Reddewi’s Weblog

Candle magick is probably one the easiest ways to do spell work By setting the proper atmosphere, candles are used to help increase a spell’s power, or to influence a particular power. Candles absorb one’s personal energy and release this energy when burned. Candle color is very important when performing magick, because each color emits a particular vibration and attracts certain influences. The following list is meant to be used as a guide in choosing a candle color for your personal use. Please remember that color is another “tool” and you need choose what works best for you in your magickal workings. If you do not have the color mentioned for a particular need, allow your intuition and the Goddess guide you in choosing one for your purposes.

Prior to using any candle in your workings you should cleanse the candle and anoint it with a small amount of oil during the waxing phase of the moon. This consecrates the candle and charges it with magickal energy. You can also carve or paint appropriate magickal symbols onto your candles, to further empower the candles with those energies. The heated tip of your athame works well for this purpose. It is best to use one candle per ritual or spell, and to not use a candle that has been used previously for another purpose. It is also best to allow the candle to burn out by itself, as blowing it out may disperse the energy contained within.

WHITE:A balance of all colors. Symbolizes peace, purity , innocence and power of a higher nature. Promotes peace, tranquillity, purification; truth, spirituality, and sincerity. Also used for meditation, truth seeking, spiritual enlightenment, summoning spirit guides, astral travel, and to enhance psychic abilities. Can be as protective as black and may be substituted for any colour candle. Healing properties include treating broken bones, relieving dental pain and increasing milk production in nursing mothers. White is also a Goddess symbol.

YELLOW

A stimulating and uplifting colour that is the color of creativity; intelligence, confidence; movement and energy. Connects to clairvoyance, divination, wisdom, learning; imagination, and inspiration as well as the power of concentration and communication. Used in healing skin conditions as well as stomach complaints and menstrual cramps. Yellow symbolizes the element of Air.

ORANGE

Is a stimulating and energizing colour. It connects to attraction, stimulation, control, personal strength, authority, and power. Also encouragement, adaptability, luck, and sudden changes. It attracts the characteristics wanted from other tools, spells and rituals. Very good for healing coughs, colds and asthma as well as arthritis and exhaustion.

GOLDColor that promotes understanding and attracts the powers of cosmic influences; intuition, persuasion, charm and confidence. Beneficial in rituals intended to bring about fast luck or financial benefits, or in rituals honouring solar deities.

PINKA positive color symbolic of emotional love, nurturing relationships and romance. Promotes spiritual awakening, healing of the spirit, femininity, friendships, honor and morality. It is the standard colour of rituals to draw affections and brings friendly, lively conversation to the dinner table. Excellent for treating anxiety and depression, as well as ailments of the heart.

REDThe fiery, invigorating color of energy and life. Always connected to blood, birth and death; and sex. Connects with love, passion, fertility, physical energy and strength. Increases magnetism in rituals and is used in defensive magick. Also emotes courage and enthusiasm. Good in health, strength and vigor spells and defensive magick. Used in healing neuralgias and exhaustion. Red symbolizes the element of Fire as well as being a God Symbol.PURPLE

Vibrating color that is highly spiritual and traditionally connected to mysticism, inspiration, wisdom, idealism, purification; success, peace; and power. Aids in meditation, sensitivity and higher psychic talents; as well as connecting to idealism, ambition, power, success and household protection. Healing properties include the treatment of allergies, sleep disorders and stress-related disorders.

MAGENTA

A combination of red and violet that is a very high vibrational frequency that tends to work fast. This color energizes rituals where immediate action and high levels of power or spiritual healing are required, such as quick changes, exorcism or spiritual healing.

BROWN

An earthy, balanced color, used to attract money and financial success. It aids in emotional stability and balance, eliminates indecisiveness, improves powers of concentration, study, intuition, and telepathy. Also connects also to finding lost objects. Aids in the protection of familiars and household pets as well as animal healing.INDIGO

A vitalizing color of inertia; used to cleanse the spirit and remove fear. Used in rituals that require a deep meditative state, to neutralize another’s magick, or to counteract negative energy. Healing properties include dementia, depression, and mental disorders.BLUE

A cool color that soothes and relaxes. Blue is a primary spiritual colour, used in rituals to obtain wisdom, tranquillity, harmony, peace, inner light and truth. Connects to inspiration, occult power, protection, understanding, good health, patience and loyalty. Aids in meditation as it connects to intellect and mind. Promotes happiness, laughter and joviality. Used in treating insomnia, high blood pressure, and minor wounds. Blue symbolizes the element of Water.GREEN

The color that connects to nature, fertility, and rejuvenation. Stimulates work involving financial issues and money; aids good fortune, prosperity, luck; ambition and success. Bringer of love and renewal, it is an emotional soother and balancer, used to counteract greed and jealousy. A good color for treating headaches, colds and nervousness. Green is the colour of the Earth element and is a Goddess Symbol.SILVER/GRAY

Neutral color that removes negative energy or influences and encourages stability. Useful when pondering complex issues during meditation and in magic, this colour often sparks confusion; it also negates or neutralizes when needed. Helps develop psychic abilities and attracts the influence of the Goddess.

