Good Morning,
With the full moon on Saturday and Yule just around the corner my coven is coming to my house to celebrate the Esbat and Yule this weekend. So, The Hubs and I have been working on our holiday decor and it's now all finished just in time for this weekend's kickoff to the holiday gatherings with the coven.
Here is something simple anyone can do in their home. I took two matted and framed Briar, Yule Greeting cards, hung them on the wall, and then added those peel and stick wall embellishments.
We have a couple of new things we are trying this year for our indoor decor- like the new mantle and some fun LED lighted branches... And folks always seem surprised at our lavish decorations for the winter solstice... There is a reason folks accuse me of being a cross between Samantha Stevens and Martha Stewart.
"
Kyle's Cardinals Baseball tree-2011
First off I am a floral designer- so any excuse to "design" and I'm off and running... I have a glue-gun don't make me use it!" When friends and relatives ask for my help with their own holiday decor- I am always tickled to dive in.
Which is why my adult children's friends are blown away by their apartments and their own trees at the holidays. I did put together a Cardinal baseball tree for my son Kyle. As promised here is a picture of his tree in his apartment. We even found little ornaments that look like old fashioned lights that have the Cardinals logo on them. The "Tree skirt" is the Rally Towel that Kyle got when he and his brother went to the final playoff game that sent the Cards to the World series this year...
Meanwhile back at the Garden Witch's house... the mantle in our living room got a makeover this year. I wanted gold and glitz and something more Pagan themed and the Hubs wanted pine cones and natural. Then I found a fabulous garland with long needle pine, acorns and gold dusted pine cones and sparkly oak leaves... Sort of an Oak King theme! And best of all it was 60 percent off! So I added another plain garland to it to beef it up, wrapped in some lights, and ta-da! new mantle for the holidays.
The Yule tree in the living room is all decked out with its red glittery bow and big sun for the tree topper.. Here is a shot of the living room at my house all done up for Yuletide. We use a slim-line tree in our living room- it saves space stays far enough away from the wood stove and we can still load it up with ornaments.
Ellen's living room at Yuletide
The fall kitchen curtains are down and my regular curtains are back in place- So, here are a few pictures of our kitchen... and yes- if there is a shelf- I decorate it.
The big kitchen window's garland (To the right) is all red ornaments and lights and a few gold and red bows.
The little shelf (just below) is full of my more witchy theme holiday tins and collectibles and silk holly, ivy and poinsettias.
At the current time there are five decorated trees in my house. The large one in the living room, the 4 foot table top in the family room, the 3 foot at the end of the hall and a tiny one in the guest room and a celestial mini tree in the master bedroom. Here is the little celestial tree.
Ellen's mini Celestial tree
'Tis the season! Go forth and decorate! Add something enchanting to your home for the Yuletide season and enjoy yourself. Hope you enjoyed the pictures and that they gave you some ideas to add to the Yuletide decorations at your own abode.
Blessed be, Ellen
Source: theartofastralprojection.blogspot.com
By: Thomas M Easley on Oct 29, 2012 As we are, we take that man-the possible tempo as we know ourselves to be-is in material form. And we take as well, even early God, that man has the unique and paramount supremacy to locate and denominate what is and is not in material form.But what if we are not what we seem? For example if we are in material form, but not yet born? For example if our arrangement of the laws of physics, and God, or gods, essential to all religions, are deserted partially made? For example if science and religion are not bookends amongst which all of reality is compressed?To even the greatest extent unconcerned practicing television, it's bring in that our approximate of God and the armed governing the pack world are as single today from individuals of the considering as today's approximate fortitude be to individuals in the complex. This implies at the very least that any gnash we make today, quieten well renowned or seriously whispered, fortitude break down under complex adjust afar breed the laws of physics break down on the point of a black hole's demonstrate horizon. This being so, we can tightly battle that our arrangement of today's world, if it fortitude spell soothing or no influence in the complex, has soothing or no influence now. We deserted presume it does, with the exceptionally citation that we presume we're in material form, that we presume "I" is the central part of our kinship, that fairytales are for children, God for adults, and look-in for believers.Period we do try, it is very daunting for us to spit life honestly. This is so, maybe, as we lack the apathy of fair-minded hallucinate. We are not evolved adequate to see give instructions the work on eyes of truth as truth prosecutes, and we heed the property of such feat. In taken as a whole no one believes in what weakens us, not with intent. We presume in what makes us strong, and belief in what makes us strong strengthens the mystery that distrustful our belief is aberrant. But uncertainty seeds and fertilizes the eyesight, which in turn grows the purpose, which in turn advances possible hallucinate and possible development.For my part, in greeting to this finishing, I spell done all human to grovel my custody on