Solitary Imbolc Ritual

I don't know about all of you, but I am way excited for Imbolc! Last night's Full Moon was amazing, and chugging along behind that power is the promise of spring. Already here in Alaska we're feeling the sun's warmth, even if it's interrupted with icy wind.
This is a solitary ritual I did last year as part of my Imbolc celebration. Enjoy~

Needed: white candle (inside cauldron), green candle (beside cauldron), tarot cards, an earthy-smelling incense, chalice of juice, cauldron, bell

Cast circle.
Raise arms to altar. Say:

“The earth is filled with the first stirrings of renewed energy and life. Awaken, oh fair Maiden! Hear the voice of the Son; He is calling to you to join him in the spiral dance of life. It is time for You to prepare the earth and all creatures for the coming of spring!”

Ring bell three times. Say:

“The sunlight is growing at this time. It is calling to all followers of the Goddess and God to purify our minds and spirits for new cycles of life. Here and now, I ask the Lord and Lady to give me guidance and a glimpse of the future.”

Shuffle cards and do a three card reading. Note cards pulled.
Ring bell three times. Say:

“Goddess and God, I place my dreams and goals for the future in Your open hands. If You foresee a different future for me, tell me clearly. Thank you.”

Light the white candle in the cauldron and say:

“I praise the Goddess as the sacred Maiden, who now returns from Her rest in the creative abyss of the Crone’s cauldron. Her joyful dance releases a renewal cycle into this world. As She spreads Her blessings upon all lands and all creatures, I, too, am touched by Her gentle hand.”

Light the green candle beside the cauldron and say:

“I praise the God as the young Son, the Sun King, who calls to the Maiden and awakens Her from Her slumber. When they combine Their powers, They pour a stream of energy into this world, energy that permeates everything. Regeneration is here, and everything is blessed.”

Perform any other magickal workings at this time.
Perform Great Rite.
Ground.
Open the circle.
Pour the juice in the forest.

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Imbolc Baked Custard :3

With Imbolc coming up on our heels, here's a yummy recipe!

The word "Imbolc" comes in part from the phrase "ewe's milk," so dairy products become a big part of February celebrations. For our ancestors, this time of year was hard - the winter stores were running low and there were no fresh crops. The livestock was typically preparing for birth, and the lambing season would begin soon. At that time, the ewes came into milk, and once milk arrived, you knew your family would have a source of food again. Sheep's milk is highly nutritious, and sheep were considered a dairy animal long before cattle.

If you have eggs, then you've got the makings of custard, a perfect dairy dessert.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 00 minutes

Ingredients: 4 eggs, 3 C. milk, 1/2 C. sugar, 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg, 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, A pinch of salt

Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 350.

Combine all the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor, and blend for about 15 seconds, or until well mixed.

Pour custard mix into ramekins or custard cups.

Place the ramekins into a baking dish, and fill the dish with hot water up to a depth of about ¾".

Bake the custards for one hour.
**Note: If you don't have a food processor, you can use a hand mixer; it just takes a little bit longer to get everything mixed up.

Giving in Spirituality

This post is a response to the Pagan Blog Prompt (http://paganprompts.blogspot.com/2010/01/prompt-giving-of-yourself.html) asking "How do you see giving of yourself as a spiritual act, if at all?"

When people go to third-world countries to "give" their spirituality to people---basically, proselytizing, which is one more problem they don't need---is not giving at all, but an extremely selfish act.

When I think of giving as part of spirituality, I think of freely, and happily, giving your time to not only donate to homeless shelters, but volunteer at homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and even joining Peace Corps, and a whole array of other options like that. And not only do I think of helping humans, but helping animals and the environment as well by doing your very best to stop pollution and animal cruelty. But you can give in small ways as well, such as taking time out of your life to help a friend. And I mean really help a friend, without mentioning yourself, without expecting anything in return.

And when you help people, you become more...I don't know how to describe it. I want to say, it raises your light quotient. (I'll explain that in another post. If you're impatient for the info, though, you can check out the book Ascension Magick by Christopher Penczak.) It makes you more spiritually inclined. It opens your mind and expands your heart. And the less selfish you become, the more loving, caring, and compassionate you become. It makes you more self-aware as well. Once you open your mind, you see your own flaws, and by seeing your own flaws and eliminating them, you can go on to do more good. (By flaws I mean, of course, not physical flaws but flaws of personality and spirit. And not the shallow flaws, like "I'm stubborn", such and such. Everyone has the shallow flaws. Go deeper, to what lies at your core.)

