Hey guys! I apologize for not blogging at all/rarely last month, but I have had a lot of things going on with me. I am aware that I have been having panic attacks, and it is suspected to be stemming from an anxiety disorder, so please send a little healing energy my way.
Today, I wanted to share my love of books. This is pretty different from what I usually do, but I have found this excellent book that I have picked up. I'm about halfway done with it, and I got it about 3 days ago. It's a fairly light read, and it's packed with information on Wicca. It is titled Exploring Wicca by Lady Sabrina. It is the updated edition, and I absolutely adore this book.
This book is beyond perfect for a person who has just started classified themselves as Wiccan. It goes over all of the basic things that one would be expected to know after the first and second years of being in this religion. It goes over a history of Wicca, the different traditions of Wicca (some of which I had never heard of until now), and many, many concepts.
It explains the different types of gods such as Sun Gods, The Horned Gods, and The Harvest Gods. It gives a brief history of them and some examples from the Norse, Greek, Roman, and Celtic pantheon. It does the same with the Goddesses (Moon Goddesses, The Triple Goddess), and it actually helped me find which God and Goddess I can consider my patron deities. (In case you do not follow me on Twitter, I have recently changed from the
This book also has a detailed description of the elements, and what they represent. This book, in a way, help me find that my element is actually air. I believed it was fire or water, but given the meaning in the book, I can clearly see that I am of the element air (natural leader, and the intelligence behind the event). They list herbs, the archangels, the stones, the colors, and so much more representing these elements. They also explain how certain herbs can promote certain actions, and I thought that was really neat.
I flipped through the book, and this tells you about alter setups, the history and meaning behind the Sabbats, how to go about casting a circle and magickal spells, and it even has a glossary. You can look up specific terms, and that may be helpful for starters in Wicca.
I give this book a 5 star rating. The only that caught my attention and bugged me is that I saw a couple of love spells in the book. As much as love spells are popular, I have no problem with them... IF THEY DO NOT TARGET A SINGLE PERSON. I don't believe in manipulating one's free will, but... I'll be perfectly honest, I have done a spell having to do with love. It was not aimed at a specific person, but it was more-so a "let me find love, and let me experience it with whoever the universe feels like pairing me up with" spell. The book does have a spell that does say [insert name here] in one love spell, and I didn't care for that. (Once again, I was just scanning ahead and found that.)
Other than that, the book does contain spells that I can actually conduct with what I have on my hidden alter: a pink candle, a green candle, incense....
I can't say it enough, I love this book. I want you guys to check it out and tell me what you guys think of it. I also have to wait for the library to get the other books I have on reserve. One is a Scott Cunningham book, and another one is a huuuge book on Wicca and Witchcraft. I'll let you guys know about those ones too and what I thought of them.
Brightest blessings and much love,
Dawn )O(
Showing posts with label Basics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Basics. Show all posts
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Wicca 101: Appreciating Nature
Hello, again! I haven't blogged in forever, or at least, that's what it feels like. Today, I want others to take a breather and think about what you've been doing with nature, and how exactly you treat it.
Pause for a second. When you are a Pagan, especially Wiccan, you notice that you don't go to a certain building for a worship session. Nature is your temple. You go out there and you admire its beauty. To be perfectly honest, that is why I go to camp, regardless of its religious teachings. There are so many subtle ways to go into nature and bond with it. I believe that's why I connect with the element earth a lot.
First of all, when you search for a wood to make a wand, don't you ever snatch a branch off on the tree. Look and see if there is a detached branch. Trust me... I learned the hard way. Another thing you can do is that if the tree shades you from the sun, give it an offering, like water. I remember doing it to this magnificent pine tree and I felt as though the tree actually said thanks.
Meditation in the afternoon is calming, and you can focus on the beauty of nature. You don't do it by using your vision, but by touch and listening. It is amazing. I've done it for 5 days, 15 minutes each day. You don't even have to close your eyes. Just sit and write or draw. It's amazing.
You don't have to be in the sunshine in order to appreciate nature. Sometimes, I like to sit out in the rain, or just watch it.
Either way, these things and more can be taken into consideration.
Just a little thought and lesson for you.
Dawn )O(
Pause for a second. When you are a Pagan, especially Wiccan, you notice that you don't go to a certain building for a worship session. Nature is your temple. You go out there and you admire its beauty. To be perfectly honest, that is why I go to camp, regardless of its religious teachings. There are so many subtle ways to go into nature and bond with it. I believe that's why I connect with the element earth a lot.
First of all, when you search for a wood to make a wand, don't you ever snatch a branch off on the tree. Look and see if there is a detached branch. Trust me... I learned the hard way. Another thing you can do is that if the tree shades you from the sun, give it an offering, like water. I remember doing it to this magnificent pine tree and I felt as though the tree actually said thanks.
