The Mixing of Mythologies

Every so often we will come across stories and theories of our deities that seem totally and utterly incompatible with everything we've known about them to that point. Sometimes, after further investigation, we can agree to disagree with these opinions. Personally, for the life of me, I cannot equate Ceridwen to being the consort of Cernunnos, even figuratively, although I realise that there are some that can.

I have been investigating another such conundrum today - that of the Goddess Ker as a British Grain Goddess, and I am stuggling to find corroborating evidence! I have learned that Ker was a Greek goddess, daughter of Nyx, and the goddess of violent death. Sounds nothing like a corn mother to me...

But I have vague memories of past stories washing around my head. Tales of the Irish Invasions and the possible origins of the peoples that came before the Tuatha. There are tales that the very ancient people of Ireland came there by ship, possibly from the regions around Greece. Perhaps, then, it was the same people who also populated ancient Britain - also the Welsh have no Invasion tales, there are remarkable simlarities between the Tuatha, headed by Danu and Bile, and the Welsh House of Gwynedd, headed by Don and Beli. These people will, of course, brought with them the names of the deities they were familiar with.

So, I find a possible source for Ker travelling to these isles, but how does she transmute from having such dark associations to that of the corn and harvest?

Another Greek goddess can perhaps provide my answer. We are all aware, I hope, of the story of Persephone, the daughter of Demeter, the Goddess of Agriculture. Persephone was abducted by Hades and taken down to his Underworld home. There she ate nothing for days, until finally she eats six pomegranite seeds. In the meantime, Demeter has been frantically searching for her daughter, and when she discovers what had happened, she pleaded with Zeus for the return of the girl. Zeus decrees that Persephone shall be released as long as she has not eaten anything at all.

Eventually, an agreement was made, that Persephone would spend six months with her mother, and six with Hades. Demeter thus spends six months with her daughter, in happiness, where the world blooms and crops grow aplenty. Then she spends six months grieving, while Persephone keeps her promise and travels back to Hades, the land becomes dormant and nothing now grows.

Another name for Persephone is Kore, the Maiden, and so we have a deity associated with the seasons, her mother, the Corn Mother, and herself a Goddess of the Dead. Another clue, to the Romans, Demeter is known as Ceres, the Cer- or Ker- meaning "to grow".

I can see the possibilities of mythologies becoming intertwined over the ages, I can see how Ker the Goddess of Violent Death becomes entangled with Kore the Queen of the Underworld, the Spring Maiden and the daughter of the Corn Mother. I can't find any historical information of the British Corn Mother, Ker - but I can't discount the possibility that she is valid. There is also the more profound link that the harvest, the corn, IS life, and a bad harvest will mean hardship and even death. Further still, the cutting of the corn in itself is seen as a death of sorts. It makes sense to me for Corn Goddesses and Death Goddesses to be linked.

I cannot see how Ker could be the consort to Cernunnos though - so I will have to agree to disagree again...so unlike me ;)

Love and hugs

Blaidd

Image: The Return of Perspephone, Frederic Leighton(1891).

A hedgewitch's view of a druid

Druidry has been in the news fairly recently, having "officially been recognised as a religion". But even this is open to interpretation! For some it is an earth-based religion, for some a philosophy, for others it's a way of life. There are also the group of druids, based in Wales and associated with the Eisteddfod there, that aren't pagan at all, but that is another matter.

Druids were the ancient Celtic clerical elite, the shamans, the priests, the healers, the judiciary and the advisors to royalty. It is open to debate as to whether there is a direct line between the druids of the ancient Isles and those of today. It could be said that today's druids are the evolution of the druid line.

If we were training in the druid orders a couple of thousand years ago, we'd have embarked on a serious commitment to study, the path to druid was a long and arduous one, commonly taking at least 20 years. However, if you take into account the fact that the Celts weren't forced to spend 11 of their formative years in school, then the training course isn't quite so daunting.

I won't go into the details of the training, more information can be found on the OBOD site druidry.org (page links down the bottom of the "What is a druid" section), but sufice to say, there were three stages to becoming a druid.

The first stage, and the stage that took the most time, about 12 years, was that of Bard. This will be a familiar word to many these days, commonly thought of as a wandering minstrel (or even The Bard, Mr Shakespeare himself!), but this is a somewhat watered down version of the role.

Bard's were indeed the storytellers and minstrels, but it was more to it than a catchy ditty. The bards were the lore keepers, the keepers of traditions and of the ancient wisdom. Nothing was written down in those days, all knowledge was passed down orally, in the tales and poems and songs. Much of a bard's training was spent learning by heart these compositions, as well as mastering the art of Ogham, the Celtic mnemetic coding system. (In very simplified terms, Ogham can be thought of as keycodes in a database).

The most skilled bards could not only remember and recite this vast store of Record, but they were able to write their own words of Inspiration. The best bards could be inspired and could inspire others, they thus needed to be extremely aware of the present, in addition to the past, and also to know the potential futures, as it could be their words that guided towards a certain possible future.

The next level of druidic training would be that of Ovate. The Ovates were the seers, the prophets and the diviners, they were skilled at reading the signs that Nature tells us, in reading the auguries, adept at the mysteries. In addition to this they were the healers, both of body and soul, knowledgeable in the herbs and spell-craft. With the coming of Christianity, the druids kept working their old crafts within the framework of the new religion. The Bards became disguised as minstrels, the Ovates more likely became the "Cunning Folk" those on the outskirts of the village and those that might be thought of today as the more recogniseable "witch".

The highest level, and the third level, was that of druid itself. Druids are often seen as priests, but this is somewhat of a misleading picture. They may have presided over the religious ceremonies, but their remit was so much more than a mere "representative of god". These were the teachers, the philosophers, the councillors and the judges. These people had gained the pinnacle of wisdom, of authority. They were also the scientists and inventors, these were the men and women who had earned the positions and the respect of society. The vast store of knowledge and wisdom that was available at their fingertips, that they had mastered both the bardic and ovate juristictions as well as their own, the druids were an incredible force within the Celtic world.

For a more in depth picture of how the druids may very well have been in history, visit the OBOD website druidry.org, and read about What is a Druid there.

Love and hugs

Blaidd

Divination

The art of divination

The dictionary meaning of divination:
The art or act of foretelling future events or revealing occult knowledge by means of augury or a supernatural agency.

The word Divination comes from Latin divinare "to foresee", related to divinus, divine) it is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of a process or ritual. Interpretations of how a querent should proceed are gained by reading signs, events, or omens, or through contact with spirit guides.

I believe it is an integral part of witchcraft and it has been used in various forms for thousands of years.

There are many, many forms of divination.

Tarot - probably the best known and one of my personal favourites is the art of tarot reading, gaining insight into a situation by understanding the individual tarot cards drawn in a reading. Similar to tarot are oracle cards. The official title for divination using cards is Cartomancy.

Crystal ball - a crystal ball with inclusions (imperfections) works best for me, and with a lit candle beside the ball to help cast images.

Scrying – this can be done using a bowl with a dark inner, fill with water and drop a silver coin in the bottom, then see what images come to you. This can also be done with a bowl of water, ask your question, then sprinkle herbs or drops of ink onto the surface of the water to gain images for an answer. Using moonlight reflected onto the surface of water works well too. This can also be done with a scrying mirror – a mirror that has a black surface.

Pendulum – another one of my favourites. You can buy all sorts of beautiful crystal pendulums, but it is also easy to make your own – a holey stone on a string, a small piece of wood or an anise seed on the end of a thread works well too. Ask standard questions first – ‘give me a yes, give me a no’ to see which way it swings, then ask your question.

