Magic and Illness

There's a lot of opinion and a wide variety of sources that talk about magic and ritual workings while sick (Not sick as in a stuffy nose, but the need to stay in bed and do as little as possible). Well, I figured that I might as well add my two cents in since the hubby is sick tonight and I will therefore be going at our Imbolc ritual solo...

I have never been one to say "no you can't", because, in reality, what gives me that right? The beauty of the pagan path is that it is as diverse as those that walk it and unique to every individual. So, someone wants to cast a love spell on another? Well, I don't agree with that, and I will certainly express that opinion and tell them WHY I don't agree, but I will never say no you can't. It's not my life and therefore not ultimately my decision. The same comes into play when it comes to illness and magic. Personally, when I'm sick, there is little chance that I will want to do anything more than drinking tea, lay in bed, sleep, and potentially read a book. Plus, when you feel that crappy, what is your energy like? It's not full of vitality and life, it's sluggish and sickly. Who really wants to send that out into our world? Not me! And for that reason, I chose to not practice magic when I'm sick. Have I had to sit out rituals with my circle before? No, I've actually been lucky enough to not ever be ill for one of those events. However, I've had to reschedule and re-plan my own rituals, just like I have tonight due to the illness of my beloved. While he won't be walking the house with me as I cleanse, he'll still be with me in spirit, and that is what matters to me. The goddess will understand. =)

So, in the end, it's up to you as the practitioner to make the decision of whether or not it's right for you to practice magic or partake in ritual while ill.

The witching hour has arrived, and I must take my leave and mentally, physically, and spiritually prepare myself for the ritual at hand.

Brightest Blessings to you all on this Imbolc Night!

Happy Imbolc Everyone!

Today is Imbolc, as well as the New Moon! What a delightful combination, I must say. The sun is out for long periods of time, and even though there is still a chill in the air (a delightful 25 degree's here), you can start to feel the warmth of the coming spring. It is time to clean your house and start de-cluttering it, both physically and energetically, from the long nights of winter. Here are a few fun and simple activities for your Imbolc celebration:
Cleanse your house with sage (air/fire) and salted water (earth/water) and follow by anointing all of the doors and window frames with a blessing oil. As you do this, say:
With the purifying power of Water,
With a clean breath of Air,
With the passionate heat of Fire,
With the grounding energy of Earth,
I/We cleanse this space!

Here is a spell of personal purification that works directly with the Goddess Brigid:

A Spell for Purification:You will need:  3 candles of varying colors,
suggested colors: red, white, yellow --a bath oil of a warming spirit

Suggested place to do spell: Bathtub/Shower
 

Plan the spell for a time when you can be uninterrupted.
Quiet your mind the way you usually do.  Focus on Brigid's flame burning within your heart-center.  With each breathe this flame grows warmer and warmer and fills your entire body.  See, with your mind's eye, the flame from your heart now enveloping you.  Push the flame as far out of your body as you can.  Try to make it fill the entire room.

Once you have captured the image of the flame raised to where you want it, begin focusing on the things you want to bring in to your life now. Imagine yourself receiving these things before the Spring Equinox.  It may help to visualize a calendar with dates
-- be sure to see the numbers 2011!

When you have finished drawing your future with your mental magic-want, begin bringing the flame down and back into your heart.

Thank Brigid with your heart-light. Try to let the candles burn themselves out (never leaving them unattended).

Remember, no matter what you decide to do today, it is a time for new beginnings in all ways of life! So go purify your mind, body, and soul and jump into these new beginnings with a clean slate!

Blessed Imbolc Everyone!

Imbolc Feasting Recipes!

Good afternoon everyone!
I will be posting the recipes (with proper credits) as they are emailed to me from circle members!

My Slow Cooker Beef Stew (recipe from Taste of Home):

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 6 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch slices
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 3 celery ribs, coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) Hunt’s® Original Diced Tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon browning sauce

Directions

• Layer the potatoes, carrots, onion and celery in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Place flour in a large resealable plastic bag. Add stew meat; seal and toss to coat evenly. In a large skillet, brown meat in oil in batches. Place over vegetables.
• In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, broth, mustard, salt, pepper, thyme and browning sauce. Pour over beef. Cover and cook on high for 1-1/2 hours. Reduce heat to low; cook 7-8 hours longer or until the meat and vegetables are tender. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 cup) equals 272 calories, 11 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 53 mg cholesterol, 381 mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 19 g protein.

Corn Bread with Lavender Honey:

I totally cheated and used the Jiffy Boxed Corn Bread. =)

For the Honey, you take:

1 bottle (small) of a light honey

2 tbs dried lavender flowers

1 reusable steeping bag

Heat honey in a double boiler, put lavender in steeping bag then toss the bag into the honey. Keep over medium heat for 30 minutes with occasional stirring. Let the honey cool down to a thicker consistancy (will be almost like water when you take it off the heat) then pour back into the bottle. Super easy and super yummy!

Easy Quiche (thank you Tina!)

3-4 eggs (depending on size and extra filling)
1 1/2 C milk
1/2 C Bisquick
2-3 C shredded cheese of your choice
2 C whatever you want (Bacon, spinach, ham, etc.)

Mix it all together and dump it into a 9 inch ungreased pie dish and bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes (45 minutes if only used 3 eggs, 55 if used 4).
Let cool for 5 minutes then serve!

A New Beginning

Well folks, it's already the end of January, 2011. I swear I'm stuck in a time warp. Anywho...


I had a random thought today and decided to start my own pagan, witch-y blog. Yup. That's right. You will now be subjected to my thoughts on the pagan world, among many other things. Buckle your seats folks, it's going to be one heck of a ride!


Today my circle and I celebrated Imbolc together. I few days early, yes, but when most of the group is in the military, weekend get togthers seems to be our best option. So, we met up at 2 o'clock today for ritual and feasting. As always, the feasting was extravagant, with far too much food for the 15 of us that were there, with outrageous stories, good friendship and a lot of laughter. However, as seems to be a theme that is occurring more than I like, our ritual was lacking. That's not to say that it wasn't good, but it wasn't great either. The words written for it were well done, it was a shorter ritual but sweet and elegant. When I sit back and type this out, it seems that anyone who reads this could come up with a handful (if not more) reason's WHY it's like this sometimes. Spare yourself the brainstorming, because I can tell you why... Are you ready for it? Mindset. It seems that some of our members, particularly the ones that have been a part of this circle for many years now, have problems with coming into a ritual with the right mindset. Not only does it drag a ritual down, but it sets a poor example for our newer members. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for having a good time and laughing my butt off at a good story, but to me, when a ritual is being started, it's time to dawn the role of Priestess or Priest and take the work of the goddess seriously, not be goofing off in the corner because the circle has been cast and the "serious stuff" is done. Or is that just me being totally off? Our circle has amazing power when it's focused and in tune with itself, it just seems that more often that not, as of late anyway, it's not in sync and stumbling over the hem of it's own cloak.


Anyway! Enough of that!


The husband and I will be having a small ritual of our own on February 2nd. That one is bound to be fun, as I do love working magic with my man. I also have a great story to read to my little one about Brigit's Fire as we celebrate her that day. It's so fun now that she's getting older and starting to understand. We wave hello to the goddess (moon) every morning when we leave for preschool, and say hello to the god (sun) every afternoon when we come home. It really is the simple things in life.


Well, I suppose I'll sign off for now. Keep checking back and I will post the recipes from our yummy Imbolc feasting!