BLACK

Burned for positive purposes, this color opens up the deeper levels of the unconscious. Black is used in rituals to induce a deep meditational state and is good for banishing evil or negativity. Connects to self control, quiet power, and resilience, as it absorbs negativity and destroys it; offers strength and support in spells; protects from retribution and is also an aid during loss.

I hope you have found this list helpful as I did. We will be going over many candle spells over the next few weeks. Till then…….Blessed Be

http://www.brigidscauldron.org

Its time to take a turn. A turn from ranting about the wrongs in society. Time to turn to teaching. Teaching how to become more at one with the universe around you. Using magick and ingredients to assist in bringing about change in the world around you and your life.  With magick of any kind there are some things to remember:

1. Magick is natural.
2. Harm no one - not even yourself.
3. Magick takes work. You get what you put into it.
4. Magick should not be done for pay.
5. Don’t haggle over the price of your tools. If you can’t afford them now, then wait until you can afford the price. Haggling lessens the worth of the tools in your work.
6. Keep your ego in check. Remember, you are only a tool, as well.
7. Magick is learning. Know not only how, but also why.
8. Magick should be used for defense only. (The Law of 3 very much applies here.)
9. Magick is Love! Do what you do because you love it in your heart.
10. Do not put yourself in danger by using magick out of anger or hate

So lets start with the basics.  Storage You don’t have to store your herbs in any special way unless you want to.  I like a tight lid to keep moisture away from the herb, and to keep the herb in the bottle. Nothing is worse that herbs spilling out into the cabinet and all over the floor when the jar is tipped over!

Always label your herbs. 

Also you will want a few tools. A mortar and pestle, and a good knife should be among your first tools. I use my athame to cut herbs but if you are just starting out a cleansed steak knofe will do.

Other tools you may want are pretty basic to the Craft in general, and you can get these over time. These include a censor and incense, candles of various colors, and a bowl for mixing. You’ll need something to hold water (if needed), like a shell or a bowl, and you may want to collect various sizes of shells or containers for measuring your herbs. You may want a colored cloth for a bag, string,or rubber bands for sachets, and of course you will eventually want to make amulets and such. But these things can be acquired as the need arises.

Basic Herbs

Roses are traditionally aligned with water. They can be used for psychic powers, love divination, luck, protection, and healing. Use a single rose in a vase on the altar for powerful help in love divinations. A cup of rosewater tea at bed time can help you dream prophetic dreams.

Oak is good to use for money, protection, potency, fertility, and luck. It is said that carrying any piece of oak will draw good luck. Take 2 twigs from an oak tree and tie them together in an equal armed cross; hang them in your house to guard against evil. Make a small equal armed cross and carry it with you in your wallet or purse for protection during the day.

Bay Leaf. Bay lends strength to you or your purpose. Use bay in workings involving purification and protection. Bay is also used for wisdom blends. Burn bay in incense for help in solving a problem, or use it in a ritual bath when you’ll be facing a situation where you’ll really need your wits about you. You can pick up bay leaves at your grocery store. Seperate some aside and do not use them for cooking. These will be for your magick only

Basil has been called “the Witches Herb” . Basil has been used for exorcism, protection, in “flying ointments”, and love potions. “Where Basil grows, no evil goes!” and “Where Basil is, no evil lives,” goes the old adages. Basil, given as a gift, will bring good luck to a new home. Sprinkled around the house, it wards off evil.  Again, you can get this at your local grocery store

Sage ( http://shop.brigidscauldron.org/product.sc?categoryId=4&productId=36  helps to promote wisdom. It can also be used for wishes and protection. Carrying sage is said to bring you wisdom. Some traditions say it is bad luck to plant sage in your own garden; instead, you should have someone else do it for you. If you take a sage leaf and write your fondest wish upon it, then place it under your pillow for three nights, it is said you’ll dream of what you wish, and your dream will come true. Anise is good for protection and purification. I use it sometimes in candles or incense for meditation and protection.