Pyromancy – the art of divination through fire. This can be done by reading the signs in the flames of a bonfire, a fire in your fireplace, or even with the flame of a candle. If you have a bonfire, wait until it dies down to the hot embers then throw a handful of salt on and see what images you get.

Runes – divination using a set of rune stones, each marked with a symbol from the runic alphabet.

Astrology – we should all know this one! Divination using celestial bodies – the sun, moon, planets and stars.

Also one I like to do – Crystallomancy – the art of divination through crystal gazing, this works best with a crystal that has lots of inclusions.

Palmistry – divination through the interpretation of lines and structures of the hands.

Tasseography – reading the tea leaves!

Aeromancy – divination from the air and sky, particularly the shapes of clouds.

Augury – the general description given to divination by interpreting signs and omens.

Capnomancy – divination by reading the smoke rising from a fire.

Lithomancy – divination using stones (similar to runes but without any symbols on)

Oneiromancy is interpreting dreams.

There are literally hundreds of forms of divination, all with perculiar names, however one that I found but have not tried yet is Tiromancy which is a type of divination using …. Cheese!

Tansy
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Loki, the Trickster

Loki, the son of two giants, and so kin to the Jotun. He is a blood-brother to Odin, and although not always, often counted among the Aesir due to these links, and due to the time he spends in Asgard. He is the God of Mischief, Trickery and Lies, and although probably not exactly worshipped, he has made his impression in the mythology!

There are some that believe that somewhere back in the mists of myth, Odin and Loki were one and the same, they both have similar tactics to dealing with obstacles, they both use their brain rather than brawn. This perhaps explains how Loki came to be blood-brother to Odin, that the "light" and "dark" halves of the same deity became separate.

Loki is the ultimate charmer, so many of his escapades have not been exactly beneficial to his "friends", and indeed, it is he that leads to their eventual downfall at Ragnarok - the End of Days. He is the sly one, the coarse one, sometimes even the malevolent one, yet still he kept favour with the gods.

He was an accomplished shapeshifter, taking any other form upon himself at will, whether is was as a female, horse, salmon, bird or flea. He was the father to many, including some of the monsters that were to plague the gods. He was father to the Fenrir, the wolf who was to ultimately slay Odin, as well as mother to the eight-legged horse, Sleipnir, Odin's mount. He fathered the sea serpent Jormungandr, who would take the life of Thor. His daughter was the goddess of the underworld, with a whole realm named after her - Hel.

It wasn't always the Aesir and Vanir that Loki played his tricks upon, many times they actually benefitted from his quick wits and strategic thinking. He was a key part in the retrieval of Thor's hammer Mjollnir, when the Jotun, Prymr had stolen it in order to force Freya to marry him, albeit by dressing Thor up in Freya's wedding clothes in the process.

In addition to his direct involvement in the destruction of the universe, he plotted and undertook the murder of Baldur, the god of warmth, goodness and spring. Baldur's mother, Frigg, had received advanced knowledge of this planned murder, through her skills of forseeing, and had attempted to prevent it by asking every sentient and non-sentient being not to harm her son. Unfortunately, she missed just the mistletoe, a fact that Loki discovered, and made use of. Loki fashioned the mistletoe in to an arrow, which he gave to Baldur's blind-brother, Hod, to fire. Baldur suffered a fatal wound to the heart and was killed. Hod fled into the woods on discovering what had happened, and was never seen or heard from again.

Loki, however, was finally punished for his misdemeanours and the murder. He was chained between two rocks, with a huge poisonous snake dripping venom into his face. Loki's loyal wife, Sigyn, would sit beside him and catch the venom in a bowl. But the times when she had to leave to empty the bowl, the venom would drip onto Loki's face and cause him incredible agony. He was sentenced to suffer this torture all the way up until Ragnarok, when the lands would free him, when he would travel to the battlefield with his daugher, Hel, and the souls of the dead residing in her realm. There he would meet with Heimdall - and neither would survive the encounter.

However, when we look further, past Ragnarok and into the new world that rises from the ashes, we see that some of the gods do survive, as well as two mortals who go on to repopulate this world. Two sons of Odin, Vidar and Vali, and the sons of Thor, Modi and Magni, are counted amongst the survivors. Here too, we find again a reborn Baldur. He had been brought to Ragnarok as one of the souls fighting on the side of Loki and the giants, Loki's murder of him made it possible for his rebirth in the next world.

Loki is an enigmatic character, with complex and contradictory characteristics. We can never be really sure of what his motives are, where his loyalties lie, and yet, whilst not exactly beloved of the gods, he is certainly viewed with something more than just tolerance - up until the killing of Baldur, that is. Is there more to the link with Odin than we realise? Is Loki the one who carries out the tasks that Odin cannot, due to Odin's position? Was there a vision of the world after Ragnarok? Was there prior knowledge of where Baldur needed to be in the battle to ensure his rebirth into the reborn world?

Perhaps his charm is just in the fact that we all seem to love a bad boy.

Love and hugs

Blaidd

Sources:
newworldencyclopedia.org
timelessmyths.com

Image:
Tudor Humphries, an illustration for "The Doom of the Gods" by Michael Harrison

Meditation

Meditation

I try to meditate every day, even if it is just for a few minutes. It relaxes, de stresses and brings me back focused and centered.

Firstly make sure you are comfortable and won’t be disturbed. You can sit quietly or put on some peaceful music. Sometimes I just close my eyes, sometimes I sit in front of a lit candle and focus on the flame. Either way you need to start with your breathing, take several long deep breaths in and out. As you breathe in visualise you are breathing in a pure white cleansing light that fills your body, as you breathe out visualise all the stresses and worries leaving your body. Do this several times until you start to feel calm and at ease. An alternative is to visualise yourself walking down 4 or 5 steps, with each step you get deeper into the meditation, casting off worries as you take each step.

Then the choice is yours – you can either go to the sacred space in your mind if you already have one, or make a sacred space for yourself – visualise somewhere that you feel happy and restful in – a field, a forest, on the beach, at the ocean – some place that you will feel totally at ease in. Over time you can visit this sacred space often and add to the area, you may even find new things appear there on their own. It will be your own space, the place that is special to you, somewhere that you can visualise as your safe haven. This is the place I go to in my meditations last thing at night, this is the place that I sit and go over the days events with my animal spirit guides.

Or, you can use a guided meditation. Either read one over in your mind several times until you are familiar with it before you sit down to meditate and let your mind take you through it once in meditation or I also use my iPod and sit with the earphones in and let the voice on the recording guide me through the meditation. There are several meditations that you can download on this blog and on the Kitchen Witch website. I have also posted one below that you might like to try.

Once you come to the end of your meditation you need to make sure you bring yourself back to reality slowly, coming out of meditation abruptly can cause headaches. Focus on your breathing again, slowly flex your fingers and your toes or use the step method but in reverse, each step taken brings you closer to the real world again.

Meditation is a very useful tool to give you peace for a few moments each day, to release stress and worries and to give you clarity and focus. If you have a problem or an issue that needs some thought try meditating on it.

Crystals are also a useful aid to meditation – a clear quartz is a good choice to focus and channel your energies. Any crystals that have inclusions (imperfections) in them are also useful to use as a visual aid – something to focus on, you may see patterns or images appear that may help guide you to answers that you might seek during your meditation.

One of my favourite meditations is a short grounding and centering exercise that I use before ritual and also if I find myself stressed out during the day:

Tree Meditation

Make yourself comfortable, close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Take several deep breaths in and out, on inhaling visualise a clear white cleansing light entering your body, on exhaling visualise all the stresses and worries leaving your body….

Feel your toes and your feet beginning to stretch, turning into small tree roots that start to bury themselves into warm, soft earth, stretching, reaching down far into the ground. They keep going far down into the soil, down, down far into the earth. Then begin to feel the energy of the earth coming up through those roots, through your feet, up through your legs and throughout your body, filling you with peace, calm and focus.