defined and important beliefs and facts, and to revaluate possible spirituality, brainstorm, and personality from the strategy of view of the strain itself. Period not completed in its self-sufficiency, our strain vision of us as persons within it fortitude be unattached and unremarkable.Appropriately, to leader my conception of specie's vision, and it's aristocratic fair-minded apathy to us, I do all human to set self-aware in the present of individuals enormous interacting self-organizing systems, laws, and processes which lead to strain scale-of-vision perspectives, and a advanced understanding of our own possible specie's self-organizing values.Emphatically, the view that a imprison in our majority would spell of its place in the whole of our body-a strain scale-of-vision perspective-is human for us. We "can" see as the strain sees, but it's a daunting environment to have, and even aristocratic daunting to go to.When lifetime of work and study, my scale-of-vision perplex at the start possible environment weighed down, anthramorphic, aristocratic egotistical than self-aware, and this, according to my observations, is true for everybody. But this can adjust, prohibition too afar flexibility in us from our disgust to faltering borders and the heed of unimportance perpetuated in us by possessive "I" limb.Every one regard we inform on, impress we require, item we own, hunger we spell, convoy not be seen by us as essential to what makes us real; as "I" connected. "I is not" the central part of sum kinship, and it never has been. We are not one, we are heap. Represent is no "I" to keep up to, no central part around which our kinship revolves.Interest of unimportance cannot define cherish, deserted it's absence can.Hierarchical conformations; unremarkable multiple self-organizing systems, laws, and processes intermingling-scaling from subatomic levels, to towns, cities, nations, stars and galaxies, to black holes and the sterile of space, manage an accumulated join in matrimony that leads to this reality in this blink somewhere in time.Big junk lead to these words on this page, to this blink in which you are reading them and the road, offer and now, to state-run that being petite, as we are, does not section us from reality-it awakens reality in us. A reality all ears by present vision which makes it human for us to see how we are seen within the strain by the strain, and to begin considerations as to where we are within the strain evolutionary dot.By chance we are in material form in the budding precise of strain development. If so, the locale, "are we in material form, but not yet untutored," becomes preeminently sonorous. And, how to time the attach importance to of that blink in time in which the possible strain grass the womb-the complex begin of man-becomes a locale of even advanced width and brainstorm.To become aristocratic vigilant blink at the rear moment; aristocratic self-aware of self-organizing systems, laws, and processes, and the inspiration on possible development of this vision not deserted excites the engineer to summons alleged limits, it's our best genre of graduating our scale-of-vision to something faster to God, and all systems, laws, and processes that make reality human for us.The practice of a practicing observer; a practice minus lack of cheer on, or look-in, this is where we begin, where we continually begin-we open our eyes, see, and understand that our vision of a locale, which is not an outcome, is the outcome to it.
Credit: new-generation-witch.blogspot.com
Sunday, December 28; Feast of Fools with the London Wicca Meetup Group. Event is open to anyone who has attended a London Wicca Meetup Group ritual previously. Venue is a private dwelling in Tooting. Meet at Tooting Bec Tube station at 7.30pm. Advance reservation required. Contact numbers: 07581 198380 and 07848 448669. Website: http://www.meetup.com/The-London-Wicca-Meetup-Group/events/219243186/
Tuesday 30 December; Drumming Circle run by Shamanic Spirit at a venue in New Addington, Croydon, South London. Every second Tuesday starting 7.30pm. Cost lb10. For more details and to book places call 07952 041477. For more information, visit http://shamanicspirit.co.uk/
Wednesday 31 December; Urubu New Year's Eve Ecstatic Dance Celebration. Venue: London location revealed only to meetup group members. Doors open at 9pm to 12.30pm. Cost: lb25, price on the door is lb35 - advance booking recommended. Join the meetup group on: http://www.meetup.com/london-ecstatic-dance.
Thursday 1 January; Flame of Avalon: New Years Blessings 2015. Location: Wherever you are, From dusk 1 January to dusk 2 January in your time zone. Once a month the Glastonbury Goddess Temple becomes the Flame Keeper for the Flame of Avalon and tends the flame from dusk to dusk. Anyone who wants to is invited to join in on these days and tend a flame in global community. For full details: https://www.facebook.com/events/705045619608691/
Saturday 3 January; Hendon Heathens Moot, Venue: Greyhound Pub, Church End, Hendon, London, NW4 4JT. Time: 6pm. Hendon Heathens meets at this pub the first Saturday of every month.
Sunday, 4 January 2015; Twelfth Nigh celebration. Mummers' Play, the Bankside Wassail and more seasonal entertainment with The Lion's Part. Venue: Shakespeare's Globe, Bankside and Borough Market, Southwark, London, SE1 9DT. Starts at 2.15pm. This is a free event. For details visit http://www.thelionspart.co.uk/twelfthnight/index.html
Gran Torolisa is the King of the Petro Division. The Petro Division is often feared because the Lwa in it often manifest very violently. The Petros are not evil, they are not demons of any sort. They are just aggressive, hot, and strong Lwa.
