Tag Archives: ritual

MOON Libra SUN Libra

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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(

Lammas Altar

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Lammas Altar

Grass Doll with Passion Flower & Yellow ribbon

  • to hold the magick for release at the dawn of Yule & to be sacrificed to the Fires of Imbolc

Summer Bliss Balm

  • to remember the blissful feeling of Father Sun penetrating the cold grasp of Winter

Feathers- Kookaburra, King Parrot, Crested Pigeon, Galah, Cockatoo

  • to feel the benefits of all that is associated with Air
  • to learn the medicine of each bird represented

Seabird bones & wing (from Mamma Ocean)

  • to pay respects to all that have come before me, the creators of the here & now

Seashells

  • to bring the loving embrace of Mamma Ocean into my family home so that harmony & peace may prevail

Sea stones

  • to honour the Children of my Womb

Black Tourmaline

  • to extract the energy that not longer belongs

Evening Primrose flowers

  • to feel my Sistars beside me

Pink Moth

  • a reminder to express love in all things

Cassowary Bone Dagger

  • to give me courage

Milk Thistle flower

  • to protect the space & the magicks

Wand of Wyrd

  • to direct the magicks

Green Acorns

  • to facilitate the union of my Spirit & my Identity

White Sage incense

  • to conjure the feeling of Freedom

Beeswax candle anointed with Summer Bliss balm & inscribed with Fehu, Jera, personal Ancestor symbol, & local flag

  • to honour this time… the Gateway to Autumn
  • to honour the caretakers of this Land… Wurundjeri of the Kulin Nation
  • to honour my Mothers Mothers… Kerawara, Duke of York Islands

Owl Dreaming drum

  • to keep the rhythm of my Dreaming
  • to draw out my own inner Wisdom

Urrion

  • to assist in weaving & grounding the magicks

Oracle cards

  • to open me to the energies that are calling for my attention

)O(

Ostara Rite

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Ostara Altar

Ostara Rite
A rite to mark the turning of the Wheel that will bring balance to our inner reality & nourishment to our goals.
This rite is best done outdoors around the base of a tree at dusk or dawn.
Components-
• seeds that you can plant to grow
• a handful of dirt from where you wish them to grow
• a candle
• a feather
• a jar of water with a lid (natural water is best)
The Rite-
Call an aspect of self to each direction, focus thoughts:
  • at East on Ostara, on our ability to harness what is coming & plant seeds of change & growth
  • at North on Litha, on our ability to express our passions & drive our actions,
  • at West on Mabon, on our ability to gather what we need to sustain ourselves & let go of what no longer is useful
  • at South on Yule, on our ability to be deep within our mystery & our inner knowing
Centre is for Earth Sun Moon & Stars in balance of cycles
Honour the Land spirits & our Ancestors
Ground & centre
Seeds in left hand, dirt in right hand
Breath into left body by blocking the right nostril, focus on yin & draw yin energy in from the outer world & breath out yin energy from inner world
Breath into right body by blocking the left nostril, focus on yang & draw yang energy in from outer world & breath out yang energy from inner world
Send awareness to feet & ask them to show you a way to balance, feel it rise from the feet into your body
Place seeds in mouth
Let your feet walk you to find a place to offer the dirt
Come back to centre
Take the water & offer some to the Earth at the base of the tree in centre then add the seeds to the jar with some spit
Take the feather in right hand & candle in left
Breath in balance between left & right, inner & outer, yin & yang
Ask your spirit to to show you how to hold the balance, feel it trickle down from the top of your head
Let your spirit take you for a walk & offer the feather where you land
Come back to centre & symbolise the holding of balance onto the candle with a nail
Give thanks to Earth Sun Moon & Stars
Give thanks to Land spirits & Ancestors
Close circle by drawing in the aspects of self that have watched from each direction.
Follow-up
Plant the seeds by pouring the contents of the jar into the place you wish for them to grow
Set the candle in the dirt by the seeds & light it, letting it burn out naturally.

MOON Aquarius SUN Leo

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from Shadowscape Tarot by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law

Artwork from Shadowscape Tarot by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law

Standing under the Moon this evening will be a time for me to acknowledge who I have become over the dark, cold, ponderous Winter. In doing this I hope to understand how I am able to access my individual qualities, explore ways of releasing the potency that has been building within me in the past few months, & devise plans for navigating around any problems that may arise in the process.

