MOON Libra SUN Libra

Dark Moon in Libra
Rite for honouring this time…

Create your sacred space.

Face East & light some incense.
Stand in a pose that makes you feel strong & connected.
Repeat the following until it resonates in your mind:

“My mind & Divine are joined by a seam”

Face South & place a crystal of salt on your tongue.
Lay down in a pose that makes you feel strong & connected.
Repeat the following until it resonates through your body:

“My body gives flight to my hopes & my dreams”

Face West & take a drink of water.
Bend into a pose that makes you feel strong & connected.
Repeat the following until it resonates in your heart:

“My heart feeds my sight like an Ocean feeds streams”

Face North & light candle.
Sit in a pose that makes you feel strong & connected.
Repeat the following until it resonates in your own personal energetic field:

“My spirit calms and opens up to what the Gods have deemed”

Circle the centre of your sacred space 9 times deosil.
Stand with your eyes closed & offer up thanks & prayers.

Journal your experiences.

Alison xx

)O(

Imbolc 2017

I woke this morning to a valley full of fog, listening to the eerie echo of the ravens croak through the thick, moist air. Even though the days are getting longer, there is a chill to the air that hints at distant snow-capped mountains & the vast expanse of the southern oceans. And it is almost lunch time & still no rays from Father Sun have penetrated the thick grey-white clouds that are hanging so low overhead.

In this way I contemplate the coming turn of the Wheel, Imbolc. This festival is called the Festival of Awakening by the lovely Glennie Kindred & is the gateway to Spring. It falls at the exact midpoint between the Winter Solstice & the Spring Equinox, August 7 at 5:40pm according to the Spheres of Light website.

For me, this festival is a time of hope, a time when the deep dreamings of Winter’s dark catch the light of the lengthening days & spark into action my body & my heart & my soul. This transition reminds me of the journey of the Cailleach to the Well of Youth, where she imbibes of the magickal waters there & returns to her maiden form, waving her white wand to bring the Earth back to her green state.

This time heralds my great annual Spring clean, which I hope to have done by the time the Wheel turns again at Ostara. The greens of Yule will be burned, items will be boxed up to send to the local charity opportunity shops, curtains will get a wash & the besom will come out of the closet for a big sweeping cleanse of the entire house. This year I will be making a potion with basil, bay & myrrh that I will use to mop the floors & wipe the surfaces of my house, adding purification, consecration, joy, peace, healing & blessings to the space. The sills will get the usual wipe down with methylated spirits & there will be a pot of lavender, apple, yarrow & rose boiling on the stove top to fill the house with love. A large white candle will burn brightly to its end on the kitchen table & salt will be sprinkled into the corners to capture anything that I may have missed.

The Hedgewitchery festivities usually involve a mass candle blessing, a huge feast & the reading of poems. This year I want us to make Inner Child Dollies to gift our youngest aspects with something special. I want to fill mine with herbs & dried corn & oats. I also want to try divining using ceromancy- the pouring of melted wax into a bowl of water. Wish me luck!

Whatever it is you do to tap into this very special time of year, may it be blessed with much peace & love & happiness.

Alison xxx

Embracing the Shadow to Release the Light

For the last 3 years I have had the privilege of spending Yule with my Hedgeriding sistars on a beautiful property on Gadubanud country at Apollo Bay. This time is in honour of the deep, dark wisdom of Winter Solstice & perfect for sitting in circles to process life as we craft & cook & tell stories. With fires burning & incense filling the air, we work our insights into crowns & magickal pouches & mommets & baked goods, & in doing so we are able to ground & centre ourselves around the growth that is available at such moments.

The reality of multiple perspectives & how they can influence our sense of self was a conversation that taught me a lot this Yule. It is easy to get lost in the way that others see the world they share with us & the distraction created with this can often elicit feelings of frustration or fear or futility… potentially a very disempowering experience.

One magickal craft that helped me to regain & reinforce my own perspective was the Yule Pouch. We began by crafting a pouch to hold the working, something that is created with what is available & woven to appeal to our personal aesthetics. Then we fill the pouch with symbolic representations of the dreams that we have for our year to come, such as a clove of garlic for protection against sickness or a small fruit to ensure that our efforts bring us an abundant return or words written on a bay leaf to hold wishes. During the Yule bonfire we take a moment to energise the pouches in a quiet, meditative state, & then they are sealed. These pouches are placed in a significant place in the home to radiate the contained magick throughout the year.

The pouch that I made last year was emptied to be refilled this year. In doing this I realised just how successful my last Yule Pouch was as it hung above my bed since the time it was sealed… all that I had asked for had come to be! It is subtle & gentle magick that I highly recommend.

