We have a new writer on our blog, Please welcome Justine Marie. You may have even noticed some of her posts of recent. She has kindly accepted to help our blog content. Thank You Justine for helping out it is very welcomed and we are grateful you accepted :)
Have a wonderful weekend everyone.
~Willow~
Saturday, July 16, 2011
A Home Blessing
Read in its entirety before doing.
You’ll need the following: sage, sweet grass, matches, charcoal, fireproof vessel to burn herbs in, red candle, consecrated salt water and a noise maker of some sort- bells, drums, rattles, etc..
This is best done before moving into a new home. Otherwise, I like to do my cleansings and blessings on or just after the New Moon. The object is to eliminate all unwanted harmful or negative energies residing in your home and to replace those energies with or invite more peaceful energy in. You’ll want to make sure to do this all at once in one day. If you need to, you can have others help you.
The first thing you’ll want to do is clean house. I don’t mean burn nice smelling herbs I mean sweeping, mopping, dusting, sweating, etc. To do a proper home blessing, you need to have a clean space. So get out the detergents and scrub. You need to move furniture when you do this and don’t forget to clean the corners. Negative energy just loves to build up in the corners and behind couches where there isn’t a lot of movement to stir it up, Once your house is lemony fresh you can move onto the next step.
Now we smudge. For this you’ll need sage and sweet grass. Sage cleanses and removes all unwanted energies, etc. and sweet grass is used to call spirits of a more positive energy into your home. Nature doesn’t like a vacuum so when you cleanse the house you have to replace the bad with the good so everyone’s happy.
From what I understand, there are different ways to do this. I’m going to write about the way I do it. It’s always worked for me and whatever home I’ve lived in.
I start in the top floor of the house in the Eastern corner and work through each room counter-clockwise. I usually have copious amounts of sage billowing through and around the house when I’m done. As you walk through each room make sure you are speaking out loud, these or similar words:
BE GONE FROM THIS PLACE ALL NEGATIVE ENERGY AND SPIRITS, LEAVE THIS HOME NEVER TO RETURN. I ADMONISH YOU TO DEPART NOW AND LEAVE ITS INHABITANTS IN PEACE. BE GONE AT ONCE!
Make sure you’re getting the sage smoke in every nook and cranny in the room. I have a fan I made of feathers to help direct the smoke where I want it to go. Make sure you’re doing each room, counter-clockwise and top to bottom. By working top to bottom you’re pushing all the negative energy down into the earth where our Earth Mother can neutralize it.
Now repeat with the red candle. Make sure you’re shining the flame in all the nooks and crannies from top to bottom again. Next do the salt water, sprinkling it everywhere. So that’s sage for the Element of Air, the red candle for the Element of Fire and the salt water for the Elements of Water and Earth. By doing this you have cleansed your home with all 4 Elements.
Make sure you are speaking out loud in each room while carrying the sage, candle and salt water. Sound is an important aspect of ritual. After you’ve gone though the Elements, take up your rattle, drum or bell and make some noise. Even a set of wind chimes will work nicely. Go through the whole house again, counterclockwise, and make all the noise you can. Sing out, yell, chant, rattle, hum and scare any negative spirits that are left lingering. Repeat the above words, or something similar, in each room over and again.
After you’ve got it cleaned and cleansed you can now call the positive energy into your home. This is done with sweet grass. You’ll be walking clockwise this time to fill the void you’ve left. I’ve seen it done with bundled sweet grass and braided sweet grass. I think it works fine either way and is a personal preference.
Once you’ve finished sweet grassing the house, go to a central location and speak the following blessing.
Blessing my New Home
TOUCH THE LINTEL AND TOUCH THE WALL,
NOTHING BUT BLESSINGS HERE BEFALL!
BLESS THE CANDLE THAT STANDS BY ITSELF,
BLESS THE BOOK ON THE MANTLE SHELF,
BLESS THE PILLOW FOR THE TIRED HEAD,
BLESS THE HEARTH AND THE LIGHT SHED.
