Yule - 21st / 22nd December (Ritual)

Preparation:
My cauldron is placed in the middle of the altar and it's filled with acorns, pinecones and some pine needles, and since my cauldron is big enought I like to add in a with candle (in a candle holder, for security reasons). Since, it's almost impossible to get some Mistletoe and Holy around here, I'll have to use this ones. The stones I'll be using are: Sunstone, Amber, Carnelian and Garnet.
My altar will be dressed in red and green, so the Goddess candle will be green and the God candle, red. I'll probly use a with cloth for the altar itself.

Ritual:
Casting the Circle
Invocation of the God/dess;
Callin' of the Elements;
Cakes and Wine, consacrated;

Personally, I like to work within the circle, either if it's a clay statue of the God, or just a poem.
For this ocasion I find "growing" spells and wishes to be the best, we have the turning of the year and the sun is comming back, the nights are becoming shorter, so this is a good time to work magick if you're lookin' for a change, strenght, a job or a new life.
I like to lit my altar candles in silence and work at the candle light. I leave the candle on the cauldron to burn after midnight, inviting the God to join me and to remind myself that the sun is returning.

Release the circle.
Offerings are now placed at the offering bowl, both to the elements and the Gods.

Yule - 21st / 22nd December

Well, since I'll decided to do some posts on sabbats, lets start with the upcoming one: Yule.

Yule is the pagan "christmas", even if it's older than the it's christian friend. It marks the death and rebirth of the Sun-God, - it also marks the vanquishing of the holly king, God of the waning Year, by the Oak king, God of the Waxing year. - The Goddess, is at her Death-In-Life aspect, it is time for her to give birth to the Child of Promise, the Son-lover, that will bring warmth to her Kingdom.




I like to cook for others so this is a good excuse for me to do it.
Since, the Goddess ir pregnant of the God and his birth will bring back the sun and longer days, I like to cook some spicy food and drink a good cup of warm wine with spices.
The sun reminds me of the heat and the energy, so what better than spices to make me feel full of evergy?



Well, let's start with the wine with spices, I like to buy a good red wine for this but therefore, you'll be altering it, so it's up to you if you feel like speanding some money on that bottle of wine.

You'll need:
1 cloth (don't expect to be using it after this tho)
1 Bottle of wine;
1 cup of water;
1 cup of your favorite sugar (or Honey)

(The spices are at your taste there is no specific mesure)
1 Stick of cinnamon
1 Table Spoon of Star Anisse
1 pinch of Nutmeg
1 pinch of Black Pepper

(Optional:)
1 - choped red apple
1 - sliced Orange (or lemon)

First, I like to cook the spices alittle bit in a little pan, not to much, just until they start popin'.
I'm used in doin' this in a clay pot but a steel one should be fine, so let the wine and the water warmth for a little before adding the spices and when you add them, let them cook with the wine for about 10minutes, before adding the sugar (or honey). Mix this all up, until the sugar (or honey) is completly dissolved.
At this time, I like to add the fresh fruits but if you're not adding them, just skip this part.
Let it cool for a few minutes before serving.

This is served warm and be careful and remember that this is still a pretty strong alchoolic brew, because of the mixture of wine and sugar (this doesn't happen with honey, or at least, is not that strong) so don't drink until you drop, be responsable.



Chicken soup for Yule:
1 chicken breast
1 table spoon of garlic pure (or 3 cloves of mached garlic)
1 choped onion
1 shoped tomatoe
1 sliced carrot
2 chicken soup cubes
1 cup of rinsed rice
2 table spoons of olive oil
Fresh Coriander at taste

In a pot, warm your olive oil and add in the garlic pure (or cloves) and let them cook until they are golden brown, once it's ready, add the chicken and it fry for for a little.
It's time to add the onion, the tomatoe, the fresh Coriander and the chicken soup cubes and let it simmer until the mixture become a little thicker. Now add the carrot and the rice, covering all the above ingredients with boiling water, let it cook until all the ingridients are soft and juicy. Serve it still warm.

The Sabbats

Sabbats are seasonal festivals which mark key points in the natural year, because paganism is a Nature-Oriented Religion and Craft, witches celebrate and get in tune with the natural aspects of the seasons, either their agricultural, pastoral, botanical, solar, lunar, wildlife, planetary, psychic, the tides and cycles. Bealtaine, Lughnasadh, Samhain and Imbolg are the "greater Sabbats", sometimes called "Fire Festivals", and the Equinoxes and Solstices are the "Lesser Sabbats", not because they are less important in any way, but because they mark the turning of the seasons.


Dates are not the same for South hemisphere and North hemisphere, so I'll add the dates for both hemispheres:

Samhain(Halloween, All Hallows Eve)
SH: 1st May
NH- 31st October

Yule (Winter Solstice)
SH:21st/22nd June
NH:21st/22nd December

Imbolg (Candlemas, Imbolc)
SH: 1st August
NH: 2nd February

Ostara (Spring Equinox)
SH: 20th September
NH: 20st/21st March

Beltane (Bealtaine, May Eve)
SH: 31st October
NH: 1st May

Litha (Midsummer, Summer Solstice)
SH: 21st December
NH: 20st/21st July

Lughnasadh (Lammas)
SH: 2nd February
NH: 1st August

Mabon (Autumn Equinox)
SH: 20th March
NH: 20st/21st September




*
SH - South Hemisphere
NH - North Hemisphere
*

Note that dates for Equinoxes or Solstices may vary, while Greater Sabbats tend to involve both the "eve" and the following "day".

