And while he was at it, he discovered a way for the xmas stocking hooks on our mantle to be useful all year long.

And just cuz i can, here are some pics of recent art work created by me.

work in progress

OM

compassion

a set of Drawers that i painted.

if you have my photobucket url and password you can see more of my art. If you don't have it, and would like it PM me.

http://www.sandfantasy.com/vi...

FM

“O Crone of Endless Ages! Grandmother! Ancient One! Mistress of Magic and the Night, Lady of Dreams and Visions! Enchantress, Queen of Spirits and of the Otherworld -on this night when the Veil is thinnest, this night when we are most conscious of our fears and of our need to cleanse- we call to You! Moon Lady, Who holds the Keys of Life and Death -Who transforms matter and who comforts the Soul! Come to us now! We bid you Hail and Welcome!”

Hecate is the ancient Greek Goddess of magic and witchcraft. A Moon Goddess, Hecate had aspects as Maiden and mother, but was pre-eminently thought of as the Crone. For many Hecate remains the consummate Crone, and special Patron of Samhain (Halloween).

Also called Trivia, “The Triune,” images of Hecate often has three heads or three bodies. The black dog was Hecate’s animal form, and She is connected to Cerberus the three-headed black dog who guarded the gates of the Otherworld in Greek mythology.

Hecate’s symbols include the lighted torch, common to most Greek chthonic Gods, the ritual knife and the scourge, as well as the key. The key unlocks what is hidden, reveals mysteries.*

Hecate is the Prime Witch. She is the goddess from which all the stereotypical pictures of a black caped, pointed hat, riding a broomstick, ugly old hag comes from. Along with Baba Yaga, who also brings those images to common culture. For this reason she is both avoided and often misunderstood by many people, even pagans.

We get confused with the “evil” witch imagery we grew up with and our desire to understand the dark side of our personalities; for that is what she truly represents- the darkness that balances the light. We all have our dark sides, we all have secrets we don’t want to face and we keep hidden from others. The energy of Hecate demands that we shine a light on what we’ve hidden and deal with it. That’s damn scary and she’s damn scary as a result.

For people who just can’t cope with their dark sides she does become evil, she does become an unwanted visitor in the night. She is seen as a nightmarish ghoul, but really she offers a helping hand and support while we face our personal demons.

I’ve dealt with depression and illness a good portion of my life. When I was a teenager I became very ill and had a “just live with it” diagnosis from the Doctors. As a result of that I had a lot of depression, but also an underlying rebellion to NOT just live with it. In the end it’s what launched me on my journey to learn about Herbalism, Energy Healing and Paganism. It was Herbalism and Energy Healing and allowed me to happily, and healthily, walk away from the “just live with it” and with Hecate as my guide the ability to take a stark look at the nature of my depression and come to terms with it.

Yes that sounded weird, even to me. Understanding and even embracing my darkness allowed me to “drop all the baggage” and “move on”. Sure some of it remains and I have days where I have to fight off descending gloom. But I’ve got tools and support. Herbs, Reiki, my family and my Goddess all lend me their aid when the fight gets rough.

I’ll admit it. I’m in a rough patch. And it’s been on my mind a lot. My reason for sharing this is part of my healing process.

In Honour of Most Lovely One, Goddess Hecate

Quiet is the night
Dark is the Moon
I ask Hecate, the Crone
To take Her throne.
Sleep, sister, sleep
Be not alarmed,
For the Great Goddess
Keeps you from harm.
Quiet is the night
Dark is the Moon
I ask Hecate, the Crone
To take Her throne.
Sleep, brother sleep,
Be not alarmed,
For the Great Goddess
Holds you in her arms.
Quiet is the night
Dark is the Moon.
We honour Hecate the Crone
Who has taken Her throne.

A chant to Hecate

Hecate, Crone Goddess, Keep me whole
Let thy wisdom fill my soul.

To close the sacred space

May the circle never be broken
May the earth always be whole
May the rattle ever be shaken
May Hecate live in my soul.

“Behold: As Above, So Below!
As the Universe, So the Soul!
As Within, So Without!
May the Circle be open, but never broken!
Merry Meet –Merry Part –and Merry Meet again!

* from witchschool lessons, I don’t remember which ones

My hands

My hands touch a body that is frail and worn.
The skin feels dry like fallen autumn leaves.
Barely warm.
Rough and papery under wrinkled fingers.

