Monday 29 November 2010

Cinnamon...

Cinnamon
Gender - Masculine
Planet – Sun/Mercury
Element - Fire

Magical uses - Healing, money drawing, psychic powers, spiritual quests, love, success, cleansing, purification, blessings, protection, improved communications and also aids meditation.

 primarily we use it with the intent of success but it is a good all round spice and with the added bonus that it smells delicious!

A stick of Cinnamon makes an excellent incense, as it smoulders slowly releasing a potent energy. Cinnamon has a high vibration, and can be added to most spells simply to boost their power.

Cinnamon can be used to achieve a higher state of spirituality and as an aid to clairvoyance and to stimulate psychic powers.

Incorporated into a spell or charm, Cinnamon can be used to give your creativity a boost, and it can also be drawn upon to reinforce your will and determination. The fast moving, successful, determined energy of Cinnamon makes it an ideal addition to prosperity and success spells to draw money and increase your personal power, and aid in successful ventures.

Sprinkling a little cinnamon on your toast or your cafe latte in the morning may help to improve business and also make you silver tongued.

To protect yourself from gossip or the envy of others, place a tiny dot of cinnamon on your breast bone in the morning while dressing. Sprinkling a little cinnamon under the phone, may help you get that difficult person to call you back.

Sucking on a cinnamon flavored candy before you need to make a presentation or a speech, can help you be more eloquent.

The next time you wash the floor, add a dash of cinnamon to the water to increase business. This is especially effective if done in your kitchen, front hallway and the area of your home business.

Tansy

x
http://www.kitchenwitchhearth.net

PRECAUTIONS
Do not use cinnamon when breast feeding.

Saturday 27 November 2010

What scents remind you of Yule?


It is cold and wintery outside, warm and cozy inside the Kitchen Witch house...

The smell of oranges, apples and pears baking fills the air.

Time to make some Yule incense!

I sliced oranges, apples and pears thinly and baked them in a really low oven all day.  Not only does it make the house smell delicious they come out of the oven dried, smelling wonderful and ready to put into incense blends.

What smells make you think of Yule?

To me it is satsumas, cinnamon and cloves mainly with a bit of pine.  All of these things remind me of wonderful childhood memories from the festive season.

I think that the smell of the pine Yule tree is wonderful, sadly we don't have a real tree at home now, I just make do with Pine essential oil!

I love mince pies and Christmas pudding - again all the same sort of scents.

Over the past few years I have also fallen in love with the scent of frankincense and mixed with myrhh I think it is even better.

So, all of those scents are in the Kitchen Witch Yule incense and a couple of secret ones too ;-)

Of course all the ingredients also have a magickal property too - this blend covers love, protection, success, healing and happiness too!

Tansy
x

http://www.kitchenwitch.org/

Friday 26 November 2010

What is a Witch & what is Witchcraft?

What is a witch and what is witchcraft?

Well we all know the stereotype portrayed in films and cartoons – green skin, pointy nose, warts, big black pointy hat – and whilst some witches may have some of those (maybe not the green skin) it is most definitely NOT what we are about.

Witchcraft is a religion, a way of life. A witch is what you are, who you are and what you do. It is a truly beautiful and rewarding way of living your life. Witchcraft is an Earth based religion, meaning that it is based upon reverence for nature, respect of animals, and a respect of our environment and those in it.

It is a chosen path filled with self-discovery, learning, and growth as those who claim the title of witch will grow in knowledge and experiences for a lifetime and possibly more. Witchcraft is a generic term used to describe its many extensions and sub-categories.

There are no hard rules with witchcraft, you can tailor it to your personal beliefs, traditions and rituals.

Witches can be both male and female.

Witchcraft is a polytheistic religion, this means there is more than one figurehead, a Goddess of whom has many names and a God whom also goes by many names. I think of deity as many facets to a diamond.

Witches all know and live with the God and the Goddess. They are both entities of the great All. Each witch carries a part of the God and Goddess within them. We respect them, work with them, live with them. However, to each of us the God and Goddess may be perceived differently.
The God is the male entity, the Sky father, representative of the Sun. He goes by many names and many faces - Pan, Cernunnos, Osiris, Thor and Balenos to name a few.

The Goddess is the universal mother. She is representative of the moon and the earth. She too is known my many names and faces – Gaia, Hecate, Brigid, Cailleach, Kali to name a few.

They do not rule, but they do oversee, they are present, it is all according to your beliefs. They work together, forming a whole.

The true explanation of deity is within each witch’s own heart. We reflect them with our daily intent and deed.

Witches practice ritual observance of lunar events and the seasons. Rituals are split into two groups, Sabbats and Esbats. There are eight Sabbats in a year representing the cycle of birth and death of the God, these being Yule/Winter Solstice, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha/Midsummer, Lughnasadh, Mabon and Samhain.

Esbats are moon rituals, celebrating the new moons and the full moons.

These rituals are performed within sacred or magick circles, and are used for the purposes of asking for guidance and giving thanks to the Goddess and God, and are often used for the performance of magick.

Some witches are members of a coven, in which there will be a High Priestess and/or High Priest. The other members will be witches of varying degrees of initiation. There are also many, many solitary witches.

Most witches conform to a moral code called the Witches Rede, it simply states 'An it harm none, do what thou will'. This means that as long as you do no harm to anyone or anything, including yourself, you may do anything that your heart desires and has the willpower to accomplish. A witch that performs magick for the purposes of harm, will ultimately be harming themselves. This comes about by the 'Threefold Law' that states that anything that you do will be returned to you three times. So if you perform good it will be returned to you threefold, likewise any evil will be returned to you threefold - so it makes sense to only do good.

Witches practice magick, especially magick involving herbs, stones, colours, the elements and the energy of nature. However, we do not perform animal sacrifices; the only sacrifices made are of a spiritual nature.

Magic is the use of a witch's will and energy to manipulate and alter the probability of things around them. The only tool necessary to create magic is a strong will and focused intention, however, many witches will use a variety of tools as they feel need for to create their desired effect. Magic works in accordance to natural law and will not create unlikely affects such as fireballs, bolts of lightening, or resurrect the dead, well not that I know of anyway ;-).

Tansy
x

Monday 22 November 2010

Mistletoe

Mistletoe
Gender: Masculine
Element: Air
Planet: Sun
Deities: Apollo, Freya, Frigga, Venus, Odin
Powers: Protection, love, hunting, fertility, health, exorcism

Mistletoe is especially interesting botanically because it is a partial parasite (a "hemiparasite"). As a parasitic plant, it grows on the branches or trunk of a tree and actually sends out roots that penetrate into the tree and take up nutrients. But mistletoe is also capable for growing on its own; like other plants it can produce its own food by photosynthesis. Mistletoe, however, is more commonly found growing as a parasitic plant. There are two types of mistletoe. The mistletoe that is commonly used as a Christmas decoration (Phoradendron flavescens) is native to North America and grows as a parasite on trees in the west as also in those growing in a line down the east from New Jersey to Florida. The other type of mistletoe, Viscum album, is of European origin. The European mistletoe is a green shrub with small, yellow flowers and white, sticky berries which are considered poisonous. It commonly seen on apple but only rarely on oak trees. The rarer oak mistletoe was greatly venerated by the ancient Celts and Germans and used as a ceremonial plant by early Europeans. The Greeks and earlier peoples thought that it had mystical powers and down through the centuries it became associated with many folklore customs.