So I guess what I'm saying is that giving of yourself, without expectation of reward, makes you a better person, not just mundanely, but spiritually as well. Unfortunately it's very hard for many of us to do this, because humans as a whole are a selfish lot. But just because we're selfish doesn't mean we don't have the capacity for good. If we truly don't want to be selfish anymore, if we truly want to change, then we can do it! Humans are stubborn. Humans are determined. We can do anything we set our minds to, once we actually decide to do it.

Your Alaskan Witchy,

Celeste

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Morning Devotions

These are the devotions I do every morning right after I get up. They leave me feeling refreshed and full of positive energy that lasts the whole day.
In concerns with the Ultimate Creatrix thing, one of these days I'll have to make a post explaining my beliefs regarding deity=)


Light the Goddess, God, and Ultimate Creatrix candles, and the incense.
Ground and take a few deep, slow breaths.
Touch your feet and say: “Blessed Be my feet, that walk the divine path.”
Touch your knees and say: “Blessed Be my knees, that kneel at the divine altar.”
Touch your womb and say: “Blessed Be my womb, that bears the fruit of the divine.”
Touch your heart and say: “Blessed Be my heart, that beats the drum of the divine earth.”
Touch your lips and say: “Blessed Be my lips, that speak the words of the divine.”
Touch your eyes and say: “Blessed Be my eyes, that see the divine everywhere.”
Take a few more deep breaths, and then go on to give thanks for everything in your life, good and bad. Get real specific for the things you’re thankful for. And be sure that your gratitude is sincere, not forced.
Then, if you have anything to ask, then ask it.
Snuff the candles and the incense.

Faeries~

Faeries~
Here for you I've got some fun information on faeries that I've collected and put together. A lot of this information has come from various websites, as well as Brian Froud's Faeries' Oracle, and a book on faeries that I found at the library. I wish I could provide links and such, but I've since forgotten them, having written all this down in my BoS a while back without citing my sources.

Hardly anyone sees faeries full face and in bright light. Most people see them slightly out of straight-on vision, in the peripherals. When you look straight at them, they vanish. They say that this is because if you look at a faerie straight in the eye, you gain control over them.

What they look like
Small ones—usually little balls of light or shadow flitting around the room. Are more likely to interact with you. Also the ones who hide things.
Human-size ones—aren’t particularly interested in us when they appear. Interact in personal levels, in Underworld journeys and in dreams/messages.
Larger ones—range from 2-to-3 feet tall “gnome” size, to people who look just like us, or even larger.
Human size and larger—usually wear somber colors
Gnome size—usually wearing red or green
Larger size ones—appear for about 1/10 the duration of smaller ones, usually striding quickly

People most often hear and feel faeries and not see them.

Faerie likes:
-tidiness, order, and cleanliness, especially in the kitchen
-bread and cake—set bits out in the evening
-something that clearly invites them
-milk or water set out in the evening
-glittery and shiny things
-light, happy music, even singing in the shower
-low lighting (they are seen at dusk and dawn; light a small candle to guide them to your home)
-cream, cheese, butter
-milk, honey, and saffron mixed together

Faerie dislikes:
-iron, especially scissors, pins, knives, or anything made of iron set out in plain view
-clutter, disorder, stacks of things that haven’t been sorted, etc.
-bells, since they are their own bells, so they don’t need any more noise.
-water, sometimes
-looking them in the eye

Types of faerie forms:
-Vast majority appear as blurry spheres of light
-Faerie windows or portals are brilliant openings that appear on walls and vanish quickly
-most frequently seen forms are translucent, full-size figures, the size of humans or slightly larger.
-Some are the size of little people, maybe three feet tall
-Some range from sparkly lights to large shadows

What to look for:
Examine negative space, which is the area around positive space, or objects. People also see auras this way. Examine the space around trees, building, rocks, or even blades of grass. Your thinking will change slightly as you perceive more life. With practice, the world will seem a little more brilliant and interesting. It should become your normal way of looking. This also helps you to see the faerie world as well.

Communicating with Faerie

First of all, Faeries aren’t all light and fluffy. They can be chaotic, mean, mischievous, or downright nasty if they feel like it.
You might find that certain gems or stones seem to attract faerie energy more than others. This may differ based on your own interaction with the stone.
Certain scents and flowers also seem to attract faeries, but this can be based on which faeries are near you. Violet, thyme, lemongrass and ylang-ylang are traditionally strong faerie scents.
You can often know when faeries are around, because they tend to like to tug on your hair or you might all of a sudden feel very giddy and happy. They also tend to like taking your things or moving stuff around. Other signs of faeries around: an unexplained loss of time, a sudden unexplained trembling or whispering of leaves, a whirlwind or dust devil, the bending of grass blades with no perceptible cause, sudden explained chills or goose bumps when alone in nature, the feeling of an insect walking through your hair when there isn’t one, and extreme silliness and times of uncontrollable laughter.

