MAGICK'S ALL AROUND

Merry Meet to All of You!

On my holidays in Germany I came across proof that you can find magickal places even in the most unexpected settings.

Check out my Herbal Chalice blog for details:

http://theherbalchalice.blogspot.com/2009/09/magicks-all-around.html

Magickal Blessings,

Ilona

The Wiccan Rede

Bide the Wiccan Laws we must,

In Perfect Love and Perfect Trust.

Live and let live,

Fairly take and fairly give.

Cast the Circle thrice about,

To keep the evil spirits out.

To bind the spell every time,

Let the spell be spake in rhyme.

Soft of eye and light of touch,

Speak little, listen much.

Deosil go by the waxing moon,

Chanting out the Witches' Rune.

Widdershins go by the waning moon,'

Chanting out the baneful rune.

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 wind's mighty gale,

Lock the door and drop the sail.

When the wind comes from the South,

Love will kiss thee on the mouth.

When the wind blows from the West,

Departed souls will have no rest.

When the wind blows from the East,

Expect the new and set the feast.

Nine woods in the cauldron go,

Burn them fast and burn them slow.

Elder be the Lady's tree,

Burn it not or cursed you'll be.

When the Wheel begins to turn,

Let the Beltane fires burn.

When the Wheel has turned to Yule,

Light the log and the Horned One rules.

Heed ye Flower, Bush and Tree,

By the Lady, blessed be.

Where the rippling waters go,

Cast a stone and truth you'll know.

When ye have a true need,

Hearken not to others' greed.

With a fool no season spend,

Lest ye be counted as his friend.

Merry meet and merry part,

Bright the cheeks and warm the heart.

Mind the Threefold Law you should,

Three times bad and three times good.

When misfortune is enow,

Wear the blue star on thy brow.

True in Love ever be,

Lest thy lover's false to thee.

Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill:

An ye harm none, do what ye will...

Click HERE for an explanation of the Wiccan Rede.

THE WITCHES' CREED

The Witches’ Creed by Doreen Valiente

Here Now the words of the witches,

The secrets we hid in the night,

When dark was out destiny's pathway,

That now we bring forth into light.

Mysterious water and fire,

The earth and the wide-ranging air,

By hidden quintessence we know them,

And will and keep silent and dare.

The birth and rebirth of all nature,

The passing of winter and spring,

We share with the life universal,

Rejoice in the magickal ring.

Four times in the year the Great Sabbat

Returns, and the witches are seen,

At Lammas and Candlemas dancing,

On May Eve and old Hallowe'en.

When day-time and night-time are equal,

When Sun is at greatest and least,

The four Lesser Sabbats are summoned,

And Witches gather in feast.

Thirteen silver moons in a year are,

Thirteen in the coven's array.

Thirteen times at Esbat make merry,

For each golden year and a day.

The power that was passed down the ages,

Each time between woman and man,

Each century into the other,

Ere time and the ages began.

When drawn is the magickal circle,

By sword or athame of power,

Its compass between two worlds lies,

In land of the shades for that hour.

This world has no right then to know it,

And world of beyond will tell naught.

The oldest of Gods are invoked there,

The Great Work of magick is wrought.

For two are the mystical pillars,

That stand at the gate of the shrine,

And two are the powers of Nature,

The forms and the forces divine.

The dark and the light in succession,

The opposites each unto each,

Shown forth as a God and a Goddess:

Of this our ancestors teach.

By night he's the wild wind's rider,

The Horn'd One, the Lord of the Shades.

By day he's the King of the Woodland,

The dweller in green forest glades.

She is youthful or old as she pleases,

She sails the torn clouds in her Braque,

The bright silver Lady of midnight,

The Crone who weaves spells in the dark.

The master and mistress of magick,

That dwell in the deeps of the mind,

Immortal and ever-renewing,

With power to free or to bind.

So drink the good wine to the Old Gods,

And dance and make love in the praise,

Till Elphame's fair land shall receive us

In peace at the end of our days.

And "Do What You Will" be the challenge,

So be it Love that harms none,

For this is the only commandment.

By Magick of old, be it done!

Eight words the Witches’ Creed fulfill:
If it harms none, do what you will.

