I’m gasping for breath in the ER, yet again, hit by my asthma, hearing a man on meth scream at the top of his lungs in Spanish. I wonder when the doctor will come and help me. I’m thinking, “Please don’t put me on prednisone again.”
I have been on prednisone three times in the past month and a half. Each time I’ve gained significant weight because of the medication.
I seem to be losing my battle of the bulge. I just want to be healthy.
Losing weight would help me in so many ways. Not only would my body be happy but my mind would be free from the burden of worrying about diabetes. I’d just be happy to move easily.
So why is it not in my cards?
The meth-man behind the curtain wrenches at his restraints and screams profanities in Spanish. That’s when it hits me . . .
I’m the screaming man. I’m in a situation I cannot control, tethered to my asthma, angry as hell.
The doctor comes in and orders two nebulizer treatments and puts me back on prednisone. Again!
I can’t stop my asthma, it is something I don’t control.
So what can I control?
What goes in my body
Yes, I need strong medications. But I can control my intake of food and drink. I’ll eat what the God and Goddess provides such as natural vegetables and fruits instead of artificial foods. (Donuts are my bane.)
Moving my body
Yes, it is more difficult to exercise; it’s hard to breathe. But I can move some each day. It doesn’t have to be overtaxing so I have an asthma attack. Any movement is good. Walking in the beauty of the world that the Gods have created is good for us, and the Gods especially like it when we appreciate their handiwork.
Getting rest
Getting rest to heal is just as important as movement. Getting adequate rest lessens my asthma problems. I am going to increase time for meditation, which will soothe my brain, body and soul.
Feeling Some Comfort
Understanding I have power in these three areas is comforting. I can’t control the side effects of the drugs I take. But there are things I can do.
Concentrating on what I can do in these three areas raises my morale. I can practice letting go of worries about what I cannot control.
This brings moments of happiness to my daily life.
I invite you to look at the two areas: What can you control? And what is completely out of your control?
When you get clear about these distinctions and you bring your efforts to the Gods, you’ll find some comfort.
You deserve it.
Blessings,
Moonwater SilverClaw
Imagine writing down your spells so a casual observer would not be able to decipher your notes. Nowadays, someone could look up the characters, but they’d have to put some effort into it. The unusual writing form I’m talking about is the Theban Alphabet. Several years ago, when I was in college, I found the Theban Alphabet referenced in a book.
I loved the beauty of script lines. To learn this beautiful alphabet, I started writing my college lecture notes in Theban.
Where did the magickal Theban Alphabet come from? In the medieval period, magick workers wanted to disguise their notes. A number of forms of magickal writings were developed, including Theban. Then and now, alchemical and other occult traditions use Theban.
Several magick workers use Theban to keep their secrets. Only those who were initiated or taught this script could pry the magickal secrets from the pages of the writer.
Today, the Theban Alphabet is still used in paganism and especially in witchcraft.
The letters in English and their equivalent Theban representatives are in the below image:
So how might you use Theban Alphabet? Consider using the script for writing in your Book of Shadows (BOS). Gerald B. Gardner wrote much of his magickal texts in Theban.
You can use Theban for talismans, carving on candles and much of the magickal work that you do.
Got a Magickal name? Use Theban to write it out. Make a personal sigil by using the Theban letters. Check out my Sigils post to know more about making Sigils.
I must say, writing in Theban can be fun.
In any case, you may want to write in some special script to elevate how you write as part of your magickal workings.
Blessings,
Moonwater SilverClaw
As a Pagan I find this very exciting. This could make a big difference.
If you would like to donate to the cause, click here.
Again, if you would like to donate to the cause, click here.
Blessings,
Moonwater SilverClaw
When I was initiated into the Craft, I didn’t “ground” properly after the ritual. Grounding is shunting extra energy out of your body. I failed to do the process.