Faerie offering ritual:
Go to one of the faerie’s favorite haunts, such as a ring, a hill, and the bottom of a garden or another place where you intuitively feel faeries, and find a flat surface on which to place your offering. Your gift could consist of, for example, a bowl of milk and a piece of cake or bread.
Consecrate the offering with these words:

“I offer this drink and this bread to Oonagh, the
Queen of Elphame, and to Finvarra, the King of
Faerie, royal rulers of the Daoine Sidhe (pronounced “theena shee”)
My name is ____________. As a Witch I seek to make contact
with your tribe and to learn the secrets of Faerie.”

With your wand, trace a star over the offering and say:

“Blessed Be those who live in the Hollow Hills.
Blessed Be the Faerie race within the Earth.
May the Faerie Blessing be upon me.”

Leave the offerings and walk away without looking back. You can return to the site the next day and if any or all of the offering is gone, you will know that it is okay for you to communicate and work with the faeries. If the offering is still there, take it away (and throw it away) and try again another time with a fresh gift.

Faerie Cakes Recipe:
Ingredients: 2 cups flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. salt, ¾ cup butter, 1 ½ cup white sugar, 3 eggs, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 1/3 cup milk
Grease muffin tin with a bit of butter. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cream together the butter and sugar, then add the eggs and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Add a few spoonfuls of dry ingredients and then add some milk to the creamed mixture. Keep alternating ingredients until well mixed. Fill the muffin cups ¾ full. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool before frosting with your favorite frosting.

Getting close to faeries:
If we wish harmony between the worlds, it is important to meet faerie on its own terms and avoid projecting our own ideas and false beliefs on to it. Many things about faerie society are different from ours. Culture and manners differ. The things that are important and are considered to be common courtesy by humans and faeries are similar in some ways but vary widely in others. If we want a friendly response, we need to learn some things about faeries and what is important to them, just as we would of the inhabitants of a foreign human country we are visiting. I’m going to give you some suggestions to becoming personal friends with the faeries.
Faeries like to talk, so they like people who can be quiet and listen when that is appropriate. They speak in subtle voices, in hidden ways. If we aren’t good at listening—and listening with more than just our ears—we won’t be able to hear them. We need to listen with our hearts as well, and open ourselves t the subtle senses of emotion and empathy. They like us to be open enough so we can see or sense what is really there, more than just the obvious world of the physical eyes.
They like to play jokes, so we need a good sense of humor—good enough to laugh even when the joke is on us, as it frequently will be. If we can laugh at ourselves when we are laughed at by the faeries, the experience becomes a delightful one for all of us. Laughter creates a loving energy bond between those who laugh together, and it lightens our hearts.
And one more thing: wherever you are, the faeries are there too—or can be in the blink of an eye.

Singing with the faeries:
Faeries love to sing. They consider singing one of the great arts, an alchemy of the spirit. They have their own ideas about what constitutes song, and the one thing you can say for certain is that faerie songs are always individual and original. Faeries don’t use what they call “canned music”—radios, tapes, CDs, any type of recording. These bring “foreign” energy in to the song and try to force the faeries to sing in a preprogrammed way rather than spontaneously and appropriately to the moment. The right song raises our energy, makes us feel lighter and brighter. It also balances and raises the energy of the place in which we are singing. And it brings us more in harmony with both the place and the time—the significant, powerful moment of Now.
You can begin by just focusing on your breath—breathing in, breathing out. Open your mouth and let the outgoing breath make a sound, any sound the breath likes to make at the time. You will sometimes find that this sound changes from moment to moment. Just allow it to do so. With each breath, let the sound move and change as it wants to. Don’t try to control or anticipate the sound—just let it happen.
When you first start to practice this, it may sound pretty weird, possibly even silly. That’s all right, just let it. Remember to let your heart be light and playful. If you feel like giggling, do. Giggles are the grace notes of faerie music. This fear of looking foolish to ourselves is one of the greatest obstacles to opening communication with the faeries for most of us. Another major obstacle is the fear of looking silly to other. That’s why you are doing this by yourself. The greatest obstacle of all is believing you won’t be able to do it and not trying.
After you have let the sounds just create themselves for a while, you will find that they begin to do interesting things. They may develop a beat or a melody. At first, beat and melody may be similar to music you are used to. However, the more you leave it free and the more you sing, the more unusual the song is likely to become. I’d suggest you don’t try to do anything with this except to enjoy it. Faerie songs balance and encourage joyful growth in the faeries themselves, the environment, and us. The more we do of this, the better we will feel.

