MOON Gemini SUN Gemini

I have been lucky enough to be inspired again by Michelle Duke & her magickal herb mixes to develop a Dark Moon Rite that will connect me more intimately with my Fae-self, harnessing the energy of Gemini to explore integration of opposing forces within myself & release me into a more natural & magickal state. The artwork in the photograph above is by Justin Balmain. I will be performing this rite on Wednesday night the 28th of May at the Witching Hour (AEST).

Gather into your sacred space the following dried herbs in 4 separate dishes…

Lavender & Sage

Bay & Dragon’s Blood

Skullcap & Thyme

Mugwort & Vervain

You will also need 4 incense coals in 4 heat proof dishes, a green candle in an appropriate holder & a cup of warm water with a teaspoon of Poppyseeds steeping in it. If you are unable to ingest Poppyseeds then substitute with a herbal tea of your choice. A journal or paper, & a pen will also be required.

Face East, light your incense coal & add the lavender & sage. Send out your prayers to the Keepers there & sit quietly in contemplation of Air… of your Mind… of your Thoughts… of your Memories… Search for any imbalance in this area & decide where you can support a more balanced Mental Body. Write these instructions down.

Face North, light your incense coal & add the bay & dragon’s blood. Send out your prayers to the Keepers there & sit quietly in contemplation of Fire… of your Spirit… of your Crafts… of your Desires… Search for any imbalance in this area & decide where you can support a more balanced Spiritual Body. Write these instructions down.

Face West, light your incense coal & add the skullcap & thyme. Send out your prayers to the Keepers there & sit quietly in contemplation of Water… of your Heart… of your Wellbeing… of your Cycles… Search for any imbalance in this area & decide where you can support a more balanced Emotional Body. Write these instructions down.

Face South, light your incense coal & add the mugwort & vervain. Send out your prayers to the Keepers there & sit quietly in contemplation of Earth… of your Body… of your Health… of your Possessions… Search for any imbalance in this area & decide where you can support a more balanced Physical Body. Write these instructions down.

Move to the center, light the candle, drink the poppyseed elixir & prepare for an internal journey…

Find yourself in a Forest, take in all that you see & become one with the space you are in. Search for tracks or signs that will lead you to the nearest Fae community. When you arrive, ask for permission to meet with someone, giving your own name. When you are together be guided by your Fae Self, be open to sharing intimate thoughts & feelings, especially the ones that came up during the beginning of this rite. Let this interaction be natural & organic. When you are ready, be sure to give thanks. Return & record your experience in your journal straight away.

Release your circle in the way that you feel most comfortable.

Snuff out the candle & relight at any time that you can revisit the words you wrote during this rite, checking in to see how you are progressing.

Toss the incense dust to the winds as soon as you can.

)O(

Cross Quarter Dreaming

I woke on the floor in a small log cabin. There was a rough-spun blanket wrapped around me. The only sounds were distant bird calls & the gentle rush of leaves blowing in the wind. When I stood the blanket fell from me & I was met by the chill of the air & a wonderful sensation of being alone.

Going through the only door found me outside, surrounded by a long neglected garden full of brambling herb bushes & nibbled on fruits & vegetables still attached to their mother plants.

I sat on a wooden armchair with the blanket in the wild garden to watch & learn, to understand where & when I had woken. A thick scrub of trees wrapped around the cabin. The sun was low & to my left, slowly heading for the horizon… Sunset.

A clear & darkening sky revealed to me the heads of the Gemini Twins, close behind the Sun… Late Autumn.

As the darkness deepened I sat under dampening air that froze the tip of my nose & made my ears ache with cold. No Moon… All night I waited but I could not find her… Dark Moon.

I slept then, under the gentle heat of the Autumn Sun & dreamed of a campfire council of my ancestors. I sat mute & watched them tell stories & dance & throw bunches of herbs into the fire. When it was down to embers, some coal was removed & ground in a bowl made of wood, along with some small black berries. They slit the throat of a boar & added his blood to the ground coal to make a paste, which was used to anoint the palms & ears & eyelids of all who were present… Including me. That’s when they came, shadowy figures moving through the small gathering, embracing some people, whispering to others. I felt the cold grasp of a bony hand from one shadow & heard the quiet voice reveal to me what I am required to do for this next turn of the Sun Wheel. Then I woke again, in the wild garden, with the sun & moon setting…

Samhain.