Gran Torolisa is the Chief and Leader of the powerful Petro Lwa. When he first arrives, he arrives as a bull charging around, very angry. We give him a red fula and a black fula. I know servidores that give him red and green/white, as well. He drinks clear, high proof rum. He often goes crashing into things, altars, people, when he arrives.
When he shows to be with a person, he will touch them in a certain way. When he does that, he is telling the person that he is one of their Spirits. I once saw him charging at me, when I was doing some work in a field. Behind him were many other bulls and a great big fire. He had a red fula tied around both of his horns.
He is known to be a great protector. He is also known to carry out work on enemies which can cause your enemy sickness or death within 7 days. He will smoke a cigar while he gives consultations. I know a Caballo that works with him, and there is a hole in the wall of his badji. This is where ToroLisa smashes his head when he arrives and the horse keeps his service on the floor below this hole. Above it is a bull that the Caballo painted for him.
Though not many know how to do this, we caballos that work with him, know how to calm him down slightly. Thus we are able to call him to do consultations for our clients and give very powerful Petro Puntos.
Torolisa often puffs air out of his nose alot, like a bull does before it starts charging. When he smokes his cigar, the smoke always comes out of his nose. An altar to Gran Torolisa should have a bull horn to help call him to the servidor quickly.
Torolisa also heals people when he is in possession. Torolisa takes florida water, certain herbs and some of his spit, which he rubs onto the person. Cleaning the person and healing the malady. He is good to work with for male problems, and can even help a couple have a baby.
Torolisa will look for a job for you. He will find it for you quick too. Many people get a job within 7 days of having Torolisa petitioned for it. He is good for pushing past any obstacles and getting it done. Sometimes if a client is lazy and doesn't have any drive, I administer a special cleansing. This makes the client itchy (not literally), and makes the client very active, determined and driven to do something.
Source: magick-keys.blogspot.com
THE FULL MOON IN SCORPIO-TAURUS IS ON NOVEMBER 10 AT 3:16 PM EST
The November Full Moon is often known as the Snow Moon, Beaver Moon or Tree Moon.
This is a time of year to strengthen bonds with family and friends. The winter is coming and depending on others used to be necessary for survival. This is an old attitude that perhaps we should rely on more.
This is a good time of year for divination, remember that at Samhain the curtain was at its thinnest, that hasn't suddenly changed. Get out your Tarot cards, Runes, Pendulums, Crystals or whatever other tools you use and ask for guidance in the coming months.
Full Moon is, of course, a time that magical people of all traditions gather to honor the Goddess, or reflect on the universal energy or offer respect to local Gods and Goddesses.
If you do not have access to a Coven, a Grove, a Kindred, a Clan or another gathering and you feel that a community ritual would suit you best, look for the nearest Unitarian Church. Chances are they are holding a Circle tonight.
Along with ritual, this is a good time for relieving stress, teaching your body to relax, using meditation and essential oils can calm the mind and body and make the stresses of life easier to handle.
Try a simple cleansing/relaxing bath as part of your ritual today. Substitute or leave out ingredients to make use of what you have at hand. Lavender is relaxing to the mind and body and citrus is cleansing.
Mix:
one cup of powered milk
half cup of espsom salts
half cup of sea salt
8 drops of lavender essential oil
4 drops lemon essential oil
Mix and pour into running bath water
I turn off the electric lights, light a candle and do a meditation while I am soaking in the heat and wonderful feelings from this bath.
"Full Moon Blessing to you"
Credit: witch-selena.blogspot.com
There is a song in the greenwood,
There's an age old tale to be sung,
Healing is there in the greenwood,
Spiralling endlessly under the sun.
Seat yourself under the oak trees,
Watch the leaf dust dance in the breeze,
Breathe in the flowers and catkins,
The slow buzzing motion of bees.
I give you a song from the greenwood,
A song to enchant and delight,
Refrains of sowing and reaping,
The lyrics of life at its height.
Join in the dance of the greenwood,
Cast off your woes if you dare,
Life will be sweet in the greenwood,
Far from all hurry and care.
Hold high the cup of forgetting,
Drink deep of the greenwood wine,
Partake of the wildwood nectar,
So honey sweet from the vine.
Hear ye the pipes of the greenwood,
Far off music and dancing feet?
Ye shall be healed in the greenwood,
One with the earth's heartbeat.
This madcap song for the greenwood was written by me, and profuse apologies are owing to Jethro Tull and its magnificent creation, Songs From the Wood, which was the inspiration for my mediocre undertaking.
It's May, it's May, the merry month of May, and here we are again at Beltane or May Day. The most thoughtful and eloquent article on this lovely ancient Celtic fire festival I have ever encountered is by Waverly Fitzgerald of the exquisite Living In Season blog, and it may be read here at her web site, the School of the Seasons. There is a rambling effort of mine own on this festive day at my old untended Geocities site.
Beltane (or May Day) blessings to each and every one of you!
