Blow the Egg Game: This is a really good indoor Easter game and works great on a hard floor. Have a start line and finish line set up. Place a small plastic Easter egg at the start line and give the child a cardboard “fan”. Have the kids try to “fan” the egg across the finish line. It is harder than it seems, since the eggs aren’t round!
Traditional Easter Egg Hunt Game: This customary Easter egg hunt game is a must for any Easter party. This can be done indoors or out, and with real colored eggs or plastic ones. If using plastic eggs, you can fill them with special treats like jelly beans, stickers, coins and small toys.
Egg-Spoon Race: If you are lucky enough to have a yard and nice weather, then why not take your guests outdoors! You will need one egg (raw or hard boiled) and one spoon for each person participating in the race. Line contestants up next to each other on a starting line. Racers should have a point across the yard to race to (check point line). When the race starts, each contestant has to race from the starting line across to the checkpoint line, and then turn around and come back to the starting line. The contestants have to keep their egg balanced in their spoon, without using their other hand for support. If the egg drops, but is not broken, the contestant can pick up the egg and resume the race. The first contestant to make it back to the starting line wins the race.
Egg Toss: This is also another great game for the outdoors. Be sure to have extra eggs and lots of paper towels nearby. Start by dividing the contestant into teams of two people. Split the entire group of contestants into two rows, with partners facing each other. Arrange the rows so that the partners are standing about 2-3 feet away from each other. Give eggs (raw ones) to each partner that is standing in one row. When the game starts, have the contestants toss their egg to their partners. After catching the egg, each contestant takes a step back and they toss the eggs again. If one of the partners breaks the egg, then that team is out of the game. It does not matter whether the egg breaks in his/her hands or by hitting the ground. Continue the game, taking steps back to increase the distance between partners, until only one team remains. They are the winners of the game.
Besom Making
While tools are not always necessary or even sometimes desirable they are fun, and making those tools that you can for your own use, and for others is even more fun. You tend to invest more of your energy and creative essence in any tool that you have taken the time and patience to create.
So with that in mind I am going to share with you how I made my Besom. Making a Besom or witch's broom is not difficult and there are many good ideas around to borrow from and improve on. In choosing the wood you want to use wood that has protective properties and most important what feels right to you.
Good choices for wood are Ash (protection, prosperity, health); Birch (protection, binding, purification) - the traditional broom of the Witches was made of birch twigs; Dogwood (wishes, protection); Elder(binding, protection, healing) - though this is more often used for wands; Oak (protection, health, money, healing) and a tree scared to the Druids; Pine (healing, protection, binding, money); or Rowan (psychic powers, healing, power, success, protection).
The wood of my Besom is unknown, I found it on our then new property an loved the shape and feel, it had been lying waiting for me to find it for years and looked akin to driftwood, which would also be a good wood to use.
After leaving it natural for a long time I decided to sand it, it turned outwith a dark, finely grained and satiny pattern. If you decide to finish your wood than strip it first and let it dry and then do any sanding necessary. After you find the wood that you want to use as the handle taking in account the size and length best suited to you, properly thanking the Goddess, cut very carefully, you don't want to kill the tree, only take what you need, (you might want to consider a tree limb that is bowed under as those are the most likely to fall and could hurt the tree or property) and use a saw as your boline will not work.
The next step is gathering the materials for the "broomstraws" the binding and any decorative touches. I suggest straw as it can be easily obtained and attracts fairies. Wheat can also be used, but might shed more than you wish. The traditional binding for a magical, or Witch's broom is a willow branch, it is very flexible and easy to work with. Straw can be dyed using herbal dyes, for black use alder, black walnut or yarrow. For blues, elder, indigo, woad, oregon grape. For brown use comfrey, fennel, hops, onion, pokeweed. For Golds use dock, goldenrod, safflower. For greens use barberry, bayberry, sage. Binding the straw: I use a double binding method for this. Before cutting the straw the length you wish add about two inches.
I have found that it is easier to work with the straw if it has been soaked and then just left damp. Gather the straw with the ends even and pointing towards the top of the handle and distributed around the handle, bind the added two inches with strong twine, fold the straw down pointing in the right direction and bind with the Willow branch.
Now come the most fun making your Besom uniquely your own. If using pine you can add small pine cones strung with twine and attached to the binding, if using oak do the same with acorns. Slip lavender under the binding or heather, add dried flowers...this is your besom to play with it. You can also decorate the handle anyway you wish, and if you can whittle or carve you can create a beautiful one of kind Besom. Creating your Besom for whatever purpose. Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herb's is an excellent reference on Herb's and woods.
So with that in mind I am going to share with you how I made my Besom. Making a Besom or witch's broom is not difficult and there are many good ideas around to borrow from and improve on. In choosing the wood you want to use wood that has protective properties and most important what feels right to you.
Good choices for wood are Ash (protection, prosperity, health); Birch (protection, binding, purification) - the traditional broom of the Witches was made of birch twigs; Dogwood (wishes, protection); Elder(binding, protection, healing) - though this is more often used for wands; Oak (protection, health, money, healing) and a tree scared to the Druids; Pine (healing, protection, binding, money); or Rowan (psychic powers, healing, power, success, protection).
The wood of my Besom is unknown, I found it on our then new property an loved the shape and feel, it had been lying waiting for me to find it for years and looked akin to driftwood, which would also be a good wood to use.
After leaving it natural for a long time I decided to sand it, it turned outwith a dark, finely grained and satiny pattern. If you decide to finish your wood than strip it first and let it dry and then do any sanding necessary. After you find the wood that you want to use as the handle taking in account the size and length best suited to you, properly thanking the Goddess, cut very carefully, you don't want to kill the tree, only take what you need, (you might want to consider a tree limb that is bowed under as those are the most likely to fall and could hurt the tree or property) and use a saw as your boline will not work.
The next step is gathering the materials for the "broomstraws" the binding and any decorative touches. I suggest straw as it can be easily obtained and attracts fairies. Wheat can also be used, but might shed more than you wish. The traditional binding for a magical, or Witch's broom is a willow branch, it is very flexible and easy to work with. Straw can be dyed using herbal dyes, for black use alder, black walnut or yarrow. For blues, elder, indigo, woad, oregon grape. For brown use comfrey, fennel, hops, onion, pokeweed. For Golds use dock, goldenrod, safflower. For greens use barberry, bayberry, sage. Binding the straw: I use a double binding method for this. Before cutting the straw the length you wish add about two inches.
I have found that it is easier to work with the straw if it has been soaked and then just left damp. Gather the straw with the ends even and pointing towards the top of the handle and distributed around the handle, bind the added two inches with strong twine, fold the straw down pointing in the right direction and bind with the Willow branch.
Now come the most fun making your Besom uniquely your own. If using pine you can add small pine cones strung with twine and attached to the binding, if using oak do the same with acorns. Slip lavender under the binding or heather, add dried flowers...this is your besom to play with it. You can also decorate the handle anyway you wish, and if you can whittle or carve you can create a beautiful one of kind Besom. Creating your Besom for whatever purpose. Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herb's is an excellent reference on Herb's and woods.
Tarot Spread - SWOT
——————————------|past|—–|present|—–|future|
——-|Strengths|————–1————---5————------9
——-|Weakness|————–-2————---6————------10
——-|Opportunities|—3————---7————------11
——-|Threats|—————–-4————---8————------12
——-|Strengths|————–1————---5————------9
——-|Weakness|————–-2————---6————------10
——-|Opportunities|—3————---7————------11
——-|Threats|—————–-4————---8————------12
Tarot Spread - Making A Decision
Two Paths Options Spread: for learning more about two different choices when making a decision
2 3 4
1
5 6 7
1. What you need to know about where you are right now.
2 + 5: benefits of each path
3 + 6: downsides of each path
4 + 7: probable outcomes
2 3 4
1
5 6 7
1. What you need to know about where you are right now.
2 + 5: benefits of each path
3 + 6: downsides of each path
4 + 7: probable outcomes
Tarot Spread - Job Related
Here’s a spread to learn more about your current career or one you’re thinking of pursuing. This spread comes from Sylvia Abraham’s “How To Use Tarot Spreads“.
—–2—–1—–
——–3——–
7—6—–5—-4
1.Is the career I have chosen what I really want?
2.What steps can I take to improve my career?
3.Are there aspects to my career I cannot change?
4.Am I doing my best in my career?
5.What changes can I make personally that will help my career?
6.What blocks in my past are affecting my career now?
7.Outcome?
—–2—–1—–
——–3——–
7—6—–5—-4
1.Is the career I have chosen what I really want?
2.What steps can I take to improve my career?
3.Are there aspects to my career I cannot change?
4.Am I doing my best in my career?
5.What changes can I make personally that will help my career?
6.What blocks in my past are affecting my career now?
7.Outcome?
New Moon Dream Spell
Materials: 1 white candle, rosemary oil, paper, green ribbon tied up in a bow, a green-inked pen
Timing: At night on the New Moon, before you go to bed.
Empower a candle with rosemary oil, dedicated to a prosperity goddess, and light it.
Use the green pen to write your most cherished dreams on the paper. Leave lines of space in between to write down 3 actions you can do right now to make the dream come true.
Place a drop of rosemary oil on each corner of the paper. Place the paper on your altar. Drip 8 drops of oil on the bow. With each drop, repeat:
Allow the candle to burn out. Drift to sleep visualizing your dreams coming true. In the morning, place the list somewhere you’ll see it often. Place the bow on your altar.
Timing: At night on the New Moon, before you go to bed.
Empower a candle with rosemary oil, dedicated to a prosperity goddess, and light it.
Use the green pen to write your most cherished dreams on the paper. Leave lines of space in between to write down 3 actions you can do right now to make the dream come true.
Place a drop of rosemary oil on each corner of the paper. Place the paper on your altar. Drip 8 drops of oil on the bow. With each drop, repeat:
Bow of wishes, so green,
remind me of my dreams,
as I will so mote it be!
Allow the candle to burn out. Drift to sleep visualizing your dreams coming true. In the morning, place the list somewhere you’ll see it often. Place the bow on your altar.
Dog Protection Charm
Diana, Goddess of the Wild, Keeper of dogs both fierce and mild,
Hold [pet's name] safely in Your arms and protect this creature from all harm.
Should the day come that he/she roams, guide him/her to the path back home.
Bless [pet's name] with a joyful life, free of hardship, stress and strife.
Charm bag contents:
red fabric and ribbon
nail clippings or hair from the pet
a small paper with protective runes on it (design a special bindrune)
protective crystals like amethyst (Diana, healing, tranquility) and bloodstone (protection, keep bad influences away)
protective herbs: basil, pepper, cumin, galangal, juniper, lime, peppermint, angelica, anise, bay, dill, flax, lavender, calendula, patchouli, rose, sage, valerian, vervain
Diana, defender of all dogs, guard my [pet's name] against harm and illness.
Watch over him/her with every step he/she takes.
Help me protect him/her and strengthen the connection of love between us.
Let this charm be blessed to hold the energy of protection. Blessed be.
Keep the charm near where the dog sleeps, but not to where they’ll be able to eat it! An alternative would be to keep it with the pet’s belongings, such as where you hang their leash.
Spell for a Lost Pet
Purpose: to bring your pet (or news of your pet) back home
Take a long length of string and tie something belonging to your pet to it. You can also write your pet’s name on a piece of paper and roll it up to tie the end of the string to.
Take the string outside and dangle it while calling for your pet. Slowly draw up the dangling end of the string up slowly towards you. Visualize your pet returning, running back to you as clearly as you can.
Roll up the string with the object tied to the end and keep it where your pet usually sleeps. Repeat daily as necessary.
Take a long length of string and tie something belonging to your pet to it. You can also write your pet’s name on a piece of paper and roll it up to tie the end of the string to.
Take the string outside and dangle it while calling for your pet. Slowly draw up the dangling end of the string up slowly towards you. Visualize your pet returning, running back to you as clearly as you can.
Roll up the string with the object tied to the end and keep it where your pet usually sleeps. Repeat daily as necessary.
Cucumber Eye Gell
1 Tbs. aloe vera gel
1 tsp. fresh cucumber juice
¼ tsp. cornstarch
1 Tbs. witch hazel
Mix together aloe, cucumber and cornstarch. Heat until just boiling, about 1 minute in microwave. Remove from heat source and stir in witch hazel. Stir well and allow the mixture to cool completely. You should have a clear, jelly-like cream. Spoon into a small clean jar. To use: Dab a small amount under your eyes and be careful not to rub or pull the delicate skin under your eyes. Keep in cool place. Makes 1 oz.
OR
1/4 large cucumber
1 ounce aloe vera gel
Puree the cucumber in a blender (Ieave a little pulp), strain the mixture into a glass bowl until you have at least 2 ounces. Spoon in just a tad of the pulp from the strainer). Add the aloe vera to the cucumber puree in the bowl and mix lightly. Pour into a clean, sterilized container. After cleansing face, stir mixture gently and apply with a cotton ball to undereye area. Avoid the eyeball. The shelf life of this product is very limited by the fresh cucumber. It should be used within a few days, and kept refrigerated between uses.
OR
2 wafer thin slices of cucumber
1 warm, damp, clean washcloth
While reclining in the tub place one cucumber slice over each eye. Cover your eyes with a warm washcloth and relax for 10 minutes. Fine lines will smooth out and your eyes will feel refreshed and soothed, preparing you for a night's rest. We recommend this particularly if you've had yourself a crying jag that day.
1 tsp. fresh cucumber juice
¼ tsp. cornstarch
1 Tbs. witch hazel
Mix together aloe, cucumber and cornstarch. Heat until just boiling, about 1 minute in microwave. Remove from heat source and stir in witch hazel. Stir well and allow the mixture to cool completely. You should have a clear, jelly-like cream. Spoon into a small clean jar. To use: Dab a small amount under your eyes and be careful not to rub or pull the delicate skin under your eyes. Keep in cool place. Makes 1 oz.
OR
1/4 large cucumber
1 ounce aloe vera gel
Puree the cucumber in a blender (Ieave a little pulp), strain the mixture into a glass bowl until you have at least 2 ounces. Spoon in just a tad of the pulp from the strainer). Add the aloe vera to the cucumber puree in the bowl and mix lightly. Pour into a clean, sterilized container. After cleansing face, stir mixture gently and apply with a cotton ball to undereye area. Avoid the eyeball. The shelf life of this product is very limited by the fresh cucumber. It should be used within a few days, and kept refrigerated between uses.