Then feel your arms stretch out, as if they are the branches of a huge oak tree, reaching out for the sunlight, forming buds and leaves, turning your face up to feel the warmth of the sun.

Once you feel calm and centered, slowly bring your roots back up and your branches back in.

Slowly come back to reality, flexing your fingers and your toes and opening your eyes.

Tansy
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Anglo-Saxon Runes, The Futhorc

The Futhorc runes, descended from the Elder Futhark, are what was used as a written language in pre-christian England. It shares the runes of the Elder Futhark, but has extra to cover the new phonetic sounds on the Old English spoken language. In total there are 33 Futhorc runes. The runes came to Britain around the third century AD.

The Runes were seen as having the ability to impart magickal properties, using the runes in the correct order was to create a spell...which is why the act to spell, putting letters in the right order for words, shares the same word as spell in a magickal sense.

The Anglo-Saxon, Futhorc runes, are described in the Rune Poem, each verse dealing with each individual rune, in order. The verses give a small insight into the meaning of the rune, which along with it's name, will give the diviner its true meaning. In the poem, each rune is taken in order, and has three lines describing it's power. Taking those line, and the translated name of the rune, enables you to build up the full meaning of that rune, calling up the knowledge from the depths of your subconscious.

One method of using these runes with a magickal intent is to create a bind rune - the overlaying of two or three runes to create a new sigil. These can be practical bindrunes, with a specific intent, or personal, using the maker's initials to increase personal power.

A charm can be created by taking the phonetic sounds of each rune and recreating a word or sentence. This would be the art of Galdor, and each charm could be chanted.

They were also used in a practical form, simply as a way of making a mark. It's not unknown for a runestone to be inscribed with the equivalent of "I woz ere".

And, of course, there's the divinatory aspect. Unlike today, divination wasn't the main use of the runes for the Anglo-Saxons. Though there are desciptions of the runes being used in this way.

Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem


Feoh
Wealth is a comfort to all men;
yet must every man bestow it freely,
if he wish to gain honour in the sight of the Lord.

Ur
The aurochs is proud and has great horns;
it is a very savage beast and fights with its horns;
a great ranger of the moors, it is a creature of mettle.

Thorn
The thorn is exceedingly sharp,
an evil thing for any knight to touch,
uncommonly severe on all who sit among them.

Os
The mouth is the source of all language,
a pillar of wisdom and a comfort to wise men,
a blessing and a joy to every knight.

Rad
Riding seems easy to every warrior while he is indoors
and very courageous to him who traverses the high-roads
on the back of a stout horse.

Cen
The torch is known to every living man by its pale, bright flame;
it always burns where princes sit within.

Gyfu
Generosity brings credit and honour, which support one's dignity;
it furnishes help and subsistence
to all broken men who are devoid of aught else.

Wynn
Bliss he enjoys who knows not suffering, sorrow nor anxiety,
and has prosperity and happiness and a good enough house.

Haegl
Hail is the whitest of grain;
it is whirled from the vault of heaven
and is tossed about by gusts of wind
and then it melts into water.

Nyd
Trouble is oppressive to the heart;
yet often it proves a source of help and salvation
to the children of men, to everyone who heeds it betimes.

Is
Ice is very cold and immeasurably slippery;
it glistens as clear as glass and most like to gems;
it is a floor wrought by the frost, fair to look upon.

Ger
Summer is a joy to men, when God, the holy King of Heaven,
suffers the earth to bring forth shining fruits
for rich and poor alike.

Eoh
The yew is a tree with rough bark,
hard and fast in the earth, supported by its roots,
a guardian of flame and a joy upon an estate.

Peordh
Peorth is a source of recreation and amusement to the great,
where warriors sit blithely together in the banqueting-hall.

Eolh
The Eolh-sedge is mostly to be found in a marsh;
it grows in the water and makes a ghastly wound,
covering with blood every warrior who touches it.

Sigel
The sun is ever a joy in the hopes of seafarers
when they journey away over the fishes' bath,
until the courser of the deep bears them to land.

Tir
Tiw is a guiding star; well does it keep faith with princes;
it is ever on its course over the mists of night and never fails.

Beorc
The poplar bears no fruit; yet without seed it brings forth suckers,
for it is generated from its leaves.
Splendid are its branches and gloriously adorned
its lofty crown which reaches to the skies.

Eh
The horse is a joy to princes in the presence of warriors.
A steed in the pride of its hoofs,
when rich men on horseback bandy words about it;
and it is ever a source of comfort to the restless.

Mann
The joyous man is dear to his kinsmen;
yet every man is doomed to fail his fellow,
since the Lord by his decree will commit the vile carrion to the earth.

Lagu
The ocean seems interminable to men,
if they venture on the rolling bark
and the waves of the sea terrify them
and the courser of the deep heed not its bridle.

Ing
Ing was first seen by men among the East-Danes,
till, followed by his chariot,
he departed eastwards over the waves.
So the Heardingas named the hero.

Ethel
An estate is very dear to every man,
if he can enjoy there in his house
whatever is right and proper in constant prosperity.

Dæg
Day, the glorious light of the Creator, is sent by the Lord;
it is beloved of men, a source of hope and happiness to rich and poor,
and of service to all.

Ac
The oak fattens the flesh of pigs for the children of men.
Often it traverses the gannet's bath,
and the ocean proves whether the oak keeps faith
in honourable fashion.

Æsc
The ash is exceedingly high and precious to men.
With its sturdy trunk it offers a stubborn resistance,
though attacked by many a man.

Yr
Yr is a source of joy and honour to every prince and knight;
it looks well on a horse and is a reliable equipment for a journey.

Ior
Iar is a river fish and yet it always feeds on land;
it has a fair abode encompassed by water, where it lives in happiness.

Ear
The grave is horrible to every knight,
when the corpse quickly begins to cool
and is laid in the bosom of the dark earth.
Prosperity declines, happiness passes away
and covenants are broken.

Love and hugs

Blaidd

Picture: from 7th century Franks Casket, depicting the Germanic legend of Weyland Smith and containing a riddle in Anglo-Saxon runes. Wikipedia.

The APPLE tree

APPLE - Tree of abundance and the Otherworld

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The Wisdom of the Apple Tree

Our folk memory and country lore is rich with reference to the apple tree's virtues. This beautiful tree provides abundant food which can be stored for winter use, and has many uses both in the kitchen, as a herbal remedy and as a remedy acting on our subtle energies. The crab apple (Pyrus malus) is native to Britain and it the wild ancestor of all the cultivated varieties. This is the original stock which the cultivated varieties have been grafted onto. Mrs Grieve suggests that at the time of her writing her Modern Herbal (1931) there were over 2,000 varieties of apple, but sadly with the decline of the old orchards, many of these old varieties are lost to us now, despite the efforts of many to save them.

The sheer extravagant abundance of apples on an apple tree in the autumn is the key to understanding what the apple tree has to teach us. It shows us how to give all, in total trust that all will be replenished. It teaches us to open our hearts to the abundance in our lives. When we, like the apple tree, give all of ourselves freely and openly, our hearts are open to receiving more. Holding back is a symptom of greed and insecurity. The apple's message is to value and celebrate all you have in your life. Many feelings of bitterness, irritation and anger result from feeling a lack of worthiness. These negative feelings create a pattern of imbalance which can significantly reduce the flow of the life force energy in your body. If you do not feel worthy to receive certain things, the way for them to come to you will be blocked, as you have believed it to be. By affirming and feeling thankful for what you have in the present, you open up the channels for your own abundance.

The Apple tree is there to help all of us to keep our trust in times of lack, and teaches us our true power is built up by giving, in open-hearted generosity. The Apple tree's spirit can help those who harm themselves by their miserliness.