TIP IF THE DAY - A MAGIC BREW

Merry Meet to All of You!

Hope you are all enjoying the sunshine as we are closing in on Misummer?!

I know, the lovely wheather makes you crave cold drinks more tham anything, but I found this tea recipe I want to share with you regardless.

It's called 'Magical Working Tea' and helps you with your preparation and mindset before undertaking, well, magickal work.

It is dead simple, just make an infusion out of:

2 teaspoons rosemary

1 teaspoon lavender

grated peel of 1 orange

let it infuse for 10 minutes and drink about an hour before your magickal workings.

Rosemary stimulates the brain while lavender relaxes you and orange is linked with solar energies, thus this tea can help putting yourself in the required mindset for your purposes.

(Recipe taken from: 'The Real Witches Kitchen' by Kate West, page 141; see: http://richmondchalice.blogspot.com/2009/05/tip-of-day-good-book.html)

So, even in this warm weather, the right cup of tea can still work wonders (my next tip will probably be a cold alcoholic bewerage, sunshine permitting)!

Enjoy this lovely summer weather and make the most of it outdoors,

Sunny Blessings,Ilona

TIP OF THE DAY - A GOOD BOOK

Merry Meet to All!

You might have noticed that the main theme of our next chalice meeting is "Kitchen Cupboard Magick", e.g. using everyday kitchen ingredients for magic and/or healing purposes, so if you would like to find out more, pop along!

If you haven't got the time here is a good book for you to read, which shows you how to utilise your kitchen for magick purposes.

It's called:


and gives you plenty of ideas and inspiration, from candle and incense making, body care, feasting in tune with and cooking for the Wheel of the Year and its' Sabbats, potions and healing remedies. It also gives you tips on how to buy, store and use your herbs and what equipment you will need.

All in all, it's a great book, well written and easily accessible, even to the greenest novice.

So, if you have chance, take five, make a cuppa and bury your noses in some kitchen Magick!

Warm Blessings,

Ilona

TIP OF THE DAY - DOWN TO EARTH

Merry Meet to all of you!

I recently read Marian Green's book 'The Gentle Art of Aquarian Magic' and really enjoyed it.

Here is a little quote from the chapter about Earth Magic, which stood out for me, as it sums up my feelings perfectly.

"...you don't need artificial, modern written sources to lead you to the Goddess of Earth, Mother Nature [...] Any walk among trees, over wild countryside or along a wintry, deserted beach will bring you far closer to the roots of the oldest religion of all than muttered rites in a man-made house, or words read from a page by guttering candle light."

(Marion Green; The Gentle Art of Aquarian Magic; The Aquarian Press; London; 1987)

I feel this is so true, how can you be closer to the magick of the Earth than when you are surrounded by it?!

Next time you want to connect to Earth Magick, why not take a long walk, and open your eyes and soul to what is around you (you might want to read Lisa's Tip of the Day - Walk in Wonder again).

You could collect a stone, which you find while out, one which spoke to you through it's patterns or shape, and take it home with you. There you can take some quiet time, just holding the stone, reaching out to it, feeling it's energy. In time you will develop a relationship with your special stone, and in time of need, just holding it can give you a sense of comfort and peace. This is one very simple way of letting the magick of the Earth into your life.

So, next time you take a walk, open yourself to the beauty and spirit of Mother Nature around you!

Warm Blessings,

Ilona

TIP OF THE DAY - BAGS AWAY FOR THE HOLIDAY

Merry Meet to All of You!

The holiday season is fast heading towards us and, to be honest, don't you hate the niggling feeling on the way to airport:'I hope I haven't forgotten anything!?' and then, worse, when you arrive there, you find that you have....in the worst case scenario even your plane tickets or passport?!

I have certainly suffered from 'have I packed everything' stress, so I was really pleased when I came about this little spell, which can help you remember your essentials whilst packing your bags.

To begin with, fill the room with the aroma of lemon, either by lighting a lemon-scented candle, or , if you can' t get hold of one, a simple white one next to a bowl of lemon juice.
Next, take a red pen to a white piece of paper and write down everything you want to remember to pack three times. Then burn this list in the candle whilst saying:

"When I touch my bags to pack, from memory this list bring back!"

Then, simply stop worrying and have a great holiday!