My rings are loose. The knobs of arthritis
Keep them from falling off. I won’t let them be removed.
My hands rest on a body that once was smooth and vibrant.
Now dried out and grasping at life.

How I wish to remember what it felt like when
I carried the fertility of earth within me.
When I could look at myself and feel like a garden.
I was once a garden full of damp moistness where anything
Would grow.
Could grow.

I can imagine my fingers pushing into the black richness,
Turning it up so the sunlight can warm it.
I can see hands young and unmarred planting seeds in the
Fresh rich soil.
That soil is my body. I have seeds planted deep within.
I can feel sun warming my face and can feel the growth begin.
Green and natural. Raw with innocence.

My hands, brittle and parched, lay on a body lost to vitality.
I lay in a bed where nothing will ever grow.
I am
Sand in a windy desert, fluttering away.
Choking the air with dust.
Nothing can grow here.
I am baked hard, no fingers can dig.
I would shatter and fall to ash if somebody tired.

Yesterday I was 23 with a path of sunlit trees to walk down.
Today I am wilted the path traveled the destination reached.

Did I walk the path with grace? When was joy felt on my journey?
I cannot recall.

My hands drop lifeless on a body withered and dry.
I cannot believe it is mine.
I do not remember becoming this way.

I'm feeling really jittery and nervous right now and really really regreting that i forgot to spell check a couple of the emails i sent. ick

i need some tea...

Bitter Waters, a novel
Andrea Ellis North Vancouver, BC Contact: bitterwatersthenovel@hotm ail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Published Jan 2006

“Bitter Waters, a novel” Andrea Ellis’s First novel has been published. This novel is a raw clash of emotions. Lust, guilt, fear, love... and another dose of guilt grope for attention in this tale of poignant longing.

In Bitter Waters, we find a woman; a good woman and faithful wife who is plunged into temptation after bumping into an old flame. He was her first love, a love laced with the sticky sweetness of innocence stolen from the corner store. The tender yet tight prose flows honestly making the characters eminently believable.

As the compelling plot unfolds, many of us will easily identify with this flawed but loving woman, whether we like it or not, or perhaps more accurately, whether we admit it or not.

Andrea Ellis was born and raised in North Vancouver. She continues to live there with her husband, and son. Her mother and father live in the basement and one sister lives in the garage. They are not being held captive, they just won’t leave. (Her other sister lives in her own house, thankfully)

Writing has been a passion for Andrea since she was a teenager and she has written numerous short stories, novels and non-fiction articles that have been published in various online venues covering a variety of genres including relationships, health, alterative healing methods, spirituality, urban fantasy, fairy tale and science fiction.

Bitter Waters was originally written in three days for the “27th 3-Day- Novel- Contest” (3-Day-Novel.com) and has now been independently published through lulu.com. She is currently working on her next novel, while raising her son in her spare time and trying to figure out how to get her sister to move out of the garage.

The first chapter of Bitter Waters can be viewed at http://www.lulu.com/bitterwat..., and purchased from the same site, or by contacting the Author.

Copies of Bitter Waters are available for review by contacting the author. She is also available for interviews, please email or call.

###

I finished my First-degree studies with the correllian tradition and did my Self-dedication ritual. What that all means is that I finished my first year of study with the trad and since the trads main temple is well of 2000 miles from where I live there was no way I could go there to attend a dedication, or ordination. So I performed the ritual myself in my backyard- my ritual space.

I’ll mention that I had previously done a dedication ritual in 1999 to The Goddess and God that had not Tradition affiliations. And this was a more specific ritual.

What does this have to do with Graceshaker? Well something interesting occurred during that ritual which goes along with the point that grace was making this morning. I was sitting with my pendulum having a conversation with God.

Yes I understand that a there was a mutual gasp across cyberspace with that statement, but its okay, take a deep breath and left it go. Feeling better? Take one more and keep reading.

During this conversation, I learned a number of things about my faith and myself. The one that matters here is what God told me about ritual. He told me this:

Finally, the God told me something interesting too. He wanted to let me know that even though setting up an altar and getting out all the ritual paraphernalia was fun and in the beginning helps create focus. Now, it was not necessary; I do not need to use them as tools to focus anymore. I can do it all myself.

When I want to do ritual I do not have to lots of prep work, I can just sit-down and `feel' the ritual. Its fun to do ceremony sometimes and important to keep up the practice but not required.

I realize how all of this might sound to some, it all sounds rather hokey to me at times, but then again it feels completely right, so I'm going with it.

