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The Sabbat Ostara

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Spring Arrives with Ostara

Spring Arrives with Ostara

Ostara

Ostara happens at the Spring (Vernal) Equinox. The days becomes equal to the night, and the light finally overcomes the darkness of winter. Ostara’s theme is fertility. The God courts the Goddess and their sexual energies of desire flow over the Earth, leading to a burst of new life and growth upon the land by the plants and the animals. Here the courting God and Goddess’s desire to mate drive the Earth and its inhabitants to mate and bring new life to the land.

The Teutonic goddess of spring, Easter brings her symbol of the egg and her patron animal, the rabbit. Wiccans celebrate Easter during the Ostara Sabbat. The ChristainChurch tried to stamp out celebrations of Easter and her symbols of fertility (the egg and the rabbit), but they had become too deeply embedded in the people’s hearts. Christians got their Easter eggs and rabbits from this Goddess. How many Christians know that when they celebrate Easter, they’re using a term originated by Pagans?

Generally, eggs are a popular representation of fertility and new life. Early Wiccans revered the “cosmic egg,” as many refer to it, for the secrets it held; it contained and produced life. It looked like a stone but held life within.

Wiccan activities on Ostara include coloring eggs and decorating them with fertility symbols, and then hiding them for children to find.

 

Blessed be,

Moonwater SilverClaw

How to Do a Prosperity Spell

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Money Spell

Money Spell

How to Do a Prosperity Spell

You can use this prosperity spell if you need money in a flash. Prosperity spells can be tricky. You need to be specific so you do not have undesired effects. However, you also need to be open enough in your wording to let money come to you from places and opportunities you may not have thought of yet. Here is a simple spell that fits these requirements.

 

Let’s talk about the wording of this spell so you can see how it works. The first line is:

Grant me wealth, and grant my wishes,

stir it with a thousand kisses.

This line states the purpose and the way you want your desire to come to you. “With a thousand kisses” means with only love. You make sure that wealth does not come with pain or trouble for anyone.

The second line states:

By the moon, and by the sun,

watch for it, cuz here it comes

This line uses the powers of the moon and the sun to help accomplish your desire.

The third line says:

It comes by night, it comes by day,

it comes to me with no shades of gray

This is an important line. The first part of the line reinforces the second’s line  “watch for it, cuz here it comes” with “It comes by night, it comes by day.” The first part of the phrase also does something else. By mentioning both night and day, the intention is that wealth arrives continually.

The phrase: “it comes to me with no shades of gray” is very important. The idea of “no shades of gray” means you wealth to come to you without any negativity associated with it. For example, you want that no one will get into an accident and leave you money.

The fourth line finishes with:

The sea goes in, the sea goes out,

now look at me, my wealth about!

This last line talks about the outcome of the spell. You affirms that you do receive wealth.

The fifth line is simple:

So mote it be!

This line activates the spell.

You can notice that this spell has the power of the five elements in it. I know it isn’t obvious. I’ll explain. The grant part in the first line comes from spirit. This refers to your need. This desire arises from your heart. Here is where the process begins.

The second line talks about the heavenly bodies in the sky which is Air. You’re placing your thought into the world.

The third line emphasizes no shades of gray or no shadows. Fire is light and it chases darkness away, banishing the shadows from your wish.

The fourth line is a declaration of manifesting wealth.

The last line “so mote it be” echoes the second line and plants the entire spell into reality. In effect, it fulfills the desire.

Now that we have discussed the spell and how it works, let’s begin. Remember to cast your circle first. If you don’t know how to do that read my how to cast circle post.

What you will need:

  • 5 candles in colors: white, yellow, red, blue and green (representing the elements).
  • Pentacle
  • Matches or lighter
  • Ritual tools

Place candles at appropriate elements on the pentacle (see diagram below) and let the candles burn completely down and out.

Pentacle Elements Spell Chart

Pentacle Elements Spell Chart

 

 

( Set up your altar and space. Then cast your circle)

Say while lighting the white candle:

Grant me wealth, and grant my wishes,

       stir it with a thousand kisses.

Light the yellow candle and say:

 By the moon, and by the sun,

       watch for it, cuz here it comes.

Light the red candle and say:

 It comes by night, it comes by day,

       it comes to me with no shades of gray.

Light the blue candle and say:

 The sea goes in, the sea goes out,

      now look at me, my wealth about!

Light the green candle and say:

 So mote it be!

