Naturally Witchy

Still Here

noreply@blogger.com (Luna Starshine) — Sun, 08 Sep 2013 07:03:00 +0000

I promise I'm still around. I've had so many problems with jobs here lately. Is it just me, or are places paying lower money for harder work? Anyway, I'm going to spend tomorrow working on blog posts, and I will get back to a more normal pace!

The Blog's a Winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Luna Starshine) — Mon, 05 Aug 2013 19:37:00 +0000

As a lot of you know, I share most of my posts on Pagan Pages Blog Hop, and thanks to you amazing guys, I was selected June's Brilliant Blogger! Thank you so much for this amazing honor! I'm so sorry I haven't been around, and I'm barely announcing this in August. But thank you so much!

I'm Still Here!

noreply@blogger.com (Luna Starshine) — Mon, 05 Aug 2013 19:29:00 +0000

I haven't been around much here lately, which makes me a naughty, naughty witch. I found a job, and I've just been trying to figure out how to balance everything. My work schedule is usually 2:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and I've been trying to take care of the house work during the mornings. I've switched job locations and will hopefully be getting a new schedule sometime soon. Same hours, just different days. Once I get my new schedule I promise I will find a way to balance things!

Candle Magick

noreply@blogger.com (Luna Starshine) — Thu, 11 Jul 2013 20:24:00 +0000

I realize it is Thursday, and today is supposed to be Goddess Bio day. I will probably, hopefully, get around to that later. Knight and I have his nephew here, and man is it hard to keep that kid away from my altar in the living room, and keep him away from any other magickal stuff I have around the house. I feel like I'm constantly chasing him around, returning stuff to it's rightful place, picking trash up off the living room altar, picking up his dirty dishes off the altar, and trying to explain to him that, no, the xbox controller does not belong on the altar either. Of course, it doesn't help that Knight's family doesn't know what my religion is, since it's such a weird mishmash of Christian/Pagan/Wiccan/Voodoo beliefs, so while Knight understands that the altar is not to be messed with, I can't really explain to his nephew what it is. Knight took him to work with him, and I now have a moment of time today, and really wanted to discuss candle magick. So, that's what we're gonna do!
I've practiced candle magick for years. It was one of the few things I could do, before I announced to key people that I'm a witch, that didn't give me away instantly. Candle magick is practiced in almost every single religion. And if you're still in the broom closet, which I'm not coming down on you for, there's all kinds of reasons for a person to keep their religious beliefs to themselves, so candle magick is the perfect closety practice for you! Regardless of what some people may think, candle magick is not a passive form of magick. Some of my biggest magickal feats have been accomplished through candle magick and the deity/spirit/orisha/loa that I decided to work with for those feats. We won't go over the basics just now, because I want to save that for a Witchcraft 101 post, but I want to talk about simple ways for you to introduce candle magick into your life.
I've become addicted to candle magick. In all honesty, if I don't have at least one candle burning on my altar at all times, I don't feel right, my home doesn't feel right. The most important candle on my altar is a large white candle. I like using pure white novena candles in a clear jar. That one white candle represents the God and Goddess. I reuse my novena jars, and refill them here at home. Once it has burned down, I clean out the jar, replace the wick, refill it with white candle wax, and as soon as it is "cured" I relight it. I try to keep one premade, while refilling the other, so that I never have to go without my deity candle burning. Like I said, without at least that one candle burning, my home doesn't feel right. I can almost feel the absence of the God and Goddess. That may sound strange to you guys, because in all honesty, the God and Goddess are always around, whether there's a candle burning or not, but to me, without my deity candle burning, it feels like they are a bit more distant. So, my white candle never goes out on my altar. If you aren't able to have an altar, just having a special shelf where nothing else it put, placing a white candle on the shelf, and lighting it will make a huge difference in your life.
Other than my deity candle, I usually have at least one prayer/spell/intention candle burning as well. These candles are all slightly different. I still use the glass jars from novena candles, but while some of them are novena candles bought from the store, others are specifically colored, hand poured, Witchmade™ candles that I make for specific intents and spells. Currently, I have my deity candle burning, which will need to be replaced soon, and I'll be making a new deity candle later today. I also have a St. Jude candle burning. I had an interview with a business close to home that will have good hours, be fulfilling, fairly good pay starting out, and great benefits. I am hoping to hear back from them tomorrow so I can start training on Monday, so the St. Jude candle is to help things along.
One thing I find interesting is the difference in how store bought, and Witchmade™ candles burn. Those that I create myself, focusing on my intention while preparing the wax, pouring, etc., seem to burn longer, cleaner, and much brighter, than the ones bought from the store. For example, my deity candle, which I poured here at home while meditating and talking to God and Goddess is burning much higher than the St. Jude candle I bought at the store. The flame is rather high, very cheery, and extremely comforting. It lets me know for sure that God and Goddess are within my home. The flame on the St. Jude candle on the other hand, while burning brightly and cheerily, is not anywhere near as tall as my handmade one. I've also noticed a difference in the results received from Witchmade™ candles, and store bought candles. You add more magick to them when you make them yourself. Now, this isn't to say that store bought candles won't work, because they absolutely do. I fix mine with oils and herbs, whether Witchmade™ or store bought, and do deep prayers and cast a lot of energy into them.
So, what kinds of candle magick do you do? Have any of the saints helped you out? I know that St. Jude has been an amazing help around this house!

Back on Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Luna Starshine) — Fri, 05 Jul 2013 22:54:00 +0000

I will be back on Monday. Recently I've been looking for a job so I can pay for my various hobbies and Witchy makings. I took the week off to continue my job hunt more intensely, and will return with our regularly scheduled posts on Monday.