Dancing:
Another thing that faeries like is to dance, and they like people who dance with them. This doesn’t mean that we have to be great dancers. We can dance with the faeries in a wheelchair, even if we are able to do no more than nod our heads—in fact, even if we can do no more than beat our hearts. They are interested in and involved with the spirit, the energy of what we do, not primarily with the physical body. If we can dance with them with our energy, in our hearts, they’ll be delighted. There is an important point here: they ask only what we can give, but they do ask that much—given wholeheartedly. As in singing with the faeries, there are certain things that are better not to do. There are not very many of these things, and by now you may have discovered that singing is more fun without them. So is dancing. We don’t do prepared or practiced dance steps, and we dance without other humans, especially at first, because whether we are pleased by our dancing or embarrassed by it, thinking about it is a terrible distraction from the real dance. Likewise, we don’t use ready-made music. We follow our intuitive knowing and inner rhythm. We let our breath, bones, and muscles guide us. Our hearts can sense the dance even when our minds don’t know it. This kind of dancing comes straight from the creative heart of being. It does not have formal steps—it moves us like a small child dances. In fact, any two-year-old can and probably does do it. It is an out-flowing in motion of the energy of life. Flowers do it and so do trees—very slowly. Generally, we do it best if we start very slowly too.
Start with your breath, just your natural breath, nothing special or forced. Feel it move in your body, feel it move in the chest, and feel the more subtle movement deep in your abdomen. This is part of the energy dance of your body. While standing quietly, focus on being aware of your breath until you can feel how it alone moves your enter body, right down to your toes. Then let the body begin to move itself in response to the breath. Breath is sacred; it transcends and permeates all of the worlds. Just rest in to your body, your breath, your heartbeat, and your feelings. Let yourself BE the movement. This takes practice and practice takes patience—patience with ourselves. We can begin with just a gentle rocking or swaying; we might even start just with breathing. Try this: Let yourself focus on the movement of your pelvis, the sacral center, as you just breathe without other intentional movement, and allow movement to begin from there. You’ll find that your body wants to rock or sway gently. Just let it. See if you can keep your awareness in the center of your pelvis without caring too much about what the rest of your body is doing. Just let the pelvis do what it wants, however much or however little that is, and let the rest of the body follow it. Some people may find it easier to start from the heart than from the pelvis. If so, do. But you will also need to learn to dance from the sacral center, in the center of the pelvis, because this is our connection with magick and power, while the heart is our connection with love and joy. In time, you will get good enough at it to dance wholly from both centers, equally and simultaneously. A helpful thing to remember is that, if we are losing our balance and stumbling or falling, we are not fully tuned in to faerie dancing. Let go more of the conscious control—thinking, planning, and anticipating. Slow down. Dancing with the faeries is a kind of freedom from the mind and a renewal of the spirit. We feel better at the end of it. We do not have strained muscles or bruises, either of the body or of the spirit.


Faerie greeting:
Hallae hessen, hallae fodobrae, hallae enkamenkam!
(Hello yesterday, hello tomorrow, hello forever on!)

Calling to the Flower Faeries
Hallae, anhilna fey elhen!
Ta min mina fey elhen
Yen lanas
Shay en lume en hanahten!
(Hello, beautiful faerie friend!
To my flower faerie friend
I extend
Joy and light and gladness!)