(Do the Cakes and Wine Ceremony)

(Close the circle)

Blessed Be,

Moonwater SilverClaw

 

How to Cast a Circle

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Casting Circle

Casting Circle

How to Cast a Circle

Casting a circle involves several steps. The following lays this out for you in detail. Please see the post on Alter Setup for the placement of the tools on your altar, also see what is a magick circle if you are wondering why you need to do this in the first place.

Setup

Before you begin, you will need:

1)            A table for the altar.

2)            Candles and candle holders for the four directions in the colors that represent each (red for south, blue for west, green for north, yellow for east.)

3)            A red candle for the god and a green candle for the goddess. These candle colors are preferable but not mandatory. You may also use white candles if that is all you have.

4)            A working candle to represent the element Fire.

5)            A cup or chalice.

6)            An athame.

7)            A sword. If you don’t have one, use the athame to cast the circle.

8)            Incense and incense burner.

9)            A dish of salt, preferably sea salt.

10)        A bowl of water.

11)        A bell or chime.

12)        An altar cloth to keep wax and the other things off the table.

13)        Wine or juice and some sort of cake.

14)        A lighter.

Next, locate the four directions. Place the quarter candles in their respective corners: green in the northern-most corner, yellow in the east, red in the south, and blue in the west. Below is a simple graphic to show you where to place the quarter candles.

Circle Setup Graphic

Circle Setup Graphic

The Script

Before you begin, ground and center. This will help to clean out and balance your energy. This step is important to help you get into the right frame of mind before you start.

Next, you need a script to cast a circle or temple for conducting harmonious rites. Don’t worry if the rites you perform don’t flow easily at first. You just need practice. Consider writing a script yourself to follow. This may make it less confusing for you.

The following is an example of a script you can use. The parts you say out loud are in bold. This makes it easier to be seen by candlelight.

Note: This script is written for someone who is casting alone.

  1. Knock three times on the altar. Ring the bell three times.
  1. Light the working candle with the lighter.
  1. Light the charcoal if you are using it from the working candle.
  1. Take your athame and place its tip into the flame of the working candle. Say:

I exorcise you o creature of fire. And I consecrate and bless you in the names of the Goddess and the God that you are pure and clean.

5)      Trace a pentacle over the flame. Pick up the candle and raise it up above you and imagine your energy and the gods’ energy filling the flame. Place the candle back on the altar.

6)      Take your athame and place its tip into the bowl of water. Say:

I exorcise you, o creature of water. And I consecrate and bless you in the names of the Goddess and the God that you are pure and clean.

7)      Trace a pentacle in the water. Pick up the bowl of water and raise it up above you and imagine your energy and the gods’ energy filling the water. Place the bowl back on the altar.

8)      Take your athame and place its tip into the salt. Say:

I exorcise you, o creature of salt. And I consecrate and bless you in the names of the Goddess and the God that you are pure and clean.

9)      Trace a pentacle in the salt. Pick up the bowl of salt and raise it up above you and imagine your energy and the gods’ energy filling the salt. Place the salt bowl back on the altar.

10)    Take your athame and place its tip into the incense. Say:

I exorcise you, o creature of Air. And I consecrate and bless you in the names of the Goddess and the God that you are pure and clean.

11)    Trace a pentacle over incense. Pick up the incense and raise it up above you and imagine your energy and the gods’ energy filling the incense. Place the incense on the lit charcoal.

12)    Take your athame and scoop up three blades of the salt. You may also use your finger. Put the three pinches of salt into the water and mix it with the blade of your athame to make holy water. Pick up the bowl of holy water and raise it up above you and imagine your energy and the gods’ the energy filling it.

13)    Take the holy water (the salt and water mixture) and dip your fingers into it. Dab some of it on your wrists and forehead. Say:

I bless myself with Earth and Water.

 14)    Take the censer filled with the burning incense and wave the smoke over you. Say:

I bless myself with Air and Fire.

 15)    Take the holy water (salt water mixture) and use your fingers to asperge (sprinkle with the holy water) the circle. Starting with north and moving clockwise, walk a complete circle around the parameter, asperging each corner as you go. When finished, place the bowl back on the altar.

16)    Pick up the censer filled with the burning incense. Use your hand to wave the incense smoke around the circle. Starting with north and moving clockwise, walk a complete circle around the parameter, waving the smoke as you go. Be careful not to burn yourself or anything else. When finished, place the censer back on the altar.

(You have just cleansed the space and yourself. Now let’s continue by casting the circle.)