Big mistake. I was up for 2 1/2 days. It was a double-edged sword: the energy was amazing, but I was bouncing off the walls. Now I was manic and tired. Headaches and body aches slammed me down.
My manic behavior annoyed the people near me. Worse yet—I put myself and others in harm’s way when I drove my car. Tired and unfocused, I was of no use to anyone.
When I finally came down from the energy, I slept for three days.
Why did I, as other Wiccans, fail to do the grounding process?
For some of us, it’s about getting distracted by the necessities of life—school, work, family responsibilities. For others, it’s because a mentor, perhaps, failed to fully train us in grounding techniques.
Many of us may do some forms of grounding but we may not fully succeed in properly moving the extra energy out of our body.
Now, I’ll share three valuable methods of grounding.
1. Eat good food.
Eat something. Carbohydrate rich foods (such as breads or pasta serve) as a good choice because they help pull you down from the high energy state that you achieved during magick working. See my Cakes and Wine Ceremony for an example of using food.
2. Push energy into the ground.
Shunt the extra energy back into the earth. One way is to take your hands or bare feet and place them on the bare earth. Release the energy by visualizing that you are pushing the energy into the earth. Mother Earth will recycle it for you. Having any contact with the earth is truly grounding. You can even lay in a field of grass and just deep breathe.
3. Hug a tree.
While hugging a tree, visualize that the extra energy is absorbed by the tree. The tree will do the rest. It naturally helps you pull the energy from your body and restore your internal balance. The tree takes the unneeded energy and shunts the energy down safely into Mother Earth.
Grounding isn’t just for after rituals. Having a tough day at work or school? Ground. Many of us make ourselves sick with built-up, unhealthy energies in our bodies. This can cause headaches and worse.
The solution is to do some grounding. You can release stress by simply deep breathing and placing your feet flat on the ground—no matter where you may be sitting.
Some Wiccans say, “But I am just doing a simple candle spell.” You still need to ground. You may not be exposed to a whole coven’s power, but you still raise energy to do any sort of magick working. This energy needs to be grounded. You may not notice the side-effects at the time, but they will still be there, and they can be harmful.
So if you have completed a ritual or you’re just feeling stressed out, ground. It not only helps you, it helps others.
Blessings,
Moonwater SilverClaw
What if you could do a simple spell that could help you get a job, heal up from an illness or give you prolonged protection on a trip? The answer is knot magick (also known as cord magick). This form of magick working has been used for centuries in everything from weaving carpets to knitting and crocheting.
Better yet, you can simply make one knot to accomplish knot magick. This process requires no obscure objects or substances to acquire. You can do knot magick anywhere and at anytime.
So what do you use for tying the knots?
First, use natural substances because they hold a magickal charge, and synthetics do not. Use cotton, silk or other natural fibers for your knot magick, and this choice will help you succeed.
Use each cord only once. Blending intentions weakens and can even pollute your magick.
How to do knot magick
The first step is to identify specifically what you want to do.
Some examples are:
Wiccans use knot magic in two ways: the Proactive approach and the Reactive approach.
Proactive means preparing ahead of time. Imagine that it’s two weeks before hurricane season. You go to stores for supplies and for materials to board up your house or business.
On the other hand, Reactive means you rush around during the storm and try to live through it.
Most knot magick is done proactively. You prepare ahead of time so your magick can improve a situation or even prevent trouble.
Historically, sailors asked witches to place the winds into knots so that the sailors would have a remedy if they were stuck in a dead calm. They would untie one of the knots to make the winds blow.
The Steps of Knot Magick
One of the most important things in your magick is will so that you can successfully fuel your spell. What is will? Will means the driving force of desire for some form of change. So I focus on the power of “I will.” This is an important distinction because many people think of willpower as only the ability to avoid temptation.
Secondly, you must believe! If you do not believe, then your magick will falter.
Finally, master Pranic Breathing, also known as belly breathing. If you’re familiar with yoga, you probably know of Pranic Breathing techniques.