Now what to do with it... :) We'll have to see.

That’s what I wrote the day after the ritual. Even though I still love to lay a proper altar table sometimes I know that all this “stuff” all the tools, icons, etc aren’t necessary for ones faith and ones connection to the Divine.

In Wicca we are taught that Tools such as the wand and cup are tools to help us to focus, they are there to help set our intent to ritual and deepening the relationship with the Divine. But they very rarely talk about moving past that. Reaching a point in your faith where you are so deeply connected, and so well practiced that the told become obsolete. if you haven’t read graces post, go read it now, and later on I’ll share my amusing story of JP ( I’ll explain later, it’s highly irreverent and possibly quite offensive to some, but really funny all the same).

Since beginning a new rule has been implemented. Along with my application questions I need to send copies of ID - so they know I'm a for real person- which i understand and would comply with. But I'm not comfortable with my drivers licence or birth cert. being on record somewhere thats not the gov. or my house.

WHat happens if that pic gets stolen? I'd never know about it until it's too late. ID theif happens just way to much these days for me to be ok with copies of my IDs floating around out in the world.

So i've emailed the records dept. asking that my copies be destroyed or returned to me after verification. If they say yes that'll be done, I'll have to trust in honesty. If they say no, well, I'll be second degree in my head only, because I just can't have my ID lying around.

Some of the questions asked in my application can me pause, for some days, and I thought I'd post my answers, to get thoughts on what i said.

3. In your own words, explain what the Wiccan Rede and the Law of Threefold Return mean to you. Explain how you will apply these concepts in your daily life. Has your understanding of these concepts changed since you have been studying the Second Degree? What other principles or teachings do you use or follow to guide your life?

The Wiccan Rede has made me a conscious consumer. I now consider how my purchasing choices can affect someone. I choose to buy organic-fair-trade-coffee because it ‘harms none’ the same for fair trade banana’s, when I can find them. I’m more conscious of recycling and bringing less harm to the planet.

The three-fold law doesn’t play as big a role in my life however. I don’t really believe in it. I believe that the same lessons will return to us over and over until we finally learn from them, but I don’t believe that the energy I put out returns three times as strong. I’m a pragmatic person and the world just doesn’t work that way.

I believe that the energy I put out gets used and them transformed by the earth or the heavens and then gets put back into the general universal pot which I can then draw from. I see it like the cycle of rain that falls on the earth, flows in a stream to a river, back to the ocean where it evaporates back into the sky to fall as rain again. I don’t see it as positive or negative – it just IS.

This has changed since I started my studies because I did see it as energy returning three fold. But the Rede has always stayed the same and probably forms the basis of most of my decisions and how I relate to my world. I also believe in many of the Buddha’s teachings about non-violence and compassion. Buddha and Kwan Yin are very important to my world.

4. Are you a member of the First Degree Clergy? If so, please tell us what you have done in your capacity as a First Degree Priestess or Priest. If not, why do you seek to pursue Clergy status at this time?

Yes I’m a member of First Degree Clergy. I’ve begun a shrine and there are 13 members online and four that get together with me regularly. But it hasn’t become official yet, nor am I ‘the leader’ we just get together and do rituals and chat. Not all the members are Correllian. I’ve held off applying to be official, because I continue to waffle with regards to how “out of the broom Closet” I wish to be. I have moments where I am determined to become a Pagan Activist and wear my faith on my sleeve and damn anyone who’s offended by it. But those thoughts are followed by sudden and abject fear and thoughts of burying all my pagan books and pagan tools, erasing my hard drive and pretending none of this ever existed.

I’m proud of my faith, don’t get me wrong, but I do become fearful about the safety of my son if every Joe-blow found out about my pagan background. We live is a society right now where we’re balanced on the knife-edge of absolute acceptance and absolute intolerance. Some days I think that humans capacity for compassion and tolerance knows no limits and we will break open a Utopian world where no one need to fear. But then I see the world fallen on to the side where witch-hunts, and gay hunts will happen again with the same fiery ferociousness that soils history. I catch these glimpses of our world as it is and think this is what the world must have looked like in the 1930’s just before Hitler, and later McCarthy exploded into the world’s consciousnesses.

So perhaps I haven’t done very much with my first-degree clergy. And I wonder myself why I desire to put myself further out there by becoming second degree. I suppose it’s because, simply, I’ve finished this level of education and I want that recognized, mostly for myself, but also for the small Wiccan community I am a part of.