My rite might go something like this…

Rainbow candle & Bismuth stone

Spin widdershins to return home

Myrrh & Frankincense smoking the air

Florida Water to wipe my cares

Prayers to Moon & Earth & Sun

Thanks expressed to all who’ve come

Reduced to be nothing, exploded to be all

Listening hard for the Ancestral call

Penning the words that encompass me

Stating them loud, confidently

Then making an oath to the One most high

Of all I am willing to offer & deny

Held now, sure, & ready to burst

I drum & sing & dance to disperse

I fall & laugh & release the space

Deosil I spin to the common place

I know who I am & what I must be done

And I step boldly forward to meet what will come.

Happy Moontide!

Alison xxx

MOON Capricorn SUN Cancer

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Best Self Standing

You will need:

  • pen & four pieces of paper
  • a handful of salt or earth or stones
  • items for an altar (see below for ideas)

Stand in a powerful pose & call your best self into you. Consider where your ambitions are & feel these ambitions settle into your body.

Create an altar space that reflects these ambitions & walk around it three times deosil (anti-clockwise in the Southern hemisphere). Then sit by your altar & complete the following sentences, one on each piece of paper:

  1. I want… & to achieve this I am going to be responsible for…
  2. I feel… & to benefit from this I am going to be responsible for…
  3. I desire… & to fulfill this I am going to be responsible for…
  4. I know… & to utilise this I am going to be responsible for…

Stand facing South in a powerful pose, & in a strong & confident voice read the first sentence three times. When done, continue to stand in this way pondering what you have said for as long as you can. Write down any ideas or thoughts or sensations that come to you underneath where you wrote the first sentence. Place the paper on the ground here & put some salt/earth/stones on top. Give thanks with a deep bow.

Stand facing West in a powerful pose, & in a strong & confident voice read the second sentence three times. When done, continue to stand in this way pondering what you have said for as long as you can. Write down any ideas or thoughts or sensations that come to you underneath where you wrote the second sentence. Place the paper on the ground here & put some salt/earth/stones on top. Give thanks with a deep bow.

Stand facing North in a powerful pose, & in a strong & confident voice read the third sentence three times. When done, continue to stand in this way pondering what you have said for as long as you can. Write down any ideas or thoughts or sensations that come to you underneath where you wrote the third sentence. Place the paper on the ground here & put some salt/earth/stones on top. Give thanks with a deep bow.

Stand facing East in a powerful pose, & in a strong & confident voice read the fourth sentence three times. When done, continue to stand in this way pondering what you have said for as long as you can. Write down any ideas or thoughts or sensations that come to you underneath where you wrote the fourth sentence. Place the paper on the ground here & put some salt/earth/stones on top. Give thanks with a deep bow.

Sit at your altar space again & imagine that your ambitions are working for you & shaping your life. Let this fill you & roll it around your senses & your body & your mind & your heart & your spirit. Walk three times widdershins (clockwise in the Southern hemisphere) looking at the ground & seeing the path to your goals unfolding beneath your feet.

Leave the altar & paper piles where they are at least for the night. When you are ready, gather the salt/earth/stones & scatter them somewhere to the East of your space. Put the pieces of paper somewhere that you can see them & on a regular basis (eg. every morning on rising) stand in your power, repeat the sentences & reflect upon the other things you have written under it, adding bits or adjusting it if you feel the need to.

Happy Moontide!

Alison xxx

MOON Sagittarius SUN Gemini

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Aegishjalmur

Something for your Full Moon, best performed Saturday evening or Sunday morning this weekend.

You will need:

  • a green stone
  • your favourite incense
  • a candle, preferably green but white is also good
  • Holy Water or Florida Water or water from a natural source
  • seeds that you can either eat or plant in your garden

The ceremony:

  • Create your circle in a way that suits you then ground & centre in the space.
  • Light the candle & sit holding your seeds in your non-dominant hand. Close your eyes, pretend you are asleep & dream of what you would like to manifest in your life. Focus your dream thoughts down along your arm & into the seeds that you are holding. When you are done, place them beneath the candle.
  • Light the incense & hold the green stone in your dominant hand. Close your eyes & send your awareness throughout your body checking for any imbalances that require your attention. These may be physiological, emotional, spiritual or psychological. Focus on these spots of imbalance then radiate the colour & solidity of your green stone to those exact areas, energising them for healing & restoration. When you are done, hold the stone over the incense & give thanks. I recommend carrying this stone with you, close to the skin, every day until you feel that you have dealt with or are dealing with these imbalances. For now, place the stone next to the incense.
  • Stand in Warrior Pose (see image below or choose your own style of Warrior pose) facing North. Stare out towards that horizon, empower your pose & breath deep. While you hold this position, connect to the rich, nourishing energy that rises up to you from Earth. Draw it up through your feet & legs & trunk, considering your healing & dreams as it rises. Let it pool & build in your chest as you define the steps ahead that your healing & your dreams require of you. When have reached your peak, shoot the energy out to the Northern horizon. Step your legs together, facing North, & bow.
  • Take the Holy Water, dip your finger into it & draw the Aegishjalmur (pictured above) on your chest. As it evaporates & cools your skin, feel the waters connecting you to the world of material things & calling to you all that you need for the healing that you require & all that you must cross paths with to see your dreams coming true. I recommend anointing this Bindrune daily until you begin to experience the changes you wish to see.
  • Say the following 3×3 times-

Let me pray for peace, health, wealth, wisdom for all.

