The Hidden Children of the Goddess

What Can a Redwood Tree Teach Us about Life and Wicca?

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RedwoodTree

RedwoodTree

What Can a Redwood Tree Teach Us about Life and Wicca?

Have you noticed that certain small things can grow much larger in your life? Think of a seed that eventually grows into a mighty redwood tree.

Decisions are like seeds. They have the potential to grow into something so much bigger.

I remember an important seed in my life: my decision to learn about one particular word—Wicca. From there I grew in my practice to become a Wiccan priestess.

My first decision, like a seed, grew into my life path.

Think about your decisions. What have you grown in your life?

Further, imagine looking at a cross section of a redwood tree. You’d notice the rings of the tree that reveal its lifecycle.

Now, think of these rings as different layers just like your life has different layers or stages.

At each “ring” or life stage, we’re making new decisions.

Some decisions make us resilient like a redwood tree. When there’s a fire in a forest, a tree may be damaged. After the trauma has passed, the redwood tree may bear the scars. But this tree can bounce back and become bigger and mightier than before.

You can, too! In Wicca, we use the tools of meditation and the Gods’ guidance to become that mighty redwood.

In the recent couple of days, I have been camping among redwood trees. A park ranger told me that the cones of a redwood tree need the heat of a forest fire in order to open and release their seeds. What a vivid image. Trauma can be used for new life.

A major trauma in your life can create new growth for you personally. With each wrong choice or even a disaster, we have the potential to grow to our mightiest form.

Redwood trees teach us much about personal growth, and they can teach us a great deal more.

Blessings,

Moonwater

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How You Can Use Something Better Than an Affirmation

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Candle

Candle

How You Can Use Something Better Than an Affirmation

 

What do you want? Have you tried to coach yourself to change your own behavior?

Some people attempt to push themselves with statements like: “I’m a thin person.”

Well, I’ll tell you the truth. When I tell myself, “I’m a thin person,” my brain yells at me: “Oh, yeah! Look in the mirror!”

The phrase “I’m a thin person” is called an affirmation. In essence, a person tries to “affirm” something that currently is not true.

No wonder so many people say, “Affirmations don’t work for me.”

This bothered me so I came up with some new ideas before I gave my recent workshop on October 19th. The tool I created is a Pattern-Affirmation. (In discussion with my friend Tom Marcoux, he gave me two labels “Pattern-Affirmation” and “Wish-Affirmation” to add to my thoughts).

In essence, a Wish-Affirmation is truly a standard affirmation that people try to use, often with disappointing results.

A Wish-Affirmation is: “I’m a thin person.”

On the other hand, a “Pattern-Affirmation” is: “I eat like a 130 lbs. person.” Or better yet “I have a lifestyle of a 130 lbs. person.”

Do you see the distinction?

A Wish-Affirmation is something you aspire to.

Instead, a Pattern-Affirmation is something that can be true right away. You can exhibit a different behavior now. Your very next action can contribute to your healthy lifestyle.

You can even apply the Pattern-Affirmation process to having financial abundance.

For example, a Wish-Affirmation could be “I am wealthy.” On the other hand, a Pattern-Affirmation could be: “I’m careful with my personal budget like a prosperous person.”

Now, I’ll share a helpful process.

The Pattern-Affirmation Ritual

Here are the steps:

  1. Gather a Seven Day Candle and a Circle Script
  2. Pick your Pattern-Affirmation
  3. Do the Pattern-Affirmation ritual.
  4. Do Cakes and Wine
  5. Close your circle

The process is as follows:

First, be sure to pick a suitable Pattern-Affirmation. Remember, it needs to address a pattern of behavior you want to instill.

Here are examples:

  • I eat like a 130 lbs. person
  • I study one hour a day like a good student.
  •  I listen to my daughter’s thoughts and feelings like a good father.

Now, when you begin your ritual, cast circle.

Cleanse and consecrate your candle. Sit and hold your candle and meditate on your Pattern-Affirmation for five minutes or more.

Take the candle and place it on your altar. Say aloud your Pattern-Affirmation as you light the candle. Visualize that you’re guiding energy into the candle.

(Repeat the following process for seven days in a row:

Let the Seven Day Candle burn one knob per day. Each day, repeat the above process of meditating on your Pattern-Affirmation for five minutes or more.)

