Wicca Wheel Mandala
Please take a quick poll. I want to hear from you.
goddess
The Element Water
The Element Water
Water
Water corresponds the direction West. Like Earth, water is a feminine element. The Earth’s oceans represent the womb of all life on the planet we call mother. Wiccans look upon sea water as a representative of the goddess’ womb.
A mother’s womb holds a sacred water that is saline similar to the salinity found in sea water. So Wiccans apply sea salt to water to create their holy water.
The Undine is the elemental of water. The Undine can manifest in many forms, from mermaids to sirens of the sea.
Wiccans use various things to represent water including sea shells, sea weed, water, sponges, and fish.
Blessed be,
Moonwater SilverClaw
Autumn Harvest
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,
The Element Earth
Rocks are a Representation of Earth
Earth
As a feminine element, Earth is the provider of sustenance for her children, just as a mother nurses her infant. Earth represents fertility and abundance.
Represented as the North, Earth stands for stillness and our foundation. We stand on rock, but more than that, metaphorically Earth is a foundation of our spirit.
Earth also represents the fertile soil from which life springs. In the cycle of life, Earth is also the silent tomb where we return to rest until we are reborn.
As we learn more about Wicca, we discover that there are elementals associated with each element. For example, strong and squat gnomes are Earth’s elementals. Their skin reveals the colors of the earth, in many shades of brown and black.
Finally, on our altar, we can use rocks, crystals, dirt, and fossils to represent Earth.
Blessed Be
Happy Wiccan New Year!
Happy Wiccan New Year
Merry Meet and Welcome,
Happy New Year
Why do witches celebrate Samhain as the New Year? And, have you ever wondered why the witches’ New Year is on November 1st, but we start to celebrate on the night before? The Celts remain the source of these traditions.
Wiccans, as well as the Celts, see death as both an end and a beginning. It’s part of the cycle of life. At Samhain, the vegetation god willingly sacrifices himself; and with his death the old year dies, too. The New Year begins at the time of the old year’s death.
In the old days, the people saw the vegetation god in the cycle of the growing plants. The growing cycle consists of sowing seeds, letting crops grow, and finishing with the last harvest and related festival, Samhain. Since no harvesting was done after Samhain, that meant the next day (November 1st) was the new year.
Why do we start celebrating the day before the actual holiday then? Because the Celts believed a new day started when the sun set, and not when the sun rose on the next day. So we start celebrating (to us) the night before. In the olden times they would start celebrating at sun down through to sun down the next day. Now that’s some party!
So Happy Wiccan New Year!
Blessed Be,
Offerings
Leaf Offering
Offerings
Why do we give “offerings” to our Gods and what is an offering. When we ask the Gods for their help, and we receive it, we offer them thanks through offerings; so an offering is our way of saying thank you for the Gods’ help.
Now what is an offering? Offerings are things we sacrifice up to the Gods in thanks for their help.
Offerings can be things like:
- Pouring wine onto the ground
- Burning incense
- Burning a candle (all the way down)
- Leaving a small gift (biodegradable is the best) in some natural place
I find the more I say “thank you” with an offering, the Gods really appreciate the gesture, after giving an offering, good luck often finds me. I have even made offerings just to show them how appreciative I am of all they do for me. Just because.
So how do I make the offering? Take (for example) a candle and state the name of the deity and why you are offering up the candle to him/her.
Here is an example of what you can say:
“Squat, I thank you for the parking spot you gave me! I honor you with this candle.”
Then light the candle making sure to burn it all the way down.
This also helps us create a stronger bond with our Gods.
Offerings, Gratitude and Good News
Many of you have noticed the donation button on the sidebar of the blog. This button is there to help me keep this blog the Hidden Children of the Goddess going. It pays for helping keep the ads off the blog and maintenance fees, and recover registration fees.
Offerings, donations and gifts are an uplifting way to participate in life and in our community. Well, good news has come. Arthur has donated funds so we will be free of ads for one whole year. So I put out a big thank you to Arthur! I know a number of people who feel good when they are kind and helpful to another person or cause outside themselves. Helping others by being of service is why I blog. I am grateful to Arthur for his wonderful donation to help us and to help me continue my service.
Wondering how to donate to this blog? All you have to do is click the donate button on the sidebar and you can enter in any amount you like. It’s that simple, and it really helps the site.
Again, thank you Arthur!
Blessed Be,
The Tools of Wicca: Candles
Merry Meet. Let’s talk about candles.
Candles
From tea lights to tapers, Wiccans use candles for many purposes including: calling the four quarters, using them for spells, and lighting the sacred space.
I use tea lights for the quarter candles. What are the quarters? They’re the four compass directions in a circle. Each quarter has specific attributes and entities that dwell in a particular direction.
Each of the quarters (compass directions) has its own candle to honor the beings when we call them to our circle.
Taper Candle
Consider using taper candles for the God and Goddess candles, which honor the God and Goddess.
On my altar, I use a votive candle for the working candle, which has two functions: a representation for the element fire and a source for lighting all other candles, incense or other objects that need to be burned.