Herbal Tuesday: Belladonna

noreply@blogger.com (Luna Starshine) — Tue, 02 Jul 2013 19:32:00 +0000

Belladonna, also known as deadly nightshade, is not an herb that we normally use today. It is a very poisonous herb. All parts of the plant are highly poisonous and it has been known to kill small animals and children if ingested. I wanted to talk about Belladonna today, because it is a traditional plant used in witchcraft. Historically, it was used to dilate eyes, and many women used it to dilate their eyes at home, believing it made them look more beautiful. It was also used in sleeping remedies, because it does have a sedative effect. Magickally it was used in flying ointments.
There are other herbs that can be substituted in a modern flying ointment, so Belladonna is not used magickally. Do not burn, smoke, ingest, or even apply Belladonna to your body. It has a cumulative effect, similar to arsenic, so you might not be affected by using a small amount, but it WILL build up over time, and poison you. Just like arsenic, once it has entered your body, it never goes away.
Belladonna is an absolutely beautiful plant, and if you decide to grow it for it's beauty alone, know that you will have to be on guard to keep animals and small children away from it. Belladonna produces beautiful flowers, and enticing looking berries, but none of these should be handled by children.

Monday Meditation on Tuesday: New Beginnings

noreply@blogger.com (Luna Starshine) — Tue, 02 Jul 2013 19:21:00 +0000

Continuing with my theme from Friday, I want to use our Monday Meditation to share a meditation designed to help you intentionally create a new beginning. Shamans believe that we create our reality with our own thoughts, and speaking from experience, I've found this to be true. So, this meditation was written to help you write a new reality. Let's begin.

New Beginnings Meditation

Sit or lie somewhere comfortable. Close your eyes and slowly count down from 10 to 1. Breathe deeply, allowing your mind to go deeper into your meditative state. Know that you are safe, know that everything in the world is as it should be. There are no worries right now, no schedules, no problems. Relax your entire body. Let all the tension disappear. If you are still holding on to worries or problems, breathe them into the wind and watch them float away. Now, visualize yourself sitting in the floor with lots of pictures in front of you. These pictures are images of how your life has been, up to this point. Around you are 2 boxes, one marked keep, and one marked throw away.

Look through your pictures. Pick up each one. Those that depict things you are grateful for, that make you happy, and that make your soul dance, put in the keep box. All the others that do nothing for you, that take away from your happiness, or even those that are neutral, toss in the throw away box. You are mentally clearing away the things that keep you tied to the past. Those are things that are not welcome in your new beginning. Once you've sorted all of your life pictures, thank the Gods for allowing you the blessings that you kept, and also thank them for the ones that you are clearing away, because those were important parts of your life at one point in time.

Now visualize yourself being filled with sparkling white light. See that light getting rid of all bad emotions, severing your connection from the past, and striking down any blockages standing in your way. Know that you are cleansed and ready to start a new path. Now, visualize all the things you want in your new beginning. Visualize smiling, happy faces in your life. Feel happiness and harmony surrounding you. See yourself working at a new job, making yourself happy. See yourself purchasing things you want in your new life. Know that you are worthy of those things. Know that the Gods will provide those things to you, and be willing to work for those things.

Coming out of your meditation, slowly become aware of your body. Count up from 1 to 10, coming more into yourself with each number. Once you are fully within yourself, know that you've started a new beginning. Do not dwell on anything you got rid of in your meditation. If any of it was something real, or if you have items that remind you of something you got rid of in meditation, get rid of those things physically. They will only serve as ties to your past and will negate any and all work you've done to open up your new beginning. Remember to always work on yourself. Keep yourself positive, and try your best not to allow yourself to dwell on negative things. Keep faith that things are the way you want them to be. The more you focus on what you want, and think of it as already happening, the sooner you will get to where you want to be.

M is for Making New Beginnings

noreply@blogger.com (Luna Starshine) — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 20:23:00 +0000

This post is a little late, but at least it's still Friday. We're still on M with the Pagan Blog Project. So today's post is about making new beginnings.

Life is full of seasons. Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring. But humans have seasons too. We go through what people call "phases", some good, some bad, but because of these phases, we have to have new beginnings, too. You maybe, like me, at a point in your life where you feel that it's time for a change, or something may have happened in your life that is making you change.

These are all normal parts of life, and I'm learning that change isn't a bad thing. When you're at a point like I am, knowing that's its time for a change and wanting to begin anew, there are many things you can do to help things along. The most important thing to do, when needing a new beginning, is start looking for ways to create that new beginning. If it has to do with your job, finds ways in the mundane world to help with that.

For example, there was a time in my life where I didn't have to work, so I never actively looked for a job, but now Knight and I have found ourselves in a situation where neither one of us is able to bring in enough money to handle the things we need to handle. So, we obviously need a new beginning.

On the mundane side, we are both actively looking for jobs, applying where we can, following up on applications, and doing the normal job looking things. But there are magickal things you can do to help things along. I have two candles burning at all times, as prayers to the gods to help us with our job searches. I have done a full "help me get and keep a good job" ritual.

For those that just feel its time to start over, a wonderful way is to do a road/door opening spell. Light a black candle with the intention of ridding yourself of blockages. Light a yellow candle for strength and confidence, and light a green candle for money and success. Invoke any goddess that is known for rebirths, because that is in all honesty what is happening, you are going through a rebirth stage in your life. Visualize yourself and your life the way you want them to be. For yourself, you may imagine being different than you are now. For example, I aspire to be as loving, giving, and trusting as Cassie Nightingale on the movie The Good Witch. So I envision myself being that way and try to implement those things into my life now. For your life, you might envision yourself having enough money to purchase a new car, or going on a family vacation, or whatever. You might visualize happy, smiling content faces in your home.

Even though magick will help things along, you still have to do the work. You cannot ask for change in your life, without changing yourself.

Goddess Bio: Devi

noreply@blogger.com (Luna Starshine) — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 20:06:00 +0000

Devi is a Hindu Goddess. She is known as the cosmic force and is the creator, annihilator, and re-creator of the universe, which she holds in her womb. The Hindus say that she gives birth to both force and form, and without her nothing would come into being. She is an amazing Goddess to work with for any kind of new beginnings. Need to start a new chapter of your life? Ask Devi for help with that. But be warned, because she is a creator and annihilator, she will destroy to rebuild.

