Fall Equinox Newsletter

Fall Equinox- ca. September 21st
    This is the 2nd of 3 harvest festivals and just like Lughnassadh, all over the world, homage is being paid to the last sheaf of corn being cut from the harvest field. The last sheaf is believed to embody the spirit of the corn. To ensure good harvest yields, it was necessary to keep this spirit alive so the sheaf became the center of an incredible ritual that, in spite of its Pagan overtones, has remained in many countries around the globe. The last sheaf of corn was braided or bound into wreathes, brooms or other crafts. The Corn Mother has always ruled this day whether she is called Demeter, Persephone, Cerridwen, Bride/Bridget, the Callieach, the Corn Maiden, Mother Corn, the First Mother, Selu or Kahesana Xaskwim. Day and night are equal now. This is the beginning of Persephone’s descent into the underworld. With Her leaving we see the decline and withering of nature and the coming of Winter.

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September Assignment Assignment Sixth

This is for our first degree students, and those who wish to learn more about the pagan world. 

Assignment 6: 

Who is Dr. Gerald Gardner? 

What was his role in the Magic community? 

The length of this report dos not matter, what matters is that you find the information to write a report.

You can send your reports to our e-mail thecupwa@yahoo.com

These are counted as extra credit for our students.

Superstitions

It is unlucky to give or receive parsley because only the wicked are thought to be able to grow it. Transplanting parsley is also bad luck because it was believed that to transplant parsley was to transplant death.
Flowers carried on to an airplane are ill omened, especially if they are a bouquet of white and red flowers.
Never carry an axe on your shoulder through a house.
If you must carry one through a house, carry it lowered.
To insure good fortune for your baby throughout life, be sure that his first gift is a silver coin. Place it yourself into the child's hand. If the child drops it, s/he will have difficulty holding onto money throughout life.
Gift the child with an old fashioned red coral and silver bell teething ring.
The coral to ward off the evil eye, the silver bells for good fortune.
Spit on your new bat before using it for the first time.
A bat falling in front of a ballplayer foretells an injury in the next game played.
A bat falling in front of the team manager foretells a loosing season.
Never place your bed pointing north and south. It brings misfortune.
Never kill a bee, it is as unlucky as breaking a mirror.
If a bee enters your home, it is a sign that you will soon have a visitor.
However, if you drive the bee out of your home, you will have bad luck, or the visitor will be unpleasant.
In some parts of the United States, a black cat crossing your path is thought to be unlucky. In Britain, it is considered good luck.
Having a black cat as your household companion is considered very good luck.
If a strange black cat enters your home uninvited, you will have great fortune throughout the year. If you shoo it away, it will take it's gift of good luck with it.
A black cat aboard ship is a very good omen... if your man is a sailor keep a black cat in your home to insure his safety while at sea.
It is bad luck to sweep dust out of your house onto the porch. Always sweep towards the center of the room, and take it up in a dust pan from there.
"If you sweep the house with broom in May "You will sweep the head of the house away."
To insure a loving marriage, both bride and groom must join hands and jump over the besom laid on the floor.
To prevent an unwanted guest from returning, sweep out the room they stayed in immediately after they leave.
Blue flame augers death in the family.
The Yule Candle should be burned until it burns out naturally.
Never light three candles with one match...nor have just three candles burning.
If a cat sneezes rain is not far behind
If a cat sneezes thrice, the household will get the sniffles
It is good fortune, for a bride, on her wedding day, to be near a cat which sneezes, on that day.
A child born with a caul will have second site.
The caul must be preserved and carried with the person born with it, for good luck.
The caul must be buried or cremated with the person born with it, or that spirit will never be at rest.
Carrying a lump of coal brings good luck.
The first person to enter your home on New Year's day should bring a bit of coal, so that the household enjoys good luck throughout the New Year.
Never pass up a piece of coal lying on the ground. For good luck pick it up. If you do not wish to keep it, you must throw it back over your shoulder.
If someone dies in your family, you must:
