Everyone Is the Hero Of Their Own Story

Blessings Darlings!

In a Facebook group the other day (yes, one of the vile swamp of dysfunctional ones - those are where I get inspiration for many of my rants) someone was going on about doing a prosperity spell, but to be careful to 'not let the greedy'.

Someone with a home, not living on the street or in a shelter.
Someone with central heat and air conditioning
Someone with food security.
Someone with a phone or computer than had constant internet access.
Someone with electricity.
Someone with at LEAST a refrigerator/freezer.
Someone not living in Detroit or on Native American land, so had clean water and plenty of it.
Someone with a working water heater.
Someone with a working stove.
Someone with enough education to read and write.

And she was addressing others like herself.
People in the upper 15% of income worldwide.
Which is almost everyone in the US - my pitiful $5000 for 2016 put me in the top 25% of world-wide earners.
With my ACA benefits added, I was up to the upper 15% of income world wide.

I was a bit gobsmacked.  And I made a mistake.  I tried to point out to here that even the folks she would consider 'greedy' are the heros of their own story.  They pretty much uniformly feel that all they do is Right and Just and Proper (okay, a few see themselves as the antihero of their own story, but by that they only mean that they are not a CONVENTIONAL hero - but they are a hero nevertheless.)

Back to my mistake - I forgot that in her story she was the hero.  Pointing out that compared to the rest of the world, she's and probably everyone else in the group are exactly the greedy folks that she felt shouldn't use prosperity spells was, to say the least, at odds with her hero story.  Because there will always be people making more than she makes ... and never mind that the same thought is in the mind of those 'real' greedy folks she was condemning.

Sometimes I'm an idiot.  Most of those times it's when I expect average white pagan folks to not see themselves as being the most economically and socially and religiously oppressed folks on the planet. 

Sigh.

Frondly, Fern

Clean Your Damn House, Witchiepoo!

Blessings Darlings! 

Troubled by bad finances? Drama? Chaos? "Negative Energy"?

All spells for changing one's life/luck start with the same thing: you need to totally clean your house. Totally. All rooms, all closets, under all furniture, at least sweep all the walls and ceiling (if you don't wash them), etc. BTW - You'll need to keep the house this clean. 

Organize your finances, too.  Sort them by year, month, etc.
Did you just ask 'why'? 

Because you are getting rid of chaos. You do this mundanely FIRST. Otherwise you're going to have all that mundane crap get in the way.  If you have to spend hours finding your tools, then cleaning your altar - oh, please, tell you you were going to work on a clean altar, right?  - you're going to be taking away from your focus and energy for the workingS.

Did you notice the capital S at the end of 'workings'?

Then you take a white bath - you can get info on that from Houngan Matt's blog post here http://blog.vodouboston.com/2011/10/bath-magic/

THEN you can start more 'overt' magic.

But you have to keep in mind that this type of magic takes a lot of time. What you are aiming to do is akin to changing direction of a huge ship - you are fighting 'momentum', both in your thought process AND still going to have to handle the results of your previous decisions (and none of us have made 100% great decisions).  This type of magic is not a 'do one spell and everything will be wonderful'.  You're overcoming habits YOU put in place, situations YOU let continue to this stage, etc.

You're going to be repeating the rituals for rather a while.

Get to it!

Frondly, Fern

It Happened Again

Blessings Darlings!

As y'all already know, I make a lot of things from scratch, or almost-scratch.  Like - my husband LOVES having Kahlua in his coffee in the evening.  He does this three or so times a week.  Kahlua is a pricy bitch, so I make my own.

And when we moved I lost my usual recipe.

No problem, go online and find another (the original was pulled from being online, because it was shared from a book without the author's permission, and the author or publisher said "Oh, HELL no!")

Since I've made stuff several times, it wasn't hard finding a recipe that I could tell had about the right proportions of coffee to sugar.  But in looking over the recipe, I could tell that the person who POSTED it (to Wikihow, which my protection software identified as a 'malicious' site) clearly had never made it. 