Yule - Simple recipes

Okay, everyone as promised:

My yule cake:

(You can also add come fruits or nuts, if you like it.)
1 Cup of honey
1 Cup of butter
1 Cup of sugar
5 eggs
2 Cups of your favorite flour
3 table spoons of iogurt
1 pintch of Basil
1 tea spoon of baking powder
2 shoped (horizontaly) apples

Preheat oven to 350 deg, before stating the cake, because that will only take a few minutes. You'll need two bowls for this.

In one of the bowls, mix the dry ingredients (flour, the baking powder, the basil and the sugar). The wet ingridients (honey, butter, iogurt and eggs) are to be beaten' up really smooth before adding to the dry ingridients bowl.
Mix them until the mixture start to form some bubbles (that means you'll goin' to have a pretty fluffly cake).

Grease the cake pan, you'll be working with, with butter, sprinkling it with sugar and some cinnamon powder, after that cover the botton of the pan with the shoped apples. Pour the cake mixture on top of the apples and let it cook for about 20-30minutes, if possible, check the cake every 10min, using a tooth pick (once it goes out clean, your cake is done!)



Yule cheap and yummy oil:
5 Table spoons of sweet almond oil
3 Anisse stars
5 Cloves
1 Cinnamon stick
1 sunstone (optional)

Personally, I like to add some Pepper, because it always makes me feel energetic like the sun.

Warm the oil in a pan but not to much, you don't wan't it to boil or burn, adding the Anisse stars, Cloves and Cinnamon Stick. Once the ingridients are all infused, set it aside and let it cool.

I like to add the Sunstone, you can add any stone you want, at this point and let it infuse the oil. I tend to keep this in a jar and let it be outside during the yule's day mourning and use it during the ritual at night.



Love,
M.

Swine Flu or just the old-fashion Flu?

Hello everyone, I know I haven't been around much but anyway, here's the reason:

SWINE FLU!



Yep, I got it, now don't ask me how I did it but no one else in my house did.
To be honest, it's a regular flu, no more, no less.

I found it out 3 days after I got sick and, seriously, I hadn't been with a flu for about 5 years now.
My health sucks but when it comes to this, it rocks.
I refused to take this new flu shot because it haven't been fully tested yet and I don't trust medicine today, I don't. Period.
You can call me stupid, irresponsable but no way I'm goin' to be a ginea pig on that one.



So... I'm back and I'll been around here updatin' this blog daily (or almost).


Love,
M.

Dreams 15-8-09

Deja vu.

"He had beard, and shoulder lenght hair, It was dark brown.
He had beautiful eyes, even tho, I don't remember their color.
His skin was soft and white, everytime he touched me I felt it was made of velvet.
We were running from something and hiding in my grandmother's house and for the first time I wasn't affraid of that place, I felt protected by him, he was my everything,
I've seen him, I dreamed with my man today.
I don't know who he is, I've never seen him before.
We were in a rush, trying to get out and he said something and I felt the need to kiss him and hold him against me, he's kiss was life, I felt so alive. He's body was perfect, even the not so thick beard didn't bothered me."

I woke up, my nefew got home with my parents and it's always a damn stress for him not to be affraid of our dog or whatever moves faster than him. I was still in bed for another dream to come.

"I was on the street with a person that I know for about 13 years now and there was this old cranky man, with a box with kitties and stuff to sell. He was complaining about the kitties and held a blue striped kittie on his hand. I was worried what could happen and raced to take the kittie from him, he yelled that I needed to play and we started a discussion about the cat being stray or not, I gave him name stupid reason for the cat to be stray and people started to gather around us, older people. Then he dissapeared, my friend and I, took a cat, she took a regular cat and I took the blue one, (that turned white and brown and then black as night). I saw the man and realised, that I was, in fact, healing him in some way.

"No matter how bad and ville you think you are, I will always love you. No matter what you do, I'll always be there. Why don't you try to change? Why don't you try to work with the kitties? Give them to nice people!"

We were waited for our bus home, along with other people and then she went away and left me alone with the kittie on my pocket.
My Bus came and I was sitting in the back, trying to smoke when some kids started to pick on me because of my piercing."





☽◯☾ Lady Crove

What I use for my candles

Ointing mixture for candles:

1 teaspoon of honey - For love.
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon powder - For prosperity.
1/2 milled sage - For protection.
2 drops of yasmin oil - For balance.

Just like the scrub, mix all the ingredients and let it sat for about 2hours.
Always, shake before using.

You can make your own mixtures, just search for the right ingredients and correspondencies.


☽◯☾ Lady Crove

Herbal Body scrub

This is my body scrub, but there are certain advices:
Use it 2 times per week max in the body, avoid sensitive areas.
NEVER use it on your face.
Always seal the bottle or jar.
Don't eat it.

You'll need:
- Mortar and Plestle.
- 2 teaspoon of body oil
- 3 teaspoon of salt
- 2 teaspoon of chamomille
- 2 teaspoon of rosemary
- 2 teaspoon of dried rose petals
- 1 teaspoon of honey

Mill the herbs and add them to the salt, honey and oil mixture. Let it sat for 3 hours and you better text if this is right for your skin. You can add any essencial oils, it's personnal taste there.


