The Wednesday Witch- LokiB101010

Today’s Wednesday witch is LokiB101010, a vlogger on Youtube that has a number of interesting videos on the topic of witchcraft.

She’s from New Zealand with a lovely accent, and she shares ‘how to’ type videos as well as sharing/talking videos.

Clearing incense- This video includes a basic recipe for clearing/cleansing.

Portable Altar- This video covers her portable altar

Pagan tag- This video is an ‘about her’ type video, where she shares her beliefs and practices.

She speaks plainly and to the point, and I enjoyed her series of video where she gives up chocolate. (I feel her pain…being I’m quitting sugar this month).

Post in comments, and remember to ‘like’ her videos, and subscribe. I feel it’s a worthwhile share.

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Wednesday Witch: Mirth and Reverence

Today’s Wednesday Witch is a youtube vlogger, and her channel- Mirth and Reverence .

Annie, is a lovely (and wonderfully prolific) Vlogger with tons of videos on many pagan topics. What I really enjoy is how she sits and chats to the camera, as if I’ve been invited over for tea or coffee, and we’re just discussing things.

Her style includes an easy going manner with forthright answers to the myriad of question you’d expect from a teacher’s channel on pagan beliefs.  Her background includes solitary and coven work, she shares practices and history, and discusses opinion and facts. 

Some videos you might enjoy;

Lunar phases and magical alignment

Riding Energy Tides

If you visit her page, get some coffee or tea, maybe a snack;  You will be there for a while. She has TONS of videos there.

I hope you enjoy. If you know of any pagans/witches you think are worthwhile to be added to this post series, please list in comments.

WordPress Tags: mirth and reverence, pagan perspective, witch, wiccan, pagan, goddess, youtube, vlogger, spiritual

Yule Follow Up

Our Yule ritual went rather well. I wish the wind didn’t so much or the temperatures drop so low, otherwise we’d have a fire in the fire pit. I meant to have everyone make banishing bags from black cloth and they’d be burned, but we opted, instead, to use this idea by CharmingPixieFlora (video) where the bag would not only mark what we wished to banish, but also what we needed to replace it.

Potluck- Because of gathering so late in the day, we opted to feast first. Some argue that you eat after ritual, but I feel that has more to do with magick working, meditations, or spell work. In celebrations, the focus should be on the celebrating itself.

The food was great. My husband made a Chicken and Dumpling casserole, while others brought salad, a veggie tray, and desserts. There’s something so delightfully magical about potlucks, where folks bring in various dishes to share as a group.

Ritual- Our group is not at all formal, and we discuss beforehand what we hope to accomplish with the ritual. Members share a document online where we add what we’re bringing to potluck, but also marking what they wish to do in the ritual itself. Some suggestions included some healing, a thumb’s up for the banishing bag craft, and also a ‘joy and sorrow’ sharing ritual.

Joys and Sorrows- I first encountered this practice in the local Unitarian Universalist Church, where members shared a joy and/or sorrow in their lives. This helped build community, strengthen bonds, and enables members to alert others if help was needed. We use the practice for the same reasons.

All you do is light tea lights. One for each joy or sorrow. You can light as many as you need. All of the candles can sit on a plate at the center of circle or the main part of the altar. They are blown out at the end of ritual.

Since I forgot to get the sparkling juice or mead, we ended up using V8 Splash for the ‘ale’ in the cakes and ale. The cake was Rum cake, which was awesome. We then went outside to ‘pop’ the banishment bags, sprinkling seeds on the ground, and making offering of the cakes and ale to the gods amid the wind and cold.

I wish for everyone to have a safe and happy holiday season.

Source: bing.com via Sharon on Pinterest

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How to begin?

 I was thinking the other night on where to guide new pagans on their quest to learn more. I’m tempted to toot my my own horn and say “go to my blog’, but I feel compelled to suggest some books;

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 Scott Cunningham’s Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner is an excellent starter book on Wicca specifically. I love his down-to-earth language and valid points. He keeps things simple and straight-forward.

 

Doreen Valiente  wrote a number of books on the topic of Wicca and the pagan religions, as well as authoring the long version of the Wiccan Rede. Her book, Witchcraft for Tomorrow I feel is a ‘must read’ to better understand the history and origins of Wicca.