Creating a Thoughtform Faerie
A thoughtform faerie is just that: a faerie, a real being, made entirely from the power of your thoughts.
First, decide what task your thoughtform faerie will have. The task should affect how it looks (i. e. fierce and animal-like for guarding, or filmy and winged for aiding in astral projection). Keep in mind the three-fold law when deciding.
Method #1:
Stand facing your altar, holding your hands in front of you, palms facing each other. This is where your thoughtform faerie will gather and grow. Start vigorously rubbing your palms together, feeling the heat and energy made by friction, and know that just as you created that heat, you can create life.
Now move your hands apart a few inches and focus on feeling the chakras in your palms being expanded. Sense a growing mass of energy forming between them. With your mind, create an even greater energy field growing, spinning, and enlarging between your palms until you are forced to move them apart a few more inches.
Keep up this visualization until your hands feel pushed approximately two feet apart. This should take about 20 minutes. Now, see the energy forming a shape which will become the physical body of your faerie. Make its appearance just as clear as you can.
Method #2:
Again, rub your hands vigorously before you start, drawing confidence from the heat your produce. Now hold them a few inches from your chosen chakra. Feel the energy which is creating your faerie coming from this chakra. See the energy massing in front of you, allow it to expand, and eventually take form. As the energy grows, move your hands apart accordingly. Again, this should take about 20 minutes. When the energy mass is about two feet in diameter, give it its appearance.
When you are done with method one or two, send the faerie one more blast of energy, and visualize the faerie going about its task. Picture exactly how it looks while doing so and how others will react to it, even though they may be unaware that it’s there. The more clearly this picture is formed in your mind, the more effectively the faerie will work.
Method #3:
This takes longer but it’s good for those who have trouble raising personal energy.
If you have a favorite meditation technique, use it. Play light instrumental “New Age” music, light candles and incense, to help induce a meditative state. Avoid lying down, as you may fall asleep. Instead sit in a half or full lotus, or in a chair with your back straight. A guided meditation or pathworking works wonderfully.

Be prepared to have to refuel the being for 15 minutes a day for the next few days after creating by feeding it life-giving energy. After that you can limit your feedings to once every 2 weeks, and then once every month. Left unfed, they have a very limited life span. Try recharging them every new or full moon.

Grounding the energy:
When you’re finished with your thoughtform faerie, you must dismantle it and ground the energies that brought the being to life. Call the faerie to you in a meditative state or to the same chakra point you used to create it. Thank the being for its service and tell it you are grounding its energy, returning to Mother Earth’s womb, and that anything not grounded will be relegated to Faerieland. Hold up your palms in the same way you did to create the faerie and reverse the visualization process. After that, press your palms to the earth, feeling any leftover energy draining from you safely and harmlessly in to the earth.


Definitions of Faerie Magick:
Faerie Magick: Magick specifically connected to the Faerie Realm, whether through invoking the Faeries, working in a Wild Place, or working with energy that feels specifically connected to the realm of Faerie.
Faerie Fire: A green light or energy that glows but does not burn, often seen in enchanted places at night during summer. When raising energy, focus on Faerie Fire and you will find the energy tingles and crackles more than usual.
Mists and Shadows: The veiled space between the physical realm and the world of Faerie. It's possible to enter this realm in a physical state, and often you will 'lose time' in this space. Shape-shifting is easier here, and when we subconsciously slide into this realm we often catch glimpses of the Faerie Folk.
Green Man: The masculine aspect of the Forest, often seen in entwined ivy, the bark on trees, or in the twisted limbs of a bush.
Crystal Grove: This is what I call the magickal space of the Faerie. I visualize this space as a grotto with lush vegetation, sparkling lights from the phosphorescence that floats in on the tides, huge dark trees with moss hanging down and over-looking it all, a Full Moon. The energy of this space can be re-created through the use of candles, crystals, finding a lovely spot in the woods or by a stream.
Wild Place: A spot in nature that has wild, untamed energies. Unkempt lots where the brambles and briars have overtaken the land tend to be where Faeries congregate.
Deva: A plant, land, or faerie "over soul" who has more knowledge and insight than the others---kind of like an elder. One who has guardianship over a territory or group of plants or faeries.



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Science in my Spirituality

I felt like doing another post today, this time on the Pagan Blog Prompt for science in my spirituality (http://paganprompts.blogspot.com/)

I have always been a big believer in science. I know that almost, almost everything in this world can be explained, experimented on, and tested by science. Science has discovered so many amazing things about the world we live in, that it's very mind-boggling once you start thinking about it. I'm not one of those spiritual people who completely discount science simply because science can't explain everything in this universe.

In fact, I believe that science plays a critical role in the divine, and the things that science supposedly can't explain. Many Wiccans/Witches say that the Divine isn't some remote force---that the Divine is truly in everything around us, and in us. If this is so, then the Divine is in science, as well! The science of all things, no matter what kind of science, is continuously explaining the complex plan the Divine used to create the universe, and to keep it going. And science is evolving just as we are. Every year a scientist, or team of scientists, are discovering something new. Even things that couldn't be explained before are being explained, through sciences such as psychology and quantum physics.

So when it comes to science and spirituality, I strive to make science part of my spirituality. Sure, it as yet cannot explain everything, but I firmly believe that all science is Sacred, just as everything else created by the Divine is. And so, it should be honored, just as we honor the deities, the elements, the animals, the spirits, and all things of this world.