☽◯☾ Lady Crove

Tea for when you have trouble sleeping

My little tea container took:
4 tablespoons of Lavender - To a quiet sleep and proper relaxation
6 teaspoon of Valerian - "sedative, anti-convulsant, migraine treatment and pain reliever"
3 teaspoon of Chamomille - Just, like lavender, helps to relax.

Don't use this tea while pregnant or breastfeeding.

☽◯☾ Lady Crove

Self-medication with herbs

In general, women are the ones more into learning and experiencing about the healing power of plants and it's properties. We trust in our body perceptions e in previous experiences and results. We tend to seek end for our suffering not in pills but with homemade remedies and leave the Mr. doctor to another time.
The must frequently used remedies, for coughing and sore throat, are hot milk with honey, mint and sage. For a fever, Small-leaved Lime and elderberry, are used.
If the self-medication worked and the symptoms dissapeared, good but in case it's all the same, going to the doctor is highly recommended. (But we're all aware of that, aren't we?)
Digestive problems, nervous system and kidneys usualy responde well to herb treatment. Besides, most plants have properties that can help against cancer and heart problems.
Tho, plants are not always the best way. In the majority of cases, even if they aren't the best way, they can always give a little help in terapy.

☽◯☾ Lady Crove

To be nakie.

Ermmmmmmmm... I usualy work skyclad, I find it very comfortable, but that's me but it wasn't always like this, I didn't like my body, I actually hated it, in fact I felt that I was fat and ugly, I was pretty silly.

Skyclad, or ritual nudity, is a practice in Gardnerian and Alexandrian traditions, can still be found in other Wiccan paths. I find it normal and acceptable, tho other people may find it strange and intimidating, they probly think it's because we are orgy fans, which is not the case...

I find it easier to raise power within the circle while skyclad and it's like I was undress of myself and the thinks that people identify and see me with.
Outside the circle and dressed, I'm just Mafalda, of course I do my magick and stuff but it's my work.
Inside the circle and undressed, I'm much more than that, I am the witch, the mind and flesh of a witch, my magickal work is more intense.

Besides, I'm someone pure and real, unlike I may be in the daily life.
There I have no secrets, no bounds, no limits. I am myself at my full.



☽◯☾ Lady Crove

The incondicional love.

To like someone is pretty easy, to love is damn hard.
I've always felt that to love you need to see that other half as your everything. S/he has to be your lover but s/he has also to be your hater. Your bestfriend, worst enemy. Your mother, father, your brother and sister. Sometimes I think I'm the only one that think this way.

I can say that I love someone this way, incondicionaly, actually. Like, right now.

I'm in love with the God and the Goddess, they are my everything. I could make love with them, at least they know me and know who I truly am, I have to prove nothing to them, they love me no matter how shitty I am.

I'm never alone, I know they're with me, in the good and the bad times.
I know that they have much to teach me, much to show and help me grow up to be a good person.

Just been thinking and had to share...
Feeling blue right now...


☽◯☾ Lady Crove

Self-dedication Ritual

This is the self-dedication ritual I used and that I've started with. It requires a few steps but I belive is suitable for everyone and feel free to adapt it to your needs.

Pick a night that you know that will be a full moon.

Preparation before the ritual:

First of all, you'll need a bowl:
- 1/4 tablespoon of honey.
- 4 tablespoon of salt
- 1/2 tablespoon of Lavander.
- 1/2 tablespoon of sage.
- 3 or 7 (Magick numbers) drops of favorite essencial oil, lavander would be perfect.

- Your ritual oil, if you have it, if not you can always try to use a massage oil with natural essence of lavander.

☽◯☾

With your finger, mix all the ingridients above and fill the mixture with your body energy, or if you prefer, use yourself as a channel to moon energy. While you mix, start chanting the elements - Earth, Air, Fire, Water. Repeat a few times and release. Let the mixture rest for an hour, then:

Fill your bathtub with water and take your cleansing bath, if you have a shower, it's fine, because the important part of the bath is scrubing yourself with the mixture, purifying your body and mind.
Meditate a while if you wish but above all relax completly. You can even light a white and a purple candle to help you focus.

☽◯☾

Starting the ritual:

Now, dress yourself for the cerimony, it must be something simple, comfortable or just go skyclad (better not do this if your doin' it outside your house.) For example, I did it inside the house at first, goin' skyclad and then, I dressed my robe, when I went outside.

Cleanse the ritual area with salt and water.
If your holding your ritual inside your house, you should sprinkle all the corners of the room.
If your doing it outside, cleanse the area you'll cast the circle.

Cast the circle, calling the elements to aid you and invoke the God and the Goddess, to join you and be your teachers and to witness your dedication to them.

(I won't be telling you what words you should of must say, because I belive everyone has different ways to call the corners and invoke both God and Goddess. You pick what suites you better.)

☽◯☾

Tools you should have on your altar:
- Blidfold.
- Chalice.
- Athame.
- Sea salt.
- Incence holder with favorite incense.
- Candle or (firecamp, if outside).
- Cakes.
- Wine/juice/water
- Offering bowl
- Some music, if you wish to

Once you feel you're ready, relaxed and at peace with yourself and the enviroment around you, it is time for your to use the oil. Because you're doing it by yourself, you'll have to give yourself the fivefold kiss try oil.