FRIENDS WHO TARRY HERE, LET THEM KNOW
A THREE FOLD BLESSING BEFORE THEY GO.
SLEEP FOR WEARINESS - PEACE FOR SORROW
FAITH IN YESTERDAY AND TOMORROW.
FRIENDS WHO GO FROM HERE, LET THEM BEAR
THE BLESSING OF HOPE, WHEREVER THEY FARE.
LINTEL AND WINDOWS, SILL AND WALL,
NOTHING BUT GOOD, THIS PLACE BEFALL.
Adapted from the song ‘Bless the House’ by Helen Taylor
This cleansing and blessing usually lasts me about a year. Unless something awful has happened, then I will do it again to get rid of any negative energy that has re-entered.
Blessed Be.
You’ll need the following: sage, sweet grass, matches, charcoal, fireproof vessel to burn herbs in, red candle, consecrated salt water and a noise maker of some sort- bells, drums, rattles, etc..
This is best done before moving into a new home. Otherwise, I like to do my cleansings and blessings on or just after the New Moon. The object is to eliminate all unwanted harmful or negative energies residing in your home and to replace those energies with or invite more peaceful energy in. You’ll want to make sure to do this all at once in one day. If you need to, you can have others help you.
The first thing you’ll want to do is clean house. I don’t mean burn nice smelling herbs I mean sweeping, mopping, dusting, sweating, etc. To do a proper home blessing, you need to have a clean space. So get out the detergents and scrub. You need to move furniture when you do this and don’t forget to clean the corners. Negative energy just loves to build up in the corners and behind couches where there isn’t a lot of movement to stir it up, Once your house is lemony fresh you can move onto the next step.
Now we smudge. For this you’ll need sage and sweet grass. Sage cleanses and removes all unwanted energies, etc. and sweet grass is used to call spirits of a more positive energy into your home. Nature doesn’t like a vacuum so when you cleanse the house you have to replace the bad with the good so everyone’s happy.
From what I understand, there are different ways to do this. I’m going to write about the way I do it. It’s always worked for me and whatever home I’ve lived in.
I start in the top floor of the house in the Eastern corner and work through each room counter-clockwise. I usually have copious amounts of sage billowing through and around the house when I’m done. As you walk through each room make sure you are speaking out loud, these or similar words:
BE GONE FROM THIS PLACE ALL NEGATIVE ENERGY AND SPIRITS, LEAVE THIS HOME NEVER TO RETURN. I ADMONISH YOU TO DEPART NOW AND LEAVE ITS INHABITANTS IN PEACE. BE GONE AT ONCE!
Make sure you’re getting the sage smoke in every nook and cranny in the room. I have a fan I made of feathers to help direct the smoke where I want it to go. Make sure you’re doing each room, counter-clockwise and top to bottom. By working top to bottom you’re pushing all the negative energy down into the earth where our Earth Mother can neutralize it.
Now repeat with the red candle. Make sure you’re shining the flame in all the nooks and crannies from top to bottom again. Next do the salt water, sprinkling it everywhere. So that’s sage for the Element of Air, the red candle for the Element of Fire and the salt water for the Elements of Water and Earth. By doing this you have cleansed your home with all 4 Elements.
Make sure you are speaking out loud in each room while carrying the sage, candle and salt water. Sound is an important aspect of ritual. After you’ve gone though the Elements, take up your rattle, drum or bell and make some noise. Even a set of wind chimes will work nicely. Go through the whole house again, counterclockwise, and make all the noise you can. Sing out, yell, chant, rattle, hum and scare any negative spirits that are left lingering. Repeat the above words, or something similar, in each room over and again.
After you’ve got it cleaned and cleansed you can now call the positive energy into your home. This is done with sweet grass. You’ll be walking clockwise this time to fill the void you’ve left. I’ve seen it done with bundled sweet grass and braided sweet grass. I think it works fine either way and is a personal preference.
