Better Than Atkins

My friend Melissa wrote this spell. She is very talented.

She said I could share it and so I am. I plan on giving it a try myself.

Weight Loss Spell
By Melissa L.

Supplies:
Green Candle
Olive Oil
Red Apple
Incense- Holly, Heather, Primrose, Pine, or Angelica

Timing:
Sunday, as close to the new moon as possible, but in the waning.

Cleanse and consecrate your space. Set the apple in the middle of your alter. Light your incense.

Anoint your green candle with the olive oil. As you light it, say

Fifty pounds less I want to weigh.
From this goal don’t let me sway.
Please keep my hunger pangs at bay
And lusty cravings well away.
Please take and harden my resolve
So I can make this fat dissolve.
Healthy and strong I want to be,
To live the life best meant for me.
Please show me signs of my success,
I want to wear a size six dress!

You can change the amount in the first line and the size in the last line to suit your needs.

Recite this 3 times. Then eat the apple.

Snuff the candle.

Put the core outside for the fairies or birds.

Re-light the candle each night and repeat the chant 3 times each time until the candle is gone.

Imbolc Blessings!

Happy Imbolc to everyone!

Yes, I know it was Thursday and it is now Saturday. But I had to work and the Goddess will always forgive.

I did do some stuff on Thursday. My broom, Endora, got some fresh ribbons and I used her to sweep the negativity right out my front door. I set out a bowl of cream for Brigid and a yellow candle. I also hung up a nice wind sock. I even made a little besom to hang by the door to welcome Brigid.

I left a white cloth out overnight so that Brigid could come by and bless it. I am saving it for a day I need Brigid’s help. I also made fresh, homemade butter.

Tonight we celebrated.

This morning I put out fresh buttermilk for Brigid, as well as some bread. (I made the buttermilk myself. It was left over from my butter making on Thursday.) I gave the house another good sweeping. I also put out some fresh spring flowers.

I made a variety of gifts to honor Brigid and for my friends and family to take home for this special day. I made bird seed bells to hang in the trees. I made a milk bath sachet to give to people and I made a Celtic Cream warming potion that was so good. I also made a potato cheese soup and bread pudding.

We lit white candles to honor Brigid. Once everyone’s candle had been lit by Brigid’s flame, we snuffed them and cooled them so they could be taken home to bless the homes of my friends and family.

And finally, one of our group was having a birthday and so we honored her with cake and gifts. You only turn 17 once. So happy birthday to you. We hope to see you and your mom at one of our services again soon.

All and all it was a pretty awesome Imbolc. Thank you Brigid for honoring us. I am already looking forward to this celebration next year. I have great ideas for crafts and new decorations I want to get.

Blessed be!

The Lucky Dragon

新年快樂

Happy New Year!

And happy new moon.

Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year. And last night was a new moon. So tonight we celebrated.

We had eleven in our circle tonight. We honored the Goddess Fortuna and we made good luck bags.

Fortuna is the Latin goddess of luck and fate. In her honor we made these bags to carry for luck.

Each bag contains…

Ivy- Representative of the element of Earth and the color Green

Earth= health, wealth, prosperity, employment and fertility

Green= love, fertility, abundance, money, prosperity, luck, resurrection, rebirth, jealousy, teaching, learning, changing attitudes, environmental issues and peace.

Cinnamon- Cinnamon can be used to make charms to draw love, happiness, and money.

Cloves- Cloves bring good luck and prosperity. Cloves keep good friends close and stops malicious gossip.

All Spice- Allspice can be added to sachets to aid in attracting money and/or luck.

Clear Quartz- Clear quartz is a stone of manifestation. Hold the crystal with intent and focus. The crystal will remember and permeate any environment it is placed.

Whole Nutmeg- A whole nutmeg seed can be carried to bring luck during all games of chance from cards to Bingo to roulette. Nutmeg can also be carried as a charm to encourage a favorable decision in court cases and success in other legal matters. Nutmeg carried will also help to ensure good luck while traveling.

Once that was finished, a new member of our group, who is also my daughter, offered a seeker oath, binding her to learn for at least one year. If she has not committed after that she can part ways with the craft or choose to seek again. It is her choice. No one is forced into the craft. Not even my kid. Besides, she is 17 and does tae kwon do, she could probably take me if I tried to force her. And as a gift, she was given a red journal to use as she sees fit. It has dragons on it.

