
Category: Elements
Wiccan Beliefs
Wheel of the Year
Sage smoke
Lammas Tisane- Ceremonial Tea
Written for Coven Life
03/02/2020
By priestess Hypatia
Tea Anyone?
Tisanes are herbal tea that traditionally included barley.
Lammas
Lammas is the first harvest celebration, marking the transition from summer to fall and celebrating the bounty and abundance of the garden.
Spell crafting Herbal teas is a personal favorite of mine, especially herbs personally selected to reflect your intentions and the turning of the seasons. Such teas are a wonderful way to honor the seasons during your ceremony.
First harvest Tea Blend for Lammas
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dried calendula blossoms
- 1/4 cup dried lavender buds
- 1/4 cup dried meadow sweet
- 1/4 cup oolong tea leaves
- Optional: 1 tablespoon dried grated ginger
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a tea strainer or bag.
- Pour hot water over the strainer and steep 3-5 minutes
Calendula– a beautiful bright beam of sunshine their bright orange and yellow petals are a beautiful representation of seasonal transitions.
Lavender– Often associated with Lammas, this beautiful plan ally will help you begin the descent into the waning and restful portion of the year.
Meadow sweet– All heal of the ancients. Acting as a natural pain killer because of its salicylic acid content, the same ingredient that makes aspirin. Wonderful for third eye activation, divination and honing of your skill.
Oolong– Adding a layer or complexity to this otherwise airy tea. Its earthiness encourages wisdom through reflection.
Ginger– Only a small amount is needed to reach its maximum benefit. Its distinct spicy notes encourages success, money and love.
The Cosmic Witch Part 9
Written for Coven life
By Priestess Hypatia
30/01/2020
The 4th Pentacle of mercury- Seal of Solomon
Continuing from the previous post of aligning with Universal Powers for effective magickal practices…….
In this post I will be discussing the 7th of the Sacred Seven (in no particular order) that I have been mentioning in the previous posts.
Here I will be talking about the final planet of the sacred seven and not in that order, the planet Mercury. Ruling over Gemini and Virgo it is the planet that influences the intellect and of communication and therefore the element of air.
Mercury the planet is androgynous and neutral, it is neither masculine nor feminine, neither positive nor negative, taking on the qualities of whatever aspects it comes into contact with.
The Planet
The God
In the Ancient Roman World Mercury was the equivalent of the Greek God Hermes. The swift-footed messenger God traversed between the upper and lower worlds and his origins can be traced back as far as 13th– 15th Century BCE.
The many associations of Mercury include that of fertility, communication that include writing, messengers, trade, luck, and thievery. He was the patron saint of merchants, business people that were involved in all types of trade. The staff of Hermes, the Kerykeion is recognized as a symbol of trade and commerce and not that of medicine.
As the God of Medicine Aesculapius and His Rod is attributed to the arts of health and healing.
In the ancient Egyptian world he was connected to Thoth that is also connected with communication and responsible for writing the Emerald Tablet.
Planetary Magick Correspondences
Day- Wednesday
Colour– Purple, yellow and sometimes Orange
Element– Air
Gem stone– Opal, aventurine, moss agate, fluorite, and sodalite
Herbs– Almond, Anise, Clover, Dandelion, Dill, Hyssop, Lavender, Lemongrass, Lilac, Mace, Peppermint, Rosemary, Vervain
Number(s): 8, 64, 260, 2080
Archangel: Raphael
Metal: Mercury (toxic), safe replacement used in modern magick is Aluminum, sometimes also Zinc is mentioned
Olympic spirit (ruler): Ophiel
Importance in Alchemy– Spells, ritual and charms
Astrology
Due to Mercury’s speedy elliptical orbit, Mercury often appears to be going backwards, with frequent retrograde motions of about 3-4 every year. The good news is that these retrogrades are short lived, the bad news is that when they are in that motion they can at times wreak havoc in your life. Caution in signing contracts, breakdown in communication, avoid surgery, avoid travel, heightened anger, frustration, anxiety and of course the list of all your insecurities goes on. Now the majority of the time such retrogrades go unnoticed, that is until something happens in your life, then there is always Mercury retrograde if it does.