I’d like to believe that one day I won’t fear the reprisals of “being out there” and can be an active member on the pagan scene. I’d like to have the legal rights to perform Handfastings and celebrate Pagan festivals opening, without being paranoid that my son will get bullied or the house will get vandalized.

5. How will your approval as a member of the Second Degree Clergy benefit yourself, the Correllian Tradition, and the larger pagan community?

To be perfectly honest approval as a member is mostly a selfish one. I want to be able to say “I’m a second degree clergy”, I want the recognition that I have this level of education. Vancouver, like many large cities, has many pagan communities; they are all small and rather insular. To make any sort of headway within these groups one must, it seems, have credentials sticking out of their bums. I don’t really agree with it, but when someone asks me “Where do you get off writing that about Wicca?” I want to be able to turn around and say, “I’m a Second Degree Priests” My level of education allows me to write that “I’m educated.”

I’m an online pagan; I write my articles on line and remain fairly anonymous as a result. I feel a certain amount of freedom there, as apposed to my slight paranoia about the real world. My blog, Demystifying Misconceptions, (http://fairmoon.tblog.com/) has become a place of interfaith dialogue and a place where I feel comfortable being openly pagan. I speak out about the misunderstandings about paganism there and have wonderful conversations with Christians, mostly, about our faiths, the similarities and about ways of getting along.

13. What do you see as being the most important issues facing the Tradition in the future? How will you as a Second Degree Cleric help deal with these issues?

Fear. I think fear is the biggest challenge all pagans have to deal with. Fear and misunderstanding from the outside world and well as their own personal fears about being misunderstood and possibly persecuted for their beliefs. We stand at a crossroads of intolerance and acceptance. Which path the world chooses in anyone’s guess. I am personally working with the acceptance road, in my own small way, with my blog and my chats with Christians. See above.

Those are some of the questions I've had to answer. I guess I'm not really looking for responses here, I just had to share these thoughts.

FM

Some Herbs & their Magical Properties

A

Acacia : Protection, Psychic Powers, Money and Love Spells Burn for altar offering, aids psychic powers, meditation, protection
Adam & Eve Roots : Love, Happiness
Adders Tongue : Healing
African Violet : Spirituality, Protection
Agaric : Fertility
Agrimony : Protection, Sleep, returns spells to their sender, promotes sleep
Ague Root : Protection
Alder: Whistles entice the Elemental Air
Alfalfa : Prosperity, Anti-Hunger, Money

Balm of Gilead : Love, Manifestations, Protection, Healing, (Saturn) The buds can be carried to mend a broken heart.
Bamboo : Protection, Luck, Hex-Breaking, Wishes
Banana : Fertility, Potency, Prosperity
Banyan : Luck. Happiness
Barley : Love, Healing, Protection
Basil : Love, Exorcism, Wealth, Flying, Protection, repels negativity, (Mars, fire) Carrying basil in pockets attracts money to them. A wife can dust her upper body with powdered basil to keep her husband faithful. integration, discipline and dragon force

Cinnamon : Spirituality, Success, Power, Protection,(Sun, fire) Used in incenses for healing, clairvoyance, high spiritual vibration. Used as a male aphrodisiac.
Cinquefoil : Money, Prophetic Dreams, Sleep,(Jupiter, earth) Hang on house entrances for protection. Use in spells and charms for prosperity, purification and protection.
Citron : Psychic Powers, Healing
Cloth of Gold : Understand Animal Languages
Clove :, Exorcism, Love, Money Burn for wealth, purification,(Sun, fire) Worn to drive away negativity and stop gossip. Cloves strung on red thread can be worn as a protection charm.
Clover : Protection, Money, Love, Fidelity, Exorcism, Success, (Mercury) Associated with the Triple Goddess. Used in rituals for beauty and youth. Four leafs are carried to see faeries, heal illness, avoid military service, avoid madness and for good luck.

Here are some of the same herbs, but their medical uses instead. (remember if you're an American the AMA doesn't want to you veiw this as medical knowledge. I'm not legally allowed to suggest or recommend anything to you. But if you're Canadian its ok)

Medical uses of a few herbs First listed it the herbs common name, then latin, followed by part used, Ayurvedic conditions, what it does in the body, good uses and finally any contraindications.

