July 8th, 2012

For the past month on the Celtic calendar, the tree of note has been the Oak. Today, however, is the first of the Holly month. Personally, I find this a significant representation of the Oak and Holly King story, as the Holly King cast down his twin not long ago, at midsummer. The Holly month, called Tinne by the Celts, is a time of masculine energy.

Holly, or Ilex, is a genus of 400 to 600 species of flowering shrubs. The genus is spread worldwide, in evergreen and deciduous forms, both in the tropics and in temperate climates. Holly flowers are small and white, usually with four petals. Unlike many species, the members of the Holly genus typically have distinct male and female flowers, which grow on separate plants (there are exceptions, however). Pollination occurs through bees and other insects. The fruits of the Holly, typically called berries, are actually drupes, and ripen in the winter. Because the drupes are available when most food is scarce, the Holly is an important source of food and shelter for many birds and animals.
Mythologically speaking, Holly was considered by the Druids a gift to keep the earth beautiful when the sacred Oak lost its leaves. It was also associated with the aforementioned Holly King, the patron of the Winter Solstice festivals. Later, the Romans hailed Holly as being sacred to Saturn, and so used the plant to decorate images of Saturn and as a method of honoring him during the festival of Saturnalia. Centuries later, early Christians avoided Roman persecution in their Christmas rites by using the Saturnalia Holly. Hence, Holly was adopted into Christian tradition as well. In European lore, although boughs of Holly could be taken for decoration, and the berries used for animal feed, to cut down an entire tree/shrub was considered bad luck. Some people went out of their way to avoid hurting the trees, and believed that they had protective qualities. The Holly was believed to keep houses from being struck by lightning, and was cultivated as a protective barrier. As such, it became associated with thunder gods, like the Norse Thor. Interestingly, modern science has shown this ancient legend to hold some ground - the distinctive shape of the Holly leaves and spines act as a sort of natural lightning conductor, protecting the Holly itself, as well as nearby objects.
In magick, use Holly to access masculine energy, and consider carving masculine tools (an athame handle, wand, etc.) out of Holly. In related fashion, some traditions hold that a proper athame ought to be consecrated with holly incense. Its protective properties remain relevant also; hanging a Holly bough in the home will bring good luck and safety. Holly can be worn as a protective charm, and soaking Holly in moon-bathed water for several hours will create Holly water, which when sprinkled around people acts as a blessing, and when sprinkled in the home acts as a cleanser. Holly is associated with the cycle of life, death, and rebirth, and can be used in a Lammas ceremony as easily as in one meant for Yule. It can help people cope with death, and brings calm, sweet dreams.
Holly is not known for being edible - indeed, eating the berries can cause vomiting and diarrhea. The plant is considered toxic to humans and should not be ingested.

