Viking Rune Workshop

Wow, what an exciting day! Today was my day to give a workshop on creating a rune set.

I was extremely nervous about speaking in public... who am I kidding? I have extreme glossophobia...(Fear of public speaking)! It was small group of about 14 people, but to me, the whole world was watching. Thank you, Scott, Nikki, Doug, Sallie, for giving me the encouragement to face my fear.

Runes and rune casting is something I get great pleasure from. To be able to share that with others was such a wonderful feeling that, it was almost fun to be the presenter.

In addition to making their own set of runes, the group learned a brief history of the Rune Alphabet, they heard the story of how the Norse God, Odin acquired the Knowledge of the Runes, and the tradition of Rune mal (casting the runes).

We used glass "dots" and paint pens to make our Runes, explaining that traditionally they were made out of small stones, twigs, animal bone, or antler.

I know there are some very strict traditionalists out there who will disagree with me, but I feel that your Runes are personal to YOU, and they can be made from whatever you have available or feel the urge to create a set from.

I have a few different sets, smooth river stone, cats eye crystal, and a set made from polymer clay. I even heard of people making a quick set from pieces of cardboard when the need arose. So, have fun with it.

We also played a "game" with our new sets where each person was asked to pull one rune from their bag, while thinking about the workshop. Most of the runes have several meanings. I had them read the interpretation of their rune from a handout and asked them how they thought that was related to our group.

It was thrilling to hear their insights and how spot-on many of their intuitions were. A few that stood out are Berchta and Anzuz.

Among other things, Berchta indicates personal growth and the prospering of a new venture. This was drawn by person new to our CUUPS group.

Anzuz represents the God Odin, who according to the legend, brought the Runes and their meaning back form the fathomless depths of Urd. I would have been shocked if that one DIDN'T show itself.

I will never say I like public speaking, but it was fun, and I met some wonderful and interesting people. I hope everyone that attended had a most excellent time!

Yule Blessings

As the holiday season passes in a blink, I scramble to finish all my Yule crafts, purchase last minute stocking stuffers, get out my holiday cards, and decorate our home. It is always a wonderfully hectic time of year.

I give thanks that I live here, in the U.S. in the 21st century and I am free to celebrate the winter solstice however I chose. I have to chuckle a little. The decorated tree, the pine wreath, the candles and lights, even carols for "figgy pudding"... ALL pagan traditions that were adapted into the Christmas holiday celebrations. And yet all over the social media people are making a stink about who says or does not say "Merry Christmas" vs "Happy Holidays".

I was raised Catholic, but it has been many, many years since I turned 18 and as a legal adult, I could chose a spiritual path other than that of my parents. I am wiccan, I practice magic and study witchcraft, although I have not "come out of the broom closet" to everyone in my social circles. I have friends and family who are Christian of various denominations. I have acquaintances who are Jewish. I have friends who belong to Science of the Mind Church, and some, I don't really know what church they belong to. It never came up in conversation. So, when I hear, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Kwanzaa or even Namaste, I don't argue about what they said! I know in my heart that they are happy to be celebrating their holiday, and wishing me happiness celebrating mine. Isn't that what the season is all about?

That being said, I am still joyous that my husband and I found a little slice of belonging here in the Bible Belt of all places, when we were introduced to members of the local Unitarian Universalist Church, and then to members of CUUPS (Covenant of the Unitarian Universalist Pagans) and from there, several other pockets of Wicca, Pagan, Heathen groups. I found many great like-minded people with whom I can celebrate Yule.

I am also very excited for the upcoming CUUPS Dirty Santa party (similar to a Yankee swap or a White Elephant where gifts can be stolen or traded). Handmade gifts, I am told, get thieved the most, and are the most fun to give. SO... even though I probably should not share this before the party, I just can't help it.

Ever since I got my Silhouette cutting machine last Spring, I have been wanting to try glass etching. I designed the stencil myself in the the Silhouette software. This was the second try. The first plate I did, the image was off center, and there was one tiny triangle that got etched by mistake. That's OK. I'll keep the practice one. This one came out perfect. I think I will even add some sweet goodies and make it an edible gift on a beautiful plate.

I said there were two... My husband asked if I could make something for him to gift. Soooo, I also made a cute Grinch tree ornament. I also made a few extra to post for sale on my Etsy store, but I made one special for the Dirty Santa/Krampus Switcheroo.

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful holiday season, no matter what you are celebrating.

Blessed Be, and Happy Yule!

