In the middle of spring, a magical thing begins to happen outside. In addition to the greening of the earth, we notice a change in the local wildlife. Suddenly, squirrels and chipmunks are everywhere. Birds are twittering away madly in the trees, worms are popping up right and left in the soil, and everywhere you look, life has returned. In particular, you’ll see bees buzzing around your garden, partaking of the rich pollen in your flowers and herbs.
The plants are in full bloom at this time of the spring, and the bees take full advantage, buzzing back and forth, carrying pollen from one blossom to another.
In addition to providing us with honey and wax, bees are known to have magical properties, and they feature extensively in folklore from many different cultures. These are just a few of the legends about bees:
In some areas of New England and Appalachia, it was believed that once…
A totem is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol of a tribe, clan, family or individual. Native American tradition provides that each person is connected with nine different animals that will accompany him or her through life, acting as guides.
Different animal guides, also called spirit guides and/or power animals, come in and out of our lives depending on the direction that we are headed and the tasks that need to be completed along our journey.
Native beliefs further explain that a totem animal is one that is with you for life, both in the physical and spiritual world. Though people may identify with different animal guides throughout their lifetimes, it is this one totem animal that acts as the main guardian spirit.
With this one animal, a connection is shared, either through interest in the animal, characteristics, dreams, or other interaction.
This Animal Guide offers power and wisdom to the individual when they “communicate” with it, conveying their respect and trust. This does not necessarily mean that he or she has actually touched or spent time with this animal, more that, they are open to learning its lessons.
For some, knowing what is their totem animal is almost an innate process. It’s as if they’ve always known, inexplicably drawn to the animal or having a special feeling for the animal’s energy. For others, they wonder how to tell what their animal totem is.
Here are some questions to ask yourself if you’re wondering what your animal totem is:
Animal totems play huge roles in our lives. They aid in self-discovery and capture our imagination, giving us incredible avenues of self-expression and awareness.
Additionally, they assist in understanding our past, and if we are attentive, our animal totems can reveal glimpses of our future.
Since time immemorial, animals have served as harbingers of personality traits we, as humans, all aspire to achieve. This makes animals some of the most powerful symbols in our spiritual toolbox.
Native American animal totems most commonly come to mind when discussing this topic. However, animal signs are found throughout all cultures spanning the globe.
Animals afford us visions of how our lives could be if we lived more simply and lived with purity of thought and emotion. Therefore, incorporating animal…
The Witches Spell for Saturday, Jume 24th – Energy Binding
This spell is meant to bind the energies around a person to stop them from effectively using magic.
You will need:
Full/New Moon/Sunlight
An energy source or an object of which energy can be drawn
Bowl of water – optional
First, take out a glass bowl, and fill it with water. This is used to gather energy for the spell, but if you don’t want to use the water, choose another energy source. Then, have the water reflect the sun or moon, and say:
Solar flare, Lunar mist I call on thee this day Bring forth your light, strength and power, so cast this spell I may.
(Imagine the sun/moon energy flowing into the water)
Like I stated above, this is completely optional. Now, to form the barrier. Draw upon your energy source, and send it towards your target. Once you have reached them, attempt to have your energy surround them in a bubble. Then, say:
Light, Earth, Spirits strong Leave ‘s presence forever long Let their powers cripple, and fail with dismay I hereby banish your magic on this very day! So mote/might/may it be.
Imagine the bubble drawing the energy from your target and all around him, draining him of magical resources. Continue feeding the bubble/shield/wall with energy until you feel you can release them.
WARNING: Use this with caution, there are currently no counter-spells to stop this. Secondly, there is a possibility your target can breach the barrier if she/he is physically touching a powerful energy source which has greater energy than the barrier itself.
Good Saturday Morning to all our Brothers & Sisters of the Craft and to those who are visiting! What a great day to be alive, hmm, that’s a song isn’t it, lol! It seems like it has been a long time since we have been here and I apologize for that. I don’t won’t to bore you to tears so I won’t tell you about the week we have had. I wrote a book about it on The WOTC if you are curious. Now let’s get this party started……
Amazing Grace
How sweet the Earth,
That bore a Witch like me.