Apples are a natural remedy for the stomach, bowels and heart, the main organs of giving and receiving. Our folk memory is rich with such phrases as "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" and not without good reason. The malic and tartaric acids of the apple particularly benefit people of sedentary habits as they neutralise the acid products of indigestion. It is a very digestible fruit, and excellent baby food and it aids the digestion of other foods.

A ripe, juicy apple eaten at bedtime every night will cure constipation. An apple before bed is also good for sleeplessness and biliousness. An apple is also an excellent dentifrice, being a food which is not only cleansing to the teeth, but hard enough to push back the gums so the borders are clear of deposits. The valuable acids and salts exist to a special degree in and just below the skin, so to get the full value of an apple it should be eaten unpeeled.

The bark of the Apple tree is a tonic and a stimulant, bringing down the temperature in a fever, tightening the tissues and constricting distended blood vessels. The bark contains phlorizin, which is used in its pure form in modern medicine. To use the bark, strip a small area of the tree, taking care not to ring the tree. Boil it in water for 15 minutes and leave to fuse overnight. Dosage is one to four fluid ounces of the infusion daily.

The crab apple in traditional herbal treatment is cleansing and a detoxicant for both internal and external wounds. It helps to heal skin tissue, is anti-inflammatory and anti-septic - hence the connection in our folklore with beauty. A poultice made from the boiled or roasted fruit will remove burn marks from the skin. The same boiled fruit is good for sore or inflamed eyes.

An ointment mentioned by John Gerard in his Herbal of 1633 suggests mixing apple pulp with pig fat and rose water to make a treatment for rough skin. for a more magical beauty treatment, the following charm could be tried: "Gather maydew and steep apple blossom in it, heating all over a fire of ashen wood, bless the apple water and apply it to the skin, letting it dry off itself. Ask a blessing of beauty and purity from the chosen deity and the tree spirit will heal the complaint and grant a lovely complexion." This extract is from Claire O'Rush's book The Enchanted Garden.

Of all the Bach flower remedies, the crab apple is unusual because it is the only one which can be used directly externally, as it acts on the mental and physical levels as well. Crab apple will remove negative impression, for instance after a dirty job, or after a long and difficult nursing task. Ten drops can be added to a full bath, five drops are sufficient for a compress. Some practitioners recommend crab apple when fasting, others recommend it to overcome the effects of a hangover (four drops ever half hour). Wounds can be bathed in it if you have reason to believe it is infected with poison which needs to be drawn out.

People in need of crab apple tend to be more than usually sensitive, taking in much more, at subtler levels, than their general constitution can cope with than their general constitution can cope with. They can sometimes be a magnet for dark forces. This unconscious stress often gives them the feeling of being unclean, in need of cleansing. This can manifest in self-disgust, over-anxiety about physical cleanliness, fear of contamination. The flower remedy can be used whenever there is a poor self-image, especially if it relates to parts of the body.

Apples are also an old folk remedy for the cure of rheumatism by rubbing the affected area with a rotten apple, and a cure for warts by rubbing the warts with two halves of an apple and then burying it. Pectin in the apple is a good germicide and promotes the growth of new skin tissue, providing a medical basis for the old wives' tale.

This type of folk remedy is a form of Anglo Saxon sympathetic magic. Early medieval sympathetic magic depended much upon associations. It was common practice to write a holy name on an apple; eaten on three consecutive days it would cure a fever. The apple was considered effective against venom, or poison, a purifier and cleanser, all of which corresponds with the apple's known properties today.

Coll Hazel's The Alphabet suggests that the apple is associated with choice. "The choice you have to make may be between similar and equally attractive things. It may be extremely hard to choose, since the alternatives all appear promising, holding beauty and fulfilment. It might not matter which is chosen so long as the choice is made."

Edred Thorsson in The Book of Ogham suggests that Quert (the Apple) is a sign of beauty and eternity, a kind of eternal perfection and symmetry. "The main challenge of the Q few is the tendency to split attention. Energy tends to be scattered, loyalties are split off and one has a tendency to try to do too much at once. The challenge is to choose only one".

This echoes Coll Hazel's interpretations, suggesting that as there are so many choices, there must be an abundance. I have found that as abundance comes pouring into your life, there has to be discrimination and choice. Choosing the path with a heart and the path of beauty helps in these decisions.

Apples have a long history of being used for divination, especially to foretell the future in matters of love and prosperity. Because of the strong tradition behind many superstitions, many have survived, albeit in a degenerate form, as entertainment. The methods of divination are varied and include such things as counting the apple pips; burning the pips (after naming each one with a young man's name and watching which ones explode in the fire); pressing the named pips with the finger to see which sticks the longest; apple bobbing; throwing the peel over the left shoulder to see it forms the initial of an individual when it lands; and putting an apple under your pillow to dream of your sweetheart. All of these games and folk customs are survivals of much older ceremonies in honour of the Apple.

Many of these customs are particularly performed at Samhain, as traditionally the apple is linked to the Celtic Otherworld (Annwn), where the tree is called the "silver bough" and possesses magical properties. Samhain is traditionally the time of the year when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest, a doorway between the seen world of matter and the unseen world of spirit. It is the best time of the year to make shamanic journeys, to connect to the dead, the spirit realms, to gain oracular knowledge and healing powers.

Within the apple is to be found the pentagram. Cut it widthways and the shape is revealed in the formation of its pips. This ancient symbol of knowledge is sacred to the Celtic death Goddess, Cailleach, the Crone, the Veiled One, and Samhain is her time of year. Verjuice, a kind of scrumpy cider, was also her drink at this time of the year, inducing altered states and otherworldly experiences. Verjuice is made simply by gathering ripe crab apples, laying them in a pile and leaving them to rot and sweat. The rotten fruit is gathered into a bowl with the stalks removed, beaten to a pulp and pressed through a coarse cloth. The liquid is bottled and is ready to use a month later.

The Apple tree has close links with the shaman, the wisewoman and the magician. It is used when undergoing magical transformation or otherworld journeys. Celtic/Arthurian myth names one of these otherworlds as Avalon, the Apple Vale, the mythical paradise where hills were clothed with trees bearing flowers and fruit together. The word "Avalon" is derived from the old Iris "Avaloch" meaning "a place of apples". The old Irish name for the Isles of Arran in the Scottish Firth of Clyde was "Eamain Abhlach (Evain Avaloch) which means Holy Hill of the Apple Trees. Eventually, avaloch became the more easily pronounced Avalon. The Isle of Arran was believed by the Celts to be a physical manifestation of an otherworld paradise. From the Welsh poem "Avellenau", the bard Merlin reveals to his lord the existence of his orchard. It was borne from place to place by the enchanter on all his journeys. Other legends tell of Otherworld visitors to our world who appear in the same guise as the shaman, carrying an apple branch with bells on it. The Apple tree also represents Shelter, either in this world or as a place to rest when making otherworld journeys.

Using an apple wood wand would be the appropriate magical tool to use if you wanted to make shamanic journeys to the Otherworld. It is said that the Apple is used as a calling sign to the Otherworld that you wish to enter their realm. The wand will help you physically, mentally and spiritually connect to the Apple tree.

Finding the right piece of wood for a wand may take time. Go about this task in a magical frame of mind. There are many considerations such as: do you feel you can cut a piece from a tree? Or are you going to wait for a piece which has already been cut? You can ask friends of family to let you know when they prune their Apple trees so that you can look over the prunings for a suitable piece. Another way to get cut wood without doing the cutting is to contact a local tree surgeon and ask if you may have any or if they will let you know when they are cutting any. If you cut from a tree, remember to ask the tree, listen to the answer and respect the tree. As always, thank the tree for its gift. In many respects I feel for a wand that by asking the tree, the beginnings of a relationship between you and the tree has begun, which is stronger than if you have a piece of wood from an unknown tree.