The first clue was that s/he said it would make about a quart of Kahlua-substitute.  Well, yes, the recipe called for 4 cups of liquid.  But the 4 1/2 cups of solids added, which dissolved into the liquids, DO TAKE UP SPACE.  Not one cup of space per cup of sugar/instant coffee, but enough space that the recipe made 6 cups, not 'about a quart'.

The second clue was that, since the mix was 50% higher in volume that was presented, the proof (alcohol content) of the finished product was going to be WAY too low given the relative volume of alcohol the recipe called form. 

To get around these problems, I used nice high-proof Everclear instead of most of the rum that was called for, and used brown sugar instead of white sugar to replace some of the flavor the rum would have brought to the recipe.  I could wing it, because I have experience and mad math skillz.

This isn't only a problem in online recipes, BTW.

And, for you Pagans/witches/wiccans out there - it's not only a problem in cooking.

But more on THAT in a future post!

Frondly, Fern

Prepare Ye The Way of the Lords (and Ladies)

Blessings Darlings!

I'd like to expand on a theme I've touched on before, over in http://fernsfronds.blogspot.com/2009/06/intimacy-with-gods.html . 

I'm in a lot of Facebook Pagan groups.  It could well be argued that I'm in too many Facebook Pagan groups.  At any rate, I see recurring themes in all the groups, one taking place around spell-begging (asking strangers online for spells for X, Y, or Z, or even for ANY spells) the other around 'how do I know what God/dess is my patron?"

The first is, well, spell begging in general. I get that they are beginners (at least usually they admit to being beginners, once you ask them.  The others, who have claimed to be experienced in other threads but somehow need help from strangers online now ... ahem.)  But, really folks, it's like never having played the piano before, then one day renting piano and walking into a music store saying "I want the sheet music for the best music out there!"  You're going to be handed, say, the Rach 3 (Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3) ... and you're going to fail at it.  Because you don't have any of the basic skills, from finger work on, needed to play it. 

The second issue is, in fact, almost identical.  It's a beginner, without much knowledge in ... anything ... who wants to be aligned with any God or Goddess, or thinks that they are being called by some God or Goddess. So they ask strangers online who their Patron is/should be.

I understand the yearning.  In both cases.  But you gotta do the basic work.  You have to learn basic energy work to be able to do spells (in my never humble opinion, and, hey, this is  MY blog).  You have to work on yourself, to make yourself not just able to HEAR the Gods, but to be worthy of them paying any mind to you. 

I'll get into those basics in another post.  Probably one for tomorrow.  Maybe not - I work tonight, and I may not have time.  Damn, I'm such a tease, or at least too damn busy for my own good.

So, a little musical inspiration:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuUl522_8jQ

Frondly, Fern

Archetype Spells

Blessings Darlings!

Blessings Darlings!

We've covered common spells, we've covered insta-spells. 

More powerful yet, and ones that I've only thought about in theoretical terms and not even tried to create yet, and Archetype Spells.

These would take a team and probably decades to put in place.  These are the type of spells taught in Harry Potter - do a hand motion JUST SO while saying a word or two JUST SO. 

My theory is that doing this takes the insta-spell set up, plugs it into a superior source of power, and makes it so anyone can pull the trigger.  One person or a group can create it and get it to the insta-spell stage.  From there the rest of the group works on it, maybe daily, certainly at least at certain times of the month, to make it universal.  All using the same Otherworld set up, all using the same gesture and words.  Maybe it has to be taught by 'apostolic succession' - those who created it taught others, who then taught others.  Could the apostolic succession take place in dreams? Sure, why not - plenty of sacred stories show that happening.  It's a way that can't be relied on, but WOULD explain the re-discovery of types of magic long lost that are being recovered.  Ivo Dominguez, Jr, talks about inspiration he's gotten that sounds much like that in his book "Castings: Creating Sacred Space" - recently released by Weiser books!  Yay Ivo! Yay Ankhie (the Weiser logo is an Ankh).