OR
2 wafer thin slices of cucumber
1 warm, damp, clean washcloth
While reclining in the tub place one cucumber slice over each eye. Cover your eyes with a warm washcloth and relax for 10 minutes. Fine lines will smooth out and your eyes will feel refreshed and soothed, preparing you for a night's rest. We recommend this particularly if you've had yourself a crying jag that day.
Watermelon Toner
2 Tablespoons fresh watermelon juice
1 Tablespoon vodka
2 Tablespoons witch hazel
2 Tablespoons distilled water
Strain the watermelon juice to get rid of seeds and fruit pieces. Combine all ingredients in small bowl and stir well. Pour into clean containers with tight-fitting lids. To use: pour a small amount on a clean cotton pad and apply to face. Store in fridge between uses to retain freshness. Will keep approximately one week.
1 Tablespoon vodka
2 Tablespoons witch hazel
2 Tablespoons distilled water
Strain the watermelon juice to get rid of seeds and fruit pieces. Combine all ingredients in small bowl and stir well. Pour into clean containers with tight-fitting lids. To use: pour a small amount on a clean cotton pad and apply to face. Store in fridge between uses to retain freshness. Will keep approximately one week.
Cranberry Wash
1 tablespoon dried savory leaves, crushed
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cranberries
Steep the dried savory in boiling water in a small bowl, for fifteen minutes. Strain the liquid and set it aside. Puree the cranberries in a blender, and strain the fruit from the liquid. Discard the fruit, and save the juice. Combine the savory water and the cranberry juice, soak into cotton pads, or a fine textured washcloth, and press against your face for fifteen minutes, avoiding the eye area. Remove pads or cloth and rinse with warm water.
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cranberries
Steep the dried savory in boiling water in a small bowl, for fifteen minutes. Strain the liquid and set it aside. Puree the cranberries in a blender, and strain the fruit from the liquid. Discard the fruit, and save the juice. Combine the savory water and the cranberry juice, soak into cotton pads, or a fine textured washcloth, and press against your face for fifteen minutes, avoiding the eye area. Remove pads or cloth and rinse with warm water.
Tomato Blemish Remover
1 tomato, ripe, chopped
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 T instant style oatmeal or old fashioned rolled oats
Blend all ingredients until just combined, in a paste. Apply to blemished skin, making sure the mixture is thick enough to stay in place. Leave in place 10 minutes. Remove with damp washcloth, and rinse and tone.
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 T instant style oatmeal or old fashioned rolled oats
Blend all ingredients until just combined, in a paste. Apply to blemished skin, making sure the mixture is thick enough to stay in place. Leave in place 10 minutes. Remove with damp washcloth, and rinse and tone.
Creamy Mask
2 tablespoons white clay
3 tablespoons whipping cream
1 tablespoon rose hydrosol
Combine all ingredients together in a bowl and stir until a paste-like consistency is achieved. If mixture is too runny, add a bit more clay and stir. If mixture is not smooth enough, add a bit more hydrosol. Spread over clean face as the step immediately preceding application of facial toner, avoiding eye area and lips. Rest for 10-15 minutes. Rinse with warm, water and pat excess water from face.
3 tablespoons whipping cream
1 tablespoon rose hydrosol
Combine all ingredients together in a bowl and stir until a paste-like consistency is achieved. If mixture is too runny, add a bit more clay and stir. If mixture is not smooth enough, add a bit more hydrosol. Spread over clean face as the step immediately preceding application of facial toner, avoiding eye area and lips. Rest for 10-15 minutes. Rinse with warm, water and pat excess water from face.
Under Eye Circles Be Gone
To lighten dark circles under your eyes, wrap a grated raw potato in cheesecloth and apply to eyelids for 15-20 minutes. Wipe off residue and apply an eye cream. Results: Circles will lighten and skin tighten.
Oat & Almond Exfloiant
1 tablespoon finely ground oats
1 tablespoon finely ground almonds
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon aloe vera gel
Combine ingredients in a bowl and stir until well mixed. Apply to face and neck skin after cleansing and before toner is applied, using gentle circular motions. Rinse well with warm water and gently pat excess moisture from face. Follow with facial mask.
1 tablespoon finely ground almonds
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon aloe vera gel
Combine ingredients in a bowl and stir until well mixed. Apply to face and neck skin after cleansing and before toner is applied, using gentle circular motions. Rinse well with warm water and gently pat excess moisture from face. Follow with facial mask.
Tone Up Tea
1 cup distilled water
1 heaping tablespoon dried green tea leaves
1 heaping tablespoon dried chamomile flowers
1 tablespoon rose hydrosol
1 tablespoon aloe vera gel
3 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3 teaspoon lemon juice (optional addition for oily skin)
Heat distilled water until boiling. Remove from heat and add green tea and chamomile. Steep for 15 minutes and strain out plant material. Add rose hydrosol, aloe vera and vinegar (and lemon juice, if using) and stir well. Pour into a clean bottle and label. Shake well to ensure the mix. Store in refrigerator for best results and use within 3 weeks.
1 heaping tablespoon dried green tea leaves
1 heaping tablespoon dried chamomile flowers
1 tablespoon rose hydrosol
1 tablespoon aloe vera gel
3 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3 teaspoon lemon juice (optional addition for oily skin)
Heat distilled water until boiling. Remove from heat and add green tea and chamomile. Steep for 15 minutes and strain out plant material. Add rose hydrosol, aloe vera and vinegar (and lemon juice, if using) and stir well. Pour into a clean bottle and label. Shake well to ensure the mix. Store in refrigerator for best results and use within 3 weeks.
Aromatic Facial Oil
3 tablespoons jojoba oil
3 tablespoons rose hips seed oil (or 3 tbsp. hazelnut oil for oily skin)
2 drops rose essential oil
3 drops lavender essential oil
2 drops geranium essential oil
2 drops palmarosa essential oil
In a glass bowl or dish, combine oils with essential oils. Stir with a clean pop sickle stick or plastic utensil to combine. Pour into a clean bottle, preferably one with a medicine dropper so you can apply the oil using the dropper. After cleansing and toning, and while skin remains a bit damp, apply a bit of the moisturizer using gentle patting motions. Do not rub the oil into the skin. Rather, just gently pat it onto the skin and it will absorb readily within a few minutes.
3 tablespoons rose hips seed oil (or 3 tbsp. hazelnut oil for oily skin)
2 drops rose essential oil
3 drops lavender essential oil
2 drops geranium essential oil
2 drops palmarosa essential oil
In a glass bowl or dish, combine oils with essential oils. Stir with a clean pop sickle stick or plastic utensil to combine. Pour into a clean bottle, preferably one with a medicine dropper so you can apply the oil using the dropper. After cleansing and toning, and while skin remains a bit damp, apply a bit of the moisturizer using gentle patting motions. Do not rub the oil into the skin. Rather, just gently pat it onto the skin and it will absorb readily within a few minutes.
Rose Cream
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 teaspoon rose hydrosol
2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Combine all ingredients in the order shown, stirring well after each one. Apply cleanser to face and neck skin, using gentle, upward sweeping motions. Rinse well. This recipe should be used within 2 days and makes enough for two cleanings.
1 teaspoon rose hydrosol
2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Combine all ingredients in the order shown, stirring well after each one. Apply cleanser to face and neck skin, using gentle, upward sweeping motions. Rinse well. This recipe should be used within 2 days and makes enough for two cleanings.
Apple Cucumber Facial Mask
1/2 cucumber, peeled
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon apple mint leaves
1 drop lime essential oil
Combine all 5 ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the essential oil last and mix well. Refrigerate the mixture for 10 minutes. Apply a layer to your clean face and neck area and leave it on for 20 minutes. Rinse well with warm water. Apple Cucumber Facial Mask is best when used immediately as the ingredients are perishable. The leftovers can be refrigerated in the coldest section of the refrigerator for up to 1-2 days but should be discarded after that
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon apple mint leaves
1 drop lime essential oil
Combine all 5 ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the essential oil last and mix well. Refrigerate the mixture for 10 minutes. Apply a layer to your clean face and neck area and leave it on for 20 minutes. Rinse well with warm water. Apple Cucumber Facial Mask is best when used immediately as the ingredients are perishable. The leftovers can be refrigerated in the coldest section of the refrigerator for up to 1-2 days but should be discarded after that
Fun Ways to Ask for a Date
Kidnap a personal item (like a teddy bear or basketball shoes) and leave a ransom note made from cut up newspapers & magazines saying: "Your [whatever] has been kidnapped. If you ever wish to see it again, go to [dance/date] with me or leave $2,500,000.00 in small bills [in a designated area]."
Write your message with each word of the message on a separate piece of paper. Put each piece inside a balloon, and leave the balloons for your potential date with the message "your invited to a popping good time. Pop all the balloons for the details."
Send a formal invitation. Include a reply card for him/her to send back saying whether or not he/she can go. Make sure there is enough time before the event for the reply card to be returned (the formal invitation can be made using the computer).
For a special occasion, try a treasure hunt--complete with clues hidden in the apartment building, around campus, or inside his/her apartment
Write your message with each word of the message on a separate piece of paper. Put each piece inside a balloon, and leave the balloons for your potential date with the message "your invited to a popping good time. Pop all the balloons for the details."
Send a formal invitation. Include a reply card for him/her to send back saying whether or not he/she can go. Make sure there is enough time before the event for the reply card to be returned (the formal invitation can be made using the computer).
For a special occasion, try a treasure hunt--complete with clues hidden in the apartment building, around campus, or inside his/her apartment
Make that phone ring
Draw image representing air/transportation in middle of paper with blue marker. Hold paper with both hands and say:
Write person’s name under the drawing and write - I would like to hear from you. Please call me. Sign your name.
Hold paper in hands and close eyes. Visualize person picking up the phone and calling you. Ask deity for your message be sent.
Fold paper 3 times and place under the phone.
Element of Air, I would like (name) to call me if s/he wills. Please help me in sending this message to (name).
Write person’s name under the drawing and write - I would like to hear from you. Please call me. Sign your name.
Hold paper in hands and close eyes. Visualize person picking up the phone and calling you. Ask deity for your message be sent.
Fold paper 3 times and place under the phone.
Handfasting
Preparation
Mark off circle with flowers. Set up altar in center of circle Mark the directions with appropriate corresponding object. Lay a broomstick at the foot of the altar.
Creating Sacred Space: Sweep the area with broom, sprinkle holy water (water and earth) and waft incense (fire and air) around area. The participants other than the couple, who remain in the middle, take a direction.
Calling of the Quarters:
Guardians of the airy East,
Spirits of Spring and Dawn,
of Sylphs and Myrrh,
of Knowledge and Learning,
Witness and Bless this Union,
Protect and Watch over our Circle
So the Moon Waxes.
Guardians of the fiery South
Spirits of Summer and Noon,
of Salamanders and Hibiscus,
of Healing and Destruction,
Witness and Bless this Union,
Protect and Watch over our Circle
So the Moon Brightens.
Guardians of the watery West
Spirits of Autumn and Twilight,
of Udines and Lotus,
of Love and Sorrow,
Witness and Bless this Union,
Protect and Watch over our Circle
So the Moon Wanes
Guardians of the earthy North,
Spirits of Winter and Midnight,
of Gnomes and Comfrey,
of Birth and Death,
Witness and Bless this Union,
Protect and Watch over our Circle
So the Moon Darkens.
Invocation of the Lord and Lady:
Bride (lights Goddess candle and says):
Great Mother of all creation
You who are the rich Green Earth
The soul that lightens the midnight sky
The warm breath that is the wind
We ask your presence within our circle
Bless and keep this union in heart and spirit
Groom (lights God candle and says):
Great Father of all creation
You who are the endless gray sea
The spirit that shines in the midday sky
The dancing shadow of the flame
We ask your presence within our circle
Bless and keep this union in heart and spirit
Casting the Circle:
High Priest/ess (draws circle with athame/wand, walking around couple):
A space is made
And the Circle cast
The gate is open
Through it we pass
Between the worlds.
The Ritual
Couple stands before altar and High Priest/ess.
They turn to the Element of Air, who picks up the representative object and says:
These are the blessings of the Element of Air:
May you always share Ideas,
tell each other your Dreams,
appreciate each other’s Intelligence.
The gift of Air is Communication.
The couple replies: Blessed Be.
They turn to the Element of Fire, who picks up the representative object and says:
These are the blessings of the Element of Fire:
May you always find Inspiration in each other,
Find the Energy you need to support each other,
And have Faith in your relationship.
The gift of Fire is Passion.
The couple replies: Blessed Be.
They turn to the Element of Water, who picks up the representative object and says:
These are the blessings of the Element of Water:
May you offer each other Compassion,
May you wash away hurts and share in each other’s Joy.
The gift of Water is Love.
The couple replies: Blessed Be.
They turn to the Element of Earth, who picks up the representative object and says:
These are the blessings of the Element of Earth:
May you never want for Food and Shelter,
May you thrive in Health and enjoy the good things of the Earth.
The gift of Earth is the Material World.
The couple replies: Blessed Be.
The couple again faces the altar and High Priest/ess and lights the Spirit Candle. The couple face each other.
Groom:
I am willing to declare my love for you
and my commitment to our relationship.
I promise to be a good partner as long as love lasts.
Are you willing to do the same?
Bride: I am.
Bride:
I am willing to declare my love for you
and my commitment to our relationship.
I promise to be a good partner as long as love lasts.
Are you willing to do the same?
Groom: I am.
The Element of Water presents the ale to the Bride, then the Groom, saying:
May you never thirst.
The Element of Earth presents the cakes to the Bride, then the Groom, saying:
May you never hunger.
The High Priest/ess presents the cakes and ale to each Element. Everyone may be seated to eat and drink and be merry. After everyone is done, everyone returns to their place.
High Priest/ess (as he/she binds the left hand of the Bride and the right hand of the Groom with ribbon):
Lord and Lady,
Bless this woman and this man
As they agree to share
Love, joy, laughter and life’s mystery.
Be ever present in their
Hearts, minds and spirits.
Fill their home with magic and the ever-present wonder of Your love.
All: Blessed be.
The couple then move the broom from the front of them to the back, and turn to face the broom.
Bride and Groom:
Let us be married,
let us be wed,
By the crossing of the broom and
The joys of the bed!
The couple jumps over the broom and everyone says: Blessed Be!
The couple kisses.
The couple turns to face the High Priest/ess.
Farewell to Goddess and God:
High Priest/ess:
Lady and Lord, we appreciate your presence in our Circle.
For earth and sky, moon and sun,
we thank you.
we ask your blessing through the year.
For happiness and joy,
love and good fortune,
hail and farewell.
High Priest/ess extinguishes Goddess and God candles.
Closing of the Quarters:
Guardians of the airy East,
Spirits of Spring and Dawn,
of Sylphs and Myrrh
of Knowledge and Learning,
Thank you for witnessing
and blessing this union
Hail and Farewell.