Another thing to focus on is the size of the wand. I personally favour pencil size wands which I can easily carry around with me. If you want to take the bark off, it is easiest to do when the wood is freshly cut, before it dries hard onto the wood. You might not want to take the bark off. Focus on what the wand means to you and you will feel what is right to do for you. Apple wood is traditionally used for carving, so you might try your hand at a bit of inspired carving. Rough carving is quite good to do while the wood is still fresh, and then leave it to dry out before finishing. How long it takes for your wand to dry out depends on its size, a thin pencil wand will only take a week or two, but a bigger piece may take a few months. Apple wood longer than most to dry out and is liable to split if it is not done naturally. If you take the bark off it is best kept inside so the wood will keep its colour, a garage of a shed where it is in a cool, airy place. If the bark is kept on, it is best to leave it outside, where the wind, rain and sun can season it slowly.

If you wish to work with the energy of the Apple tree, you can aid the process by focusing on Apple trees and working with apple wood, eating more apples, drinking apple juice and the occasional glass of cider. Dry apple peel and drink it as a tea. Try cultivating Apple trees from the pips for some very special trees which you are closely linked with. Sit with Apple trees as often as possible, get to know their vibration, make friends with them.

Use your Apple wand as an aid to Otherworld journeying. Find a nice quiet space (under an Apple tree would be wonderful. In an orchard would be perfect!). Close your eyes, do not try to predict what will happen. Imagine yourself in a group of trees. Imagine yourself sitting under an Apple tree looking out at the group of trees. Begin by thinking about the Apple tree, how you feel about it. how it makes you fee, what you know about it, whatever comes readily into your mind. Then let your mind wander out to the other trees. Look at what you have chosen, and taking each in turn, what you feel about them. Try to notice if the tree's energy changes, in relation to which other trees are next to it; if there are any people or animals, and if so if they have anything to communicate to you. Notice if any tree species are more plentiful than others, as this might be a clue to an area of your life which needs extra attention. Once you have established this place, then call on your Otherworld guide to meet you. This may take several attempts before you feel that contact is made. Don't worry about it; let things happen in their own time. As always, each time you make a journey, record as much detail as you can remember afterwards, even if at first you think little or nothing happened. The significance of each journey often becomes clear later.

The Ogham system, the Apple, Quert, the Q-few, links the apple to the spiritual warrior (Celtic Tree Mysteries by Steve Blamires), one who is unafraid to make the journey to the Otherworld and back, one who is unafraid to face death or madness. This is the divine madness of the shaman. Mad people held a different place in Celtic society than they do today. Their madness was believed to be a gift and a rare ability, which link then to the Otherworld and oracular knowledge and meaningful insights. In our society madness is feared, suppressed and hidden away. Wassailing, for instance, would be considered quite made by today's society, but the idea of waking up the tree's spirit so that it could get on with the job of making apples on which everyone so depended, was considered perfectly acceptable in the past.

And so, there is so much more to the humble Apple tree than first meets the eye. It has a power beyond its stature, and enhances abilities beyond the everyday, despite it being an "everyday" fruit in our society. Nowadays we buy our apples from a shop, and have lost contact with the tree and the porcess of enjoying the sight of trees in full bloom, of sitting in an orchard on a quiet summer's evening, and picking basketfuls of perfect, crisp fruit in the Autumn. Opening your heart to the spirit of the Apple tree is the first step in making this journey to gain the hidden knowledge it holds for you.

Tansy

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Source - Glennie Kindred

Glennie Kindred website

Spirit Guides

The term Spirit Guide generally makes reference to one or more entities who watch, teach, heal, and help you on your physical journey into spiritual awareness. They are above in higher frequency, while you experience the physical below.   They are often spirits you may have encountered in past lives and will probably encounter in future ones as well.  They may have lived many lives before and will offer you their opinions and guidance when asked for.  Guides can take many forms and come from a wide range of backgrounds.


Communication is generally telepathic, clairaudience with archetypes and visual imagery, clairvoyance, observed during meditation, dream time, or just learning how to focus, look and listen to messages received. Some people call this method of connection, channelling. The more you practice, the easier it gets.


The number of spirit guides one has various within that person's experiences. The strongest connection is with the aspect of your soul referred to as your ‘twin flame’- dual aspects of a soul, above and below, programmed to seek reunion to feel complete, oneness. The twin soul reference to 'spirit guide' remains with you until you rejoin when leaving the physical body.


Spirit guides can go by many names. Often they connect with more than one person at a time, using identities that are comfortable to those they communicate with.


Each guide generally comes to you for a specific purpose - creative abilities, healing issues, spiritual development, etc.


Some people will attract negative experiences and blame it on their guides or dark forces. Not true in most cases. Guides are there to do just that - guide you to the positive. If the voices in your head confuse you, place you in conflict, and drive you crazy, please seek professional help and get evaluated, especially if you deal with substance abuse.  

Many great men and women have accredited their genius to the guidance received from spiritual influences. For example, the pianist Liberace believed that, at times, he was paranormally inspired. He owned the piano, which once belonged to the classical composer Liszt. "When I play his compositions on it, I have the most eerie feeling, as if I'd played that music before in another time." And just like Liberace, Lizst was a flamboyant dresser.

Lucille Ball believed that she received help from the dead actress Carole Lombard. Jayne Mansfield also received spirit guidance: "The woman I admire most, Ethel Barrymore," she said, "spoke to me. Then my Aunt Kathy, who had been dead these 15 years, talked to me and her voice was exactly as I remembered it. Aunt Kathy always had a great sense of humour. She still had." Jayne also held séances in Rudolph Valentino's former home, Falcon Lair, and received guidance from the "dead" silent-screen legend.

Sports men and women have also said that they sometimes feel guided by the spirits. Donald Campbell, the former British car and speedboat racer, believed in life after death. He spoke on a number of occasions of feeling the presence of his dead father, Sir Malcolm Campbell, with him in the cockpit of his boats and rocket cars. As he sat in the cockpit of the Bluebird and prepared to achieve his 648 kph (403 mph) land-speed record on Lake Eyre salt flats, Australia, he saw his father's spirit. "He was crystal clear and looked down at me with the half-smile on his face I knew so well," wrote Campbell.

Then he heard the spirit say, "Well, boy, now you know how I felt on the morning of September 2 at Utah in 1935"--the day his father burst a tire at over 480 kph (300 mph). His father's voice encouraged Donald Campbell. Like his father before him, Donald became holder of both the water- and land-speed records.

Perhaps one of the most intriguing comments about spirit guides was made by Sir Winston Churchill who said "I have a feeling that we have a guardian because we serve a great cause and that we shall have that guardian so long as we serve that cause faithfully."

Tansy
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Sources:

Crystallinks.com

Pyschics.co.uk
Pyschicnet.co.uk

Picture - effervescence.co.uk

Magpies

For the past week a large magpie has flown into my garden each day to eat the bread I put out (crusts from my son's bread he won't eat!).So I thought I would take a look at the meaning of magpies:

Intelligence, Familiars, Occult Knowledge

A Magpie totem helps you use  whatever metaphysical or occult knowledge you have – no matter how incomplete it may be. The flip side is that Magpie people can become jacks of all trades, but masters of none – dabbling into everything.  Be careful to apply your intelligence to the task and take it to its completion.