Once you’ve finished sweet grassing the house, go to a central location and speak the following blessing.
Blessing my New Home
TOUCH THE LINTEL AND TOUCH THE WALL,
NOTHING BUT BLESSINGS HERE BEFALL!
BLESS THE CANDLE THAT STANDS BY ITSELF,
BLESS THE BOOK ON THE MANTLE SHELF,
BLESS THE PILLOW FOR THE TIRED HEAD,
BLESS THE HEARTH AND THE LIGHT SHED.
FRIENDS WHO TARRY HERE, LET THEM KNOW
A THREE FOLD BLESSING BEFORE THEY GO.
SLEEP FOR WEARINESS - PEACE FOR SORROW
FAITH IN YESTERDAY AND TOMORROW.
FRIENDS WHO GO FROM HERE, LET THEM BEAR
THE BLESSING OF HOPE, WHEREVER THEY FARE.
LINTEL AND WINDOWS, SILL AND WALL,
NOTHING BUT GOOD, THIS PLACE BEFALL.
Adapted from the song ‘Bless the House’ by Helen Taylor
This cleansing and blessing usually lasts me about a year. Unless something awful has happened, then I will do it again to get rid of any negative energy that has re-entered.
Blessed Be.
Pagan Sayings and Abbreviations
To say hello you can say:
Bright BlessingsorMerry Meet.
To say goodbye you can say:
Merry Meet, Merry Part And Merry Meet Again.
It basically means: 'Nice to have met you, take care and hope to see you again soon'. This can also be said when talking to God and Goddess at the end of ritual.
Blessed Be.
As the Christians would say, 'God Bless' or 'Amen'. This is said more often than the Christian Amen. It can be said sometimes at the end of Rituals, Spells or even used to end an email to a fellow Wiccan friend!
Im going to Circle.
As Christians would say, 'Im going to church' (Taking part in a ritual of their faith) Wiccans say 'I'm going to circle'. They mean the same thing.
Sayings used often during rituals
In Perfect Love and Perfect Trust.
You give/take/send whatever your subject or objective maybe, with Perfect Love and Trust. This saying can be used when doing Magick or used in a Ritual.
Blessed Be.
As the Christians would say, 'God Bless' or 'Amen'. It is sometimes said at the end of Rituals, Spells.
So Mote It Be.
Sometimes said at the end of spells. It confirms what you have said in your spell, 'so it shall be'
As I Will It, So Shall It Be.
Basically the same thing: you are stressing that what you just did will really happen.
Merry Meet, Merry Part And Merry Meet Again.
Although this simply means 'Nice to have met you, take care and hope to see you again soon' it can also be used to close a ritual by taking leave of the God and Goddess at the end.
As Above And So Below
As Above And So Below is a variation on the old Hermetic Axiom 'As above, so below'. The original meaning is that everything is connected and what happens below is reflected in the stars (astrology) and vice versa.
In Wicca it means everything is in balance and you would not want it any other way.
Pagan and Wiccan abbreviations
You would close and email with the following abbreviations to shorten the greetings
BB : Brightest Blessings
MM: Merry Meet
MMA: Merry Meet Again
Just a little side note about the abbreviations, Rev. Ed and Myself do not like the abbriviations, we believe one should never shortcut on greetings, we feel its rude. We do understand why many do it online because of the cell phones. If you ever sit in one of our classes you will quickly learn we just don't like it. Call us old school, but its one of those changes we have never embraced. To each there own and Many Blessings to you all :)
~Willow~
Friday, July 15, 2011
Finding Your Patron God and Goddess
Finding the God and Goddess you resonate with is an important part of your path. When you make a connection like that it makes the hard work you have to do a little easier. You’re working with energy you know instead of being unsure of yourself. You’re amongst family instead of strangers.