Devi represents the typical feminine trinity, creator, preserver, and destroyer. She can be peaceful and benign, or full of rage. But she will always be helpful to her devotees, even if it may seem like she is destroying something. Just like any situation in life, when something is destroyed it is so something better can come in it's place. Appropriate offerings for Devi include rock candy, milk, honey, cake or bread, bananas, molasses, and sugar. Lotus flowers are also very appropriate offerings for Devi.

Witchcraft 101: Ethics

noreply@blogger.com (Luna Starshine) — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 16:43:00 +0000

Welcome everyone! Today I want to talk about a slightly controversial topic, witchy ethics. This is a topic that has been debated forever, but I wanted to add a lesson about ethics before I go into other aspects, because I feel it is something that should be touched on. So here we go. Unlike Christianity, witchcraft doesn't have a list of commandments that must be followed to avoid going to hell. Wicca on the other hand does have a set of guidelines, which you are expected to live by. Those guidelines are called The Wiccan Rede. I won't share the full version of the rede because it is rather long, but please click here and read it in it's entirety. The Rede is normally shortened to "An' it harm none, do what you will." So, today I want to focus on what that means. That short little saying packs a lot of meaning into just eight words. "An' it harm none." What exactly does that mean? To me it means do not harm others purposely, do not harm animals, do not harm the planet, and most especially do not harm yourself. So the first part of that is pretty easy right? Don't cast spells to purposely harm people, although that's just a basic thing right now, I'll discuss more about that in depth later. But I take that to mean, don't mess with someone's free will. Such as, if you see a woman's husband and decide you want him for your own, don't cast spells to take him away from her and make him yours. There are more reasons behind that than me just following the "An' it harm none," rule. Knight and I actually had this discussion a while back. His sister has a friend that lives in New Orleans (or NOLA, whatever you feel like calling that beautiful and mysterious crescent city) who does controlling spells on her significant other. She has his undies buried in the yard, and she makes him a special steak each month enhanced with her menstrual blood. These are all things she does to keep him faithful and keep him with her. Knight heard about that, and knew that I worked spells and magick, and he looked at me and was like please don't ever do that to me. So, while I'm not judging the person for doing that, because she is of different beliefs to me, I'm saying I personally wouldn't do that, and here's why. Knight was terrified at the thought of not having his own free will. Our relationship works because we both know that either one of us has the right to call it quits if we want to, we have the free will to walk out the door whenever we feel like it. But also, because a man needs to know that they are in control of their own life. The biggest reason I have never done anything like that, even when we were separated? I need to know, in my soul, that he is here and invested in this relationship because he wants to be, not because I controlled the situation with magick. I need to know that he really does love me because of his own reasons, not because of magick that can be reversed. Plus, who actually wants to work a spell for the rest of their lives, just to keep someone around? Especially when there's a chance someone else could break that spell and you would end up having to do it all over again, plus fight the person breaking the spell, Gods it sounds so exhausting just typing it out. It would be a never ending struggle. That is the biggest reason you shouldn't cast spells to control a person, whether for love or whatever. Of course there are certain exceptions to that rule. If someone in your life is dragging you down, say someone who is trying to get you to do drugs (and you're a recovering addict) there is nothing wrong with doing a spell to banish that person from your life. Unfortunately, there are people out in the world that either inadvertently, or purposely, want to cause you harm. Protecting yourself and getting those people out of your life is not bad. This is where the part of do not harm yourself comes into play. You must protect yourself, and your family, and your home. By keeping those kinds of people in your life, knowingly, you are causing harm to yourself. So, by banishing those people, especially if done in a way that doesn't cause them harm, it just makes them go away and leave you alone, then you are still within the harm none rule. Not harming yourself covers all kinds of things. Purposely cutting yourself, doing harmful drugs and knowing what they do to your body, surrounding yourself with negativity, these are all things that harm you. They should be avoided according to this rule. And you shouldn't do these things just because of the harm none rule. You should want for your soul to be it's happiest and brightest. You should want to have great things in your life. Surrounding yourself with negative people, or allowing others to control you or bring you down, will not get you to those places. Not harming animals is also covered in this rule. I've had questions in the past about this, so let me clarify things a bit. You are going against this rule if you purposely abuse your animals or animals around you. In my mind ritual animal sacrifice is a no no, although I'm probably going to contradict myself when I say this next part. Hunting to survive, having cows slaughtered for their beef, and things like that are not wrong to me, if they are done in a humane way. Hunting is an age old tradition, and I feel if it is done in an honorable way, it can be an amazing way to honor the God and Goddess, and to honor that animal. That animal, as your brother or sister, is sacrificing itself so that you may survive. Offer it the respect it deserves, and that sacrifice is not wrong. Making sure it's death is swift, and as painless as possible, is a wonderful way to honor that animal's sacrifice. I'm still working out how I feel about certain other forms of animal sacrifice. I could never bring myself to sacrifice a cat or a dog, because they are beloved pets, but chickens? Maybe. Depending on what's going on, and as long as it follows my guidelines of hunting. This part is something you will have to work out for yourself. Inside of you, you know what is right and what is wrong. Which leads me to the next part of this. Even with guidelines in place, there will be people who don't seem to follow those guidelines the way you see them. This is where the line gets drawn. Each person is born with a moral compass. You know when your soul tells you something is wrong. You know when your soul tells you something is right. Listen to it. Follow it. Your soul is an extension of the divine, and as long as you follow it and it's advice, you don't have to worry about what others think. Each path is unique. We are put here for different reasons, and each person will have their own lessons to learn in this lifetime. Because we are equipped with souls, we have been given a guide book to help us along. As humans, our mind can sometimes over cloud our soul, and so we get confused and lost. But if you learn to quiet your mind, and listen to your soul, you will find your path.