Magpies have the ability to open up the doorways to the Spirit and Fairy Realms. Magpies have been familiars to witches and if you have one as a totem,it might have been your familiar in a past life. If this is the case, Magpie will be at your side permanently, helping you as it did in the past. However, again, be careful of using occult power for quick effects and not taking the time to complete training. Misuse of magic can have dire consequences

Magpie symbolic meanings are numerous and varied. This stands to reason because the magpie herself is a varied creature. Her colourful character is a delight to observe with symbolic eyes because she is so unpredictable, high-spirited and expressive.

When we observe the magpie's behaviours in nature, we can pick out many strong symbolic messages.

Among her many common attributes, here are a few magpie symbolic meanings:

Quick List of symbolic traits of the magpie:

• opportunistic
• intellect
• perceptive
• flashy
• refined
• communicative
• social
• deceptive
• illusion
• expressive
• willful

The magpie's speech is symbolic of communication and creative expression. When we hear the magpie speak it is a message to us that we might need to listen to what is being spoken to us - listen with more attention. The chatter of the magpie is also a symbolic message that we may need to speak our minds more clearly....speak up, express our opinions, be creative with our spoken words.

The magpie's obsession with shiny things is symbolic of our tendency to chase after false ideas or perceptions. When the magpie comes into our lives it is often a reminder that we may have to re-evaluate our priorities. Are we chasing after unsuitable desires? Are we serving a false ideal? Are we putting materialism ahead of matters of the soul?

The magpie builds its home in the thickest "V" of trees. Forks or V's in nature are symbolic of gateways or paths into the spirit realm. In this fashion, the magpie asks us about our level of spiritual perception. Specifically, the magpie asks to keep an open mind in matters of the spirit. She also asks us where our spiritual foundation is and encourages us to open the gateways of higher (spiritual) vision.

Her plumage is also symbolic. With striking colouration, the magpie is symbolic of flamboyance, expression, and glamour. When we see her, we do a double-take because her appearance commands our attention. This is a message for us to not hide ourselves away from the world. The magpie beckons us to reveal our brilliance (physical and otherwise) to the world. We are each composed of incredible beauty and grace - the magpie is a reminder that we must express these attributes outwardly in a glamorous display just as she does.

And just when we get to know the symbolic meaning of the magpie, she eludes us and leaves us guessing what she's all about. In nature she has been known to be shy and reclusive - yet in cities she is noted to be extremely sociable with humans. Typically, she is a scavenger...but she has also been witnessed taking down small birds and rodents - acting as a bird of prey (which is not her classification).

These and other oddities in her behaviour are symbolic of illusion and perception. The magpie's message here is that not all things are what they appear to be, and we should not set our judgements in stone. Further, this aspect of the magpie is a message that we do not have to be bound to perceptions. In other words, we may want to consider departing from our habitual behaviors and avoid being type-caste into a specific role.

Interesting food for thought!


Tansy
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Sources
linsdomain.com
whatsyoursign.com

Sage Smudging

Smudging

Smudging has been used since ancient times by many people as a ceremony of purification.

It can be made of a variety of fragrant plant materials. Among the plants used for smudge are tobacco, sweetgrass, calamus, red willow bark, red osier dogwood, cedar needles and probably the most popular amongst witches - sage.

The chosen plant material should be dried and tied into bundles with cotton string or any other natural plant fiber. Perhaps use four colours of string to honor the four directions or three colours to represent trinity, or just black to represent banishing. Or the material can be crumbled, cut or coarsely ground and stored in a container that prevents the loss of the aromatic oils that give sage its characteristic fragrance.

If you are using the herb loose a natural container is needed to hold the mixture as it burns or smolders. Some prefer a large shell, others use an earthenware bowl or a hollowed rock or your cauldron.

You will need a way to fan the embers to keep them burning. In some traditions, it is considered disrespectful to blow upon the smudge with one's breath. You can use your hand to sweep air into the embers, but a feather or a fan are much more effective. If you are using a smudge stick, bound with string you can hold it in your hand.

You can use this ceremony to purify and cleanse people, places and things. Smudging brings an awareness of the sacred and should be performed with sensitivity and respect.

Offer the smoke to the four directions--East, South, West and North. Cleanse yourself by drawing the smoke over your head, over each shoulder, and over your heart. If you also want to, with the help of another, you can be cleansed under each foot, along your legs and across your back. Sacred space can be smudged before it is entered by others or at the beginning of the ceremony. Pass through the smoke whatever ceremonial instrument you wish to use – a wand, an athame, your hands.

When the ceremony is complete, the ashes should be totally burned (avoid using more than you will need) and respectfully returned to Mother Earth, perhaps at the base of a tree, a shrub, or rock. Never dump the ashes into the rubbish or trash.

I regularly smudge my house with a sage smudge stick, I start at the heart of my home and work my way around each room, wafting the smoke into each corner, giving a blessing and asking that all negativity be removed and replaced with happiness and love.

Sage
Salvia officinalis

Folk names – garden sage, red sage, sawge
Gender – masculine
Planet – Jupiter
Element – Air
Powers – immortality, longevity, wisdom, protection, wishes.

Magickal uses – Sage has been utilized to ensure a long life – sometimes even immorality. This is done by eating some of the plant every day, or at least in May, for:
He who would live for aye
Must eat sage in May

Sage is carried to promote wisdom, and the leaves are used in countless healing and money spells. To guard yourself against contracting the dreaded evil eye wear a small horn filled with sage.

If you desire to make a wish come true, write it on a sage leaf and hide it beneath your pillow. For three nights sleep upon it. If once your dream of what you desire your wish will be materialized; if not, bury the sage in the ground so that you do not come to harm.



Tansy
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Grimoire for the Green Witch

Grimoire for the Green Witch by Ann Moura

This is one of my most used reference books.

It is a good book for someone new to the craft as it guides you through the basics, although I use it mostly now for all the correspondence charts and sign/sigil listings it contains.

It is well written and well laid out, if you are just starting out in the craft I think this is a 'must have' on your bookshelf. 

It isn't really the sort of book that you sit down with a cup of tea to relax and read through, it is more of a reference - hmmm wonder what that means/which herb do I use for that?  kind of a book.



It contains chapters on:

Green Witchcraft
Circle Casting
Esbat Rituals
Sabbat Rituals
Recitations
Rituals
Meditations
Spellcrafting & Correspondences
Basic Spells
Teas, oils & baths
Divination

Within those chapters are magical alphabets, craft terms, rituals to perform and how to perform them, meditations to do, chants, songs, poems, sabbat activities, spells and how to write them and work with them. 

Along with a huge amount of correspondences, there probably isn't a correspondence, list or chart that it doesn't have!  From sigils, colours, elements, herbs, incenses, oils, planet, zodiacs, numbers, runes, energy points, crystals, deities through to names of power.

Ann Moura has been a practitioner of green witchcraft for more than forty years, she is also an historian and a teacher.  This lady knows her stuff...and I think most of it is contained in this book!

Tansy
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Article on the Llewellyn website written by Ann Moura about the book llewellyn.com
Amazon UK have it in stock Amazon link
Sacred Mists online shop USA stock it Sacred Mists Shoppe link

Croning

Croning

I love the idea of a croning ceremony!

The word crone is derived from the word cronus (time) and it means the wisdom gained through life long experiences. Krone also means crown. To become crowned crone then, acknowledges that you are a wise woman who has gathered up the fruits of her experience into profound and sovereign understanding. The wise crone becomes the resource of wisdom for her community and a source of inspiration for her circle of cronies.

A croning ceremony acknowledges the transition into a crone or wise woman, usually when a woman enters menopause.  The last menstruation is a farewell to the motherhood stage of a woman’s life.  A doorway is now open to step through into the crone phase.    Media would have us believe that staying young and firm is what it’s all about.  And although I am not at the crone stage yet, I do have grey hairs (ssshhh don't tell anyone I dye them LOL) and I am starting to get wrinkles, and my body is already fighting against gravity.  I am not necessarily happy with all these changes, but I do intend to welcome and celebrate my crone stage when it arrives.

