Samhain Blessings

Tonight I begin my celebration of Samhain at midnight.
At 12 o'clock,
I will light a candle to honor The Goddess.
My altar will be dressed with offerings of
Pomegranate, Apples, Honey.
Each of which I will taste.
I will sit in quiet meditation
and remember my loved ones
who have passed over.
I will honor the Dark,
The coming of Winter soon to be.
I will Honor The Goddess
In her aspect as Dark Mother.

For me, She is Hecate.
For others She is Inanna, Cerridwen
Kali, Demeter, Morrigan
At Samhain,
We each honor Her our own way.

For My family
Tomorrow's celebration will begin with Dinner.
A place will be set for those who have passed.
A meal will be set out for Her creatures that
reside in the woods.
Following the meal,
My guests will have an opportunity
to honor their ancestors.
We will finish the evening with Candle magick
and Readings for the coming year.

However you celebrate,
Whomever you Honor,
May The coming of the Winter months
Go gently By.
May The Coming Year be filled with promise
and May you always Honor Her.

Full Moon in Aries & The Coming of Samhain

Tonight's Full Moon in Aries segues perfectly
into the fire festival of Samhain.
Aries, Infant of the Zodiac
Aries, Fire Sign

With the coming of Winter,
Fire sustains us.
In the Dark months,
Fire lights the way to new beginnings.
Fire is the energy that burns within each of us.

The Ancients knew the power of fire.
They honored the sacredness of it.
Fire Cleanses
It purifies
Fire has the ability to Create or Destroy.

This Samhain honor the sacredness of fire.
Remember it's importance to our ancestors.

Keep a candle burning to light the way for your ancestors.
Burn you negative thoughts, habits, energies
In the Samhain fire, to make way for the new.
For like the phoenix rising from the ashes,
Fire has the power to transform.

May you honor all that is sacred

31 Days of Halloween

If you've been following http://confessionsofapagansoccermom.blogspot
then you know today was My Giveaway - a Samhain Reading from my etsy shop.
Good luck to those who entered.
If you haven't done so, ck out Mrs. B's - the giveaways are not over yet.

Hecate

Around this time last year, we had a fire.
Thankfully No one was hurt
& the damage was minimal.
For that I give Thanks to Hecate.

The evening of the fire I was awakened
around 1AM by a loud crash.
I must have bolted right up.
Nothing. Silence.
I sat awake listening, but the house was quiet.
Eventually I settled back to sleep.
Again I found myself awakened by a loud crash.
2AM
The house is still.
I look around, finding nothing
I head back to bed.
My boyfriend is snoring away &
the cats have not stirred
So I head back to sleep.
A series of crashes & I jump up.
This time while I am sitting up, I hear the crash.
I shake my boyfriend who heard it himself.
Sshh - I think Someone's in the house.
More crashes...
The sound was like someone had taken a bat
to the downstairs bar.
My boyfriend reaches for his gun ( Yes, it's legal)
Now that was a sight...
He's sneaking down the stairs in his underwear
gun in hand like Dirty Harry.
Me, running like a crazy woman
looking for a bat, large stick
or something to hit the "culprit" on the head with.

Next thing I know, He's yelling
"The house is on fire!"
We run downstairs -
Flames coming out of the Sunroom.
We grab fire extinguishers.
I can NOT express the importance of fire extinguishers
whether one resides in an apt or home.
Fortunately we were able to get the fire
out before help arrived.

So now I'm standing in this pile of rubble.
An altar that sat in the Sunroom, gone.
The table is no more.
Everything is charred... Even picture frames are gone.
Too shocked to cry, I'm looking at the damage when I see it..
Off to the side, untouched
A card stock illustration of Hecate.
Reaching over to pick it up when I hear noise..
Caw, Caw, Caw...
Three large Ravens, and I do mean large
Have landed on the fence & are looking directly at us.
A sign from the Goddess.

Hecate
If it were not for the dreams
I may have slept until it was too late
To save our home or maybe even our lives.
Hecate
The Dark Goddess many fear
Hecate
To me, She is The Most Beautiful One
Hecate
Her torch guides my way
It is she I will always honor in this sacred space
Hecate/Isis/Aset
May you find the light in the darkness

Season of the Witch

Yesterday My Mom called.
After chatting a bit, Mom asked
"So are you putting up your altar?"
"Yes" I assured Her.
"What about Grandma's picture,
it's here you know".
She proceeded to remind me of
an Uncle, a few cousins,
all of whom should be placed on the altar.

Not typical conversation
for the average family.
Mom's concerns come from my relocation.
This year I am unable to make
the commute home for Halloween/Samhain.
It will be difficult for both Mom & Myself.
Like any other family,
We gather together & celebrate.
We honor the seasons,
We honor ancestors,
We honor The Goddess.
We have our rituals, our meals
& our magick.