And since it was Lunar New Year, an Asian celebration, I made beef and broccoli and rice as well as egg drop soup.

Thank you all for coming. May the lady Fortuna follow you where ever you go.

Blessed be.

Book Review: To Ride A Silver Broomstick

To Ride a Silver Broomstick: New Generation Witchcraft by Silver RavenWolf

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


You know, I like this author. I feel like we could be friends. But this book, while informative, was kind of all over. I know it is written for new witches so I was probably a little bored because I am old. But I think for new witches, it was a lot. There were too many topics. Not enough information on each topic. If you can't fully go into each topic, maybe you should have left those to other books. And since she has written other books I will look into those.

If you have no idea what a witch does or is and you want to get started, it is a good book for you. As long as you take it slow and read other things in conjunction. Do not read it right through. She gives you lots of suggested reading and I suggest you get into some of those.

I did get some great and useful information. Some good ideas for more books to read and some practical ideas to use in my own life.

Finally, it was a little dated. Like she is talking about letters and phone calls. Who does that? Facebook and cell phones are the way to go. And also Google. :)



View all my reviews

United We Stand

Yes, he was a Christian, but he was amazing. His spirit transcends religions. Today we honor him.

The Prayer Of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

On The Bright Side

Happy full moon to all of you out there, if you can see it. It is stormy here tonight so the clouds are a good shield. But she peeks out every now and again and lights up the night.

This moon is called the Wolf Moon or the Cold Moon. It was called the Wolf Moon in colonial times because it was the time when hungry wolves came close to the villages. And the Cold Moon because… Well, it’s cold. And it sure was cold here today. There is a lovely winter storm.

Tonight we held a simple Esbat service here. Not only did we honor the moon, but we used magick to banish negativity and pessimism.

We used alter cloth of yellow and orange to bring positive thoughts. And purple for faith.

We used daffodils for hopeful thoughts.

We used pearls for compassion and thoughtfulness.

We used Myrrh for tranquility and serenity.

We used chamomile for tranquility and a calm spirit.

We used pine for optimism.

And we used oranges for encouragement and optimism.

I used a guided mediation to raise the energy to the heavens. I chose meditation as I was looking to instill patience. I found that particular meditaion in the book The Magical Year by Danu Forest.

We had communion. I used even used yellow cake.

Thank you to those who joined me tonight.

Blessed be.

A New Year's Prayer

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.

My mom had a magnet on her refrigerator that said that when I was a teen. It’s a pretty popular prayer. And I think it holds up to views throughout religion in general. I ask the Gods and Goddess to grant me serenity to accept the things I cannot change. I also ask for the courage to change what I can. But my theory is that people in general have forgotten the last line.

The wisdom to know the difference.

Just because you don’t see how right away doesn’t mean it is unable to be changed. Don’t just give up on it. These days people give up too easily.

Oh, well, nothing I can do. Moving on.

No.

In the words of Captain Jack Sparrow…

The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem.

The Gods and Goddesses have given you a lot of power and trust. You can do more than you think.

Today is the first day of a new year. Happy New Year!

Today I pray for peace and happiness this coming year. May it be filled with blessings, positivity and love.

Don’t just say it. Don’t just think it. Don’t just post a silly meme about it. Go out and do it. Live it. Show it.

Blessed be.

Christmas Traditions

I was going to write a whole post about Christians and Christmas and Jesus. But we all know that story. It isn't new. It's American.

And besides, Santa came!

Merry Christmas To All And To All A Good Night!

Festival Of Lights

Happy Hanukkah!

Tonight begins the first night in the 8 night celebration of the Jewish holiday, Hanukkah. And just what is Hanukkah?

Well, it is a Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. There was a revolt and when they took back the temple and purified it, there was only enough sacred oil to burn for one day. But a miracle occurred and the oil lasted 8 whole days.

And so Jewish families celebrate by lighting a menorah, which holds eight candles, one lit each night from right to left. And they eat food fried in oil.

And while we are not a Jewish family, obviously, we celebrate right along with them. So we will light our nightly candle and make potato pancakes and spin our dreidels.