May all meet under the light of Grandmother Moon forever more.

Children of my children hear my prayer.

Blessed Be!

  • Stamp your feet, shake your limbs & make some noise (I recommend a bell or singing bowl).
  • Release & clear your circle in a way that suits you.
  • Allow the candle to watch over the seeds until it has let itself go out (you may have to snuff it out & relight it again for safety reasons). When the candle is done, eat the seeds or set them aside for your next planting day.
  • Gather the incense dust & toss some into the Winds.
  • Carry the stone with you & each day cleanse it by sitting it in the Holy Water on an altar.

Warrior Pose

Blessings on your Full Moon Weavings!

)O(

Winter Solstice rite

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Spirit Animal: The Hawk by FuShan via deviantart

This rite is to be done in two parts… Part 1 at Sunset of the longest night, Part 2 at Sunrise after the longest night. Where I live that will be Sunday the 21st June.

You will need:

A bowl of Holy Water (I will be using Florida Water that I made last Balsamic Moon)

A bowl of Bay leaves

A candle that will burn the whole night through but not much longer than that

Sandalwood incense (with myrrh if you have it)

Mandrake oil or Frankincense oil

A pen, paper, matches, a skewer or blade, & a spade

Part 1

Begin at Sunset. Take your candle &, using the skewer, inscribe it with symbols or words that make you feel connected to the mysteries, that bring you protection & potency. Then light it with the matches & light your incense from its flame.

Stand tall & with grace, facing West. Dig deep & ponder who you have been & then write your story down on paper. Read it back to yourself. Then, rip it into tiny pieces & place them into the bowl of Holy Water. Hold the bowl in your hands & pray for your past to rest in peace.

Take the bowl to an outdoor space in the West. Pour the water out with the paper that was you & bid yourself farewell.

Return indoors & take the bowl of Bay, inhale its scent & place it next to the candle. Rub a drop of Mandrake or Frankincense oil onto your Third Eye then sit facing East, close your eyes & dream of your perfect place. From this spot, allow yourself to fly as Hawk & venture into unknown spaces & times. Look long at the details of any visons that are exciting or desirable or enticing to you, pondering how these visions can be turned into wishes for your coming times.

When you return, write these wishes onto the Bay leaves, 1 wish per leaf. Hold the bowl of wishes in your hands & pray for your future to bring dreams coming true. Sit the bowl next to the candle.

If you can, stay awake all night busying yourself with productive work such as baking or sewing or crafting. If you need to sleep, it would be nice to do so with your candle & bowl placed safely nearby.

Part 2

As the Sun rises, light some more incense & read back over your Bay wishes. Watch the Sun rising & give thanks for the return of light after the longest night. This is done nicely with a warm cup of tea or bowl of porridge.

When you are ready & your praises have been sung, take the Bay wishes & your spade to an outdoor space in the East. Bury your Bay leaves, pat the soil down & whisper your blessings over it. Return to this spot often to place fortune over your wishes. Allow your candle to burn until it goes out naturally.

Notes:

  • create sacred space for these processes in whatever way suits your sensibilities
  • be sure to dispose of the candle wax & incense dust responsibly & intentionally, eg buried under your tree friend
  • make a list of the steps you can be taking to ensure the manifestation of your wishes & stick it somewhere that you can see it, crossing off each step as you complete it

)O(

Embodying the Aettir

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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(

A Magickal Life: Ritual Foundations

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Take a gentle step towards making your life more magickal in this short course that reveals a simple yet effective way to move closer to manifesting your perfect world. We will begin with intent & slowly open to the expression of that intention as we build a ritual to energise it & release it out into all the Worlds.

No prior spiritual work is necessary but this course will benefit all levels of spiritual awareness. There will be four sessions held in Melbourne, Australia, from 2-5pm beginning on June 8th 2014.

For bookings or inquiries please contact me via alison@thehedgewitchery.com

)O(

MOON Gemini SUN Gemini

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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(