Next, with the tip of your finger with a little bit of oil, oint the following points (by order) and say:

 - Feet: "Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways."
 - Knees: "Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar."
 - Womb: "Blessed be thy womb, without which we would not be."
 - Breasts: "Blessed be thy breasts, formed in beauty."
 - Lips: "Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names."

You're now, ready to begin.

First, consacrate your wine/juice or water and since you wish to bring prosperity and dedicate yourself to a higher power, I sujest you to do it tru the Great Rite. The Great Rite symbolizes creation in the union of the Goddess with the God, and is also known as a fertility rite.
Drink from your chalice and then consacrate your cakes, using the athame. Offer wine and cakes, placing them in the bowl.
Introduce yourself to the God and the Goddess, you may want to introduce youself by your name in the craft, the name you picked. Note that you may wish, like I did, to use your God/dess names.

Here's an example:

"I am _____, your child, from now on and always.

I invoke your presence to witness my will to learn the old ways.
I am now one with you.
I am the lips that will speak your thruth.
Cernunnos, my father. Aradia, my mother.
By the sun and the rain,
I shall be reborn again."

Now, use the bindfold in yourself and lay on the ground, before the altar. (You may want to cover yourself with a blanket.)

This is the 1st task:
The goddess will call you by your magickal name. You're about to be borned, lay in fetal position. You're in the Goddess womb, the earth. Feel the energy of the earth around you, it is warm and you're protected.

Start to move, slowly. You're being born, spiritually.

"Cernunnos, my father. Aradia, my mother.
Embrace me now that I am your daughter.
Shall my feet and your walk now together."

Once you find youlself siting in front of the altar, take the blindfold.
You're now learning and dedicating yourself tru the elements.


Touch the salt, element of earth and say:

"By the Earth, I will learn to heal and grow prosper."

Burn the incence, element of Air:
"By the Air, I will learn to be creative and be filled with knowlegde."

Fill your chalice with water and drink it, it's the element of Water:
"By the water, I will learn by my intuition, divination will be my tool."

Light the candle, element of fire:
"By the fire, I will learn to love and be loved."

Place your hands upon your heart, the spirit:
"By your creed I must, in perfect love and perfect thrust, the Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfull "An it harm none, do what you will. So mote it be!"


Rise and with your arms held high, thank the God and the Goddess for acepting you and help you on your journey thu life. You may want to (re-)start your Book of Shadow by then.
Release the circle.

☽◯☾

Hope this helped you in some way.

☽◯☾ Lady Crove

Spell for get rid of unwelcome feelings / Protection

Another spell that I made was to get rid of this depression, bad feelings towards others and toward myself and negativity in my life.

This took me a little more time and energy.

I used:
- Mortar and pestle
- 1 part of camille (for tranquility)
- 1 part of rosemary (for love)
- 1 part of st. John's Wort (for healing)
- 1 part of Sage (for pretection)
- Chalice
- Blessed water
- Cauldron
- 1 candle

I grind all the hearbs together while chanting, asking for help and healing, to my mind and body and to take this burden from my chest, cleansing myself. After that, I got all the herbs, and a dried red rose that I had peviously shoped, into the cauldron and lit the candle bellow it, like a real fire. Inside my chalice, I had my blessed (or charged) water, so I filled the cauldron with it and let it boil sligtly.
I've imagined smoke coming out of the cauldron, at first, it was black as night but while I started to get really focused, the smoke started turning white. I snuffed the candle and casted the cauldron aside. I asked to forget and forgive, to remember and be forgiven.

I took the cauldron outsid and my offerings. (A tiny pink rosebud, milk, cooked apple and some ointing "oil" I made myself)
I've dug a hole in the dirt, and placed the countent of the cauldren inside it, and I did the same to the offerings. The only thing I left for everyone to see was the rosebud.



☽◯☾ Lady Crove

Self-healing / Recovering Daily-life Spell

It's more of a self-improvement spell but I like wierd looking like and complicated names.
I recommend this for people that feel a little lost or drained of objectives.



I used:
- 3 Dried rosebuds;
- 1 box;
- 1 paper with my goals written down;
- 1 tea spoon of rosemary;


I had some dried roses that my mom gave me tru the last months - (I don't throw them away, I store them, because they have a little bit of my mother's love) - while my depression and bad things grown stronger. I've used them all.

I've tried a self-improvement spell some months ago and It didn't work because I was expecting it to help me, but forgot to help myself so I used the old paper that I had my goals written on and started to cast my newer spell.

It's a very simple one so I started to rip the roses to my soapstone box, petal by petal, while reading my goals, I keeped this until I ran out of petals. I've focused on white light caming out of the box and lifting my fears and bad feelings, right up, meanwhile I used my favorite herb, Rosemary, to sprinkle the petals and bless them and make those goals a total sucess.

I sealed the spell and the paper with my goals inside the box, drawn a pentacle on the top of the box and it's in my altar, resting.



☽◯☾ Lady Crove

Esbat - 5th August, 2009

ey everyone, today, as you could see, a beautiful Full Moon was showing in the sky so, what's the best time to do spells, very powerful ones? Yes. And why shouldn't I just take a moment and celebrate an Esbat, while I could manage to do some spells.

Since the house is quiet today it was a good idea but my parents were at home so I couldn't go skyclad, anyway...