· Stop all the clocks
· Cover all mirrors with a black cloth or turn it face towards the wall.
· Let the household fire go out.
· Open all doors and windows
ALL omens lose their meanings during a SOLAR eclipse, and for up to three days before, and three days after. This period of time is completely neutral; meaning neither good nor ill omens have effect.
LUNAR eclipses are just plain unlucky. The effects last for 7 days total.
People said to have the 'Evil Eye':
· People with eyes of different colors.
· People with eyes set too deeply in the sockets.
· People with eyes too close together.
· People with one eye lower than the other, which squints.
People with long fingers are spendthrifts.
Vampire's have an index finger as long or longer than their second finger.
People with crooked little fingers will be rich someday.
If you drop a glove, never pick it up yourself; bad luck will follow if you do.
It is a very good omen if a stranger picks it up for you.
Only cut your hair during the 14 days between the New Moon and the Full moon.
If anywhere on the right side of your body itches, it's a good omen.
If anywhere on the left side of your body itches, it's a bad omen.
If your right palm itches, you will soon be getting some money.
If your left palm itches, you will soon be paying out money.
If your right ear itches, someone is talking nicely of you.
If your left ear itches, someone is talking bad about you.
If your right eye itches, you will get a nice surprise.
If your left eye itches, you will get a nasty surprise.
If your eyebrow itches, you can expect a visitor.
If the soles of your feet itch, you will soon be going to a strange place.
When going on a journey, do not look back at your house; to do so is a
bad omen.
If you drop your keys, it means something bad is going to happen.
If you lose your keys, you will hear of a death.
Carry an old iron key in your right pocket for good luck.
Never walk under a ladder.
Don't reach for anything, or hand anything through the ladder's rungs.
You will get a letter if:
· A moth flies towards you.
· If your nose itches.
· If you develop a white spot on the nail of your ring finger.
· If you sneeze on a Wednesday.
· If you are expecting a delayed letter; hang a found hairpin up by a nail on your wall.
· Never put a letter into the left hand of your friend, or your friendship
· will end.
Never refuse a piece of mincemeat pie that someone offers you, to do so
brings a full year of bad luck.
Break a mirror, have seven years bad luck.
Never let a baby look in a mirror until it is at least a year old; to do so the baby will not grow well.
A whole nutmeg carried in the pocket wards off rheumatism.
If the nutmeg is filled with quick-silver and plugged, it brings the carrier good luck.
If you hear a hoot owl persistently screeching near a home, death will come to a member of that household.
If an owl perches on the roof of a house, or flies around it three times, a member of that household will die soon.
If an owl hoots within the hearing of a mother giving birth, her child's life will be difficult.
If you are walking and find a steel pin on the ground, pick it up and keep it for good luck.
It is unlucky to lend pins to a friend; lest your friendship end. If your friend gives you something in return, the ill omen is averted.
Ancient Roman bridal couples shared a quince to ensure marital happiness.
Dress your little girl in red, or at the least put a red ribbon in her hair, to protect her from evil.
Finding a spider in the evening is always lucky.
Finding a spider in the morning is unlucky.
If a tiny spider runs over your clothes, you will be able to afford better clothes soon. Wind the spider around your head three times to be assured of it.
Never put shoes on the dining room table, it is very unlucky.
Never put a pair of bellows on the table.
Never set thirteen people down to dinner, or one will die within a year.
Never open an umbrella indoors, it brings bad luck and intensifies any other bad omen that is occurring.
Don't go out with your umbrella open on a sunny day, lest you attract rain.
Never lay an umbrella on the bed, or unhappiness will result.
Don't give an umbrella as a gift; or misfortune will go with it.
Hang Vervain over your doorway to protect your home from evil.
Rub vervain over anything that has been exposed to the evil eye.
An old French superstition is that every time you wash your body, you wash off some of your life essence.
If you and another wash your hands under the same flow of water, at the same time, you will argue before nightfall.
If someone gives you Xanthium, they are saying that you are rude.
Carry yarrow to attract love, and old friends.
Carrying three white tail hairs and three black tail hairs of a zebra will let you find lost items.