Spell Against Mercury Retrograde
If you are familiar with spell work you can try this to draw the positive aspects of Mercury during its retrograde. It encourages harmony, balance, protection and healing is such tumultuous times.
Spell work-
- Purple candle
- Anointed with frankincense
- Surround with your choice of crystals and herbs from the magickal correspondences above
- Light the candle and say:
‘My mind is a fortress, backwards Mercury, shall cause no deceit, nor damage. The light and stones shall save me’.
- When the candle has burned all the way down, and extinguished itself, take the stones, place them in a mojo bag, and carry with you as long as Mercury stays in retrograde.
Orphic Hymn
Below is a beautiful hymn or prayer to the great God Mercury- Hermes. Use this if you want to invoke the energy of Mercury- Hermes, use the planetary magickal correspondences for extra guidance and remember as with any spell work to understand, observe and respect the energies that you are working and drawing from and with.
Invocation/ Prayer to Mercury- Hermes
The Fumigation from Frankincense.
“Hermes, draw near, and to my pray’r incline, angel of Jove [Zeus], and Maia’s son divine;
Studious of contests, ruler of mankind, with heart almighty, and a prudent mind.
Celestial messenger, of various skill, whose pow’rful arts could watchful Argus kill:
With winged feet, ’tis thine thro’ air to course, O friend of man, and prophet of discourse:
Great life-supporter, to rejoice is thine, in arts gymnastic, and in fraud divine:
With pow’r endu’d all language to explain, of care the loos’ner, and the source of gain.
Whose hand contains of blameless peace the rod, Corucian, blessed, profitable God;
Of various speech, whose aid in works we find, and in necessities to mortals kind:
Dire weapon of the tongue, which men revere, be present, Hermes, and thy suppliant hear;
Assist my works, conclude my life with peace, give graceful speech, and me memory’s increase.”
The Magick of Food 2
10/11/2019
Written By Priestess Hypatia
For Coven Life
In this article I will be introducing the delicate yet highly aromatic dill.
Dill is a member of the Parsley family and not too distant relative of fennel. I often use the two interchangeably. Although it is indigenous to Asia, it is cultivated now all over the world.
Growing Dill
You can sow this seed annually in rich soil, sheltered from strong winds because of its delicate disposition. You can plant it next to cabbage or onions but NOT next to carrots as the dills root extractions can harm the carrots. Companion planting is always advisable in any garden.
Eat It With
It’s wonderful with smoke fish, seafood, lamb, beef, mushrooms, broad beans, cabbage, carrots, cucumber, potatoes, rice, sour cream, yogurt, eggs and paprika, to flavor pickles and wonderful in salads,
Heal
It is packed with Vitamin A and rich in Vitamin C. It can assist with insomnia, diarrhea, menstrual and respiratory disorders. It can boost your immune system and act as an anti-inflammatory. It is often mentioned in assisting with arthritis because of its anti inflammatory affects.
Try
Making Dill Butter: Beat plenty of chopped dill and a little lemon zest and juice into softened butter, shape into a log, wrap in foil or cling wrap and chill. Slice and serve on top of steak, lamb chops, fish or vegetables.
Magick
Because of its freshness and wonderful medicinal properties, when served up to your guests it can bring on a feeling of well-being.
Dill is an herb for protection it has been used to repel negative energies and black magick. It promotes clarity of mind and gives strength to reason. It’s also been used for falling prey to the beliefs of superstition. In the home and kitchen it can be used for protection and blessings.
The Cosmic Witch Part 2
Written by Hypatia
For Coven Life
21/ 07/ 2019
Continuing from the previous post of aligning with Universal Powers for effective magickal practices…….
So how does the Cosmic Witch connect to the Universal Powers and why?
In order to understand the true essence of the Witches’ Power, it is important that we at the very least try to understand where this power is drawn from.
As I have mentioned in numerous previous posts, everything is made of energy, frequency and vibration and I mean everything. These 3 words define the entirety of our universe or multiple universes.
Thoughts that are set as intentions and become actions are also described as energy frequency and vibration. When these energies are somewhat grasped, one can truly perform what is called by some miracles and by other magick!