Herbal Tuesday: Adam and Eve Root

noreply@blogger.com (Luna Starshine) — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 14:11:00 +0000

Photo found at Rita's Spiritual Goods
Welcome to Herbal Tuesdays, my lovelies! Today's spotlight herb is Adam and Eve Root (Orchis Spp). Pictured above, Adam and Eve root is said to help you find love, and to keep a lover faithful. Also, if given to a couple, it will promote continued happiness. Use it in mojo bags, or carry it alone in your pocket, but do not burn it or ingest it as it is poisonous. It's energy is feminine and it is ruled by Venus. It's element is water. True Adam and Eve root is now considered endangered and Orchis Spp is substituted in it's place.
To keep your lover true, one partner should carry the "Adam" root, and the other partner should carry the "Eve" root. The concept is that the roots will be drawn back to each other, thus keeping the lovers together. To attract a new love or a marriage proposal, carry both roots together in a red mojo back, and anoint the bag daily with any form of attraction oil.
When purchasing herbs, always look for a reputable company. Places on Etsy can be great, because these people usually are very dedicated to their craft, and as such would never do something to detract from that, but always be careful, ask lots of questions if you have any doubts. Even on Etsy, there are swindlers that would sell you something different, just because they can.

Spell Candles

noreply@blogger.com (Luna Starshine) — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 13:41:00 +0000

I've always loved dabbling with making candles. In the past I tried selling them, but I usually bit off more than I could chew and ended up closing shop. I've been struggling here lately to find a job. It seems like everywhere I've put in an application has over looked me. There are a couple places I've tried calling and nothing seems to work. So I decided since I don't have the money to go to town and pick up a handful of 7 day candles, which I love to keep around, I'll just make them myself. I had 10 pounds of sparkle light container palm wax that I had never even used, so I decided, why not use it up. That's enough for 10 7 day candles, and with it being palm wax, I suspect they might burn even longer. Here are a couple of pictures of the one I made specifically for myself last night.

I used the last bit of green candle dye I had to color this candle, but thankfully I made too much, and have enough for a second candle.

I was trying to show off the feathering effect that palm wax is famous for, but couldn't get a good angle. I'll take another picture outside in sunlight when I get a chance.

I've been toying with the idea of possibly selling these on etsy, but I'm not sure if I would have a market for them. Would any of you buy handmade palm wax 7 day/novena candles?

Monday Meditation: Shut Up and Listen

noreply@blogger.com (Luna Starshine) — Mon, 24 Jun 2013 05:42:00 +0000

Monday is the perfect day for a new meditation. I'm sure you've had a typical "ugh it's Monday" day, which is why I decided to do my weekly meditations on Mondays. So, without further ado, let's begin.

Today's meditation is called Shut Up and Listen. Now, I'm sure you're saying, "But Luna, I'm a good listener. I listen to my friends, my husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend/life partner, my children, etc.," but that's not what I mean, lovelies. When was the last time you took 15 minutes or more to quiet the world around you and listen to your own soul/inner child/inner self? If you can honestly tell me that you did so in the past week, then you are awesome and have won a gold star and a cookie, but I know that many of you will have to say it's been a while, if ever, since you did listen to your soul/inner child/inner self.

Now, I'm not going to judge you or get on to you for not visiting with yourself, because we're all human, and in the day to day grind there are so many voices that need to be heard, so we put ourselves to the side and say I'll get there when I have the time. We all do it, even me, but it's very important, especially in the life of a witch, to purposely carve out time to shut up and listen to yourself. This not only helps you to be your happiest, and helps fulfill your soul, it also helps strengthen your energy, because nothing is more important than being able to listen to that little voice inside. Today's meditation is designed to help you hear that voice more clearly. Let's jump right in.

Shut Up and Listen Meditation

Sit or lie somewhere comfortable. Be sure TVs and phones are off and that you will have at least 15 minutes of quiet, alone time. Sit or lie back and close your eyes. Listen to the sounds around your home, or wherever you are; the sound of traffic, the sound of birds, dogs barking, children playing, etc. Listen for a few moments, and then pull your attention inside your home; the sound of a clock ticking, the washer/dryer running, the refrigerator running, etc. Listen to that for a few moments, focusing only on what's inside the home, not the sounds outside. Now pull your attention to yourself. Listen to your own breathing. Hear how solid it is, bringing in positive energy and releasing negative energy.

This isn't a visual meditation so don't worry about having to visualize anything, just listen. Listen to your breathing, steady, in and out. You may start getting images in your mind. That is fine. Acknowledge them and file them away for now. Later you will write them down in your meditation journal/notes. Just keep breathing. Don't worry about anything in the mundane world, for now, in this moment, just breathe, just be. Listen to your heart beat, strong and steady, pushing life sustaining blood through your body, nourishing your soul. Follow the sound of your blood to your inner core. Do you hear it? That little voice inside you? Focus on that little voice. Let it know that you've come on this journey to hear it.

What would fulfill this inner voice? What would sustain it? What would make it dance in delight? Sit quietly and listen to that voice; it's wants, it's needs. Once your 15 minutes are up, or once you've had a nice, long, fulfilling chat with your soul/inner child/inner self, politely end the conversation. Once you've come out of your meditation write your conversation down in a meditation journal. Be sure to include any images you saw, any impressions you felt, and how you felt about everything that was shown and said.

Now that you've tapped into your soul voice, make a real and conscious effort to have these conversations at least once a week. And the biggest part ... do everything you possibly can to feed your soul/inner voice. It told you what it needs and wants to be happy, so do your best to do those things. You'll feel happier, more at peace, and more balanced.

Share your thoughts on this meditation and let me know what other kinds of meditations you would like to see here at Naturally Witchy, in the comments below!

Drawing Down The Moon

noreply@blogger.com (Luna Starshine) — Sat, 22 Jun 2013 17:04:00 +0000

I have a small confession. It's been years since I've drawn down the moon. I really miss drawing down the moon though. If this is something you have never experienced, tonight is the absolute perfect night to do it. Tonight we have what they call a super moon. It is when the moon is closest to the earth. But, wait Luna! What is drawing down the moon? Oh, I'm so glad you asked my friends!

Drawing down the moon is an amazing experience where you draw the power of the moon inside you, as well as invoking the Goddess inside of you. It's a very beautiful and powerful experience. Let me break it down for you a little bit more.