So the Moon Waxes.
Guardians of the fiery South
Spirits of Summer and Noon,
of Salamanders and Hibiscus,
of Healing and Destruction,
Thank you for witnessing
and blessing this union
Hail and Farewell.
So the Moon Brightens.
Guardians of the watery West
Spirits of Autumn and Twilight,
of Udines and Lotus,
of Love and Sorrow,
Thank you for witnessing
and blessing this union
Hail and Farewell.
So the Moon Wanes
Guardians of the earthy North,
Spirits of Winter and Midnight,
of Gnomes and Comfrey,
of Birth and Death,
Thank you for witnessing
and blessing this union
Hail and Farewell.
So the Moon Darkens.
High Priest/ess (takes up circle with athame/wand, walking around couple):
May the circle be open yet unbroken.
Everyone:
Merry meet, merry part, merry meet again!
Mark off circle with flowers. Set up altar in center of circle Mark the directions with appropriate corresponding object. Lay a broomstick at the foot of the altar.
Creating Sacred Space: Sweep the area with broom, sprinkle holy water (water and earth) and waft incense (fire and air) around area. The participants other than the couple, who remain in the middle, take a direction.
Calling of the Quarters:
Guardians of the airy East,
Spirits of Spring and Dawn,
of Sylphs and Myrrh,
of Knowledge and Learning,
Witness and Bless this Union,
Protect and Watch over our Circle
So the Moon Waxes.
Guardians of the fiery South
Spirits of Summer and Noon,
of Salamanders and Hibiscus,
of Healing and Destruction,
Witness and Bless this Union,
Protect and Watch over our Circle
So the Moon Brightens.
Guardians of the watery West
Spirits of Autumn and Twilight,
of Udines and Lotus,
of Love and Sorrow,
Witness and Bless this Union,
Protect and Watch over our Circle
So the Moon Wanes
Guardians of the earthy North,
Spirits of Winter and Midnight,
of Gnomes and Comfrey,
of Birth and Death,
Witness and Bless this Union,
Protect and Watch over our Circle
So the Moon Darkens.
Invocation of the Lord and Lady:
Bride (lights Goddess candle and says):
Great Mother of all creation
You who are the rich Green Earth
The soul that lightens the midnight sky
The warm breath that is the wind
We ask your presence within our circle
Bless and keep this union in heart and spirit
Groom (lights God candle and says):
Great Father of all creation
You who are the endless gray sea
The spirit that shines in the midday sky
The dancing shadow of the flame
We ask your presence within our circle
Bless and keep this union in heart and spirit
Casting the Circle:
High Priest/ess (draws circle with athame/wand, walking around couple):
A space is made
And the Circle cast
The gate is open
Through it we pass
Between the worlds.
The Ritual
Couple stands before altar and High Priest/ess.
They turn to the Element of Air, who picks up the representative object and says:
These are the blessings of the Element of Air:
May you always share Ideas,
tell each other your Dreams,
appreciate each other’s Intelligence.
The gift of Air is Communication.
The couple replies: Blessed Be.
They turn to the Element of Fire, who picks up the representative object and says:
These are the blessings of the Element of Fire:
May you always find Inspiration in each other,
Find the Energy you need to support each other,
And have Faith in your relationship.
The gift of Fire is Passion.
The couple replies: Blessed Be.
They turn to the Element of Water, who picks up the representative object and says:
These are the blessings of the Element of Water:
May you offer each other Compassion,
May you wash away hurts and share in each other’s Joy.
The gift of Water is Love.
The couple replies: Blessed Be.
They turn to the Element of Earth, who picks up the representative object and says:
These are the blessings of the Element of Earth:
May you never want for Food and Shelter,
May you thrive in Health and enjoy the good things of the Earth.
The gift of Earth is the Material World.
The couple replies: Blessed Be.
The couple again faces the altar and High Priest/ess and lights the Spirit Candle. The couple face each other.
Groom:
I am willing to declare my love for you
and my commitment to our relationship.
I promise to be a good partner as long as love lasts.
Are you willing to do the same?
Bride: I am.
Bride:
I am willing to declare my love for you
and my commitment to our relationship.
I promise to be a good partner as long as love lasts.
Are you willing to do the same?
Groom: I am.
The Element of Water presents the ale to the Bride, then the Groom, saying:
May you never thirst.
The Element of Earth presents the cakes to the Bride, then the Groom, saying:
May you never hunger.
The High Priest/ess presents the cakes and ale to each Element. Everyone may be seated to eat and drink and be merry. After everyone is done, everyone returns to their place.
High Priest/ess (as he/she binds the left hand of the Bride and the right hand of the Groom with ribbon):
Lord and Lady,
Bless this woman and this man
As they agree to share
Love, joy, laughter and life’s mystery.
Be ever present in their
Hearts, minds and spirits.
Fill their home with magic and the ever-present wonder of Your love.
All: Blessed be.
The couple then move the broom from the front of them to the back, and turn to face the broom.
Bride and Groom:
Let us be married,
let us be wed,
By the crossing of the broom and
The joys of the bed!
The couple jumps over the broom and everyone says: Blessed Be!
The couple kisses.
The couple turns to face the High Priest/ess.
Farewell to Goddess and God:
High Priest/ess:
Lady and Lord, we appreciate your presence in our Circle.
For earth and sky, moon and sun,
we thank you.
we ask your blessing through the year.
For happiness and joy,
love and good fortune,
hail and farewell.
High Priest/ess extinguishes Goddess and God candles.
Closing of the Quarters:
Guardians of the airy East,
Spirits of Spring and Dawn,
of Sylphs and Myrrh
of Knowledge and Learning,
Thank you for witnessing
and blessing this union
Hail and Farewell.
So the Moon Waxes.
Guardians of the fiery South
Spirits of Summer and Noon,
of Salamanders and Hibiscus,
of Healing and Destruction,
Thank you for witnessing
and blessing this union
Hail and Farewell.
So the Moon Brightens.
Guardians of the watery West
Spirits of Autumn and Twilight,
of Udines and Lotus,
of Love and Sorrow,
Thank you for witnessing
and blessing this union
Hail and Farewell.
So the Moon Wanes
Guardians of the earthy North,
Spirits of Winter and Midnight,
of Gnomes and Comfrey,
of Birth and Death,
Thank you for witnessing
and blessing this union
Hail and Farewell.
So the Moon Darkens.
High Priest/ess (takes up circle with athame/wand, walking around couple):
May the circle be open yet unbroken.
Everyone:
Merry meet, merry part, merry meet again!
Colors
White: all-purpose, the Goddess, peace, higher self, purity, truth, protection, meditation, sincerity, justice, ward off doubts (Moon)
Pink: love, romance, friendship, relationships, happiness, partnership, affection, nurturing, peace, honor, morality, socialability, good will, caring, healing emotions (Venus)
Red: passion, creativity, love, energy, strength, courage, fast action, force of will, battle, intensity, lust (Mars)
Orange: work, career, property, ambition, success, justice, selling, opens/uncrosses, brings clarity and knowledge, supports intellectual endeavors, vitality, attracting, dominance, encouragement, adaptability (Mercury)
Amber: energizing, empowerment, Witchcraft skills
Yellow: intellect, study, memory, breaking mental blocks, selling self, healing (respiratory), solar energy, energy work, inspiration, creativity, success, fame, divination, clairvoyance, harmony, changes (Sun)
Green: healing, money, fertility, abundance, growth, goals, earth, harvest, removing stress, employment, luck, nature, balance, courage, agriculture, changing directions/attitudes (Earth)
Blue: peace, wisdom, integrity, good fortune, communication, creativity, calm, protection, blessings, healing, water, fertility, psychic, truth, dreams, change, meditation, impulse, intuition, opportunity, understanding, quests, safe journey, patience, tranquility, ward off depression (Neptune, Moon)
Purple: spirituality, psychic development, self-assurance, hidden knowledge, crown chakra, expansion, wealth, wisdom, protection, spirit communication, progress, business, influencing higher-ups, self-improvement, success in searching (Jupiter)
Brown: friendship, special favors, grounding, earth work (Earth, Saturn)
Black: banish negativity, binding, protection, shape-shifting, absorb energy, uncrossings, truth, spirit contact (Saturn)
Silver: psychisim, purity, intuition, dreams, astral energy, the Goddess, dream work, uncrossings, meditation, success, balance, ward off negativity (Moon)
Gold: wealth, the God, winning, humor, solar, healing, success, achievement, power, mental/physical strength, divination, intuition, safety, happiness, playfulness (Sun)
Gray: neutralizes bad situations, uncrossings, addiction breaking, banishing, cleanse self and home, vision quests
Copper: money/business/professional increase, career/energy maneuvers
Brown: earthly riches, endurance, influence, houses/homes, animal health, steadiness, physical objects, grounding, gaining special favors
Rainbow: inner development by relaxation, meditation, introspection
Pink: love, romance, friendship, relationships, happiness, partnership, affection, nurturing, peace, honor, morality, socialability, good will, caring, healing emotions (Venus)
Red: passion, creativity, love, energy, strength, courage, fast action, force of will, battle, intensity, lust (Mars)
Orange: work, career, property, ambition, success, justice, selling, opens/uncrosses, brings clarity and knowledge, supports intellectual endeavors, vitality, attracting, dominance, encouragement, adaptability (Mercury)
Amber: energizing, empowerment, Witchcraft skills
Yellow: intellect, study, memory, breaking mental blocks, selling self, healing (respiratory), solar energy, energy work, inspiration, creativity, success, fame, divination, clairvoyance, harmony, changes (Sun)
Green: healing, money, fertility, abundance, growth, goals, earth, harvest, removing stress, employment, luck, nature, balance, courage, agriculture, changing directions/attitudes (Earth)
Blue: peace, wisdom, integrity, good fortune, communication, creativity, calm, protection, blessings, healing, water, fertility, psychic, truth, dreams, change, meditation, impulse, intuition, opportunity, understanding, quests, safe journey, patience, tranquility, ward off depression (Neptune, Moon)
Purple: spirituality, psychic development, self-assurance, hidden knowledge, crown chakra, expansion, wealth, wisdom, protection, spirit communication, progress, business, influencing higher-ups, self-improvement, success in searching (Jupiter)
Brown: friendship, special favors, grounding, earth work (Earth, Saturn)
Black: banish negativity, binding, protection, shape-shifting, absorb energy, uncrossings, truth, spirit contact (Saturn)
Silver: psychisim, purity, intuition, dreams, astral energy, the Goddess, dream work, uncrossings, meditation, success, balance, ward off negativity (Moon)
Gold: wealth, the God, winning, humor, solar, healing, success, achievement, power, mental/physical strength, divination, intuition, safety, happiness, playfulness (Sun)
Gray: neutralizes bad situations, uncrossings, addiction breaking, banishing, cleanse self and home, vision quests
Copper: money/business/professional increase, career/energy maneuvers
Brown: earthly riches, endurance, influence, houses/homes, animal health, steadiness, physical objects, grounding, gaining special favors
Rainbow: inner development by relaxation, meditation, introspection
Magic Throughout the Day
Sometimes it’s easy to get so wrapped up in our daily lives that we become disconnected from our spirituality, leaving us more frayed and feeling less capable of handling it all. Here’s a good daily schedule to work into your day if you don’t already. These suggestions are from Patricia Telesco’s “A Charmed Life“.
Morning Devotional: wake up, take a deep breath. go to your altar and light a candle/incense and greet your vision of the Lord/Lady. Give thanks, ask for guidance.
Daily Affirmations: Instead of being a zombie as you get dressed and get cleaned up in the bathroom, try some simple affirmations to put you in the right frame of mind for the day.
Get Dressed: look at your clothes in terms of their correspondences - what do you want to enhance/project today? Think about what colors/textures/shapes you wear and how you can use them to give you a magickal boost.
At the end of the day: shake off the day with a workout and some spiritual cleansing to refresh yourself inside and out! Take some time out for yourself: take a magickal bath, read, do a bedtime meditation, enjoy a special herbal tea, write in a journal - whatever you feel like to rejoin your body and mind.
Morning Devotional: wake up, take a deep breath. go to your altar and light a candle/incense and greet your vision of the Lord/Lady. Give thanks, ask for guidance.
Daily Affirmations: Instead of being a zombie as you get dressed and get cleaned up in the bathroom, try some simple affirmations to put you in the right frame of mind for the day.
Get Dressed: look at your clothes in terms of their correspondences - what do you want to enhance/project today? Think about what colors/textures/shapes you wear and how you can use them to give you a magickal boost.
At the end of the day: shake off the day with a workout and some spiritual cleansing to refresh yourself inside and out! Take some time out for yourself: take a magickal bath, read, do a bedtime meditation, enjoy a special herbal tea, write in a journal - whatever you feel like to rejoin your body and mind.
Forgiveness
I have found myself inspired to write on this topic on more than one occasion. All of us, at some point in our lives have felt the desperate inner turmoil and confusion that comes from feeling that we have been "wronged" or betrayed in some way. You fight to understand what is wrong with that person to have done such a thing, or to be such a way. You wonder what may be wrong with you …. Have I deserved such treatment? Am I just completely naïve? I am too trusting. I have loved too deeply, and now I am paying for it. The list of inner chatter goes on and on as we try to make sense of our lives.
Maybe the lack of forgiving per say is not your issue – maybe it’s that you have forgiven time and time again, only to continually set yourself up for victimization. Your sense of self -esteem, your sense of trust in yourself, your personal power has been chipped away – bit by bit.
As you well know, the consequences of that inner turmoil run quite deep. On one end of the spectrum your life can become filled with resentment, paranoia, or isolation. You may begin to with hold your true self from your family and friends – as a basic survival instinct, keeping yourself safe is the priority. On the other end of the spectrum- you may sense the undercurrent of hurt only arise at times – but none the less is like a rock under the carpet of your life…waiting to be tripped over and always unsettling.
Forgiveness – whether it be forgiving yourself or others – is a major piece of the puzzle as we look at the elements necessary to create a prosperous and abundant life. It is too often over looked as one of the blocks to your success. Why? Because we think that our feelings are justified when a wrong(s) has been done to you. When we are justified, nothing needs changing right? You SHOULD feel this way. Maybe.
Let me say that again… nothing needs changing - IF you are happy with how you feel inside. Nothing needs changing IF you are pleased with the amount of personal and financial abundance you presently experience. Nothing needs changing IF you feel that you are completely free.