17)    Take the sword/athame. Envision energy being channeled from you up from the earth or down from the sky and coming out the tip of your sword/athame. Starting with north and moving clockwise, walk a complete circle around the parameter. As you walk, say:

I conjure you, o circle of power, that you be a boundary between the seen mundane world and the spirit world. That you protect me and contain the magick that I shall raise within you! I consecrate and bless you in the names of the Goddess and the God. So mote it be!

18)    Finish at the east quarter and trace a pentacle in the air with sword/athame.

(Now it’s time to call the quarters.)

19)    Take the athame and the taper from the altar. Light the taper from the working candle. Go and stand in the east corner of where your circle boundary is. Starting with the east candle, say:

I summon, stir, and call you up, o mighty ones of the East, element of Air. Come guard my circle and witness my rite.

20)    Trace a pentacle in the air with your athame. Then light the quarter candle for east. Say:

Hail and welcome!

 21)    Move clockwise to the south candle. Say:

I summon, stir, and call you up, o mighty ones of the South, element of Fire. Come guard my circle and witness my rite.

22)    Trace a pentacle in the air with your athame. Then light the quarter candle for south. Say:

Hail and welcome!

23)    Move clockwise to the west candle. Say:

I summon, stir, and call you up, o mighty ones of the West, element of Water. Come guard my circle and witness my rite.

24)    Trace a pentacle in the air with your athame. Then light the quarter candle for west. Say:

Hail and welcome!

25)    Move clockwise to the north candle. Say:

I summon, stir, and call you up, o mighty ones of the North, element of Earth. Come guard my circle and witness my rite.

26)    Trace a pentacle in the air with your athame. Then light the quarter candle for north. Say:

Hail and welcome!

27)    Using the taper, light the goddess candle, saying:

Welcome, my lady!

28)    Using the taper, light the god candle, saying:

Welcome, my lord!

You have now completed casting your circle!

(At this time you can do any working you need or communicate with the gods through meditation.)

You would then do the cakes and wine ceremony at the conclusion of your work.

To close your circle:

1)      Take your athame and hold it up and stand facing the east. Say:

Hail mighty ones of the East, the element of Air. I thank you for guarding my circle and witnessing my rite. May you depart to your fair and lovely realms. I bid you hail and farewell!

2)      Trace a pentacle in the air with your athame.

3)      Continuing, moving in a clockwise circle, stand facing the south. Say:

Hail mighty ones of the South, the element of Fire. I thank you for guarding my circle and witnessing my rite. May you depart to your fair and lovely realms. I bid you hail and farewell!

 4)      Trace a pentacle in the air with your athame.

5)      Moving clockwise around the circle, stand facing west. Say:

Hail mighty ones of the West, the element of Water. I thank you for guarding my circle and witnessing my rite. May you depart to your fair and lovely realms. I bid you hail and farewell!

6)      Trace a pentacle in the air with your athame.

7)      Moving clockwise around the circle, stand facing north. Say:

Hail mighty ones of the North, the element of Earth. I thank you for guarding my circle and witnessing my rite. May you depart to your fair and lovely realms. I bid you hail and farewell!

 8)      Trace a pentacle in the air with your athame.

9)      Return again to face east. While walking the boundary of the circle using the sword/athame, say:

Fire seal the circle round,

Let it fade beneath the ground,

Let all things be as they once were before.

The circle is now no more,

Merry meet, merry part,

And merry meet again!

So mote it be!

Generally, that is how to cast and close a circle. However each coven or practitioner may have slightly different variations on wording, but the process remains the same.

Fear and Tolerance

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Reflection under Bridge

Reflections about Tolerance and Acceptance

Fear and Tolerance

Powerful fear can be transformed into many things. We’ll talk about how fear turns into hate and how we can help resolve this problem.

Why do many people concentrate on differences instead of what we all have in common? Many people hate others based on race, sexual orientation and religion. These people focus on the differences. Only focusing on differences leads some people to fear. Fear then leads to hate because it’s natural to dislike what causes us discomfort.

Many people find Wicca to be quite different from what they call “mainstream faiths” in the western world. Misunderstandings can lead to fear and that can transform to hate. Unfortunately people don’t ask Wiccans, “What is Wicca all about?”

The problem is many people take some surface comment from some biased person and they let that comment give them an impression of Wicca. The biased person does not practice Wicca. To ask that person about Wicca is just like asking a plumber to fix your computer.

As children, many people were taught untruths about Wicca. But as adults, they stick with the false stories. Still, they simply do not ask a Wiccan about their spiritual path.

It’s not completely their fault. Life can be hard and we’re all so busy. We often just take a first impression and run with it.