Edit:: I now also want to add that science can definitly explain how something works, how something is done, etcetera, but science has never been able to completely explain why everything is the way it is. This, I believe, is where the Divine comes into play =)

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Teen Covens

Terribly sorry that this is late again, haha =) I've been so busy lately. Work, plus babysitting, as well as an online college psychology course paired with regular high school work! And tonight I'm going to the Winter Ball. I don't really know why I'm going, really. At first it was because the guy I like is going to be DJing, but now that I've discovered he likes someone else, I really don't have a reason to go. Besides, of course, the fact that my friends are going.

But let's get back to that opinion post! This one is an article I posted on Witchvox, with a few edits.

Teen Covens.

Sally: “Hey, Annie, wouldn’t it be a kick-arse idea to make a coven?”

Annie: “You know, that does sound cool. I bet a lot of people would join.”

Sally: “Yeah, let’s start planning. We could do the creation ceremony this full moon!”

Jill: “I don’t know, guys. It sounds a little too ‘The Craft’ to me. Maybe we should think about it a little more.”

Annie: “Don’t be so lame, Jill. You’re either in, or out.”

Sally and Annie are psyched to create a coven. They are already envisioning nights under the moonlit sky, lighting the bonfire and dancing, working powerful magick and taking control of their lives, instead of their lives being in the control of others. Coincidently, The Craft happens to be one of the favorite movies.

But Jill isn’t so sure. She’s been a Witch for a bit longer than her two best friends, and she seems to be much more grounded in reality than them. She knows wrong from right, and she knows that you have to be cautious when it comes to such things as magick and covens.

Jill tries to convince her friends to do more research on the topic, but they go ahead and create their coven anyway, dragging a couple more Wiccans in to it, and giving it a cheesy name that they hope makes them sound powerful and mysterious. Jill decides not to join, because she knows that this little coven of theirs will end badly. Her friends soon stop hanging out with her, and she goes on to make new, more rational and grounded friends.

After a couple months of happy and powerful magick-making in the new teen coven, fights break out over things like who gets to do what, who gets to be the High Priestess, etc, etc. They disband. They never talk to each other again.

It would be nice to say that Annie and Sally went crying to Jill, but they didn’t. They separated in to different groups after having a jealous fight, thinking they could be a coven of two.

For many teens who have been in covens, this sounds remarkably familiar.

Of course, I’m not saying that all teen covens end up this way. I have been in contact with a couple who did work out wonderfully, but had to disband mostly because of things like members moving away, graduating, going to college, travel, etc. But many teen covens do end up like this.

That little introduction will probably not deter a few of you from making a teen coven. What I ask of you few is to read this entire article, check out a book or two, and then make your decision more rationally.

Here are some, just a few really, pros and cons of having a teen coven. Read them, think about them, and heed them if you will.

Pros

Having a teen coven is a great way to celebrate your beliefs with other people your age. Sometimes there aren’t many teen Wiccans in your area, and the few Wiccans there are probably hide their spirituality pretty well, so advertising for a teen coven on sites like Witchvox is a great way to meet like-minded people.

I’ve done rituals with my friends before, and I have had a coven myself. One of the things I love about it is the feeling of being able to share my experiences with people my age, who understand me. I sometimes find it difficult to share my experiences with older Wiccans because a lot of the time they dismiss them as false fantasies created by a fluffy-bunny teenager. So having people I can share things with is wonderful.

Having a teen coven also strikes up interest by other people. And when they get interested, they start researching, and even if they don’t become Wiccan, they at least have good knowledge of it so they don’t end up being ignorant.

Cons

Not always do you find a teen Wiccan who is responsible, mature, and serious when it comes to their religion. Sometimes all they are is on a power trip, and want to get more people in on it. Sometimes, when they create a coven, all they want is to be in control, and it gets to the point where the coven seems more like a cult than a coven, with the leader wanting to control every aspect of your life.

As I mentioned in the example at the beginning of this essay, fights can break out over small things, even after a few months of peaceful, happy coven get-togethers. A few examples? Jealousy of the leader, the leader being angry that no one is following their orders, difference of opinions, one or two people not wanting to choose sides but being forced to… Sometimes it can go as far as even after they disband, they still lash out at each other.

Remember when I said having a teen coven is a great way to share your ideas and experiences? Oftentimes, especially if the people aren’t exactly close friends, their ideas won’t really go together all that well. One person will think the other person is making everything up (even if they are telling the truth) and the other will think the person is on a power trip, and the whole fighting thing happens again. It’s not a pretty situation. Even I have been skeptical of some of the things that my covenmates have spoken about, although I know that they may actually be true and I do my best to remain open-minded. But that’s just the thing: sometimes the people just aren’t open-minded.