On the first day, after the first knob has burned down, do Cakes and Wine and then close the circle. Repeat the candle-lighting and knob-burning down for six more days.

Using this new tool of a Pattern-Affirmation Ritual, we will grow in new and exciting ways.

If you try the Pattern-Affirmation Ritual, please let me know about your results. Thanks!

Blessings,

Moonwater

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Problems Are Like Piñatas

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pinatas

pinatas

Problems Are Like Piñatas

How could a problem be like a piñata? Problems seem to come out of nowhere. At times we swing at them with seemingly no effect. It can feel like we’re blindfolded.

The truth is: the Gods have hidden secret goodies inside of problems. Lessons and blessings are packed inside problems, just like candy and small gifts are inside piñatas. We just need to know that the goodies are there and how to see them.

To solve a problem, keep swinging at it. However, a problem (piñata) doesn’t stay still. And that’s akin to a problem that is hard to solve. We may have to extend a lot of effort to solve a particular problem.

Just when I think I’ll solve it, a problem evolves or moves to a different level of complexity. Just like piñatas rise or fall to different positions. The little buggers can move on you.

So how do you solve the piñata or problem? With a bat or stick, of course.

We use different tools in our lives to solve our problems. Sometimes we use magick, but many times we use mundane or ordinary actions. We can use a combination of the two. Sometimes we need the Gods’ help to swing our bat. As Wiccans we have many bats to choose from.

First, I employ mundane actions to solve a problem. If that fails, I get a different bat, magick. Since magick comes in many forms, it’s like having a bunch of bats to choose from.

You can call on the Gods for particularly tough problems. The Gods won’t solve your problems for you, but they will guide you. They help you aim your bat at your piñata. The Gods also teach us how to extract the knowledge that is within the problem.

Many swings may be necessary to solve a problem to receive the insights, blessings and lessons within. Once you solve the problem or open the piñata, you can partake of the blessings.

Sometimes we have a hard time telling which parts are the prize and which are not. When  blessings and lessons are obscured, you can ask the Gods for insights through meditation.

Some problems are packed full of blessings in disguise. Others contain just a few nuggets of wisdom. However all are valuable in our growth. I’ve noticed that the harder it is to acquire the goodies, the better they usually are. But not always.

Solving problems is how we learn throughout life. In this way, we grow into new levels of understanding. We also grow more proficient in swinging a bat.

Life comes with many piñatas. When we step into a new stage of life, a piñata gives us new challenges and gifts. In this process, we can continue stepping up our knowledge and understanding of our world and our lives.

What problems have you had in your life and what gifts were hidden inside for you to harvest?  Please share in the comments section.

Blessings,

Moonwater

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How to Give Back to the Gods — and The Heron

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The Heron Logo

The Heron

Ardea Herodotus

Perhaps you’ve noticed our new logo for this blog. It is the heron. Why this particular bird? The heron has been a representation of the Goddess for a long time. Below is the heron’s story as told by my friend Kay Pannell.

Ardea

The name Ardea Herodotus is the Linnaean classification for the heron. The Ancient Greek historian, Herodotus, wrote in the 8th Century BC. His history of the fall of Troy included this:

After the fall of Troy, Prince Aeneas traveled to the area around Rome. One of the lands he visited was the land of the Rutuli, whose capitol was Ardea and whose ruler was Turnus. Turnus had been betrothed to Livinia, daughter of a neighboring king.

Unfortunately, the king decided to give her to Aeneas instead. (You’d think after Aeneas’s brother Paris took Helen of Troy away from her husband, King Menelaus of Sparta, he’d have wised up about taking a woman away from a man with an army—but no). A war ensued between Aeneas’s fleet and Turnus’s army. During the hostilities, the city of Ardea was burned. Herodotus reported that from the ashes of the city a white bird arose that no one had seen before. It was the heron, and for ever afterward, the heron was called Ardea. When Carl Linnaeus began his classification in the 17th Century, he called the heron, Ardea Herodotus, for the story.

The word, Ardea, also translates as “earth goddess” in Greek.

 

Written by Kay Pannell

Thanks, Kay.

This story is here to stay. I hope you enjoyed it. Now here’s my post for this week.

