witchcraft

The Element Fire

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Element of Fire

Element of Fire (thanks to Arthur for the photograph)

Fire

Aligned with the direction South, Fire is associated with energy and heat. European originators of Wicca held the understanding that South and fire were related.  As the Europeans saw it, the farther south you go toward the equator the temperature heats up. So the South and fire were linked.

We also see Fire as a masculine element. Fire kindles our bright spirit into action. Fire drives us; it is the moving force for our will. Fire inspires. Simply, fire is energy! A transformer, Fire gives us the power to change our thoughts which change our actions and our lives! We jump in and tackle our problems.

The Fire’s elementals are Salamanders. Our ancestors saw the red coloring of salamanders’ bellies and associated them with fire. Seen as dragon like, the elemental Salamanders are shape-shifters like the flames themselves. Sometimes, Salamanders can have wings and human faces like Sylphs.

Some things that represent fire for Wiccans include: embers, the sun, hot chili peppers, and a candle’s flame. You can use any of these items in the South quarter of your circle to represent Fire.

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 Element Air

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Air

Clouds Represent Air

Air

Associated with the direction East, air is a masculine element. Air represents the flowing thoughts of our minds. We take in new thoughts like we take in a new breath into our lungs. Air goes hand in hand with fire, which is also a masculine element. Without the air (specifically oxygen) to support it, fire dies.

What is the elemental of air? It’s the sylph, often depicted as a human figure sporting wings. Numerous people report seeing Sylphs in cloud formations.

Representations of Air include feathers, birds of all kinds, clouds, dust devils, wind chimes, and incense smoke. Any of these items can be placed in the East quarter of your circle. Be creative.

Blessed Be,

Moonwater SilverClaw

The Element Earth

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Rocks

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

Moonwater SilverClaw

Happy Wiccan New Year!

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Gourds

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,

Moonwater SilverClaw

Happy Samhain

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Jack-O-lantern

Jack-O-lantern

Samhain

Samhain is the final harvest Sabbat of the year. At this time the last crops are gathered and put into storage for the cold winter’s months. The god makes his ultimate sacrifice at this time. But fear not his sacrifice is a willing one, for he does this for his children. The god is symbolized by the last of the harvest. He (the god of the harvest) is cut down (sacrificed) at this time so that we may have food to last us through the winter. The “Johan Barleycorn” songs came from this.

At this time of the year, the cattle and pigs are culled keeping only the ones strong enough to weather the harsh winter months. The meat is then salted and cured so that the people would be able to survive the long winter.

Samhain is also known as the witches’ New Year. The Celts felt that this was the beginning of the year. The reason for this is they believed a new life started at death. You needed to die to be reborn into a new life. That is just what the god has done with his sacrifice. He now resides in the underworld awaiting birth at Yule.

Samhain is also the time to communicate with the dead, The Veil between the worlds is the thinnest at this time. The Veil is the doorway or curtain that separates the land of the living with the land of the dead. Contact between the two worlds is now easily accomplished. So contacting past loved ones is common on this Sabbat. The dead are honored at this time. An example of this in today’s modern society is Mexico’s day of the dead.

The Wheel turns to represent death at this Sabbat, only to continue turning at Yule, to the beginning, representing life and rebirth. The eternal cycle of reincarnation is celebrated during Samhain. The old god dies to be reborn at Yule.

Blessed be,

Moonwater Silverclaw

Offerings

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Leaf Offering

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:

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,

Moonwater Silverclaw

Your Thoughts

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As I sit in the local coffee shop writing this post, enjoying a smooth mocha, I stop and think, “What’s the top three things my readers want to know about Wicca?”

My mind whirls with possibilities as I sit, staring at my reflection in the window of the coffee shop. Then it hits me like a bug on a windshield. I’ll just ask you. What do you want to hear about first? Give me the three topics you can’t wait to hear about. You can leave your suggestions in the comments box below. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

The Tools of Wicca: Candles

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Merry Meet. Let’s talk about candles.

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

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

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Car in parting spot

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,

Moonwater Silverclaw