Celtic Knots

Weekly Divination 25th Oct 2015

The week will see you meet up an old acquaintance or people you haven't met in quite some time. It will be a meeting that shall be appreciated by you as well as your friend.

Your indulgence and yielding to temptations will cause some trouble to you and those who depend on you. This will be temporary.

The coming week marks a significant and immensely fulfilling journey for some. This trip shall be more significant than it shall appear. For some, it will be an Eye-opener. You may find yourself trying to ensure that everyone is comfortable and enjoying themselves. Make sure that you too live in the moment and not in the 'ripples' into the future.

Many blessings.
Iyah

September 1st onwards: Mindfulness and clarity (Divination)

The universe is built on  dominoes. No event nor any one organism is ever isolated. One thing leads to another. One person is linked to another. No one, not even the rocks and soil are isolated.

So why do we think that abundance will be a singular, independent achievement?

To manifest anything in the material world, we need to first ascend into the spiritual.

I am not advising everyone to go trod the spiritual path. It isn't a freeway, it is a calling, a journey, that although not very difficult, is not meant for all. However, a spiritual way of life is something we could all try. We could all try living in the moment. We could all try be aware of the 'now'. We could all try cutting off from the past and we could all try not to dwell on the future.

How difficult is it to live in the moment with utmost truth and honesty, and to enjoy and be grateful for every single small event that we encounter?

It may seem a bit difficult, but with practice, it is possible.

The message for us this time is this only. The way we live decides how clear we are about our life. Should we be mindful of what is happening with us, we shall realise what we must do.

Mindfulness brings us closer to the clarity we seek. Once we attain this clarity, our path towards whatever it is that we seek, becomes clearer.

If however, we get so cut off from what we are going through, we shall not be able to listen to the guiding voice within us: our intuition; and thus we miss out on vital information.

The coming time is good for improving our mindfulness. As the moon achieves the fourteenth day, the ability for us to be more aware of ourselves shall tremendously increase. New clarity shall be attained in matters that were shrouded in mystery for some time now. Our path towards what we seek shall be much clearer. Pray for your path to be lit, and light there shall be...

Namasté
-Iyah

Blue Moon Ritual

Here is a beautiful blue moon ritual ... Simple yet so traditional!

I am going to perform this to release some of the patterns, I believe, hold me back from being everything I can be. Along with that, I am going to pray for ascension and good health:

From:
http://cauldronsandcupcakes.com/2015/07/29/blue-moon-2015-how-to-work-with-these-energies/

Blue Moon Summonsing Ritual

Here’s a short ritual to help you get that clarity. You’ll need a candle, some paper and a pen, matches and a bowl to burn your paper in, and two small crystals or stones. One crystal needs to buried, to signify the release of what you are giving up or ending. This will be known as your Release Stone. The other stone will be kept as a touchstone and meditation tool. This stone will be known as your Anchoring Stone.

Set aside a minimum of ten minutes for this ritual, although you may take an hour or more if you want to go deep into this energy of shift and release. This can be done at any time after midday on July 31 through to midday on August 1. I prefer to do my ritual at night, when the moon is high in the sky, but it will be effective for this 24 hour window.

Choose what feels right to you. Even a stone from the garden or beach is fine.

Ritual Instructions:

Sit somewhere quiet with your paper and your stones.
Light your candle.

(1)Take the Release Stone in your hands.
Close your eyes and offer up a prayer of intention, that you now be shown what is holding you back, and what needs to be let go, no matter how painful.
Open your eyes, hold your stone in one hand, and with the other hand write a list of all of the things you now choose to let go, to release, and to finish. This list could be about the past, relationships, memories, actions, behaviours, attitudes, jobs or life circumstances. Start your list with the words I consciously choose to release… and finish your list with the words …and it is so. 
Then sign your name. *Hold the paper in one hand and the stone in the other, close your eyes and offer up a prayer that the energetic burden of the contents of this list be transferred to the stone. Let the stone become heavy in your hand and then put it down on top of the paper.*

(2)Now take the Anchoring Stone in your hands. Close your eyes and offer up a prayer of intention, that you are now ready to draw into your life flow, love, health, success or whatever your specific dreams are for a brighter future.
Open your eyes, hold your stone in one hand, and with the other hand write a list of all of the things you now choose to invite into your life. Start your list with the words I consciously choose to create and to anchor… and finish your list with the words …and it is so. Then sign your name.