 

How to Give Back to the Gods

How do I give back to the Gods? It’s something I think about daily. When I was younger I had no idea. But then I encountered this quote:

Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.   – Leo Buscaglia

This hits the mark I think. We may not thing we have much to give back but all of us has something, our talent—the gifts the Gods have given us.

When we use our unique gifts to help others, the Gods smile upon us. For this is why we were given the gifts. To make each other’s lives more enjoyable.

Using your talents doesn’t mean you have to make it a business. You don’t need to produce products or live on a demanding schedule to serve others.

Maybe you like to cook or bake. Prepare some food and take it to a friend who is sick. Or take it to an elderly woman who lives alone and on a fixed income. This will mean a lot to someone who needs something but has no other way to get it. (Be careful to ask about dietary needs and allergies to guard the person’s health.)

If you don’t cook, do you play music? Go to a children’s hospital and play for the kids. You don’t need to book gigs and have tons of followers. You’ll still make an important difference in the hospital.

Can’t think of some particular gift to share? Donate some of your time and do volunteer work for some charity. For example, I donated time at The Peninsula Humane Society. I helped with the small animals.

Now, I write this blog. This came as a surprise because of my dyslexia. But I was led to writing by the Gods themselves. It’s hard to argue with that.

But you don’t need the Gods’ intervention to tell you what to share with others. Try something. You won’t know what is a helpful activity until you experiment a little.

Here are some possibilities:

Your local animal shelters

Retirement home/hospice

Homeless shelters

Soup kitchens for the homeless

Local Hospitals

The World Wildlife Fund

Green Peace

Habitat for Humanity

Consider looking up local organizations that need volunteers. Just donating a few hours a week can make a big difference.

Express compassion and love as you invoke your talents. This pleases the Gods.

By pleasing the Gods we honor them.

You can make a difference for the Gods.

How do you please the Gods with your talents? Let me know in the comments section. Thank you.

Blessed Be,

Moonwater SilverClaw

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P.S.

Don’t forget about the workshop, sign up now.

Real Magick Workshop

Real Magick Workshop

Buy the workbook Beyond the Law of Attraction to Real Magick now and give me the receipt number and get $10 off your ticket to the workshop! You can sign up for the workshop below. See you soon.

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Find New Ways to Celebrate

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Roses

Tend to Your Roses

Find New Ways to Celebrate

Want to feel better?

On Monday September 23rd, I was reminded of the importance of celebrating small victories.

Life is meant to be celebrated.

In the days before September 23rd, I was running frantically with so much to do: Getting ready for my upcoming Oct. 19th workshop (in California) and getting my first workbook completed and then available for people to purchase online (available here). I was tired.

I took a belly-flop on the couch. I expected my sweetheart to offer me at least a score of “9.2” for my maneuver.

Instead, he asked, “How are we going to celebrate?” It had been months of work on my workbook with my sweetheart editing portions of the book daily.

Celebrate? I was exhausted and I could only think of the rehearsals for my workshop and other projects with deadlines.

Still, he was right (Don’t tell him.) It’s important to pause and celebrate a little success.

Along the same lines, my sweetie writes in his daily gratitude journal–that’s where you note what you’re grateful for. Perhaps, you had a good phone call with a friend. Maybe you took a walk for exercise. He writes in his gratitude journal just before he goes to sleep each night.

It’s so easy to forget the blessings in our lives. They happen everyday. Some may be small but they are there. However, many of us only remember the things that troubled us during the day.

It’s like a stubbed toe that screams pay attention. But we miss acknowledging all the other toes that are just fine. We concentrate on that which gives us pain.

But what about the joys in our day? The cat that purrs with affection as you caress it; your partner smiles in the morning; and you hear your favorite song on the radio. How about when your loved one makes your favorite meal?

I invite you to push forward the joys and blessing of your day. Pause. Pay attention. Push the “stubbed toe” into the background.

How do we push the joys and blessings forward? Write in your gratitude journal. Then you’ll think about your day in a different way. Sometimes, I think of a day as glancing out the window and seeing two things: a pile of garbage next to a glorious rose. When you write in your gratitude journal, you’re looking at the rose.

When I write down the “roses” of my day, I’m always surprised about how many actually occurred.