I once was burned,
Now I survive.
Was Hanged but now I sing.
‘Twas Grace, That Drew
Down the Moon,
and Grace that Raised
the Seas,
The Magick in,
The people’s Will
Will Set our Mother Free.
We Face The East,
and breathe the winds,
That move across the Earth,
From gentle breeze to hurricane,
our breath will bring forth change.
Turn Towards the South,
and Feel the Fire,
That burns in you and me,
The Spirit’s flame shall rise again,
and Burn Eternally.
We Greet the West
Our Souls awash,
In Tides of Primal Birth,
Our Pain and blood, Our Tears and love
Shall cleanse and heal the Earth.
Reach in to North,
and Know your roots,
Down Deep ancestral Caves.
We find the Wisdom of the Crone,
of Circles we are made.
Amazing Grace
How Sweet the Earth
That bore Witches like We.
We once were burned
Now we survive
were hanged and now we sing.
Goddess bless,
So mote it be
Our Magick Spirals on,
Merry meet and Merry Part
and Merry meet Again.
A solstice happens when the sun’s zenith is at its furthest point from the equator. On the June solstice, it reaches its northernmost point and the Earth’s North Pole tilts directly towards the sun, at about 23.4 degrees.
It’s also known as the northern solstice because it occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere.
‘Solstice’ (Latin: ‘solstitium’) means ‘sun-stopping’. The point on the horizon where the sun appears to rise and set, stops and reverses direction after this day. On the solstice, the sun does not rise precisely in the east, but rises to the north of east and sets to the north of west, meaning it’s visible in the sky for a longer period of time.
Although the June solstice marks the first day of astronomical summer, it’s more common to use meteorological definitions of seasons, making the solstice midsummer or midwinter.
Over the centuries, the June solstice has inspired countless festivals, midsummer celebrations and religious holidays.
One of the world’s oldest evidence of the Summer Solstice’s importance in culture is Stonehenge in England, a megalithic structure which clearly marks the moment of the June Solstice.
In the Southern Hemisphere, where the June solstice is known as the shortest day of the year, it marks the first day of astronomical winter, but the middle of winter in meteorological terms.
Midnight Sun or Polar Night?
On the June solstice, the midnight sun is visible (weather permitting) throughout the night, in all areas from just south of the Arctic Circle to the North Pole.
On the other side of the planet, south of the Antarctic Circle there’s Polar Night, meaning no Sunlight at all, on the June Solstice.
Solstice Dates Vary
Even though most people consider June 21 as the date of the June Solstice, it can happen anytime between June 20 and June 22, depending on which time zone you’re in. June 22 Solstices are rare – the last June 22 Solstice in UTC time took place in 1975 and there won’t be another one until 2203.
The varying dates of the solstice are mainly due to the calendar system – most western countries use the Gregorian calendar which has 365 days in a normal year and 366 days in a Leap Year.
A tropical year is the time it takes the Earth to orbit once around the Sun. It is around 365.242199 days long, but varies slightly from year to year because of the influence of other planets. The exact orbital and daily rotational motion of the Earth, such as the “wobble” in the Earth’s axis (precession of the equinoxes), also contributes to the changing solstice dates.
Moving to Other Seasons
Equinoxes and Solstices
After the June solstice, the sun follows a lower and lower path through the sky each day in the Northern Hemisphere until it reaches the point where the length of daylight is about 12 hours and eight to nine minutes in areas that are about 30 degrees north or south of the equator.
Areas 60 degrees north or south of the equator have daylight for about 12 hours and 16 minutes. This is the September Equinox, the Autumnal Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere.
Earth does not move at a constant speed in its elliptical orbit. Therefore the seasons are not of equal length: the times taken for the sun to move from the March Equinox to the June Solstice, to the September equinox, to the December solstice, and back to the March equinox are roughly 92.8, 93.6, 89.8 and 89.0 days respectively.
The consolation in the Northern Hemisphere is that spring and summer last longer than autumn and winter.
Enchanted Circle of Witches® 