The Mistletoe Magic :

From the earliest times mistletoe has been one of the most magical, mysterious, and sacred plants of European folklore. It was considered to bestow life and fertility; a protection against poison; and an aphrodisiac. The mistletoe of the sacred oak was especially sacred to the ancient Celtic Druids. On the sixth night of the moon white-robed Druid priests would cut the oak mistletoe with a golden sickle. Two white bulls would be sacrificed amid prayers that the recipients of the mistletoe would prosper. Later, the ritual of cutting the mistletoe from the oak came to symbolize the emasculation of the old King by his successor. Mistletoe was long regarded as both a sexual symbol and the "soul" of the oak. It was gathered at both mid-summer and winter solstices, and the custom of using mistletoe to decorate houses at Christmas is a survival of the Druid and other pre-Christian traditions. The Greeks also thought that it had mystical powers and down through the centuries it became associated with many folklore customs. In the Middle Ages and later, branches of mistletoe were hung from ceilings to ward off evil spirits. In Europe they were placed over house and stable doors to prevent the entrance of witches. It was also believed that the oak mistletoe could extinguish fire. This was associated with an earlier belief that the mistletoe itself could come to the tree during a flash of lightning. The traditions which began with the European mistletoe were transferred to the similar American plant with the process of immigration and settlement.


Kissing under the mistletoe :
Kissing under the mistletoe is first found associated with the Greek festival of Saturnalia and later with primitive marriage rites. They probably originated from two beliefs. One belief was that it has power to bestow fertility. In Scandinavia, mistletoe was considered a plant of peace, under which enemies could declare a truce or warring spouses kiss and make-up. Later, the eighteenth-century English credited with a certain magical appeal called a kissing ball. At Christmas time a young lady standing under a ball of mistletoe, brightly trimmed with evergreens, ribbons, and ornaments, cannot refuse to be kissed. Such a kiss could mean deep romance or lasting friendship and goodwill. If the girl remained unkissed, she cannot expect not to marry the following year. In some parts of England the Christmas mistletoe was burned on the twelfth night lest all the boys and girls who have kissed under it never marry. Even if the pagan significance has been long forgotten, the custom of exchanging a kiss under the mistletoe can still be found in many European countries as well as in Canada. Thus if a couple in love exchanges a kiss under the mistletoe, it is interpreted as a promise to marry, as well as a prediction of happiness and long life. In France, the custom linked to mistletoe was reserved for New Year's Day: "Au gui l'An neuf" (Mistletoe for the New Year). Today, kisses can be exchanged under the mistletoe any time during the holiday season.

The Legend :
For its supposedly mystical power mistletoe has long been at the center of many folklore. One is associated with the Goddess Frigga. The story goes that Mistletoe was the sacred plant of Frigga, goddess of love and the mother of Balder, the god of the summer sun. Balder had a dream of death which greatly alarmed his mother, for should he die, all life on earth would end. In an attempt to keep this from happening, Frigga went at once to air, fire, water, earth, and every animal and plant seeking a promise that no harm would come to her son. Balder now could not be hurt by anything on earth or under the earth. But Balder had one enemy, Loki, god of evil and he knew of one plant that Frigga had overlooked in her quest to keep her son safe. It grew neither on the earth nor under the earth, but on apple and oak trees. It was lowly mistletoe. So Loki made an arrow tip of the mistletoe, gave to the blind god of winter, Hoder, who shot it , striking Balder dead. The sky paled and all things in earth and heaven wept for the sun god. For three days each element tried to bring Balder back to life. He was finally restored by Frigga, the goddess and his mother. It is said the tears she shed for her son turned into the pearly white berries on the mistletoe plant and in her joy Frigga kissed everyone who passed beneath the tree on which it grew. The story ends with a decree that who should ever stand under the humble mistletoe, no harm should befall them, only a kiss, a token of love. What could be more natural than to translate the spirit of this old myth into a Christian way of thinking and accept the mistletoe as the emblem of that Love which conquers Death? Its medicinal properties, whether real or imaginary, make it a just emblematic of that Tree of Life, the leaves of which are for the healing of the nations thus paralleling it to the Virgin Birth of Christ.

Magickal Uses:
Long used for protection against lightening, disease, misfortune of every kind, fires, and so on, it is carried or placed in an appropriate spot for these uses. The leaves and berries are used. Mistletoe was placed in cradles to protect children from being stolen by faeries and replaced with changlings (I do not recommend putting mistletoe near babies!!). A ring carved of mistletoe wood will ward off sickness when worn, and the plant will cure fresh wounds quickly when carried (do not apply to the wound).

Mistletoe is also carried or worn for good luck when hunting, and women carry the herb to aid in conception. It has also been utilised in spells designed to capture that elusive state of immortality and to open locks.

Laid near the bedroom door, mistletoe gives restful sleep and beautiful dreams, as it does when placed beneath the pillow or hung at the headboard.

Tansy
x







Sources - theholidayspot.com & Cunninghams Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs


Sunday 21 November 2010

Black Annis - Legends & Myths


My patron Goddess is the Cailleach, and in my research I have found her linked to Black Annis who crops up not only in books on folklore, mythology or witchcraft, but also historical tomes - especially ones on Leicester.

Black Annis - The Tales
Annis has borne many names over the years - Black Anna, Black Anny, Black Agnes as well as Cat Anna. Her dwelling was a cave (called Black Anna's, or Black Annis's Bower) in the low-lying Dane Hills on the outskirts of Leicester. Annis is supposed to have clawed the cave out of the sandstone rock using naught but her long, and very sharp, nails. At its mouth grew a pollarded oak in which Black Annis crouched in order to pounce on unsuspecting children. These she carried off into her cave, sucked them dry of blood and ate their flesh before draping the flayed skins of her victims out to dry on the oak's branches. She wore a skirt sewn from the skins of her human prey. As she also preyed on animals, local shepherds blamed any lost sheep on her hunger. Many a generation of Leicester's young, if either naughty or out after dark, were told, 'watch out or Annis'll get you'.

By the late 19th century her cave was filling-up with earth. A housing estate, built just after the first world war, now covers the area. A 19th century eye-witness said the cave was 4-5 feet wide and 7-8 feet long and 'having a ledge of rock, for a seat, running along each side'. A tunnel was said to connect Black Annis's Bower with Leicester Castle and she had the free-run of its length.
An account of Annis was related by an evacuee in 1941: Three children were sent out by their wicked step-mother to collect fire-wood. As night descended they feared to see Black Annis who only came out after dark for, it was said, 'daylight would turn her to stone'. They heard a snuffling and, through a hole in their witch-stone, saw Black Annis. Unable to escape her whilst carrying the faggots, they dropped them and ran. Annis bloodied her legs on the bundles and, mumbling and cursing to herself, went to her bower to rub her legs with salve. Then she came back for the children and caught-up with them at their cottage door. Their dad came out with an axe and hit Annis full in the face. She began to run for her cave shouting 'Blood! Blood!' but just then the Christmas bells began to peal and she fell down dead.

The evacuee claimed Annis's howling could be heard as far as five miles away and, when Annis ground her teeth the sound was so loud that all the people had time to lock and bar their doors. The evacuee also said, because the people didn't have window-glass in those days, witch-herbs were tied above the apertures to stop Annis reaching inside with her very long arms and grabbing their babies. This was why Leicester cottages only had one small window. Annis was said to be very tall with a blue face and long white teeth. Other descriptions say Annis's teeth were yellow rather than white and that she only had one eye. All agree her face was hideous and blue.