How about you? How many positive things are in your life right now? You’re reading this, so your eyes are working. You’re breathing. You’re probably looking forward to something even, perhaps, a favorite TV show.

I find that consciously choosing to look at the “roses” of life helps me focus on the beauty and joy that I experience. Soon after I started this writing in my gratitude journal, I realized that I didn’t just have one rose, I really had a rose garden.

Now, you can take this a step further. In addition to remembering the roses of your life, show your gratitude. Do a simple ritual at the end of your day. After noting my blessings in my gratitude journal, I take a candle and offer it as thanks to the Gods for the blessings I enjoyed.

Tea light candles work great for this. They are small and don’t take too long to burn. This way you don’t have a candle burning when no one is around. (Never leave a burning candle unattended.)

This candle is a small gesture to the Gods in thanks for all the blessings they provide. Since starting this ritual, I have noticed even more blessings occurring in my life.

The nice thing about this ritual is that it doesn’t take much time and it doesn’t require a big fanfare. As long as your ritual is heartfelt and sincere the Gods will be pleased.

If you live with someone who isn’t Wiccan, lighting a candle in not a big inconvenience. Simply let them know that this is a positive part of your daily life.

This ritual is a great way to say “I noticed” and “thanks” to the Gods. They will appreciate it. This ritual also helps you be happier and healthier.

Please leave a comment and let me know if you do something like this or if you have a different way to honor the blessings in your life. I’d love to hear your perspective. Thanks.

Blessings,

Moonwater

Happy Mabon and My Journey to Wicca by Heather Greene

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Moonwater's Pumpkin Bread

It’s that time of season.

Mabon Greetings

Happy Mabon Everyone!

I have a treat for you. My friend Heather Greene is guest blogging today. She will tell her story about how she found the Craft.

But first I want to share a few thoughts and a recipe of mine.

This is one of my favorite times of the year. During this harvest time we celebrate ripening of our labors. Now we reap the benefits.

One of the best things is how spiced foods start to appear during this season. And with that thought in mind, I’m sharing one of my favorite recipes with you. It’s my pumpkin bread recipe.

Moonwater’s Pumpkin Bread

Makes 2 loaves.

  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 2 tsp. allspice
  • 2 tsp. nutmeg
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 2 cups of fresh pumpkin → 16 ounces if using canned pumpkin
  • 2/3 cup water → if pumpkin is canned
  • 1/2 cup water → if pumpkin is fresh or frozen
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325 F. Combine flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar in large mixing bowl. Add eggs, water, oil and pumpkin. Stir until blended. Add nuts. Mix well. Pour into two 9×5″ loaf pans. Bake 1 hour 30 mins. Cool slightly and take out of pans to let cool on a rack. This tastes best if you wrap, refrigerate and wait a day to eat it. It keeps well in the refrigerator and can be frozen.

I love this bread. It’s great for parties or have a slice for dissert. One of the coolest things is it can be put in the freezer to be stored for a future date. This is wonderful if you have lots to prepare for a party and need the time for other things.

I hope you enjoy it, and if you have any recipes to share I would love to see them, and try them! Please use the comment box below to share.

And now for the main event Heather Greene’s post!

Heather Greene

Heather Greene

My Journey to Wicca

“The reaches opened before us and closed behind, as if the forest had stepped leisurely across the water to bar the way for our return. We penetrated deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness.” – Joseph Conrad, The Heart of Darkness

Spiritual awakenings are funny in that they can happen at any given moment – in church, in the car, in the plumbing section of Home Depot. They sneak up on us and seize our minds, bodies and hearts. Then they send us soaring at lightening-speed into another time and space where everything is suddenly crystal clear – for only one moment. When we return an instant later, we are more confused than before but forever changed in some indeterminable way.

My spiritual awakening happened in high school after reading The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. The novella blew my mind and kept me in philosophical ecstasy for weeks. I jumped at any and all opportunities to discuss the story’s deeper meanings. In hindsight, I probably lost a few friends that year and it was no coincidence that was the same year I earned my reputation. From that point forward, I was known as the enigmatic, artsy girl who was unofficially voted most-likely-to-be-a-poet. Not a bad reputation by high school standards.