I casted the circle and I used my finished and handmade wand.
I invoked the Lord and the Lady to join me, while I've lit the candles, aswell as the elementals, while I burned my incence.

Some spells would be worked tonight and I felt happy.

I started with a "self-healing/recovering daily life spell." and then a spell for "gettin' rid of negativity in my life".
Before I've finished my last spell, something really strange happened to me, I felt drained, high and soooooooooooo comfortable, I feel OK! I think I even smiled or so. I belive that this time my spell is about to work and I'll be fine once and for all.
I've thank the God and the Goddess for being with me, aswell as the elementals, like I said before and released the circle.


Well, This was my 5th August, Esbat, hope you enjoyed the beautifull full moon outside tonight and blessed be!



☽◯☾ Lady Crove

The Rede

Bide the Wiccan Rede ye must,
In Perfect Love and Perfect Trust;
Live ye must and let to live,
Fairly take and fairly give;
Form the Circle thrice about,
To keep unwelcome spirits out;
Bind fast the spell every time,
Let the words be spoke in rhyme.

Soft of eye and light of touch,
Speak ye little, listen much;
Deosil go by waxing moon,
Sing and dance the Witches' Rune;
Widdershins go by waning moon,
Chant ye then a baleful tune;
When the Lady's moon is new,
Kiss hand to her times two;
When the moon rides at peak,
Herat's desire then ye seek.

Heed the North wind's mighty gale,
Lock the door and trim the sail;
When the wind comes from the South,
Love will kiss them on the mouth;
When the wend blows from the West,
Departed souls have no rest;
When the wind blows from the East,
Expect the new and set the feast.

Nine woods in the cauldron go,
Burn them quick, burn them slow;
Elder be the Lady's tree,
Burn it not or curs'd ye'll be;
When the wind begins to turn,
Soon Beltane fires will burn;
When the wheel has turned to Yule,
Light the log, the Horned One rules.

Heed the flower, bush or tree,
By the Lady blessed be,
When the rippling waters flor,
Cast a stone - the truth you'll know;
When ye have & hold a need,
Hearken not to others' greed;
With a fool no seasons spend,
Or be counted as his friend.

Merry meet and merry part,
Bright the cheeks, warm the heart;
Mind the threefold law ye should,
Three times bad and three times good;
Whene'er misfortune is enow,
Wear the star upon your brow;
True in troth ever ye be.
Left they love prove false to thee.

'Tis by the sun that life be won,
And by the moon that change be done;
If ye would clear the path to will,
Make certain the mind be still;
What good be tools without Inner Light?
What good be magic without wisdom-sight?
Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfull -

An it harm none, do what ye will.

☽◯☾ Lady Crove

Charge of the Goddess

"Listen to the words of the Great Mother; she who of old was also called among men Artemis, Astarte, Athene, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Cybele, Arianrhod, Isus, Dana, Bride and by many other names. At her altars the youth of Lacedaemon in Sparta made due sacrifice."

"Whenever ye have need of anything, once in the month, and better it be wehn the moon is full, then shall ye assemble in some secret place and adore the spirit of me, who am Queen of all the witcheries. There shall ye assemble, ye who are fain to learn all sorcery, yet have not won its deepest secrets; to these will I teach things that are yet unknown. And ye shall be free from slavery; and as a sign that ye be really free, ye shall be naked in your rites; and ye shall dance, sing, feast, make music and love, all in my praise. For mine is the ecstasy of the spirit, and mind also is joy on earth; for my law is love unto all beings. Keep pure you highest ideal; strive ever twoards it; let naught stop you or turn you aside.
"For mine is the secret door which opens upon the Land of Youth, and mine is the cup of the wine of life, and the Cauldron of Cerridwen, which is the Holy Grail of immortality. I am the Gracious Goddess, who gives the gift of joy unto the heart of man. Upon earth, I give the knowledge of the spirit eternal; and beyond death, I give peace and freedom and reunion with those who have gone before. Nor do I rdemand aught in sacrifice; for behold, I am the Mother of all living, and my love is poured out upon the earth."

"Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess; she in the dust of whose feet are the hosts of heaven, and whose body encircles the Universe."

"I who am the beauty of the green earth, and the white Moon among the stars, and the mystery of the waters, and the desire of the heart of man, call unto thy soul. Arise, and come unto me. For I am the soul of nature, who gives life to the universe. From me all things proceed, and unto me all things must return; and before my face, beloved of Gods and of men, let thine innermost divine self be enfolded within the rapture of the infinite.
"Let my worship be within the heart that rejoiceth; for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. And therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honour and humility, mirth and reverence within you.
"And thou who thinkest to seek for me, know thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not unless thou knowest the mystery; that if that which thou seekest thee findest not within thee, thou wilt never find it without thee. For behold, I have been with thee from the beginning; and I am that which is attained at the end of desire."

This is NOT my copyright, I got this written in my book of shadows after a research about the God and his place in the craft.

☽◯☾ Lady Crove

Freya, my Lady

Freya is the Goddess of love, sex, fertility, magick, pleasure, death and glory. She's simultaneously a spirit of fertility and death, beauty and war. Freya often manifests as a woman, although she owns a falcon feather cloak that enables her to fly like a falcon and shade-shift as she pleases.