The time of the full moon is a very magickal and powerful time. This is the perfect time for big spells that you need quick results from. But the most important part of it is this: at the time of the full moon, magick reaches it's peak of the month for drawing things to you. After the full moon, you go into the waning phase. During the moon's waning phase it is best to do spells that send things away from you such as banishings, releasings, etc. During the waning phase, many witches notice that their powers seem to dwindle a little bit as well. Ever noticed how around the time of the waning moon you seem a little sluggish and tired? No? Well, maybe that's just me. However, because of the waning phase of the moon, things are diminishing and decreasing, so when you have a full moon, drawing down the moon will help you store up extra energy. Make sense?

It's a lot like a solar powered battery. It stores up energy during the day because of the sun, and at night time it uses that energy to produce light, etc. We are a lot like that. During the waxing moon we have all sorts of energy and are capable of storing up more energy. During the waning moon, we can become a little sluggish and seem to be dispelling energy. So, how do we go about remedying that? Drawing down the full moon. The full moon is like when the sun is at it's full peak with your solar battery storing even more energy from it. So, we draw down the moon to keep a well of energy stored during the waxing phase to use for any of our spell work then.

So how do we go about doing that? Well, my friends, I have a little ritual that I like to do from time to time. As I stated before, it's been years since I've done this, but this is a tried and true ritual!

Full Moon Ritual

Items needed:

Drinking glass

Water

Incense

Salt

Candle

The incense can be any scent that you feel called to. The candle would be perfect if it were silver, but sometimes silver candles are hard to come across, so a white candle will do as well. You don't have to have a huge candle, it can be a tea light, but some people do like having one large candle, dedicated to full moon work, that they light only during their full moon rituals. If this is your first time doing a full moon ritual, please make sure that the candle is new. Otherwise, if you have a dedicated full moon candle, please feel free to use it.

If the weather allows it, go outside where you can see the full moon in absolute plain sight. If it's raining or just too darn cold, or your neighbors might freak out, it's fine to do this ritual inside. If working inside, make sure you are near a window where you can get full view of the moon.

Now, once you've decided where you are going to do your ritual, it's time to set up a ritual altar. This is not as scary as it may seem. The way I view a ritual altar is as my work place to hold my tools. I very rarely view it as an altar in the sense of say a Catholic altar, because that makes it seem almost like a forbidden place. I say that because as a child, raised in a Catholic church, I always loved the church. I was most especially drawn to the altar, mainly out of curiosity because it had all these super cool gadgets on it. However, one time I was in the church alone, and I let my curiosity get the better of me. I approached the altar and decided I wanted to see what it was all about.

While snooping around, one of the adults came in and pretty much screamed at me and informed me I was promptly going to hell because I was desecrating their altar! There wasn't even anything on the damn thing! So from then on, altars became an off limits, absolutely not for mere mortals to touch, type thing. So, my altar is a place to set up my candle, hold my incense, and whatever else I need for the working. We'll do a further post on different types of altars in a later post. For now, just make sure you have a flat surface to set your candle, bowl of salt, incense, and glass of water on.

Now, in Wicca, we would cast a circle. Circles are meant to keep negative ickiness away from you while you are working with the powers that be. Some people work in circles, some don't. We won't get into the debate about whether or not to work in a circle in this post, we'll save that for another time. For now, if you want to work in a circle, you can cast one now. I'll share an example of what I would do, and you can go from there if you like. Otherwise, skip this step.

Casting the circle:

Give yourself lots of room to work. You don't want to feel confined to a tiny space, so don't just stand in one place and turn around in a circle, walk a large circle. If you're inside your home, and have just a small space to work at, like myself, you can envision a circle forming around your entire home. I like to walk a salt circle completely around my house, and when working inside, I'll find that circle in my mind, touch it with my energy, and watch a circle cover my whole house. More on that tomorrow.

Anyway, if working outside, walk a large-ish circle around your altar/workspace. While walking the circle, walk in a clockwise motion, and you can point with your finger, an athame, a wand, or not at all, however you are comfortable. As you are walking clockwise, envision a magickal boundary appearing and covering your workspace in a big bubble. You can say fancy words while the circle is forming if you like, but I just go with something simple that I can remember, because I can be a little bit scatter brained. I would say something like: "As this circle opens, all negativity is kept at bay. Only those invited within this circle may enter, and may only come with an open heart." Then when I see the circle complete itself, I'll walk to the middle and say, "As above, so below, this circle is now open." There's a reason behind that, and if you're new to the craft, we will cover that next Wednesday during our next Witchcraft 101 post.

So, now you're circle is open, and you have a safe place to work. Now you're probably wondering what to do next. That's pretty easy. Remember where you started walking your circle? Grab your salt, and go there. Walk the circle again and toss a little salt as you walk saying, "By the power of earth, this circle is protected." Next grab your water, and walk the circle, saying, "By the power of water, this circle is protected." Grab the incense, light it, and walk the circle saying, "By the power of air, this circle is protected." Light the candle, walk with it around the circle saying, "By the power of fire, this circle is protected."

Now you're circle is completely protected and ready to go! Sounds repetitive and boring, I know, but believe me when I say there's some scary shit out there, and if you're going to cast a circle, you want it completely sealed and protected. But, now comes the fun part, I promise!

Walk to your altar, gaze up at the moon. Now say:

Goddess of the Moon, full, beautiful, and fair. Please enter into this circle with me.

Envision the pure silver light of moonlight tunneling into your circle, filling it, but not blinding. Feel the goddess standing beside you. Now, hold your glass of water above your head, facing the moon. Envision that same silver light filling the glass and swirling through the water. Envision the silver light overflowing the glass. Feel the energy tingle through the glass, through your fingertips, and into you. Now say:

Goddess of the Moon, I ask that you fill my glass with your pure energy.

As the water turns into your energy, I ask that you sustain me through all the days to come.