 

Margot Adler is a well respected author of Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America that focuses on pagan religions, not just Wicca.

 

The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Goddess: 20th Anniversary Edition by Starhawk, I feel, is a bit outdated, but was one of the first books I read on the subject. I like her other books that delve deeper into the psychological processes of religion/spirituality for healing. This is why I put it on my ‘must-read’ lists.

There are other books, of course, but I feel these are the best for starting out on the subject.

Technorati Tags: Cunningham,Wicca,Solitary,earth,Valiente,Wiccan,Rede,Witchcraft,Adler,author,Moon,Witches,Druids,Pagans,America,Spiral,Dance,Rebirth,Ancient,Religion,Edition,Starhawk,subject,religions,pagan
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Wonderful thing about Tiggers…

We’re all familiar with the idea of animal guides or spirit guides in the form of animals, but I remember once reading somewhere the idea of cartoon characters being a totem of sorts. Of course, it’s a silly idea, but I love playfulness in all areas of life.

I think, for myself, I’d pick Tigger for all his bouncing and cheerfulness.  Tigger teaches us to be playful, as well as sharing laughter with others.

I loved how Tigger overestimates his abilities, almost to the point of boasting. He’s an endless optimist, and loyal friend, often jumping in to help whether his friends want him to or not. Its gives a certain charm, and even lesson on giving yourself credit and loving yourself as you are.

I also love how he tries things with enthusiasm and gusto, and sometimes finds out the task is tougher than he thought, but its important to try things anyway.

I think we can find lessons everywhere, even in funny things like cartoons. What do you think you’re cartoon totem would be, and why? Post in comments.

Technorati Tags: totem,playful pagan,fun,tigger,wiccan,witch,spiritualism,shaman

A collection of spells

I’ve been collected spells from books and the Internet lately, finding tons of ideas as I read. Although not all spell really click with me, I do find some of the chants in them, or perhaps the elements used quite useful.

I decided to share some sites and give a quick review in case you’re looking for some ideas yourself;

Lapuliastudio.com’s page of spells. This site is interesting because the spells and information offered are in graphical format. You can print and add to your Book of Shadows as needed. I liked the Wisdom spell.

Witchway.net’s page of spells (and more). Extensive list with spells, recipes, ritual, and more. The page on candles offers lots of tips for candle magic.

Ladyoftheearth.com’s page of spells. Her site is a bit difficult to navigate, and some spells seem a bit hokey to me (like the one to change eye color), but I liked the 3×3 spell.

Do you have favorite spells? Post in comments

Technorati Tags: spells,magick,magic,ritual,wiccan,witch,pagan,goddess

Ambitious spider, curious opossum, and other tidbits

The other night my husband called me out to the patio to show this massively huge spider web this spider decided to build there. It seems an odd place, being webs are generally in forests or near trees, but this not-so-little guy decided to build the web smack in the middle of our patio.

This was over five feet tall, and I suspect the spider hoped to catch a cat or a small child. What I hadn’t figured was forgetting it was there two days later and walking straight into the sticky mess, and suddenly having ninja skills trying to get out. I wasn’t so worried about the spider itself, but the web was strong and gave me the willies. I can imagine the spider telling all its friends “You should’ve seen it! It was THIS BIG!”

Another regular visitor are opossums. I assume they enjoy the grape arbor although I’ve never found any damage up there. I also find these critters to be relatively docile. This one looks pissed because my dog, Pepper, decided to bark right in his face. Once the dog was in the house, he settled down and went on his merry way.

Found some neat links to share as well;

How to make Pagan Holy Water.

Make your own fresh herb tincture.

Slacker Paganism (very tongue in check but an amusing read)

And some neat Pinterest finds-

 

Source: webecoist.com via Sharon on Pinterest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: ambercaspian.blogspot.com via Aimée on Pinterest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: cosmiccafe.us via Alexandra on Pinterest

 

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What I’d like to see in the media for Wiccans…

 TV and movies don’t portray Wiccans as they are in real life. I don’t mind if they use a term like ‘witches’ since they have an entire spectrum of legend behind them, as well as culture, but when a book, TV program, or movie use the word ‘Wicca’ specifically, especially in modern scenes, then I tend to cringe.