Knock On Wood

I woke this morning and was  talking to my husband about my daughter's car. It's been giving us some trouble, as of late. Seems like every time we turn around we've got to have it worked on. It isn't too bad since my husband is fluent in car parts/engines, but it is annoying. I was saying that her car seems to be working well, "Knock on Wood". It got me to thinking about where that phrase comes from. I like words and phrases and cliches. I like to know their origins, their beginnings so I got to think about it and what it might mean.
      It got me to thinking about trees and Dryads and other tree spirits. So I did a little research and I thought it was interesting. So here it is along with some pretty pictures of dryads and other tree spirits at the end.
       The phrase itself is considered to be a bit of superstitious doggerel. People use this phrase and the action it describes to prevent bad luck. In addition to the way I used it above, you can also use the phrase if you are wishful that something would happen. Like if you were making vacation plans you'd say, "We're driving to Florida tomorrow, 'knock wood' nothing bad happens. 
       Although the actual origin of the phrase is unknown, there are a lot of guesses. There are several theories about the origin of this very common practice. One goes back to the child's game of `tag.' In one version of this game the child who is able to touch a tree, thereby touching wood, is free from capture.
      Then there is a Biblical theory that the wood symbolizes the cross on which Christ was crucified. In Galatians (6:14) we find `But God forbid that I should glory, save the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.' The theory here is that if you have made an exaggerated boast you will be forgiven if you turn your thoughts to the Cross.
      Still another notion is that `knocking on wood' goes far back into ancient times, when spirits were thought to live in trees. So should danger threaten, simply rap on the trunk of a tree and summon up the aid of the good spirit within.
     There is a  Irish belief that you `knock on wood' to let the leprechauns or other tree spirits know that you are thanking them for a bit of good luck or letting them know that you are there.
     A Jewish version says it originated during the Spanish Inquisition under Torquemada during the 1490s. During that time Jews were in flight and since temples and synagogues were built of wood, they evolved a code to use in knocking on doors to gain admission. Since this resulted in lives being saved, it became commonplace to `knock on wood' for good luck.
      In Britain, touch wood, had an earlier Latin version used when touching wood - absit omen!, meaning 'far be that omen from us'. This dates from at least the early 17th century. Knock on wood - the American version, is known from the early 20th century.

I actually wrote this sometime last Spring. Since then we've had to do a few minor repairs to my daughter's car, but thankfully, nothing major, knock on wood.

The Power of Intent

Before using any herbs, stones or other tools in your ritual workings, they need to be cleansed and charged or empowered with the intent you want them to bring to the ritual. Hold the stone to be charged in the closed palm of your receptive hand. Ask the stone’s spirit for permission to charge it with your purpose. Place the stone in your power hand. Concentrate your purpose into your right hand and down into the stone. Thank the spirit of the stone. You can say something like, “Spirit of crystal, I empower you to help me clear my mind and find inner peace within when I become scattered and lost.”

When you are able to, it is always best to harvest your own herbs for ritual. Before you harvest, be sure to ask permission of the herb’s spirit. As you cut the herb, be sure to empower it by concentrating the purpose for the spell into the herb. You can verbalize this if you like. You can say something like, “Spirit of lavender, as I cut, know that it be not in vain. Know that I will use your essence to bless my altar so that I may better serve the Lord and Lady,” or words to that affect. If you purchase the herb, the same charging needs to take place. Remember to use herbs for magical purposes immediately.

Sympathetic Magick Part 2

PROTECTION
In the Home:
1. It’s good to have at least three amulets of protection in the home near the house altar, on or near doors and windows or near the hearth.
2. Protective stones can be placed in white pouches and tied with red yarn. For the greatest effect, mix different kinds of stones together and perhaps a few herbs as well.
3. Fossils can be placed on window sills, hearths or ceiling beams.

In the Kitchen:
1. Aloe Vera is grown in the kitchen window for protection, as are African Violet and cacti.
2. Hang a rope of garlic or cloves on the window sill.
3. Hang lead glass crystal sun catchers in the window.

HUNGER
1. Fill a small jar with alfalfa and keep it in the cupboard to ensure it will always be full of food stores.
2. Place a mortar and pestle in the kitchen window
3. Be sure to put a little food from each meal outside as an offering.

INDOOR GARDEN
1. Aloe Vera, African Violet- kitchen protection.
2. African Violet- spirituality, peace, Goddess
3. Peace Lily- protection, peace, harmony
4. Lavender- blessing
5. Cactus- protection- have 1 growing in a window of each direction
6. Norfolk island pine for Yule

OUTSIDE GARDEN
1. Psychic powers- honeysuckle, marigold, roses, thyme
2. Loving household- hyacinth, lavender, morning glory
3. Money- mint, chamomile, clover, dill, basil
4. Prosperity- pine, oak, apple trees
5. Luck- sunflower, hydrangea
6. Vegetation Deity for magical gardens- Pomona, Pan, Faunus, Tammuz, Enkimdu, Bacchus, Dionysus, Priapus, Isis, Demeter and Adonis

GARDEN ALTAR
1. Deity statues
2. A small rectangular rock placed up right on the ground like a pillar with a flat rounded rock in front as offering stone. You can also use an old tree stump.
3. Place bits of grain, gemstones, money, milk, water or wine on the altar in honor of Goddess.
4. Burn stick incense (poked in the ground) weekly and in conjunction with new plantings in garden.
5. Place small images of animals in the garden.