Use your working candle for only one purpose. You’ll notice that all candles tend to only serve one function. Wiccans use quarter candles for the quarters. They choose one candle for the God and then use that particular candle for all subsequent rituals. The same is true for choosing a candle for the Goddess.
Wiccans use candles in spells, too. When doing candle magick, the type of candle and the color of the candle are important. We will discuss candle magick in another post.
Candles provide lighting, too. You can use any type of candle you want for this purpose.
A note on using scented candles. Use scented candles to incorporate aromatherapy into your magick, if you like. Different scents bring up powerful emotions, which is great when focusing on a particular task. Avoid using them for any other purpose.
I wouldn’t mix scents by burning multiple scented candles at the same time. They will mix, giving you unpredictable results. If you are mixing oil to scent a candle try to keep it simple at first until you become familiar with the different results you get with each scent. Then you can slowly mix scents to see what results you get. Be sure to take notes.
Blessed be,
Moonwater Silverclaw
Squat the Parking Goddess
Need To Find a Parking Spot?
All hale the Goddess Squat! Please tell me you know Squat. If you don’t know Squat, you should.
Squat is the Parking Goddess. She gives you parking spaces to park in. I love Squat. I always ask for her help when I can’t find a parking space. She is obviously is a modern goddess. When I ask Squat for a space, 90% of the time she finds me one.
How do you ask Squat for help? Recite this little chant:
Squat, Squat,
Find me a spot!
I have done this and I kid you not, I don’t even finish the chant and someone pulls out of a space right in front of me! I immediately say with gratitude: “Thank you, Squat!”
After the day is done, and Squat has given me parking space(s), I go home and light a candle for her to thank her for her help. So invite her to help you. Now you can’t say you don’t know Squat!
Blessed be,
Blossom as the Real You
Blossom into the New You
Starting Wicca is like cleaning a dirty car for the first time. Before I left for a trip I decided to get my car washed. Why? My car was “the dirt clog on wheels.”
Though it’s supposed to be white, my car remained a splotchy palomino gray, for most of its existence.
So at the car wash center, I lined my vehicle with the others and left the keys in the car for the attendant. I sat down in the waiting area and watched car after car coming out of the other end of the giant cleaning machine.
I was sitting there for a while. Vehicles emerged from the cleaning machine, one after another. Soon I’m thinking, “Where’s my car?!” I recognized the car that had been in line in front of my car. But then, it took me a moment to realize that the gleaming white car behind it was actually my car!
This, believe it or not, is like the beginning of your practice of Wicca. Throughout your life you collect “dirt.” This can be in the form of unhelpful thoughts from people who think they know what’s best for you. This degrading process can lead to bad self-esteem. You might even doubt your worthiness in the face of deity and others. “How can I be loved if I do “X?”
All this buildup up of degrading thoughts is like the buildup of dirt on my car. Soon you cannot even recognize the goodness and value you began life with.
Here are some examples of degrading thoughts:
“God won’t love me if I don’t pray three times a day”
or
“God will punish me because I’m gay.”
and
“I wont go to the promised land if I don’t go to [church, temple, the Mosque and so forth].”
All of these thoughts and other people’s “shoulds” are crap–like the bird crap on my car.
The world places unrealistic demands on us. “Nice girls don’t make trouble.” and “Men don’t cry.” This is simply “Crap!”
How does Wicca fit in? Well, all that crap you are carrying can be cleaned out and washed off. Just like my car.
Coming into Wicca, you carry the world’s crap upon you. The practice of Wicca with its car wash of meditation and self discovery will help you rid yourself of the unwanted grunge the world places on you.
When we practice our meditation techniques we get rid of the world’s “cling-ons.” And when that happens a whole new world opens up to you. Just like I didn’t recognize my car at first, your family and friends may not recognize the new you either.
Be aware too that many people do not like change. So when they see you happier they may give you resistance. This is normal. Don’t be discouraged if this happens.
Only you know what’s best for you. Eventually, some people will accept you. Others won’t. But the most important thing is for you to accept yourself and enjoy your new clean and bright experience of life.
Why Wicca?
Why Wicca?
The Pentacle of Balance
Why Wicca? Why not choose some other spiritual path? Well for me, I love nature and the natural world. Its beauties and wonders, they all surround me and fascinate me. In other paths you need to go somewhere to be with deity. But with Wicca the gods are not only everywhere around me, but they are within me too.
I am literally the goddess and god, and these gods don’t judge me! They love me for who I am and what I already look like. I don’t need to change or alter myself to be loved, no diet or creams required. And to go with all that spiritual “yummyness,” wicca is all about nature. The thing I love most. There are the trees, the birds, the stag, the earth itself. They all represent the gods in different forms.
Also the natural world is what I live in, it is reality and I’m not trying to get to some euphoric place I’ve never experienced or been. I’m not trying to jump impossible hurtles with the rules that can never be followed without failing. All I got to do is be me.
We are rewarded with love and kindness when we give love and kindness. What we put out into the universe, the universe gives us back three fold. This cycle, among all the others is all natural. Angry vengeful God, not included! And that’s the way I like it.
Blessed be,
GoddessHasYourBack.com 