In history
Although the origins of Annis story are - as is the nature of folk-lore - unknown, there were two fifteenth century women who it has been suggested might be the origins of Black Annis. It is likely that Annis's tale existed in the 15th century and the women's' lives became part of the folk-lore. The first is a Dominican nun, Agnes Scott, who lived as an anchorite and is described as a 'hermit of the forest'. She wore the long black habit of her order and died in 1455. Swithland's church bears a brass plaque in her memory as well as a three foot veiled statue of her. From a translation of the Latin inscription Agnes is surmised to have lived in a cave near the Dane Hills and from there ran a leper colony. Unfortunately the connection between her and Black Annis was made by Robert Graves, poet and writer. His insight may have been visionary - it may have been nothing more than poetic licence. Nevertheless, an interesting speculation.
The second woman is rather more tenuous in her association with Black Annis for she is the witch or wise-woman who foretold Richard III's death. As he rode over Leicester's Bow Bridge on his way to the Battle of Bosworth, his spur/foot struck a stone on the bridge. The wise-woman told how, on his return, it would be his head that hit that stone. When Richard's corpse was brought back over Bow bridge his head did indeed hit the same place. A tablet was put on the bridge (newly-built last century) saying "his head was dashed and broken as a wise-woman (forsooth) had foretold, who before Richard's going to battle being asked of his success said that where his spur struck his head would be broken".

Hare-hunts and Melodramas
A more recent reference (1767!) to Black Annis' Bower is of a mock-hare hunt (a dead cat was actually used) which was re-enacted every Easter Monday (known as Black Monday). The cat, soaked in aniseed, was dragged from the Bower, through Leicester's streets to the Mayor's door. In later years the hunt gave way to an annual event known as the Dane Hills Fair.
Finally, Annis also turned up in Victorian Melodramas, 'Black Anna's Bower, or The Maniac of the Dane Hills' a tale about the murder of the landlady of 'The Blue Boar' (the place Richard III spent the Battle of Bosworth eve). Annis was portrayed in the same manner as Macbeth's three witches. In 'The Broken Heart' she is a woman demented by the murders of her baby and spouse. In 1989 she appeared in Freda Warrington's recommended fantasy, 'The Rainbow Gate' which is based in Bradgate Parkland, former home of Lady Jane Grey.

The Gateway to Hel?
The remains of a standing stone called the Humber or Holsten stone is not far from the village of Humberstone. Also called Hell or Holy stone it was believed that fairies lived in it for people heard their groaning. Folk-lore claims there was a nunnery on this spot and from it to Leicester Abbey, ran an underground tunnel. The tunnel and the groaning bear a resemblance to Annis' story especially as it has been suggested that there was once a cave near the Hel-stone in which she was also suppose to dwell. This was called the Hell Hole. Whether any credence can be attached to this is doubtful - for one thing, Humberstone is on the other side of the city centre to the Dane Hills - and there has never been any suggestion that Annis had spread beyond the Dane Hills. However, the name hell may be from the same word root as 'holy' but it could also be derived from Hel, the Nordic denizen and occasional goddess of the Underworld.
Although Hel's name was taken by the Christians for their place of perpetual torture, her kingdom was one of ice and cold. Sired by Loki, the Trickster, on Angerboda, Hel was one of three children and it was Odin himself who gave her the Underworld kingdom Nifleim (mist world). Here she had power over the nine worlds for in each was a portion of Nifleim. Garm, a ferocious dog, sat at the entrance - reminiscent of Anubis. Hecate, another Underworld Goddess who was associated with cross-roads, had at her side Cerberus, the triple-headed dog who guarded the path to Hades.

Hel is portrayed either with a face which is half human and half blank or she is shown as a pied being - half black and half white (or even, blue). Annis, though not pied, is described as being blue-faced (dyed with woad?) or of 'Terrible appearance'. Brigid of Ireland also has a face either pied, half youthful and half crone or half beautiful and half ugly. Though in these descriptions, blue is being used in a fearsome sense, it must be remembered that this colour is usually associated with protection and Madonnas and Sky goddesses are depicted with blue mantles.

Cailleachs
Gentle Annie (or Gentle Annis) is a Scottish legend whose name may be derived from Anu. This is quite likely for many Scottish myths share an origin with the Irish. References are wide-spread, coming from the Lowlands as well as the Highlands. She is said to have been a weather spirit watching over the gales on the Firth of Cromarty. As spasmodic squalls can blow up in moments, Gentle Annie has a reputation for treachery. Presumably she was called 'Gentle' in the fearsomely polite way that we refer to Elven Folk as 'Fair' - in terror of offending them. She is associated with Cailleach Bheur (Ireland's Cailleach Beare) and is seen as the winter face of the goddess. The stories of the two are united in Mulearteach (moolyarstuch) who is the watery form of Cailleach Bheur. Whilst in the sea Mulearteach's form was scaly but on land she became a hag who raised winds and sea-storms.

Cailleach Bheur had one eye in a visage of mackerel blue and her teeth were red. She was the queen of winter and, at winter's end, she drank from the Well of Youth. The waters transformed her into the Queen of Summer. Annis, though not associated with winter and summer as such was, according to the evacuee's tale, associated with night. Night in the Year's Wheel equates with winter - but whether there was a summer version of Annis Is now unknown.

As Brigit?
Cailleach Bheur kept the princess Bride captive (in a cave) forcing her to wash Bheur's mantle. Bride eventually escaped and married Angus who was the King of Summer. Here, Bheur was winter and Bride summer. Bheur, by keeping Bride captive actually keeps the spring from rising - reminiscent of Persephone, except that Persephone's lover is winter rather than summer. Demeter incidentally, (Persephone's mother), assumes the appearance of an aged crone in a great black cloak when Persephone is taken into the underworld.

Though the stories of the King of Summer do not equate Bride with Brigit of Ireland Brigit and Aengus, in Irish mythology, are the children of the Dagda, brother and sister rather than husband and wife. As already stated, In some legends Bheur is both winter and summer in different guises. The transformation is made by Bheur drinking from the 'Well of Youth' at the conclusion of both winter and summer. As Bride in some legends is summer, then this makes Bheur and Bride one and the same. Bheur, representing winter, yields to Bride, as summer, at Imbolc (St. Bride's Day), - thus making it pretty conclusive that Bride is also Brigit.
Brigit, Annis, Bheur and Hel all have the beautiful/hideous form. This recalls Lady Ragnall of 'The Marriage of Sir Gawain' a story much like Chaucer's 'The Wife of Bath's Tale', which are tales of sovereignty. It leads to another question, is Annis Sovereignty of Leicester? Is she a daughter of Lear who, though based on Welsh legend, was said to be buried in a cave near Leicester's River Soar?

Brigit, as well as Gentle Annie, is equated with being another form of Anu or Danu. If Black Annis is another form of Gentle Annie/Cailleach Bheur, then is she also Brigit? Perhaps Annis's lost face of summer was never lost at all - just hidden. Perhaps, in Leicester, Bride's still washing the Hag's mantle, still awaiting rescue by the King of Summer - whosoever he may be in Leicester folk-lore!