Last but not least, is Salt. Sea salt is best. Salt cleanses and purifies. It can be used in cleansing rituals, and banishings. Use salted water to purify new tools. If you have a fire place, throw pine needles into into the first fire of the season. After they begin burning, throw some salt into the flames. This will help protect your house, dispel evil, and bring happiness to the home

I hope this first installment is getting you to start thinking about herbs and how to use them to bring about change in your life. Tomorrow, we will start talking about prosperity/money herbs. Until then..Blessed Be

First let me say that I am NOT turning this blog into an advertising campaign. However, something has needed to done within the pagan/wiccan community to make things more affordable for new folks as well as people who have been in the craft for years. My wife and I have seen prices go up everywhere for supplies for our altar and sacred space and home. It is ridiculous! We decided that enough was enough.

New people, people searching for meaning, need to be able to purchase items they want for thier craft and not concern themselves with breaking the bank account. Prices are going up all around us but it shouldn’t affect our faith and our craft. It is for this reason that we started  Brigids’ Cauldron at http://www.brigidscauldron.org

Quality supplies and products for your craft and altar at low as price as possible. Magick should be about your creativity and individuality NOT the size of your wallet

Listen to the voice of the forest, deep, low, and strong, pulsating through out your body.

Listen to the voice of the water, flowing and gentle, wrapping your body in its cool hands.

Listen to the voice of the wind, small and shy, loud and joyful, whispering sweet secrets in your ear.

Listen to the voice of the fire, crackling and laughing and warming your soul and protecting you from harm.

Listen to the earth, the air, the universe…she is speaking to you, her many children of this realm…

She is telling you to listen to her once more…stop talking so much, cease the loud canned music coming from your iPod…turn off the radio, shut down your many electronics, turn off the TV…take a walk in the forest, away from the so-called civilization…

Feel the earth beneath your feet, feel the fire in your heart, soak up the cold water, blow away with the breeze…

Listen to the many voices and songs of this world and hear them as they combine in to one beautiful melody and voice…She is speaking to you and She needs you to hear what She has to say. But She is afraid that you will not open your heart and ears to Her, She is afraid you will not heed Her words…She is in fear of your ignorance.

She is sending you messages every moment, pleading to you to understand. But you cannot hear Her, you are so wrapped up in the modern world, with the cars and the electronics and the negative energies of the everyday life here.

She begs you to listen to Her once more, to think of what She has to say.

Listen to Her voice, my friends, the people of the world…She is trying to speak to you, and you might find that what She has to say might save your life and Hers…

She speaks, She whispers in your ear…She needs you to listen to her.

She says, please cease what you are doing to me. You are filling me with such sadness, when at one time I was so happy. You all once heard my song, the song of the realms. You once loved me, you once danced with me among the elements. And then They came…They came and turned you against me, and now I am saddened…so much saddened…

You have killed my beautiful world which I gave to you…you have upset my creatures, you have cast aside the beauties of nature…you have polluted the air I gave you to breathe, you have dirtied the water I gave you in to drink, you have used the powers of my consort’s fire to destroy and kill my body, my life, the earth…

You have corrupted this world in which I gave you to live, you have given me pain beyond explanation…I ask you now please, in this new coming age…the Age of Aquarius, I give you a chance to save yourselves and me…I give you the chance to heal that which you have injured…I give you the chance to create what you have destroyed…I give you the chance to destroy the terrible machines you have used to kill…I give you the chance to become friends with your neighbors once more…

I give you the chance to live a happy life once more.

But it will be so hard; She says, so hard to heal this terrible wound on the earth. You have given the animals, your fellow humans, and nature as a whole so much pain that will be so hard to lessen…

But I will help you, She says, I will help you to love what you have once hated.

Turn to me, my Children, dance with me once more, love me once more…let my consort and I be happy once more…build this earth once again, where it now stands in ruins…

I give you the chance to love again. With this new age, I give you, unconditionally, my love and trust that you will build this earth in to something new…something that will be happy and filled with bliss once more…where violence does not reign, where people do not do such horrible things to others and themselves…

Listen to the Mother, for She speaks to you…she is whispering in your ear, pleading to you to hear.
Listen to her voice…her beautiful song…
The song of the earth, of this beautiful universe…

I ask you, as a fellow human and lover of this Earth; to come and dance with the Goddess and God once more…do what you can to heal this earth and make it in to a happier place. There is so much that can be done. There are mundane ways of healing the planet, such as recycling, picking up trash, writing to the government about an issue involving the welfare of the earth.