To this day, The Heart of Darkness stills sends my heart a-flutter. The book essentially deconstructs human society. It not only challenges the morality of European Imperialism, it also breaks down deeply rooted Western cultural constructs such as good and evil. It posits that our values and ethics are social impositions rather than anything signed, sealed and delivered by an absolute natural order of existence or some supreme being with a playbook. We, humans, have determined what is good and what is evil. We have constructed our reality.

See, it blows the mind.

Shortly after reading the book, I started my writing career. I wrote fictional tales about horribly impossible and depressing situations that ended with twist of hope. Most of that work was ignored; up until I wrote a suicide story. That one landed me in the counselor’s office where I yelled, “No I’m not going to commit suicide already! Have you not read The Heart of Darkness?” There was an implied teenage “duh!” in that outburst.

So there I was, an enigmatic future poet and angst ridden teen, feeling totally ready to birth my spiritual life. Considering my ethical world had been created solely by art, literature, philosophy and science, I had nothing to go on except a secular world view. In many ways, I was lucky. Unlike many Pagans, I didn’t have to shed a religious belief system before entering into a new one. I just had to step in and see how the water felt.

Not long after the “Suicide Story” incident, I began to journey through the thick forest of the Occult. First I dabbled in Astrology. I can remember working through what seemed like endless hours of painful mathematics to produce one single birth chart. When I had enough money, I finally bought an Astrology program and a computer to go with it. After awhile I expanded to Tarot, Palmistry, scrying, astral projection and crystals. The world was my magical oyster and I was willing to entertain all it had to offer.

By that point I was well into college. During one summer break, I took a weekend house sitting job for a New York City lawyer. While staying in her Upper East Side apartment, I discovered some funny little herbs in tiny plastic bags. A neighbor, who had stopped by, said very casually, “She’s a witch.” I was struck. What?! A Witch? My mind was blown yet again! I should really consider myself lucky to have anything left at this point.

At the very next opportunity, I rushed into a Barnes & Noble and went straight to the Occult section. After careful consideration, I purchased Raymond Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft. Sitting there on the muggy A-Train packed in with all the other tired commuters, I clung to my new book as if I was harboring the last Golden Ticket to the Wonka factory. This witch book was sacred, somehow, and filled with all the answers.

Unfortunately the book didn’t have any answers. At least not to the questions that I had yet to really ask. What it did have was a key to a door that led to a pathway of spiritual growth using the language of Witchcraft.

Not long after, I began to practice in earnest. Over the following year, I bought more books: Cunningham, Starhawk, Margot Adler and Silver Ravenwolf, for example. I organized my very first solitary Samhain ritual. When not attending to my film student duties, I dabbled in spell craft. Then, on one faithful day, I bought myself a silver pentacle and began calling myself a Witch.

It wasn’t until then that I realized the depth of what I was doing. This was more than just carnival games and Halloween hocus pocus. It was more than counter-culture and The Wizard of Oz. I found something powerful; something that I now defined as good even if the world defined it as evil.

After several years of solitary practice, I decided to join a Wiccan coven. It seemed the next appropriate step. I’ve been with that same group now for sixteen years. The communal experience strengthened me, gave me tools that I could never have found alone and, most importantly, offered me a community of like-minds who were on a similar path. Many of those people have become treasured friends and family.

But the journey is not over. It is never over.

What I can say now, in clarity, is that it all started with that book – The Heart of Darkness. There in that place, where all the social constructs are gone, there is nothing but raw, unbridled, animalistic humanity – body and blood, love and lust, hate and rapture, and spirit. It is the elemental point of beginnings. It is only from that point that we can see the world for what it is – a stack of cards. It is only from that point we can see ourselves, explore our past and find our motivation. It is honesty at a critical level. Deep within the Heart of Darkness, we are pure. Coming out from that space is the journey of a lifetime – and it just may blow your mind.

Heather Greene is a freelance writer living in the South. She has a masters degree in Film Theory and History with a background in commercial media and technology. She spent the first part of her career working at a major Madison Avenue Ad agency and its production subsidiaries, as well as an systems engineer at a Fortune 100 company. In 2001, she left it all behind to become a independent writer and has been doing that ever since.