Cailleach tales
When, as a giantess, the Cailleach created the mountains, small stones fell from her apron. These formed the numerous islands around Scotland's shores. In Anglesey there is a monument called Barcladiad-y-Gawres (The Giantess's Apronfull) supposedly created by the giantess emptying her apron. Inside this neolithic mound are five decorated stones that are said to be similar to those at Newgrange (Bruig Na Boinne) - which is the palace of Ireland's Aengus. Ireland's Cailleach Beare (called in Ulster, Cally Berry) is associated with the Beare peninsula which is on the border of Cork and Kerry. She too is credited with dumping lots of stones when her apron-string broke. During a stone-tossing fight with a neighbouring giant hag, one of the stones landed on Beare Island and it is still there today as a standing stone.

Wild Hunter or just a baby-eater?
As a Cailleach representing winter, Annis's eating of children and animals takes an interesting turn. She could just be the culler of the herd - a sort of female version of the Wild Hunt, taking the weakest (naughtiest, stupidest etc) so that the strongest will survive. It is suggested that human sacrifice was believed to be associated with Earth divinities. Annis's devouring of children could be a memory of human sacrifice. It could also be the reality of child mortality for not all children reached adulthood, a fact that was more true in the past. In some cultures the placenta was eaten as it contains vital nutrients, again, this could also be recalled in Annis's somewhat unsavoury culinary habits.

Cailleach Bheur was also the keeper of animals and is seen as their guardian spirit. She herds and milks deer and protects them against the hunter - presumably not just Herne! Other wild animals come under her protection too and though Annis is regarded as a huntress and eater of animals could this be a lost aspect of her? Both Cailleach and Annis could, like The Wild Hunt, be both protectors and cullers of the herd. An interesting notion, hag as Wild Hunter, a position normally given to the male in the form of Herne. Perhaps this just goes to show that all aspects are inter-changeable regardless of gender.

Black Virgins supposedly granted eternal bliss to dead babies - and it is certainly true that Annis could well be a part of the Dark side of this aspect of the Goddess. Perhaps the sucking of bodies dry and leaving them on an oak is but another view of the belief that the dark/veiled side of the Goddess takes the soul of the dead down through the world tree - usually a yew - into the world of the ancestors. It could also be a version of hanging on the World's Tree in order to gain knowledge. Perhaps equating the World's Tree with purgatory for Hel's kingdom is reached by one of the three roots of Yggdrasil - and Northern mythology would have been well-known in ancient Leicester. As Christianity took hold, old tales may have became twisted. With the advent of Hel becoming hell ruled by the devil, the world of the ancestors and the lower world became part of a debased dominion. Perhaps this is true of Annis.

As Bean-Sidi?
Caves are entrances not only to the Underworld but also to the Celtic Land of Faery known as The Hollow Hills. These worlds are also the realms of our ancestors and of the dead. Perhaps Annis - before being debased into a wicked witch - was once a guardian of the Hollow Hills - and getting past her could win you the hidden knowledge of Faery. Indeed the gifts of civilisation supposedly came from the underworld (the entrance to which is often a hillside-cave) and the gods therein. The Indwellers - as well as the hills themselves - are, in Ireland, called The Sidhe. A particular group of female Sidhe are of interest as regards Annis and Cailleach Bheur.
Though bean-sidhe was originally just a woman of the faery, it has come to mean a wailing spirit who foretells death. In Scotland she was called Bean-nighe or Little Washer at the Ford. She it is who washes the blood-soaked garment of those about to die. To meet her washing your linen was, to say the least, an ill-omen. It was in this form that the Irish Morrighan washed the clothes of Cu Chullain foretelling his immediate demise. Bean-sidhe are not a pretty sight.

Aniseed, cats and oak
Annis is referred to as being derived from Anu but, as Leicester was settled by Anglo-Saxons as well as by Danes, equating her name's origins with a Celtic Goddesses may not be true. Though her name may derive from Anu - it may also have derived from the Aniseed used on the dead cat - especially as the mock-hare hunt is just described as 'ancient' in the records. Which came first, Cat Annis or the cat and the aniseed (Anise)! Aniseed was believed to avert the evil eye and, on one hand it is used to protect a magician from evil spirits whilst on the other it is used to call forth the friendly ones! It is conceivable - just - that the aniseed was used to drive away the witch of the cave! Cats, of course, were often thought to be a transformed witch out on the prowl. And oaks - there is much folk-lore and legend connected with them. Apart from one being called Herne's Oak it was the oak that fuelled the perpetual fires burnt at Kildare (meaning Cell of Oak) by the women of Bride.

Some connections may be loose but the reader is invited to look closer at them.

This information was sourced from http://www.whitedragon.org.uk/

Tansy
x

Thursday 18 November 2010

Holly - a tree of restored direction

I am getting a little bit festive I must admit, so you may see some Yuletide blogs on here now...

Holly - A tree of restored direction

Holly is the 8th tree of the Celtic Tree Ogham, representing restored balance, restored direction, unconditional love and increased detachment from emotional turmoil. Ruled by Mars, it provides the raw energy to get things done.

Evergreen holly is a potent symbol of the life force in the depths of the winter. Symbolising everlasting life, it is used for Winter Solstice and Christmas decorations.

Holly is associated with both female and male and in former times care was taken to bring equal amounts of prickly holly and smooth holly into the house. The prickly holly was good for men and the smooth holly was the she holly, good for women. The red berries are associated with the female blood of life and the more berries, the more good fortune for the year ahead. The male aspect is linked to the Green Man and the GreenKnight who represents the testing of the Spirit.

Holly has always been regarded as a tree of great strength, a positive force that brings balance and restored direction. Throughout our folklore it is a symbol of justice and steadfastness in adversity.

The Holly King represents a great spiritual warrior, ready to protect the natural world at the most vulnerable time of the year. He fights alongside the Oak King at Midwinter and Midsummer and is the guardian of the two great turning points of the year and a symbol of transformation.

Traditionally, holly was planted near the house to bring protetion from evil, disturbed spirits, poisoned thoughts and lightening. As it was considered to be a tree of good fortune, it was thought to be unlucky to cut it down.

Holly represents the potency of the life force in the midst of darkness. It brings a balanced power that will guide us towards a positive action.

All negative emotions greatly weaken the life force by causing constant inner turmoil. They create negative patterns of thought which affet the body and cause illness. When we are aware of the repercussions that our negative emotions can have on those around us, we learn to accept responsibility for our actions.

Holly encourages us to communicate and express our feelings, to bring things out into the open, so that resolution is possible. Its message is to direct your thoughts wisely, to resolve any problems by open communication and a loving outlook.

Holly is a tree that brings transformation and restored direction. It represents fire in the spirit, the power of our will to bring change for the good of all.

Tansy
x

This was taken from a wonderful book called Earth Wisdom by Glennie Kindred.

Monday 15 November 2010

The Element of AIR

The element of Air is vital to human survival, without it we would all perish, its aspects are Thinness, Motion and Darkness and its quality is Active. Air is the manifestation of movement, freshness, communication and of the intelligence. Sound is another manifestation of this element. As an element, it is invisible, but its reality can be felt in the air that we breathe in every day.

To connect with the power of this element, find a place with clean air and breathe deeply, touch a feather or inhale the fragrance of a heavily scented flower. Let yourself experience the energy of this element, and reflect that we also possess Air energy within ourselves.

In magickal terms, Air is the power of the mind, the force of intellect, inspiration, imagination. It is ideas, knowledge, dreams and wishes. Air is the element of new life and new possibilities and is essential to spells and rituals of travel, instruction, finding lost items, some types of divination, and freedom. Air aids us in visualization, a vital technique in magick.