Warm Blessings,

Ilona

TIP OF THE DAY - WORKING WITH SYMBOLS

Magick and divination are both heavily reliant on symbols. Learning to work with symbols is like learning a foreign language, or perhaps the analogy of getting to know new friends from faraway places is a better fit... One thing is certain: once you've achieved an understanding of the true meaning of a symbol, the world has changed forever.

For symbols to be meaningful we have to work with them and really pay attention to them over a period of time. Each symbol has many layers of meaning. It takes time and patience to uncover them all.

As with the Moon cycles it is essential to keep a journal or to enter the observations into your Book of Shadows.

The first step is to decide on a symbol that you would like to get to know better. But don't be surprised if the symbol chooses you.

Let's say I want to understand the true meaning of rainbows. For many years, I might have just thought of them as pretty colours in the sky. Then one of them appears on the day that I receive news of a miraculous healing. The rainbow has my attention. What else can it communicate?

As I work with the rainbow symbol and enter the observations into my BoS, I start noting subtle differences like the size and brightness of the rainbow, what the sky around it looks like... if it's a double or even triple rainbow... where it's located... what time of the day it appears etc. etc. For these differences to have any meaning, I need to relate them to what is going on in my own life.

The different types of rainbows may be more related to thought processes and emotions than to things that happen in the world, or it could be a bit of both. As any person who spends time reflecting on internal process will know, the outside world often reflects that which is within.

Working with symbols in this way is the path to becoming the kind of oracle who can read anything, anywhere at any time. If you use any kind of man-made divination tool, like the Tarot or the I-Ching, your experiental database of symbols will take your divination skills to the next level as you'll start seeing correspondences that you weren't aware of before.

As a Tarot reader, I might pull a card one day and feel my eyes drawn to one of the details in the card. Let's say I truly notice the white dove in the Empress card for the first time. This might be the beginning of a very exciting journey that culminates in a deep understanding of the relationship between various aspects of Spirit and the Divine Feminine... I could read hundreds of books on the topic and never reach as deep an understanding of these aspects as I would by internalising them through observation and connecting them with my own experiences and emotions.

Learning to see with magickal eyes is fun and doing it together with others is even more fun! The moments of the penny dropping in group path working are priceless because we get so much further together than we can on our own.

I hope to see as many of you as possible at our next Richmond Chalice Meeting!

Bright Blessings

Lisa

http:://tarothealingbylisa.blogspot.com

TIP OF THE DAY - ELEMENTAL MAGICK

Are you curious about witchcraft? Do you want to learn how to do real magick? Or would you just like to know how to achieve a state of perfect harmony within? The place to start is to getting to know the four elements.

The elements of creation are Fire, Water, Air and Earth. There is also a fifth element, Aether, which binds all the other elements together and is represented by the top point of the Pentagram.

The primary correspondences for the four elements are the four main directions of the compass. These are also the four quarter points from which the Elements are called during magickal workings.

East - Air

South - Fire

West - Water

North - Earth

One way to get to know the elements is to stand in the middle of a circle which you mark with a rope, candles, pine cones or crystals. It's also perfectly fine to use an energy perimeter that you creat in your mind. The circle can be as small or large as you choose. You might need to keep it small if you are working in your living room, but feel free to spread out if you are working in a garden or field.

Take a step toward the eastern quarter and try to sense the element Air with all your being. Just observe what comes to you; don't conjure anything. Once you start receiving impressions of colour, temperature, touch etc, see if you can translate these into a movement that expresses the quality of the element Air.

Once you've completed the movement sequence, commit it to memory and step back into the middle of the circle. Turning clockwise to the South, step forward and see what you can sense/express for the Fire element.

By the end of this exercise you will have four movements which you'll be able to use to call and greet the Guardians of the Elements.

If you have an affinity for angels you might like to read up on the four archangels who have the following correspondences with the four elements/quarters:

East - Air - Raphael

South - Fire - Michael

West - Water - Gabriel

North - Earth - Uriel (or Auriel)

An excellent book on Angel Magick is Angels: Companions in Magick by Silver RavenWolf.