Ayuruveda is a practice of medicince from India every similar to Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Alfalfa, Lucerne, Medicago sativa
Leaves. Cooling, astringent, sweet.
High in vitamins and minerals, balances pH, high bulk fiber, Promotes strength.
Take after surgery or recovering from chronic/ long-term illness or weakness.
Anti cholesterol, anti anemia. Do not take with
Vitamin E supplements as it renders vit. E ineffective.

Aloe Vera, Aloe barbadersis
Juice from leaves. Cooling, bitter, astringent.
External: Skin injuries, burns, and rashes, promotes healing, and reduces scars. Internal: Indigestion, ulcers. Antibiotic, Demulcent, Antiviral.
Contraindications: do not take internally during pregnancy

Basil, Ocimun basilicum
Leaves. Heating, pungent.
Helps relieve depression, irritability, nervousness, tension, nausea and vomiting. Increases milk flow in mothers. High in vit. A and C. antispasmodic, carminative, seditive, antibiotic.
Contraindications: not during pregnancy

Black Cohosh, snake root, Cimicifuga racemosa Nutt.
Root/rhizome. Cooling, sweet, pungent
Neuralgia pain, menstrual cramps, sciatica, aches after exercise, menopause. Relaxing nervine, sedative, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory.
Contra. Do not use during pregnancy or lactation.

Calendula, Pot Marigold, Calendula officinalis
Flowers. Neutral, bitter.
Internal: Reduce swollen lymph glands, ulcers, GI inflammation, regulates painful or absent menses.
External: speeds healing of all types of wounds, reduces redness of skin and vericose veins, soothe sore nipples in nursing moms. Immune stimulant, antibiotic.
Contra. Do not use internally if expected pregnancy, or want pregnancy.

Cardamom, elettaria cardamomum
Seed pods. Heating, pungent, sweet.
Indigestion, gas, diarrhea, colic, headache, muscle pain, menstrual pain, PMS. Carminative, stimulant, antispasmodic.
Contra: not during pregnancy

Catnip, Catmint, Nepeta cataria
Leaves and flowers. Cooling, bitter, sweet.
Good for children, Fevers, tension, colic, hyperactivity, nervousness, middle ear and sinus infections, sleeplessness. Antispasmodic, anti diarrhea, carminative, nervine
Contra: not during pregnancy, safe during lactation.

Cayenne, Capsicum minimum.
Bright red seedpods, powder: cayenne pepper. Heating, pungent.
Safest/purest stimulant, opens up all tissues, increases blood flow.
Poor digestion, low energy, poor circulation, natural warmth, used for heart disease. Antiseptic, antispasmodic, carminative, clot’s external bleeding.
Contra. Do not use during pregnancy.

Chamomile, German Chamomile, matrcaria recutia, Roman chamaemulum nobile
Flowers. Cooling, pungent, bitter.
Nervousness, stomach inflammation, hyperactivity in kids, fever, nausea, digestive upset, PMS, sleeplessness. Anti inflammatory, antibiotic, antispasmodic, nervine, carminative.
Contraindications. Ragweed allergen. German ok in pregnancy ~ not Roman.

If you want to protect yourself from witches here are a few good herbs to keep handy

ANTI-MAGICK AND ANTI-WITCH HERBS AND FLOWERS

Alyssum: Protects the bearer from charm and fascination.

Angelica: Cures bewitchment and curses, or deflects them from you.

Anise: A sure-fire ward against the evil eye.

Ash: Protection against sorcery and conjure.

Bamboo: Used for hex breaking and banishing.

Basil: This purges an area of magical influences.

Beans (any dried kind): Turns away magically generated misfortune.

Broom: Hung in the home or placed across the doorway this will turn back witches.

Chamomile: Averts any kind of spell.

Chrysanthemum: Protects the home against evoked spirits and also averts magical mayhem.

Cinquefoil: Washes away hexes.

Coriander: Protective herb that fights off mystical evils.

Dill: Protects the bearer from witchery when carried over the heart.

Elder: Used to identify whether or not a person is a real witch

Fennel: Hung in the doorway on a midsummer's day it will turn away any mal-intended magic

Garlic: A good all-around preventative against magical creatures and unwanted spells.

Holly: Protection against evil eye, no matter how powerful the caster

Hyacinth: Cures fascination

Ivy (ground): When fashioned into a cross, this was thought helpful to witch-hunters.

Mallow: Fights off black-magic

Marjoram: German witches cannot tolerate this herb.

Mistletoe: Carry this to avert evil spells

Nettle: Dispels magical curses

Oats: Protects horses and other animals from curses, especially the evil eye.