Sometimes the Gods find you. When that happens, there is little you can do to escape Their intentions. They’ve set Their sights on you and you should just learn to live with it. For me it was Brigid the Celtic Goddess of inspiration, healing and the fires of the forge. It took awhile for me to hear Her. I think the final marble that tilted the scale was when my best friend’s son was born… on Imbolc (Her Sabbat day)… with fire red hair right out of the womb. She’s my guiding light through the darkness into the day.
The rest of the time you have to put in the work to find your Patrons. You have to research the many and various pantheons and cultures to see which one speaks to you the loudest. For that you have to hit the history books. You have to see how people lived back before Christianity took hold and banished all the wonderful old gods. Find out what life was like for the Egyptians when they were erecting those glorious pyramids, or the Hindus right when they were completing the Vedas or the Celts before Caesar starting pitting them against each other in battle. Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Hindu, Africa, Celtic and countless others besides these run throughout history.
After you’ve chosen, or have been chosen by, a specific pantheon, the real work begins. Now it’s time to pour over and through the books on mythology. Local libraries, even ones in small towns, usually have a pretty decent selection of these books. The internet is also a good source as long as you find a reputable site. When you’re surfing the internet it’s important to remember that what you read is not always written by people who know what they’re talking about or who’ve done their research. So be mindful of that.
So you’re reading through the myth books now. What you’re looking for is who these characters are and why are they behaving this way and are any of their stories like your stories. There is so much to learn about the gods. They have personalities just like we do. They can be loving and nurturing or they can be full of vengeance and wrath.
It’s also important to remember that when you get to the point where you’re in a circle about to do a ritual, be sure to realize who you are invoking. It isn’t always one big happy family in the world of the gods. Even within a single pantheon or group of gods from the same culture of people, there will be angst and fire-y temperaments sometimes. I would also caution against invoking deities from different pantheons into circle. You don’t want to be in the middle of a healing or cleansing ritual with the gods fighting in the background.
Just remember that when you find the ones you resonate with the most, you’ll know. It’s a gut feeling and you'll want to say, “There you are! I’ve been looking for you for ages!” Usually you just need to close your eyes and your mouth and open your heart and your soul.
All photos in this article are the property of Justine Marie. Copyright 2011.
Sometimes the Gods find you. When that happens, there is little you can do to escape Their intentions. They’ve set Their sights on you and you should just learn to live with it. For me it was Brigid the Celtic Goddess of inspiration, healing and the fires of the forge. It took awhile for me to hear Her. I think the final marble that tilted the scale was when my best friend’s son was born… on Imbolc (Her Sabbat day)… with fire red hair right out of the womb. She’s my guiding light through the darkness into the day.
The rest of the time you have to put in the work to find your Patrons. You have to research the many and various pantheons and cultures to see which one speaks to you the loudest. For that you have to hit the history books. You have to see how people lived back before Christianity took hold and banished all the wonderful old gods. Find out what life was like for the Egyptians when they were erecting those glorious pyramids, or the Hindus right when they were completing the Vedas or the Celts before Caesar starting pitting them against each other in battle. Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Hindu, Africa, Celtic and countless others besides these run throughout history.
After you’ve chosen, or have been chosen by, a specific pantheon, the real work begins. Now it’s time to pour over and through the books on mythology. Local libraries, even ones in small towns, usually have a pretty decent selection of these books. The internet is also a good source as long as you find a reputable site. When you’re surfing the internet it’s important to remember that what you read is not always written by people who know what they’re talking about or who’ve done their research. So be mindful of that.
So you’re reading through the myth books now. What you’re looking for is who these characters are and why are they behaving this way and are any of their stories like your stories. There is so much to learn about the gods. They have personalities just like we do. They can be loving and nurturing or they can be full of vengeance and wrath.
It’s also important to remember that when you get to the point where you’re in a circle about to do a ritual, be sure to realize who you are invoking. It isn’t always one big happy family in the world of the gods. Even within a single pantheon or group of gods from the same culture of people, there will be angst and fire-y temperaments sometimes. I would also caution against invoking deities from different pantheons into circle. You don’t want to be in the middle of a healing or cleansing ritual with the gods fighting in the background.
