Tag Archives: potion

Samhain Dreaming

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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(

FLORIDA WATER

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My introduction to Florida Water came through a wonderful journey by Silver Raven Wolf into the mysteries of Hedgewitchery1.  In this instance, it was used as a cleansing tool at the beginning of one of the rituals. Preparing the Florida Water for this ritual was amazing as the smells filled my kitchen & lifted the energy of all who walked through. (See below for one of her recipes)

A quick internet search revealed to me that Florida Water was formulated in America in 1808, consisting of lavender, clove & bergamot. It was said to be used for offerings & purification, particularly in spells used “to remove unwanted thought forms & heavy vibrations, to encourage the display of emotions, to suppress those who talk too much & to calm places where an excess of energy is present”2.

The name of this formula comes from the myth that there is a Fountain of Youth in Florida3, indicating that there may be rejuvenating properties associated with Florida Water as well.

Florida Water became a casual member of my witch kit, until I met Rebecca Ryan4. I discovered that she makes a wonderfully powerful version of Florida Water that I now use almost every day as part of my morning cleansing ritual. When I spray Florida Water to the directions, above, below & all around, it sings the melodies to honour Air, Water & Fire, creating a balance of these elements within me. When I asked Rebecca about her connection to Florida Water, this is what she said:

“Florida Water is a mix of ingredients such as cloves and lemon juice that is suspended in a clear liquid and then bottled. Florida Water can be a spritz or can be added to a bath like an oil or dabbed onto the body like perfume. I find it a very easy and very good smelling way to clear and focus and hold a steady intent. Florida Water is one of the staples of my metaphysical cabinet. Whenever I want to

1. Clear the energy in and around me or one of my clients,

2. Clear geographical spaces or large areas – houses, cars, offices, hospitals, etc

3. Dedicate special time to focus on specific duties or specific journeys (ie to find a solution to a question, to locate something lost along the way, to make or get a precious work for someone or myself)”

When I asked Rebecca about the energetic process she uses when creating her particular blend of Florida Water, she said:

“To take this versatile compound from just a mix of (delightful) ingredients into actual Florida Water requires breath – a turning process. This is the energetic intent and the blessing that mixes the substance and forms it as a specific carrier of Spirit. I like to breathe over each individual ingredient as I use it, often I say something like: you, cloves, in your original potency, carrying the best, cleanest, clearest and most accurate vibration, bring yourself into the mix now. I repeat that for each ingredient and then dedicate the whole mixture to the harmonizing, blessing and tender caring for every piece of water or light it will ever come into contact with (animate and inanimate, seen and unseen). After that I ask for a particular blessing from Spirit then leave my Florida Water to rest and bind.”

I highly recommend the use of Florida water as a clearing, purifying, harmonising substance in any ritual, sure to bring a new dynamic to your magickal work. Create your own using the recipe below (or any number available on the internet), or if you would like to try Rebecca Ryan’s own blend of Florida Water, just email her at rebecca@rebeccaryan.com.au for details on purchasing.

Sliver Raven Wolf’s Florida Water recipe:

You will need:

Spring water                  Orange slices                                Lemon slices

Lime slices                                      Fresh mint*                                      Fresh lemon balm*

Fresh rosemary*                            Fresh basil*                                      Fresh hyssop*

A heat-proof glass jar                             A glass jar with an airtight lid

(*alternative herbs may be used, check their significance & toxicity before adding)

Creation steps:

  1. Fill the heat-proof jar with hot water; tip it out when the jar is warmed
  2. Bring the spring water to the boil
  3. Place all other ingredients into the heat-proof jar
  4. Pour boiling spring water into the heat-proof jar to fill it
  5. Allow to cool
  6. Strain & pour into the other glass jar
  7. Seal & store in the refrigerator
  8. The energy of this potion will be strong for 3 days

)O(

 

 

REFERNCE LIST:

  1. Raven Wolf, Silver, 2008, Hedge Witch : spells, crafts &rituals for natural magick, Llewellyn Publications, Minnesota USA.
  2. Yronwode, Cat, http://www.arcane-archive.org/occultism/magic/folk/hoodoo/florida-water-1.php
  3. http://www.luckymojo.com/floridakanangawater.html
  4. www.rebeccaryan.com.au