any other employment charm or spell.

Continue reading "A New Moon for a New Sun"

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 10:58 PM | Comments (0)

Pagan writer A.C. Fisher Aldag is doing an admirable job of presenting a clear and thoughtful overview on the history and origins of Wicca in a series of articles at Witches' Voice. Another Pagan History separates fact from fiction and offers a good argument for why a little of both is actually a good thing. She has sifted through countless resources ranging from the authors of modern Wicca to ancient texts and archeological records. Applying some solid intellectual analysis and basic common sense, she distills a vast amount of material into a very informative history lesson, addressing many of the informational controversies that seem to continually plague Pagan scholarship. Much of the content may be familiar, but to have it presented in such a clear and comprehensive form is most useful both for those who do not know much about the history of Wicca as a religion and for advanced practitioners who will be interested in the review of a large list of original texts.

In Part 1 A.C. discusses "Differing Viewpoints" and explores the question, "Wicca is not Ancient � or is it?"

During my own research, I learned that many common neo-Pagan practices really do date back to ancient times � sort of. Much of our modern earth-based religions are derived from the folk traditions of Celtic Britain, but they were affected by historic events, such as the Roman occupation, the Anglo-Saxon invasions, the Norman Conquest and the rise of Christianity. Many customs died out, others were incorporated into new ceremonies, and some rites continued without change. During the Renaissance, people were fascinated by all things mystical, just as they are today, and so Pagan practice enjoyed a revival. The Protestant Reformation forced many of the ceremonies underground, or ended their observation all together. The Victorian era saw an interest in �secret� societies, the Druids, spiritualism, and Egyptian and Persian magic. Gerald Gardner brought witchcraft to the attention of the masses with his books in the 1950s. During the 1960s many folk customs were preserved or renewed as a matter of cultural identity. And finally, the eco-feminist movement of the 1980s had a positive influence on Paganism. But what is genuinely historic and what is an invention? What is ancient and what is modern? We can�t always tell.

Part 2 takes a beginning look at "Gardner's Sources - and Inventions" and concludes in Part 3.

No matter his sources, Gardner brought witchcraft and Paganism into the consciousness of the general public. Whether he revived or created these practices, he can be thanked for several philosophies unique to modern day earth religions: Gardner united the material and spiritual worlds, combining natural and ceremonial magic systems. He also instituted the concepts of ethics and law into magical practice.

She takes up "The Pagan Holidays or the Wiccan Sabbats" in Part 4 and promises to continue the subject in future installments.

While some of the celebrations we enjoy today were recently invented, others were genuinely old, practiced for centuries in the British Islands. Other holiday traditions were brought to England, and thus to Wicca, from other civilizations. Some died out and were revived. Others survived into the present day, with little or no change. Gardner and others brought many of these customs into the modern practice of Wicca.

I am thoroughly enjoying the series and look forward to Parts 5 and 6.

Continue reading "What's Really Old, and What Likely Ain't"

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 7:11 PM | Comments (0)

I think knitting is a wonderful form of knot magick. Knitting makes sweaters, scarves, mittens - all that can be worn by people you love - and every single stitch can be a magickal knot infused with whatever spell or medicine you wish. There are numerous sources of specific knot spells that could be incorporated into a knitting project. Two good websites on the subject are Knot & Cord Magick by aSkyeWolfe and Knot Magick by Sacred Spiral. Or, as I am doing now with a scarf I'm knitting for my sister, simply fill each stitch with intention. As I knit I will that the scarf will keep her warm and happy, in both actual and spiritual ways, and that the knots of the scarf will serve to strengthen the ties of sisterly love and bring us closer to each other.

I have a book, The Knitting Goddess, wherein the author, Deborah Bergman, offers stories of several spinning, weaving and creation goddesses and knitting projects inspired by them. As the book's tagline suggests, the book is a wonderful resource for "finding the heart and soul of knitting through instruction, projects, and stories." This passage, from her chapter on Grandmother Spider, sums of the magick of this book for me:

The invitation to knit usually doesn't arrive when we are feeling like everything in life has achieved a measure of Parisian fullness and balance and needs to get roughed up again. Not always, but more often, it seems to be in one of those ragged, odd moments of life - when we are feeling somehow at odds, in transition, at risk, out of sorts, or just plain awkward - when two needles and a skein of something intriguing manage to present themselves within arm's reach. A voice whispers in our ear. We pick up the rudimentary tools and fiber, put up with the fleeting added challenge of learning yet another new skill, and the next thing we know we are knitting our way through our transition, ordering our life into a new pattern while we also use our hands and needles to learn to pattern yarn. We counter one transition with another, and get through both, and then some.

Sound familiar?

One of my favorite myths related to knitting magick is that of The Three Fates, or Moirae, Zeus' older sisters. (When I was in Dublin this past summer, I posted a photo I took of a statue of The Three Fates from St. Stephen's Green.) Clotho is the "spinner" and Lachesis the apportioner of lots. The thread of life is spun upon Clotho's spindle, measured by the rod of Lachesis and finally snipped by the shears of Athropos, the inevitable one.