*Hold the paper in one hand and the stone in the other, close your eyes and offer up a prayer that the Anchoring Stone becomes magnetised to drawing these positive energies and opportunities into your life.*  Let the stone become warm in your hand and then put it down on top of the paper.

Blow out the candle and go outside (if you’re not already there!) with your stones, lists, matches and a burning bowl.

Look up to the sky and acknowledge the moon and her energy. Place both the lists on the ground with the stones on top of them.

Start by picking up the Release Stone and the Release list. Hold the stone, and set fire to the list, allowing it to burn to ash. As you do this say the words I willingly release all that no longer serves me. Then place the Release Stone on the earth.

Now pick up the Anchoring Stone and the Anchoring list. Hold the stone, and set fire to the list, allowing it to burn to ash. As you do this say the words I willingly anchor these new energies and possibilities in my life. Then place the Anchoring Stone on the earth.

Allow both of the stones to rest on the earth for one full day and night.

Then bury the Release Stone in the Earth. You are done with that now.

Take the Anchoring Stone and keep it by your bed, or in your pocket. Use it often in meditation, or simply sit and hold it, allowing your thoughts to connect in to these energies you wish to manifest in your life. Trust that change will happen. Be open to changes in your mood, your actions, your thoughts and feelings.

Honour impulses to create, to action, to start, to end, to do. You may notice radical positive change over the next few months. That’s okay. You invited it!

Goddess Moon

A full moon chant I wrote for the goddess.

GODDESS MOON

Rise , I rise
unto the moon
glorious mother
with glorious boon
I pray to thee
goddess divine
your grace I seek
brighter I shine
safe with you
in healing light
empowered with you
with magickal might
strong willed and kind
myself, I raise
with stardust magickal
and lunar grace

-Iyah

A Litha of Love

Hi all
I feel delighted with a light that is shining inside me as the Sun Lord shines.
I had a simple Litha with a humble , symbolic bonfire in a cauldron and I skipped the tools and herbs (primarily because I am travelling)

My Litha was about global peace and collective empowerment. This is in fact the theme of most of my celebrations.

The day began with a mystical visit by a few birds. They called me out and I felt instantly blessed. I had a cleansing ritual bath and as I sat down honouring the forces of nature, invoking the elements, I could feel the power of the Sun. I saw His beautiful surface, the powerful whips of heat and light, in my minds eye. I prayed that the light of the Sun forever shine upon us and empower us all. Then I saw the lovely surface of the mother Moon. I saw her cool light and mystical appeal. I prayed that may her glow radiate from within us all, helping us ascend in our journey.

Then I did a simple visualisation:
I saw the golden and silver light filling me, as I filled my self with love and affirmation. Then, I saw it radiate onto my friends, family, city and so on until I could visualise the entire world bathing in a beautiful amalgam of gold and silver.

We can only rise via love.
We can only sustain the rise if the entire earth rises.

This Litha, I tried at my level, to raise the frequency of our home.

How was your Litha?

Love and light,
Iyah

LIBERATION

Free your spirit and let it wander
To places of magick, to rise and wonder.

Liberated, anchors none, spirit free:
Empowered for ascension,
Empowered,
Free!

-Iyah

Magickal Cleanser

I am having a magickal Beltane and it is Thursday, the day of Jupiter, AND in waxing phase, so when I realised my place needs cleansing, I thought why not make a cleanser for a month or so!

I am making it with two (magickal) aims:
1) Protection
2) Prosperity and general wellbeing

I used the following to prepare the cleanser:

1) vinegar: apple cider (or even synthetic will do)
2) salt (black salt or normal)
3) black pepper
4) cinnamon (powdered)
5) parsley (dried, powdered)
6) eucalyptus oil (promotes healing as well as prosperity) (also, I like the smell that lingers)
7) essential oils: jasmine to invoke the blessings of the Goddess (use what you like)

Ah, I see I haven't mentioned the amount. It doesn't matter. Base is vinegar and I added a little this a little that , totally enjoying the process... It feels good to be engrossed in what you are creating. So, as far as measurements go, I did "3 pinches of this" and "3 teaspoons of that".

Anyway...

After mixing everything I also added a little liquid soap.