Ostara Dreaming (perform on 23-09-12)

You will need:

Green Candle

Flowers

Pot of Herbal Tea

 Frankincense Incense

Journal & Pen

Preparing yourself & the space:

 In a quite room create a small altar in the centre. Place the items listed above on the altar. Light the candle & sit quietly focussing in on the element of Fire. Then Light the incense & sit quietly focussing in on the element of Air. Hold the flowers & sit quietly focussing in on the element of Earth. Pour the tea & drink it quietly focussing in on the element of Water.

Dreaming:

Begin in your Power Place, taking a moment to explore its state & making any necessary adjustments. When you are ready, call in one of your Spirit Guides from the Underworld. Create a gateway to access your Underworld, set your Guards in place & journey through with your Spirit Guide. Find a cave & sit within it until you become one with the stone. Reach within & draw out anything that you are ready to unknow (anything that occupies your consciousness that is no longer helpful), pushing it out of you through your skin; this may be in the form of tattoos or scales or blisters, just let it naturally form on your skin.

When you are done, take yourself deeper into the cave, where it is darker & colder & narrower. With mindful care & sacred thoughts begin to release your skin, slowly shedding it along with all of the things you are unknowing. When you are clear of this skin cover it with stones & say a prayer before leaving the cave.

Play about in your Underworld & learn how it feels to be free from the skin you shed. When you are ready, find the roots of an Ancient & Sacred tree. Sit within the roots & focus in on something that you are in the process of actualising, dreaming, hoping for. With the assistance of your Spirit Guide, place this thing into an egg & nestle it in a safe spot at the roots of the tree. Repeat this process as many times as you like. When you have finished, give thanks to the tree for nurturing & protecting your eggs as they prepare to hatch within its roots.

Before you leave, take a swim or a bath in a body of water. Upon leaving, give thanks to your Guards & your Spirit Guide.

Coming back to consciousness:

Take a moment to write your experience down & sip some more of your Herbal Tea. When you are ready, snuff out the candle & give your body a good stretch.

)O(

Samhain Dreaming

I stood at the gateway watching the veil become so thin that I could see shadows moving around behind it. There were two sentries, my usual Jackal-headed men, & they stepped aside when the time was right. I moved through the gateway, the veil felt like mist…

The next thing I remember was becoming aware that my entire being was tiny particles, scattered on a horizontal plane about 20 meters from the Earth below. My consciousness was removed, looking down from above – a bit like the sensation of astral projection. My particles had a soft green glow. Another set of particles on the same plane moved over mine. They had a deep red glow. I knew who it was: we had been connecting for some time. She began sinking & blending with my particles, & as I watched, some of me fell to the ground, as did some of her. When this transformation was complete, my consciousness met my newly Blended particles & my form began to return.

I was moving along a path & as I went I realised that it was in fact my family tree. I could see clearly the placement of all the family that I knew & even the places of the ones that I did not know. I stood in my place on this tree & began the search for my Spirit Tribe connection. When I saw it, it was a bright tunnel of light that moved through me & went forever above & forever below. I allowed my Spirit form to separate from my body & flew in both directions wrapping this tunnel of light with colourful ribbons, making strong my connection with my Spirit family & ancestors. This done, I sat, in my body again, & allowed my Spirit Tribe to moved through & communicate what I needed to hear. I am so grateful for this process & have been gifted with some very powerful tools to support the flow of love through my life.

When I cam back to me, I was sitting around a fire with my Mothers Mother, Pilili. She has been in my Dreaming often & has shared many mysteries & treasures with me over the past few moons… She was brewing a potion over the fire & telling me about the process. I could feel all of my beloved dead gathered around, just beyond the light cast by the fires flames. My beautiful familiar, Iimaja, was purring at my feet… She & Granny were the only dead that I was able to see & communicate with, & I am thrilled that I was able to connect with them both. There was also another aspect of me sitting opposite me by the fire, but she did not say anything, just stared into the flames.

Leaving this space was difficult. I feel so at home on the other side of the veil… But leave I did & with a sack full of love & wisdom & stories & spells over my shoulder.

)O(