Kitchen Witchery

One of the most enjoyable events that my husband and I attended, was a Kitchen Witchery gathering that was held at the Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist Church (HVUUC), and sponsored by The Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (CUUPs).

Photo from italianfoodforever.com

Kelly (I wish I remembered her last name) was our "Sous Chef". She lead our group of about 10 people in preparing veggie lasagna from scratch. (Including the noodles!) Kelly brought the necessary ingredients and each participant was asked to bring something to add to the mix, or a side dish. Several "gardeners" of the group, brought fresh herbs, and fresh garden zucchini and tomatoes that we added to the sauce. YUM!

I don't have the gift of a green thumb, so, even though my famous "garbage" salad was made with grocery store lettuce, peepers, cucumbers, mushrooms, black olives, green olives, it was still a huge success.

We each took turns rolling out the dough, and/or mixing the sauce and cheese mixtures. During the prep and cooking we socialized, and discussed the magical properties of each of the ingredients.

And then we all sat down together and enjoyed the food that we prepared. I think our quick-paced society has forgotten this experience of spending time with each other, preparing and sharing a meal. It was absolutely amazing.

I would encourage all of you to organize for your own groups. The camaraderie and fellowship that is felt simply by cooking and sharing a meal is absolutely incredible. 

This weekend, was the 2015-16 CUUPs planning meeting, and I suggested that we do a similar event this year. So, in October, we are planning a Kitchen Witchery - STONE SOUP!

I have no doubts that it will be just as successful as our lasagna  dinner. Now to find a copy of the book.....

Bon Appetit!



 

Blue Moon

Did you know that tonight will be the Second Full Moon in July (2015)? That's a BLUE MOON. 

I previously wrote about full moon magic and blue moon magic here.

Although the "Blue Moon" is a fairly new concept since there couldn't be two full moons in one month before the use of the Gregorian Calendar, because before then, the months were counted by the full moon cycles. 

However, magically speaking, the full moon brings light and clarity to the darkness of night. And the Blue Moon expresses a RARE and SPECIAL occasion. So, whatever you are planning for your full moon ritual, this one should be something monumental. 

The Blue Moon energy is special, and is always an ideal time for powerful spells. It is also the perfect time to make some BIG, "once in a blue moon" wishes and send them out to the universe. Use this time to charge your tools, crystals and talismans for an extra super charge of moon energy.

Whatever you choose to do for this magical time, make it memorable and spectacular.

Blessed Be!

                  

Charge of the Goddess

This is an adaptation of Charge of the Star Goddess by Starhawk: Listen to the words of the Great Mother, Who of old was called Artemis, Astarte, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Diana, Arionrhod, Brigid, and by many other names:

Celtic Mother Goddess Brigid Statue

designed by artist, Maxine Miller

Whenever you have need of anything,
once a month, and better it be when the moon is full,
you shall assemble in some secret place
and adore the spirit of Me Who is Queen of all the Wise.

You shall be free from slavery,
and as a sign that you be free
you shall be naked in your rites.

Sing, feast, dance, make music and love,
all in My Presence, for Mine is the ecstasy of the spirit
and Mine also is joy on earth.

For My law is love is unto all beings.
Mine is the secret that opens the door of youth,
and Mine is the cup of wine of life that is the cauldron of Cerridwen,
that is the holy grail of immortality.

I give the knowledge of the spirit eternal,
and beyond death I give peace and freedom and reunion
with those that have gone before.

Nor do I demand aught of sacrifice, for behold,
I am the Mother of all things and
My love is poured out upon the earth.

Hear the words of the Star Goddess,
the dust of Whose feet are the hosts of Heaven,
whose body encircles the universe:

I Who am the beauty of the green earth
and the white moon among the stars
and the mysteries of the waters,

I call upon your soul to arise and come unto me.
For I am the soul of nature that gives life to the universe.
From Me all things proceed and unto Me they must return.

Let My worship be in the heart that rejoices,
for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are My rituals.

Let there be beauty and strength,
power and compassion,
honor and humility,
mirth and reverence within you.

And you who seek to know Me,
know that the seeking and yearning will avail you not,
unless you know the Mystery:
for if that which you seek,
you find not within yourself,
you will never find it without.

For behold, I have been with you from the beginning,
and I am That which is attained at the end of desire.

Petition Magic & Other Prayers

I recently attended a class - actually it is the first class in a monthly series, to help me get back on my Spiritual path and to the basics of wicca. (If anyone is interested it is being presented by Rev. Edward Christian at the Atlantis store in Johnson City, TN.)