This passage celebrates the end of the time that our energies are turned outwards toward physical activities and marks the beginning of the time that we turn our energies inwards, toward more spiritual activities.  Our physical growth slows down, and gradually our physical bodies begin to separate from our spiritual bodies.

In some cultures now and in the past when a woman enters menopause she keeps her wise blood inside her and it increases her wisdom.  Elder women were and are still in revered and honoured.  A croning ceremony provides acknowledgement and celebration of this.

This can be a personal ceremony, or held with a few close friends or a big celebratory party.

A croning ceremony may include, creating sacred space and having all your friends participate.   The priest or priestess could say a few words about the person, her qualities and traits.  Then each guest could share some memories or mementos.

Then the priest or priestess could say a few words about life and its various stages, how each stage marks changes in our lives and each stage adds to our characters.  The person could then be crowned with a circle of flowers.

A presentation of three stones could be made to represent her life – past, present and future. 

A candle is lit to represent the light of wisdom, salt is given to represent eternal wisdom & experience.

A re-dedication to deity perhaps.

During my research I also discovered a similar ceremony for men that reach ‘elderhood’.  It was also traditional to gift a man on reaching elderhood his staff.  It seems the traditional cloak or cape is presented at croning or elderhood.

I also found a lovely idea, once you reach cronehood or elderhood.  Set aside a certain time each week to sit and mediate.  For that meditation you take yourself to the world of spirits.  A short journey at first to see where it takes you, then each visit you go further and find yourself a home in the spirit world, each future journey you add to it and make it your own.  Each week re-examining the details you have made previously and adding to it.  This meditation creates your very own perfect place ready for when you cross over.

Tansy

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Image by Lora Craig Gaddis

The Jade Emperor

The Jade Emperor is the Taoist ruler of Heaven, and all that is beneath. He has many titles, amongst which are Heavenly Grandfather and even formal titles such as Peace Absolving, Central August Spirit Exalted, Ancient Buddha, Most Pious and Honorable, His Highness the Jade-Emperor, Xuanling High Sovereign.

Back in the dim memories of time, the world was an inhospitable place to live, the lands were harsh and many demons and monsters delighted in tormenting the humans there. Amongst the people walked an immortal, not yet a god, the Jade Emperor. He helped people wherever he could, making their lives a little easier, a little smoother. But he knew his efforts were limited, and he was saddened at that which he could not do.

He retreated to a cave, to develop his Tao, deepening his wisdom and benevolence. His retreat from the world lasted for millions of years, and he faced thousands of trials. During this time, a demon desired to conquer not only the mortal realms, but that of the gods also. He went into retreat, facing many trials, in order to increase his power.

The demon was the first to emerge from his cave, he immediately waged war upon the Heavens, recruiting a demonic army that the gods knew they had no hope against. Whilst war waged in the Heavens, the Jade Emperor also emerged from his cave, he saw the evil glow in the skies, and knew there was trouble. Rising up to Heaven he challenged the demon, and a massive battle ensued - rattling the mountains and stirring up the oceans. The Jade Emperor was the eventual victor, not through might, but through compassion. The other gods, knowing that they'd have been overrun if it were not for him, made him the Supreme Sovereign over All.

As the Supreme Sovereign of All, the Jade Emperor has a veritable empire of beaurocrats and civil servants to assist him. Every single aspect of life has it's own monitor reporting back to the boss. The European Parliament in Brussels could only dream of achieving an organisation such as this.

Symbols

* The Jade Emperor's birthday is said to be the 9th day of the first lunar month, where he will be made offerings of incense and food.
* He is also linked with the day of the Chinese New Year, which is when he is said to visit the Earth and make an inspection of each household, collecting reports on each member of that household's actions. Again incense is burned and offerings made, and offerings of sweets made to the Kitchen God who does the reporting!

Sources

newworldencyclopedia.org
wikipedia
Image from Wikipedia: Jade Emperor in a Ming Dynasty ink and colour painting on silk, 16th century

Love and hugs

Blaidd

The Cat Totem

Cat - Symbol of Wholeness, Independence, Curiosity, Many Lives, Cleverness, Love, Mystery, Magic

In Egypt cats were treated like royalty and were always given special privileges. The Egyptian Goddess Bastet takes the form of a cat. Due to their x-ray vision, acute hearing and high intelligence they were used throughout history as guardians and protectors. In ancient Egypt, cats guarded the temple gates and were used to fend off evil. In Scandinavia the cat was used to represent fertility. The cat is associated with the Norse Goddess of Fertility Freya, and the Hindu Goddess of Childbirth, Shasthi. It is also a symbol of childbirth in India. Witches, in days long gone, were believed to have the ability to shape shift into cats. It was also believed that cats were their familiars.

Cats are extremely independent and combine a high degree of sensuality with a deeply psychic and spiritual nature. It is impossible to own a cat. They may allow you to take care of them and give them love, but only on their terms. Cats come and go as and when they wish to.

Cat's medicine includes independence, unpredictability, healing, curiosity, many lives, magic, mystery, cleverness, the ability to fight when cornered, seeing the unseen, Allows us to dream its dreams and protection. Love is represented by the cat.

Cats have more rods in the retinas of their eyes which enable them to see very well in the dark. Darkness is often associated with mankind's fears. Since the cat is at home in the dark, it is a highly valuable ally into the world of the supernatural and the unknown. If cat is your power animal, you may have found an excellent assistant in moving through your fears.

If cat appears in your life the blending of magic and mystery is close by. Like the cat, you too are independent and a free thinker. At night you probably feel energized. You will stay with a person or situation until you are bored - and then you're off again looking for something more interesting. Cat encourages agility in both body and mind. You will be presented with new ideas and places. The cat gives you clearer perception. You have good organisational skills. The cat teaches us that the physical and spiritual worlds are not separate, but one, and is a good assistant for meditation. A resourceful, strong and fearless spirit guide lending you courage and confidence. Examine the colours, character and behaviour of the cat that has entered your life. Everything about it will be mirrored in your own life.
The energy field of a cat rotates is a counter-clockwise direction, which is the opposite of a human energy field. Thus, cats have the ability to absorb and neutralise energy that affects humans in a negative way. This is part of the cats healing medicine. If something is affecting you in a negative way, place a cat on your lap or find a cat to pet. Your energy field will be realigned immediately and inner balance will be restored.

Cat is a trustworthy teacher, guiding you into the world of self discovery and transformation.

Tansy
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Source: shamanicjourney.com

Review: Gods and Titans Oracle Deck

Earlier this year I was made aware of the upcoming release of a new Oracle deck: Gods and Titans. Published by Blue Angel Publications, written by Stacey Demarco and illustrated by Jimmy Maniton. It's an Australian team who have created this deck, and it's one of very few that call upon the Divine Masculine as its focus.

The blurb on the back of the pack reads:

"There was a time when Gods and Goddesses, the masculine and feminine Divine, co-existed equally and were honoured side by side. Yet with the passing of time this sacred union was lost. It's now time to restore the balance! Featuring tried and tested invocations and spells as well as a full explanation of each God's attributes and influence, this deck invites you to come back to a time when Gods were really Gods!

The masculine Divine in all its forms and glory has returned!"

I can definitely say that this deck lives up to its promise. These guys aren't the rather fluffy imitations of Gods that we may have been accustomed to, they tell it how it is. Eros is no little fat, flying baby here, Eros is, well, he's on the box cover, see for yourself! The artwork is glorious, and while some of the depictions may take you a little by surprise, they still manage to convey that primal essence encapsulated in each aspect of the masculine divine.