Meditation in the afternoon is calming, and you can focus on the beauty of nature. You don't do it by using your vision, but by touch and listening. It is amazing. I've done it for 5 days, 15 minutes each day. You don't even have to close your eyes. Just sit and write or draw. It's amazing.
You don't have to be in the sunshine in order to appreciate nature. Sometimes, I like to sit out in the rain, or just watch it.
Either way, these things and more can be taken into consideration.
Just a little thought and lesson for you.
Dawn )O(
Friday, December 28, 2012
Wicca 101: Rituals and Circles
Hello, this is Dawn, and this is my 2nd post of the night. In this entry, I promised that I'd explain what it means to cast a circle, why should you cast a circle, and most importantly, how to cast a circle.
Since tonight is an esbat, or full moon, this means that Wiccans will hold a ritual. Most Wiccans will cast a circle, conduct their rituals inside of this circle, then close it. This is so all negative energies are kept out and pure energies are kept in.
Before we get to casting a circle, let me state things that prefer to do before conducting a ritual. Sometimes, I like to clean the place that I am going to have the ritual. Seeing as I've been a little more bold, I clean the table in the living room. Depending on my mood, I may also clean my body. To me, it symbolizes that the Maiden (new moon) is reborn or that whatever is living will have to deteriorate and start anew (Full moon). Then, I cast my circle. Here's where you, once again, do what you feel is correct.
I label what is in front of me north, what's on my right east, what's on my left west, and what's behind me south. I call the elements. North can be whatever your heart desires, but I label that Earth. Water is west. East is air. And South is fire. With what I have in my possession, I am able to have representations of everything: a cup of water, a candle that will be lit when I call fire, a pine cone for earth, and incense for air. I then light the incense. Once again, do whatever feels right.
Calling the elements can be as simple as, "air, I welcome you into my circle," or it can rhyme and all of that jazz. Normally, I would say, "Air, may you guide me in the right direction. I welcome you into my circle." Move onto the next element. I go counterclockwise.
"Earth, I ask you to ground me..."
"Water, allow me to relax in your body..."
"Fire, warm me in your flame..."
Great. You have called all of the elements. Now, it is time to welcome the deities. So, call them and politely welcome them to your circle. Don't demand them. Welcome them. Then you do your spiritual work.
Cake and ale is not actual cake and ginger ale. It's a sweet treat that you take one bite of and take one sip of in honor of the God and Goddess. I usually grab tea and something to bite, then uncast the circle. Uncasting the circle is like casting the circle in reverse and bidding the deities and elements farewell (going from the one you recently called to the first one called). You politely say that they can leave the circle. Remember, you are in sight of the God and Goddess, and you should completely act like it.
After closing the circle, and if there's tea and what-have-you left over, then you can finish your cake and ale after the circle is gone. At least that's what I do...
I hope that this helped you guys who are new and wanting to cast your circles and have rituals. These are the basic esbat rituals...
Much love,
Dawn )O(
Since tonight is an esbat, or full moon, this means that Wiccans will hold a ritual. Most Wiccans will cast a circle, conduct their rituals inside of this circle, then close it. This is so all negative energies are kept out and pure energies are kept in.
Before we get to casting a circle, let me state things that prefer to do before conducting a ritual. Sometimes, I like to clean the place that I am going to have the ritual. Seeing as I've been a little more bold, I clean the table in the living room. Depending on my mood, I may also clean my body. To me, it symbolizes that the Maiden (new moon) is reborn or that whatever is living will have to deteriorate and start anew (Full moon). Then, I cast my circle. Here's where you, once again, do what you feel is correct.
I label what is in front of me north, what's on my right east, what's on my left west, and what's behind me south. I call the elements. North can be whatever your heart desires, but I label that Earth. Water is west. East is air. And South is fire. With what I have in my possession, I am able to have representations of everything: a cup of water, a candle that will be lit when I call fire, a pine cone for earth, and incense for air. I then light the incense. Once again, do whatever feels right.
Calling the elements can be as simple as, "air, I welcome you into my circle," or it can rhyme and all of that jazz. Normally, I would say, "Air, may you guide me in the right direction. I welcome you into my circle." Move onto the next element. I go counterclockwise.
"Earth, I ask you to ground me..."
"Water, allow me to relax in your body..."
"Fire, warm me in your flame..."
Great. You have called all of the elements. Now, it is time to welcome the deities. So, call them and politely welcome them to your circle. Don't demand them. Welcome them. Then you do your spiritual work.
Cake and ale is not actual cake and ginger ale. It's a sweet treat that you take one bite of and take one sip of in honor of the God and Goddess. I usually grab tea and something to bite, then uncast the circle. Uncasting the circle is like casting the circle in reverse and bidding the deities and elements farewell (going from the one you recently called to the first one called). You politely say that they can leave the circle. Remember, you are in sight of the God and Goddess, and you should completely act like it.
After closing the circle, and if there's tea and what-have-you left over, then you can finish your cake and ale after the circle is gone. At least that's what I do...