Heather is currently serving as National Public Information Officer for Covenant of the Goddess. From 2010-2012, she served as Public Information Officer for Dogwood Local Council. Additionally, she collaborates with Lady Liberty League on a variety of cases and is a regular contributor to Circle Magazine.
Heather has been practicing Wicca for almost twenty years in both solitary and group settings. Her other interests fall into the creative realm. She finds peace dabbling in the artistic energy that always seems to encircle her life through music, dance, color and words. Currently, she is entertaining the muse through her own writing and through music as a songwriter. She finds power and inspiration in all that is reflected in nature’s beauty, family and friends.

– See more at: http://wildhunt.org/about/heather-greene#sthash.mwzYAeWA.dpuf

I’m glad I had the chance to share Heather’s story.
Until next week,
Blessed Be,
Moonwater

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When You’re Down, A Way to Climb Up

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Climb Your Way Out of Depression

Climb Your Way Out of Depression

When You’re Down, A Way to Climb Up

So what have you heard about the burden of depression?

If you’ve experienced it, you know what an oppressive malady it is. If you have not experienced it, it’s hard to convey the essence of the pain.

Ever since I was little, I’ve had feelings of hopelessness and unworthiness. Abuse in the form of beatings from my brother and neglect from my parents, intensified my hopelessness.

I never knew when abuse would fall upon me. There was no rhyme or reason. Abusing a little girl is inexcusable. But what was worse, as that little girl, I felt a torrent of twisted thoughts. I believed the abuse happened because I deserved it.

I’ve heard a number of times that some people had perhaps a teacher that provided the support they didn’t have at home. But I wasn’t that lucky.

I did what I could to survive. I avoided people.

To me, depression was living in a deep, deep hole. A dark place where I was alone. I felt that I deserved this dark place. I had no hope, no love, no respect. I felt worthless. My chest hurt. Just cold putrid rotting meat inside me. The depression made it move and writhe like a carcass filled with maggots. There was more: tar, shards of broken glass, rusty nails.

Escape! That’s all I wanted. At eight years old, I tried to hang myself.

The Gods intervened. The cord broke. Not just once, but every time I tried to commit suicide, the Gods saved me.

They poured their light into a places I never thought any light could reach. My heart and soul. When that happened it was indescribable. It was beyond an epiphany. It was beyond life and death. It was so miraculous I can’t describe the event. Only that it was life-changing in every way.

It changed my thinking, my speaking, my body. It changed my world. It changed me. I was not me anymore, and yet, I was. My memories were the same, my environment was the same, my story was the same.

I knew who I was, and where I had come from. But now it was all different. How I experienced life was completely new.

I still have depression. I no longer identify myself as “a depressed person.” I am a spirit who deals with depression systems. I take medication and I have a helpful therapist. Each day I have good moments. I reconnect with the Gods on a daily basis. Even as I write this, my altar gleams with a glowing candle.

The Gods gave me a gift of self-love. I want to show you the way to it. I can’t walk this path for you, but I can show you my own path and walk side by side with you on yours.

Here is a chant you can recite to yourself when you’re hurting:

By the Sun and by the Moon,   

Let the Gods’ light be my boon.  

 

Shining deep and shining far, 

May I be healed by every star.

 

I saw it then, I see it now,

Darkness be gone right here, right now!

 

You can use this short chant whenever you are feeling low. For example you can use this chant during meditation, lighting a candle or as a prelude to a meditation.

As always, let me know your experiences using this chant by using the comments box below. I would love to hear them.

Blessed Be,

Moonwater SilverClaw

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It’s Our One Year Anniversery! Learning Self Love

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Got Hope?

Got Hope?

It’s Our 1 Year Anniversary!

 

Today is The Hidden Children of the Goddess’s one year anniversary. Hooray! To celebrate, I will give you a free excerpt of the new book. Email me at AskAWitchNow @ gmail.com for a small excerpt of my upcoming new workbook from my new workshop: Beyond the Law of Attraction to Real Magick.

Today’s post is on one of the most important things the Gods have taught me. Learning Self-Love. If we don’t have self-love we can’t have hope for ourselves and for others.

Learning Self-Love

How do you feel? Do feel good about yourself and how your life is going? In our society, many of us struggle with the concept of self-love. Some people even confuse self-love with being self-centered.

Self-love is about taking care of yourself and making sure that you are strong. Without self-love you can’t manifest your desires.