And last of all, to be in a coven, you have to have perfect love and perfect trust for the other people in your coven. And if you don’t have perfect love and perfect trust for them, then you know right then and there that the coven will not work.

For you teen Wiccans planning to create a coven, I suggest that you first create a study group. You could study Wicca and Paganism for a while, get together every week to discuss a different topic, and maybe occasionally do rituals. After a few months, if you and your study group feel that you are all dedicated and mature enough to organize something as difficult as a coven, and keep it going, then do so. But I highly recommend that before you do it, that you get the book Inside A Witches Coven by Edain McCoy, as well as a few other books like it. It outlines exactly how to form a coven, what to plan, how to organize the structure, etc.

Believe it or not, it takes a lot of planning. It took three months before my friends and I were finally prepared enough to officially create the coven. The friends who, at the end of the planning period, weren’t so sure of joining the coven anymore (they didn’t expect it to be so formal, or that it would be such hard work) didn’t end up joining, and that is perfectly fine. The ones who were dedicated enough stuck with it, and created the coven. Unfortunately, this summer the coven disbanded. What reasons? Well, for one, all the members but me lost interest and dedication. Plus, one of them moved away. So I suppose my coven was not one of those that lasted a long time.

Thank you for reading!

Your Alaskan Witchy,

Celeste Airdancer

The New Moon Ritual

With the New Moon coming up this week, I thought I'd provide a nifty little ritual for it. It's not of my own creation, but I can't remember where I got it. If I find out, I'll post the link.



Cast the circle and call the quarters, and call the God.

Light the Black Crone candle: "Oh Dark Mother hear my call. Hecate, Goddess of the Moon, your daughter (son) is in need your wisdom and strength on this night. Your child walks with shadows when they wish to walk with the light. Fears and negativity haunt me, sapping me of my energy and my strength. I call upon you this night of the dark moon to aid in the banishment of these shadows."

Pour some wine into the libation dish and say, "To the Lord and Lady!"

Fill the altar goblet with wine. Hold up the altar goblet and say, "I drink to the God and Goddess."

Take a sip from the goblet, and say, "Blessed Be."

Write down on a piece of paper those negative traits or problems you wish to be rid of.

Then as you burn your paper concentrate on the things to be banished from your life. Feel the fear or negativity and then let it go as you cast it into the fire reciting: "Hecate, Honored Crone of Night, I call upon you to put things right. Transform these negative thoughts and pain and help my life be whole again."

Since you have created a void by banishing the negativity in your lives, you will need to fill that void. Close your eyes and visualize a blue light washing over you, filling you. You will now need to evoke laughter because that is the strongest banishment of all and the best protection.

As you circle Deosil, visualize the happiest moments in your life. Let the uninhibited child in you come out to play. Laugh. Even if it is forced in the beginning, it will come if you open the door. Let the laughter fill you.

Take up the plate with the cakes and say "May I never hunger." Take a bite, and then say, "Blessed Be."

Take up the wine and say "May I never thirst." Take a sip of the wine and then say, "Blessed Be."

Give thanks for one thing that you are thankful for, and request assistance for one thing that you are in need of.

Thank the Goddess and God, and the Quarters.

Open the circle.

My Opinion on Fluffy Bunnies

Am I not just the most late person ever? Haha, I keep doing these things late. This one is two days late! So I suppose instead of doing the opinion today and the info one tomorrow, I'm just going to do both today =) Doesn't that just make you squirm with happiness? *sarcasm* haha

Picture courtesy of DollyandtheBlackDog, youtube.com

Fluffy Bunnies.

First of all, for those of you who don't know what a fluffy bunny is, one definition is someone who is new to the Craft and follows it...well, all wrong. They have also been called Insta-witches, McWiccans, One-Book Witches, Wicclets, and Whitelighters. More information on what a fluffy bunny is can be found on this page: http://wicca.timerift.net/fluffy.shtml

Okay, so yeah, fluffy bunnies are totally annoying. I should know, I used to be one. And I know several people who were--or are--ones. And it's really hard to keep yourself from yelling at them, sending them nasy emails telling them off, talking shit about them...etcetera. In fact, I'm sure many have succumb to the temptation. Many, in fact, embrace it and go around the internet spouting people's crap right back in their faces. A lot of people try to make these fluffy bunnies see the light.

So, I'll make my opinion short on this...or at least as short as I can.