In Pranic Breathing, you breathe in deeply extending the stomach, utilizing all of your lung capacity. Visualize pulling up energy from the earth. Through Pranic Breathing, you move energy. Visualize your breath as a greenish-blue mist. This mist will carry your will and your intention into the knot. (This process is also referred to as “the breath of life.”)
Note: Consider visualizing your breath as different colors depending on your intention. For example, focus on the color orange for more confidence for a job interview.
Now, let’s go through the steps in order:
1. Figure out what you need, that is, your intention.
2. Start tying a knot into your cord (do not tighten it yet) and simultaneously, focus your will on your intention.
3. Do Pranic Breathing.
4. Have your desire firmly fixed in your mind. Know it as reality, even for just a moment. At that point, blow your will (in the form of your greenish-blue misty breath) into the knot and tighten it closed.
5. When you have completed the process, engaging in grounding yourself.
You have just completed knot magick.
In knot magick, Wiccans usually work in odd numbers: tying five, seven or nine knots in the cord.
The order in which you tie the knots is also important. Please view the correct order in this image here:
As you tie each knot you recite a line of the following poem. This poem is designed for tying nine knots.
Chant
By knot of one, the spell has begun,
By knot of two, my words become true,
By knot of three, it comes to me,
By knot of four, I’ve opened the door,
By knot of five, this spell’s alive,
By knot of six, this spell is fixed,
By knot of seven, there is no question,
By knot of eight, it’s now my fate,
By knot of nine, this thing’s now mine!
So mote it be.
Recently, I used knot magick before I attended a vital meeting. Just knowing that I worked knot magick relieved some of my stress. Of course, I still had to do the mundane work of gathering materials and rehearsing my words for the meeting.
But it’s a relief to know that I have invoked the blessings of the Gods, too.
I invite you to consider knot magick to help your life.
Blessings,
Moonwater SilverClaw
Color
How does the Goddess view you?
Do you imagine She looks on you with favor and kindness?
There’s another question: How do we look at ourselves?
This jumped into my consciousness when I was recently watching ABC World News with Diane Sawyer.
One story shook me up. It was the updated results of the Doll Test. What is the Doll Test?
In the 1940’s, Drs. Kenneth and Mamie Clark gathered young children for a research study. They placed two dolls (one Caucasian and the other African-American) in front of each child. The researchers asked, “Which doll is the nicest?” [The only difference was skin color otherwise the dolls were identical.]
The startling results included African-American children choosing the white doll as “nicest.” They rejected the black doll as “bad” or “ugly.” 63% of the African-American children said that they would rather play with the white doll.
Many of us might dismiss this result as part of the “unenlightened 1940s.”
In 2009, ABC World News redid the experiment. 88% of the 19 children of color surveyed identified with the black doll.
However, still in 2009, with President Barack Obama in the White House, 47% of the black and brown girls said that the “pretty doll” was white.
This “doll test” process was repeated again in April 2014 and the brown and black girls were asked, “Which doll do you want to take home?”–and the girls got into a tug of war over a blond, white doll!
What?!
Since I’m Caucasian, I cannot know what it is like to live as a person of color. Still, I’m concerned. I believe that the Goddess comes in all shapes, shades and sizes. They are all beautiful.
For more insight, I asked my friend Crystal Blanton to share her thoughts:
“The influence of racism on black and brown people in this country does not just stop at adults, but also children who are influenced by the over culture without the adequate critical thinking skills or experience to process it. The conditioning that happens for those who are Black in this country goes back for generations, and continues to influence the way that Black culture is created, and how Black people see themselves in relation with the rest of the world. Standards of pale skin, long straight hair, and thin bodies as the definition of beauty are all around us and this influences us from the time that a child can formulate what it is to be a person. Not only is this trans-generational trauma passed on through the lineage, but we are also subjected to it within the media, and mainstream culture.