July 7th, 2012

Can I just say that I love Rose Quartz? I've been working some experiments with different stones lately, and today Hazelnut and I were really hoping to get together. However, we hadn't planned anything in advance, and you know how parents can be when you spring things on them. So I grabbed a piece of Rose Quartz, known for it's tendency to attract love, happiness, friendship, and other such positive emotion, and asked mom if I could have Hazelnut over. She agreed, right off the bat! And then I asked dad, and he said it's okay, too. Huzzah for positivity!

~~~~~~~~~~~

Rose Quartz is a stone with a pale pink to rosy hue. The coloration is caused by various minerals in the crystal, such as titanium, manganese, and iron.

This type of quartz is excellent for bringing peace to a home or workplace. It is known for the ability to calm violent tempers and soothe arguments. It causes negative energy to dissipate, and encourages optimism. Rose Quartz is also notable in its characteristic of manifesting self-love, as well as bringing positive relationships.  Here, it can be used for romantic love, to make new friends, or even to find the perfect pet.

Rose Quartz is also a stone of healing: place a piece next to the heart chakra, located in the center of the breastbone, to release negative energy and draw positive thought. In this way, one can also banish self-defeating thought, bad habits or addictions, and repressed emotion. The stone is a comforter to those dealing with poor body image, bullying, physical assault or harassment, and other negative experiences. It increases self-esteem, confidence, self-trust and trust in others, and acceptance.

Because of it's healing, loving qualities, Rose Quartz is an excellent "give-away" stone, appropriate for small children, teens, adults, and grandparents. Everyone can benefit from a piece of Rose Quartz. The stone is attractive, and as such, can be worked into beautiful jewelry, charms, and other gifts. Rose quartz also makes an excellent tip for a wand, particularly one to be used in a love spell.

One final note: if you are suffering an abusive relationship with someone, are being hurt, or are hurting yourself, Rose Quartz can help. But don't just leave it at that. A piece of mineral cannot solve all your problems. Talk to the authorities, a parent, a friend, or other trusted adult. Seek help, no matter what. Magick should always work in tandem with "mundane" effort!

Corn Dolly

How many of you ate corn on the cob for the 4th of July yesterday? Come on, raise those hands... I know I did, and as such, I had a big bag full of leftover corn husks afterwards. Why waste those precious husks on the garbage can? A compost bin is a good place to begin, but a good number of those husks can be saved and turned into corn dollies, which make great decorations for Lammas, Mabon, and even Imbolc! So go on, grab a hand-full of them. I'd recommend having 20 or so on hand, per dolly. You probably won't use all of them, but having extra is better than not enough. If you didn't happen to have any corn on the cob last night, it's okay. Most megamarts carry dried corn husks that can be used instead - just soak them in some water for about a half-hour first. You will also want a pair of scissors, some cotton balls (two or three per dolly), and a skein of yarn. I chose red, but the color is really up to you.

Head:

1. Take a single husk and place a cotton ball or two in the middle. 
2. Fold the husk in half and twist around the cotton balls to form the head.
3. Tie in place with yarn.

 Arms:

1. Take two or three corn husks, and lay them on top of each other. Fold in half, and then in half again.
2. Tie off both ends of the husks with yarn to make the arms.
3. Slide the arms between the front and back flaps of the head piece. Tie in place with yarn, wrapping around several times.

Skirt:

1. Begin layering husks around the waist of the corn doll, pointing up. Yes, that's right - it ought to look like your corn dolly pulled a Marilyn Monroe.
2. Once the skirt goes all the way around the doll, still flipped up, tie the husks to the torso tightly.
3. Begin pulling the husks down over the top of the yarn, so that her skirt appears normal, and conveniently hides some of the yarn.

Extras:
At this point, it's up to you. You could use some yarn, leftover husks, raffia, or other material to give her hair. Using glue and some beads, or just a marker, you can add a face. A poncho-style dress is easily made by taking a length of fabric twice as long as the body, folding it in half, and cutting out a circle for the head. Slide the fabric over the head, and consider tying off with ribbon or more yarn. Or, just leave the dolly as-is. You be the judge.

July 5th, 2012

Happy 4th, er, 5th of July! I largely spent yesterday's holiday cataloguing a plethora of new Pagan music in my Book of Shadows. I like to keep a list of my favorite songs at the end, so that if something terrible were ever to happen to my computer, I have a hard-copy backup list. Then we went to see some local fireworks and ate home-made ice cream. Mmm...

~~~~~~~~~~

It occurs to me that while there are many instructions available on the internet for setting up one's Book of Shadows (BOS), there are substantially fewer on how to personalize it, and really make things your own. As such, here are some tips that can be used alone or en masse, where personalization of the BOS is concerned.