What I want to make clear in this discussion is that, yes, you certainly are justified in feeling the way you do – always – whether we are talking about forgiveness or any other issue. Your feelings are always valid. They are always your experience. They are always right, and you have the right to choose how you will feel. You are at choice, and your choices work for you – they protect you. I am not here to tell you that your feelings are wrong – if you are like most you have already been wronged enough!
However, as it relates to your sense or experience of prosperity – forgiveness is a must. You need to know that the state that is created within you is not one that moves you toward peace and abundance in your life.
The consequences of that state mostly hurt you. Anger, inability to trust others, inappropriate setting of boundaries, perceived sense of righteousness, development of extreme or high expectations of self or others, inability to move toward intimacy, pain, hurt, anxiety, depression – just to name a few. All of which are states of fear, and the state of fear is the state of scarcity consciousness.
What I know to be true, is that our outer world is a direct reflection of our inner world. If you feel and live in a state of prosperity consciousness and love, your outer world will be an expression of many riches. If you live in scarcity consciousness, fear, and lack – that is what will manifest in your outer world. How has scarcity manifested in your own life? Think whole life – not just money.
Here is the hard part. HOW do I forgive? Although each person is different – here is Coach Lori’s basic recipe for forgiveness. And by that I mean true forgiveness – not the kind of forgiveness that you just pretend that you have forgiven and hope that enough time goes by you will be able to forget about it.
8 Principles of Forgiving (and Freeing Your Flow of Prosperity)
Know that forgiveness is a skill. You weren’t born unforgiving and you shouldn’t beat yourself up about where you are in your abilities to forgive at this point. Be good to yourself and honor where you are.
Start with a forgiveness inventory. Have you ever gone through the process of consciously forgiving? What worked for you? What didn’t? Think about who you need to forgive today. Start with your parents and go down the list. Ask yourself what you get out of keeping the pain, hurt or estrangement. Like it or not, there is a payoff. Journal about these things.
Become very clear about the fact that forgiveness is about moving from fear (scarcity consciousness) to love (prosperity consciousness). What do you think fear, anger and resentment can accomplish? What do you think love can accomplish? How does this resonate within you?
Accept the fact that you can not change others – only yourself. Within that, accept that you can change yourself at any moments time. Its called a "shift". Practice shifting into love and away from fear, resentment, and negativity. Note that when you practice or pretend it becomes easier in real life after awhile.
Know that forgiveness is not about minimizing your pain or others actions. It’s about a conscious choice to let go – it’s the absolution of past mistakes. It’s the absence of resentment, anger, blame, and judgement.
Design a forgiveness ritual – one that feels good to you. Burn a candle. Write unsent letters. Vent in writing, and literally put your feelings on the page. Process, process, process, with those who will listen and then choose to let it go, moving toward "lightness" and love. You are in charge of how much you will let yourself spin and vent. Keep perspective here. Know that your may have to go through your ritual more than once to have truly forgiven. If you think you have forgiven and you still feel anger, hurt or resentment, then you have not forgiven.
Know that you can not heal your OWN pain by refusing to forgive others. Honor yourself by starting to forgive and let go. It’s good for your body and soul. Come to understand that most of the time people are not out to intentionally hurt you - but it is usually about their own fears and issues, or perceptions of. It helps to…
See people for the perfect loving souls they are. We all have a perfect soul, and we choose to come here to learn from our mistakes and to learn to love. Forgiveness is just about learning to love. It’s the next major lesson in loving. Does this lesson keep popping up in your life? If so, take it as a sign that you still have more to learn.
Choosing forgiveness is the first step. You need not rush the process, for learning how to forgive and using that in your life is a key prosperity, peace, and spiritual growth.
Maybe the lack of forgiving per say is not your issue – maybe it’s that you have forgiven time and time again, only to continually set yourself up for victimization. Your sense of self -esteem, your sense of trust in yourself, your personal power has been chipped away – bit by bit.
As you well know, the consequences of that inner turmoil run quite deep. On one end of the spectrum your life can become filled with resentment, paranoia, or isolation. You may begin to with hold your true self from your family and friends – as a basic survival instinct, keeping yourself safe is the priority. On the other end of the spectrum- you may sense the undercurrent of hurt only arise at times – but none the less is like a rock under the carpet of your life…waiting to be tripped over and always unsettling.
Forgiveness – whether it be forgiving yourself or others – is a major piece of the puzzle as we look at the elements necessary to create a prosperous and abundant life. It is too often over looked as one of the blocks to your success. Why? Because we think that our feelings are justified when a wrong(s) has been done to you. When we are justified, nothing needs changing right? You SHOULD feel this way. Maybe.
Let me say that again… nothing needs changing - IF you are happy with how you feel inside. Nothing needs changing IF you are pleased with the amount of personal and financial abundance you presently experience. Nothing needs changing IF you feel that you are completely free.
What I want to make clear in this discussion is that, yes, you certainly are justified in feeling the way you do – always – whether we are talking about forgiveness or any other issue. Your feelings are always valid. They are always your experience. They are always right, and you have the right to choose how you will feel. You are at choice, and your choices work for you – they protect you. I am not here to tell you that your feelings are wrong – if you are like most you have already been wronged enough!
However, as it relates to your sense or experience of prosperity – forgiveness is a must. You need to know that the state that is created within you is not one that moves you toward peace and abundance in your life.
The consequences of that state mostly hurt you. Anger, inability to trust others, inappropriate setting of boundaries, perceived sense of righteousness, development of extreme or high expectations of self or others, inability to move toward intimacy, pain, hurt, anxiety, depression – just to name a few. All of which are states of fear, and the state of fear is the state of scarcity consciousness.
What I know to be true, is that our outer world is a direct reflection of our inner world. If you feel and live in a state of prosperity consciousness and love, your outer world will be an expression of many riches. If you live in scarcity consciousness, fear, and lack – that is what will manifest in your outer world. How has scarcity manifested in your own life? Think whole life – not just money.
Here is the hard part. HOW do I forgive? Although each person is different – here is Coach Lori’s basic recipe for forgiveness. And by that I mean true forgiveness – not the kind of forgiveness that you just pretend that you have forgiven and hope that enough time goes by you will be able to forget about it.
8 Principles of Forgiving (and Freeing Your Flow of Prosperity)
Know that forgiveness is a skill. You weren’t born unforgiving and you shouldn’t beat yourself up about where you are in your abilities to forgive at this point. Be good to yourself and honor where you are.
Start with a forgiveness inventory. Have you ever gone through the process of consciously forgiving? What worked for you? What didn’t? Think about who you need to forgive today. Start with your parents and go down the list. Ask yourself what you get out of keeping the pain, hurt or estrangement. Like it or not, there is a payoff. Journal about these things.
Become very clear about the fact that forgiveness is about moving from fear (scarcity consciousness) to love (prosperity consciousness). What do you think fear, anger and resentment can accomplish? What do you think love can accomplish? How does this resonate within you?
Accept the fact that you can not change others – only yourself. Within that, accept that you can change yourself at any moments time. Its called a "shift". Practice shifting into love and away from fear, resentment, and negativity. Note that when you practice or pretend it becomes easier in real life after awhile.
Know that forgiveness is not about minimizing your pain or others actions. It’s about a conscious choice to let go – it’s the absolution of past mistakes. It’s the absence of resentment, anger, blame, and judgement.
Design a forgiveness ritual – one that feels good to you. Burn a candle. Write unsent letters. Vent in writing, and literally put your feelings on the page. Process, process, process, with those who will listen and then choose to let it go, moving toward "lightness" and love. You are in charge of how much you will let yourself spin and vent. Keep perspective here. Know that your may have to go through your ritual more than once to have truly forgiven. If you think you have forgiven and you still feel anger, hurt or resentment, then you have not forgiven.
Know that you can not heal your OWN pain by refusing to forgive others. Honor yourself by starting to forgive and let go. It’s good for your body and soul. Come to understand that most of the time people are not out to intentionally hurt you - but it is usually about their own fears and issues, or perceptions of. It helps to…
See people for the perfect loving souls they are. We all have a perfect soul, and we choose to come here to learn from our mistakes and to learn to love. Forgiveness is just about learning to love. It’s the next major lesson in loving. Does this lesson keep popping up in your life? If so, take it as a sign that you still have more to learn.
Choosing forgiveness is the first step. You need not rush the process, for learning how to forgive and using that in your life is a key prosperity, peace, and spiritual growth.
Moon Perfume
Priest
1 fl. oz (30cc) lemon verbena or Lime oil
2 fl. oz (60cc) coriander oil
1/2 fl. oz. (15cc) camphor or myrrh oil
1/4 fl. oz. (7cc) white spirit
3 3/4 fl. oz. (105cc) distilled water
Blend the oils in a bottle, add the spirit and water and shake all vigorously.
Increasing the myrrh oils gives a darker perfume; increasing the camphor, a lighter and more spicy one. All perfumes 'behave' differently on different skins, so it is worth experimenting to find your own balance.
Priestess
1 Drop Queen of the Night Oil
3 drops rose oil
1 drop lemon verbena oil
4 fl. oz white spirit
Blend the three oils in a bottle. Add the white spirit, and shake all vigorously. A cologne can be made by adding another 1 FL. oz of white spirit and 3 fl. oz of distilled water.
1 fl. oz (30cc) lemon verbena or Lime oil
2 fl. oz (60cc) coriander oil
1/2 fl. oz. (15cc) camphor or myrrh oil
1/4 fl. oz. (7cc) white spirit
3 3/4 fl. oz. (105cc) distilled water
Blend the oils in a bottle, add the spirit and water and shake all vigorously.
Increasing the myrrh oils gives a darker perfume; increasing the camphor, a lighter and more spicy one. All perfumes 'behave' differently on different skins, so it is worth experimenting to find your own balance.
Priestess
1 Drop Queen of the Night Oil
3 drops rose oil
1 drop lemon verbena oil
4 fl. oz white spirit
Blend the three oils in a bottle. Add the white spirit, and shake all vigorously. A cologne can be made by adding another 1 FL. oz of white spirit and 3 fl. oz of distilled water.
Refreshing Body Splash
1/2 cup witch hazel
1/2 cup bottled spring water
5-8 drops lemon essential oil
8 oz. glass bottle with a small neck, such as a cruet or oil and vinegar style bottle
Pour the witch hazel and bottled water into the glass bottle. Attach the cap and shake well. Add the lemon essential oil, one drop at a time, until it reaches the desired scent strength. Attach the cap and shake well. Note: Shake well before each use. Keep the bottle tightly closed and away from sunlight when not in use. If you store the product in your bathroom cabinet, use it within one week. It will last for one month if refrigerated.
1/2 cup bottled spring water
5-8 drops lemon essential oil
8 oz. glass bottle with a small neck, such as a cruet or oil and vinegar style bottle
Pour the witch hazel and bottled water into the glass bottle. Attach the cap and shake well. Add the lemon essential oil, one drop at a time, until it reaches the desired scent strength. Attach the cap and shake well. Note: Shake well before each use. Keep the bottle tightly closed and away from sunlight when not in use. If you store the product in your bathroom cabinet, use it within one week. It will last for one month if refrigerated.
Aphrodisiac Bath Blend
Whip up an Aphrodisiac Bath Blend to relax the mind, while the properties of the essential oils stimulate sexuality and euphoria.
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons fresh cream
4 drops ylang ylang essential oil
3 drops neroli essential oil
2 drops bergamot essential oil
Combine all ingredients in warm bath water and soak.
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons fresh cream
4 drops ylang ylang essential oil
3 drops neroli essential oil
2 drops bergamot essential oil
Combine all ingredients in warm bath water and soak.
Overnight Foot Relief
1/4 cup Almonds
1/4 cup Dry Oatmeal
3 tablespoons food grade Cocoa Butter
2 tablespoons Honey
Process almonds in a blender or coffee grinder until finely ground. Set aside. In the same blender, pulse your oatmeal until of the same consistency. In a bowl, combine ground oatmeal, cocoa butter, honey and ground almonds. Rub into your clean feet, step into cotton socks, and leave on overnight. The next morning, remove the socks and rinse feet in cool water. Pat dry. We recommend you not remove the socks until you're standing in the tub!
1/4 cup Dry Oatmeal
3 tablespoons food grade Cocoa Butter
2 tablespoons Honey
Process almonds in a blender or coffee grinder until finely ground. Set aside. In the same blender, pulse your oatmeal until of the same consistency. In a bowl, combine ground oatmeal, cocoa butter, honey and ground almonds. Rub into your clean feet, step into cotton socks, and leave on overnight. The next morning, remove the socks and rinse feet in cool water. Pat dry. We recommend you not remove the socks until you're standing in the tub!
Aches Away
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tsp. of Aloe Vera
1 teaspoon wheat germ oil
20 drops of peppermint Essential Oil
20 drops of eucalyptus Essential Oil
Mix together and massage feet gently with this soothing ointment, or, add to a basin of very warm water, and soak. Finish by lightly dusting the feet in corn starch.
1 tsp. of Aloe Vera
1 teaspoon wheat germ oil
20 drops of peppermint Essential Oil
20 drops of eucalyptus Essential Oil
Mix together and massage feet gently with this soothing ointment, or, add to a basin of very warm water, and soak. Finish by lightly dusting the feet in corn starch.
Beach Sand Scrub
2 Tablespoons Canola oil
2 Tablespoons dry beach sand
3-5 drops rosemary oil
Mix into a paste. Massage sand scrub onto feet (and elbows), concentrating especially on problem areas. Rinse off.
2 Tablespoons dry beach sand
3-5 drops rosemary oil
Mix into a paste. Massage sand scrub onto feet (and elbows), concentrating especially on problem areas. Rinse off.
Easy Foot Soak
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons almond oil
Add to a basin of warm water. Gently massage feet and slip into cotton socks.
2 tablespoons almond oil
Add to a basin of warm water. Gently massage feet and slip into cotton socks.
Fantasy Feet
1 ripe papaya, peeled
1 cup canned crushed pineapple, with juice
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon white vinegar
Place papaya and pineapple with juice in a blender. Add cayenne pepper, kosher salt, and white vinegar. Blend until puréed. Divide mixture in two large plastic bags. Soak feet in mixture for 20 minutes. Rinse feet thoroughly.
1 cup canned crushed pineapple, with juice
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon white vinegar
Place papaya and pineapple with juice in a blender. Add cayenne pepper, kosher salt, and white vinegar. Blend until puréed. Divide mixture in two large plastic bags. Soak feet in mixture for 20 minutes. Rinse feet thoroughly.
Chocolate Bubble Bath
1 cup of unscented bubble bath
1/3 cup of unsweetened soy milk
3 oz. of grated or powdered dark chocolate
Heat the soy milk and add in the grated or powdered chocolate. Stir well until melted and blended, but do not boil. Allow to cool. Mix well again just before adding to your bath.