This year there will be new ritual,
New faces at my table.
New friends sharing in the celebration.
My altar will reflect these changes.
While I am saddened by this change,
I acknowledge this is a season of change.
The wise know that change is inevitable.

My Lady will guide me through the changes.
The Season of the Witch is not always gentle.
The Season of the Witch
Is one of faith,
for we stand at the crossroads
knowing we must not look back
The Season of the Witch
Is a time of Hope & Dreams
We give ourselves over to The Goddess,
And in so doing
We open the path to creation
Without faith we will never learn to manifest our dreams
May you let go & let Goddess guide you

Hecate

Hecate/Isis/Aset
Most Lovely one
Her torch guides my way
Her Moon illuminates The Night Sky
Teaching it's Magick to Her daughters

Hecate/Isis/Aset
Word Is Her power
Word Is Her magick
Word is Sacred
Taught to Her Daughters
Under Her night sky

Hecate/Isis/Aset
Dark Mother
Protectress
When Her Moon is no longer visible
She calls to Her Daughters
Sharing Her secrets to those
Who Fear not the Dark

10/10/10

When Mother Earth is no longer a "commodity"
To be bought & sold
When the land beneath our feet belongs
to every living creature,
Then We shall know peace.

When in the heart of Each one of us
lives contentment,
Then We shall know peace.

When every Man, woman & child
Understands that Spirit, Goddess, God
As seen through the eyes of every culture,
Addressed in their own language,
Called by a Name familiar to them,
Is the Same Goddess/God
Each of Us call to;
Only Then shall we know peace

The Great Mother Calls
I listen
She who points the way
The road opens
I walk it
I do not follow
For SHE is the light
By which We create our destiny

The Magick of Licorice Root

To the ancient Egyptians,
Licorice Root was prized for it's medicinal
as well as magickal properties.
For the Priestesses
Medicine & Magick were one and the same.

Among it's medicinal uses;
It is an expectorant
Used in teas, cough remedies, etc.
As an anti inflammatory
It is used to soothe skin disorders such as Eczema,
Useful in treatment of canker sores & peptic ulcers.
Licorice Root is also known for it's estrogenic properties.

So what does any of this have to do with Magick?
It's use in sex & love magick is rooted
in those same estrogenic properties.
The root is often chewed for sexual potency.
It is "sprinkled" in the footprints of a lover
to keep them from wandering.
It is used in love oils & incense.
But it's greatest strength is the Magick of Protection.

Protection Magick.
Licorice root was buried in the tombs
of the deceased, to protect the Soul on it's journey.
It was placed in amulets worn by Priestesses .
The same qualities that expel toxins,
poisons from the body,
Expels negative energy from our lives.
The same energy that creates a barrier
to soothe & protect our bodies from ulcers, skin irritations
Provides a protective barrier around the magickal practitioner.
Today, we still value it
For it's Protective qualities.
It is one of the Nine Sacred Herbs of protection.
Use it in a Mojo Bag with other protective Herbs & crystals
Use it in a cleansing bath
Mix it in an incense,
Stuff it in a poppet to bind a person or bad habit
from your life.
But remember to always use caution & common sense --
(Licorice root should NOT be used by pregnant women
or by those with High Blood pressure & Edema)

Licorice Root is Sacred to the Goddess.
Use it as an offering
Use it wisely and it shall serve you well.

Cleansing, Binding, Banishing, Oh My!

Recently I sat in on a class being given by a colleague.
The class, beginning herbalism; focused on Medicinal uses
with a brief mention of "magickal properties".
Of course being the Witch that I am,
I had to jump in on occasion.
Everything was going smoothly until Licorice Root.

Licorice Root
Expectorant, Antiviral, antibacterial
Love, Lust, fertility
Then I made the statement
"Licorice is a sacred herb of protection"
Heads turned.
You could have heard a pin drop.
My colleague said "We don't do that kind of stuff here"
What kind of stuff?
What is it about protective magick
that makes people uncomfortable?

Protective magick is necessary
Protective magick is NOT about harming others
It is a magick that ensures us the best possible circumstances
within our own life
Protective magick shields us from negativity
Protective magick is a barrier we call upon
When we feel vulnerable

There are days each one of us could benefit
from a good cleansing bath.
There are moments when each of us will need
To banish energy that no longer serves us
There are times when we may need to bind
that harmful energy or habit.

We can learn much from nature
The practice of Magick is neither "good" nor "Bad"
like the lessons of "Licorice Root"
It's gift to us comes from it's ability to "Expel"
To protect the Human Body & in doing so,
It soothes & restores balance
That is a magick we must learn to embrace