I hope that this helped you guys who are new and wanting to cast your circles and have rituals. These are the basic esbat rituals...
Much love,
Dawn )O(
Wicca 101: Spells
Hello, again! It's me, Dawn, and I'd thought that since tonight is an esbat (more commonly known as a full or new moon) that I would talk to you about the subject most people would love to know most about: Magick. Many people know this as spellcasting.
To tell you the truth, most don't need the physical casting of a spell, but most consider this common. What I just found out moments ago is that prayer can be considered a spell. Depending on who your mentor is, this can vary, so you don't really take what I'm saying at face value. Once again, what you think matters when being Wiccan.
There are different methods in casting spells. I usually cast a circle to keep positive energies in and negative energies out. (I will explain this in a post following this, so do not worry!) If you do not want to cast a circle, then it is fine. Some decide to get their spells online, while others write theirs. Once again, it is up to you. However, it is more powerful if you write your own. There are many kinds of spells that you could conduct, and that depends on what you want to achieve.
When conducting a spell for love (as an example), you can use correspondences to strengthen this spell. The color red is for passionate love, and you would most likely cast it on Friday. As a note for any love spells, you must be careful. If you follow the Wiccan's Rede, you do not want to tamper with one's free will. If it is more of a general spell to find love, and it is not aimed towards anyone, I would say that that is better. Still, you would want to be very careful.
There are so many things that I could tell you guys about spells, but this will have to do, seeing as though Wicca 101 is covering certain topics briefly. In the future, I may post about different spells I have used and how they work.
Wishing you many blessings,
Dawn )O(
To tell you the truth, most don't need the physical casting of a spell, but most consider this common. What I just found out moments ago is that prayer can be considered a spell. Depending on who your mentor is, this can vary, so you don't really take what I'm saying at face value. Once again, what you think matters when being Wiccan.
There are different methods in casting spells. I usually cast a circle to keep positive energies in and negative energies out. (I will explain this in a post following this, so do not worry!) If you do not want to cast a circle, then it is fine. Some decide to get their spells online, while others write theirs. Once again, it is up to you. However, it is more powerful if you write your own. There are many kinds of spells that you could conduct, and that depends on what you want to achieve.
When conducting a spell for love (as an example), you can use correspondences to strengthen this spell. The color red is for passionate love, and you would most likely cast it on Friday. As a note for any love spells, you must be careful. If you follow the Wiccan's Rede, you do not want to tamper with one's free will. If it is more of a general spell to find love, and it is not aimed towards anyone, I would say that that is better. Still, you would want to be very careful.
There are so many things that I could tell you guys about spells, but this will have to do, seeing as though Wicca 101 is covering certain topics briefly. In the future, I may post about different spells I have used and how they work.
Wishing you many blessings,
Dawn )O(
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Wicca 101: What is Wicca?
Many beginners of this religion may come and ask, "What IS Wicca? Oh, it's witchcraft, right? I must be Wiccan because I am doing witchcraft." That is not the case.
Wicca is a religion. It branches off from the generalized category of Paganism. Wicca focuses on energies from the aspects of the elements (Water, Earth,Air, And Fire) and the form of the spirit. This is best represented by the pentacle or pentagram. Both symbols show that these aspects are connected. Also, everyone is made up of these elements.
A stereotype about Wiccans is that we "worship the devil." As a matter of fact, we do not believe in the devil. We believe in the God and Goddess. In other words, we are a polytheistic religion.
There's no real "book" of this religion. We decide to make our own. It's known as the Book of Shadows. (There will be separate post about this, as there is a lot to this book.)
Unlike other religions that are structured, Wicca is more of a religion that is adapted by you, for you. You do whatever feel is right. Most Wiccans believe in the Wiccans Rede's famous lines. In Layman's terms, it is: Do what you want, but do not hurt a person or tamper with free will.
There's a lot more that I have not mentioned, but do not fret. I will cover some more of the basics, dears.
Wicca is a religion. It branches off from the generalized category of Paganism. Wicca focuses on energies from the aspects of the elements (Water, Earth,Air, And Fire) and the form of the spirit. This is best represented by the pentacle or pentagram. Both symbols show that these aspects are connected. Also, everyone is made up of these elements.
A stereotype about Wiccans is that we "worship the devil." As a matter of fact, we do not believe in the devil. We believe in the God and Goddess. In other words, we are a polytheistic religion.
There's no real "book" of this religion. We decide to make our own. It's known as the Book of Shadows. (There will be separate post about this, as there is a lot to this book.)
Unlike other religions that are structured, Wicca is more of a religion that is adapted by you, for you. You do whatever feel is right. Most Wiccans believe in the Wiccans Rede's famous lines. In Layman's terms, it is: Do what you want, but do not hurt a person or tamper with free will.
There's a lot more that I have not mentioned, but do not fret. I will cover some more of the basics, dears.
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