1/3 cup of unsweetened soy milk
3 oz. of grated or powdered dark chocolate
Heat the soy milk and add in the grated or powdered chocolate. Stir well until melted and blended, but do not boil. Allow to cool. Mix well again just before adding to your bath.
Aphrodisiac Bath Blend
Whip up an Aphrodisiac Bath Blend to relax the mind, while the properties of the essential oils stimulate sexuality and euphoria.
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons fresh cream
4 drops ylang ylang essential oil
3 drops neroli essential oil
2 drops bergamot essential oil
Combine all ingredients in warm bath water and soak.
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons fresh cream
4 drops ylang ylang essential oil
3 drops neroli essential oil
2 drops bergamot essential oil
Combine all ingredients in warm bath water and soak.
Spa Bath Cookies
2 cups finely ground sea salt
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 T light oil
1 tsp vitamin E oil
2 eggs
5-6 drops essential oil of your choice
Preheat your oven to 350 F. Combine all the listed ingredients and form into a dough. Using a teaspoon or so of dough at a time, roll it gently in the palm of your hand until it forms a ball. Form all dough into one teaspoon balls, and gently place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Consider sprinkling the bath balls with herbs, flower petals, cloves, citrus zest and similar aromatic ingredients. Bake your bath cookies for ten minutes, until they are lightly browned. Do not over bake. Allow the bath cookies to cool completely. To use, Drop 1 or 2 cookies into a warm bath and allow to dissolve. Yield: 24 cookies, enough for 12 baths.
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 T light oil
1 tsp vitamin E oil
2 eggs
5-6 drops essential oil of your choice
Preheat your oven to 350 F. Combine all the listed ingredients and form into a dough. Using a teaspoon or so of dough at a time, roll it gently in the palm of your hand until it forms a ball. Form all dough into one teaspoon balls, and gently place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Consider sprinkling the bath balls with herbs, flower petals, cloves, citrus zest and similar aromatic ingredients. Bake your bath cookies for ten minutes, until they are lightly browned. Do not over bake. Allow the bath cookies to cool completely. To use, Drop 1 or 2 cookies into a warm bath and allow to dissolve. Yield: 24 cookies, enough for 12 baths.
Roman Bath Soak
1 cup of fine grade oil (consider sesame, olive, apricot, or avocado oil)
1 cup of mild shampoo or liquid castile soap
1/2 tsp. of fragrance oil or essential oil of your choice
This is easy but indulgent soak which is ideal for winter dry skin. Combine all of your ingredients in a clean bottle or jar. Shake vigorously before each use, and dispense one to two tablespoons into your rapidly running bath water. You'll find the addition of mild shampoo helps to both emulsify and disburse the oil liberally throughout the bath water, for even distribution and coverage on your skin --- instead of the tub.
1 cup of mild shampoo or liquid castile soap
1/2 tsp. of fragrance oil or essential oil of your choice
This is easy but indulgent soak which is ideal for winter dry skin. Combine all of your ingredients in a clean bottle or jar. Shake vigorously before each use, and dispense one to two tablespoons into your rapidly running bath water. You'll find the addition of mild shampoo helps to both emulsify and disburse the oil liberally throughout the bath water, for even distribution and coverage on your skin --- instead of the tub.
Insomia Bath Soak
1 tbsp Almond oil
4 drops Lavender essential oil
3 drops Marjoram essential oil
2 drops Benzoin essential oil
1 cup of powdered milk
Pour oils into a small bowl, mix thoroughly. Stir in 1 cup of powdered milk. Add mixture to bath water.
4 drops Lavender essential oil
3 drops Marjoram essential oil
2 drops Benzoin essential oil
1 cup of powdered milk
Pour oils into a small bowl, mix thoroughly. Stir in 1 cup of powdered milk. Add mixture to bath water.
Vanilla Honey Bath Oil
1 cup light oil, such as mineral oil, massage oil, or baby oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup unscented liquid soap or unscented shampoo
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Mix together all the ingredients in a clean bottle with tight fitting lid. When ready to use, shake vigorously, and pour 1/4 cup under running bath water.
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup unscented liquid soap or unscented shampoo
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Mix together all the ingredients in a clean bottle with tight fitting lid. When ready to use, shake vigorously, and pour 1/4 cup under running bath water.
Powdered Milk Bath
1 cup dry (powdered) milk
5 to 8 drops scented oil -perfume oil or essential oil
Mix dry milk with oil. Mix well. Add more oil for a stronger scent. Place in a container for gift giving.
Include a card with directions:
To use, add to running bath water.
5 to 8 drops scented oil -perfume oil or essential oil
Mix dry milk with oil. Mix well. Add more oil for a stronger scent. Place in a container for gift giving.
Include a card with directions:
To use, add to running bath water.
Rainbow Fruity Bath Salts
3 quarts of Epsom salts or course sea salts
3 envelopes unflavored unsweetened Kool-Aid powder (one each of three different colors)
3-4 drops of scented Essential Oils which compliment the flavors of Kool-Aid you have chosen (Orange oil with orange Kool-Aid, Lavender Oil with Grape Kool-Aid, Peppermint Oil with strawberry Kool-Aid, etc)
Mix one envelope of Kool-aid to 1 quart salts in three separate bowls. Add 3-4 drops of essential oils to each of the three bowls, in a scent which coordinates with the color. Alternate colored layers in a glass or plastic container. To use, add 1/2 to 1 cup salts per bath.
3 envelopes unflavored unsweetened Kool-Aid powder (one each of three different colors)
3-4 drops of scented Essential Oils which compliment the flavors of Kool-Aid you have chosen (Orange oil with orange Kool-Aid, Lavender Oil with Grape Kool-Aid, Peppermint Oil with strawberry Kool-Aid, etc)
Mix one envelope of Kool-aid to 1 quart salts in three separate bowls. Add 3-4 drops of essential oils to each of the three bowls, in a scent which coordinates with the color. Alternate colored layers in a glass or plastic container. To use, add 1/2 to 1 cup salts per bath.
Cherry Vanilla
1/4 cup distilled water
1/4 cup unscented shampoo
2 tablespoons rose water
1 tablespoon liquid glycerin
1/2 teaspoon table salt
5 drops cherry fragrance oil
5 drops vanilla fragrance oil -or- 1 tablespoon Vanilla extract
Whisk all ingredients until well blended. Pour desired amount under running water in the bath.
1/4 cup unscented shampoo
2 tablespoons rose water
1 tablespoon liquid glycerin
1/2 teaspoon table salt
5 drops cherry fragrance oil
5 drops vanilla fragrance oil -or- 1 tablespoon Vanilla extract
Whisk all ingredients until well blended. Pour desired amount under running water in the bath.
Almond Bomb
1/4 cup baking soda
2 tablespoons citric acid or ascorbic acid
1 tablespoon Borax powder
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons sweet almond oil
1 teaspoon vitamin E oil
1/4 teaspoon essential oil
Combine dry ingredients in bowl and stir until well blended. Drizzle in almond oil and stir until mixture is moistened. Add vitamin E oil and fragrance and stir until well mixed. Take teaspoon size globs of mixture and form balls. If mixture is crumbly, add more vitamin E oil. Put balls on sheet of wax paper and leave for 2 or 3 hours. Reshape balls, then let air dry and harden for 10 days. Store in a closed container.
2 tablespoons citric acid or ascorbic acid
1 tablespoon Borax powder
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons sweet almond oil
1 teaspoon vitamin E oil
1/4 teaspoon essential oil
Combine dry ingredients in bowl and stir until well blended. Drizzle in almond oil and stir until mixture is moistened. Add vitamin E oil and fragrance and stir until well mixed. Take teaspoon size globs of mixture and form balls. If mixture is crumbly, add more vitamin E oil. Put balls on sheet of wax paper and leave for 2 or 3 hours. Reshape balls, then let air dry and harden for 10 days. Store in a closed container.
Male Aftershave Gel
This special blend, made just for men, soothes and tones the skin after shaving. Made with pure aloe vera gel and nature’s astringent witch hazel, this formula heals and sooths the skin. The essences of natural sandalwood and orange oil in this gel have a clean, woody fragrance.
½ c. aloe vera gel
2 T. vodka
1 T. orange flower water
2 t. witch hazel
10 drops sandalwood oil
5 drops orange oil
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir with a wire whisk until well blended. Bottle.
½ c. aloe vera gel
2 T. vodka
1 T. orange flower water
2 t. witch hazel
10 drops sandalwood oil
5 drops orange oil
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir with a wire whisk until well blended. Bottle.
Milk Bath To Induce A Restful Sleep
A recipe for relaxing sleep, and this is a great alternative for people who like to soak in bath salts but have hypertension!
1 tbsp. Almond oil
4 drops Lavender essential oil
3 drops Marjoram essential oil
2 drops Benzoin essential oil
1 cup of powdered milk
Pour oils into a small bowl and mix thoroughly. Stir in 1 cup of powdered milk. Add the mixture to your bath water and relax!
1 tbsp. Almond oil
4 drops Lavender essential oil
3 drops Marjoram essential oil
2 drops Benzoin essential oil
1 cup of powdered milk
Pour oils into a small bowl and mix thoroughly. Stir in 1 cup of powdered milk. Add the mixture to your bath water and relax!
The Perfect Sugar Scrub
The cream in this mixture gives it the richest texture while the sugar gently exfoliates dead skin to expose fresher skin underneath. The balance of ingredients produces a scrub that is oily enough to moisturize, yet will not separate out much.
Do not use The Perfect Sugar Scrub on broken or delicate skin. It's best on elbows, heels, knees but if you scrub gently, you can use it on most of your body and your hands to soften them. Avoid use on tender areas like face, neck and breasts.
Yield: 1 Full Body Application
Ingredients:
4 ounces white or brown sugar (depending on the color you'd like your scrub to be)
3 tablespoons sweet almond oil
2 tablespoons liquid whipping cream
30 drops pink grapefruit essential oil
20 drops lemon essential oil
3 drops patchouli essential oil
2 drops rose absolute
2 drops ylang ylang essential oil
1 drop cinammon leaf essential oil
Blending Procedure:
Measure the sugar into a bowl and set aside. You can use brown sugar, but you'll only get a pretty yellow color from the essential oils if you use white sugar.
Measure the cream and oil into a bowl and stir well to combine. Make sure the cream is fully dispersed into the oil so you get a smooth mixture.
Pour the smooth cream/oil mixture into the sugar and stir well to combine. Add the essential oils last and stir again. Store in the refrigerator in an air tight container (preferably glass). Look at the expiration date on the panel of the cream carton to determine approximate shelf life
Do not use The Perfect Sugar Scrub on broken or delicate skin. It's best on elbows, heels, knees but if you scrub gently, you can use it on most of your body and your hands to soften them. Avoid use on tender areas like face, neck and breasts.
Yield: 1 Full Body Application
Ingredients:
4 ounces white or brown sugar (depending on the color you'd like your scrub to be)
3 tablespoons sweet almond oil
2 tablespoons liquid whipping cream
30 drops pink grapefruit essential oil
20 drops lemon essential oil
3 drops patchouli essential oil
2 drops rose absolute
2 drops ylang ylang essential oil
1 drop cinammon leaf essential oil
Blending Procedure:
Measure the sugar into a bowl and set aside. You can use brown sugar, but you'll only get a pretty yellow color from the essential oils if you use white sugar.
Measure the cream and oil into a bowl and stir well to combine. Make sure the cream is fully dispersed into the oil so you get a smooth mixture.
Pour the smooth cream/oil mixture into the sugar and stir well to combine. Add the essential oils last and stir again. Store in the refrigerator in an air tight container (preferably glass). Look at the expiration date on the panel of the cream carton to determine approximate shelf life
Jungle Bath
Here is a soaking bath to sooth you while softening your skin and making you smell wonderful. You will need:
A small can of unsweetened coconut milk
Oil of Gardenia
Oil of Amber
Add the milk and around four drops of each of the oils to a running bath and mix well with your hands. Soak until the water begins to cool down, then pat the water off gently with a towel, rather than rubbing. Follow the bath with cocoa butter on your elbows, knees, and feet.
A small can of unsweetened coconut milk
Oil of Gardenia
Oil of Amber
Add the milk and around four drops of each of the oils to a running bath and mix well with your hands. Soak until the water begins to cool down, then pat the water off gently with a towel, rather than rubbing. Follow the bath with cocoa butter on your elbows, knees, and feet.
Heart Healing Meditation
Here is a powerful healing meditation to help you lose your fears about love and to cleanse your heart chakra. You may want to tape-record this meditation with soft background music, so you can easily listen to it once or twice a day.
1. With your eyes closed, and in a comfortable position, take two or three very deep, cleansing breaths.
2. Visualize a beautiful cloud of emerald green light surrounding you. As you breathe in, you take this healing energy into your lungs, your cells, and your heart. Concentrate on your heart a moment, as you allow the emerald-green light to cleanse away any negativity that may have caused you to feel pain.
3. With a deep breath, be willing to allow the light to carry away any fears you may have about love. Be willing to release the fear of feeling love. You need do nothing else except breathe and hold the intention to heal yourself of the fear of love. Just be willing to be healed, and God and the angels will do everything else. Take another deep breath, as you become willing to release the fear of being loved, including the fear that if you are loved, you could be manipulated, tricked, used, abandoned, rejected, persecuted, or hurt. With another deep breath, allow all of these fears from any lifetime to be lifted and carried away.
4. Now, allow the light to cleanse you of any fears you may have about giving love. With a deep breath, be willing to release the fear that if you give love, you could be controlled, abused, deceived, betrayed, maimed, or hurt in any way. Allow all of these fears to be lifted completely, and feel your heart expanding to its natural loving state.
5. Allow yourself to release any old unforgiveness you may be harboring toward those who seem to have hurt you in a love relationship. Become willing to release unforgiveness toward your mother ... toward your father ... toward other parental figures ... toward your siblings ... toward your childhood friends ... toward your adolescent friends ... toward your first love ... toward those whom you dated and loved ... toward anyone you lived with or married.... Allow all of your hurts and disappointments associated with love to be cleansed and fully carried away. You don't want the hurt, you don't need it, and with another deep breath, it is lifted to the light where it is transmuted and purified. Only the lessons remain, and the pure essence of love contained within each relationship, since that is the only thing that was ever eternal and real within each of your relationships.
6. Now, with another deep breath, allow the light to cleanse you completely. Be willing to release any unforgiveness you may hold toward yourself connected to love. Be willing to forgive yourself for betraying yourself, for ignoring your intuition, or for not looking out for your highest interests. Give yourself a hug, either in your mind or with your arms. Reassure your inner self that you will never again engage in self-betrayal.