Being a sole practitioner for many years, I read hundreds of books from various traditions, and in those books there were tons of contradictions in even the most rudimentary things like casting a circle, or creating your altar space. This class is designed to sweep away all the BS, and get down to the nuts and bolts of wicca. Once you have them, then YOU can make your own determination of what you would like to add to make your magical experience personal to YOU.

Anyway, I thought I would share some of the ideas that I took away with me from this first class.

Did you know that Petition Magic is just a witchy word for Prayers? Yup! I know many people who do not like using the word "Pray", instead they will say, "I'll send you healing energy" or "I'll light a candle..." Guess what! That is praying!

Prayers can be formal, such as the famous "Charge of the Goddess" by Starhawk, a feminist Neopagan writer (born Miriam Simos, 1951). I included it in a separate post.

Some other forms of Petition Magic, prayers, that might be familiar to you are:

• writing your prayer (or spell) on paper and then setting it on fire
• writing your prayer in wet sand and let the waves take it out to sea
• writing your wish in bird seed, and let the animals and birds carry it away

I have used the fire ritual many times, but only because that was what "the book" said to do, but they all have one thing in common: Writing down what is in your heart, (bringing your prayer into the physical realm, and allowing them to be carried away, either by the elements such as the first two, fire or water, or by the animals as in the last one.

By doing these things with purity of heart - speaking from the heart - you are developing a relationship with the Divine. 

One of my questions was, which Divine do I pray to? Hecate? Isis? Athena? Brigid? or maybe one of the gods? Zeus? Thoth? Thor?

Rev. Edward's answer was Work with the Divine in a way that makes sense to you. It is perfectly acceptable to call upon the "Lord and Lady" or the "God and Goddess". He also said that, because we live in America and it is a melting pot of cultures, we are not limited to cultural Deities. In other words, I do not have to chose Brigid simply because I am part Irish. Nor is my husband limited to Norse gods and goddesses because of his ancestry. We can choose! 

A good way to do that is to research the different mythologies, and choose a god or goddess who has the qualities that you wish to have but perhaps are lacking. And write a prayer - preferably with rhyme and rhythm - repeat it over and over. This will usually bring you into an altered state of mind, which is where you want to be for your magical works. Like the chants from monks. 

One of the easiest ways to reach this state of mind is with 4/4/4 breathing, It was developed by the Golden Down out of western psychology. 

Sit up straight with you feet flat on the floor, and your hands placed just above your knee caps on each leg.

Close your eyes and focus them on the "Third Eye" spot, just above where your eyebrows would meet at your nose. Put your tongue to the roof of your mouth, behind your front teeth, and then slide it back until you feel a flat ridge. Rev. Robert did not name this spot, but I have heard it called The Bagha technique.

Now, practice rhythmic breathing at the count of 4.

• breath in to the count of 4
• hold it to the count of 4
• exhale to the count of 4 
• repeat 

The exercise that we did for this class was a guided meditation. Rev Edward walked us though a grounding and clearing meditation where we imagined roots growing out from the bottom of our feet, through the floor, and the basement, into the earth, deep into the earth's mantel. Then we envisioned the empowering earth energy being sucked into those roots and up into us, pushing all the negative/toxic/sludge out of us and then we brushed it off of our body and imagined that it was absorbed by the earth and neutralized.

After that clearing exercise, while still 4/4/4 breathing, he asked us to picture our living room in our head making it as "real" as we could, visualizing every detail. 

Then he counted us awake from 5. 

It was a pretty intense experience. Even for someone like myself, who has done some meditation work before.

Apparently this is the state of mind that we should be in when we do our MAGIC! 

I hope you got a little insight out of this post, and I will post more as I attend each class. 

Blessed Be.

Smudging May Actually Purify the Air of Harmful Bacteria

I thought I would share this information with my readers.

Smudging is the ancient practice of burning herbs that are believed to have cleansing or healing properties during rituals.

I smudge with white sage, sometimes its a mix of that and lavender or sweet grass. I smudge our home, at least once a year. Usually during spring cleaning. I also smudge to cleanse any new magical tools, stones or crystals.

I visualize the smoke binding any "negative energy" that has attached itself to whatever it is I am smudging, and then carrying it away in the wind/air.

This article from the GreenMedInfo suggests that the practice of smudging may actually purify the air of harmful bacteria. Read the whole story here:  www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/killer-germs-obliterated-medicinal-smoke-smudging-study-reveals

It is alwas\ys interesting to find out that long forgotten practitioners of magic my have known more about "science" than we give them credit for.