(It sounds almost pagan… candles, food, prayers…. Just saying. Focus on the sames.)

Anyway, to me it isn’t Hanukkah until I hear this…



Okay, so not very religious but it always makes me laugh.

(On another side note… Santa comes tonight. Reminds me of a certain Holly King. This one looks like my tree topper.)

Blessed be!

On The Wild Hunt

Blessing Of The Holly King!

A happy yule to all of you. Today is the shortest day of the year and therefore the longest night. Tonight we celebrate the winter solstice, the first day of winter. This is also the last seasonal celebration of the year. Or the first if that is how you roll. Yule is right at the North point in the seasonal wheel.

Just a fun fact, did you know Stonehenge was built by ancient Pagan worshipers to align with the winter and summer Solstices?

Anyway, the Yule is a time for letting go, sacrifice and forgiveness. It is a time of peace, rest and reflection.

Now is the time we celebrate the Holly King, Odin, and the return of the Sun. In Asatru traditions it kicks off a 12 day celebration.

For me, tonight I celebrated the return of longer days and shorter nights. The promise of warm weather again. I made a feast with a delicious ham. Lots of rolls for my husband. We made an alter for the Holly King, complete with a holly and ever green wreath and candles, frankincense and myrrh incense, and an offering of delicious treats made by my aunt. We started a yule fire at dusk and burned it until midnight. We had a nice peaceful evening of reflection.

You know I sat here for a long time thinking about what to write on this Yule. What I could write about the meanings and how I could go on and on about all the “Christmas Traditions” are really Pagan traditions, but you know what…

Why not share the spirit? If Christians want to burn the Yule log to honor Jesus, go for it.

There is going to be times ahead where differences are going be used against us to divide us.

To that I say no.

To that I say a Merry Yuletide To All.

AND I MEAN ALL!

Blessed be.

On A Cold Night

Sometimes your best laid plans don’t always pan out. Sometimes what the Gods deliver is better than your plan.

Tonight we honor the full moon. This one is called the Cold Moon or the Long Night’s Moon. Both of those names are apt as for the fact that they happen around the winter solstice and the coldest and darkest time of the year.

Today I went to Disneyland and honored the God and Goddess by spending the time with my family. We walked around and had a great time as always. (FYI… I read somewhere that Walt Disney was Pagan. His family came from Ireland, so perhaps Celtic.) In the park they had booths set up to try holiday foods of other cultures. We tried a curry dish from India, a lamb dish from the Middle East and kugel from the Jewish booth. (The curry was my favorite.)

Since I knew we had planned to go to Disneyland today, I had planned to have an esbat last night by myself.

Planned to.

But then…

Some very nice person made a coconut cake for a friend. And that friend was having a bad day and the cake sure lifted her. Then she called me and asked if I wanted to share in this cake. And I told her since she is sharing her cake with me; I will share my dinner with her. (It was tacos and pozole.)

So instead of an esbat service for one, I held an impromptu, informal service for several. We ate a fabulous meal. I taught a younger witch (13) about runes. She and I did a candle spell together for good luck. She told me about her first deck of tarot cards. She admired things on my alter and I gave her stuff to set up her own at home. (Much like mine and her mother.) I gave her a candle and some incense and an incense holder. I even lent her a book to study and gave her a new blank book to write in.

Before I go on… let me tell you about that blank book.

Earlier this month I received a box of items from a subscription service I subscribe to. Inside the box was this blank book. It has a design on it from the new movie “Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them”. (Yes, I am a huge Harry Potter nut.) When I pulled it out of the box, my husband asked me what I was going to do with yet another blank book. I immediately told him I was going to give it to the before mentioned 13 year old. I told him she would need it. For what purpose and when, I did not know, but she would need it.

And she did. Last night. The God and Goddess know what they are doing.

Anyway, she and I read runes and talked. Then we enjoyed an informal communion. We used the coconut cake as it was already a blessing.

After they left, her mother sent me this picture of the alter she went home and set up.

I love it.

See…

I wrote this post for these reasons…

1. Being Pagan is a perfectly normal part of life.
2. The God and Goddess know what is best for us.
3. Magick is everywhere, you just have to look for it.
Blessed be.

The Witches Witch

On November 30 we celebrate the festival of Hecate Trivia.

