Warrior Meditation for Lughnasadh

At Lammas (or Lughnasadh), the harvest is kicking in. This is a time of year when the masculine energy of the earth is in full swing. For starters, it's the season of the spirit of grain, and a time to honor Lugh, the craftsman god. Lugh was not only a craftsman, but a gifted smith and swordsman. The season from late summer to the middle of fall is often a season of heightened energy for those who identify with the warrior soul.



Who Is the Warrior?
The warrior in today's society is someone who understands the idea of right action. He or she follows a code of honor, and abides by that code even when it may be inconvenient or unpopular. The warrior recognizes that the forces of creation and destruction must be balanced...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Meditation, and can be found in its entirety here: Warrior Meditation

Lammas - A Feast of Bread

In early Ireland, it was a bad idea to harvest your grain any time before Lammas -- it meant that the previous year's harvest had run out early, and that was a serious failing in agricultural communities. However, on August 1, the first sheafs of grain were cut by the farmer, and by nightfall his wife had made the first loaves of bread of the season.

The word Lammas derives from the Old English phrase hlaf-maesse, which translates to loaf mass. In early Christian times, the first loaves of the season were blessed by the Church...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been divided into two separate posts, and moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar. They can be found here: Lammas - A Feast of Bread, and here: Lammas Bread

Campfire Bread

Ingredients:

• 8 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 tablespoons butter or shortening
• 1 cup of milk

Method:

Combine the flour, baking powder... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website Gypsy Magick and Lore (hosted at shirleytwofeathers.com) and can be found in its entirety here: Campfire Bread

Meditating on Moonbeams

Mix your mind with the moonbeams at night. Wash your sorrows in their rays. Feel the mystic light spreading silently over your body, over trees, over vast lands. Standing in an open space with quiet eyes, behold, beyond the limits of the moonbeam-revealed scenery, the bedimmed fringe of the shining horizon....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Meditation, and can be found in its entirety here: Meditating on Moonbeams

Magickal Gardening

Gardens can be both products of enchantment and independent producers of enchantment; they are a living, on-going magic spell. Gardens may be arranged in any variety of ways - color-coordinated, whatever was on sale at the nursery, even completely haphazardly. If you select, coordinate, and arrange plants according to the magic powers they radiate, then planting a garden becomes one style of casting a spell. Thus your desire to draw wealth, protection, or fertility to one's home is manifested by carefully arranging the appropriate plants, and vigilantly removing those possessing opposing, contradictory powers...

... 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: Magickal Gardening

The Summer Solstice

People around the world have observed spiritual and religious seasonal days of celebration during the month of June. Most have been religious holy days which are linked in some way to the summer solstice.

On this day, typically June 21, the daytime hours are at a maximum in the Northern hemisphere, and night time is at a minimum. It is officially the first day of summer. It is also referred to as Midsummer because it is roughly the middle of the growing season throughout much of Europe....

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

Purple Loosestrife Magickal Uses

Magickal Uses:

This plant was considered most powerful when gathered at Kupalo (The Summer Solstice). One could control demons and troublesome spirits with the root if the following words were chanted over it before a sacred image:

Tear-weed, tear-weed
You have wept long and much but gained little.
May your tears not drown the open field...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Magickal Ingredients, and can be found in its entirety here: Purple Loosestrife Magick and Lore

A Summer Solstice Ritual

The Summer Solstice, or Midsummer, celebrates the longest day of the year. It falls around June 22. The Summer Solstice ritual focuses on the god because summer is his time. Celebrate it outdoors if you can, or if indoors, during the day so the sun is a prominent part of your ritual.

Things You'll Need:

• Piece of cloth or cloth pouch
• Midsummer herbs
• Piece of red string or yarn
• Midsummer flowers
• Gold or yellow robe, shirt or dress
• Yellow or gold candle
• Summer fruit

Prepare for the Summer Solstice ritual by...

... 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 Summer Solstice Ritual

June Moon Names

What follows is a list (in alphabetical order) of the names given to the June moon. Also listed is the tradition and/or origin of that moon name:

Aerra Litha Moon ~other

Blackberry Moon ~Greek

Buffalo Moon ~Omaha

Corn Tassel Moon ~Taos

Dark Green Leaves Moon ~Pueblo

Dyad Moon ~Medieval English...

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

Spring Flower Magickal Correspondences

As spring arrives, our gardens begin to bud and eventually bloom. For hundreds of years, the plants that we grow have been used in magic. Flowers in particular are often connected with a variety of magical uses. Now that spring is here, keep an eye out for some of these flowers around you, and consider the different magical applications they might have.

•Crocus: This flower is one of the first you'll see in the spring, and it's often associated with newly blooming love. The crocus is also known to enhance visions and bring about intuitive dreams.

•Daffodil: The bright petals of the daffodil are typically found in shades of white, yellow or even pale orange. This flower is associated with love and fertility....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Magickal Ingredients, and can be found in its entirety here: Spring Flower Magickal Correspondences