GARDEN GUARDIAN
1. Take an image, statue or stone and standing in your garden.
2. Lift the image ceremonially to the 4 directions.
3. Pour red wine or apple cider over the stone to empower it with life.
4. Charge it with your powers of visualization to magically guard the garden and house and all that dwells within them.
5. Place the guardian in a focal spot in the garden.

FOR CARS
1. Place hematite inside the car in the glove box.
2. Make an infusion of bay, rosemary or dill. Use in a spray bottle to spray the car.
3. Sprinkle salt onto the car’s hood, roof & floor inside.
4. Put small pouch of rosemary, dill & basil in the car’s hubcap for protection.
5. Quartz Crystal: sit in the car with a crystal in your power hand. Firmly visualize your car and everything that will ever be within it guarded from danger. See your car bathed in the glow of magical protective blue light or flames. Visualize it remaining in perfect working order. Place it somewhere safe in the car. You may place it in a pouch in the glove box or somewhere else.
6. A bit of plantain leaf or tiger’s eye placed in the car are two more good protective talismans.

PROSPERITY
1. Burn Basil, clove, dill, nutmeg, pine needles, sage, chamomile and/or cinnamon over coals while chanting: “Bring me what I need. Only what I need. So mote it be!” Three times.
2. Place 7 coins, violet leaves, cinquefoil, aventurine, tiger’s eye, citrine, black obsidian in a green bag.

Sympathetic magic is about keeping it simple. The easiest solutions usually win out over the complications of long, drawn out ceremonies and rituals. A statue of one of your favorite ferocious animals sitting on your front porch will act as a deterrent for any negative energy trying to get in your home. Sit a statue of a lion on your porch and imagine him protecting you and yours from all danger. Visualize streams of purple energy coming from his eyes driving away all evil spirits and energy in the vicinity. Place a little hematite next to your lion to mirror away any stray bad vibes and you’re good to go.

One of my favorite things about sympathetic magic is that sometimes all you need is the color scheme. When first starting down this path, it can be daunting to find the right materials to cast that spell for abundance or healing. I have found that if all you have are some old aquarium stones in the garage, that’s good enough. As long as you’ve got the colors you need, you’re on your way. I’m also a fan of sachets; little bags of herbs smelling up the room with good vibrations of whatever you need at the moment. Need some peace and harmony, get yourself some lavender in hang it in a bag above your bed along with some sage for purification and rosemary for protection. Remember, less is more.

In part from Scott Cunningham's The Magical Household

Sympathetic Magick Part 1

Before beginning any magical work it is very important that you understand how powerful spell craft can be. It’s imperative that you word your spells in an extremely specific way. If you do a money spell don’t just say, “Send me money.” You may wake up with a phone call the following week telling you of the death of a loved one who left you a large sum of money. It’s better to ask for a raise at work or even a lucky lottery ticket. At least that way no one gets hurt. It’s always good to remember the three-fold law: Whatever you put out into the universe will come back to you three times as much. So if you’re helping sweet old ladies across the street then all is well, but if you go and trip those poor sweet old ladies then you will get that back too. That’s how works. You get back what you put into it. So keep in mind the Wiccan Rede: An it Harm None, Do What Thou Wilt. It just means that you can do whatever you need to do as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone, including you.

CANDLE MAGIC
This is one of the simplest forms of magic. All you need are different colored candles, a good imagination and a strong will. Candle magic utilizes the vibrations that color puts forth into the universe. By using corresponding color/property pairs, you can construct a simple, easy spell in a matter of minutes. You may also just use a white candle in replace of any color candle as white is for spirit.

There are various ways do candle magic. One way is to let the candle burn all the way out. For instance, if you were doing a candle spell for loving kindness you would need a pink candle. I like to carve symbols into my candles that speak to their purpose. In this case, I would carve a heart into the side of the candle. I would then place the candle in a safe holder and put it on a pink cloth surrounded by rose quartz, apple blossoms and cherry blossoms. You could anoint it with orange oil if you like. As you light the candle, visualize a warm glow coming toward you from the universe. Let it envelop. Let it make you feel warm, safe and loved. Pray to the Goddess to send you loving kindness and thank Her. Meditate on the kind of love you would like to receive while understanding that to get love you must also give love. If you’re going to let the candle burn all the way out, you might want to consider buying a smaller candle so it doesn’t take days.