Unfortunately, so much prejudice makes many Wiccan shy, and they avoid coming out of the “broom closet.” A few brave souls step out of the broom closet to speak to the world, but they often run into closed minds and hearts.

The media makes things worse. We know how the media sensationalizes things. News broadcasts feed on creating fear. This in turn generates hate.

So now we have lots of people who hate Wiccans. Much of this hatred could have been avoided.

It may be easy to blame people for their ignorance, but we need to move past that.

What would we tell people about Wicca? We tell them the truth. We as Wiccans believe in harming none. What does this mean? We believe killing is wrong. We believe stealing is wrong, whether it be someone’s lunch, car or spouse.

Many of our beliefs compare with core beliefs of other religions including Judaism, Islam and Christianity. We don’t lie, cheat, steal, kill and so forth.

So we worship in a different way, but we share similar values. We need to help others and ourselves focus on what unites us so we can build trust and understanding. Concentrating on our similarities will help dispel hate and bring us all closer together.

How Wicca Saved My Life – Confidence

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Rose

Blooming against the odds.

Finding the gods was a lifesaver, literally. Before I had the gods in my life, I was a kid with huge self-esteem problems. I had made multiple suicide attempts.

When I was eight, I was so depressed about my life that I tied a string around my neck, intending to hang myself. But the gods were on my side even then. The string broke. The gods knew I had a purpose; I had work to do for them. But at the time when it happened, I thought, I’m so lame, I can’t even kill myself right! I couldn’t see it for the blessing that it was. I just fell into a deeper depression. There were other attempts, and other failures.

My childhood was filled with physical and mental torture perpetrated by my older brother –and my parents’ neglect.

Somehow I survived to my 16th year. One day, I walked into a Barnes and Noble bookstore in my hometown. That year, I heard a new word Wicca. I asked the sales clerk, “Do you have any books on Wicca?” Her eyes lit up and with great excitement she led me to a shelf and started pouring books into my arms.

That evening, alone in my room, I started to read Scott Cunningham’s book, The Solitary Practitioner. My heart filled up. I finally found my home.

Now I reveled in a new world. Soon I was meditating, and after some sessions, the Gods made contact with me.

The gods embraced me with pure love. My body filled up with their love for me. From my head it moved through my entire body, down to my fingers and toes. Happiness was so foreign to me; I had never felt this way before. But I shifted to a deep part of myself I hadn’t known and here I knew that I was one with the Gods. Forever.

The gods found me beautiful. They took pride in me.

I never knew anyone could have this much love for anyone, especially me! This epiphany was a brilliant light into my chasm of darkness and despair. Now I could start to see myself for what I really was worth.

With this knowledge, I found a new confidence in life. Once the gods opened me up and shone their loving light in me, I was transformed into love. Love for myself and for others.

The “harm none” of Wicca rang true for me. I didn’t want anyone to go through what I had endured. I wanted to treat everyone with respect, compassion and love. So I started on my path and became a Wiccan priestess.

It’s a beautiful path.

Blessed Be,

Moonwater SilverClaw

The Direction West

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The Direction West

The Direction West

West

Wiccans observe that water is the element related to the West. West and water represent our emotions including love, lust, happiness and more. Some things that represent water are fish, seaweed, and a bowl of water. Use one of these items to stand for water in the west quarter of your cast circle.

Related to our 24 hour day, West lands at dusk. At this time, things wind down. For many, the workday is done and it’s time to rest up for tomorrow. We go home to our families and review the day’s events. This is a time of reflection and relaxation.

West’s season is Fall, the time of the harvest. Soon we can relax and reflect on our blessings of the year.

Wiccans also look upon the West as the time of old age. We enjoy the time we have left. We reflect on our actions in the past. This is a time of introspection and turning inward. We now prepare to step over the threshold into the West, through the gates of death and into the Summerlands.

 

Blessed Be,

Moonwater SilverClaw

The Direction South

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The Compass Direction South

The Direction South

South

Fire represents South, which is the spark of life and the energy that gets things done. Fire is associated with the will. (The will is defined as: “The mental faculty by which one deliberately chooses or decides upon a course of action.”)

To represent fire, place in the South corner one of these things: a lit candle, dragon figurine, or a hot chilly pepper.

South associates with noontime, the peak of the day’s hustle and bustle. Many people and animals are most active and awake at this time.

Summer represents South. It’s the growing season and hottest time of the year, when things flourish.

South represents the adult phase of the life cycle. We can take care of ourselves and take on more responsibilities. Our lives are at the peak of health and strength.

Blessed Be

Moonwater SilverClaw

Autumn Harvest

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Autumn Leaves

Autumn Leaves

Merry Meet.