Air is a masculine element and governs the magick of the four winds. It is the vital spirit passing through all things, giving life to all things, moving and filling all things.

Direction - East
Colour - Yellow, white, pale blue
Time - Dawn
Season - Spring
Zodiac signs - Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
Magickal tool - Wand
Elemental - Sylph
Sense - smell
Places - Mountaintops, wind-swept plains, cloudy skies, high towers, airports, schools, libraries, offices, travel agencies, psychiatrist's offices.
Animals - spiders, birds, winged insects
Symbols - A feather, incense smoke, fragrant flowers.
Crystals - Picture Jasper, Yellow Jasper, Citrine, Blue Calcite
Herbs - frankincense, myrrh, pansy, vervain, lavender
Goddess - Aradia, Arianrhod, Cardea, Nut, Urania
God - Enlil, Khephera, Mercury, Shu, Thoth
Power - To know
Magickal aspects - the mind, all mental, intuitive, psychic work, knowledge abstract learning, intellect, theory

The photo shown is the air element kit available from
http://www.kitchenwitch.org/

Tansy
x


Source - http://www.thewhitegoddess.co.uk/

Sunday 14 November 2010

The Element of EARTH

The basis and foundation of all the elements is the Earth.

The Earth is the subject and receptacle of all celestial rays and influences and in it are the seeds of all things. It is made fruitful by the other elements and and brings forth all things of itself. It is the first fountain from whence all things spring; it is the centre, foundation and mother of all things.

Earth is the element of stability, foundations and of the body. The Earth is the realm of wisdom, knowledge, strength, growth and prosperity. It is also the physical Earth on which we live and the very heart of life. It is essential in spells and rituals of prosperity, business, fertility and stability. Earth is a feminine element and governs stone and knot magick.

The Earth can be viewed as our mother, with its fertile and nurturing farmland, providing all Earth's creatures with nourishment and shelter. In its physical manifestations, such as stones, rocks, crystals and gems, the element of Earth represents the densest of the elements.

The Earth is the womb from which all things spring, pressing your hand against fresh soil, you can feel its vitality, stability and earthiness. In its fertile soil, we've grown the food that provides life, on its surface we live out our lives.

This Earth energy not only exists within ourselves but also throughout the universe at large.

Direction - North
Colour - Green, brown
Time - Midnight
Season - Winter
Zodiac Signs - Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
Tool - Pentacle, Black Mirror
Elemental - Gnome
Sense - Touch
Crystals - Hematite, Malachite, Amazonite, Bronzite, Jade,
Herbs - Fern, honeysuckle, knotweed, mugwort, patchouly, wood sorrel, vertivert
Goddess - Ceres, Demeter, Gaea, Mah,Nephthys, Persephone, Cailleach, Prithvi, Rhea, Rhiannon
God - Adonis, Athos, Arawn, Cernunnos, Dionysus, Marduk, Pan, Tammuz
Power - To keep silent

Animals - Dogs, horse, earthworm, gopher, ant, cow, burrowing animals
Material aspects - The body, growth, natue, sustenance, material gain, money, creativity, birth, death, mystery, silence, stucture, stuggle, pride, conflict, success

The photo shown is the earth element kit available from
http://www.kitchenwitch.org/

Tansy
x


Source - http://www.thewhitegoddess.co.uk

Saturday 13 November 2010

The Witches Rede


I have the first two lines of the Witches Rede incorporated into one of my tattoos, although I use the word 'witches' instead of Wiccan, that's just my personal preference.

The Witches Rede acknowledges the right of all people to practice their own path of spirituality. As long as that path does not bring harm or injury to any living being.

The exact origin of the Witches Rede is uncertain, but no one can argue it has grown and kept pace with the many influencing traditions practiced today.

Not all traditions of Wicca or Witchcraft, nor all individuals who practice, adhere to the Wiccan/Witches Rede. It is considered by some to be an unobtainable and unreasonable moral code when taking into consideration “cause and effect” which essentially means that for anything good there is a bad somewhere to balance it.

The Witches Rede is the moral code or “golden rule” of the Wiccan Tradition. Regardless of the version of the eight words you take for consideration, or if you like to develop your own in time, having a golden rule to measure your actions by can be a valuable guide when you decide to wield the power of magickal work. This becomes even more important if you work alone as you will not have a peer group to help keep you balanced and grounded.

The word Rede is an archaic word meaning “to give advice or council” and as such we can translate the phrase to mean “advice for Wiccans”. It is not a rule, but rather some advice from those who have walked this path before us. Each individual should interpret the Wiccan Rede for themselves, it is not a charter to do whatever you feel like doing; instead it stresses personal responsibility. It is your responsibility to “harm none” when you “do as you will”. It is your responsibility to figure out what it means to do your will. And it is you who have to take responsibility for the fruits of all your own actions – good, bad or indifferent; magickal or mundane.

The Witches Rede provides you with a personal guideline which you can use whenever you need to make an important decision. Not just decisions in regard to magickal workings, but also in your every day life. The Witches Rede places the emphasis on personal responsibility for all your actions. It says ‘hold on a minute, do you need to do that? How will your actions affect you? Are you sure you want to go ahead?”

Taking personal responsibility means that you cannot blame anyone or anything else for your actions. You are responsible for the things you cause to others, and your environment as well as to yourself. Although of course we are influenced by what happened to us as children or how we were treated by parents and teachers, personal responsibility means taking active decisions to make positive changes to our lives.

The Wiccan Rede itself is only 2 lines:
Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill,
An' in it harm none, do what ye will.


The Wiccan Credo however, is considerably longer. The Credo dates to more recent times.

The full version:

Bide within the Law you must, in perfect Love and perfect Trust.
Live you must and let to live, fairly take and fairly give.

For tread the Circle thrice about to keep unwelcome spirits out.
To bind the spell well every time, let the spell be said in rhyme.

Light of eye and soft of touch, speak you little, listen much.
Honor the Old Ones in deed and name,
let love and light be our guides again.

Deosil go by the waxing moon, chanting out the joyful tune.
Widdershins go when the moon doth wane,
and the werewolf howls by the dread wolfsbane.

When the Lady's moon is new, kiss the hand to Her times two.
When the moon rides at Her peak then your heart's desire seek.

Heed the North winds mighty gale, lock the door and trim the sail.
When the Wind blows from the East, expect the new and set the feast.

When the wind comes from the South, love will kiss you on the mouth.
When the wind whispers from the West, all hearts will find peace and rest.

Nine woods in the Cauldron go, burn them fast and burn them slow.
Birch in the fire goes to represent what the Lady knows.

Oak in the forest towers with might, in the fire it brings the God's
insight. Rowan is a tree of power causing life and magick to flower.

Willows at the waterside stand ready to help us to the Summerland.
Hawthorn is burned to purify and to draw faerie to your eye.

Hazel-the tree of wisdom and learning adds its strength to the bright fire burning.
White are the flowers of Apple tree that brings us fruits of fertility.

Grapes grow upon the vine giving us both joy and wine.
Fir does mark the evergreen to represent immortality seen.

Elder is the Lady's tree burn it not or cursed you'll be.
Four times the Major Sabbats mark in the light and in the dark.

As the old year starts to wane the new begins, it's now Samhain.
When the time for Imbolc shows watch for flowers through the snows.