You can do the spell above a little differently if you would like. Instead of letting the candle burn all the way down, let the candle burn for three minutes every morning from the New Moon to the Full Moon. As the New Moon grows in size in the sky, so will the amount of loving kindness coming your way. Three minutes represents the Triple Goddess; the Maiden, Mother and Crone.

Another way is to take a needle and pierce the side of the candle in the center so that it goes in one side and comes out the other. How far from the top of the candle is up to you. Light the candle as before and snuff it out when it burns down to the needle.

This last spell requires that you write down on a piece of paper that which you desire. If, for instance, you want to quit smoking and you’re using a red candle for willpower, then you should write down on a red piece of paper that you want to quit smoking. For this one, you can also use black for banishing as in banishing a bad habit away from you.

As you can see, these are elementary spells, but even the most experienced Wiccan still does a candle spell from time to time. You don’t always need to burn candles for sympathetic magic. It can also just be a matter of placing certain things at certain spots around the home inside and out, something special tucked in a pocket, symbols drawn on a door or herbs burned in the hearth or outside bonfire.

HEARTH MAGIC
My favorite thing about my house is my wood stove. Although not a true hearth, it is the heart of our home in the cold winter months. It is life sustaining and comforting with the element of fire exuding from the hot coals inside. I like hearth magic and the feeling it gives me. That feeling that all is well with the world because my home fires are burning. It’s a small wood stove, but it manages to heat my entire home. I like that we can be oil free and at the same time, burn magical hickory and oak, with their warming solar energies.

Magic doesn’t always have to be about healing and protection. Sometimes it’s just fun. And if you’re lucky, you get both at the same time. That’s why I love hearth magic. You get to have the glowing embers heating body and spirit while you perform spells and rituals nearby.

Different woods that you burn in the fire have different energies that smoke out of them. Oak is wonderful for healing magic and spells for wisdom, strength and, of course, protection. You can also burn apple wood for love or throw in cedar for purification and sage for cleansing. Your home’s fireplace can be a spell in and of itself, not to mention the elemental aspect of Fire that goes hand in hand.

In addition to what you burn, you can also divine from the way it burns through fire or coal gazing. Much like a crystal ball, the fire or coals can draw you in and show you many things if you ask it. Apple wood, sandalwood, cedar and juniper mixed together and thrown on the fire will do the trick.

The ashes are magical as well. A pentagram drawn in the ashes of the fireplace blesses the hearth. Ashes are considered sacred and magical. Scattering them on the roof, around the outside of the home or in room corners protects the home from a variety of negative influences. Carries in a red bag, the ashes will help you screw up your courage or place the ashes around a blue candle for healing.
Another magical use for the hearth is the kind of wood you burn. If you’re feeling under the weather, throw in a log or two of oak. If your finances aren’t what they should be, try burning some pine. Apple wood is for love and juniper for protection. You can burn them and many other woods separately or together. You can also throw in some herbs for good measure.

Once you’ve got the fire burning nice and hot, don’t forget to do some fire gazing. It’s just what it sounds like. You gaze into the fire to discern shapes and signs foretelling the future or answering a question you hold in your mind. Mix some sandalwood, juniper and cedar together and throw on the flames before gazing.

DOORS AND OTHER THRESHOLDS
A wonderful way to protect your home, aside from the baseball bat you keep at the door and the security alarm, is hanging different herbs and other things, by the doors and windows. Pentagrams drawn on window sills with chalk is used to keep negative energy away as is salt strewn across the front door threshold. Any combination of herbs, stones, etc. can be used. Be creative. It is long held that brooms laid down on the floor in front of the door keeps unwanted visitors away.

You can also put things in place to bring love, prosperity, happiness and health into the home. A piece rose quartz placed under a growing rose bush in the front garden will draw love. Tomatoes placed on window sills will call money to your home. Train morning glories to twine around a porch pole to bring happiness into your life and that plantain that grows in everyone’s yard promotes health and healing.

There’s literally no end to what you can do with sympathetic magic. Just remember that with this simplest of the magics, like affects or attracts like or put another way, it’s imitation magic. In folk magic, if you make a physical representation of someone like a carving in a potato or a hand sewn doll, and then do something to that image, you are causing that same thing to happen to the person the doll represents. You’re probably thinking of Voodoo dolls right now, but there’s a better direction to go in. Make a doll for someone who is ill and unable to be near you for a healing spell. Use that doll in the spell instead to help aid in the healing process.