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Subscribe to this list via RSS Blog posts tagged in ritual

Posted by on in SageWoman Blogs

Today, I gathered five candles,
some sea salt
in a small dark cauldron,
a lighter in a starry brass holder,
a rattle made of gourd,
a singing bowl,
a crow's feather,
and my determination.
I watched the candles flare
and called in inspiration,
for the faith to keep on going
in a world that too often
feels crumpled with despair.
I planted my feet,
reached out my hands,
and lifted my voice,
believing with everything
I have left
that no matter how many stories
have been told to us
about brokenness,
we're here anyway
still whole.

This past weekend I held a small summer solstice retreat with six friends. It was supposed to be larger, but people kept cancelling. It was supposed to be at the river, but risky heat indexes put us inside. It was supposed to be cooler inside, but the AC went out and we were relegated to the basement. And, it was perfect. It was just what I (and we) needed. Something that I remembered after the retreat was over was of the importance of paying attention to how you feel after something is over. Let those moments teach you.

I've been thinking and writing recently about reorienting our lives by joy and steering away from obligation. How we feel after something is over can tell us a lot about whether we are steering our lives by joy or obligation.

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  • Jamie
    Jamie says #
    Molly, So profound and relevant. Don't we all need to find that balance to live our best lives? Your verse is beautiful. I pray,
Strawberry Moon Ritual: Nature as Altar + Crystal Charge Recommendations
Tonight, the Mead or Strawberry Moon, the Lover’s Moon, will appear across the sky, announcing the departure of spring and the coming of the Summer Solstice. Now we can taste the sweetness of life and celebrate our strength and fruitfulness. It is a time of security and protection, and assess the results of all that you have planned and seeded in the past months.
 
To overcome any blocks of fear obstructing your creative output, you can dispel the negative energy by going for a walk in the nearest park. Find a round, flat rock, six to ten inches wide. This will become an altar supplied directly to you by Mother Nature, and it will have the purest energy. Begin by charging this stone on the full moon at your home altar. Light a white candle for purification, and then place your hand on the stone and chant three times: 
 
Goddess of Night, moon of tonight,
Fill this stone with your light,
Imbue it with all your magic and might,
Surround it with your protective sight.
So mote it be. 
 
Ideally, you’ll want to perform this spell three times on three consecutive full moons before you begin drawing upon its energy. Like your altar, your stone will be a reservoir you can turn to any time you feel stuck or uninspired. Make a pilgrimage to it when you require creative rejuvenation.
 
***

Here are some crystals best recommended for channeling this extra special energy for later spellcasting:

  • Second half Gemini birthstones are great conductors for this mid-June event. Grossulars, geodes, cat's eyes, and jade will be attuned the most to tonight's supermoon.
  • Chrysoberyl is often used for emotional release and cleansing emotional blocks in your life.
  • The snow quartz invokes major changes in your life, whether personal or professional. With the Strawberry Moon, great positive change will be on its way to you.
  • Rose quartz under tonight's full moon will strengthen your relationship more than ever.
  • Charging your amber or rhodochrosite under the Strawberry Moon will keep your flourishing energy grounded from departing or being canceled out by negative energy. 
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Tip 'n' Tricks: The Salt of the Earth

You can cleanse all of your jewelry by placing it into a bowl of sea salt for seven days to make sure nobody else’s energy is permeating the pieces. This is especially helpful if you own antique or estate jewelry.

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Posted by on in Culture Blogs

 Shadow, silhouette, back-view, window, animals, black, dark, trees, row,  look, rear, three-cats stock photo bff7a245-91e1-4dd4-b049-325bca5d7cf9

Few things are more dangerous than a line of bored pagans.

The heart of the ritual was to consist of an encounter with the Three Fates. There we were, queued up, awaiting our personal encounter with the Powers That Be.

Like all smart ritualists, the priestess had planned an activity to keep us—positively—focused on the task at hand and—negatively—from chattering, during our wait.

 

Spin, Clotho, spin;

Lachesis twist;

Atropos sever;

la la la la

la la la la la la.

 

The Fates have always been,

the fates will always be:

la la la la la la

la la la la la.

 

The Fates have always been,

the fates will always be:

la la la la la la

la la la la la.

 

The tune was spritely, syncopated. Dutifully, we chanted along.

And chanted.

And chanted.

And chanted.

The trouble with wait-in-line rituals is that they generally involve a modicum of waiting, a highly unsacred activity, and that the payoff has to be pretty damn good in compensation—which, to be quite frank, it rarely is.

Not to mention the fact that 1) pagans get bored easily and 2) pagans are creative.

(My friend and colleague Robin Grimm's rule-of-thumb for ritualists considering a one-on-one Wait-in-Line-for-Your-Personal-Experience ritual is: Do the Math. 50 participants x 2 minute encounter each = Way Too Long.)

Soon, to the same tune, a counter-chant began to emerge: a group creation, collective commentary on the ritual itself.

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Posted by on in Culture Blogs
Tips 'n' Tricks: A Muse-ical Wand

If your passion is making art or music, throwing pots, or growing an artful garden, you are an imaginative person, and you need to stay in touch with your muse. Call her to you anytime you are feeling blocked or uninspired. You can make a very special tool that will draw your muse to you with sweet-smelling smoke. 

You’ll want to keep a pot of the hardy and sun-loving herb sage on your windowsill so it is handy at all times. Here is a simple way to use this herb to create a wand for instant inspiration: Combine a long stalk of fennel with a twisted bundle of sage and long sticks of your favorite incense, such as cinnamon or nag champ (my personal favorite). Braid the materials tightly together into a wand using purple (for power) and gold (for money) string or thread. Before any artistic endeavor or meditation, light one end of the wand with a candle and wave it around to clear your environment, allowing the smoke to clear your mind in the process.

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Posted by on in Culture Blogs
Cleopatra’s Secret

To strengthen the closeness between you and your lover, plan a special evening on the next full moon. It is said this Eastern wisdom mixture may well have been used by Cleopatra when she and Mark Antony made mad love on the banks of the Nile. Gather these on the full moon:

  • 1 part amber
  • 1 part sandalwood
  • 1 part frankincense
  • Gardenia oil

Mix the amber, sandalwood, and frankincense, and then add four generous drops of the gardenia oil and grind the mixture together.

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Lighting the Spark and Fanning the Flames
Have you exchanged meaningful eye contact with an appealing stranger at a coffee shop? Seen an artistic-looking individual at a gallery opening? Felt that tug in your tummy, the lingering heat of his or her gaze? See the following spells for what you can do about it. Simple and powerful love magic ensures you will “merry meet again!”
 
Supernatural Soul Mates Spell
 
This conjuration utilizes the secret language of flowers to bring your ideal love into your life. With visualization and daily spell work, you can create the love of a lifetime, custom fit to your specifications. Gather up:
  • 2 candles shaped like human figurines, or two pink candles
  • Rosemary essential oil
  • Rose essential oil
  • 2 fresh roses in your favorite color

Any witchy five and dime will have candles shaped like human figures; they are usually red in color. Get one each shaped like a man and a woman (or whatever configuration suits your need) and place them on your altar. If you can’t find these waxen figures, use two pink candles. Also take the two fresh roses and place them in a vase on your altar.

Rub rosemary essential oil on each candle and do the same with rose oil. Rosemary is for remembrance, and rose is for sweetness and affection. Now light the candles and whisper:

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