Other: Sand (river, beach), water (spring, salt, river), algae, seaweed, coins, mirrors, the moon, mother of pearl, shells, live fish (not to eat), coral, colorful rocks, river stones, shark teeth.
Spells and Magick: Moon magick, love, beauty, fertility, protection.
Add three tablespoons of mint leaves to one cup of boiling water. Let the tea steep for six minutes and inhale the steam as the tea strengthens. Strain and sweeten with honey. Chant the following over the tea:
Cool my anger, herb of mint.
Honey sweeten my intent.
My attitude, I ask you, change.
Toss heat of temper out of range.
Okay, so I was clearing out some stuff last night, and came across a couple of poems I wrote back in high school. One’s too emo/personal to share, but here’s the other one. But first, a bit of an explanation: See, I was new to the Craft, and was inspired to write it after reading Before Time Was and The Charge of the Goddess. And did I mention I wrote back when I was in high school? ;)
The Moon
by Tiger Rainstorm
Ah, the moon.
The great, glorious orb.
She who gives life and light
She who lights up the night
With her face,
Her round face,
That watches over her children
From heaven above.
She who changes so often,
Then hides her face from the world.
She who commands the tides
of the ocean.
She who gives us the power
to overcome,
the power to be free,
the power to be wild.
The magical amulet in the sky
called the moon.
Selene, Phoebe, Artemis;
She goes by many names,
but there is only one
True Name:
The Goddess.
She is the Maiden,
the Mother, and
the Crone.
She is the moon.
Do you have a small apartment? Do you share your space with someone who doesn’t respect your privacy? Do you prefer to keep you altar out of the way of prying eyes, or be able to bring it with you on the go? Use some of these ideas for creating a Pagan altar that will fit into the smallest spaces, be portable, or hidden in plain view.
If you worship a deity, you might find yourself wondering about offerings. What kind of offerings does [deity] like? How often should I make offerings? Do I leave it on my altar? For how long? Wait, so I need an altar?
What is an offering?
An offering is something you give...
Ingredients:
1 cup of milk per serving.
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp of vanilla extract
1/2 a cup of brewed lavender tea
Lavender buds or cinnamon
Steep lavender buds or any lavender tea in 1/2 a cup of hot water. The more tea leaves or buds you use, the stronger the...
Hold your cat’s face in your hands so you can look he/she in the eyes and say these kind words:
Bast of beauty and of grace,
Protectress of the feline race,
Shield (name) from all hurt and harm
And keep him/her always safe and warm.
Watch over (name) from day to day
And guide him/her home,…
Hi! Would you help me please with a spell to win a lawsuit or to help in legal matters? I hope you have wonderful day and thanks in advance.
Hi, sorry to hear you're having legal troubles. I personally don't have any spells for such matters, but I do own a copy of Everyday Magic: Spells & Rituals for Modern Living by Dorothy Morrison. In it, Ms. Morrison lists a Charm for Legal Success:Carry a pair of large hickory nuts to court in your pocket to enhance your chances of legal success. Empower them first by chanting:Nuts so rich, your powers lend;Tip the scales of justice — let me win.
(Ms. Morrison also recommends scheduling court dates for Thursdays.)
This pattern is worked flat, but for instructions on knitting this in the round, please scroll down.
• size 6 knitting needles
• worsted weight yarn in any color(s)
• yarn needle
• ruler
1) CO 22 sts.
2) K until the piece measures about 5 inches.
3) K 2 rows of sts, then on the next row, you’re going to k1, k2tog, k1, k2tog, etc. until you reach the end of the row. On the back, k as you normally would. You should have 15 sts on your needle.
4) For the next row, you’re going to inc your sts again. To do this, k1, yo, k1, yo, etc. until you reach the end. On the back, k as you normally would. You should now have 22 sts on your needle again, as well as seven holes for the drawstring to go through.
5) K as normal until the piece reaches about 6.5 inches.
6) BO.
7) Rep steps 1 - 6 for the other side of the bag.
8) Place both pieces front-to-front, and then sew them together, threading the needle down one side, along the bottom, and up the other side. When you’re done, turn the bag inside out.
9) For the drawstring itself, cut off nine strands of yarn, each measuring 20 inches long. While holding all the strands together, tie a knot in one end, divide the strands into groups of three, and braid the yarn. (You may have to have a friend help you, or you could do like I did and hold it in place with your foot.) Once you reach the bottom, tie a knot in that end.
10) Finally, thread the drawstring through the holes, and voila!, drawstring bag. :)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
FOR KNITTING IN THE ROUND:
• size 6 knitting needles
• worsted weight yarn in any color(s)
• ruler
1) CO 44 sts.
2) K about 12 rnds of sts, then on the next rnd, you’re going to k1, k2tog, k1, k2tog, etc. until you reach the end of the rnd. On the next rnd, k as you normally would. You should have about 30 sts on your needle.
3) For the next rnd, you’re going to increase your sts again. To do this, k1, yo, k1, yo, etc. until you reach the end of the rnd. Next rnd, k as you normally would. You should now have 44 sts on your needle again, as well as about 14 holes for the drawstring to go through.