I did not start with self-love. Due to my brother’s physical abuse and my parents’ neglect, I felt worthless. Fortunately, the Gods changed my perspective on myself for the better.

Through reflective meditation, the Gods helped me understand how skewed my perception of myself really was. This was a key turning point for me.

One thing you always hear about are affirmations, but for many of us these just don’t work.

First, let’s cover what an affirmation is. It’s a personal, positive statement. It can be as simple as “I feel terrific” or “I make a lot of money.”

For many, the above statements don’t work. Why?

A number of people have told, “It just sounds like I’m lying to myself.”

Like myself, many people’s inner self-beliefs interfere with these positive statements. For an example, if I used the affirmation “I am thin, ” my brain would object with “No, I’m not. Look in the mirror”. It’s not true. No matter how hard you try to pound that new idea into your brain, your brain pounds just as hard back.

So how did the Gods help me deal with this problem? They inspired me to create a Self-Love Meditation.

So instead of the uphill battle of an affirmation, we’ll use the Self-Love Meditation to work with the situation.

[You can work with this meditation by audio recording it in your own voice and then play it back. Or you invite a friend to read this section to you.]

Self-Love Meditation

Close your eyes.

Breathe in and out deeply . . . Relax.

Keep breathing.

Breathe out the stress of the day.

Breathe in relaxation and peace.

(Pause)

You are still aware of the light that is in the room.

Now the light begins to fade.

As it fades you feel total comfort. You feel safe and secure in the darkness.

(Short Pause)

Now, a new form of light blossoms. It surrounds and wraps you in its loving energy. This light is the light of the Gods.

It is a light of love and compassion. Take it in.

As you take this light and understanding in, you can now see with the Gods’ eyes.

You can now see yourself as they see you, pure, beautiful, whole. You are a masterpiece of their creation. You were made with love, and you are a manifestation of their love. You are love.

This understanding fills you.

(Pause)

With this new understanding you are now ready to return to the physical world.

You know that even though you may leave the light at this time it is never truly gone.

It’s a gentle transition as the light begins to fade around you.

Slowly at first. It gets darker and darker.

As it fades you feel total comfort. You feel safe and secure in the darkness.

(Short Pause)

Then a familiar light returns, the light in the room where you started.

It gradually gets brighter and brighter.

You are back in the room. You have brought the calm and peace and happy feelings back with you.

Now, gently open your eyes.

You can do this meditation as often as you need to. It may not take at first, but keep trying. Eventually the Gods’ light will shine within you.

I keep this light within me at all times. Sometimes it’s hard to see it, but it is always there. With self-love we can manifest anything we wish. From the foundation of self-love, we have the energy and personal peace from which we can help others on their path.

I would love to hear about your experience with this meditation. You can leave a comment in the comment box below.

Blessed Be,

Moonwater SilverClaw

Moonwater SilverClaw Logo

Should We Believe in The Law Of Three?

/ Moonwater / 2 Comments

 

Stump and Log

Stump and Log

Should We Believe in The Law Of Three?

Do you believe in the Law of Three? Have you done something and had the same energy return upon you three-fold?

I have personally seen Law of Three results unfold in my daily life. My actions do bring things in response that are similar in tone.

Do we always get exactly three times the response to an action? Not necessarily.

Imagine that you remove a log from your yard. Likely, some little creatures live in that log. Now homeless, they must find a new place to live. Most often, this might be a small situation.

But what if they were termites and their new home is your house?!

So a small action (removing the log) led to a big reaction (termite damage). Perhaps, needing to have your home repaired causes you stress.

And in this above example, we see that one action may be magnified. How much depends

on many variables and how a particular action effects the universe.

So why is it called The Law of Three if it doesn’t effect us exactly three times? In short, I don’t know. Perhaps, three was chosen because it is a sacred number. It sounds better than The Law of Two.

I’d suggest that The Law of Three really reminds us that one action can create a magnified reaction that effects you.

Say no to racism

Say no to racism

Crystal Blanton

This is a public service announcement from Crystal Blaton and I think it is very important for people in the Craft to stand up to the sickness that is Racism.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: My dear Pagan people… Racism is a cancer in our society. It has killed for generations and the only cure known to man is education. And that still is not 100% effective, many people will continue to die from racism, and many people will die racist.