Ultimately I suppose that the spell would move from servitor to egregor ....

Of course I'd like to see these type of spells being done again.  Will it happen in the next astrological age? Dunno.  I'm quite sure I won't be creating any this life time!

Frondly, Fern

WORKING with Plants

Blessings Darlings!

Herb books are GREAT for medicinal properties assigned to herbs.  They may give some other associations they have - planets, Gods, chakras, sepherot (and sometimes the books occassionally agree on what those associations are!).

But .... if you want to bond with the Spirit of the Herb/Spice/Resin .... that's a different thing.  That takes some extra effort.

Yes, start with the book/internet knowledge.  Especially find out if it's safe to take internally, because that's one technique we're going to discuss!  Study.  Memorize. Learn everything you can about the plant. Grow it if you can, or find it growing wild.   If it's safe to take internally, eat or drink some of the plant.  See what physical effects the plant has on your body.  NOTE - IF THIS IS A KNOWN PSYCHOACTIVE PLANT, DO NOT NOT NOT DO THIS, ESPECIALLY AT THIS STAGE.  DO THIS, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH OREGANO OR HOT PEPPERS, NOT WITH DATURA.

Oh, and you might ingest the plant in an orderly fashion, if possible.  Leaves, seeds, bark, root all might have very different properties.  Again - book knowledge first. The only part of, say, Poke weed that won't be toxic will be young shoots.

Make an offering to the spirit of the plant.  Yes, it's best if you can leave it at the plant, and bonus points for finding it growing wild, but if it doesn't grow in your area that's okay.  Explain your intention to the Spirit of the Plant, and that you're giving the offering as a token of your respect.

From here, move on to building up a good visualization of the plant.  This would take me a week, but you might well be better at visualization than I am! I start with pictures on Google, then work on making them 'come alive'.  You could make a sigil of the plant name, if you are inclined that way.  I'm not a sigil person .... yet. Maybe I'll get there this life.

Finally, head into trance, hold that visualization or sigil, introduce yourself to the plant, and get to know it.   What offerings does it like? What wisdom can it share with you? What plants/animals/spirits does it play nice with .... and which does it NOT play nice with?

Record this UPG (unverified Personal Gnossis) you get from the plant in your BOSL.  Remember to give the plant an occassional offering, and an occassional visit - after working with it more you're likely to have more, not less, questions for it!

Frondly, Fern

Recording Spells

Blessings Darlings!

You've created your spell. Did you write down the associations you researched, noting why you went with one herb/color/sephirah/etc over the others?  If not - do it now.  I'll wait.

Okay.

THIS is EXACTLY the type of stuff that goes in your Book of Lights and Shadows - your research, your decisions, the reasoning behind your decisions.  And once your do the spell, you write down how well the results were.  I think of a Book of Lights and Shadows the same way I think of a lab notebook for a scientist.  Also after the spell, maybe after letting it 'set' for 24 hours, record your impressions of energy work, spirit involvement, etc from the working of the spell.  I was taught by Isaac Bonewits to NOT review/dissect that part right after the spell, because it can lead to problems with the "suspension of disbelief" one assumes during the spellwork.

Later, you should go over the spell - and you'll know what you did, and why.  You'll have written down what worked, and what didn't.  You can then start to analyze WHY things worked or didn't.

You're not recording this stuff just so you have a big BOLS, you are recording the stuff AND GOING OVER IT.  That is the way you improve. 

Frondly, Fern

How Often to do a Spell?

Blessings Darlings!

So now you've researched herb/color/spirit/wood/whatever associations for your spell, put together some wording, gotten your gear together, and done the spell once.

Should you do it again? If you want to do a spell for the same thing again, for that matter, do you need to rewrite it or somehow 're-acquire' it, as in D&D and so many of its offshoots?

Well, let's deal with the second question first - you don't 'use up' the magic of a spell by doing it.  Real life is not a D&D game.

Repetitions

Some spells you do once, and you're done.  Parking space spells, for example.  You need a space, you do a quick chant, you get your space, you say thanks, done.