4) K as normal until the piece reaches about 6.5 inches.
5) BO.
6) For the drawstring itself, cut off nine strands of yarn, each measuring 20 inches long. While holding all the strands together, tie a knot in one end, divide the strands into groups of three, and braid the yarn. (You may have to have a friend help you, or you could do like I did and hold it in place with your foot.) Once you reach the bottom, tie a knot in that end.
7) Finally, thread the drawstring through the holes, and voila!, drawstring bag. :)
Knitting magick, or knit witchery as I like to call it, is when a witch casts a spell through knitting. It's similar to knot magick in that you focus your intent into it as you work, perhaps chanting as you go along though it's not absolutely necessary. You could also try focusing your intent and then blessing/charging the finished item as well to really seal the spell, but again, it's not necessary. The spell is then activated when the item is worn, hung up in an area you wish to affect, or even buried. To undo the spell, simply unravel the item and/or burn it.
Knitting magick is very versatile, utilizing color correspondences in the color of the yarn you choose, cord magick in the way the stitches are knitted, and even, number magick in the number of rows and/or stitches you use.
You could make an afghan for protection, a scarf to help you attract a new love, or a wristband to help you with fertility. You could even knit your own mojo bag, or use the bag to hold your tarot cards.
There's no limit to what you can do using this branch of magick; the only limit is your skill level and imagination. So, go crazy, and get stitchin', witches! ;)
SOURCES: A special thanks goes to CorvusAlatus over at Ravelry. For more information on knitting magick, please visit Pixiecraft: Adventures of Magick and Devotion and Penton: Independent Pagan Media.
Stick from a tree — This should be approximately 8" - 12" long, or whatever feels most comfortable to you (I get mine off the ground; there isn't any need to harm the tree if you don't have to)
Glue — Tacky, Super, or Epoxy (Read bottle for best application)
Decorations, such as crystal points, stones, ribbon, paint to draw runes or symbols
Pick up the first bottle and decide how big you would like the cup portion of your chalice to be. You are going to be cutting the bottle in two, and the bottom section will be the cup part. The top portion will be the neck and bottom. Do you want them equal? Cup portion smaller than the bottom? That's up to you!
When you decide on the size of the chalice's cup, carefully cut the bottle in two. Depending on the brand of water bottle, there may already be lines and grooves that you can follow. Once the two parts are separate, MAKE SURE you trim the edges of the two sections smooth, especially the cup portion. You will drink from this, so you don't want to be poked by a plastic splinter!
Once the two parts are separated, wipe out any water that may have been left over inside the bottle. Now, turn the "cup" portion of the bottle upside down: the open end should be facing down on the table.
Take the other half of the cut bottle and remove cap and plastic ring, if you haven't already done so. The area where the cap twisted onto the bottle will become the "neck" of the chalice.
With your hot glue gun (make sure you have adult help if you are not allowed to use on your own), put hot glue on the bottom of the "cup" (the portion facing down) and press the "neck" opening onto the glue. Make sure it's in the center so your chalice is good and balanced! Let the glue dry before you touch or move the chalice. (If you can't use hot glue, this craft works just as well with the type of white craft glue that dries clear. Drying time may take overnight, however, and you DO NOT want to turn the chalice right side up until then. The glue will run down into the neck of the chalice and onto your table!)
When dry, turn everything right side up and there you are! It could function as a chalice just as it is, but why stop there?
Take the second water bottle. Cut a portion off the end of this one, about a third up from the bottom. It should look like a small cup. The rest of this bottle can now be recycled. Place your dried or silk flowers into this bottle bottom. You won't need much.
Now, pick up your chalice and carefully fit the open chalice bottom into this cup-like portion. You may have to press in on the plastic to make it fit, but it will go in. Finally, tie some colorful ribbons on the neck, and you're done!
You can be as creative as you like with this craft. You can use soda bottles of different color plastics to give your chalice some jazz. You can change the flowers in the bottom to match the season or add other elements. (Avoid anything that's too heavy. I wouldn't fill the bottom with gem stones, for instance! Yet you can get nice effects by shredding different color craft or tissue paper and using that instead of flowers, or in combination with flowers. You can use petals, glitter...let your imagination soar!)
Another neat idea is to use the bottom of a water or soda and a clean, empty mini water bottle, such as the "aqua pod" water bottles. You don't need to do anything with the mini bottle. You can even leave the cap on. Cut off the bottom half of the regular size water bottle to the desired "cup" size, and then glue it right onto the mini bottle's cap. Once this dries, you have a chalice in which you can actually bring your ritual "ale" to Circle! If you're too young for actual Circle ale or wine, you can bring along your own grape juice (consider it your "provate vintage") and toast the gods along with the rest of the group. Just open the cap, fill your cup, and screw it back onto the base (you may want to ask someone for help with this: you don't want to end up wearing your private vintage).
And if the chalice breaks, cracks, rips, or gets stomped on by dancing feet, it's all recyclable. Simply make another! Make them for all the members of your Coven for a special treat. You could even put good-wish messages or a good luck pouch in each one.