She is the daughter of Njord and Herta, wich meand she's daughter of Earth and Sea. Freya is identified as a Witch. When she first arives in Asgard, the Aesir's Realm, she teaches them how to craft charms and potions. It is said that Freya introduced Woden to runes and Shamanism. Also it's said that Völgas and Valkyries were her priestesses.

She travels in a chariot, pulled by two large grey lynxes looking cats, named Bee-gold, wich means "honey" and Tree-gold, "amber". They are Freya's twin qualities of fecundity and ferocity. She rides a boar into battle, as does her brother Freyr.

Her sacred day is Fryday, her sacred day 13, the number of months in the lunar calendar, therefore, Friday, 13th, it's a good day to direct a ritual for her.

Her rites and traditions did encourage magickal pratice, mediumship, shamanism, and femane autority, with Freya as role model. She was beloved and worshipped in Europe, like in Scandinavia, Iceland, Greenland, Germany, Holland and Anglo-saxon Britain, as far as I know.



And now the why is she my maiden, because everything has a reason:
Most other Norse Goddesses are identified as "wives", Freya is an independent single woman who answers to no one. (Tho, she was married but her husband mysteriously disappeared.)

☽◯☾ Lady Crove

The Triple Moon Goddess

I like to call her the Triple Moon Goddess, because each aspect of the Goddess repesents the moon fases.
She is the Goddess.
She's the women's body.
She is the maiden, the mother and the crone.
She is the young woman, the birth-giving matron and an old woman.
But she is also, the new moon, the full moon; and waning moon.

So to me, she is the moon Goddess.
Each aspect, remembers me of something about women and their body/psyque.


As a Maiden, she is the innocence in her ways but she is too a suductress and aware of her sexuality, she is the field ready to be seeded. She's full of joy and brings the promise of new beginnings, she's young and excited with life and all the new world, she is carefree. That is why her traditional color is white.

The Mother is, obviously, the fertility embodied, a field full of crops in his fruitful time. She'll fulfillment and stability aswell as power. She is pregnant and full-breasted. She is gentle and kind, caring and loving but she is also the predator who hunts to feed her offspring and will fight to the death to protect them. Because blood is life and she is the reproductive aspect of the triple Goddess, her color is red.

And there is the Crone, She's wisdom itself, she is the dorment field after the crops. She's full of experiences, accumulated wisdom and death. She is the one that take you to Summerland and the very same that brings you back to Rebirth. Her color is black and there is no negativity in that, black is the color of mystery, from where they came, emptyness but where, in the end, lays everything.

Invocation to the Horned God

"By the flame that burneth bright,
O Horned One !
We call thy name into the night,
O Ancient One !
Thee we invoke by the Moon-led sea,
By the standing stone and the twisted tree.
Thee we invoke, where gather Thine own.
By the nameless shore, forgotten and lone.
Come where the round of the dance is trod,
Horn and Hoof of the Goat Foot God !
By moonlit meadow, on dusky hill,
Where the haunted wood is hushed and still,
Come to the charm of the chanted prayer,
As the Moon bewitches the midnight air.
Evoke thy powers that potent bide
In shining stream and the secret tide,
In fiery flame by starlight pale,
In shadowy host that rides the gale.
And by the ferndrakes, faerie haunted,
Of forests wild and woods enchanted.
Come, O Come !
To the heartbeat's drum !
Come to us who gather below,
When the broad white Moon is climbing slow.
Through the stars to the heavens' height,
We hear thy hoofs on the wind of night !
As black tree branches shake and sigh,
By joy and terror we know thee nigh.
We speak the spell thy power unlocks,
At Solstice Sabbath and Equinox !"

This is not the same thing as the Charge of the God.

It's an Invocation so, once again, you may wish to use it at a opening ritual for Sabbats or Esbats or if you wish to work with the God.

This is NOT my copyright, I got this written in my book of shadows after a research about the God and his place in the craft.

☽◯☾ Lady Crove

Invocation to Cernunnos

(for solitary practitioners)

Turn to salute altar and say:

"Great God Cernunnos, return to earth again!
Come at my call and show thyself to men.
Shepherd of Goats, upon the wild hill's way,
Lead thy lost flock from darkness into day.
Forgotten are the ways of sleep and night -
Men seek for them whose eyes have lost the light.
Open the door, the door which hath no key,
The door of dreams, whereby men come to thee.
O Mighty Stag, O answer to me!"

Really easy and quick, you may wish to use it at a opening ritual for Sabbats or Esbats or if you wish to work with the God (if it's Cernunnos, of course). It can be used for offerings too, tho I think it's better to do these in the forest, maybe some tea and milk or caks or wine. That doesn't mean you can't do it in your garden or somewhere near your house, that's up to you.

☽◯☾ Lady Crove

Charge of the God

"Listen to the words of the of the Great Father, who of old was called Osiris, Adonis, Zeus, Thor, Pan, Cernunnos, Herne, Lugh and by many other names."

"My Law is Harmony with all things.
Mine is the secret that opens the gates of life and mine is the dish of salt of the earth that is the body of Cernunnos that is the eternal circle of rebirth. I give the knowledge of life everlasting, and beyond death I give the promise of regeneration and renewal.
I am the sacrifice, the father of all things, and my protection blankets the earth."