The descriptions are good enough to get a basic knowledge, they certainly get their point across, and to trigger a desire to know more, don't be surprised if a sudden urge to surf in the internet arises. There are some surprising omissions, Odin doesn't feature, but as they are taken from several pantheons, Greek, Celtic, Norse, Hindu, Egyptian plus others, there were always going to be some left out. However, there are also some unexpected inclusions, and you will learn new things.

I liked the idea of including a practical activity linked with each deity. Although I might not follow the invocations or spells, I've already seen pieces that I might utilise somewhere else in my own work, like making a mark on the skin with a pen and leaving it there to fade naturally - this appeals to the Hedgewitch in me.

There is a little teaser inside, a Goddess card from the yet to be published Goddesses and Sirens Oracle - created by the same team - and one which I will be eager to get my hands on to as soon as it's out. Though I might have a long wait as there's no hint of a publishing date.

All in all, if you'd like to reclaim some of that divine masculine energy in your life - this deck is certainly worth it

Love and hugs

Blaidd

Ares - God of War

Ares, Thracian born of the Greek pantheon, is the son of Zeus and Hera. He is not the only Greek deity to be connected with the aspect of war, but, brutal and uncivilised, he is the only one who personifies the horror, the aggression, the force and the courage of war. He is not the cool-headed strategist, he is bloodlust and slaughter. Whereas the destruction connected with the Hindu god Shiva is cleansing and transformative, the destruction by Ares is certainly not, so much so that even his own family turn away from him. He is sister to Athene, whose attributes include military strategy.

With Aphrodite, with whom he conducted an adulterous relationship, he is the father of Deimos (God of Terror), Phobos (God of Fear), Harmonia (Goddess of Harmony), Eros (God of Passionate Love), Andrestia (Goddess of Revenge and Anteros (God of Requited Love) He has several other mortal-heroic children, and in fact murdered the rapist of one of his daughters. Many of his children met with violent ends, but perhaps one of his redeeming features was his loyalty to his loved ones, even if it meant bringing harm to himself.

The husband of Aphrodite was Hephaestos, his brother, who fashioned a humiliating trap for the adulterous couple once he found out about the affair. Ares murdered Adonis when Aphrodite became enamoured of the youth. Either he sent a boar to do the deed, or he changed into a boar himself. This is the only account of him using any form of deception, as unlike many of the other gods, he had little use for trickery, not in his battles, or in his love-affairs. Though he is in no way all-powerful, several gods and heroes have either captured or wounded him. It seems it is only over common mortals that he holds sway.

He held no favourites, he supported those who pleased him most, whose battle-style was most interesting. He is also a most conflicting patron, both of rioters and those who police, both defender of cities and involved in the sacking of such. God of rage, and yet invoked by those wishing to curb their violent impulses. He is the personification of that power and force, but he also holds mastery over its control. Upon the battlefield, he inspired strength and exceptional courage from those troops he supported, and as he was generally escorted by Deimos, Phobos and Eris (Goddess of Strife), those he did not support will have born the brunt of these demoralising effects, though he does not always support the winning side in a war.

He fought in the Trojan war siding with Troy at the request of Aphrodite, where he protected her son. He was wounded her by Pallas and by his sister Athene, fighting on the Greek side. He was father to the dragon Drakos, who guarded a spring at Thebes. Cadmus killed the dragon, and sowed the dragon's teeth upon the ground, which sprouted up into Spartans. Cadmus then married Ares' daughter Harmonia.

He was not greatly venerated by the Greeks, except by a few of the more warlike peoples, Spartans, Thracians and the Amazons (said to be the daughters of Ares and his daughter, Harmonia!). He was later equated with the Roman Mars, who was more "manly valour" rather than blood-thirsty, and his extremely rough edges became rather smoother.

Symbols

Objects: Spear and helmet
Birds: Vulture, Woodpecker, Barn Owl, Eagle Owl
Animals: Snake (dragon), dog

Sources:
theoi.com
Image: Ares, Athenian black-figure amphora, C6th B.C., Worcester Art Museum
wikipedia

The Fox

Foxes are seen as power animals / totems throughout the world. The Chinese believed foxes could take human form. In Egypt the fox brought favour from the gods. There was a fox god in Peru. Foxes aid the dead get to the next life in Persia. The Cherokees, Hopi and various other Native American Indian tribes believed in its healing power, the Apache credited the fox with giving man fire.

Fox is amongst the most uniquely skilled and ingenious animals of nature. Being a night creature, fox is often imbued with supernatural powers. Foxes are usually seen at dawn and dusk. Dusk starts off their day, and the dawn is its ending. This is the time, when the world of magic and our every day realities cross paths. Foxes live on the edges of forests and open lands, the border areas. As fox is an animal of the between times and places, it can be a guide into the faerie realm. Fox has a long past of magic and cunning associated with it. It can move in and out of circumstance restoring order or causing confusion, depending on the occasion.

There are various species of fox, but they all share the extreme cleverness and cunning that paved the way for the expression, "sly as a fox." Fox urges us to develop the art of camouflage, invisibility, and shape shifting. They are agile, skilled, and unpredictable.

Fox's power lies in not being able to outrun the hounds, but to know in advance when they will be out hunting. They then use their ability to camouflage. When we learn to detach from our surroundings and to use all our senses to be observant, we will also be able to anticipate and create the future. A fox being followed by hounds will run across the tops of walls, cross streams diagonally, double back on its trail, run in circles - in short, do anything to break the trail of its scent. Fox has the amazing ability to outwit both predators and prey. Fox shows us how to slip out of unpleasant situations quietly and unnoticed. Those with fox as a spirit guide are frequently smart and witty but must remember to keep their crafty and clever demeanour balanced or it could backfire. Fox can also show you that your actions may be too obvious and the need to learn to be more discreet. Fox is a wise, potent, teacher for those who choose to live conscious and deliberate lives.

Due to their ability to blend into their surroundings, foxes are generally viewed as sly and cunning beings.

Interestingly, the word cunning, originates in the Old English word, kenning, which means to know, especially as applied to seeing something which isn't visible straight away. This can be related to the fox's superb sight and their ability to anticipate.

Fox can show us the skills necessary when it comes to handling people. The ability to camouflage can be deduced as being able to take a step back and view an interpersonal situation with detachment. This includes opening up the less obvious senses, such as intuition.

Often the underlying basis of a situation may seem obvious, but instead of making a quick judgment, listen closely to the outer and inner senses. Then you may perhaps get a completely different picture of what is going on. When the outer situation and the inner senses don't match it is wise to handle like a Fox, to trust ones intuition/instinct/inner voice, and to lay low.

Just like the wolf, the fox partner's for life, and is very devoted to its young. Many of its clever hunting techniques are keyed to acquire food for the helpless young and the nursing vixen. This is am important element of the foxes power. Similarly, our own awareness, and flexibility can be used to greater ends, not just to serve ourselves.

Fox's Wisdom Includes: Shape shifting, cleverness, observational skills, cunning, stealth, camouflage, feminine, courage, invisibility, ability to observe unseen, persistence, gentleness, swiftness, wisdom, reliable friend, magic, shape shifting, invisibility.

Fox can teach us to control our auras so we are more able to live in harmony with the world and others.

If fox is your power animal, learning to be invisible is very important in your life. Picture yourself blending in with your surroundings, becoming part of everything. Be extremely still and quiet. With practice and patience you will be able to go unnoticed even at a party or in a crowd. Fox also teaches good eating habits, as they eat small portions frequently. You have probably heard the suggestion that this is better for our health.

If fox is your power animal, pay attention to the way it moves and follow its lead. This is a powerful guide to have and those that have it to should learn to use its skills for the benefit of all, including themselves.

Tansy
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Source: Shamanicjourney.com