First of all, by proselytizing to these people---yes, proselytizing---and shoving your beliefs down their throats, you are just as bad as the fluffy bunnies.

Second of all, we were all fluffy bunnies once, or will be sometime or another. These people are beginners, and you can't expect a beginner to know everything about everything right from the get-go. Everyone grows, everyone learns. For some people it takes longer, and for others it takes a shorter amount of time. It took me about a year and half, maybe even two years, to grow out of my fluffy-bunny phase. So when you meet a fluffy bunny, don't shoot them down and pretend that you're oh-so-much-better-than-them. Get off your high horse and just kindly suggest a good book. Don't say that they're wrong, don't try to get them to change their ways, because that's just going to encourage them to keep being fluffy. Just offhandly suggest to them different reliable books that you've read, and let them learn on their own.

I don't like them any more than you do. Heck, my ex is convinced that he's an all-powerful vampire/witch, and he "created" his own Craft tradition that he named after himself. Fluffy bunnies drive me crazy. I just want to bonk them upside the head and scream at them. But I don't, because that doesn't get anyone anywhere. You just have to let them grow out of their phase on their own. Life is all about learning lessons. You can tell people the so-called "right" way to practice the Craft or Wicca, but knowing isn't the same as understanding. Just give kind suggestions and know that they will find their way, on their own.

And besides...their path is just as valid as anyone elses. Sure, they're annoying as heck, and they may be giving a bad name to the religion they claim their part of but really aren't, but if their path makes them happy and makes them feel fulfilled...then so be it. When their path no longer fulfills them, they will grow out of their phase.

Thanks for reading my opinion =)

Your Alaskan Witchy,

Celeste

A Nummy Recipe~

FAERIE CAKES

Can be used for Nollaig na mBan, Yule, all esbats, name days, faerie offerings, and birthdays

Ingredients: 1 stick butter, 2/3 cup sugar, 2 beaten eggs, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, grated orange rind, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, 1 ¼ cups flour, 1 tablespoon milk, 1/3 cup sultanas
Sugar icing ingredients: 2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons boiling water

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs, vanilla, and orange rind.
Sieve baking powder and flour together and add to the butter mixture.
Add a little milk to create a batter of dropping consistency.
Fold in the sultanas and spoon into well-greased muffin cups.
Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes. Drizzle on icing.
For icing: combine sugar with boiling water

Blood in Magick

Sorry that I'm doing my opinion post a day late =P I was spending the night at a friend's house. Hope you're not too disappointed!
Blood in Magick.
We've all heard of it, and many of us view it as "black magick" or "dark magick". Some people even go as far as to declare it "forbidden" in their tradition/coven. A lot of people also say that it is against the Wiccan Rede, as the "harm none" part applies to yourself as well.
To a degree, I agree. When one kills an animal or cuts it and uses its blood, it is unethical and inhumane and totally against the Rede. When one takes blood from someone else against their will to use in magick, that is also unethical. I heard a report that in 2009 a man was arrested for sacrificing a goat on his property (he practiced Santeria). He took it to court and he won the case. His attorney declared it a "victory for religious freedom." Okay, so it was all part of his religion and all, but that doesn't mean it wasn't inhumane and unethical. So I rather disagree with that type of blood magick.
And then people talk about how it's okay to use blood in magick as long as it's your own menstrual blood. Well, where does that leave the guys? They don't have periods. (unless, of course, they're hermaphrodites, but I'm not educated in that subject so I'm not sure about that.)
And so, I think it's fine to use a bit of blood in your magick and rituals, if it is from your own body. And if it is other people's blood as well as your own, it should be given willingly. And by willingly, I mean the person is in the circle, involved with the magick, and knows what they are doing.
I myself just used a bit of my own blood the day before the Blue Moon. I was consecrating a candle that I was going to use for something very important during the Blue Moon, and I knew that providing a bit of my blood would make the spell more powerful. That, I think, is ethical.
In this sense, I'll come to the whole thing about "harm none" applying to yourself as well. And my argument for this is: it is impossible not to harm. Everything we do causes someone or something some kind of harm, either in a big way or a small way. We can try to harm as little as possible, though, and I figure that if you're going to harm someone, then it might as well be yourself instead of someone else, and it should be part of magick. ON THIS NOTE, I think cutting goes against the law of "harm none," because you are harming yourself in a negative way.

And that was my little rant on blood in magick =)

Happy New Year 2010, everybody!

Your Little Alaskan Witchy,

Celeste Airdancer


The previous image is not owned by me.