Some spells get done more than once to be effective.  I suppose I was first exposed to that in Raymond Buckland's first "Candle Magic" book, where for one spell I did I recall doing it for 7 or 9 days, moving the candles closer to the center each day.

It's not uncommon to repeat a spell for 3 days, or 7, or 9, or 13, or a whole moon cycle or whole season.  It's also not uncommon for those longer-running spells to tweak them along the way.  Maybe swap an herb or two, or an incense or oil.  Maybe vocalizing differently - vibrating in a different key, singing instead of saying, what have you.

As always, record what you changed, and why, and the results in your BOLS.

Frondly, Fern

Ritual vs Spells

Blessings Darlings!

The always interesting Wade has another GREAT post up on his blog, on how to become a Master.  I recommend it highly!

http://wadelong.wordpress.com/2012/03/01/crafting-tomorrows-master/

Frondly, Fern

Personal Pre-set Spells

Blessings Darlings!

We now come to the second type of spells I want to go over - pre-set spells, activated by word or motion and intent.  These are the spells done by wand-work in the Harry Potter series .... or maybe the power-filled rings/fire sticks, etc, of the Dresden File book series.

For these you set up a the magic, empower it and an object, and have a 'trigger' on it that you set off with that word/motion.  They are set up by the individual who later squeezes the trigger. 

Given the stories of magic that have survived, it might be possible to do some really fancy work with these.  Like Moses' staff level of magic (and, damn, what WAS Moses' real name?)  I can't do that level of magic, that's for sure.

But I CAN do lower level stuff. 

Shielding falls into this category for me. For this blog post I'm assuming that you know how to do at least basic shielding.  For beginners, it takes TIME to set up a good shield.  Ground. Center. Draw in magical energy (do you tap it, do you raise it? Ah, a post for some other day there!)  Ooops, gotta decied what they shield is going to protect you against!  What shape does it take? What material?  Okay, now to energize it .... and how long does the energizing last?

But every time you go thru' that process, you are leaving a mark in the Other Worlds.  With each repetition of the same type of shield, that mark gets a stronger and clearer form.  Over time, to do the same working - but with more power behind it - all you have to do is say/focus on one word and give it a shot of intent and power.  One moment .... and your house is protected for a two-week vacation  One touch .... and your car avoids both tickets and yet is seen by everyone clearly so no one even dinks your door while opening theirs. 

Or it just ups the power, which isn't bad either.  I've mentioned my healing cauldron. Well, it's part of a healing altar.  Darn near every day (not today, ironically) I work at that altar, lighting a candle and doing healing magic.  Every day that Flame and energy gets added to a form in the Other Worlds.  As is "Tho' this candle burns no more in this world (snuff candle) it shall burn forever in the Worlds Beyond.".  And I do the magic to actually ADD another candle flame to the ever-growing design of candles in the Healing Area I have going on the Other Side.  Growing power - and a more clearly beaten path TO that area of power. 

Frondly, Fern

Creating Spells

Blessings Darlings!

As I said in the previous post, any magic user can create a spell.  It's not rocket science - it's manipulation of energy using symbols and non-obvious (that is, occult) relationships.

Let's start by differentiating between the types of spells I'm going to talk about.

The first is the type of, well, common spellcraft done by magic users.  You have a need, you work up a spell, you do it, it's over.  You may do the same spell daily for a full cycle of the moon for some purpose, you may do it every now and then over years or a lifetime.  But every time you do it you do it anew from start to finish.  To keep the Harry Potter references going - this presumably is what the Weasley twins do:  They buy the basic cheap plastic toys thru' Oriental Trading Company like the rest of us (what, you don't order a gross of lightsticks before going to a Pagan festival  - or a rave - or for your Survival Retreat?) and then do a spell they created on them to add the hoodoo they do. I'll grant that the edible ones are potions work, and different than straight spellwork.

