Divination: Scrying

 One method of divination (to foresee or be inspired by the Divine), utilizes things like a crystal ball or candle to find visions. You can also use bowls of water, a black mirror, and other reflective or shiny things.

My own experience include the use of a crystal ball (see photo above). It once sat in a large pewter dragon I had- until a cat knocked it off, broke the dragon, and made a tiny scratch on the crystal ball. No matter. It still works. I found the vision that appeared was of a woman’s face. I didn’t recognize her or know who or what she was. I also saw a scene fill the ball that was an open meadow. Again, it didn’t seem to offer much in the way of meaning to me, so I think it was simply the random ‘noise’ the brain creates when you first get started.

It takes practice and patience.

How to Scry? The method of scrying isn’t a special ability a person has, although I suppose, some people might find it easier than others to see visions. 

Quiet the mind. Finding stillness, and ‘empty mind’, helps with finding visions. You need to clear the ‘noise’ your mind will feed you, and if you wish to find visions with meaning, you need to remove the traits that will mess up any messages the Divine (high power, or Higher Self) wishes to give to you.

Meditation and using deep, long breaths can help with practice to master the quiet mind.

Once the mind is still, thoughts, sensations, and visions will bubble up. Its the brain’s method of staying busy, of getting bored and giving you things from the sub-conscious. Many of the things you will see are likely to make little sense to you, or appear random. Sometimes fears may manifest at this time as well, which are insecurities or doubts.

Tools:

Scrying Mirror are generally glass painting black. You can find ones with or without frames, or make your own by finding glass picture frame and painting the one side black.

 Scrying bowls can be of any size or color, but generally the color black is preferred. It makes contents within the bowl appear bottomless. With a scrying bowl you can also add oils to form shapes on top of water, or use other substances such as mead, spring or rain water, oil, and other material.

Crystal balls are tools that people think of for scrying, although they don’t have to be crystal or even clear. Some people prefer facets to give shape to vision, or provide properties to whatever goal of the vision is hoped for. For instance, a Tiger’s Eye orb might provide vision in goals, while a dark Obsidian would be for strength and protection.

 

Crystal Clusters, of any type, also provides similar form and function for scrying.  While not having the smooth surface of orbs, the fractals often provide a method to find vision. Size, color, and properties vary, so you’ll have to consider what you need and what ‘feels right’ to you.

Smoke from incense, fire/coals, or smudging also offers a method to ‘scry’.  I find the cones and loose incense on charcoal work best for this.

Candles or fire in any form such as an open campfire or coals, also works great for scrying. This is the easiest and cheapest ‘tool’ for scrying.

Remember that none of the tools are really necessary since the ability to gain vision comes from within. I find, however, that using one of the tools (you’ll need to find which ones works best for you), can help set the mind into the proper mindset to gain visions.

What method do you use, if you scry? Have you ever tried? Did you find you were successful?

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Turning Mundane into Magical!

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I am a huge believer that there’s no need to purchase any new items in order to use as tools. It became pretty clear I best show some idea to make my point;

Broom- Sure you could buy or make your own besom, but you can just as easily use any broom you have on hand to turn this into a magical tool.

• Etch, paint, or draw symbols on the broom to invoke energies you wish to replace whatever negative energies you wish to ‘clear’ from your space.
• Add ribbons, wire, beads, and bells to the broom so when you sweep, it clears the space by motion and sound.
• While sweeping, chant a song, or just find a song or words to say evoking what you hope to bring to your home.

Candles- They come in all shapes and sizes, but you easily craft yourself magical candles quickly and easily, with candle holders for your purpose.

• Mix Elmer’s glue with a bit of water to thin it out, and add some food coloring and paint glass jars (I use old spinach dip jars or mason jars) or pillar candles the directional colors for ‘quarter candles’. If you’re skillful with painting design symbols. You can also add glitter or even printed paper as ‘decoupage’.
• Cans make interesting candle holders or luminaries. Use a hammer and nail and create holes in designs to add to your altar.
• Candle holder for apples. This works great during the fall season. Core out the top of an apple to fit a tea light and viola! Instant candle holder that looks splendid.

 

Wands- Wands come in all shapes and sizes, and an be very expensive. Consider taking a hike in the woods and looking for fallen branches and twigs you can use. It should feel right, not matter what type of wood. Lots of books say to use Oak or Willow, but you might feel more connect to Locust or other species that ‘calls to you’.