And so we MUST remember that there is NO PLACE for racism in our spiritual community. It doesn’t matter what branch of Paganism, what label or term that is used. It is not acceptable, nor should it ever be acceptable.

All people should feel safe to walk with the Gods. All people should feel safe to engage in community, and all people have the right to connect with divinity. My brand of Paganism does not include those [racist] beliefs and I will continue to demand a safe environment for all people, and especially for people of color, to be free of bullshit separatist language, rhetoric and ridicule.

Cancer silently kills people everyday. My aunt died from cancer right before my eyes. Racism also kills people silently (and sometimes not so silently). I have also lost many people from this silent but deadly killer. It must stop…. and we are the only means to a cure.

It starts with us. IT MUST START WITH US!

Eliminating racism begins with acknowledging that it is still here. For over 13 years, I live with my sweetheart, and he is a person of color. He has seen the trouble caused by racism and negativity.

I find it synchronistic that I wrote about The Law of Three and Crystal wrote about eliminating racism.

If you have a personal story about The Law of Three I would love to hear about your experience. You can reply in the comments box below. Thanks!

Blessings

Moonwater SilverClaw

Picture of Crystal provided by her.

The Body as Sacred

/ Moonwater / 2 Comments
Lighting a Candle

Lighting a Candle

The Body As Sacred

When I came to the Craft, I was relieved about how Wicca viewed the body. In Wicca, it doesn’t matter if you’re trim or voluptuous. Or if your body has a pear shape or no shape. Wicca sees all body types as sacred. Let’s face it, not everyone can be a supermodel. But just because you may not have all the “right” curves in all the right places doesn’t mean you aren’t beautiful in the eyes of the Gods. Because all body types are sacred to the Gods. And in Wicca, no one body type is better than another. Another thing, it doesn’t matter if you’re black, white, brown, or even purple. We are all beloved of the Gods.

Wiccans see the Gods in our bodies. The Gods take form in bodies just as they take form in rocks and trees around us. Because of this we need to take care of our bodies. For they are our temples. We need to feed them good food, take care of them by washing them clean, and take them out for a spin, even if it is just around the block once a day. You don’t need to be a health freak to successfully maintain your body, but if you happen to be one that’s okay, too. I won’t tell.

Why is this so important? Healthy bodies help us do what we need to do in our magickal lives. When we take care of our bodies our bodies help us in return. Not only are they a physical manifestation of the God and Goddess, but they help us raise energy for spells. And our bodies help us interact with the world around us.

When’s the last time you lit a candle without the help of your body? I’d like to light a candle with just pure thought. (It hasn’t happened yet.) I need my hands to light a candle, whether I use a match or the sacred bic!

Having a healthy body is important to our magick and in honoring the Gods. As I mentioned, our body is our temple. Would you want to go to a smelly, run down and un-landscaped temple to worship in? I wouldn’t want to worship there and I suspect neither would the Gods. This is why it is important to keep up your temple.

Keep your temple clean. Decorate it appropriately. For example, wear clothes that fit. You don’t have to pick the latest designer clothing. Pick something you are happy with. Find your own style. You want people to see your temple and see you as the beautiful and unique person you truly are.  Have an interesting body shape? Express it. Be proud of what the Gods gave you. Never hide in shame over what you look like. The Gods gave us bodies for our happiness and for enjoying the world around us.

Do you have witchy fashion tips or ideas you wish to share? Use the comment box below to let us know about your inner diva.

Blessed be,

Moonwater

Real Magick Workshop

Real Magick Workshop

Take Advantage of the Early

 Registration Discount

Release anything that blocks you from the financial abundance and happiness you really want! In this hands-on workshop we will be focusing on prosperity magick. However, this workshop can be used to unblock anything you may have that is hindering your magick from coming to full fruition. This workshop is three hours long (3pm to 6pm on October 19th) and will be held in San Jose, California, USA. This workshop includes meditation and actual practicies for attracting the life you truly desire.

Early Registration (August 25th – September 9th) is only $19.95

Regular Registration (September 10th – October 18th) $29.95

At the Door (If seating is still available) $35.00

If you are interested in going to the workshop please contact me now at:

AskAWitchNow@Gmail.com 

If you know someplace to advertise the workshop I would appreciate it. Click here to get the pdf: Real Magick Workshop