Rowan: Bound with red thread, it becomes a powerful anti-magic charm

Sage: Protects against curses cast with a wicked glance.

St John's Wort: Forces a witch to confess the truth

Valerian: Hung in the home it protects all within from malevolent magic

Vervain: When combined with dill this makes a very potent anti-witchcraft amulet

Walnut: If you put this under a true witch's eat, he or she will be unable to move

I hope you enjoyed this look into the world of a Hedge Witch, Please don't take it so seriously, I don't.

FM

Tree Magic, Thirteen Affirmations

I honour the energy of *birch*, for a new beginning. I am able to change myself, as I will to do. So mote it be!

I honour the energy of *rowan* for protection against evil enchantment. I will not hobble myself with the chains of past failures. So mote it be!

I honour the energy of *alder*, for the protection of my inner oracle. I will listen to the voice of the Goddess Within. So mote it be!

I honour the energy of *willow*, for the lunar rhythms within me as a woman. I will recognize and heed my own body's cycles. So mote it be!

I honour the energy of *ash*, the magician's staff. I will recognize that "as above, so below," I play a part in the larger scheme of things. I will link my inner and outer worlds. So mote it be!

I honour the energy of *hawthorn* for cleansing and restraint. I will choose what I place within my body, and empty myself of all that violates my personal well-being. So mote it be!

I honour the energy of *oak*, the doorway to the mysteries. I will call upon the strength of the Horned One when I feel in need of protection. So mote it be!

I honour the energy of *holly*, spear of the warrior. I will not remain passive and victimized, but will choose to fight for my own freedom. So mote it be!

I honour the energy of *hazel*, the tree of wisdom. I will heed my own inner intuitions, and will be wise and informed in my choices. So mote it be!

I honour the energy of *vine*, the tree of conviviality and celebration. I will love myself and will celebrate life, not seeing the choices I make as deprivations but gifts. So mote it be!

I honour the energy of *ivy*, the spiral to center. I will do all that I do because of my own inner desires. I will listen to myself, and will remain balanced and centered while I do this work. So mote it be!

I honour the energy of *reed*, the tool of the hunt. I will take direct action when necessary to protect myself including the "killing" of old patterns, friendships and associations, which harm me. So mote it be!

I honour the energy of *elder*, which sees the end from the beginning. Throughout many lifetimes I have been here. I have the knowledge that I have changed myself again and again. I will start from where I am now, and continue to persist in my path. I will succeed. So mote it be!

~Author Unknown

These affirmations are based on the Celtic Tree Calendar which has 13 months- following the moon- and each month is named after a tree.

A Wiccan Blessing for a Newborn

"Blessed be your breath. May your breathing be deep and relaxed. May you breathe in power with every breath you take. Blessed Be each breath you take.

Blessed be the fire inside you. May your will be unbroken. And may it be as strong as fire, and as supple. May your will be as strong as water, and as supple. MAy your passions burn truly and free.

Blessed be your fire, may it burn strong. Blessed be the waters of your life. May your blood be strong. May the flow from your loin be joyful and fertile.

Blessed be all your life-waters. Blessed be the earth of your body. May your muscles be strong and fearless. May your heart beat with love, soul, vigour and courage.

Blessed be your body which is the body of a God. Blessed be your spirit. May you always have health in spirit. May you be whole.

Blessed be your spirit. May you always have community. May you be prosperous in all ways. May you love and be loved.

May your voice -- both your complaints and your special offerings to the world -- be truly heard.

May you always be surrounded by the warmth of family & community. May you know the innate goodness of your being. Blessed Be."

by Francesca De Grandis, copyright 1996

With Every Breath

With every breath I take today, I vow to be awake;

And every step I take, I vow to take with a grateful heart--

So I may see with eyes of love into the hearts of all I meet,

To ease their burden when I can And touch them with a smile of peace.

~Buddhist Source: Blue Iris Sangha

House blessing

Touch the lintel and touch the wall, Nothing but blessings here befall! Bless the candle that stands by itself, Bless the book on the mantle shelf, Bless the pillow for the tired head, Bless the hearth and the light shed. Friends who tarry here, let them know A three fold blessing before they go. Sleep for weariness - peace for sorrow Faith in yesterday and tomorrow. Friends who go from here, let them bear The blessing of hope, wherever they fare. Lintel and windows, sill and wall, Nothing but good, this place befall.

Protect thy home, I ask of thee.