There are many organizations you can be a part of that will give you a chance to help the earth, such as Greenpeace or the Arbor Day Foundation. You can even form your own local group and spend a few hours a week—or even more than a few—doing something to heal the earth, like picking up litter. You can make every day

Not only are there tons of mundane ways to heal the earth, there are also many spiritual ways. You can do spells to heal the earth, or get together with other people for a large earth-restoring circle. You can work with the Faeries to restore the earth’s energy. You can give back energy to the Earth Mother to give her strength. You can even do something as simple as just going in to the forest and dancing and singing an earth chant.

The Goddess and God need our help to restore the Earth to its original state. Humans have corrupted this earth, and we need to do our part to give Her strength once more.

Join me, my fellow humans, Wiccans/Witches/Pagans, in healing this gaping wound that our kind has left in the earth.

Join me in the joyful worship of the Goddess and Her Consort.

Ranting for change may be an effective way to tap into an upset population that is desperate to stop the tragedies that are tearing their lives to shreds. Little do they understand that they have been been put into their present circumstances by the constant detrimental change that has been programmed and implemented for decades.

The most dramatic change has been in our education system more concerned with sex and condoms than with the three r’s. The next devastating program of change was the elimination of good paying family supporting jobs. They were shipped out of the country. To complete the program and get rid of  a middle class that were growing to pwerfull the boarders were open to a flood oof illegal aliens that are destined to become the predominant sector of future society.

Step by step, government and corporate have colluded to advance to a NWO “GLOBALIZATION.”  Though not totally there, the program has moved ahead almost to the point of being unstoppable.

We have had enough change to almost kill us. Empty rhetoric promising more change is something we must avoid.

What must be done is to eradicate all the change that has diminished our lives, our freedoms, our future.

We must find a way to go back to the future, the golden age, and once again reach for a future that will generate a promise of fulfilling our hard work to pass on the same opportunities to our children and grandchildren.

The presidential candidates that are presently seeking to run our lives don’t even come close to helping us to go back to the future. they are just more of the same shills. Snake oil salesmen that know no other way to do business.

Do you know who YOU are? I mean, when it gets down to it, who are you? What defines you? Your family, your kids, your job, your hobbies…do these things define who you are? When you die, can what sums up your life be put on a gravestone? If so, then you don’t have the slightest inkling as to who YOU are.

Take a look in the mirror. Guess what?! Nobody else is the same as you. You are unique in every way.  But society and big business have made you become a self indulgent wretch. Don’t believe me?  Pick up your phone book and look at the number of restaurants in your city. Self indulgence. Now look at how many gas stations. Self indulgence.  How about convenience stores, car dealerships, department stores, etc? Self indulgence. Society has said you should live as a child for a very short time, go to school and memorize things, get a good job, make money and spend it, go into debt, and ultimately die! But that is not who you really are. You are a uniquely created being that has been imprisoned by the teachings of capitalism, fascism, and commercialism. The painful part of growing and being you is breaking free from this type of belief system.

Now I am not saying you should give up everything and live like a pauper. No. What I am saying is to use the gifts and talents uniquely given to you to be YOURSELF and make positive change in the world around you. Look in your trash can from time to time. Look at the waste. Look at what you have become.  To truly wake-up is to know that the way you have been existing has been to better someone elses existence and pocketbook. It’s time to LIVE! Time to break free from self imposed bondage! You are as one with the natural universe around you. You are part of the trees, the animals, the air, the rain, and the earth. The material body goes back to the earth but not your soul. Not your essence. Live with the universe, not against it. Everyday is a new day. Everyday is a new step. Everyday is an opportunity to be at one with creation.

My wife and I both work in the city. When we first got together we had no money set aside at all. Still don’t, but it’s getting better. We needed to find a home. An opportunity was presented to us to rent a home 45 minutes away in the country. I don’t need to tell you, but a 45 minute drive after 10 hours of work is a LONG DRIVE! But, when we go into work in the mornings, the sunrises are so beautiful. We get to share that together everyday. Goddess has always made us aware that She is near. Always gives us something new everyday. But you have to take the time to notice it. YOU must take the time to be at one again with creation. Wake up! Take notice! Make your stand! As you grow, you will have to make adjustments in your life. It will be painful. But a little pain is better than life-long suffering and non0existance. The way society is will not be for very much longer. Goddess will take everything back. She will destroy what/who has destroyed her creation.

Where will you stand?

Who are you?