When the wheel begins to turn soon the Beltane fires will burn.
As the wheel turns to Lamas night power is brought to magick rite.

Four times the Minor Sabbats fall use the Sun to mark them all.
When the wheel has turned to Yule light the log the Horned One rules.

In the spring, when night equals day time for Ostara to come our way.
When the Sun has reached it's height time for Oak and Holly to fight.

Harvesting comes to one and all when the Autumn Equinox does fall.
Heed the flower, bush, and tree by the Lady blessed you'll be.

Where the rippling waters go cast a stone, the truth you'll know.
When you have and hold a need, harken not to others greed.

With a fool no season spend or be counted as his friend.
Merry Meet and Merry Part bright the cheeks and warm the heart.

Mind the Three-fold Laws you should three times bad and three times good.
When misfortune is enow wear the star upon your brow.

Be true in love this you must do unless your love is false to you.

These Eight words the Rede fulfill:

"An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will"


Tansy
x

Thursday 11 November 2010

The Tarot

I have several tarot decks - Thoth, Witches Tarot, Sacred Circle and Arthurian. I use the tarot cards on a daily basis. I love the insight that comes from them. So I thought I would share some interesting history that I found:

The Tarot has a fragmented history that intrigues historians, scholars, hobbyists, and spiritualists alike. Drawing on the concrete facts that are available, we will attempt to briefly explain the origins of the Tarot, and trace some of its milestones through the centuries.

The designs of the 22 cards in the Major Arcana can be traced back as far as 1440, when the first known deck appeared in Italy. The 3 decks called the "Visconti Trumps" are generally regarded as the "forefathers" of the decks that are widely available today. It is believed that they were originally created as a game for Nobles. It is not until centuries later that the cards reemerged, this time as a tool of divination. In the latter half of the 15th century, the cardmakers in Marseilles, France began to standardize the Trumps. Before this organized production, those who played the Trumps could dictate which they wanted to include, and which they wanted substituted or eliminated. Certain cards; Death, the Devil, and the Tower in particular; were considered offensive by the more conservative Nobles. These images caused religious leaders to attempt to ban the Trumps.

The first detailed reference to the Trumps of the Tarot is in the form of a sermon. This sermon, given by a Franciscan friar in Italy sometime between 1450 and 1470, contends that the Trumps were invented and named by the Devil. It condemns the use of the cards, and generally credits them with the triumph of the Devil. According to the friar, the Devil wins through the loss of the souls of those who play what was then, quite probably, nothing more than a simple game.

The rebirth of the Tarot, and its beginnings a means of divination, are attributed to Antoine Court de Gébelin in 1781.He believed it was Egyptian in origin, and that it contained mystical knowledge that had been purposefully encoded in the symbolism of the Trumps. Specifically, he theorized that the cards were the key to lost Egyptian magical wisdom written by Thoth, the Egyptian God of inspired written knowledge. The Trumps themselves began to noticeably evolve from this point forward. Changes were thought to have been introduced by the different secret societies who produced the decks.

The first account of divination through the use of cards is attributed to cartomancer Jean-Baptiste Alliette, better known as "Etteilla", in 1770. He was the first to publish divinatory meanings for cards, and only 32 cards (plus one, representing the querent) were included in this edition. At this time, only regular playing cards were mentioned. Later, Etteilla published several works that involved the Tarot Trumps specifically. It is no surprise that these later writings coincided with deGebelin's then-recently-public treatment of the Tarot as a wellspring of Egyptian occult knowledge. Etteilla must have anticipated the Tarot's jump in popularity: his was the first deck available to the public expressly for the purpose of Cartomancy.

The discovery of the Rosetta Stone that translated the hieroglyphs of the Egyptians in 1799 did not yield any support to the theory that the Trumps hailed from Egypt. Still, the belief endured and was augmented in 1857 with the introduction of the notion that the wandering Romany people - " Gypsies" thought to be descendants of Egyptians - had carried the deck with them on their travels through Europe.

In the nineteenth century, the famous occultist known as Eliphas Lévi developed a correlation between the Tarot and the Kabbalah: the Hebrew system of mysticism. This fueled a new belief that the Tarot originated in Israel, and contained the wisdom of the Tree of Life. The new theory brought all 78 cards together as keys to the mysteries, but again, there were no concrete facts to support it. Nevertheless, something important was accomplished. The theory would later serve as proof that the symbolism of the Tarot crossed all boundaries. From this point forward, many magical and esoteric groups recognized the Tarot as a timeless body of knowledge that had significance in every mystical path.

Since that time it has been linked with almost every magical system or religion known to humankind. The Tarot is comprised of archetypal images that cross linguistic, cultural, geographical, and temporal barriers.

The Theosophical Society, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the Rosicrucians, the Church of Light, and the Builders of the Adytum (B.O.T.A.) all secured the Tarot's position in the 19th and 20th centuries. In the United States of America, the Tarot became popular and more readily available in the 1960's, when a period of exploration in spirituality began.


Arthur Edward Waite is credited with the renaissance of the Tarot in the Twentieth Century. He commissioned artist Pamela Coleman Smith to create what he called the "rectified" Tarot. Created by a member of secret societies also known as a revered mystic, Waite's version has been widely accepted as the standard, and is by far the most popular deck of the century, rich in symbolism and easily understood due to the simple nature of the artwork.

In the opinion of many learned Tarot enthusiasts, the most significant change the deck has experienced is Smith's treatment of the Minor Arcana. Hers are the first "pip" cards to contain images depicting the meaning of the cards. These graphics allow readers to explain the significance of each cards nuance to querents who, in most cases, have never encountered the cards before. This artistic trend can be traced through the majority of the decks produced after the Rider-Waite (1910), and Smith's influence is readily recognized, as many of the images echo her drawings.

Today's Tarot card designs reflect specific trends in sexuality, religion, culture, and philosophy. There are literally hundreds of interpretations, and more are being conceived as this is being written. The diversity of the styles allows Tarot Readers to choose a deck that suits their personalities, the subject of the reading, the person receiving the reading, or any other variable as they so choose. Certain decks have a serious tone, some have a dream-like quality, others are full of cartoon images. The true beauty lies in the Tarot's ability to retain its "soul" through each metamorphosis and incarnation. It is, on many levels, a mirror of those who work with it, and allows them to make each reading a truly personal experience.

Old manuscripts from the ancient classical world were discovered and taken to Florence, the centre of Renaissance culture.

One of these manuscripts - the Corpus Hermticum - was thought to have been written in Egypt whilst under Greek rule. The text included work on astrology, alchemy and magic. Marsilio Ficino (1433-1499) translated both the Corpus Hermeticum and works by Plato.

Pico della Mirandola (1463-1494) introduced the idea of the Jewish mystical system the Kabbalah. Astrology, talismanic magic and alchemy were practiced during the Renaissance and the craze for images and the symbolic meaning of those images preoccupied the Renaissance thinkers and artists. The symbolic images on Tarot cards were to be found in all popular art of the time.

The Neo-Platonic Hermetic movement believed that man, was a great miracle, that he was in essence a microcosm of the greater universe. Self-knowledge was encouraged, believing knowledge of soul was knowledge of the divine.

In Plato's vision we are all in possession of a divine intelligence capable of understanding the abstract patterns that underlie reality. The gods are personifications of these abstract patterns.