Bring to it love, so perfect and free

Day in and day out, please flow thru me

Above and below, so mote it be !

Lithomancy

Scatter a few precious or semi-precious stones on a flat surface they must be a variety of colours. Light a candle and set it up in the middle of them. Turn off all other lights to aid your concentration and close your eyes. When you open them, note the colour of the first stone, which catches your eye by reflecting the candle light towards you. Meanings:

Blue - good luck
Colourless - happiness and success
Green - a wish granted
Red - romance
Claret - marriage
Turquoise - opportunity
Yellow - unfaithfulness
Grey - sadness
Violet - grief
Purple – quarrel,
Black - bad luck

In my next post I'll post some herbal wisdom...... :D

FM

click on the link to the left <----------- over there silly! FM>

I ended up with Click (my nickname for my friends kid, don’t ask) because the gov. discovered that her regular day care had one to many kids and since Click was the last to enroll, he got booted out with only a day notice. My friend called me up on Tuesday, in tears, hoping I could look after Click for the rest of the week. Of course I said yes. It was a good few days, and it completely re- enforced the fact that I am a ONE KID MOM. There will be NO MORE BABIES!!

That made my week pretty busy, as well as looking after kids this week I was also working on my Book Of Shadows (BOS), here’s the part that may ‘challenge’ PastorDave.

If you’ve paid any attention here, and read any of the previous posts you’ll remember that in Wicca we don’t have a unifying book like the Bible, or Torah or Koran. We have collections of ideas, thoughts, rituals, spells, prayers, chants etc contained in books called Books of shadows, and Grimoires (definitions below). Each coven, or tradition, generally, has their own versions and individuals also sometimes have their own too. The information in them is pretty much always the same, but the words might be different and there might be more information of a specific topic in one verses another.

For example a member of a Dianic Tradition might have a lot of information about Goddesses, but virtually none on Gods, since most, if not all, their work revolves around the Feminine Divine. Whereas a male member of a coven who’s work centers on the Norse myths, may have a lot more information on Gods, namely Odin, Loki and Hemdall, and maybe nothing on Diana. (Generally speaking of course)

The thing about a BOS is that once it exists it becomes a sacred book. It becomes as important, at least to the witch or coven using it, as a bible or torah or any other sacred text for a faith. It takes on a life and an energy of it’s own. It is a book of knowledge, of secrets, of everything and anything that matters to the faith of the creator.

It differs from a bible, in that not every witch will look at any given bos and see it as sacred. They will respect it, but it isn’t sacred. To (most) Christians, any bible, regardless of its version is sacred word. (again a generalization, and I’m sure there are many other reasons a BOS isn’t like the bible, but lets let that go for now)

I got these definitions from wikipedia:

The Book of Shadows is a traditional book of Wicca, containing the core rituals, practices, and wisdom of a Wiccan tradition. The term Book of Shadows is believed to originate with Gerald Gardner, who is said to have taken it from the name of a Sanskrit manual of divination through the length of one's shadow.

A grimoire is a book of magical knowledge written between the late-medieval period and the 18th century. The word ‘grimoire’ is from the Old French ‘gramaire’, and is from the same root as the word ‘grammar’. This is partly because, in the mid-late Middle Ages, Latin "grammars" (books on Latin syntax and diction) were foundational to school and university education, as controlled by the Church — while to the illiterate majority, non-ecclesiastical books were suspect as magic. But "grammar" also denoted, to literate and illiterate alike, a book of basic instruction.

I’ve been collecting bos information, rituals, spells, etc… on my computer for as long as I’ve been practicing. And I’ve had the odd note and scribble lying around in a folder for just as long too. But I didn’t have my own book. Until now.

My book is a combination of a BOS and Grimoire, most books these days are. I have a nother little book where I keep notes of rituals and such that I do and my personal thoughts about them. That type of book is often called a Book of Mirrors as it show reflections of the BOS. Kinda cool huh?

I belong to a tradition, and they have a book. I belong to a coven, and we don’t. My book combines both the traditions beliefs and the covens, as well as my own, which in some cases differs drastically from both. Confusing I know, try living it.

At Imbolc (Feb. 1) a friend of my showed me her book. It was super cool and with an awesome layout that I ever would have thought of trying. So of course I had to copy her (thanks hazel!) and make my own. She gets a big old thank you at the front of my book.