• Handwrite everything. Yes, it can be time consuming, especially if you type faster than you write, but the more time that is put into something, the more meaningful it will be. Handwriting also leaves your personal energy signature on the pages, imbuing them with a little bit of you.
• Make use of font, sizing, and other formatting options. Some people just can't go the handwritten route, and that's okay, provided that what is typed isn't just copy and paste. Take the time to bang things out on the keyboard, and then use some simple formatting tools to make pages well organized and attractive.
• Make the cover matter. If you intend to buy a pre-made BOS, make sure that the page layout is pleasing, and take a good look at the cover. It should either be visually pleasing to you, or should give you the option to adapt it if you aren't satisfied. If you're like me, using a three-ring binder, the front cover likely has a pocket allowing you to insert anything you want. Get creative: consider pictures, drawings, paintings, prints, printed images, collages, etc. 
• Add pictures. You don't have to be a brilliant artist to add images to your BOS - that's what a camera is for! Photograph rituals, altar set-ups, your first robe, new tools, any gatherings you may go to, etc., and add these photos to the appropriate pages with a bit of glue or tape.
• Color-code. One of the most successful decisions I made in designing my BOS was to color-code it. I chose to highlight titles in green, tools needed in a spell or ritual in orange, and things to be spoken aloud in yellow. You can choose any colors you like, and can certainly highlight additional things if you feel there is something else you ought to draw attention to.
• Doodle in the margins. One way to add a little glamour to an otherwise text-coated page is to add small, meaningful drawings in the paper's margin. If you have instructions for a spell to draw love, for example, that requires some symbols of love, one could draw in stylized hearts, cupid silhouettes, roses, and/or doves. Just make sure things don't get too crazy - you need to be able to read the page, after all.
• Use colored ink. If a page is focused on a prosperity spell or chant, consider inking the page in green pen, or printing it in green, if you opt for the typed style. A friendship spell could go pink, a section on astral travel purple. 
• Include examples. Whether you are writing the names and uses for plants or the recipe for an awesome tea you tried at your coven-mate's house, using a physical representation of that item in your BOS can help jog the memory and make the pages more special. Pressing flowers and leaves between the pages of a heavy dictionary for a few days can leave them ideal for insert into a BOS. You could slip in that tea bag, a knotted cord or other spell-leftover, or even a baggie of ingredients if you so chose.
• Use page protectors. This isn't so much a tip for personalization as it is for protection of your personalization. It can be really upsetting to go to the work of making a page stunning, only to ruin it by spilling candle wax all over it. Prevent such damage by using clear page protectors, which are inexpensive and will take the brunt in the wax spill, not the page.

I hope I have inspired some creativity where the BOS is concerned. Enjoy the making. Remember: all acts of love and joy are my rituals.

July 3rd, 2012

Happy Esbat, everybody! So far, my goal of working more meditation and magick into my life is looking good. I read through a number of spells today, and got some great ideas for prosperity spells that I'd like to try. I wrote in my Book of Shadows, my journal, and even accomplished some more of my summer homework while I was at it! 

~~~~~~~~~~

A month or so ago, I was writing to a dear friend of mine who enjoys learning about different belief systems. I was describing Air elementals to her, and found a beautiful image of a painting by Josephine Wall, called The Spirit of Flight. Then, a few weeks later, I won a prize in a drawing off my mom's blog. Since she didn't want it to seem as though the drawings were rigged (which of course, they weren't), she drew a second time and told me that she would get me a different bookmark later. Today, she happened to be at Barnes and Noble and got me that bookmark. I wasn't with her, nor did she ask me which I wanted. But when she came home and gave it to me, the print on the bookmark was the very same print I had seen a month ago.

 

The bookmark is gorgeous, and I know I will treasure it both as a high-quality bookmark, as well as a wonderful visual of Sylph magick.

July 2nd, 2012

My mom, Nick, and I took another hike through the forest preserve this morning, and boy, oh boy, it was just in the nick of time, too. It was already hot when we were out, and now it's a blistering 98 degrees. When we were finished with our walk, Nick and I discovered a water pump. Naturally, being both hot, tired, and sweaty, we wanted to cool off. Nick was convinced the pump wouldn't work, but I gave it a go anyway. After several minutes of pumping the lever fruitlessly, I began to think that Nick was right. However, I had a trick up my sleeve that Nick didn't know about - the ability to call the element water. I had called upon water before in just such a circumstance and had found it to be most effective. So, asking a bit of aid from Goddess and the water elementals, I drew the invoking pentagram of water over the pump. Giving the lever another go, I immediately felt some resistance, indicating that there was water there. A few minutes later, and the pump was merrily spewing clear, cold water, even if it did taste vaguely of copper. Once we were a bit cooler, I drew the banishing pentagram. You don't want those elementals to have to sit there all day; I'm sure they have better things to be doing than looking after a pump no-one else is using.
I spent the afternoon volunteering at my school, helping to build a parade float for our community choir, and then got home to do some reading. I've made a new deal with myself, also. I really need to get back in the habit of daily meditation and prayer. I figure that if I write it down on the internet, I may actually feel inspired to keep the promise! ;)

~~~~~~~~~~

And finally, about a month after I would have liked, I got a video of my Litha altar made. Check it out!