The second type is what stands behind the 'wand work' magic that gets all the attention everywhere.  You say a word or two or three - maybe in Latin or pseudo-Latin - and wave your wand in just the right way while concentrating, and is what Hermione can learn and execute.  But NO ONE in the Harry Potter books seems to be creating these spells any more.  You never see the adult Weasleys learning new spells, or talking about some hot new spell on the market. I'll talk about making this type, too - minus the wand worship part. And usually minus the pseudo Latin part.

There's no reason you shouldn't be creating both types of spells.

So, coming up, posts on creating both types.

And away we go.....

Frondly, Fern

Smith & Wesson Protection Spell ™

Blessings, Fronds!

Keeping one’s home and person safe is a basic part of both Pagan and Survivalist living. Because we want to KEEP living as well as we can, and as long as we can with high-quality.

The Smith & Wesson Protection Spell ™ helps do just that. Now, given that I live in a state with no Concealed Carry I can only use this as a protection spell for my home and my family while we are IN our home. Y’all in states with CC can expand the protection accordingly, as long as you have your CC permit.

The working parts of this spell are about acquiring, getting adept with, and anointing your magical tools – your firearm, cleaning kit, bullets. For parts of this spell you will need teachers, if you do not already know how gun safety, loading, cleaning, and accurate shooting. Getting that training is part of your spellworking. It is part of the energy you are using to infuse the spell and make protection manifest in your life.

Your first step is to buy a gun. Go to a gun shop with a wide selection of models to choose from AND A GUN RANGE if you can find one. If the gun shop does not have a range, then ask them where you can go to test fire an assortment of guns to see what fits your hand, doesn’t overwhelm you with the kick, etc.

While the title of this spell is Smith & Wesson Protection Spell ™, don’t feel that you must be limited to a Smith & Wesson, or to a handgun. Kelly over there uses a Beretta. You may choose a shotgun for household use. It’s all good.

So, you’ve decided on a gun. Go thru’ all the appropriate paperwork, get the appropriate license, etc. Buy the gun. Buy what you need to clean and gun and keep it in good shape. Have the store employees show you how to clean it and keep it in shape if you can. If not, back to the gun range for that, and/or find a local National Rifle Association (NRA) group for help. Buy ammo. Lots of it. Because, especially if you’re not an experienced shooter, you’re going to need it.

Take your gun, ammo, cleaning supplies. Head to the gun/NRA range. Get trained in gun safety, accurate shooting, reloading, and appropriate cleaning. Figure on spending a full moon cycle training at the range regularly. You won’t be an expert shot at the end of that time, but you SHOULD be able to safely handle the gun and care for it by the end of that time. Also, the repeated use and cleaning of the gun over the month cleanses it of all previous people who have touched it and helps bind it to your energy.

Now you have the tools and experience you need to consecrate your new Magical Tool for Protective Work.

Surely you already know how to consecrate a magical tool? Oh, okay….

At home, take the gun, cleaning supplies, salted water, incense (and censor), matches and sit at a table you can work on. Visualize a blue protective bubble of light around you. Charge (end focused energy into) the water. Light the incense. If you oil parts of the gun charge the oil, too. Thoroughly clean and prep the gun, focusing increasing the safety of your home and self.

Touch the salted water, and touch the gun, saying “By earth and by water, I dedicate this gun to protect my self, my family, my home. So Mote it be!”. Wave the gun thru’ the incense smoke, saying “By fire and air, I dedicate this gun to protect my self, my family, my home. So Mote it be!”. Ask any God or Goddess you work with (assuming you’re not working with Quan Yin or such) to bless the gun as a tool for your protection. Visualize protective energy from the Divine Ones filling the gun, then flowing out of the gun into your blue circle, filling the bubble. Now expand that bubble, so it surrounds your entire home. See the protective energy surrounding your home. Hold the vision, then let the vision fade – the protection remains.

You will need to reinforce this spell with regular shooting practice, and by keeping the gun in a safe but ACCESSIBLE place in your home – and by being willing and able to use it as need arises.





Frondly, Fern