7. You now commit to following your intuition and discernment, so you could never be or stay in any relationship that would hurt you. Fully release the unforgiveness for any mistakes that you think you may have made in any relationship, including your relationship with yourself. And with another very deep cleansing breath, feel yourself healed, whole, and ready to enjoy the love that is the truth about who you really are.
As we lose the fear of love, we become more aware of the rich range of feelings that are part of our human experience.
1. With your eyes closed, and in a comfortable position, take two or three very deep, cleansing breaths.
2. Visualize a beautiful cloud of emerald green light surrounding you. As you breathe in, you take this healing energy into your lungs, your cells, and your heart. Concentrate on your heart a moment, as you allow the emerald-green light to cleanse away any negativity that may have caused you to feel pain.
3. With a deep breath, be willing to allow the light to carry away any fears you may have about love. Be willing to release the fear of feeling love. You need do nothing else except breathe and hold the intention to heal yourself of the fear of love. Just be willing to be healed, and God and the angels will do everything else. Take another deep breath, as you become willing to release the fear of being loved, including the fear that if you are loved, you could be manipulated, tricked, used, abandoned, rejected, persecuted, or hurt. With another deep breath, allow all of these fears from any lifetime to be lifted and carried away.
4. Now, allow the light to cleanse you of any fears you may have about giving love. With a deep breath, be willing to release the fear that if you give love, you could be controlled, abused, deceived, betrayed, maimed, or hurt in any way. Allow all of these fears to be lifted completely, and feel your heart expanding to its natural loving state.
5. Allow yourself to release any old unforgiveness you may be harboring toward those who seem to have hurt you in a love relationship. Become willing to release unforgiveness toward your mother ... toward your father ... toward other parental figures ... toward your siblings ... toward your childhood friends ... toward your adolescent friends ... toward your first love ... toward those whom you dated and loved ... toward anyone you lived with or married.... Allow all of your hurts and disappointments associated with love to be cleansed and fully carried away. You don't want the hurt, you don't need it, and with another deep breath, it is lifted to the light where it is transmuted and purified. Only the lessons remain, and the pure essence of love contained within each relationship, since that is the only thing that was ever eternal and real within each of your relationships.
6. Now, with another deep breath, allow the light to cleanse you completely. Be willing to release any unforgiveness you may hold toward yourself connected to love. Be willing to forgive yourself for betraying yourself, for ignoring your intuition, or for not looking out for your highest interests. Give yourself a hug, either in your mind or with your arms. Reassure your inner self that you will never again engage in self-betrayal.
7. You now commit to following your intuition and discernment, so you could never be or stay in any relationship that would hurt you. Fully release the unforgiveness for any mistakes that you think you may have made in any relationship, including your relationship with yourself. And with another very deep cleansing breath, feel yourself healed, whole, and ready to enjoy the love that is the truth about who you really are.
As we lose the fear of love, we become more aware of the rich range of feelings that are part of our human experience.
How to Make a Bath Bag
Select any combination of four to five of the suitable bath herbs. All of these herbs can be easily grown in a home garden or ordered from a supplier:
Calendula
Peppermint
Chamomile
Rosemary
Comfrey
Rose
Garden Sage
Spearmint
Lavender
Thyme
Lemon
Grass
Yarrow
Blend in equal parts. Select material for making bags. These can be odd socks, knee-high nylons, hand-sewn bags, or pieces of muslin - whatever works best for you. Cotton washcloths work well filled with herbs and tied with a rubber band and ribbon. These make great party favours or shower gifts.
Use dark-coloured washcloths as some of the herbs may stain a light-coloured fabric. Add a handful of herbs to each bag. A handful is the one measuring device that I always have near and it never varies! For centuries this was used when nothing else was available. I have even seen old pioneer cookbooks where ingredients are measured in handful, child handful, and doll handful.
To use the bag of bath herbs, tie it on the water spout while the tub is filling, or toss in like a big tea bag. Scrub yourself with the bag and squeeze it often to release the oils from the herbs.
Calendula
Peppermint
Chamomile
Rosemary
Comfrey
Rose
Garden Sage
Spearmint
Lavender
Thyme
Lemon
Grass
Yarrow
Blend in equal parts. Select material for making bags. These can be odd socks, knee-high nylons, hand-sewn bags, or pieces of muslin - whatever works best for you. Cotton washcloths work well filled with herbs and tied with a rubber band and ribbon. These make great party favours or shower gifts.
Use dark-coloured washcloths as some of the herbs may stain a light-coloured fabric. Add a handful of herbs to each bag. A handful is the one measuring device that I always have near and it never varies! For centuries this was used when nothing else was available. I have even seen old pioneer cookbooks where ingredients are measured in handful, child handful, and doll handful.
To use the bag of bath herbs, tie it on the water spout while the tub is filling, or toss in like a big tea bag. Scrub yourself with the bag and squeeze it often to release the oils from the herbs.
Diet Affirmation
I made the choice to think of this whole eating healthy thing to be a positive journey this time. Instead of using the denial approach - I'm trying to retrain my brain. Hence the new affirmation.
I, ___________ ,love and respect myself. I choose a diet that nourishes me and reflects this love.
I, ___________ ,love and respect myself. I choose a diet that nourishes me and reflects this love.
Lucas' 2nd Birthday Cake
Scrying
When learning to scry, you will find the moon's changing energies will help you. You can make a black mirror from a piece of thick glass, or from an old alarm-clock face coated with several layers of black model paint on the convex side, each set into a rim of wood or plaster. Crystal balls look more exotic but are really a quite modern invention, introduced in Tudor times. Before that the scryers would have used a bowl of ink, or a piece of shiny black stone, wet slate or even coal, or anything else which would glitter and distract the normal vision so that inner sight can break through. Often a piece of polished fingernail reflecting speck of the moon or sunlight could act as a focus in this way. As each person's ability depends a great deal on their particular mental and intellectual make-up it is best to try a few simple and cheap methods before you pay a great deal of money for a crystal ball.
Choose a night of bright moonlight for your first experiments and if you can be out of doors or at least in a room with open windows through which unaltered moonlight can pour, allow it to fall upon the scrying glass or speculum for a while so that the instrument begins to feel filled with moonlite. Light a candle and a little incense to help alter the atmosphere to a more magical feeling, and then become still and relaxed. It may take many attempts to be able to see anything in any form of scrying mirror but, like all the magickal arts, persistence will pay off. You can't force yourself into the poised form of consciousness which is vial to all successful meditational methods, but only get to it by finding the balance between curiosity and relaxation. Eventually it becomes second nature and all sessions rewarding because you have gained the knack.
As you watch in a calm and distracted sort of way you may discover the moonlight seems to have seeped into the glass and misted it, and in the midst of the swirling clouds a clear path begins to form, sometimes glinting with starlight. Once you have got that far regularly, it is only a brief step onward to the state where moving pictures, images, symbols and even dialogue into which you fully enter, or even seem to fall, occurs. It isn't easy and many people find this particular skill evades them no matter how hard they try. Usually it is at the moment when your patience seems exhausted and you begin to lose faith in the process that you somehow let go of whatever mental block defeats you and suddenly, for a while, you get a clear sight. Do go on with the basic exercises until you find that distinct and steady images of some sort happen under you control.
Choose a night of bright moonlight for your first experiments and if you can be out of doors or at least in a room with open windows through which unaltered moonlight can pour, allow it to fall upon the scrying glass or speculum for a while so that the instrument begins to feel filled with moonlite. Light a candle and a little incense to help alter the atmosphere to a more magical feeling, and then become still and relaxed. It may take many attempts to be able to see anything in any form of scrying mirror but, like all the magickal arts, persistence will pay off. You can't force yourself into the poised form of consciousness which is vial to all successful meditational methods, but only get to it by finding the balance between curiosity and relaxation. Eventually it becomes second nature and all sessions rewarding because you have gained the knack.
As you watch in a calm and distracted sort of way you may discover the moonlight seems to have seeped into the glass and misted it, and in the midst of the swirling clouds a clear path begins to form, sometimes glinting with starlight. Once you have got that far regularly, it is only a brief step onward to the state where moving pictures, images, symbols and even dialogue into which you fully enter, or even seem to fall, occurs. It isn't easy and many people find this particular skill evades them no matter how hard they try. Usually it is at the moment when your patience seems exhausted and you begin to lose faith in the process that you somehow let go of whatever mental block defeats you and suddenly, for a while, you get a clear sight. Do go on with the basic exercises until you find that distinct and steady images of some sort happen under you control.
OMGod/dess
Prepare yourself for a visualisation, either tape or memorise the main essence of the path that follows. Set your space as you want it, use objects, sacred space, relaxation, etc.
When you are ready, in your mind form your door to the inner world
Go through it, and find yourself on a woodland path.
Walk along the path, noticing as much as you can along the way.
The path enters a clearing. Gather some wood and in the centre of the clearing build and light afire.
Sit by the fire. The sun is just beginning to set. Stand and say, clearly and loudly, I (state your name) call upon the gods and goddesses of my family. "I call them to this place, and welcome them to sit and talk with me around this fire I have built for them. Come in peace and brotherhood"
They will slowly start arriving, walking out of the woods, and introducing themselves by name as they take their places around the fire.
Talk with them for as long as you like. When you free it is time to go, stand and say loudly and clearly, "I (state your name) thank you all for coming here, for the knowledge you have shared with me, for your companionship around my fire. But now I must leave you all to go your own way, for I must go mine. Merry meet, merry part, merry meet again."
They respond with a hearty "Blessed Be"
You turn away, and move toward the path by which you came. The sun is beginning to rise, and you can easily .find your way back along the path, to the door by which you entered.
Return to the conscious world and write a report on your discoveries.
When you are ready, in your mind form your door to the inner world
Go through it, and find yourself on a woodland path.
Walk along the path, noticing as much as you can along the way.
The path enters a clearing. Gather some wood and in the centre of the clearing build and light afire.
Sit by the fire. The sun is just beginning to set. Stand and say, clearly and loudly, I (state your name) call upon the gods and goddesses of my family. "I call them to this place, and welcome them to sit and talk with me around this fire I have built for them. Come in peace and brotherhood"
They will slowly start arriving, walking out of the woods, and introducing themselves by name as they take their places around the fire.
Talk with them for as long as you like. When you free it is time to go, stand and say loudly and clearly, "I (state your name) thank you all for coming here, for the knowledge you have shared with me, for your companionship around my fire. But now I must leave you all to go your own way, for I must go mine. Merry meet, merry part, merry meet again."
They respond with a hearty "Blessed Be"
You turn away, and move toward the path by which you came. The sun is beginning to rise, and you can easily .find your way back along the path, to the door by which you entered.
Return to the conscious world and write a report on your discoveries.
Ethics
When we speak of ethics and etiquette in relation to pagansim what are we referring to? Are we speaking of outdated rules and actions that no longer have meaning and we only give lip service to? I don't believe so. Ethics and etiquette are living, breathing codes of life, shaping our actions in relation to each other, and ourselves. They are a guiding force in the way we live our lives.
Let us first look at ethics. Ethics are defined as --a set of principles; moral philosophy; rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or the members of a profession; human duty; a particular system of principles and rules concerning duty, whether true or false; rules of practice in respect to a single class of human actions; motivation based on ideas of right and wrong; the philosophical study of moral values and rules.
When we begin to speak of ethics, we need to realize that this can be a very touchy subject. We are human after all, and we want to think our ethics are the correct ones. While there are generally accepted community ethics, it is personal ethics that make up who we are. And these are not the same for each person.
Before we begin to discuss in depth community and person ethics let us first look at the Rede, the most common code of conduct among Wiccans.
Bide the Wiccan law ye must, in perfect love and perfect trust;
Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill;
'An ye harm none, do as ye will';
Lest in self-defense it be, ever mind the rule of three;
Follow this with mind and heart;
And merry ye meet and merry ye part.
Every Wiccan knows the Rede. Our passwords into the sacred circle are in here. Our major rule of ethic is here. And the reason for breaking this ethic, as well as the consequences of breaking it foolishly. When we extract the line most popular --An ye harm none, do as ye will' and begin to dissect it, we have to wonder "Is this an ethic we can every achieve?"
I believe the Rede is a standard of living, like all ethics, and one that is an impossibility to achieve. The goal is to live as closely to the Rede as possible. In the attempt to do this, we begin to analyze our actions. We follow the path of LEAST harm. Thus, we begin to live conscious of our actions, and how they effect the world around us. And here comes the REAL lesson of the Rede. It forces us to have personal responsibility. Once you have acknowledged that the Rede is a goal to work for and not a given situation, and have taken of the blinders that let you go around smug and happy that your religion is so sweet it makes your teeth itch, you can get down to the work of making your life an ethical one. What this involves is considering each decision in the light of the Rede before you decide upon a course of action. You do this by looking at all the possible consequences of that action and whether that will cause harm to any, choosing the path that causes the least harm and, (THIS IS THE KEY) accepting the responsibility for the consequences of your actions whether intentional or unintentional. -Lark, HPS of Tangled Moon Coven.
Wicca, as well as most Pagansim, is a religion and spiritual path of personal responsibility. We strive to live in an aware state. When we do this, we recognize our free will, and the free will of others. If we ignore the lesson of personal responsibility, we fail to realize our true spiritual potential and our true spiritual will.
As we begin our path, we must develop a set of personal ethics, while maintaining a respect for the ethics of the community we are becoming a part of. Some community ethics are very well defined.
Don't practice black magick, or follow the left-hand path.
Don't attempt to harm another or interfere with their free will.
Always act in a way that will reflect well upon your path. Never do anything that will bring harm to the Craft.
Since Wicca, and pagansim, are very open paths and for the most part do not seek to make anyone follow 'ONE RIGHT WAY', most of the ethics defined by community are concerning harm to others, and harm to the Craft.
But to begin a spiritual path, and to follow it every day of your life, you must develop your own set of personal ethics that define the way you live. No one can tell you what your personal ethics should be. Your teachers, mentors, HPS, HP can all recommend both in word and deed, ethics that work for them. You may be given a 'Book of the Law' that governs your group or tradition. If you are a solitary, you may read on the net, or in a book, acceptable codes of conduct, or ideals. But you cannot take someone else's ethics and make them your own. You must do some soul searching, and decide how you feel about things. Now I am NOT suggesting that you ignore your HPS or HP, or your teachers and mentors. I am suggesting that you should always temper wisdom with personal experience. You must come to a point that you are willing to question what you are taught, to grow in your own self. Through this, your own sense of ethics and morals will come.