• Wire wrap beads and crystals to the wand.
• Carve runes, sigils, or other things to personalize.
• You can spruce them up or not as you need. Check out the video for some neat tips- (he’s a sweet kid that shares his own experiences)

 

Pentacle- When I started out as a 14 year old shy teen, I think out of all the tools I wanted, I wanted a pentacle necklace. Some are not cheap, and if you’re a kid with no money or wish to alert the parents in what I was into, it became clear I’d have to find alternatives. At the time, it was so limited, but now I have some tips to share:

• Clay. Making your own clay necklace is pretty easy outside the initial cost of the clay. You can use polymer or even paper clay, but flatten out the clay, cut out a circle, and draw or stamp or shape a pentacle into or onto the clay. This then needs to either air dry or bake in an oven for a period of time. Remember to add a wire to the piece before drying so it stays in there. Click here on a video showing you how to make clay necklaces, but consider cost, time, and effort to what you need.
• Paper. You can make your very own pendants out of paper, cardboard, or cardstock. I’ve made similar pieces pretty easily. You will need Diamond Glazeor what I use is called Dimensional Magic (which I find cheaper). Here is a tutorial on how to make these type necklaces.

I will try to add more posts on this type of topic in the future as I find tutorials or try my own thing. Let me know if you appreciate this post, and tell your friends!

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The cost of Wicca

I was surprised to find a number of videos on Youtube where people mentioned how they can’t afford to be Wicca because of the tools’ cost. So here is what you do- don’t buy tools!

• Tools will come into your life when you need them, not because you want them.
• The best tools are ones that are gifted, crafted by you, or discovered along the way.
• The single most important tool you already own….YOU.
• You can cast circle, work spells, and celebrate your spirituality without any tools at all.

Book of Shadows- any 3 ring binder works fine. you can dress it up later, but its what’s on the inside that counts more on the outside. Any paper, pen, or even a document on the computer serves just as well to keeping track of your rituals and magical journals.

Athame- I got mine at one of those stores you buy used items. It cost me all of $5. I had a number of people buy me ones over the years, even elaborately decorated ones, but I still use the original boot knife because it feels ‘right’. You can also use a wand, selected any stick fallen on the ground that feels ‘right’.

Wand- you might read or hear other people tell you that you need Oak or Apple or Willow, but you can find any stick in the wood that ‘feels right’ will work just as well if not better. You don’t need to decorate it, but if you do, you can use wire wrapping or carve into the wood.

Cauldron- I’ve found cauldrons online that are pretty cheap, but the tool’s purpose is to be flame retardant, and often used to mix potions, burn incense, fill with water for divination, etc. You can use any fireproof pot or bowl for this purpose. You can use a tin can as well.

Incense- any dollar store provides incense, although to be fair, its a cheap type that often causes too much smoke in my opinion. You can burn herbs found in your kitchen for incense, such as cinnamon or sage on a charcoal. If you do get incense, and want to be frugal, you can cut up the sticks into thirds and use them as shorter incense sticks.

Crystals and Stones- I believe out of all tools, these tend to come when they are most needed in your life. You can stones along a trail or stream, at a beach, or down by a river. Crystals can often be found in shops for $1 or even less, depending on size.

Altar cloth- Although I’d love to have pretty altar cloths, I don’t like spending the time to look and pay for them. I use a basic black cloth I bought at a fabric store, which was a remnant, and sometimes use this brocade remnant on other occasions. I only recently came into a beautiful scarf cloth a friend gave me that has leaves on it. You can also use table placemats, old pillow cases, or just do without. I did for many years.

Sea salt- you don’t need sea salt. Any salt will do. You can also use tap water, but you can also collect rainwater in jars to be used in rituals.

Candles- you can use any candles on hand, even birthday candles. You don’t have to use candles, however. Your connecting with the God, Goddess, or whatever you define as the Divine doesn’t require props to commune with them.

Oils- These are another item not crucial to anything, but you can make your own with Olive Oil or other natural oil infused with herbs.

What do you think? Do you have ritual ‘must-haves’? Do you use things on hand or do you wait to get them before performing ritual? Please comment and share your thoughts below.

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Altars: Sacred space and special tools

Being I don’t have any permanent altar setup, I keep things in a large box a friend built for me years ago. Over time, it develops a mess, so today I cleared everything out and organized it, taking assessment to what I need to resupply, things that need fixing, and things to throw out.

Basically, I did a ‘spring cleaning’ of my altar stuff.

What sort of stuff do I have?

- A pretty scarf that is green and gold, with leaves on it. Very pretty. (represents growth)

-A black piece of cloth used for the base of all altars. Any other cloth goes over that if I want color. (represents a banishment of negativity)

-Cauldron which needs some serious cleaning. I use only for fire and incense now. (represents the Goddess)

-Athame (not seen here because it needs a serious cleaning) was found as a basic dagger, a boot knife, and carved with a sigil in the handle. (represents the God aspect of the divine and directed will)

-Sage bundle, (for incense and cleansing of space).