Deborah Bergman offers a ritual for making the Fates your allies, in creative projects and in life. She says you start by choosing your Fate. Clotho is helpful when you need to speed and solidify tenuous beginnings. She is a manifestor, facilitating the birth of something that already exists in the imagination. Lachesis helps us to stay the course when something seems daunting. She is the one to call upon when the distance between where we are and where we want to be seems too far or we feel unable to keep going. Somehow, when we know the answer to the question "how far?" it makes everything easier. Athropos, with her scissors, helps us to recognize when it is time to stop, to accept that something has reached its end, and to cut the thread and move on.

Part of what makes knitting magick fun and effective is your choice of yarn, the cord. As a witch, I can't help but be attracted to a resource for materials called Alchemy Yarns of Transformation. They make incredibly beautiful yarn from silk, wool and even bamboo in the most magickal range of colors. I haven't knit anything using this yarn yet, but I hope to soon. I think this yarn will make a most magickal project indeed.

Continue reading "Knitting Magick"

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 1:46 PM | Comments (5)

In my neighborhood some of trees have lost their leaves, some are still lush and full, leaves as green as the summer time, and others have obligingly changed to a lovely array of autumnal color. What is it with the trees in the city?

For a long time I have believed that it has something to do with pollution; that the exhaust from all of the cars somehow affects the process of photosynthesis, creating an unnatural preservative that keeps the leaves green until they just fall off one blustery day. I have no idea if there is any scientific truth behind this hypothesis of mine.

Has anyone else noticed how the trees in the city just don't behave like the trees in other places? A few weekends ago I went hiking in the Catskills. From one vantage point, looking out over the Hudson Valley, I saw a magnificent display of fall foliage. So many different brilliant hues. It was the quintessential leaf-peeping experience.

So, this is why we get in our cars to drive to the countryside. To see the leaves. That back home in the city are stubbornly refusing to change color. Because of the cars.

Is it that they are as reticent to accept the coming winter as we humans are? Do they fear the scrape of the plow, that will create mountainish landscapes from formerly civilized curbs and sidewalks? Do they dread the constant movement of snow from one place to the other and back again to accommodate our cars and our baby carriages and our bi-weekly offerings of rubbish and recycling?

What, do you think, that little tree in front of my apartment building is thinking right now? I worry a bit about it; it could be more robust. I've thought of sneaking out at some hour when someone is less likely to see what I'm doing and think I'm some crazy person or a drug dealer burying crack for the squirrels to find to bury a protection charm for it, to keep it safe and healthy during the winter. I like my little tree. At the moment it is stubbornly hanging on to every last green leaf it has.

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 9:39 AM | Comments (0)

There's a little home furnishings and accessories shop that opened in my neighborhood a few weeks ago that has become one of my favorite spots for witchy treats and supplies. I'm sure the owner has no idea.

My first discovery was their selection of 100% beeswax candles in a remarkable array of colors. While they are expensive, beeswax candles are generally acknowledged to be the best to use for candle magick. Given their expense and general rarity, it's often often difficult to find them in enough different colors to perform all spell work. Hudson sells candles in more colors than ANY magick shop I've seen, beeswax or no.

The owner of the shop likes to have a selection of antiques on hand as well as the new items. They carry old, colored Ball jars and antique apothecary bottles - perfect for storing ingredients, potions and other mixtures. They also have a great selection of candle holders, ranging from candelabra that look like tree branches to antique glass pedestals. All quite witchy indeed.

My most recent, and so far favorite, find are the "curious offerings that entice the senses and render the common, uncommon" by Douglas Little of D.L. & Co., Modern Alchemists and Purveyors of Curious Goods. Kookily Victorian, Mr. Little (as he likes to call himself) could not have created a more witchy line of opulent goods if he were trying (not knowing Mr. Little, I'm operating under the assumption that he was not). I bought one of the miniature "rare botanic" candles in Thorn Apple, which sports on its label the latin name datura stramonium. For those of you not quite up on your herbology, datura, also known as jimsonweed, is a flowering plant known for its hallucinogenic properties. It's also highly poisonous. How very Victorian! While a visit to Mr. Little's website (which I highly recommend as it is an experience unto itself) reveals that the essential oils used in the Thorn Apple candles are actually applewood, vetiver, oakmoss and patchouli, I like to think that I could light the candle by my bed at night and be transported into dreamland on a cloud of datura.

Who knows what I might find at Hudson next!

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 3:40 PM | Comments (0)

Who has been a spiritual mentor for you during your path? If you do not have one (or even if you do), what motivates you to say on your spiritual path?

My first mentor was my tarot teacher, Susan Levitt. Over the years we've become great friends and she has taught me a lot about tarot, astrology and feng shui.

When I first returned to the Boston area, I met a number of great people at the now defunct Unicorn Books who influenced and helped me in one way or another - tarot teachers, spiritual advisors, and friends. Sharynne NicMhacha, in particular, has been instrumental in helping me learn about Scottish witchcraft, my hereditary path.

