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(

The Festival of Light

There is a brightness to the rays of Father Sun at this time, a warmth when He can break through the icy winds, a yearning from life towards His mighty pull. Today I saw the first Jasmine flower & the smell was a delicious promise of heady warm nights to come. Imbolc, Brigit, Oimealg, Candalmas… This festival of light is upon us.

As I prepare my rite for this turn of the Wheel, I am feeling the ominous sensation that comes before a life changing event… like I am stepping through into something new & exciting. Perhaps it is the intense build up that has been on offer since the mating of the Earth & Water trines, or it could just be the general theme for this Year of the Snake. Whatever the case, I am aware of how important this time is for me & so my recognition of this festival is to be deep & personal & transformative.

The Rite

Set your sacred space within you, become the circle from which you have called your guides & guards & ancestors to stand watch, your deity/s to hold, the elements to keep, & ask this bountiful land to permit you. Draw a picture of yourself & describe who you are in words on that same piece of paper. Find a large rock & place it on top of this paper, preferably on the ground. Turn your back & walk away from it with the awareness that for a short while you are not you but a potent Spirit new to this world.

Find a place that you can be close to nature, for example your garden or the local park. Take a very slow walk to & around this place, looking with these fresh eyes, indulging in the smells & colours & textures & tastes that surround you. Ask this awesome new land to show you who you are now & patiently wait for a response. When you have it, give thanks & leave an offering (or be sure to take one back at another time).

Make a slow journey back to where you began feeling the new you taking form around the Spirit you. When you return take another piece of paper & draw & describe yourself with words upon it. Look at the paper from before your journey & note the differences. Burn the old you & place the new you in a significant place in your home.

Release you circle & focus on the embodiment of your newness as your instincts change & your body adjusts.

)O(

MOON Cancer SUN Cancer

DARK MOON RITE

You will need

a bowl of water (preferably rain or spring or sea or river or lake)

chamomile flowers

a wand

salt (preferably rock or sea)

a candle (preferably white or pink)

incense (preferably myrrh)

The Rite

Prepare you body, mind, spirit, set your space (place all of the items mentioned above on an altar at the West, & cast & call your circle as you see fit.

Light the candle on one side of the bowl & the incense on the other.

Hold your wand in your left hand (or right if you are left handed), touch the tip to your feet & conjure into your minds eye anything that is sticking your feet to the ground, holding you back from a movement that you wish to take, keeping your attention on unwanted & not helpful thought process, activating emotions that no longer serve you. Let these things all pool into your feet & enter your wand. When you have finished, place the wand tip into the water using your right hand (or left if you are left handed) & release all that is stored within into the water.

Pass the wand over the flame of the candle & through the smoke of the incense & sit it on the altar. Take the chamomile flowers into your palms, hold them close to your lips & whisper to them-

Sacred flowers of Sun & Moon & Earth I honour thee & ask that you sooth & ease the passing of the energies held in this water that they may move back into the cycle of birth death & rebirth to serve another in need of their services. And as they dissolve from me I ask you to tend to them lovingly. Thank you.

Place the chamomile flowers into the water. Gently blow your breath over them. Take the salt into your palms, hold it close to your lips & whisper into it-

Sacred minerals of this loving Earth I honour thee & ask that you hold tight to these energies as they pass from me & make their journey back to Mother Earth. Guide them with sure steps & the strong presence that you possess. Thank you.

Place the salt into the water. Lift the bowl with both hands & place it in the South.

Take your wand in your left hand (right if you are left handed) & stand in the center facing East. Hold the wand high into the air, tip pointing up, & place your right hand (left if you are left handed) palm facing the ground. Say-

I surrender to the tides as they change, I allow the currents to take me & trust that I will be swept into the perfect moments that await me. My heart & mind are strong & receptive. I am open to inspiration, I am ready to feel my way forward into – [say here what you are working towards but have been struggling to achieve] – Let this waken my will that it may be done. Blessed Be! Blessed Be! Blessed Be!