Its not about the spells. This is the first thing they tend to bring up with Wiccans is the magick and spell work. Many Wiccans don’t often work with spells, and see many mundane things as having magical elements. This lends to the discussion of what is magick and how is it used, but media doesn’t want to get into that as much as stick with the shock value.

Its not about being naked. Plenty of Wiccans and pagans don’t go skyclad and never will, and that’s fine. I cringed on an episode of Bones where they had a group of witches dancing naked. I’ve only encountered one ritual where we went skyclad. The rest were clothed, and only two had robes.

Its not about the Wiccan bling. I remember years ago a young Wiccan asked why I wasn’t wearing a pentacle, and I explained how sometimes you prefer another piece of jewelry or none at all. I have nothing to prove to anyone, and its certainly not a rule you must show off Wiccan jewelry to tell the world your religion. Not just Wiccans wear the pentacle, anyway, since its also a magickal symbol.

Its not about the werewolves, ghosts, vampires, fairies, demons, etc. I don’t know of any of these mystical creatures, but the media would have you think we encounter magickal beings on a regular basis. Although some Wiccans might have profound experiences, they are few and far between for most.

What makes us different? Our beliefs mostly, which doesn’t constitute we even practice those beliefs. I know of so many Wiccans/pagans who admit to not doing enough practice in their life such as meditation or ritual, and that’s perfectly fine. We’re human, have human lives.

I think the beliefs help make the mundane magical. Even cleaning a house can turn into an act of purification and clearing out negativity in our lives, or waking from a dream/nightmare offers insight in our inner-workings. Cooking becomes a ritual in sharing love and health, while a bath becomes a rite of purification and healing.

Book of Shadows Assignment: Journal a day of mindfulness on what you consider mundane and now magical in your daily lives. What rituals or practices do you do now that you didn’t do before.

What are your thoughts, or peeves, on the topic? Post in comments, or post in your blog and add a link below. I’d love to hear what you think on the topic;

Technorati Tags: witch,wiccan,pagan,magick,spells,ritual,rite,book of shadows,vampires,werewolves,mundane

Inspiration for spellwork

You can find tons of spells from books or online, but I think the most profound spellcasting will come from your ideas. Lately, I’ve found some neat ideas inspired by things I found on Pinterest of all places; (click on image for the specific post)

From Geninne’s Art Blog she shares some sketches on a leaf. I thought this would be a neat idea to add runes or intentions, then set adrift on a stream or river to release into the world.

At this site entitled Fiddlesnips, the author shares positive affirmation cards. These can easily be adapted to be invocation, incantation, prayers, or even spell cards.

 

This craft idea from IntimiateWeddings sparked inspiration where I thought ‘why not add herbs or drops of essential oil. Maybe you can even add very tiny crystals as well”. It becomes a working spell sealed into a necklace.

This just shows you can find inspiration just about anywhere.

Technorati Tags: spells,crafts,wiccan,witch,coven,pagan,ritual,invocation,prayers,magic,magick

My Top Ten Posts of All Time

 I find myself a bit befuddled with this whole thing of marketing. One tip I happened to find had something to do with figuring out your current stats. This is when I found my top ten posts for this blog;

Pagan tattoos
13,611

Symbols of Halloween
2,285

Blue Moon for December
2,085

Midsummer: The Sabbat of Litha
2,012

A witch’s familiar
1,512

What kind of pagan are you?
1,400

Skyclad- nudity in circles
1,376

Calling Quarters, invoking the elements
1,373

Animal Spirit Guides
756

Binding Spell: quelling the dark
583

It’s an odd mix of topics. I wonder why Litha got so many hits, yet the other posts on holidays didn’t. I wonder why so many people found the tattoo post interesting- if they did at all. It might be due to the fact the tags included pagan and tattoo.

But now I’m wondering what my readers would like to see;

• Themed posts like ‘Wednesday witch’ or something like recipes and crafts.
• More personal stories of what I did in the coven, or the study groups or even current groups I organize.
• Books I’ve read and reviews.
• Or continue as I am.

Please post in comments what you like and don’t like, and add ideas if you’d like to see more of something in this blog. I appreciate the feedback.

Technorati Tags: pagan,wiccan,witch,ritual,blog,top ten posts,moon and shadow