I am not sure what the Goddess would say to someone who feels less due to the color of their skin. I think this largely depends on the Goddess herself, and the depiction of the Goddess. Most of our mainstream Goddesses are also Caucasian, and do not reflect the black and brown either. If I were talking about the greater spirit of the Goddess, regardless of archetype and pantheon, I would say that she would be concerned with the implications that anyone feels inferior due to characteristics that they are born with. I also think though that she would encourage strength through the challenge and not to take that away. I believe that we, Black people, are often stronger in our resolve because of what we have walked through, and I think that is a part of the Goddess’s plan.
I don’t think that Wicca addresses racism. Some Wiccans and Pagans are doing a lot of work to bring racism into the conversation on a conscious level, so that we can use that awareness to combat it. But I think that the foundation and structure of Wicca itself was fashioned as a Eurocentric construct without the consideration that multicultural, or multifaceted individuals would be a part of this spiritual path. I think it is one of the roadblocks that we need to continue to discuss in our community as a whole.”
I agree with Crystal that having the conversation about supporting all of us—all of us beautiful people with various colors, sizes and characteristics—is important.
Frequently, in current news, there is a group of people who say that we are in a “post-racial” world in the United States. (By the way, those voicing the opinion are NOT people of color.) They imply that no consideration be shown for people dealing with inequities due to color and ethnicity.
However, when I talk with my friends and my sweetheart (who is a person of color), they say that they have all experienced different treatment due to their skin color. They disagree strongly that the United States is “completely enlightened” at this time.
Let’s keep the conversation going.
Blessings,
Moonwater SilverClaw
Candle
Imagine you could enhance your magick working with a simple process. How? Your ritual bath. It’s important because it puts you into the right frame of mind before you perform ritual. Secondly, you physically clean your body of the dirt and grime of the day. Finally, ritual bathing cleanses you of the psychic garbage that clings to you.
You can choose any soap (a required part) that you prefer. Wiccans appreciate handmade soaps, especially if they already contain the herbs or essences one already uses in magick work.
How do I make my bathing a ritual bath (or shower)?
Bless and consecrate your soap and shampoo. Set these aside for use only during your ritual baths.
How to make a sachet with cleansing herbs for a bath:
Use a stocking or cotton cloth, and place inside selected cleansing herbs. The total amount of all herbs will be one tablespoon.
If you use a cotton cloth, gather the corners and tie them with a string. Make sure the sachet is closed and secure. This keeps the herbs from clogging your drain.
Place your sachet in the bath water then sprinkle in some sea salt and let steep for 5 or so minutes. Then enjoy.
Making a cleansing shower tincture:
If you will be showering, place your sachet in a large container of hot water to steep. Sprinkle sea salt and dissolve it into the mixture (the tincture). When the water cools to a comfortable temperature, then take into your shower and wash with soap, envisioning all the psychic garbage leaving you.
Then pour the contents of the tincture over your head and rub it in. In this way, the contents help you complete your cleansing. The residue flows away, down the drain.
Add a blessing
I also add a blessing at the end of my ritual bath. I’ve added some modifications to a popular blessing.
Starting at your forehead say as you touch you third eye say:
I bless myself by the Goddess,
(Touch your right breast)
By the air that is her sweet breath,
(Touch your left shoulder . . . [you are actually forming a pentagram with these movements].)
By the earth, that is her fertile body,
(Touch your right shoulder.)
By the waters that is her life giving womb,
(Touch your left breast.)
By the fire that is her bright spirit,
(Touch your third eye.)
May I be blessed, so mote it be.
Upon completing your ritual bathing, you’re now ready to enter circle to honor the Gods respectfully. Not only will the Gods be happy but your fellow practitioners will be grateful, too. (Trust me.)
Are there particular rituals you like to do prior to entering circle? Let me know in the comments section below.
Blessings,
Moonwater SilverClaw
GoddessHasYourBack.com 