As I write this, today is the shortest day & longest night & I am preparing to celebrate this auspicious time with my partner & my children. We shall feast & make a small altar in the lounge room that we can assemble our mattresses around for a slumber party. The night will be filled with movies & stories & a few simple spells…

Dreaming Stone Spell

Take a stone that feels right & hop into your bed with it. Hold it in your left hand (right if you are left-handed) & listen to what it has to say to you. Then hold it in your right hand (left if you are left-handed) & dream about the life that you wish to be living. Let this dream flow from your mind, down through your arm & hand & into the stone. Give the stone a kiss & place it on a dish of salt beside your head while you sleep on the longest night. In the morning, place the stone in your pillow case so that it is under your head every night as you dream. Journal your dreams in the days/weeks/months to come or discuss them with your friends & family. In this way you are able to access the insights that you need to manifest the life that you dream of. Toss the salt outside your bedroom window. When you feel the time is right, cleanse the stone for reuse or return it to the place that it came from (eg. earth or sea etc.).

Wishing with Bay

Make a fire or light a candle & sit beside it thinking about what you wish for more than anything in the world. This wish must be something are willing to work towards & make sacrifices for it to come to be. Write the wish onto a bay leaf, read it out 3 times & then burn it in the flame of the fire or candle. Let the ash drift where it may.

Whatever your adventures are for this Winter Solstice, may they be blessed.

HAPPY YULE!!

Alison xxx

Embodying the Aettir

When I first met with the Runes I felt that something essential was missing, like the offering of information that I had at the time seemed an extremely diluted version of the well of information they contained (three wells actually). As a result, they were put aside until I could delve deeper…

Yielding to their call a number of years later, I began to absolutely devour whatever I could find on this ancient gift; a much easier task with access to a plethora of mythical tales, research articles, historical writings & references at the touch of a button. This information was then taken into many long, smokey, ceremonial sessions that drove the teachings of the Runes deep into my entire being.

The result of this venture, which lasted a few years, is a series of ritualised meditations to explore each Rune in turn, unfolding their story from beginning to end to new beginning, within the context of the life experiences of the individual participating.

It is a fascinating study to see the Runes roll out in a story like fashion, a dreamy tale with hidden pockets full of adventurous teachings. Each aett (group of eight) contains a clear cycle of its own, that can be worked in rhythm with the seekers own cyclical flow. One definition of the three aettir that I particularly relate to is from Freya Aswynn. To simplify enormously, the first aett can be read as the creation tale, the second aett the playing out of antagonistic forces, & the third aett the unfolding of the human condition which is the beginning of the end.

In offering these Runic meditations to others, I have been able to see how beneficial it can be to work with this ancient tool & have begun the journey for a second time myself… You can never do enough work on yourself, right?!

So, it seems that when I first met the Runes I was not ready to begin uncovering their secrets & I am very lucky that they called me back into their mystical world when I was ready.

If you are interested in learning more about the Runic meditation circles (held in Melbourne, Australia) please send an email to alison@thehedgewitchery.com

)O(

MOON Scorpio SUN Taurus

On the night of the Scorpio Full Moon prepare yourself for this ceremony by clearing & quietening your self & your surrounds. When you are as close to stillness as you can be without being asleep, you are ready.

Create a sacred space & settle within it. Grind together herbs for an incense mix. Michelle Duke developed a blend especially for this Moon…

Wormwood

Nettle

Patchouli

Sage

Catnip

Lavender

Grind your mix widdershins (unwinding the Sun) & chant the following as you do-

Open All & push me through

I grind & hold to Spirit true

Send me deep to wounds unhealed

A balm this journey shall reveal

Repeat this chant 3 or 9 times, light your charcoal & add your mix.

Lay flat on the ground, close your eyes & breath in the smoke. Let your journey begin at the mouth of a cave with a small stream of water flowing into it. Light a torch from the bright, big Moon & walk into the cave. Explore as long & as deep as you can, keeping your attention attuned to your senses & honouring them in your explorations. When you are ready, return by way of giving thanks to the cave & Grandmother Moon.

Surface & add more of your mix to the charcoal. Write down your experience & how you wish to bring your findings out into the mundane world, with the intent of healing to your deepest self.

When the charcoal has gone out, bury it along with the ashes in the earth under the light of the Moon.

)O(

 

 

MOON Gemini SUN Gemini

DARK MOON MIRROR MAGICK

You will need:

  • pen & paper
  • a mirror
  • cloth & methylated spirits
  • salt
  • candle
  • incense

Set your sacred space & call your circle as you desire.

Begin by writing on the paper a list of all the things about you that seem to contradict each other. For example, I am friendly & easy to converse with but rarely spend time in social situations. Next group these attributes to form two different people, giving them names & form. Decide which of these you would like to embody most & allow it move into you until you become this person.

Next, take your mirror & wipe it clean with the methylated spirits & cloth. Sprinkle it with salt & then prop it against a wall where you can look into it comfortably. Light the candle & burn the incense in front of the mirror. Consider the other person that was formed from your attributes & allow their form to enter the mirror.