One of the godfathers of the Renaissance, Cosimo De Medici, financed an academy dedicated to the study of Neo-Platonism.

Images of the Greek gods appeared in Renaissance art. These gods were considered to be great laws at work in life and the art of the Renaissance was shot through with symbolism from mythology, alchemy astrology, and other magical mystical systems.

The Magi of the Renaissance laid the foundation of modern magic. The new Renaissance world view was encouraging man to know himself. It challenged the authority of the Church, which claimed the only way to know God was through the Church.

In keeping with the popular art and culture of the Italian Renaissance the first Tarot cards appeared depicting images of the Greek Deities.

The previous period is often referred to as the 'pre-occult Tarot'. It was in France that the story of Esoteric Tarot starts to emerge. Little is heard about the game of Tarot until an occultist Court de Geblin (1724-1784) came across a Tarot card game being played at a friend's house. This can be said to be the beginning of Esoteric Tarot, the use of the cards as a divinatory instrument.

De Geblin believed that cards were Egyptian in origin with connections to the great god Thoth. He speculated on other connections but did not develop them, publishing his theories in 1781 in a nine volume set of books titled Monde Primitif. The Rossetta Stone was decoded in 1799 with no mention of the Tarot. However, by this time De Geblin's work had been popularized.

In 1783, the French occultist known as The Grand Etteilla was the first professional Tarot reader and the first person to design a Tarot pack to be used for divination. The word 'cartomancy' for card divination is said to be coined by him. He strongly maintained that the origins of Tarot lay in Egypt. In 1785 he published A Way To Entertain One-Self with a Pack of Cards Called Tarot. He also wrote on astrology and alchemy.

Paul Chistian (1811-1877) first referred to the cards as Arcana Secrets, from which developed the terms Major Arcana and Minor Arcana. Although his Egyptian theories were based on fantasy rather than fact, he put forward a very persuasive argument, to the extent that his Egyptian theories influenced other authors.

The French Kabbalist Eliphas Levi (1810-1855) (who was influenced both by Court De Geblin and Etteilla) believed the Tarot was the Egyptian Book of Thoth.He drew correlations between Hermeticism Kabalah alchemy and Tarot. The most prominent part of his work was the synthesis of the Hebrew Kabalah and the Tarot. In 1854 he published two books: The Doctrine of High Magic and The Ritual of High Magic.

In 1889, we have the first redesign of the Tarot, by the Swiss occultist Oswald Wirth (1860-1943). Wirth was a follower of Levi and used some of his examples in his new design. In 1857, another Tarot myth escalated in a book by J A Vaillant connecting the Tarot with the Romany Gypsies.

In 1889, a founder member of The Cabalistic Order of The Rosy Cross (Rosicrucianism) writing under the name of Papus published the book The Tarot Of the Bohemians. Papus, a follower of Levi, refined the concepts of Levi's Kabbalistic Tarot.

In 1888, the Hermetic Order of The Golden Dawn was founded in England.

It attracted many artists and scholars. One of the founders, Dr Wyn Westcott, had been in contact with a student of Ephilas Levi, thus the Tarot connection were made.

This led to the introduction of Mathers MacGregor, who had already written a short article on divination and Tarot. Mathers Macgregor was the diving force behind the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. He drew on all mythologies and magical systems, linking the Tarot to a whole network of correlations.

In 1910, a prominent member of The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Arthur Edward Waite, produced the Rider-Waite Tarot deck, with the book A Pictorial Key To Tarot.

The art work was by Pamela Coleman Smith, who took inspiration for the minor arcana from the Italian Sola Busca deck. The Ryder-Waite cards are still a widely-used Tarot deck today.

Arthur Edward Waite set out to clear up some of the fanciful creation myths that were surrounding Tarot.

In his book A Pictorial Key to Tarot, Waite writes:

'We shall see in due course that the history of the Tarot cards is largely of negative kind, and that when the issues are cleared by the dissipation of reveries and gratuitous speculations expressed in the terms of certitude, there is in fact no history prior to the fourteenth century, the deception and the self deception regarding the origin in Egypt, India or China put a lying spirit into the mouths of the first expositors, and the latter occult writers have done little more than reproduce the first false testimony in there good faith of an intelligence unawakened to the issues of research.'

The French schools produced the idea of an esoteric Tarot and defined the main elements of traditional Tarot interpretation.

The Golden Dawn refined and advanced the esoteric Tarot providing a structure for the divinatory uses of the pack.

In 1927, Paul Foster Case put Tarot and in-depth psychology together in his book The Tarot. He also defined further, Kabbalistic links. The following year, Manly Palmer Hall published Secret Teachings of All Ages and in 1934, Israel Regardie (a pupil of Alister Crowely) published four volumes of papers on The Golden Dawn in America. A teacher known as Zain wrote 22 volumes on Occult Instructions, claiming he was being instructed by discarnate masters. In 1936 a Tarot deck appeared, with Zain emphasizing the links between the occult systems of astrology and numerology with Tarot. Zain went on to found the Church of Light Brotherhood. Aleister Crowley (a member of The Golden Dawn) did not publish his Thoth deck and The Book of Thoth untill 1947. The Waite and Thoth deck are the most known decks.

The cards went into obscurity untill 1971 when, an American, Eden Gray published Mastering Tarot. This book was about fortune telling with the cards and the simple, straightforward approach rekindled an interest in Tarot. In the 1970s, there came a new psycho-spiritual approach from Tarot experts Richard Gardener, Richard Roberts, Joseph D' Agostino, Alfred Douglas, Paul Husan, and Richard Cavendish. In 1978, we have Stuart Kaplan's Encyclopaedia of Tarot Volume One, (followed by Volume Two).

In her book Tarot: History, Mystery and Lore, Cynthia Giles writes:

'The third stage in the Tarot development of today's Tarot was marked by a change of scenery and afresh influx of colourful characters.


The new American venue offered an exuberant and much more public setting for Tarot research, absent were the ostentatiously 'secret' societies the veiled references, and the aristocratic eccentrics, in their place were business like organization that perused occult ideas with the same practical attitude General Motors brought to the matter of transportation.'

The American influence on Tarot can be seen now in the diversity, the eclecticism, and the individualism of contemporise Tarot interpretation - as well as the increasing commercialization of Tarot.


Tansy
x


Source: http://www.mythictarot.com/

Sunday 7 November 2010

Merlinite

I meet with the Arthurian magician again! At Witchfest yesterday I was attracted by a stall with beautiful stones on, and drawn straight to a gorgeous black and white pendant...to discover it is a stone called Merlinite.

Merlinite is a stone of magic, conjuring the memories of wizards and alchemists. It is said to blend heavenly and earthly vibrations, allowing one access to multiple realms. It can be used to access the akashic records, to draw upon the powers of the elements, to enhance shamanic practices, and to bring magic into one's life.

Physical
A lot of confusion surrounds the name of this stone. Merlinite is actually a made-up name for Dendritic Opal. Merlinite has been used in the treatment of skeletal structures and disorders of the veins and arteries. It is also said to promote physical growth and to facilitate the flow of blood through the body. It is a cleansing mineral for the body and one which can enhance lymph flow and excretion. It also helps with both the effects of colds and the effects of smoking too. This stone also helps the body to clear away un-necessary fats, as well as bringing a sense of feeling to the being to cut un-necessary fats in food and drink intake down to a sensible level. Dentritic Opal can help to lift feelings of sluggishness and lethargy.