A few years ago my parents have me a coil bound hard cover sketchbook for Christmas. I hadn’t used it yet and I figured this would be the best book to use. Some people use binders so they can move pages around and add one as needed and stuff. But there’s nothing magical about a binder. Check out the movie Practical Magic for an awesome bos, all my witchy friends want that book!

So I collected up all my printed out and written witchy stuff and began cutting and pasting into my book. I’ll take some pictures and show you. I also found all my stamping stuff and went a little stamp crazy in decorating the book too.

I have a lot of herbal information both practical medical knowledge, and magical because that’s my training. I also have a lot of chants and blessings, cuz I love rhymes and can’t write them myself.

All week, between running after kids and dealing with the general mess that two toddlers can make in a house I’ve been formatting a lot of my computer BOS into the right size to put in my book BOS, I spent this morning printing the last of the pages out, now it’s another day or so of cutting and pasting and putting the book together.

That’s what’s kept me so busy this week and away from tblog. Here are some pictures!

Here is a detail of the title page

One of the pages

Some of the pages fold out to show more information, this way I can fit lots of information on one page. And it’s a fun flip book!

some are decorated.

and some are written by hand, but most are print outs from my computer.

I starting thinking this weird though on the weekend and had no time to sit down and write it until know. We painted our bedroom this weekend and put up a new beautiful bookshelf (pics coming sometime later) as I was stacking books, I wasn't sorting or organizing, that'll come later, and I started thinking to myself:

If books could battle it out, what book would be stronger? If I took "Eight sabbats for witches" and that that 'knowledge' book the Jehovah’s witnesses gave me last year and put one on top of each, who'd win?

Now, ounce for ounce ‘8 sabbats’ is a bigger book, is that a factor?

So I thought what about two books of equal spiritual content, who would win? The Bible verses... ‘8 sabbats’ is as good a pagan book as any. Not because we consider it sacred in anyway, but it has a lot of knowledge in it that pagans respect. That same info is in lots of books, not just one, like the Bible so could I tag team it? The Jehovah book and the Bible vs. ‘to ride a silver broomstick’ and ‘8 sabbats’?

Now ounce for ounce that's more equal, but most bible thumpers don't like Jehovah’s witnesses anymore than pagans do (generally, I happen to really like MY Jehovah’s witness and have her over to tea regularly, but that's for another post)

So if that's the case perhaps the Bible wouldn't want to be partnered with that 'knowledge' book and decide to take it out instead. There’s no doubt in my mind that the bible would win in that cage match. But for the others I’m still undecided.

And before everyone starts freaking out about the sacrilege of this post, remember the subject heading and try to find a sense of humour somewhere inside you before commenting.

FM

(BTW this post IS NOT intended to put anyone in a spiritual tailspin about the nature of faith and religion. It’s just something stupid I was thinking about this week)

Sometimes I sit around and talk with my sister about the happenings on tblog. We talk about my relationships with PastorDave, Graceshaker, and Surrogate and all the conversations I have with them.

That gets us talking about religion of course, how could it not, right? If my hubbie man is in the room he usually groans and leaves. Religion is not his thing.

My sister knows most of my friends here thought me talking about them, Alms, Sweetsue and glitter. And we chat about posts like we talk about the friends I see everyday.

Again my hubbie looks at me weird and usually walks away, he doesn’t quite get it, but that’s okay. In my regular everyday life I don’t know anyone nearly as interesting as some of the people that post here at tblog. Maybe that sounds really sad, but a lot of my friends just aren’t interested in the same things I am. And aren’t as curious as I am.

It’s this curiousity that gets me reading peoples blogs. I’m curious about how other people live, view the world, and relate to each other. And where else can you find such an interesting mix of people?

Where else can a witch chat with a couple of pastors, have conversations with Jesus, or at least someone who’s delusional enough to believe Jesus talks to him? (Just kidding Surrogate) Where else can a guy stationed in Iraq share his stories with people back home and all over the world? I just think it’s pretty amazing that I can have a conversation with Glitter in England, and chat with Maka who lives in parts unknown (though I know :D). I’m not feeling terribly eloquent right now, but I hope I’m getting my thoughts across.

Sure this place has its glitches, but it’s a pretty cool crowd around here and I love that.

I’m sure that I’ve forgot to mention some people around here that I consider friends. Please don’t take it as a slight, I’ve just spent three hours peeling wallpaper and washing walls to paint this weekend. I’m tired and the thoughts aren’t forming terribly clearly.

I just feel blessed to know all you guys and wanted to say so.