I love the way my wife’s mind works. She is constantly digging for truth. For the original ideas. She is not one to take things at face value. Always asking, whats the purpose, why. The conversation we had on the way to work was a great example of this. Why are the sabbats and esbats celebrated? And are they being celebrated for the original reasons?

Looking at holidays from the general worldview, one has to understand that most of them come from pagan or Old Religion roots. The secular holidays as it were, have become so commercialized that most if not all the meaning the Church put behind them is gone.  Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving has become a shopping frenzy time more than family get together and being thankful for what the holiday was meant to be. As far as the Sabbats and Esbats, they are for a person to show thier thankfulness to the dieties. The Gods and Goddesses don’t require or need these celebrations. They are for you to stay grounded and thankful for everything around you. It’s an acknowledgement of sorts which I will be getting into at a later time.

The same goes to tools used in worship and practicing. The tools and symbols themselves will not “make things happen”. They are devices that  get your left brain working in conjunction with your will and intent. Yes they will “intensify or add to” your workings, but they are not necessary and will not preclude what is already inside you. Your energy. Your will. Your intent.  I will be discussing in more detail in the coming weeks about bot the celebrations and the tools.  First, you need to find your center, the real you. I’ll be writing about that tomorrow.

Imagine you are walking through an airport, suddenly men come up to you and ask you to come with them. They take you to a small room, against your will, and conduct an interview. The topic: your future potential to commit crimes against the state.

Just like in the minority report, the Department of Homeland Security is developing a program to figure out, based on everything about you, if one day you will be a terrorist (emphasis added):

The program called Project Hostile Intent is part of the Human Factors Division of the DHS. DHS says that they need a way to detect possible “future” terrorists without a criminal past and with no known ties to terrorist organizations and therefore do not appear in any government databases. The technology will use advanced biometric technology in an attempt to “read minds” of people in public places, like airports.

If a computer determines that you are thinking about committing a terrorist act, either imminently, or at some point during your stay in the US, then you will be picked up by security officers for an interview. What is especially creepy about this upcoming program is that since it is specifically targeting people with no known terrorists ties—the only evidence is the “opinion” of a invariably flawed computer program.

Sure, many might say, “Hey, it’s only people at airports, or people visiting, what’s the harm?” Technology like this will find its way into everyday use. A huge segment of our society is based on developing technology and getting lobbyists to bribe the government to buy it. It’s what many politicians live for, lucrative government contracts given to their cronies. This technology will inevitable find its way into wider use, searching first maybe for pedophiles, then murderers, then those who steal from employers, perhaps next would be domestic abuse. And eventually, those who dissent politically who might “break the law.”

If you read the article, don’t forget to notice this gem:

The project aims to start testing the technology at airports, borders and ports as soon as 2010 and to deploy the system at all points of entry to the US by 2012.

Holy maiden Brigid
Radiant flame of gold,
Brigid of the mantles
Brigid of the twining hair
Brigid of calmness
Brigid of the augury

No fire, no sun, no moon shall burn us
No lake, no water, no sea shall drown us,
Nor seed of fairy host shall lift us,
Nor seed of airy host shall lift us,
Nor earthly being destroy us.
So mote it be.

First, this is the only time I will place an entry like this in this blog. Allow me this ramble if you will.

I am who I am. Finally. The masks have been put away some time ago along with the “settling” as it were. My past has been full of ups and downs and I began to “settle” to the fact that things were what they were. That changed, dramatically recently. A woman, I had loved  quietly from afar,  fell in love with me. Our lives changed quickly by most folks standards. Funny really. Known her for a few years, but we were married within a month of announcing our love to each other. It’s been the greatest time in my life and continues to be so. I still wake up every morning and I am amazed that this beautiful, wonderful woman is my wife. I am truly complete. I can be me, freely, for the first time.  I do have strong views when it comes to the way our world has been destroyed by society. I firmly, as I have always been, grounded in my beliefs and faith. If asked about it, I share.However I do not, nor ever will tell anybody that things must be done my way.

Yes, I know this is a ramble.

Tomorrow, I will for all intensive purposes close a door permanently.  It is not a door I had ever thought would be closed. But it is  a doorway that leads to an unknown that not everybody is ever really ready for. A room of chance.  I close the door by my own free will. Not talked into it and not demanded that I do. Do I feel a loss? Yes. But sometimes in life and in love you must sacrifice more than you ever thought you could or would.  This is love at work.  This love, this life is ours.  Our decisions are made together as they should be. Perfect love……Perfect trust…