Now drink the water. Feel the energy coursing through your body. Let it swirl throughout every part of your body. Envision it filling you with silver light from your toes to the crown of your head. When it reaches the crown of your head, let it spill out in a straight line, back to the moon, connecting you with the Goddess of the Moon. Envision your toes as roots, and meditate momentarily on how the Moon sustains the earth, and all that live in it. Once you've finished, feel the energy, and everywhere that it has touched within your body. By now, your body is probably tingling all over, and it may be hard for you to focus, which is totally normal. Pull the energy from your fingers, toes, and head, down into the center of your belly. Feel it's warmth and strength there. This is where you will carry the energy until the next time you draw down the moon.

Now that you've centered the energy, there will probably be excess, and you may feel a bit light headed, or dizzy, or even just super amped. If you are outside, sit on the ground, and let the excess energy flow into the ground. Do not let the energy in your center flow out, only the excess that is buzzing around everywhere else. Now is the perfect time to talk with Goddess, cast any spells you had planned for tonight, or just be at peace inside your circle. Once you've finished whatever you planned, you can close the circle.

Walk counterclockwise, watching the circle disappear. Thank the Goddess for all of her blessings, and for sharing her energy with you before closing the circle. You can let the incense burn down, put out your candle, and clean up the area. Now that everything is cleaned up, it would probably be a good idea for you to have something to eat. Even after grounding (when you sat on the ground and let the excess energy flow into it), you are probably going to feel a little off in some way. Eating something will help fully bring you back to this world, and fully ground you.

My rituals are always very simple, and most are planned for people on a strict budget. There's no need for fancy tools, and in my personal practice, the fancier things are, the more likely I am to get distracted from what I'm actually doing. The fancier the wording is in my rituals, the more likely I am to forget what the hell I was saying, and then I'll get distracted again. So I keep things simple. It doesn't matter how fancy or simple you go, what is most important is what is in your heart when you enter the ritual.

I hope this helps you guys be able to plan your full moon ritual tonight. I will be doing this ritual later tonight, maybe in an even more simplified version, depending on what kind of mood Knight is in. How do you plan on celebrating the super moon?

M For Movie Magic

noreply@blogger.com (Luna Starshine) — Fri, 21 Jun 2013 07:00:00 +0000

I recently found the Pagan Blog Project, and decided it was something I needed to participate in! I decided to write about movie magic, because the Witchcraft 101 posts I've been working on will easily mirror with this. So, welcome to everyone from the project! I'll be stopping by to see your posts as well! Please leave me a comment and let me know you stopped by, and share your thoughts as well! Let's jump right in, shall we?

Since the last Witchcraft 101 post, we discussed what Witchcraft is, and what Witchcraft isn't. Now, this was a topic I avoided, only because I planned on doing a dedicated post to this. Witchcraft in real life, and Witchcraft in movies are most definitely not the same.

See, Witchcraft in real life is very subtle. It makes changes over time. That isn't to say that large spells cannot produce major changes, like for example, someone being addicted to drugs and asking for help from an archangel or specific deity will normally get a rather quick response, depending on what is truly inside the heart of that person. But when I say they are more subtle, I mean you aren't going to see a major storm swirl up for no reason other than a woman standing on a beach chanting, like they portray in the movie The Craft.

Hollywood likes to add flash to everything they do. Almost all the movies created about Witchcraft are unrealistic. We cannot change the color of our eyes, just by chanting a quick spell. We cannot make our hair grow in the blink of an eye, or change colors in the snap of a finger (that's what cosmetologists are for), but we can direct energy to make certain things happen. Let me share a personal story with you.

My fiance and I separated about a month ago. Things had gotten very rocky between us, and I truly thought things were completely over. My knight had moved out and was living down the street from me. We weren't speaking. I had hit such a low in my life that things were very bleak. My best friend Miss Hippie called, for no particular reason, on one of my darkest days, and arrived that day to pull me out of the muck I found myself in. We went through the house with White Sage, cleaned every surface until it was gleaming, and sat and meditated on why I had hit such a complete low. The sage helped pull me out of a deep depression and cleared the air in my home for me to be able to think things through.

At the same time, I realized that Knight had a few people in his life that weren't helping our relationship at all, and they weren't really helping him realize the dreams he had either. I lit a candle for healing, for him, for me, and for us. I prayed to Archangel Raphael and Archangel Chamuel to enter our home and our lives and help heal each of us from the problems that had brought us to this bleak road. I asked Archangel Chamuel to enter into our relationship, which was hanging on by a thin thread, and help heal us and bring us closer together. I spent 2 weeks praying, and lighting candles. I asked that Knight have all his dreams come true, whether they involved me or not, and I asked to have the strength to handle whatever answer I received. At the end of those 2 weeks, Knight had moved back in, and while our wedding which had been scheduled for August 23, 2013 was pushed back, things were going well, and still are.

That's the way magick in real life works. I didn't ask for anything that would affect Knight's free will, I asked for both of us to receive the healing we needed to live a better life, whether we were together or not. I asked for Knight's eyes to be opened so he would know what he truly wanted, and to have the strength to handle his own decision, without falling to the influence of the so called friends that had split us up in the first place. And I also completely banished those people from my home. Knight has been home for over a month now, those so called friends have not shown up at my house, and they rarely call Knight. He was hurt by that at first, until he realized that they were holding him back. I did not ask for those people to be banished from his life, only for him to realize who his true friends were. While it was a big change, losing several friends at one time for both of us, healing past hurts that had started long before Knight and I met, and Knight coming home and realizing what he truly wanted, they happened more slowly than they would have in a movie.

I will admit that it seemed like things changed very quickly, almost over night. Knight spent the night with me one time after moving out, and the next day he had moved back in. As soon as Knight made it clear that he wanted to be with me, the people that had been so against us in the beginning just seemed to magickally disappear from our lives. The person he stayed with while we were split up moved to the next town, the two people mainly responsible for creating the wedge between us stopped calling, and Knight seemed happier and more at peace with himself than he ever has in the past 5 years I've known him. And even though it seemed to me like it happened over night, in reality, it happened in the span of 2 weeks. Real life magick has to have time to become perfect.