Not trivia like the game, but trivia like the place where three roads meet.

Hecate is a Thracian, pre-Olympian Greek goddess. She began her goddess reign as a goddess similar to Brigid or Diana. A goddess of fertility, childbirth, menstruation and puberty. She was born during the darkest of the moon.

In the story of Persephone, Hecate is the keeper of the key to the Underworld. She kept Persephone company during her time there.

However over the years she moved on. She changed from a goddess of women to the goddess of change, witchcraft, magic, life, death, crossroads, and psychic abilities. She is a dark witch. She is connected to the spirit world, ghosts and the dark of the moon.

She is the triple goddess.

Birth Life Death
Full New Dark Moons
Past Present Future
Earth Heaven Underworld
Earth Air Fire
She is the goddess of the witches. The goddess of magic. Celebrate. You have come to the crossroads. Give a nod to Hecate. She will always be there to help you on the right path.

Blessed be.

The Sun Will Come Out

Another new moon is upon us. And in the spirit of Thanksgiving, we celebrated Thanksgiving again. It was a great night I cooked a turkey and family and some friends came over. We celebrated. My daughter made a pumpkin pie from scratch. From an actual pumpkin.

I made gifts for all of our guests.

Orange pomanders!

A pomander is just a ball of fragrance.

I got the idea from the book “The Magical Year” by Danu Forest. You should check it out.

Anyway, orange is the color of summertime, of fun. Just what we need at this time of year. It is an active color with warm energy. It is an excellent color for a kitchen or dining room since it stimulates appetite and conversation. Just when we needed for a dinner party. Orange invokes balance, memory, sharing, and kindness. Again, just what we needed. And to make it all awesome, orange is awesome on Tuesday and is great for the number 2.

I studded the orange with cloves.

Cloves are awesome. They are a dried flower bud from a tropical evergreen. It stimulates circulation. And is an anesthetic and antibacterial. It is masculine and associated with the fire element. Cloves bring good luck and prosperity, to keep good friends close and to stop malicious gossip.

So to combine the two was awesome and it smelled amazing. I tied them with a fabulous ribbon and wrapped them in sparkly boxes.

And FYI… They keep moths out of the closet.

Blessed Be!

Happy Thanksgiving

Every year at this time we pause to reflect on the things for which we are most thankful. Given the demands of our daily lives, it is easy to get caught up in the tasks of work and home and not take time to appreciate our good fortunes. I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to each and every one of my family, the men, women, and children that make up our everyday lives. Every day of the year, including holidays, both religious and secular, collectively we work to ensure there is food on the tables and love in our hearts.

I am thankful for the privilege to write this for you. It’s an honor to make a positive difference in the lives of others, which is what I hope to do with this and everything I do each day. I thank you for everything you do as well: your commitment, hard work and pursuit of excellence in your own lives each day. I wish you all a happy, healthy, and safe Thanksgiving.

Blessed be.

Book Review: Teen Witch

Teen Witch: Wicca for a New Generation by Silver RavenWolf

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


If you go into this book thinking it is for mature adults, you will be disappointed. This book is clearly written for the 11 to 16 age group, depending on their maturity level. Which is fine, because I didn't buy this book for me. I mean really, at my age I would not buy a book for me titled "Teen Witch". I bought it to share with the younger members of my group. But I decided to read it myself first.

I like this book. It was a good way for a kid to get started without providing them too much at once. Yes, it is a little hokey. Yes, it can be a little patronizing. But you know what, at that age and at that level, that is what you need.

It has a bit of a Christian overtone, but the author clearly wrote it for teens who do not come from Pagan families. It is also a little dated. It was written in 1997. So technology has certainly changed since then. Actually, the whole world has changed since then. The author laments that teens who are interested maybe discriminated against. While that certainly may still be true, I believe that it is way less of a problem than maybe in 1997.

I thought it was a good start. I have not read other books by this author, but now I would like to find out what she writes for adults. Should be interesting reads.



View all my reviews

Dam Good

Tonight’s full moon is called the Beaver Moon. Perhaps it was because the Native American’s would set their beaver traps at this time to insure plenty of furs to keep them warm through the winter. Or maybe it was just the activity of the beavers themselves as they built dams to stay safe and warm through the winter. It is also called the Frost Moon, but I think you can figure out why.