"Hear the words of the dancing God, the music of whose laughter stirs the winds, whose voice calls the seasons:"

"I who am the Lord of the Hunt and the Power of the Light, sun among the clouds and the secret of the flame
I call upon your bodies to arise and come unto me
For I am the flesh of the earth and all its beings.
Through me all things must die and with me are reborn.
Let my worship be in the body that sings, for behold all acts of willing sacrifice are my rituals.
Let there be desire and fear, anger and weakness, joy and peace, awe and longing within you.
For these too are part of the mysteries found within yourself, within me, all beginnings have endings, and all endings have beginnings."

This is NOT my copyright, I got this written in my book of shadows after a research about the God and his place in the craft.

☽◯☾ Lady Crove

Cernunnos, the Horned God

If I had to give The Horned God a name, it would be Cernunnos, I always liked the way it's pernounced and what it means, literally the "Horned One". He's my protector, father and mentor. He's the one I pray too whenever I need protection and guidance.
The Horned God reflects the seasons of the year in an annual cycle of life, death and rebirth. Cernunnos in his ancient Celto-European form is the guardian of the forests, the defender of the animal tuatha, the source of the deep forest wisdom, and the masculine half of the divine. Cernunnos is also the God the Dead, Healing and wealth. He rules Nature, animals and abundance, with the Goddess help and inconditional love.
He's a vital yet non-violent nor agressive masculine divinity, in fact, personally, I find him protective and peaceful.

Yet we know him by many titles: "The God of Hunt", "The Lord of the Forest", "The God of Wildlife", well, all titles seem to fit him very well. Cernnunos is almost if not always, portrayed with animals, either is a stag, wolves, bears, snakes, foxes and so on. He is also associated with a unique beast that seems to belong primarily to him: a serpent with the horns (and NO, it's not the snake that tricked Eve and Adam.) He sits cross-legged surrounded by forest wildlife, holding the snake in one hand and a torc ( the Celtic sign of Nobility and power) in the other. He has a large sack of treasure, to be either coins or grain.





☽◯☾ Lady Crove

"St. John's wort "

Things I found out about it and why I picked this:

Overview:
St. John's wort - Hypericum perforatum - has a history of medicinal use dating back to ancient Greeks, where they believed that the fragrance of St. John's Wort would cause the evil spirits to fly away. The plant was given magical powers. In ancient Greece, the herb was used to treat many ailments, including sciatica and poisonous reptile bites. In Europe it was used for the topical treatment of wounds and burns. It is also a folk remedy for kidney and lung ailments as well as depression.


Fancy and complicated name: Hypericum Perforatum

Other Names: Johnswort, Amber, Touch-and-heal, Goat weed, Hardhay, Klamath Weed, Rosin Rose, Hypericum, Tipton weed.

Parts that are used: Flowers and leaves.


Efects:
Hypericum extract contains numerous active compounds that together create the antidepressant and antianxiety effects. Hypericum is the first known substance to enhance three key neurotransmitters- serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. Preliminary research suggests that St. John's Wort also lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol and enhances the activity of gamma-aminobutyric acid, a naturally occurring tranquilizer in the brain. It is a very mild, clinically insignificant monoamine oxidase inhibitor.


Remedies For:
Anxiety
Depression
Inflammation of the skin
Blunt Injuries
Wounds and Burns
Recurrent Ear infection
Vitiligo
Being tested for AIDS

Antispasmodic, astringent, expectorant, nervine, vulnerary, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial.


Dosage:
At meal, drink a cup of St. John's Wort's tea.
For me, it's for depression, so I should take 300mg, three times per day.
St. John's Wort should be taken close to meals. Assess the effectiveness of the herb after 4 to 6 weeks of starting the herbal treatment.

Infusion: pour a cup of boiling water onto l-2 teaspoonfuls of the dried herb and leave to infuse for l0-l5 minutes. This should be drunk three times a day.

Tincture: take l-4ml of the tincture three times a day.



Safety:
- Hypericum should not be combined with a inhibitor antidepressant such as Nardil (phenelzine) or Parnate (tranylcypromine). This combination can produce a dangerous rise in blood pressure or hypertensive crisis, along with severe anxiety, fever, muscle tension, and confusion. After stopping a MAO inhibitor, one should wait at least four weeks before taking other antidepressants, including Hypericum.
- May interfere with medications given during organ transplant (such as kidney and liver.) Do not take this herb if you have undergone or plan to undergo a transplant operation.
- Avoid foods and medications that are known to interact negatively with MAO-inhibiting drugs.
- Tyramine containing foods ( red wine, cheese, beer, yeast, and pickled herring).
- St. John's Wort should not be used at the same time as prescription antidepressants.
- Do not use St. John's Wort during pregnancy or lactation.
- St. John's Wort makes the skin more light sensitive. Persons with fair skin should avoid exposure to strong sunlight and other sources of ultraviolet light, such as tanning beds.


Saint John's Wort has a good safety record over centuries of folk medicine. In contrast to synthetic antidepressants, there have been no reports of Hypericum-related deaths. Drug monitoring studies on over 7000 patients and twenty-seven double-blind research studies confirm its safety. The extensive use of Hypericum by millions of people has not resulted in reports of serious side effects.


You'll find this information and more in: http://www.holisticonline.com/Herbal-Med/_Herbs/h20.htm.