-Goose feather I found along the river near where I live. (represents the air element)

-Seashells collected on Chincoteague Island when I camped there years ago. (represents water element)

-Sea salt. (for cleansing, representing earth)

-A number of crystals- Aventurine, Citrine, Lepidolite, Serpentine,  and red Tiger Eye. (represents a number of things, as well as earth element)

-A wooden pentacle carved by a friend who also followed a pagan path. (represents all elements plus spirit)

-A crystal ball given to me from a room mate years ago. (represents air but also vision and insight)

-Mirrors (representing Self and the Divine)

Here is a photo of the altar box filled with stuff. Some things I need to clean and remove the wav from.

Altars are personal, and the items represent that which we find important. I also have a small ‘portable’ altar that includes five tiny candles, salt, oil, incense, a lighter, crystals, and a mirror.

What tools do you deem important on your sacred spot? Post below- better still, blog about it and link in comments below. I’d love to see it!

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Need a moon calendar?

Check it out; Calendar365.com provides a free online moon phase calendar. You can look up and print the month. This site includes a sunrise and setset calendar as well. 

You might also want to check out the Farmer’s Almanac on Moon names for each month, and learn why they’re named that.

For instance, March is ‘worm month’, because so many earthworms are leaving ‘casts’ behind as they emerge from the earth.

BOS Assignment: Add a 2012 calendar to your Book of Shadows that illustrates moon phases as well as the sabbats for the year.

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Idols and graven images

I think most pagans will admit that whatever idols or statues set on their altars are not, in fact, worshipped as much as representing what we worship. So we don’t worship idols; we worship what the idols represent.

Do Christians worship a cross? No. They worship what the cross symbolizes as Christ’s sacrifice for his people. Buddha statues represent the peace, love, and compassion the Buddha taught his followers.

I never put statues on my altar. I use nothing but candles, or sometimes, I use a bowl of water. It represents, for me, the Goddess, with the reflection of water symbolizes that the Goddess is me, as I am the goddess. Its also good for divining, if I feel troubled.

Other representations can include seashells, antlers or horns, plants, stones, or just about anything that holds a meaning for your. But again, people don’t worship the objects, as much as the symbol to which it represents.

What symbols do you use?

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Monday Musings: Sacred spots

Not everyone has a sacred spot to call their own, preferring to build that ritual space each time for meditation and spellworking.

Those who do have house altars setup something special in an area of their house to remind them of the many elements of spirituality.

What to add?

Representations of the god and goddess. You can find statues online, in stores, or make your own out of salt clay, or simply post up a poster/print on the wall as well. Some representations can also be a seashell, deer antlers, or a cauldron with an athame.

Symbols of the elements. Air (east) could be incense, windchimes, fairies, bubbles, feathers, or animal figurines such as birds. Earth takes form in stones, crystals, seeds, plants, and wood. You might also want animals such as a woodchuck, chipmunk, or other earth dwelling species. Water could be seashells, a bowl of water, a fountain, or figurines of fish, mermaids, or other sea creatures. Fire (south) takes the form of candles, dragons, or salamanders.

Other items can include things that are important to you such as jewelry, a pentacle tile, herbs, wand, and elements of spells you’re working on.

Types of altars:

Personal altars can be mobile, stored in a box, or setup on a dresser or small table in a bedroom or closet. They are generally small, intimate, and personalized to the person.

Family altars are more prominent and generally sit within a working area of the house such as dining or living room. A family altar also has a number of items each member of the family feels necessary. These can change seasonally or through special times in the family’s life.

Outdoor altars can be found in gardens, play areas, patios, or porches. These are often setup seasonally and used with devotional rituals or moments of meditation.

The important thing with any altar is it reflects your spirit and spiritual needs at the time.

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Friday Fun- Frugality

Although many items and tools of the craft can get expensive and fancy, I wanted to let folks understand that religion should never cost a thing.

Ultimately, your spirituality is between yourself and the Divine (however you define the Divine). You do not need anything but yourself to commune with nature, and even casting circle can be done without any props at all.