Another way to look at the difference between movie magic, and real life magick, is from the movie Bewitched. I adore that movie! It is so amazing! However, even though I am a real life witch, I cannot make a new car show up in my garage, in the blink of an eye, just by thinking about it, my house definitely does not clean itself (mores the pity!), and I most definitely cannot fly around on a broom (although I truly wish I could, because travel would be so much easier!).

One movie that I've seen that is very, very close to real life is The Good Witch. The subtle, mysterious ways that things just seem to "happen" in the movie reflect more of real life magick than any other Hollywood produced movie I've ever seen. Practical Magic is another good movie, and is sort of close to real life magick, but the producers can't show what we feel, so they have to spruce it up with things like when Sally has to save Jillian from the spirit of Jimmy Angelove and they show the curse being broken (which is something we would feel, and some psychics would see), and the black grossness that comes from out of Jillian after exorcising Jimmy from her. Those are slightly over dramatized examples of what real magick can do.

So, have you ever seen something in a movie that you would love to be able to do in real life?

Celebrating Litha

noreply@blogger.com (Luna Starshine) — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 22:44:00 +0000

Tomorrow is Litha, also known as Midsummer and Summer Solstice, which means it's time for us witches to celebrate! This is the time to enjoy the bounty of the land, day and night equalizing out, and just in general loving life! Today, I am not going to give two lessons in one day, so if you don't know the history of Litha and would like to, please check out this article.

I, personally, hope to celebrate Litha with Knight and the rest of my family. Hopefully we won't have a storm and can cook out and light the fire pit. This is a time to find a balance within yourself. Everyone has dark and light within us, and because Litha is the time when the day and the night are exactly equal, it's the perfect time for us to balance ourselves out as well.

I'll be spending the day cleaning the house, meditating, and then hopefully that evening Knight and I can have a lovely family meal, and watch the fire dance in the backyard! How will you be celebrating Litha this year?

Household Cleansings: When Negativity Must Leave

noreply@blogger.com (Luna Starshine) — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 16:30:00 +0000

It starts off as something small. You wake up with your love, and for some odd reason you both are just in crabby moods. You snap at each other, then say you're just tired, and then he leaves for work, and you leave for work, or stay home, and it just sets a bad tone for the rest of the day. Then that bad day turns into a bad week, and that bad week turns into a bad month, and before you know it, it seems like your life is just spiraling out of control! What's going on here? Have you been cursed? Is life turning against you? Chances are, the answer to the last two questions is ... NO.

This happens with me and Knight all the time, and I mean that almost literally. But why does it happen? Is it because we don't like each other, because we aren't meant to be together? Absolutely not. Knight and I love each other dearly, and truly want to be together. The real cause? Negativity kind of creeps into the house like a dark ninja and starts to mess with the mojo of things. Let me break this down, so it's more understandable and won't sound ~~like the rantings of a psycho person~~ confusing.

Negativity inside the home LOVES clutter. Now, Knight and I are no slouches (~~well sometimes Knight is as messy as a toddler~~) but we do live in a tiny house. Our house is probably about 400 sq. ft. or less. Some how, even though we rarely buy anything but groceries, this house can get super duper cluttered. Granted we are planning on moving to a house about 10 times the size of this some time soon, but in the mean time, here on the home front, things get cluttered and a little messy with day to day life. Messes and random clutter are breeding grounds for stale and negative energy.

A lot of times what happens with Knight and I is that we have certain areas of the home that are used for storage, and rarely ever seen, like the loft because you have to be like two feet tall to be able to stand up in there! So, because there are areas of the home that are used as storage, but rarely ever walked into, energy becomes stale. If left to it's own devices, sometimes it can turn slightly negative. I'm not talking about evil energy, just crabby energy, kinda like someone who is absolutely not a morning person, but is awake anyway. But, there are other causes too. Like when Knight has had a bad day, or been around a negative person. He'll walk in with metaphysical sludge all over him. That can accumulate over time and cause us to snap at each other, without even realizing we are.

But there is good news! You don't have to live like that! Here's what I do. I start with a good old fashioned house cleaning. I find all errant laundry and coral it in the laundry hampers, because Knight has this ~~weird and slightly annoying~~ endearing habit of hiding his clothes under the bed and then wondering where everything has got off to. I change the sheets on the bed, or if I've just recently changed the sheets, I'll neatly fix the bed. I make sure all the dishes are done, the bathroom is clean, and the living room is picked up and vacuumed. After that I take out the trusty old broom and sweep the house. While I'm doing all of the mundane cleaning chores I envision the negativity getting broken up and swept/vacuumed away. Once the house is good and sparkling, I walk through with my trusty sage bundle.

White Sage is an amazing herb. It's cleansing powers are second to none! Got a bad ghosty in your house? Light sage and tell it to scram (and leave no question that they are not welcome there). Had a family member that's been sick, and the illness just seems to be clinging in the air? Light some sage. Fighting with a family member and causing discord in the home? Light some sage. You get the idea. It's a universal, get rid of bad things, herb.

So, I'll light my sage bundle and begin with a prayer for whatever deity or Archangel we may need at the moment to enter into the home and protect it and help us create a harmonious home. Then I waft the smoke throughout each room, making sure absolutely no corner has been left out. Knight thinks I'm crazy because I start this journey up in the loft. "Why even start up there? The smoke goes up there anyway." But, by starting in the area that we go to the least, I'm dispelling the biggest part of the stale or negative energy. Each room is visited in turn, and all the while I watch the sage chase away the hurt feelings, the stale energy, the icky negative goo that someone tracked in from the outside world (as I like to call any area outside of my home!), and whatever other baddies that shouldn't be in our home. Sometimes the sage hangs a little heavy, and I can tell we've some how landed in the middle of something more negative than just being crabby, but it usually dispells quickly and there are no more problems afterward.

This is a great thing to do about once a month in a regular sized home. In a home that's a little more cluttered up you can do this once a week or once every two weeks. Really you can light sage any time you want to, you will not cause any harm to your home if you decide you want to burn sage 24/7, but you might cause harm to your wallet as that would be a bit expensive to keep that much sage around!