Once you have started to get to know the elements, you might be interested to check out the elemental balance in your own birth chart. This is completely free and relatively easy to do for yourself on http://www.astro.com/

The astrological correspondences for the elements are:

Aries/Leo/Sagittarius - Fire

Taurus/Virgo/Capricorn - Earth

Gemini/Libra/Aquarius - Air

Cancer/Scorpio/Pisces - Water

It's rare for a chart to show perfect balance betwen the elements. Learning to balance the elements within is part not only of our magickal learning but necessary in order to achieve physical health and harmonious relationships. Read more about balancing the elements HERE.

Bright Easter Monday Blessings,

Lisa

http://tarothealingbylisa.blogspot.com/

TIP OF THE DAY - YOUR MAGICKAL TREE

Do you sometimes feel drawn to certain trees? There is a reason for this. The spirit, aka deva, of the tree is trying to communicate with you.

Most magickal people tend to bond with a special tree. Make sure you get to know the tree you are drawn to by communicating silently with it through touch. Your tree can give you comfort, strength, inspiration and healing. It is polite to give something back when your tree has gifted you.

Never cut a branch or take bark from a tree without asking the tree for permission first.

It is also valuable to study tree-lore in order to find out more about the magickal properties of your tree.

Watch this space for future tree spells!

Bright blessings,

Lisa

http://tarothealingbylisa.blogspot.com

TIP OF THE DAY - CLEANING SPELL

Merry Meet to all!

Remember the Tip of the Day about spring cleaning?

Here is a lovely little spell I came across, which can help you to keep your home tidy after you have done all the hard work!

Collect some nice stones, one for each room in your house and put them in a bowl, covered with a green cloth. Then, holding your hands palms down over the bowl, say the following blessing, once for each stone:

Now I have done the cleaning feat,

bless this stone to help to keep

my lovely home smelling sweet

always tidy, always neat!

Place one of the stones near the entrance of every room and they act as charms to keep clutter and mess away.

Bright Blessings,

Ilona

PS. If you like to clean your home with natural products, for recipies to make your own household cleaners go to: http://www.ecocycle.org/hazwaste/recipes.cfm

Brilliant site!

TIP OF THE DAY: ST PATRICK'S DAY

Today is St Patrick's Day !

St Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, who was born in the late 4th century to Roman descendants in Britain. In 403AD, he was captured by Irish raiders and brought to Antrim in Northern Ireland, where he was sold into slavery. It was there, while looking after his masters herds, that he first learned to pray.

After being able to flee on a ship to Gaul, he became a disciple of St Germanus of Auxerre, and for 15 years, he lived and studied in France, before returning to Ireland as a missionary and consecrated bishop, in 432AD.

At Tara, in Meath, St Patrick confronted King Laoghaire with the Christian Gospel and in the process, converted the King's daughters.

In 444AD he established his bishop's seat at Armargh and from there founded a strong foundation of the Irish church.

St Patrick died in 461 AD on Strangford Lough, Downpatrick.

With it being St Patrick's day, why not learn something "Irish" today, like this lovely Ancient Irish Love Binding Spell?

As you probably know, binding spells, including love bindings, can be a double edged sword as far as free will and benevolence are concerned.

In love bindings, there are two main categories of spells.

Mutual Bindings: spells cast on each other by a loving couple as an affirmation of their feelings for another. These are entered into with free will and the desire to do so.

One-sided Bindings: spells of this nature are cast by one party over another, often without their knowledge or consent. They are desperate attempts to save relationships and force the other to stay, a way of gaining 'ownership' of the other person. As these spells ignore the free will and consent, they very rarely work out happily for either party involved.

This little spell firmly belongs into the group of mutual bindings and should be seen as a romantic affirmation of each others feelings.

For this Ancient Irish Hair Binding Spell, give your partner a bracelet woven out of your own hair (or, if you are not in posession of a floating mane, make one from wool or leather, in which you weave a few strands of your own hair which you can pick from your hairbrush for example).

The power which lives in someones hair and comes with being in possession of it is widely known through a variety of sources (Samson in the Bible, anyone?). As such, the giving of your hair to another person represents an act of trust and love.

This binding will only be activated, if the gift is accepted and the spell itself is agreed to by the person of your choice - it cannot be imposed on another!

Warm St Patrick's Day Blessings

Ilona