Well, this is what I'll be using for the next months and hope to get better, I don't want to start takin' pills like my mom, I just can't even stant to think about it... You wanna know what took me so long to start treating this stupid disease? It's was asking for help. I had to seek out for someone that could help me, in your case can be your mother, father, older brother, best friend, loved one or even yourself if you aknoledge you have a problem and you have to get it "fixed". They'll help you, belive me and life will become a little easier but you too will have to fight and struggle everyday.


NOTE:
This herb works fine with depression BUT! That doesn't mean that you shouldn't seek medical help first, take their instructions, please. Remember, above all this herb should be taken AFTER seeking proper help. Like you, there are people suffering from this "disease" all over the world and it has a cure.




☽◯☾ Lady Crove

A blog?

I've started a blog and you already know why but what you don't know it's what's it for.
This blog will be my online BoS, or as Sy would say a "Shadow Journal".


I'll list some topics I'll get into:

God and Goddess
Wheel of the Year
Altars and Shrines
Tools
Healing Magick
Rituals
Books
Runes
Tarot
Spells
Herbs
Crystals
Aromas

I'll be probly jumpin' as I learn and go tru, like I was starting my way to the Craft.
Note: This is PERSONAL, not a rule to follow, this is MY opinion and nothing more than that.




☽◯☾ Lady Crove

Her name is Depression.

Merry meet again.


I'm about to explain why I haven't been around youtube, I got a depression and it's been killing my mind and body. Depression is a hell of a bitch, belive me...

It all started with the fact that I've felt tired all day, even when I woke up in the morning, after 10hours of quiet sleeping. That was strange, for me, because I used to feel so energetic and active to go to school and work, goin' out with friends and used to be some cheerful.
I was becoming hostil with everyone around me and withdrawing from everyone, friends and family, and whenever someone asked me if I was ok, I lied. I felt I didn't need anyone help and I rather sit in my bed and cry for no reason.

I had difficulty concentrating so I lost interest in school and everything, I've even stop painting and writting, I stop goin' to my driving lessons and goin' out with friends, even for a coffee in the bottom of the street. I've started to eat alot more than usual and specially sweets and chocolates, because they made me feel good and happy for a while, and when I couldn't get any I would feel agitated and I couldn't stay quiet.

I felt worthless and that everyone was my fault, I was a burden in everyone's life. I had no motivation to keep living nor to keep fighting.

I've started thinkin' about suicide.


This week I found out why I was feeling so fuckin' bad. Her name is Depression and I have to get rid her...

This is what happened to me, why I've been gone and so, why I have been so absent.
I'm better now tho I still feel the same way that I did in the beginning and I still think about end all but I can't. I can't because this is not the way I am, I know I'm strong and I'm a wonderful person, I just need help.


If you feel anything the way I did, seek medical help, please.



☽◯☾ Lady Crove

Merry Meet!

Hey there, if you got where tru my Youtube.com account, welcome and it's nice to see you again, whoever you are, if not, well... Thank you for being here and Merry meet.

I'll be using this blog in the same way I would use my book of shadows, it's a recording of rituals, spells and thoughts on paganism and life itself. My experiences shared with you.


Well, first things, first. I'm older than I look but I'm younger than you think, my birthday it's in 28th August, it's kinda comming, I hope I'll be feeling better then. I'll explain why later.

My name is Mafalda and I'm gonna tell you the story of why I have this name:
That summer day, I got out of my mother's womb and everyone was surprised. Actually the baby wasn't a boy, like they were thinking. My brother was reading a comic book from Quino called "Mafalda" and my sweet brother came up with the idea: "Why don't we call her Mafalda?!" - I hate him, ever since... ( Actually I don't, I love my brother, he's a big part of me, even if we don't talk and see each other that much. )

I've been raised in a "religious-free" sorta way and I'm very thankful for it, because I'm not even baptised nor I had to go to the church, wich I always thought wouldn't be the right place for me.
At the age of 12, I got this book from Silver RavenWolf, "Teen Wicca" (tho now I analise it and it doesn't fit me anymore). I've started reading it and answers started to pop inside my brain. THAT was my path, THAT was what I had been waiting for my entire, tho short, life. Why did I got so deeply attached with nature and why did I ALWAYS belived in reincarnation? That book answered me and got me on my journey.

I've started to study Wicca and I really got involved with it not because of the spells and anything but because of the fact that there wasn't just a "One True God" but there was the God AND the Goddess. Of course, the joyful way of live and mythology made me got even more excited, I always loves mythology and history, so it was another pleasant way to study it but now, with a personal purpose.
A year later, I introduced myself to the spellcraft and divination and started to gather all my current supply of tools, herbs, crystals, candles and books, Runes and Tarot cards. I was, myself, an eclectic Wiccan. I looked around the internet and so for a Coven around my area but I couldn't find anyone, not even one single pagan that I could share my experiences with, I took the solitary path because I had no other option.

At the age of 14, my life changed when I meet some people that were in the craft even tho we don't work together anymore, I miss that life style. Being a Wiccan requires study and will to change and learn to live the wiccan way, no matter what is your tradition.

PS: For the past 7 to 8 months I've been suffering from depression and I fifured that out this week. I'll be getting medical help and starting a diet and exercice aswell as takin' a tea that I found out that helps alot in these cases so... I hope to get better soon.



Merry part and merry meet again.
Blessed be.




☽◯☾ Lady Crove