A couple of years ago I started formal training in the craft with Christopher Penczak, who initiated me as a Priestess and with whom I continue to study. He is a wise and soulful teacher and I count myself fortunate to be able to train with him through his Temple series of classes.

As for motivational influences, I think they are largely a product of working within a strong and dedicated community. Also, as I experience the development and strength of my skills and abilities, I feel a strong sense of being on the right path. The spiritual nurturing and truth that I have found as a witch certainly motivate me to learn and do more. The wonderful people I have encountered as teachers and friends are examples of the potential that I have to serve in turn.

Thank you to Witches Weekly for the Q&A.

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 5:08 PM | Comments (0)

A dear friend of mine who is a wonderful writer and talented witch has launched a new blog called Stars for Eyes.

So far, she's written about a transcendent experience while hiking, introduced us to a fabulous ceramic artist who uses Eastern imagery and shamanic ideas to create works of incredible depth and beauty, brought a new and important viewpoint to the discussion about Britain's ancient burial sites, and shared the growing excitement for the upcoming film Pan's Labyrinth. All in the space of a week or so!

Congratulations, Luna, on a terrific new addition to the blogosphere. We'll be reading!

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 9:19 AM | Comments (0)

One of my fellow bloggers at The Daily Scribe wrote a terrific essay exploring the basis for the superstitions surrounding Friday the Thirteenth, which happens to fall this week. The essay is one of the most comprehensive looks at the subject I've read and I found it both fascinating and enjoyable. Reb Chaim HaQoton asked to hear my thoughts. Such is my interest in the topic and what turns out to be the extent of my answer to his question that I decided to formulate my response in a blog post of my own.

Friday the Thirteenth has always been a lucky day for me. This stems from a purely personal mythology: When I was in high school, the opening night of a play I was starring in was a tremendous success, and since that day good things have always happened to me on Friday the Thirteenth. The power of personal belief is a mighty thing!

Apparently, the Egyptians were the first to develop a superstition for the number thirteen, but for them it also brought good luck. They believed that there were twelve steps on the ladder to eternal life and knowledge and to take the thirteenth step meant going through death into everlasting life. Thirteen, for the Egyptians, was associated with immortality.

But back to Reb Chaim HaQoton's essay. I agree with his supposition that much of the demonization of the number thirteen (and Friday for that matter) was perpetrated by the Christian church, both for the many reasons he mentions that are particularly Christian in nature and as a result of the church's systematic efforts to wipe out native pagan religions. There are numerous examples across history and cultures to suggest that before Christianity's pervasive influence, the number thirteen was largely celebratory and even reverential. The website Pagan Astronomy offers a thorough discussion of some of the various cultural associations with thirteen on this page: The Numbers of Heaven: 13. This collection of stories, while covering some of the same topics as Reb Chaim HaQoton's essay, does provide a good overview of some of thirteen's more auspicious associations.

Ironically, there are plenty of modern "thirteens" that are perfectly respectable as well. In addition to the example from the Jewish faith that Reb Chaim HaQoton mentions, there are other more secular examples. There are thirteen players on a rugby team.

Since much of the fear surrounding Friday the Thirteenth seems to stem from a demonization of Pagan practices and a derogatory association with witchcraft, from a Wiccan and Pagan perspective I can shed some light on the significance the number thirteen holds in our belief system.

Triple Moon Stained Glass 1, � 2004-2006 copperphoenix at deviantART

Witches consider the number thirteen not only to be fortunate, but also to be magickal. This has to do with its strong connection to the Moon and lunar energy. The Moon is one of the most significant icons in Wiccan and Pagan spirituality. In fact, few religious symbols occur in such diverse contexts as symbols of the Moon. There are thirteen Moon cycles in a year. The thirteen Full Moons are celebrated by witches as holy days known as Esbats. Witches invoke the Goddess by "drawing down the Moon." Moon is referred to as Mother and she is the source of feminine energy, intuition and psychic ability. The triple Moon symbol stands for the Triple Goddess, consisting of maiden, mother and crone, which is a common theme throughout Wiccan and Pagan mythology and spiritual practice. There are many, many more examples of the Moon's sanctity among witches and other Pagans about which much could, and has, been written. Suffice it to say that the Moon's place within Wiccan and Pagan spirituality is the primary reason why the number thirteen has importance.

Thirteen also refers to the ancient lunar calendar, in which there were thirteen months of 28 days each plus one additional day. Although the lunar calendar eventually was given up in 1582 in favor of a solar calendar (Wikipedia has a very interesting historical account of how the Gregorian Calendar came to be), many modern Pagans still follow the old lunar system for the timing of rituals and other spiritual work. For example, the typical length of time for witches to undergo formal study or training is for "a year and a day," based on the ancient lunar year.

As Reb Chaim HaQoton mentions in his essay, thirteen is the traditional number for a coven of witches and it is generally accepted among Wiccans that the reason for this relates to the thirteen moon phases in a year. Interestingly enough, the Pagan Astronomy article mentioned above offered this tidbit of historical data on why covens have thirteen members:

In 1662 we find a record from the witch trial of Isobel Gowdie which states that she belonged to a coven of 13. Chaucer even us