Some wiccans also call this the Mourning Moon. As it would be the first full moon of the New Year, it is time to say goodbye to bad habits and toxic relationships, and get a fresh start for the New Year.

It was cold here tonight and the moon looked so huge. There were no clouds and a slight wind. My dearest husband made me a fire in the pit in the back yard. We burned lavender and had communion. It was a short service because we were freezing. The goddess will understand.

On a side note, I cannot wait to have the indoor fireplace fixed so we can have fires inside.

Veteran's Day

Take a moment now to reflect on the achievements and sacrifices of the many brave Americans who have served in our military, both past and present and during both peace and war. Each year we observe Veterans Day in order to honor all the men and women who have served our country in uniform.

In quiet tributes and grand parades, at community centers and war memorials, Americans of all backgrounds come together on this day to celebrate the men and women who have fought to keep our country strong and free. Their efforts laid the foundation for the peace and prosperity that our nation now enjoys. From the oldest veterans, to the men and women currently serving, all Americans who have served in uniform deserve our appreciation and respect on this uniquely special American day.

On this Veteran's Day, let us pause to honor the sacrifice of those who have serviced their country. While we all strive for peace, our Armed Forces help defend against the reality of those who seek to do our country harm. I thank you for your service, and I pray God's blessings to be upon you, your family, and your sacrifice.

Blessed be.

xoxo

Book Review: The Magical Year

The Magical Year by Danu Forest

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I really liked this book. It is definitely very Celtic and if you are not a Celtic pagan you might be put off by the over all Celtic vibe. But if you can get passed it, you can find a ton of useful information in this book.

This book goes over each of the main seasonal celebrations over a Pagan year. Each section gives you a basic over view of the celebration as well as ideas ideas for marking the occasion. Kitchen Witchery is included for each section as well as craft ideas and activities.

I personally used one of the Samhain recipes. I made the stew (with beef) for our Samhain celebration and it came out very good. It claimed to feed 6 and that is about right. Too bad there were 14 of us.

I also have made notes to use several of the ideas for celebrations in the future. I plan on coming back to this book a lot.

Finally, the meditations and visualizations are really great and can be used if you are leading a group. I plan to use them in the future.




View all my reviews

A Birthday Spell Of Love

Today is my husband’s birthday. It is also the anniversary of the day we moved in together 11 years ago.

Geez. We are getting old.

Happy Birthday Hot Stuff, may this year bring you nothing but happiness.

And for the occasion, I did a little candle spell.

I used a large candle so that it could burn for him though out the year.

I used a green candle for luck, wealth, wisdom, and abundance.

I used cinnamon and vanilla oils to anoint the candle; Cinnamon to enhance the male libido (That was a little for me.) and vanilla to relieve stress and heightened mental clarity.

I placed the candle on the alter in front of one of my favorite pictures of him with our daughters. I used a green alter cloth. I let it burn for hours.

May each day be better than the last. Let no harm come to anyone. May love always burn in your heart.

Blessed be.

Hail To The Princess

Are you the parent of a small person? Say maybe ages 2 to 8? Okay.

So then you have heard of Princess Elena of Avalor...

For those of you who are not hip on this...

Princess Elena is a Hispanic princess from a cartoon on Disney channel. She is awesome. She even has an abuela who makes tamales.

And I have a 4 year old daughter.

So I am all about Princesses.

So why an I telling you this?

I have a point, I promise.

Today is Dia de los Muertos. The Day of the Dead.

It is a Mexican custom going back to Aztec festivals honoring the dead. It can also be linked to the Catholic observance of All Saints Day. People build alters, sometimes elaborate, to honor their deceased family members. There are all kinds of interesting traditions that go with it, including the decorating of sugar skulls and baking of pan dulce. (A sweet bread or cake) Here in California those things are easy to find as we have a large Hispanic community.

But again, why am I telling you this?

Because Princess Elena's family celebrated Dia de los Muertos.

Therefore, so did my 4 year old.

The idea must not have seemed too far off to her. Make an alter, light some candles, make a cake...

So I say, go ahead.

Behold... Dia de los Muertos alter by one very cute four year old.

The spirit is strong in this little witch.

Blessed be.