Look into each others eyes, recognising the differences & honouring each other for their own unique qualities. Now explore how you fit together, now move together, now communicate with each other. Be aware that this is how you divide yourself & how those divided parts support each other. Allow the mirrored form to emerge & embrace each other… At this point you can choose to merge together as one. Burn the paper together, they must be on fire at the same time.

Finish & close your ritual in a way that suits your desires & give thanks. Dispose of incense & paper ash on the next windy day off a high point.

)O(

 

Introducing Daily Reads…

I am happy to announce that I now offer daily reads! There is finally enough time in my day to share with those who are on their spiritual journey to healing & growth. If I could, I would do tarot readings all day because I feel open & available as soon as I start to shuffle, which is uplifting & deliciously invigorating. After working with a number of clients in doing these distance readings, I am very confident in my ability to receive & express the answers that they seek.

The Daily Reads involve you asking a question which is answered for you via a tarot reading summarised & sent to you email address the following day. You may require this service for a week, a month, or even a year, & if you are stuck for a question, there is always something waiting for you in the other realms so you won’t be disappointed.

Email before the end of February for details of a special introductory offer, alison@thehedgewitchery.com

Access more information here.

)O(

MOON Virgo SUN Aquarius

The Full Moon in Leo was a big time for many people that I have crossed paths with, & for myself it became a time to stand firmly in my Emotional Body & clear anything that was fogging it up. This clarity has been ground breaking. My Emotional Body is clear & crisp & now whispers to me, ‘No longer accept the external expectations of others.’ I am so grateful for this wisdom.

And now I look to this Virgo Disseminating Moon feeling my body, my flesh & blood, my fluids & filaments. I search my body for the answer to undying questions. I hold my body to this ever-present Earth. I learn from my body as it speaks to me. I learn from this Earth as She speaks to me… Their needs are not very different really.

As Lammas approaches I prepare to seek out the best of my harvest, the most loving & most joyous of all that has been growing around me. I will send their seeds with Lugh on His journey into the Shadow Realms where they will be blessed with the richest & deepest of love, & when they return to me with the Dawning after Yule, I will relish in their Spirit & the hope that they will bring to my future.

)O(

 

Arachne’s Dark Moon- Gemini

She came to me as I sat inside my Earth Star. She arose from the shadows, powerful in Her carriage, purposeful in Her stride. I stood to greet Her. I found that I could not meet Her eyes. Honestly, they frightened me a little… Deep green with many reflected surfaces… I felt raw & exposed. So I bowed my head, held my hands in prayer over my heart & waited for Her to speak.

“To look upon you is to see the woven web of my creation. Do you see the treasure hidden in the weaving? Do you understand the beauty of the pattern? Come, give me your hand & I will show you…”

I held out my hand & She took it. Suddenly I was looking at myself. Standing before me with head bowed & hands in prayer position above the heart, was a shadow of myself embedded in an amazing display of light! It took me a while to understand the pattern, but when I did, it was indeed a beautiful thing to behold. It spoke to me of how my past has danced with my future, how my present never exists, how all of me can move in all directions at all points in time to all spaces that ever exist.

Then I saw the movement, the flow & the colours of the lights. It was alive with activity, full of colours I have no point of reference for describing! There seemed to be a pulse, a rhythm to this movement, which I studied long & hard. Until it came to me, the ancient Song of my Soul. The words & melody that remind me of who I always am, what I always do & how I do it. The treasure had emerged from the weaving… And then She released me & spoke to me once more.

“Child, you are now responsible for this piece of wisdom. You must decide how to weave it into your surface world. Treat it with care for it may become a gift or a curse. Weave Well Woman Child.”

Then She was moving back into the shadows, singing my Soul Song as She went. I sent out a prayer of thanks Her way & returned to my Earth Star meditation.

Delving into Arachne’s shadow brought rise to mystery, which led to fear, overcome by wisdom & accepted as a gift… for I will weave well the treasures of my spirit.

Blessings on you all this Dark Moon night.

)O(

MOON Pisces SUN Gemini

So many things are being pulled into my world, my vision, my consciousness. It feels like the various forms of processing our Earthwalk are being stripped of language & ownership, & being set free as a concentrated essence that is seeping through my skin! I feel the buzz as it enters my nervous system. It fills me. I want to explode. And then I do, usually through my heart first, a bursting of warmth that throws me back as it rips me open. Then I feel my feet become magnetised to the Earth so that I am left swaying in the atmosphere like a plant growing in a running stream. My head fills with blood & begins to pulse sending my Dreams & desires out into the Universe. My fingers tingle. My ears block out all external sounds & I begin to hear singing. I will always be left with a song or a melody from these moments. When this passes I feel elated, uplifted, regenerated, like every day of my life should be celebrated! From when I open my eyes to see all that has been created, to when I drift off to Dream knowing my life is what I made it.

)O(