Now, here comes the biggie. What do you do when your personal ethics are in direct conflict with accepted community ethics? For example-it has become a phenomenon in the pagan community to love everything white and full of light, and shun everything dark and full of shadow. It has become unacceptable to speak of negative emotions like anger and envy. It has become unacceptable to feel hate towards another person, wish that a murderer would get the death penalty, which that rapist would get castrated by a bunch of angry women. Some of us fondly refer to this a fluffy, bunny Wicca, no offense to anything fluffy, or bunnies. We are taught to love unconditionally because we are all brothers and sisters, connected to each other and every living thing. We are taught that if we experience these emotions, maybe we aren't all that spiritual, and especially not as much as Miss crystal love and light. We are often looked down upon if we say something like 'I am so damn mad at my ex husband I could smack him'. The response I myself have heard to such comment is 'my my, now THAT wasn't very positive'. Well, guess what. It WASN'T. Now I am not saying that you should indulge in these emotions. They can be deterrents to developing a sound spiritual identity because they are 'negative' in the sense that they are base emotions that do not vibrate on the spiritual plane. But they also teach us lessons that can lead to spiritual epiphanies.
Life is a balance between light and dark. Nature is both beautifully creative and frighteningly destructive. Inside of a single human there is light and shadow, and to be totally balanced we must learn to face both, experience both and therefore learn from both. So back to the original question. Let's say you don't feel that you are evil if you feel anger at another person or what have you. What do you do when community ethics conflict with your personal ethics? In my opinion, as long as what you are doing does not come into direct conflict with the good of the general community, or does not manipulate or purposefully harm another person, then your personal ethics should come first. You should not do something maliciously to another person. When you do this, you are not only harming yourself, but you are harming that person, AND the whole of the community. It is very important that our community not be sullied, and the reasons are obvious. But beyond this, your personal ethics should prevail.
Do ethics change over time? Do you think that the ethics of our ancestors of 100, 200 or even 1000 or more years ago are the same as what they are now? I believe that ethics are a revolving and ever changing system. Some become outdated, and some we should always keep. For instance, it has only been in the recent resurgence of Pagansim in the last 50-60 years or so that the belief of 'An ye harm none, do as ye will came about'. In times past, a witch who could not curse, could not heal. Societies have not always believed that you should not harm another person, or that interfering with someone life was a bad thing. The old wise woman of a village was sought out for every reason from fertility, to love, to revenge. It has been in our time only, with the resurgence of beliefs and the discrimination that we face, that we have adopted some of the common ethics we now have. I am NOT saying this is wrong, or that we should go back to the 'Old Ways'. In a society that we now living in, and the information is available for spiritual purposes, there is no longer a need to seek out the crone of the village and ask her to grant you revenge on your enemy. But this is the perfect example of how ethics change with time. At one time it was ethical for old men to mate with young girls. In our culture, it is no longer ethical. So ethics change, and so they should. Change is the only constant in the universe, and without it, we grow stagnate and our lives become filled with rot and decay. Change blows in new life to help recreate our lives, our beliefs and yes, even out ethics.
The other common code of conduct that we hear of in the Pagan community is 'Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the Law, love under will.' This comes from Aleister Crowley, from his book entitled 'The Book of the Law'. Now knowing some of the things that we do about Crowley, it's almost humorous to think of him in a discussion of ethics, except to point to what not to do maybe! But, this is a very powerful outlook on developing your own set of personal ethics.
In my understanding 'Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the law, love under will' does not mean you may do as you wish and that is it. It is speaking of your TRUE will, your TRUE purpose in life. And if you are following your true or higher will and purpose you will not come into conflict with another's will so therefore you do not have to worry about stepping on anyone else's toes. So you don't have to worry about harming another, because you are in touch with the divine and you are following your own spiritual path and will, which will not cause harm or conflict with another. Of course, we still have conflicts with people. One way to look at this is as a spiritual lesson for either you or the other person. But if you are seeking to control another or harm another, this is not your true will. This is based upon the belief that every person is an individual, and as an individual you should be true to your own nature or consciousness. You must find your true will and make all of your actions subservient to the one great purpose. This again leads to conscious living.
If ethics are codes of personal and community conduct, then etiquette is a code of social conduct. Etiquette is defined as --the practices and forms prescribed by social convention or by authority; forms of conduct prescribed by polite society; code of correct conduct; also decorum denotes conformity with established standards of manners or behavior; the forms required by good breeding, or prescribed by authority, to be observed in social or official life; observance of the proprieties of rank and occasion; conventional decorum; ceremonial code of polite society; rules governing acceptable behavior.
Just like Emily Post and polite society, we in the Pagan community have behavior that is expected from us in how we interact with that community. In my opinion, etiquette is something sorely lacking in many Pagans. They are not taught certain things about how we interact with each other. This could be because maybe you didn't have a teacher, or your teacher didn't know them either. Or it could be because you or those who taught you just didn't care, it wasn't important to them. But I feel that etiquette is VERY important. It keeps us civilized, it aids us in how we interact and it shows the outside world that we know how to act.
Beyond the mundane world and it's social etiquette, lets take a look at some things that are common among Pagan paths, especially the Wiccan path.
You should never touch someone else's magickal tools and items without their express permission. If you see something you like and want to touch, then ASK. Don't just hold out your hand for it, or just pick it up. A person leaves an imprint of their energy on what they touch, and they may not want someone else's energy on their magickal items. This includes athames all the way to stones and jewelery. And do not take offense if you ask and are told no. The way you live reflects on our whole community. You should always respect others, no matter their path. Inside your own religion thee is a certain higher respect given each other, as Children of the Goddess. This comes from a basic understanding of the hardships of the path, and the process we all go through in some way to evolve. It can be equated to any secret society and it's initiation process and path of self-discovery. This path is not for everyone, and if you take it seriously, will change your life in ways you could never imagine. Any path that causes growth can be difficult. And we link with others that are going through the same thing we are and take strength from and learn from them. We endeavor to hold ourselves to a high standard of living our spiritual lives that the mundane world does not. Therefor we support each other, lending a hand when the pitfalls of the world come about. When someone gives of themselves to teach or guide, we recognize that person's giving, and respect it. Not all of us are called to teach, and those who are offer a valuable service that should not be taken for granted. When you are called to teach or guide, you have been given a very serious part to play in your community. You should never abuse it in any way. It also does not mean that you may use it as a way to gain power over, or look down upon any other person. We are all where we should be onour path, and it does not mean a thing that you have 10 or 20 years of service and someone else has 1. We are all equal in the eyes of the Gods. And if you are a teacher, you are held to an even higher state of conduct. You must never involve yourself in anything that could cause harm to your students or to the Craft. You should never do anything that would bring a bad light on us. For instance, you should never become romantically involved with one of your students. You should not condone the use of illegal drugs, or alcohol if the person is not of age. You should not use your position to control your students, or make them dependent on you. The goal is to aid a person on this path. You supply the seed as a teacher. You cannot take them by the hand and learn from them, or be easy on them when you should be honest. In that same light, those who would be considered an elder in our faith are given a large amount of respect. The wisdom that is gained from following this path for 10, 20 or 30 years is an asset to our community, and we should respect the Elders of the community for what they have learned and what they teach us. Due to the advent of the internet, there is a phenomenon growing among new seekers that is very disturbing. It involves not understanding the hard work it takes to learn the Old Ways, or the dedication and self sacrifice those who follow, and especially those who teach and guide give to the path. From this lack of understanding, new seekers think they can go to any page on the net, learn what they can and be done with it. It also leads them to think that they can ask for what they want, and someone will just hand it over. For example, I have been asked to send someone a copy of my BOS. This shows me that the person requesting this has no idea of what a BOS is, what it stands for and the process that is gone through to acquire it. This is flat out rude to begin with. This person is wanting their religion hand fed to them. They want to skip the hard work, the dedication, the pitfalls and the trials, and get right to the reward. This is simply not how it's done. This person wants the secrets and mysteries handed to them on a silver platter, without having to leave the comfort of the computer chair and work for them. This isn't possible. And I am here to say STOP. Be mindful of what you are asking. You can't go to the net, read a page or two, then go ask someone for their BOS, or even ask them to teach you. There must be effort on your part. You are not an adept after reading a page, or a book, or even ten books. The mysteries cannot be handed to you on a silver platter and you are a master of the universe. This is what I call lazy Wicca, and through lazy Wicca you will never come to experience the mysteries, because they come through dedication, hard work and a personal dedication to the Gods. Those who are out of the closet must NEVER give away the secrets of their brothers and sisters. You should never give any personal information. You should never tell the secrets of a coven, who it's leaders are, who the members are or any other information. We must honor our vows and protect those who for whatever reason have chosen to remain hidden from the eyes of the world. For those who are out of the closet, your life and your actions must be above reproach in the eyes of the world. As an open pagan, you may be the only one that a non pagan every sees. They will see every Pagan in you. So in all things you must be truthful. You must live with dignity and honor. In our discussion of ethics and etiquette the point I was trying to impress upon you is this. We have become a society who thinks that we may do as we please, act as we please and there are no consequences. We fight with the Christians. We complain about how they fight amongst themselves. We sneer at them when they point to another of them and say how that person is wrong and they way they practice is wrong. And yet, WE DO THE SAME THING.
When I meet a fellow priestess, I treat her with respect as a person, and doubly so as a priestess, since I know how hard that path can be, to have dedicated your life and your service to the Gods and the Old Ways. If I meet someone who has been walking the path for 20 or 30 years, I respect that person because of the knowledge they have obtained in that time. That is not to say my 10 years is less, or they are 'more spiritual' than me. It is saying that this path is not an easy one all the time, and to have lived it every day for that amount of time is deserving of respect. I was taught as a child to respect my elders, and I believe that is still a valid lesson. The elders of this path can teach us things that we have never even thought of. At the same time, as an elder, you should always remember what it was like to take your first stumbling steps on this path, and how you may have longed for some guidance. It is just as wrong to be an elder, and act as if you know everything, or someone who is only 20 or whatever age could never be a spiritual person. We all must remember our ethics and etiquette, and encourage each other every day.
We have forgotten to practice our personal ethics, and have thrown etiquette out the window. We have forgotten Emily Post and Miss Manners, and have went on about our merry little way to fight like cats and dogs, without even offering basic human respect for those with diverging views, and this troubles me. It is a plague that is infecting our community. The Witch Wars continue. We struggle to make our way the right way, even if we don't realize we are doing this. We forget the very basic teaching that we are all connected, and that all paths are valid, as long as they fulfill our spiritual needs.
Let us remember our ethics. Let us live our lives with honor, treating all of life with respect. Follow your own path, without interference into another's. Work hard, study hard and receive the blessings of a life well lived.
Let us first look at ethics. Ethics are defined as --a set of principles; moral philosophy; rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or the members of a profession; human duty; a particular system of principles and rules concerning duty, whether true or false; rules of practice in respect to a single class of human actions; motivation based on ideas of right and wrong; the philosophical study of moral values and rules.
When we begin to speak of ethics, we need to realize that this can be a very touchy subject. We are human after all, and we want to think our ethics are the correct ones. While there are generally accepted community ethics, it is personal ethics that make up who we are. And these are not the same for each person.
Before we begin to discuss in depth community and person ethics let us first look at the Rede, the most common code of conduct among Wiccans.
Bide the Wiccan law ye must, in perfect love and perfect trust;
Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill;
'An ye harm none, do as ye will';
Lest in self-defense it be, ever mind the rule of three;
Follow this with mind and heart;
And merry ye meet and merry ye part.
Every Wiccan knows the Rede. Our passwords into the sacred circle are in here. Our major rule of ethic is here. And the reason for breaking this ethic, as well as the consequences of breaking it foolishly. When we extract the line most popular --An ye harm none, do as ye will' and begin to dissect it, we have to wonder "Is this an ethic we can every achieve?"
I believe the Rede is a standard of living, like all ethics, and one that is an impossibility to achieve. The goal is to live as closely to the Rede as possible. In the attempt to do this, we begin to analyze our actions. We follow the path of LEAST harm. Thus, we begin to live conscious of our actions, and how they effect the world around us. And here comes the REAL lesson of the Rede. It forces us to have personal responsibility. Once you have acknowledged that the Rede is a goal to work for and not a given situation, and have taken of the blinders that let you go around smug and happy that your religion is so sweet it makes your teeth itch, you can get down to the work of making your life an ethical one. What this involves is considering each decision in the light of the Rede before you decide upon a course of action. You do this by looking at all the possible consequences of that action and whether that will cause harm to any, choosing the path that causes the least harm and, (THIS IS THE KEY) accepting the responsibility for the consequences of your actions whether intentional or unintentional. -Lark, HPS of Tangled Moon Coven.
Wicca, as well as most Pagansim, is a religion and spiritual path of personal responsibility. We strive to live in an aware state. When we do this, we recognize our free will, and the free will of others. If we ignore the lesson of personal responsibility, we fail to realize our true spiritual potential and our true spiritual will.
As we begin our path, we must develop a set of personal ethics, while maintaining a respect for the ethics of the community we are becoming a part of. Some community ethics are very well defined.
Don't practice black magick, or follow the left-hand path.
Don't attempt to harm another or interfere with their free will.
Always act in a way that will reflect well upon your path. Never do anything that will bring harm to the Craft.
Since Wicca, and pagansim, are very open paths and for the most part do not seek to make anyone follow 'ONE RIGHT WAY', most of the ethics defined by community are concerning harm to others, and harm to the Craft.
But to begin a spiritual path, and to follow it every day of your life, you must develop your own set of personal ethics that define the way you live. No one can tell you what your personal ethics should be. Your teachers, mentors, HPS, HP can all recommend both in word and deed, ethics that work for them. You may be given a 'Book of the Law' that governs your group or tradition. If you are a solitary, you may read on the net, or in a book, acceptable codes of conduct, or ideals. But you cannot take someone else's ethics and make them your own. You must do some soul searching, and decide how you feel about things. Now I am NOT suggesting that you ignore your HPS or HP, or your teachers and mentors. I am suggesting that you should always temper wisdom with personal experience. You must come to a point that you are willing to question what you are taught, to grow in your own self. Through this, your own sense of ethics and morals will come.