“If you want to understand the secrets of the Universe you need to think in terms of Energy, Frequency and Vibration”
-Nikola Tesla
So how do you picture this Universal Power?
This is where you require a little imagination, and I suspect if you are interested in Magickal practices and the Craft, you won’t be short of one. However for some it just takes that little bit more help to try and understand.
Just imagine………..
We are all made of Star Dust.
The ancients have always known this. As above so below, as within so without, describes the origins of our existence. We don’t need to travel to other planets and out into the Universe to see this. We have this very map inside of us. It runs through our veins and into every bodily system that keeps us alive. It runs through our very being as this is the stuff that created us and the very stuff that takes us away. It is embedded in the Great Earth Mother in what they call the Doctrine of Signatures. Her streams are our veins, Her Earth that feeds and heals us is our body, Her air our breath that fills our lungs, and Her fire (the sun) is what illuminates our spirit and brings it all to life. The Great Earth Mother joins with Father Spirit to make The One.
Fact– did you know that there are 98 known elements that compose our entire Universe. These are the same 98 elements on Earth!
“From the elements we came from to them we shall return-
Our body to Earth,
Our breath to Air,
Our blood to Water,
Our heart to Fire”
-Empedocles
The 5th element belongs to the quintessence that is spirit.
Every galactic influence including that of the sun, the moon and all the stars and planets in the universe are inside of us. You may find it hard to believe, however we are all made of the same stuff and moving to the same rhythmic energy that is created by the very powers within and without.
Fact– did you know that humans share 60% of the same DNA as a Banana! In North America the native peoples of the land say Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ (All Are Related), clearly they have always known something modern science has just found out.
The ancient Egyptians and Greeks that include such greats as Plato and Pythagoras tuned their musical instruments to 432Hz.
Why is the question?
The answer may once again surprise you. They too knew the connection between all that is. You see this is the very Frequency that Tesla was speaking of, it is the Frequency that the Universe is said to Vibrate!
How did they know this?
This frequency is in every sound that is made by nature, in a frog, the whirling of the wind, the song of a bird, the rumbling of a volcano, the sound of running water. It is in ALL of nature’s sounds. Science calls this the Schumann resonance and the Heart Beat of the Earth.
When we begin to attune ourselves to these natural frequency’s we begin to move to the rhythms of the Earth Herself. Exposing ourselves to a natural environment we naturally fall into this rhythm. For instance a menstruating woman can synchronize herself to the moons cycles and other women around her.
Nature can be healing and therapeutic, it’s because we are tuned to Her Frequency, She who is connected to the essence of the Universe and the Great Father Spirit. We are NOT connected to synthetic foods, synthetic materials for clothes, virtual work environments and virtual relationships. We need that physical and natural interaction with another human to feel their friendship, love their essence. Such things as Skype, Facebook and other social media and synthetic environments DO NOT offer that. In fact the frequencies omitted by your communications devices throws our natural rhythm right off and are in fact known to be very toxic! They release BFR and PVC, chemicals that can accumulate in the human body and cause great harm- Yes I do in fact limit myself on the computer as much as possible.
Our body’s natural rhythm is connected to that of Nature, once this is interfered by unnatural devises, the electrical currents in our body, the very frequency, rhythm and energy that makes our heart beat becomes faulty.
We are a Heliocentric Universe after all.
Without this ball of energy that is made of Frequency and Vibration we would not exist!
So for the next post I will begin with the first of what the ancients called the Sacred Seven Planets namely the Sun……
In the meantime…..
It is important that you begin to attune yourself to natures rhythm, to the Great Mother Earth Herself and Father Spirit….
Swim in natural water ways, eat whole organic foods. Avoid toxic clothing, cosmetics, and unnecessary toxic medications (if you can). Drink clean natural water filled with natural spring minerals, minimize your time on the computer and other electrical devices. Spend more time going for nature walks, making yourself herbal teas from Herbs that you have grown, observe nature and all her other living creatures, they have naturally attained themselves to Her rhythms. Talk to trees, keep a moon diary that showcases the monthly cycles of the entire earth that include her seasons, people, animals and plants.
Many Blessings