This gives us our mixture. I have it in a glass bottle, which is better for vinegar based products.

Now for the magick...

We have added the right herbs and essential oils. Now, to charge them:

Set your altar as you would do for a basic ritual. Use crystals if you wish. I like seeking the spirits of black Tourmaline for protection and Quartz for charging up the mixture . Also, Selenite is my personal favourite cementing crystal that seems to orchestrate all the crystals well. Since it is a prosperity related mixture, invoking green Aventurine is also a good idea.

Keep your bottle in the centre of the altar and place the crystals around it. Arrange the rest of your altar as you do. Do a ritual you'd like the best that incorporates charging the liquid.

I did this ritual at thursday night. It us the waxing phase and I am going to keep the mixture and the crystals under the moon each night.

The first use of the mixture would be on the morning of 3rd May, before the moon becomes full later that night (because prosperity related spells shouldn't be first put to use in the waning phase. You could check the time the moon becomes full in your area and plan accordingly)

Subsequently, use it as and when you feel like! You could use it each Thursday. Or you could use it each Thursday of each waxing phase. I plan to use it as often as I can.

Do let me know any changes you did and also how you find it!

Blessed be!
Love and light,
-Iyah

Beltane: the union

Beltane is here and it is so close to the full moon of May: the flower moon.

Summer is here, times are exciting and the moods are light! The moon goddess waxes and the summer exalts! This is perfect to highlight the significance of Beltane: union.

Now, often people think that union necessarily means man and woman or yin and yang union. A very important aspect of union is, also, the union of the physical world with the realms of the spirit; the union of the human being with the omnipresent divinity within and all around him.

This makes Beltane important not only to lovers, but also to those who seek truth: light workers, spiritual beings, tarot readers, pagans and wiccans in general.

How to go about it:

Firstly, there is always a little confusion about April the 30th versus May the 1st.
It doesn't matter, not really. The energies always come with a window. The window could last hours to a couple of days. So, just like full moon can be celebrated for three nights, similarly Beltane can be celebrated on 30th April or 1st of May. Or both! Who doesn't like to celebrate ;)  !!

Now that the date is settled, let us move ahead. I won't be sharing any magical recipes here (I have my apprehensions)
However , I shall guide those who can benefit from this to design their own. (Which works better anyway, in my experience)

All our answers are within us. All we need to do is ask.

Question 1: aim.
OK we are discussing strengthening our ties with the spiritual realm. So our aim could be as vague as that or as specific as communicating with a spirit guide/ animal totem.

Question 2: method.
Think. That what you aim to contact is best related to what. Meditate on the question and jot down what comes to your mind. It could be a colour. It could be an object. Or anything else like a fragrance, herb, chant etc...your meditation will guide you the best. Always.

Carefully study your list and try for a connecting link between the objects. What could be the best magick that incorporates all (or most) of those items?
Candle magick? Brew? Potion? Craft? Chants alone? It could be any thing. Let the answer cone to you.

What comes to you is the right way. What you force on yourself may look fancier and may have worked well for many, but all of us have different energy signatures and thus resonate with different things.

Question 3: editing.
Of course the ancient wisdom should be heeded. If you have any doubts, it is a good idea to seek help from people or internet. If nothing else, it will boost your confidence (and thus increase your belief in your craft) (vital !!!)
Also, you can seek advice on adding other things like seeking crystal energy or tarot use in your craft. If you feel so, seek help.

Question 4: time and place.
Day or night, indoors or in a park/forest. Many factors affect this.
It is not necessary that spells be cast at night. You could let your intuition guide you. It is a good idea to keep all your materials in reach and go about your daily routine, at all times mindful of your spell. At some point of time, you will really feel like casting it. Go ahead, perhaps it is the best time!
Another approach could be timing the nature of the spell with the planetary influence on a particular time. For instance, communication can be enhanced by seeking the blessings of Mercury. Typically, Mercury influences us on a Wednesday, however, each day also has some influence of each planet at different times. If you can check that out, very well!

Also, then there is the need for privacy and comfort and many of us end up casting spells at night. Anything is good if you can successfully raise the energy.

So go ahead with what suits you best.