Now that your home feels better, and everyone is happier, you probably want to keep your home that way, right? Now would be a good time to implement a cleaning schedule. I know that sounds so mundane and so not witchy, but I promise you, the cleaner you keep your house, the happier things will be around there. Here at our little cabin, we've had rain for about a week straight. Things feel stuffy, and blah, because I can sweep 17 million times a day, and never be rid of the damn mud! I can run the vacuum that many times too, and just never find an end to it all. But I can tell the difference from last week when the floor was swept and stayed clean, and the living room was uncluttered and clean, and our bedroom had clothes put away, rather than piled in the bottom of my closet or just laying on the bed. I'm saying this just as much to you as I am to myself, don't slack off with your cleaning, because you will notice a big difference in how you feel, and how the people around you feel.

Once the cleaning, and cleansing, has been done, the next step is a blessing. We'll go over blessings in more detail later, but it's always a good idea to keep an altar around for a home deity. Ask someone you feel protected by and happy with to enter into your home, and live there with your family, to protect the home from negativity, and to help keep things harmonious. Light a nice, big, white candle on your altar and as long as that candle burns, you'll know that deity is there protecting the home. When the candle gets close to burning down, replace it with another, using the same flame from the original candle. Putting a salt circle around at least your home will help keep you from tracking in negativity, and placing a welcome mat with protective runes, or just the word protection, by whatever door you enter through the most and making a habit of wiping your feet on the mat as you come in will also help keep negativity at bay.

Interested in learning more? Check out Magical Housekeeping by Tess Whitehurst. It's a great book, with great blessings and cleansings, that will really make a difference in your home. Another wonderful book I suggest is Mrs. B's Guide to Household Witchery by Kris Bradley. Not only is Kris Bradley an awesome author, she's an amazing domestic witch who really knows her stuff, and she's a wonderful blogger too!

Follow Me On Bloglovin!

noreply@blogger.com (Luna Starshine) — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 14:02:00 +0000

Follow my blog with Bloglovin. Since Google so kindly decided to get rid of the Google Friend Connect buttons, I can't add it to my blog. Of course, if I chose a completely different template that still had the old button hardwired into it, then I could, but I happen to love the blog the way it is now. That's no guarantee that it won't change sometime in the future, but I do really like it now, and don't plan on changing things. With that in mind, I'm using Bloglovin as a way to follow other blogs, and have other readers follow me as well!

If you've never heard of Bloglovin, it's an awesome blog reader. It keeps everything organized and in place, and is extremely easy to navigate. You can easily group different blogs under different categories that you create, so that everything is nice and organized.

Of course, I realize that a lot of people will roll their eyes, and go, I don't want to have to log in to something totally different and have to learn how it works, just to be able to read blogs, and that is completely fine, too! I also use NetworkedBlogs on Facebook. Just check out the box in the right hand sidebar, and you can follow me through there as well!

Witchcraft 101: What is Witchcraft Anyway?

noreply@blogger.com (Luna Starshine) — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 04:35:00 +0000

To kick off our Witchcraft 101 series, I'm going to take us back to the absolute basics. I know there are a lot of good books and blogs out there that offer wonderful definitions of what Witchcraft is, and what it isn't, but I wouldn't be a very good 101 teacher if I started off with slightly advanced work, without laying out the ground knowledge first. So here we go!

What Witchcraft Is:

Witchcraft is a nature based religion. We worship a God and a Goddess, who can go by many different names.

Witchcraft is a healing religion. Most people who find the path to Witchcraft, through positive forces, are natural healers. We help heal each other and the world.

Witchcraft is taking control of the subtle energies that surround us to make our lives and the lives around us better.

Witchcraft is a diverse religion. There is no one right way, and no one wrong way, to go about practicing the craft.

Witchcraft is a life affirming religion. We accept all forms of life, human, animal, plant, etc., and we also accept all forms of love. We do not discriminate based on sex, age, race, or sexual orientation.

What Witchcraft Is Not:

Witchcraft is not devil worship. While there are some darker forms of witchcraft that involve things like that, this blog focuses only on Paganism and Wicca, and in those two religions, to quote a pretty amazing movie witch, "There is no devil in the craft." Satan is a purely Christian concept. While there are amazing Christian witches out there, in Wicca and Paganism, there is no such thing as Satan/the devil. This is not to say that there is no evil in the world. You would have to be blind and naive to think there is no evil in the world, but we will reserve that conversation for another post.

Witchcraft is not about hexes and curses. On this blog, I will teach about curses and darker forms of magick, but only because I believe you have to understand how curses work, and you have to understand how a curse is brought together, to be able to combat it. However, the forms of Witchcraft I teach are meant to help, not harm. Most modern witches are of the same belief; help, not harm.

Witchcraft is not about animal sacrifice. In Wicca and Paganism, all forms of life are considered sacred. Most modern witches are proud pet parents. We would never consider harming our babies.

Witchcraft is not an exclusionary religion. We do not believe that anyone can set limits on how someone loves, who someone loves, or how someone worships. All people are welcome in the craft, no matter what that person's life story is.

What Does All of This Mean?

Well, in a nutshell, this means that Witchcraft is not what most people think it is. It is an open, and accepting religion that isn't going to condemn you for living differently than societies standards. It isn't an evil religion that will cause you to lose your soul, nor do we even ask you to barter with your soul. A soul is one of the most valuable assets you hold, and you should never, ever gamble with it. You were born with a moral compass, and if you are in tune with it enough, you will know what seems correct. Over the next few days, I'll be discussing things like ethics, worship, religious practices, and deeper beliefs. I hope you'll stick around!

Have questions? Been on the path long enough to know this stuff, but need help with more day to day, or even deeper stuff? Send an email to naturallywitchy@gmail.com with the subject line "Ask Luna" and ask away! Please let me know in your email whether it is okay for me to feature your question here on the blog or not. Even if you would rather just keep your question between you and me, I'll be more than happy to help answer questions!