Just remember that when you find the ones you resonate with the most, you’ll know. It’s a gut feeling and you'll want to say, “There you are! I’ve been looking for you for ages!” Usually you just need to close your eyes and your mouth and open your heart and your soul.
All photos in this article are the property of Justine Marie. Copyright 2011.
Seekers Bill Of Rights
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| Model is Willow: http://fav.me/d3ja42g |
by Charles Mars
Seekers of the Pagan Path are often extremely vulnerable. In their quest for teaching and fellowship, they risk encountering those who use our faith to prey on others. Since Paganism is still struggling for public acceptance, there is little sympathy from authorities. Neither can the elders of our community effectively address this issue. The most they can do is denounce these predators, and they are usually accused of starting a “Witch War” when they do. The answer to this dilemma is to empower those most vulnerable, the Seekers. To this end, the Seeker’s Bill of Rights has been drafted. This tool will help to alert seekers of a problem if a group or teacher violates any of the ten rights described. It will also remind seekers that while they may not have “degrees”, they are still human beings with rights and dignity.
. The Right to Verify Credentials: Seekers shall not be obstructed from contacting persons who can substantiate or disavow the claims made by a group or teacher. In the case of elders who were inspired to create a new tradition, the seeker has a right to know the circumstances surrounding the inception of that tradition.
. The Right to Anonymity: Seekers have the right to keep their involvement in the occult a secret to preserve their professional and personal lives.
. The Right to Financial Security: Seekers shall not be required or coerced to take on financial burdens on behalf of a teacher or group.
. The Right to Compensation for Goods and Services: Seekers have the right to be paid for goods produced from and/or skilled labor from which they would normally receive income. Seekers shall not be required or coerced to provide “freebies” or discounts on behalf of a teacher or group.
. The Right to Sexual Freedom: Seekers shall not be required or coerced to have sexual relations with unwanted persons. Nor shall seekers be restricted from sexual relations with consenting adults.
. The Right to Physical well-being: Seekers shall not be required or coerced to submit to any form of physical injury.
. The Right to Abide by the Law: Seekers shall not be required or coerced to commit any illegal act.
. The Right to Consistency: Seekers have the right to expect consistent practices from a teacher or group. Seekers should be informed in a timely manner of any policy changes.
. The Right to Separation Without Impunity: Seekers have the right to discontinue association with any teacher or group without the fear of harassment or reprisal.
. The Right to Be At Peace With One’s Conscience: Seekers shall not be required or coerced to commit any action contrary to their own sense of ethics and morality.
The Seeker’s Bill of Rights © Charles Mars 1998 Hern’s Wood Coven, published in The Accord copyright C.M.A.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Cooking for Lughnassadh: Pear Upside Down Cake
This cake is extremely moist and delicious. This recipe calls for pears, but if you don't like pears you can easily substitute apples, apricots, pineapple or peaches instead.
Pears and grains, fruits and wheat
Begin their lives beneath my feet
May the Goddess bless each to my soul
Enrich my life and make me whole.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp. butter
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp. water
8 oz. of canned or fresh pears
1 1/3 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
2/3 cup of butter
2/3 cup of milk
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1- Melt the 2 Tbsp. of butter in the oven in a 9 inch round cake pan.
2- Stir in the brown sugar and 1 Tbsp. of water.
3- Arrange the pears in the cake pan and set aside.
4- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and baking powder.
5- Add the 2/3 cup of butter (cut in with a fork), milk, egg and vanilla. Stir until well mixed.
6- Spoon over fruit in the prepared pan.
7- Bake for 30-35 minutes
Pears and grains, fruits and wheat
Begin their lives beneath my feet
May the Goddess bless each to my soul
Enrich my life and make me whole.
INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp. butter
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp. water
8 oz. of canned or fresh pears
1 1/3 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
2/3 cup of butter
2/3 cup of milk
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1- Melt the 2 Tbsp. of butter in the oven in a 9 inch round cake pan.
2- Stir in the brown sugar and 1 Tbsp. of water.
3- Arrange the pears in the cake pan and set aside.
4- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and baking powder.
5- Add the 2/3 cup of butter (cut in with a fork), milk, egg and vanilla. Stir until well mixed.
6- Spoon over fruit in the prepared pan.
7- Bake for 30-35 minutes
Assignment Four: The 13 Principles of Wicca Belief
Assignment 4: What is the 13 Principles of Wiccan Belief and when did they get Adopted? Who is the Council of American Witches? Are they still around? The length of this report dos not matter, what matters is that you find the information to write a report.
To Turn in your Assignment e-mail it to thecupwa@yahoo.com and in the subject line put in Assignment 4
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
A Pagan Pledge
* I know that I am a part of the Whole of Nature. May I grow in understanding of the Unity of all Nature. May I always walk in Balance.
* May I always be mindful of the diversity of Nature as well as its Unity and may I always be tolerant of those whose race, appearance, sex, sexual preference, culture, and other ways differ from my own.
* May I use the Force(psychic power) wisely and never useit for aggression nor for malevolent purposes. May I never direct it to curtail the free will of another.
* May I always be mindfulthat I create my own reality and that I have the power within me to create positivity in my life.
* May I always act in honorable ways: being honest with myself and others, keeping my word whenever I have given it, fulfilling all responsibilities and commitments I have taken on to the best of my ability.
* May I always remember that whatever is sent out always returns magnified to the sender. May the Forces of Karma move swiftly to remind me of these spiritual commitments when I have begin to falter from them, and may I use this Karmic feedback to help myself grow and be more attuned to my Inner Pagan Spirit.
* May I always remain strong and committed to my Spiritual ideals in the face of adversity and negativity. May the Force of my Inner Spirit ground out all malevolence directed my way and transform it into positivity. May my Inner Light shine so strongly that malevolent forces can not even approach my sphere of existence.
* May I always grow in Inner Wisdom & Understanding. MayI see every problem that I face as an opportunity to develop myself spiritually in solving it.
* May I always act out of Love to all other beings on this Planet -- to other humans, to plants, to animals, to minerals, to elementals, to spirits, and to other entities.
* May I always be mindful that the Goddess and God in all their forms dwell within me and that this divinity is reflected through my own Inner Self, my Pagan Spirit.
* May I always channel Love and Light from my being. May my Inner Spirit, rather than my ego self, guide all my thoughts, feelings, and actions.
SO MOTE IT BE!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Cooking for Lughnassadh: Seed Cake for Gimli
This sweet bread cake was made from the LOTR description. We thought it would be a nice touch to the 1st harvest feast.2 1/2 cup all purpose flour (or gluten free all purpose mix)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 ounces butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/2 cup milk (or almond, soy or rice milk flavored with vanilla)
Add in seeds of the season, don't use too many as it becomes clumpy and will not bake right.
2 teaspoon poppy seeds
2 tablespoon flax seed
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
3 tablespoons sunflower seeds
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Butter an 8 inch round cake pan
- Sift flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Cream butter and sugar, add egg and mix all above together.
- Add seeds seeds and pour milk until batter is smooth and thick.
- Pour into pan.
- Bake for 45 minutes
- Cool in pan for 10 minutes
- Transfer to cooling rack and let finish cooling.
Willow's Notes: The cake is thick and sweet, even though it is cooked all the way through it still looks like it is not. The dough will not pour into the pan, in order for it to poor in we suggest adding another egg and waiting for the one stick of butter to reach room temp, really soft. And we also suggest adding a full 1 cup of milk to the mix. You might want to make it 2 teaspoons of baking powder. Try it the original recipe way first then try next time our way. Experiment to find your happy medium. Other then this it really is yummy :)
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