Fall is one of my favorite seasons. The trees change into their autumn colors, readying for their long winter slumber. We take this moment to reflect on our lives, looking at what we’ve accomplished and how far we’ve come.

If last Fall someone would have told me, “You will be a blogger,” I would have laughed. Yeah right, a dyslexic blogger.

Well, I feel called to write this blog. And thank you for reading it.

Looking at this season and the blessings I have, I’ll share what I am harvesting now.

First, I appreciate my readers, without whom I’d have no reason for this blog to continue. I wish to serve my community and you’re helping me do it. Thank you.

I also wish to educate those who don’t understand what the craft is about. Some people may not yet identify themselves as pagan, but they’d like more information. I wish to be as open as I can to those who truly wish to learn.

Second, I am thankful for my editors, who guide me to improve my writing. I am now harvesting my editors’ kindness and patience. So thank you.

These are just a few of the things residing in my cornucopia this year. What’s in yours? What things are you harvesting right now?

Book Update

My book, The Hidden Children of the Goddess, is coming along nicely. The book has been “ping-ponging” between my editors and me.

The book is now in round three of the editing process. Soon my editor will return my manuscript with her notes. Then I’ll continue to refine it. This book writing road has been a lot longer than I had expected. I’m hoping the end product of my labors will be sweet for my readers.

It’s important to me to serve those beginning the path of Wicca. I am hoping that my book educates and inspires those who seek the Path.

Blessed Be,

Moonwater SilverClaw

The Tools of Wicca: Incense

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Merry meet and welcome!

We talked about salt in the last post. Now we will talk about air.

Incense

Incense

Incense represents air when burned, and is the last of the four elements represented on our altar. We burn incense in an incense burner, which we will also talk about in this post.

There are many types of incense which we will discuss in later posts. But three main forms include raw, cones, and stick incense. You have a choice of various burners, used for burning each different type of incense. Incense has these forms:

  1. Cones – You can use a specific type of burner specifically made for cones, or you can use a generic fireproof container. Fill it with sand or small stones. Such a fireproof container can be used with all types of incense.
  1. Sticks – Sticks have specific burners, usually with a hole at one end. You can slide the bare end of the stick into the hole, while the coated end remains visible. Tending to be long in shape, these burners catch the ash of the incense as the stick burns.
  1. Raw – Raw incense usually comes as a form of resin, but not always. Myrrh and Frankincense are well-known resin incense. You need charcoal to burn resin incense, and you can pick up some at your local metaphysical shop. The charcoal usually comes in a round tube shaped package. Each piece of charcoal looks like a round pad with a indent for the raw incense. Raw incense should be burned in a fireproof bowl or a cauldron. Be sure to fill the container with sand or small stones. Then place the charcoal on top of the sand and light the charcoal. Now wait until the whole charcoal piece smolders. Then carefully drop the incense on it.

Now back to air, which is a masculine element. We combine our incense with the other masculine element, fire, to create the smoke that represents air. This incense smoke is then used to charge and bless things and people. Each element on the altar proceeds to be  blessed and combined with the sibling element. Add feminine salt with feminine water. Apply masculine fire to masculine incense to create smoke. The process is you cleans with salt and water, and you charge with fire and incense. Both are utilized at the beginning of our rituals, to help clear the mundane space to make way for sacred space.

Now we’ve completed our discussion of the elements that we use on our altar. But we are not done. There are still other tools to discuss. Next will be the wand.

Blessed be,

Moonwater Silverclaw

The Tools of Wicca: Salt

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Merry Meet!

We talked about fire in my last post, today we will be talking about salt.

Salt Bowl

Salt Bowl

We use salt to represent Earth on our altars. Salt is sodium crystals, and crystals represent Earth. Therefore, Wiccans see salt as feminine.

We balance our altars with salt as Earth energy. As mentioned in a previous post, we also mix salt with water to make our holy water. Salt is a natural cleanser and preserver.

Our ancestors applied salt to cure their meat and it functioned as the first preservative people employed. (And we still use it today.) Early people didn’t understand it at the time, but salt kills a lot of bacteria we come into contact with and so it prevented meat from spoiling.

So holy water purifies because it has salt in it. We sprinkle holy water to get rid of unwanted energies and entities. We mix three pinches of salt into our blessed water to make a salt-water solution. This blessed solution is then used to bless and cleanse other things and even people.

So this is how we use salt on our altar.

In the next post we will talk about air.

I wish you a blessed day.

Blessed be,

Moonwater Silverclaw