Blessings Darlings!
So VERY many bloggers out there have been posting amazing stuff. I shared Wade's latest. I've got Shivian's blog post scheduled to share with y'all already.
NOW Angela Raincatcher tweeted this wonderfulness about Big Bird, written by Scott Lynch. ANOTHER rock-star quality post. Read. Enjoy. Learn. I did.
Frondly, Fern
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
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
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
Monday, March 5, 2012
Shivian on Ritual Clothing
The awesome Shivian has blogged about ritual clothing! http://blog.shivian.com/post/18448462631/ritual-clothing! You should read it and think.
I don't change for every bit of magic and ritual, like, if I'm going out to leave the weekly offering I will take off the dirty apron and take the fresh-baked goods out to the altar in the copse. But for most other stuff I at LEAST put on one of two special scarves. And most of y'all know what the Assembly of the Sacred Wheel ritual outfits look like, tabards and all.
I don't change for every bit of magic and ritual, like, if I'm going out to leave the weekly offering I will take off the dirty apron and take the fresh-baked goods out to the altar in the copse. But for most other stuff I at LEAST put on one of two special scarves. And most of y'all know what the Assembly of the Sacred Wheel ritual outfits look like, tabards and all.
Jerky!
Blessings Darlings!
I made my first batch of jerky! And it's GOOD!
You see, a big ol' whole rump or round roast was at a good price at Costco. So I grabbed it. I used some immediately for fried rice. I canned some, for stews later.
Then I sliced thin two pounds of it, added a marinade (I practically grabbed the marinade recipe at random from the internet), let it sit overnight, then slapped it into the dehydrator. Later in the day, it was done.
Easy peasy.
And remember, I don't have a great dehydrator. Mine doesn't have a variable heat setting, but DOES have a fan.
Everyone in the family likes it. No one has had food poisoning. My son gave some to one of his managers at work, and HE likes it (he doesn't have to lie to me, either).
Yay!
Since cheap tough meat is still on sale, I may well make more. Actually, I had BETTER make more .... this stuff's going FAST.
Actually, I'd love to make some salmon jerky, if I can do that with previously-frozen fillets. Has anyone tried that?
Frondly, Fern
I made my first batch of jerky! And it's GOOD!
You see, a big ol' whole rump or round roast was at a good price at Costco. So I grabbed it. I used some immediately for fried rice. I canned some, for stews later.
Then I sliced thin two pounds of it, added a marinade (I practically grabbed the marinade recipe at random from the internet), let it sit overnight, then slapped it into the dehydrator. Later in the day, it was done.
Easy peasy.
And remember, I don't have a great dehydrator. Mine doesn't have a variable heat setting, but DOES have a fan.
Everyone in the family likes it. No one has had food poisoning. My son gave some to one of his managers at work, and HE likes it (he doesn't have to lie to me, either).
Yay!
Since cheap tough meat is still on sale, I may well make more. Actually, I had BETTER make more .... this stuff's going FAST.
Actually, I'd love to make some salmon jerky, if I can do that with previously-frozen fillets. Has anyone tried that?
Frondly, Fern
Friday, March 2, 2012
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
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
Thursday, March 1, 2012
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
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
Is Asking Questions Bad?
Blessings Darlings!
[BTW, for those pressed for time, the answer is 'no']
It's JUST 10 an, and I've already asked for facts backing up assertions three different times. Two of those times have been about magic/spirituality. The other was on gas prices.
My husband laughed and pointed out that I was asking about the Physics of Magic. He's right. I was. I am. I do that. I INSIST on doing that. I've done it before. My BOS is a lab notebook. See my previous post http://fernsfronds.blogspot.com/2010/09/magical-metrics.html.
No one, so far, can back up their claims. But only in the Pagan/Witch realm was the question taken as at all improper. Whether the issue was "souls/spirits only come in rigid categories", or "Midnight is the witching hour", or "all Witches celebrate Yule/have Yule Logs/Have ashes from their Yule fire" or anything else - asking why that would be and for supporting info did not get .... well, anything in the way of answers, to put it nicely.
If you see Midnight as the liminal time, fine - but can't you say WHY, when the ancients seem to have looked at dusk/dawn as the liminal times? If you see rigid lines between male/female/queer/etc souls - why would this be, and where would it have sprung from? If you see gas prices as rising because the dollar is falling - show me where gas prices are falling in countries where the currency is rising relative to the dollar, would you?
If you are saying it's from UPG, then own up to that. It's okay. EVERYTHING started as UPG at one time, but while it's UPG don't imply that it's best for everyone, let alone DONE by everyone. If you got it from reading the Malleus Maleficarum, then own that. AND then explain why you belief that is reliable. Please. Now.
At any rate - claim what you will. But back that thing up.
Frondly, Fern
[BTW, for those pressed for time, the answer is 'no']
It's JUST 10 an, and I've already asked for facts backing up assertions three different times. Two of those times have been about magic/spirituality. The other was on gas prices.
My husband laughed and pointed out that I was asking about the Physics of Magic. He's right. I was. I am. I do that. I INSIST on doing that. I've done it before. My BOS is a lab notebook. See my previous post http://fernsfronds.blogspot.com/2010/09/magical-metrics.html.
No one, so far, can back up their claims. But only in the Pagan/Witch realm was the question taken as at all improper. Whether the issue was "souls/spirits only come in rigid categories", or "Midnight is the witching hour", or "all Witches celebrate Yule/have Yule Logs/Have ashes from their Yule fire" or anything else - asking why that would be and for supporting info did not get .... well, anything in the way of answers, to put it nicely.
If you see Midnight as the liminal time, fine - but can't you say WHY, when the ancients seem to have looked at dusk/dawn as the liminal times? If you see rigid lines between male/female/queer/etc souls - why would this be, and where would it have sprung from? If you see gas prices as rising because the dollar is falling - show me where gas prices are falling in countries where the currency is rising relative to the dollar, would you?
If you are saying it's from UPG, then own up to that. It's okay. EVERYTHING started as UPG at one time, but while it's UPG don't imply that it's best for everyone, let alone DONE by everyone. If you got it from reading the Malleus Maleficarum, then own that. AND then explain why you belief that is reliable. Please. Now.
At any rate - claim what you will. But back that thing up.
Frondly, Fern
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