Mental/Emotional
Merlinite can help us to remain both open and approachable even though we may have suffered from bad experiences ourselves. It promotes better contact with our environment and with our fellow human beings too. Merlinite can also enhance our organizational capabilities.

Merlinite both promotes our levels of contact with spirit and also aids our own spiritual growth. It is a stone of magic, reminding us of the memories of wizards and alchemists. It's black and white coloring is said to blend heavenly and earthly vibrations together allowing us access to the spirit and shamanic realms and to the Akashic Records too. Merlinite lets us bring magic into our lives.

Merlinite is a mysterious stone with a particularly noticeable yet gently shimmering vibrational rate. Its energies are vibrant and passionate, yet gentle and caring. Merlinite is a stone that can be absorbent as much as it can be reflective, it can be a mirror to the whole self both inner and outer. This stone seemingly moulds itself to its keeper, becoming a part of the being rather resting as a part separate from the being. Merlinite feels joy with its keeper just as much as sadness; it follows every smile to every tear. Merlinite shimmers within each dream of its keeper to each waking moment of its keeper. Often dreamy just to gaze upon, Merlinite can be a dream to bond with.

Merlinite is helpful to encourage the building of relationships based on honesty and sincerity. It is a stone that helps the being to allow others into their world, and can be very beneficial where this process has become a struggle.

Placed around the home this stone opens up a more family orientated feel, as well as creating an air of acceptance and harmony.

A stone that reminds of the here and now when it is needed, encourages positive emotion, and helps the being to appreciate loved ones and those that care.
The frequency of Merlinite connects to the base, third eye and crown chakras. It opens the third eye and crown chakras allowing one to connect to the higher dimensions and increases one's psychic abilities of clairvoyance, clairaudience and clairsentience.
It allows one to connect and commune with natures spirits and higher dimensional beings.

The energy of Merlinite helps one to acknowledge and release deeply held emotional patterns and wounds. It can aid with past life recall so that one can gain greater knowledge and wisdom enabling one to recognise one's gifts and talents so that one may use them for the greater good.

Merlinite can aid with "soul retrieval" so that one's being can become complete and whole thus helping one to be fully aware of who one truly is.

Tansy
x

Witchfest 2010

Yesterday myself and a couple of good friends travelled to Witchfest. This is an annual event organised by The Children of Artemis, a group of like minded people that I am a member of.

The day was a host of talks, workshops, stalls and live music all in one place. Talks and workshops by Tylluan Penry, James Bennett, Martin Wyse, Damh the Bard, Tam Campbell, Prof. Ronald Hutton and Kate West to name but a few!

There were so many talks and workshops to choose from it was difficult to work out which ones to go to.

The first talk we attended was 'Shamanism & the Eight Fold Path of Wicca by James Bennett. It was very interesting and although we didn't agree with all his thoughts, it was a good talk.

Then on to Witches Panel Question Time - Tam Campbell, Kate West, Martin Wyse, Damh the Bard and Tylluan Penry took the stage and answers questions from the audience. It was very informatative and entertaining!

Next, on to a lecture by Prof. Ronald Hutton on the history of the fae. Extremely interesting and thought provoking with some of his personal experiences thrown in for good measure.

The last talk we attended was from Damh the Bard on Ogham and Druidic Tree Magic, so well attended that the room was full to bursting! Damh was, as always very entertaining and gave a very thought provoking talk about ogham, certainly gave me a different way of learning it.

A very good day, with added cake, shopping and food of course!

Lots of live music in the evening - Damh the Bard, The Dolmen and Inkubbus Sukkubus among the line up.


Tansy

x


The Children of Artemis:



Damh the Bard:



Tylluan Penry:



Martin Wyse:



Tuesday 2 November 2010

Opals

In my recent channeling experiences I have found my spirit guide. It is an interesting journey, and one that I am learning a great deal from.

To aid me with channeling my guide I was gifted some pieces of Australian Opal, from the Coober Pedy mines.

Properties of Opal

Element – Storm
Chakras – Root and Crown

Australian opal contains a very spiritual energy that can help the holder meet their guides and totem animals. It connects the world of the conscious to that of the subconscious and can help the holder to understand themselves fully. Opal offers energy for progress and personal development and can balance and calm the mind and emotions. Used in the auric field it can bring balance and healing. It is also fantastic for spiritual warriors who do soul retrieval or those who work in dark situations where light is needed. It can also help when helping spirits move to a higher plane. Emotionally opal can encourage us to face and get over our darkest fears.

Opal is good for emotional and mental balance, psychic development, shamanic journeying, spiritual warrior work, calming, progressions, personal development, communication, meeting guides, brings purity, stabilizes energy, auric balancing and healing, facing fears.

Opal is an emotional stone and reflects the mood of the wearer. It intensifies emotions and releases inhibitions. Encourages both freedom and independence. Opal enhances cosmic consciousness and induces psychic and mystical visions. It stimulates originality and creativity. Helps to release anger and claim self-worth, aiding in accessing and expressing one's true self. Opal strengthens memory. It encourages an interest in the arts. Wearing Opal jewellery brings loyalty, faithfulness and spontaneity.

Opal strengthens the will to live and treats infections and fevers. Purifying the blood and kidneys, Opal also regulates insulin. It eases childbirth and alleviates PMS.

The name opal is actually means “to see a change in color”. These Australia's national gemstones are also given to commemorate a 14th wedding anniversary. The word “opalescense” was coined to describe opal’s iridescent play of colors.

Opal is a hydrated amorphous silica that refracts light and reflects it in a play of colors. The stone comes in a vast range of patterns and vivid color combinations, making it the most dramatically varied of gemstones. One of the primary ingridients in opal is water (between 3 and 10%, but can be as high as 20%).

Opals formed at low temperatures from silica-bearing waters and they can occur in fissures and cavities of any rock type, usually sedimentary rock. They are formed when the sediment is laid down, pressed and buried to make rock. Water carries silica into the cavities and it is left behind when water evaporates. Silica collects into spheres of uniform distribution and size, they packed together efficiently thus creates precious opal. Sometimes fossils become opalised, which is the formation takes the place of a bone, teeth, shell or other organic matter, preservng a record of the object as it decomposes away.

Precious opals have a rich iridescence and remarkable play of changing colors. This is due to the regularly packed uniform spheres of amorrphous silica a few tenths of a micron in diameter in the internal structure of the stone. The colors displayed is determined by the sphere diameter and the refractive index. Spheres packed together leave gaps. Light passes and bounces around through the spheres and the gaps among them. It enters some of the material and bends then diffracted, rainbow colors appear when light split. When light comes back out of the opal, what you see is the colors the opal and light have created. When the stone is moved, light hits these spheres from another different angles and bring about a change in color. The largest spheres produce the red colors, while the smallest ones produce blue. They must be smaller than 1400 angstroms for violet and blue color, but no larger than 3500 angstroms to produce reds and oranges. The more uniform the spheres are placed, the more brilliant, intense and defined the color will be. It is the orderliness of these spheres which separates common opal (opal which do not possess the play of light) from precious opal. If they are random in shape and arrangement, what we have is a common opal. The way in which colors change witthin a particular stone as it is tilted and rotated is called the stone’s play of color. Common opal is also known as potch.

Sources:
http://www.heavenlycrystals.com
http://www.squidoo.com/healing-gemstones
http://www.list-of-birthstones.com

Tansy
x