The props (tools) are used to assist getting in the right frame of mind. If you think you need tools, here are a few frugal tips;

• Instead of an Athame, the ritual knife, find a wand. Go into the wood and find a stick that feels right. Some might argue it needs to be a certain wood, but this is untrue. If it feels right, its right for you. The wand and the Athame both represent the male aspect of the divine, and are tools to direct and funnel your energy. You can also use your finger of your power hand (the hand you feel energy).
• Candles can be very cheap at a dollar store. you can technically use birthday candles although it makes for a short ritual. Some pagans might tell you its important the color or even type of candle (soy or beeswax) but if you can’t afford much, any candle will do.
• Salt is used to cleanse the area, as does incense. Cleansing an area for ritual can be done solely by visualization of driving out negative energy and empowering the area with ‘love and light’. Use rainwater if you have nothing else.
• Instead of candles for each direction, use items you might already have on hand. Feathers, incense, and bubbles represent air (East). Stones, soil, and plants represent earth (North), shells, a bowl of water, or symbol of a water animal such a fish, dolphin, etc can also be used. Candles, dragons, or volcanic rock could be used.
• Don’t think you need all your tools at once. Its common to build up the tools as they come into your life.
• Some items can be made from salt clay you make yourself. Pentacles, bowls, incense burners, and other items can be shaped for use.
• A book of shadows can be easily made from a 3-ring binder and pages. You’ll eventually move up to something fancier, or you can learn to use scrapbook techniques to color things up.
• Remember to cultivate a focus on what’s in your heart and mind, which are the most powerful tools, rather than any object in your life. Those tools are pointless without your will and focus.

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Make it yourself resource tips: Wands

A wand is a tool symbolizing Air and inspiration. Although at times its seen more as a magical tool, used primarily for casting spells, a wand traditionally is more than that. It directs the will, invokes the spirits, and can be used to ‘draw’ the ritual circle.

 

How to make your own wand: Either a dowel and carved or sanded to the shape you want, or you can find a fallen stick to use as a wand. Types of wood matters for the properties you want.

 

 

Here are a few links to get some ideas:

An Easy Way To Make Your Own Wand

Make your own wand.

 

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Witch tools

You find in nearly every basic book for beginners in Wicca and witchcraft a chapter on tools. This often includes things like a ritual knife called an athame (ATH-ay-me), wands, crystals, candles, cauldron, chalice, bowls, twine or cord, incense, salt, and many other tools.

You don’t need em… not a one. Shocked?  They’re nothing more than props for your prayers, and given that religion stems from your soul and your relationship with the ‘powers that be’, the Divine, or the goddess, you don’t need anything to find that connection. These tools do nothing more than to help place you in a certain frame of mind to commune with the Divine.

So why do so many books suggest otherwise? Some reasons say you’re building an atmosphere, to stir up a mood when you cast circle. You use items to get to a state of mind and candles and the whiff of incense can help you with that. Some books tell you that these tools hold power or magic. The most powerful tool is you- plain and simple.

The symbolism of these tools also touch upon your personal viewpoint. For instance, you might find a wand better than a ritual knife, or a bowl of earth over a crystal. Do what feels right.

Athame- a ritual knife, never used to cut or draw blood. Its a directional tool. A phallic symbol, this represent the God aspect of diety. Sizes vary, and some argue it must be of iron. I’ve seen wooden and even crystal athames that worked fine.

A Boline is another ritual blade, but this one is used to cut herbs or cord for magic.  The handle is often white, with the blade curved.

Cauldron- varies in size and function. For some circles, you might use the cauldron to lit a fire, while other times you might want a cauldron filled with water. Other times, you can use a cauldron to serve potion or food. Its a symbol of hearth, home, and of the Goddess for it symbolizes the womb.

Chalice- This also represent the goddess as a symbol of her womb. Its used for the ‘cakes and ale’ ceremony, and the symbollic ‘Great Rite” when you insert the athame into the chalice as a symbol of sexual union.

Wands represent a phallic symbol, the god aspect, but also that of air. Used to draw the circle or direction energy.

Candles represent fire and enlightenment. Some groups advice natural only candles such as beeswax, and to never blow them out, but I’m more liberal with using any candles and blowing the light out with respect.  Colors and sometimes shape offers meaning to ritual and spells. You can carve into them, infuse them with oils and herbs, and anoint according to need.

Bell- Although I don’t bother with this tool, the characteristics for sound signifies the element of air and vision. Bells are rung to ward off bad energies or invite positive energies into the sacred space. A bell also can be used to start and finish meditations.

Incense can be the stick incense, cone incense, or herbs burned on charcoal.

Book of Shadows- I believe is the most important tool because it focuses on your personal, spiritual journey. Each Book is different, and only you can decide what pages will be included. It take take the form of a binder with inserted pages, or you can maintain a journal that includes dreams, rituals, recipes, and anything else you deem important.