Question 5: concluding.
This is very important and very commonly overlooked!
Concluding spell includes opening the circle, proper disposal (dispersal?) of the remains (candle wax, water, ash, herb etc should be suitably disposed off. Here we are focussing on spell for communication so blowing the ash or herbs with the wind seems better than simply burying them into the earth) (but suit yourself!), GROUNDING yourself and eating something. Perhaps, even hand washing under running water.

That's it! At all times, let yourself be guided.

Contact me for any queries.
Blessed be!
Happy Beltane )O(

-Iyah

MALLEUS MALEFICARUM

"The Malleus Maleficarum or 'Hammer of the Witches', is a treatise on the prosecution of witches, written in 1486 by Heinrich Kramer, a German Catholic clergyman.

Three years after its publication, the Catholic Church condemned the Malleus Maleficarum", although, sadly,  it was later used by royal courts during the Renaissance, and contributed to the increasingly brutal prosecution of peaceful pagans and practitioners of the craft in 16th and 17th centuries. So basically, (mainly) women who worked as healers and worshipped the Sun, the Moon and the elements such as wind, water, fire and earth herself, were barbarically killed/burnt/slaughtered after being wrongfully tagged as devils/ workers of demons. (Who is the devil again?)

"Kramer wrote the Malleus shortly after being expelled from Innsbruck by the local bishop after a failed attempt to conduct his own witchcraft prosecution."

"The treatise describes how women and men become inclined to practise witchcraft. The text argues that women are more susceptible to demonic temptations through the manifold weaknesses of their gender. It was believed that they were weaker in faith and more carnal than men. The very title of the Malleus Maleficarum is feminine, alluding to the idea that it was women who were the villains. Otherwise, it would be the Malleus Maleficorum" (a masculine/unisexual term). The text is clearly disrespectful towards women and shows that it had been written by someone who doesn't understand the beauty of Goddess/ Goddess religions/ the Divine Feminine. Perhaps women can easily relate to the Goddess but some of the greatest practitioners of the art and science of 'the craft' have been men. Anyone who has an open heart can relate to the Goddess, as after all, it is women who give birth to both men and women.

Also, the fact that most of the "women accused as witches had strong personalities and were known to defy convention" suggests that perhaps Kramer wished that women be suppressed.

Although, the book accuses both male and female witches as worthy of punishment. It accuses the peaceful followers of paganism, healers, druids etc. of heinous acts that paganism and wicca actually prohibit, such as infanticide, cannibalism and casting evil spells!

Clearly the book gives an altered picture of pagan beliefs to those who aren't familiar with them and creates hatred towards some of the wisest and most tolerant people who call themselves 'sons and daughters of the Earth' and celebrate the beauty in the bounties of nature: moon, sun, rain, snow, hail, herbs etc.

Is it a sin to acknowledge the Sun who shines upon us each day and gives us crops and ripe fruits?
Or is it a sin to collect fresh herbs in exchange for an offering to mother Earth (Yes, we do not simply go about plundering the nature! We know we are asking the Earth for a part of her that we need and we offer her a small token as gratitude) to brew some hot tea for an ailing neighbour?

Paganism, neopaganism or wicca, teach us to honour the abundance of nature around us. It makes us more mindful of our unkind acts of ruthless plundering. It reminds us to try and coexist with everyone: animate or inanimate.

It tells us to honour all beings irrespective of their nationality or religious beliefs.

May the light of true knowledge deliver you to the truth. May your heart be kind and soul be blessed!

-Iyah

(With excerpts from wikipedia)

Sorting Hat

Our choices define us, yes. And although often circumstances guide our choices such that others would judge, those of us who do go through those circumstances know better.
We don't judge.
Neither we let others judge us.
We are what we are.
We chose it.

SORTING HAT

A little girl, I never knew
What I was doing and why
Sinna would say I have to wait
Wait and wait to try
I did that, just that, waited
Not to please my heart
But no other option came my way
I had to wait for my part
I was being tried, Sinna said one day
That priestess, God bless her
I knew my wait would be over soon
I knew I trusted her
I did as I was guided, I did all good
When suddenly one day I realised
I knew I chose my life afresh
My mission I had finalised
No sorting hat could tell me
What I was to really do
I knew when I grew in my heart
The form of my nature, true

-Iyah Arcæn

United Magickally

Together we create magick
Under the moon we unite
With a cord, bound into one
In our song and lore and rite