A Ritual for Ostara

For this ritual, you'll want to decorate your altar with symbols of the season. Think about all the colors you see in nature at this time of year -- bright daffodils, crocuses, plump tulips, green shoots -- and incorporate them into your altar. This is also a time of fertility in the natural world -- the egg is the perfect representation of this aspect of the season. Symbols of young animals such as lambs, chicks, and calves are also great altar adornments for Ostara.

In addition, you'll need the following:

• Three candles -- one yellow, one green, and one purple
• A bowl of milk
• A small bowl of honey or sugar

Perform this ritual outside if at all possible, in the early morning as the sun rises. It's spring, so it may be a bit chilly, but it's a good time to reconnect with the earth. If your tradition normally requires you to cast a circle, do so now....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Book of Shadows, and can be found in its entirety here: A Ritual for Ostara

Balance in Magick- Left and Right

Consider the herbalist's scales: things are carefully weighed out to achieve a desired balance. Magic plays with balance too. Sometimes the desire is for all forces to be equal and harmonious. At other times goals are accomplished by deliberately, consciously tipping the scales to provide the required effect.

Left and Right:

Once upon a time, not too long ago, the concept of Dualism associated the direction right with God, high, male, and all those good things. Thus children were forced to use their right hands, the dexterous hand, whether that was their dominant hand or not. Children who were naturally left-handed (the sinister hand) literally had it beaten out of them until they were dexterous too....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Book of Shadows, and can be found in its entirety here: Balance in Magick - Left and Right

Libra Begins

Themes: Balance; Justice; Peace

Symbols: Scales; Balanced Items

Presiding Goddess: Tula

To Do Today:

People born under the sign of Libra seem to integrate Tula's characteristics of harmony and balance, especially in aesthetic sense. They cultivate relationships carefully and enjoy fighting for just causes....

... I am so sorry to do this, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: Libra Begins

The Cycle of Nature

"In the cycle of nature there is no such thing as victory or defeat: there is only movement. The winter struggles to reign supreme, but, in the end, is obliged to accept spring’s victory, which brings with it flowers and happiness. The summer would like to make its warm days last for ever, because it believes that warmth is good for the earth, but, finally, it has to accept the arrival of autumn, which will allow the earth to rest. The gazelle eats the grass and is devoured by the lion. It isn't a matter of who is the strongest, but God’s way of showing us the cycle of death and resurrection....

... I am so sorry, but this post has  been moved to my new website, Widdershins, and can be found in its entirety here: The Cycle of Nature.

Bagging Stress Spell

We all suffer from stress at one time or another, and in a workplace it is often difficult to reverse the situation. This spell can be taken to your workplace or used in other stressful situations, with minimum disturbance. For healing and magic, the earth, or Mother Earth, from whence all things spring, is unsurpassed. Add a little Borage, the flower of courage, and some of your own essence, and even the most difficult of predicaments can be overcome.

Here is a Mediterranean spell to charge you with the strength to overcome a stressful situation. The items you will need are as follows...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Book of Shadows, and can be found in its entirety here: Bagging Stress Spell

Balancing A Situation

Calling a situation into balance can be a bit tricky. For example, suppose you are upside down in your finances - more going out than you can bring in. You can use fire and ice to call for a balance. Here is a spell that can be used to bring balance to any situation.

You will need the following:

• An empty paper milk carton (quart size)
• Water, to fill the milk carton
• A gray or brown taper candle as tall as the milk carton...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Book of Shadows, and can be found in its entirety here: Balancing A Situation

Spell For Balancing the Self

When using fire and ice together, you are calling for a natural balance to take place. It can be a balance of the self, a balance of a situation, or even a balance of the checkbook. This is a great spell to do during the Christmas Lunar Eclipse....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Book of Shadows, and can be found in its entirety here: Spell For Balancing The Self