Open your circle & complete your ceremony as you see fit. Let the candle burn out naturally & dispose of the residual wax by burying it under a tree. Take the bowl of water to the furthest Western point you can walk with it & pour it onto earth, making sure all of the salt & flowers leave with it & that none of the water gets onto your hands. When you return home, rinse the bowl thrice pouring the water on earth near your back door or into the toilet if you have no back yard.

)O(

MOON Gemini SUN Sagittarius Lunar Eclipse

This eclipse gate is an opportunity to gather valuable information & understand this information within the context of your life. We can do this by searching the deep dark places & facing the shadows with courage, bringing to them clarity & cutting through all the things that may be holding you back… Sound like fun?? Here is a ceremony that I will be doing at the Witching Hour on Saturday night:

You will need: a candle, a bowl, a jug of Holy water (alternatively spring or river or ocean water will suffice), writing implements

Ceremony: Create your sacred space in whatever way suits you. Hold the empty bowl in your hands & feel it becoming an extension of your body. When you feel connected breath three long slow breathes into it & place it down gently. Hold the jug of water in your hands & open your emotional body to it allowing your heart to pulse through it. When you feel the connection say “Waters of Awakening I call thee” & gently pour the water into the empty bowl. Hold the candle in your hands & allow the Celestial Beings to move through you & into the wax. When you feel the current say  “I reconnect to all that is & honour the source of life itself” & light the candle. As you hold the lit candle, let go of time & thought & inhibitions… feel them oozing off of you & seeping into the ground. When you are present & open & empty, begin to drip the wax onto the water. You will know when to stop, you will feel it, & when you do, place the candle in a holder & gaze into the bowl under the light of the candle. Gently open your mind to receive what lies upon the surface of the water, what lies beneath the surface. As information comes to you write it down without explanation or justification. When you have gathered all that you can, release your sacred space & allow the candle to burn down in a safe place. Pour the water with the wax into a river or the seas or a hole under a tree.

Follow up: About 3-9 hours after you have performed the above ceremony, revisit the information you found & begin to piece it all together.

)O(

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(

MOON Sagittarius SUN Gemini

I am preparing for my ritual this night, gazing out my window & watching the rain pool around my Magickal Herb garden. Having pleaded with the Cloud Beings for most of the afternoon, I have resigned to the fact that I will not be viewing the eclipse that is predicted to grace our skies this evening. So, I redirect my Water Blessing ritual, which seems to be supported by the amount of Water falling from Father Sky. Instead of having the reflected light of Grandmother Moon I will be gathering rain Water that has reached the earthing phase of its ancient cycle. I will ask this Water to grant me the wisdom of its memories & the reflection of its past & especially its ability to transform and yield and soften so that it may journey to many amazing and sacred places. I give thanks to the Cloud Beings for showing me the way to gather & hold the energy of Water and for transforming my ritual to align with the space & time in which I find myself this Full Moon night.

)O(

Simple Water Cleansing Rite

This ritual will clear the energy field of emotional build up, whether yours or other peoples. If conducted every day you will stay on top of the normal daily interactions that can leave a residue in our energy field & potentially disrupt your sense of emotional stability.

It may be necessary to conduct a deeper cleansing ritual if this process is not enough. Always seek out the root cause of emotional issues & work towards removing them or learning sufficient coping techniques, either on your own or with the support of a professional. This ritual is perfect for working in conjunction with these processes.

You will need

  • A small bowl of spring water
  • A teaspoon of rock salt
  • A sprig of rosemary

Ritual

  • Add the rock salt to the spring water, stirring 3 times anti-clockwise & then 3 times clockwise
  • Take the rosemary sprig in your left hand, gaze into the bowl of water & say

Gentle water cool & clear

Salt of Earth & herb so dear

I call upon your cleansing power

To clear me so that love can flower

  • Dip the rosemary into the water & flick it all around you, starting with your head, then your trunk, your arms & then your legs. Be sure to do the front & back. Be sure to get your palms & the soles of your feet.
  • Pour the water down the drain or in a large body of water saying

I give thanks for your support,

Flow now to Mother Ocean

Take all that is negative from me

Let it be cleansed in Her body

  • Store the rosemary sprig in the bowl for the next day (replace when necessary)

 )O(