Now, here comes the biggie. What do you do when your personal ethics are in direct conflict with accepted community ethics? For example-it has become a phenomenon in the pagan community to love everything white and full of light, and shun everything dark and full of shadow. It has become unacceptable to speak of negative emotions like anger and envy. It has become unacceptable to feel hate towards another person, wish that a murderer would get the death penalty, which that rapist would get castrated by a bunch of angry women. Some of us fondly refer to this a fluffy, bunny Wicca, no offense to anything fluffy, or bunnies. We are taught to love unconditionally because we are all brothers and sisters, connected to each other and every living thing. We are taught that if we experience these emotions, maybe we aren't all that spiritual, and especially not as much as Miss crystal love and light. We are often looked down upon if we say something like 'I am so damn mad at my ex husband I could smack him'. The response I myself have heard to such comment is 'my my, now THAT wasn't very positive'. Well, guess what. It WASN'T. Now I am not saying that you should indulge in these emotions. They can be deterrents to developing a sound spiritual identity because they are 'negative' in the sense that they are base emotions that do not vibrate on the spiritual plane. But they also teach us lessons that can lead to spiritual epiphanies.
Life is a balance between light and dark. Nature is both beautifully creative and frighteningly destructive. Inside of a single human there is light and shadow, and to be totally balanced we must learn to face both, experience both and therefore learn from both. So back to the original question. Let's say you don't feel that you are evil if you feel anger at another person or what have you. What do you do when community ethics conflict with your personal ethics? In my opinion, as long as what you are doing does not come into direct conflict with the good of the general community, or does not manipulate or purposefully harm another person, then your personal ethics should come first. You should not do something maliciously to another person. When you do this, you are not only harming yourself, but you are harming that person, AND the whole of the community. It is very important that our community not be sullied, and the reasons are obvious. But beyond this, your personal ethics should prevail.
Do ethics change over time? Do you think that the ethics of our ancestors of 100, 200 or even 1000 or more years ago are the same as what they are now? I believe that ethics are a revolving and ever changing system. Some become outdated, and some we should always keep. For instance, it has only been in the recent resurgence of Pagansim in the last 50-60 years or so that the belief of 'An ye harm none, do as ye will came about'. In times past, a witch who could not curse, could not heal. Societies have not always believed that you should not harm another person, or that interfering with someone life was a bad thing. The old wise woman of a village was sought out for every reason from fertility, to love, to revenge. It has been in our time only, with the resurgence of beliefs and the discrimination that we face, that we have adopted some of the common ethics we now have. I am NOT saying this is wrong, or that we should go back to the 'Old Ways'. In a society that we now living in, and the information is available for spiritual purposes, there is no longer a need to seek out the crone of the village and ask her to grant you revenge on your enemy. But this is the perfect example of how ethics change with time. At one time it was ethical for old men to mate with young girls. In our culture, it is no longer ethical. So ethics change, and so they should. Change is the only constant in the universe, and without it, we grow stagnate and our lives become filled with rot and decay. Change blows in new life to help recreate our lives, our beliefs and yes, even out ethics.
The other common code of conduct that we hear of in the Pagan community is 'Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the Law, love under will.' This comes from Aleister Crowley, from his book entitled 'The Book of the Law'. Now knowing some of the things that we do about Crowley, it's almost humorous to think of him in a discussion of ethics, except to point to what not to do maybe! But, this is a very powerful outlook on developing your own set of personal ethics.
In my understanding 'Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the law, love under will' does not mean you may do as you wish and that is it. It is speaking of your TRUE will, your TRUE purpose in life. And if you are following your true or higher will and purpose you will not come into conflict with another's will so therefore you do not have to worry about stepping on anyone else's toes. So you don't have to worry about harming another, because you are in touch with the divine and you are following your own spiritual path and will, which will not cause harm or conflict with another. Of course, we still have conflicts with people. One way to look at this is as a spiritual lesson for either you or the other person. But if you are seeking to control another or harm another, this is not your true will. This is based upon the belief that every person is an individual, and as an individual you should be true to your own nature or consciousness. You must find your true will and make all of your actions subservient to the one great purpose. This again leads to conscious living.
If ethics are codes of personal and community conduct, then etiquette is a code of social conduct. Etiquette is defined as --the practices and forms prescribed by social convention or by authority; forms of conduct prescribed by polite society; code of correct conduct; also decorum denotes conformity with established standards of manners or behavior; the forms required by good breeding, or prescribed by authority, to be observed in social or official life; observance of the proprieties of rank and occasion; conventional decorum; ceremonial code of polite society; rules governing acceptable behavior.
Just like Emily Post and polite society, we in the Pagan community have behavior that is expected from us in how we interact with that community. In my opinion, etiquette is something sorely lacking in many Pagans. They are not taught certain things about how we interact with each other. This could be because maybe you didn't have a teacher, or your teacher didn't know them either. Or it could be because you or those who taught you just didn't care, it wasn't important to them. But I feel that etiquette is VERY important. It keeps us civilized, it aids us in how we interact and it shows the outside world that we know how to act.
Beyond the mundane world and it's social etiquette, lets take a look at some things that are common among Pagan paths, especially the Wiccan path.
You should never touch someone else's magickal tools and items without their express permission. If you see something you like and want to touch, then ASK. Don't just hold out your hand for it, or just pick it up. A person leaves an imprint of their energy on what they touch, and they may not want someone else's energy on their magickal items. This includes athames all the way to stones and jewelery. And do not take offense if you ask and are told no. The way you live reflects on our whole community. You should always respect others, no matter their path. Inside your own religion thee is a certain higher respect given each other, as Children of the Goddess. This comes from a basic understanding of the hardships of the path, and the process we all go through in some way to evolve. It can be equated to any secret society and it's initiation process and path of self-discovery. This path is not for everyone, and if you take it seriously, will change your life in ways you could never imagine. Any path that causes growth can be difficult. And we link with others that are going through the same thing we are and take strength from and learn from them. We endeavor to hold ourselves to a high standard of living our spiritual lives that the mundane world does not. Therefor we support each other, lending a hand when the pitfalls of the world come about. When someone gives of themselves to teach or guide, we recognize that person's giving, and respect it. Not all of us are called to teach, and those who are offer a valuable service that should not be taken for granted. When you are called to teach or guide, you have been given a very serious part to play in your community. You should never abuse it in any way. It also does not mean that you may use it as a way to gain power over, or look down upon any other person. We are all where we should be onour path, and it does not mean a thing that you have 10 or 20 years of service and someone else has 1. We are all equal in the eyes of the Gods. And if you are a teacher, you are held to an even higher state of conduct. You must never involve yourself in anything that could cause harm to your students or to the Craft. You should never do anything that would bring a bad light on us. For instance, you should never become romantically involved with one of your students. You should not condone the use of illegal drugs, or alcohol if the person is not of age. You should not use your position to control your students, or make them dependent on you. The goal is to aid a person on this path. You supply the seed as a teacher. You cannot take them by the hand and learn from them, or be easy on them when you should be honest. In that same light, those who would be considered an elder in our faith are given a large amount of respect. The wisdom that is gained from following this path for 10, 20 or 30 years is an asset to our community, and we should respect the Elders of the community for what they have learned and what they teach us. Due to the advent of the internet, there is a phenomenon growing among new seekers that is very disturbing. It involves not understanding the hard work it takes to learn the Old Ways, or the dedication and self sacrifice those who follow, and especially those who teach and guide give to the path. From this lack of understanding, new seekers think they can go to any page on the net, learn what they can and be done with it. It also leads them to think that they can ask for what they want, and someone will just hand it over. For example, I have been asked to send someone a copy of my BOS. This shows me that the person requesting this has no idea of what a BOS is, what it stands for and the process that is gone through to acquire it. This is flat out rude to begin with. This person is wanting their religion hand fed to them. They want to skip the hard work, the dedication, the pitfalls and the trials, and get right to the reward. This is simply not how it's done. This person wants the secrets and mysteries handed to them on a silver platter, without having to leave the comfort of the computer chair and work for them. This isn't possible. And I am here to say STOP. Be mindful of what you are asking. You can't go to the net, read a page or two, then go ask someone for their BOS, or even ask them to teach you. There must be effort on your part. You are not an adept after reading a page, or a book, or even ten books. The mysteries cannot be handed to you on a silver platter and you are a master of the universe. This is what I call lazy Wicca, and through lazy Wicca you will never come to experience the mysteries, because they come through dedication, hard work and a personal dedication to the Gods. Those who are out of the closet must NEVER give away the secrets of their brothers and sisters. You should never give any personal information. You should never tell the secrets of a coven, who it's leaders are, who the members are or any other information. We must honor our vows and protect those who for whatever reason have chosen to remain hidden from the eyes of the world. For those who are out of the closet, your life and your actions must be above reproach in the eyes of the world. As an open pagan, you may be the only one that a non pagan every sees. They will see every Pagan in you. So in all things you must be truthful. You must live with dignity and honor. In our discussion of ethics and etiquette the point I was trying to impress upon you is this. We have become a society who thinks that we may do as we please, act as we please and there are no consequences. We fight with the Christians. We complain about how they fight amongst themselves. We sneer at them when they point to another of them and say how that person is wrong and they way they practice is wrong. And yet, WE DO THE SAME THING.
When I meet a fellow priestess, I treat her with respect as a person, and doubly so as a priestess, since I know how hard that path can be, to have dedicated your life and your service to the Gods and the Old Ways. If I meet someone who has been walking the path for 20 or 30 years, I respect that person because of the knowledge they have obtained in that time. That is not to say my 10 years is less, or they are 'more spiritual' than me. It is saying that this path is not an easy one all the time, and to have lived it every day for that amount of time is deserving of respect. I was taught as a child to respect my elders, and I believe that is still a valid lesson. The elders of this path can teach us things that we have never even thought of. At the same time, as an elder, you should always remember what it was like to take your first stumbling steps on this path, and how you may have longed for some guidance. It is just as wrong to be an elder, and act as if you know everything, or someone who is only 20 or whatever age could never be a spiritual person. We all must remember our ethics and etiquette, and encourage each other every day.
We have forgotten to practice our personal ethics, and have thrown etiquette out the window. We have forgotten Emily Post and Miss Manners, and have went on about our merry little way to fight like cats and dogs, without even offering basic human respect for those with diverging views, and this troubles me. It is a plague that is infecting our community. The Witch Wars continue. We struggle to make our way the right way, even if we don't realize we are doing this. We forget the very basic teaching that we are all connected, and that all paths are valid, as long as they fulfill our spiritual needs.
Let us remember our ethics. Let us live our lives with honor, treating all of life with respect. Follow your own path, without interference into another's. Work hard, study hard and receive the blessings of a life well lived.
Dark of the Moon Ritual
The dark moon is a good time to do protective magick and to banish things from your life.
Supplies you will need:
two black candles,
cauldron,
paper and pen.
Place the cauldron in the center of the altar and put the paper and pen beside it.
Cast the circle in a counter clockwise way. When it is cast, return to the altar and face the North.
Light the black candles.
Say:
The moon is dark.
She hides her face from humans.
Only women can know the true secrets of the Dark Mother.
Wise one, let me feel Your presence and power.
I need Your wisdom of releasing and removing.
If punishment be needed by those who work against me,
I leave it within your hands.
Move counter clockwise to the East and say:
Remove all negatives from my thoughts amd mind, Dark Mother.
Let them bear no fruit within my life.
Go to the North and say:
Remove all negatives from my body,
Dark Mother.
Let them bear no fruit in my life.
Go to the West and say:
Remove all negatives from my emotions,
Dark Mother.
Let them bear no fruit in my life.
Go to the South and say:
Remove all negatives from my spiritual life, Dark Mother.
Let them bear no fruit in my life.
Return to the altar and stand facing North.
Say :
I accept no negative thoughts, words, or deeds from others.
They ase destroyed by the powers of the Dark Mother.
If these negatives comefrom within myself, turn them into lessons of good.
Help me to become balanced, a true Goddess-daughter/son of light and wisdom.
Face the altar now. Write down on the paper negative things you wished removed from your life (ie..negative thoughts about yourself, bad habits, negative influences of people.) Read each one out loud to the Dark Mother to release them to Her. Light the paper from one of the black candles and drop it into the cauldron and watch it burn.
Say:
I release these unto Your keeping.
Show me how to move beyond these negatives into a position of light and power.
Burn the paper until it is reduced to ashes. Raise your arms in reverence to the Goddess when the paper is finished and say:
Dark Mother,
Crone Goddess,
Wise and Elder One,
teach me Your deep mysteries,
the Ancient Goddess magick known to my foremothers and fathers.
Guide and protect me, Dark Mother.
Now would be a good time to mediatate and see what insight you may receive from the Mother. Or do a spell of some sort. When finished, release the circle as usual. Bury the ashes of the paper somewhere off of your property.
Supplies you will need:
two black candles,
cauldron,
paper and pen.
Place the cauldron in the center of the altar and put the paper and pen beside it.
Cast the circle in a counter clockwise way. When it is cast, return to the altar and face the North.
Light the black candles.
Say:
The moon is dark.
She hides her face from humans.
Only women can know the true secrets of the Dark Mother.
Wise one, let me feel Your presence and power.
I need Your wisdom of releasing and removing.
If punishment be needed by those who work against me,
I leave it within your hands.
Move counter clockwise to the East and say:
Remove all negatives from my thoughts amd mind, Dark Mother.
Let them bear no fruit within my life.
Go to the North and say:
Remove all negatives from my body,
Dark Mother.
Let them bear no fruit in my life.
Go to the West and say:
Remove all negatives from my emotions,
Dark Mother.
Let them bear no fruit in my life.
Go to the South and say:
Remove all negatives from my spiritual life, Dark Mother.
Let them bear no fruit in my life.
Return to the altar and stand facing North.
Say :
I accept no negative thoughts, words, or deeds from others.
They ase destroyed by the powers of the Dark Mother.
If these negatives comefrom within myself, turn them into lessons of good.
Help me to become balanced, a true Goddess-daughter/son of light and wisdom.
Face the altar now. Write down on the paper negative things you wished removed from your life (ie..negative thoughts about yourself, bad habits, negative influences of people.) Read each one out loud to the Dark Mother to release them to Her. Light the paper from one of the black candles and drop it into the cauldron and watch it burn.
Say:
I release these unto Your keeping.
Show me how to move beyond these negatives into a position of light and power.
Burn the paper until it is reduced to ashes. Raise your arms in reverence to the Goddess when the paper is finished and say:
Dark Mother,
Crone Goddess,
Wise and Elder One,
teach me Your deep mysteries,
the Ancient Goddess magick known to my foremothers and fathers.
Guide and protect me, Dark Mother.
Now would be a good time to mediatate and see what insight you may receive from the Mother. Or do a spell of some sort. When finished, release the circle as usual. Bury the ashes of the paper somewhere off of your property.
Say what?
The best one I've ever seen was in Ft Lauderdale FL - Keep taking my name in vain - I'll make rush hour longer - God. Truly wish now that I had snapped a picture of it.
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