Festival of Hecate Trivia

Hecate (sometimes spelled Hekate) was originally a Thracian, and pre-Olympian Greek goddess, and ruled over the realms of earth and fertility rituals. As a goddess of childbirth, she was often invoked for rites of puberty, and in some cases watched over maidens who were beginning to menstruate. Eventually, Hecate evolved to become a goddess of magic and sorcery. She was venerated as a mother goddess, and during the Ptolemaic period in Alexandria was elevated to her position as goddess of ghosts and the spirit world.

Much like the Celtic hearth goddess Brighid, Hecate is a guardian of crossroads, and often symbolized by a spinning wheel. In addition to her connection to Brighid, she is associated with Diana Lucifera, who is the Roman Diana in her aspect as light-bearer. Hecate is often portrayed wearing the keys to the spirit world at her belt, accompanied by a three-headed hound, and surrounded by lit torches.

The epic poet Hesiod tells us Hecate was the only child of Asteria, a star goddess who was the aunt of Apollo and Artemis. The event of Hecate's birth was tied to the reappearance of Phoebe, a lunar goddess, who appeared during the darkest phase of the moon.

Today, many contemporary Pagans and Wiccans honor Hecate in her guise as a Dark Goddess, although it would be incorrect to refer to her as an aspect of the Crone, because of her connection to childbirth and maidenhood. It's more likely that her role as "dark goddess" comes from her connection to the spirit world, ghosts, the dark moon, and magic. She is known as a goddess who is not to be invoked lightly, or by those who are calling upon her frivolously. She is honored on November 30, the night of Hecate Trivia, the night of the crossroads.

*arthur unknown

-The Crafty Witch

Thanksgiving Tomorrow

So as many of you know tomorrow is Thanksgiving day and instead of boring you with a post about the history or traditions of Thanksgiving I just wanna write to you and remind you to enjoy this day with your family, put down your phone, you don't need to update facebook or twitter every minute and goodness sake we do not need to see your food on instagram. Spend some time with those who matter.

From the Crafty Witch family to yours - Happy Thanksgiving

-The Crafty Witch

Celtic Tree Month of Elder Begins -- YESTERDAY

Let me just start off by saying "sorry" I was super busy yesterday getting everything in order for Thanksgiving that I honestly forgot to post yesterday - my apologies!
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The winter solstice will pass, and the Elder moon is a time of endings. Although the Elder can be damaged easily, it recovers quickly and springs back to life, corresponding to the approaching New Year. Called Ruish by the Celts (pronounced roo-esh), the month of Elder is a good time for workings related to creativity and renewal. It is a time of beginnings and endings, births and deaths, and rejuvenation. Elder is also said to protect against demons and other negative entities. Use in magic connected to Faeries and other nature spirits.



-The Crafty Witch

25 Best Movies of the Holidays - 11-13 Of 25

This weeks best movies of the holidays features Kids Classics, all movies that we grew up on (maybe even your parents) and have come to know and love. I present you with movies 11 - 13. Enjoy!

 A Charlie Brown Christmas

Rating: NA           Length: NA mins.               Year: 1965

Cast: Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus van Pelt, Lucy van Pelt, Schroeder, Sally Brown, Pig-Pen, Patty, Violet Gray, Frieda, Shermy

Movie Description

A Charlie Brown Christmas is the first prime-time animated TV special based upon the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz.

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Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Rating: NA          Length: 85 mins.               Year: 1964

Cast: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Hermey the Misfit Elf, Sam the Snowman

Movie Description

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a Christmas television special produced in stop motion animation by Rankin/Bass.

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The Muppet Christmas Carol 

Rating: NA          Length: 85 mins.               Year: 1992

Cast: Michael Caine, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Jerry Nelson

Movie Description

The Muppet characters tell their version of the classic tale of an old and bitter miser's redemption on Christmas Eve.

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-The Crafty Witch

All About: Dowsing

Dowsing is purported to be a psychic method of finding hidden things, i.e. water, gold, treasure, etc.  To tell the truth, we had a little trouble when we embarked on the research for this page, because for every document that touts the wonders of Dowsing, there is another document that describes controlled studies in which dowsers basically performed very poorly.

Despite this, Dowsing has been utilized for hundreds of years, and in Europe it is still considered a valid medium for finding water, etc.  As such, we will treat it as a viable phenomena for the purposes of this page, as it does seem to work in some cases.

The use of Pendulums to answer questions is a variation on traditional Dowsing methods, and again, this is met with quite a bit of skepticism as far as the literature is concerned.  This use of Dowsing comes very close to the concept of using Ouija Boards for insight into the unknown, and quite frankly, it seems to us that a Ouija Board is much better suited for this type of inquiry.  However, we will leave that decision to the reader, and do our best to describe and report various techniques and tools used in Dowsing on these pages.

All concerned seem to agree that Dowsing is a learned art that comes with practice, and that it is probably not a spiritual entity that causes the rods or pendulums to react in the ways they do.  Rather, the results appear to come from inside the dowser himself, and indeed, some people have the innate ability to find whatever they are looking for without the use of tools of any kind.

For most of us, however, a tool of some sort is required, and on the following pages in this section, we will concentrate on how to make or acquire the proper tools for Dowsing, and how to actually utilize them for the desired results.  

Author Unknown

-The Crafty Witch

25 Best Movies of the Holidays - 8-10 Of 25

Movies 8 through 10 are movies that play again, and again, and again during the holidays but it's okay because I can't think of a christmas list of movies without them on the list. Here are just a few cult classics!

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Scrooged 

  Length: 101 mins.               Year: 1988

Cast: Bill Murray, Karen Allen, John Forsythe, John Glover

Movie Description

A cynically selfish TV executive gets haunted by three spirits bearing lessons on Christmas Eve. A fun twist on a holiday classic that the family will enjoy.

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Home Alone

 Length: 103 mins.               Year: 1990

Cast: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard

Movie Description

Oh the mischief that is to come. An 8-year-old boy who is accidentally left behind while his family flies to France for Christmas must defend his home against idiotic burglars.

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A Christmas Story

 Length: 94 mins.               Year: 1983

Cast: Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin, Scott Schwartz

Movie Description

Ralphie has to convince his parents, teachers, and Santa that a Red Ryder B.B. gun really is the perfect gift for the 1940s.

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-The Crafty Witch

Adorable Holiday Finds (part 1 of 3)

We are always rushing around for the holidays whether its to see family, partake in festive activities or to get that last minute shopping in. Oh did I even mention the decorations, and the supplies you need to make your home the biggest with "holiday cheer" - one thing on everyone's mind is "How much is this all going to cost me?" Well what if I told you that you could get adorable holiday finds for a fraction of the cost - what if you could get these holiday finds for $1! Im here to save you some money during the holiday, because lets be honest, we could all use the extra dough. All these holiday finds can be found at your local Dollar Tree for yeah you guessed it, $1.

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Luminessence Cinnamon Stick Mini Glass Apothecary Jar Candles, 3 oz.


The succulent aroma of cinnamon creates a wonderful holiday scent! Apothecary candles are perfect for scattering candlelight at banquets, receptions, outdoor parties, and more. Plus, glass container helps protect flame from extinguishing.





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Luminessence Peppermint Mini Glass Apothecary Jar Candles, 3 oz.


The sweet aroma of peppermint creates that wonderful scent of the holidays! Apothecary candles are perfect for scattering candlelight at banquets, receptions, outdoor parties, and more. Plus, glass container helps protect flame from extinguishing.



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Christmas House Decorative Wooden Nutcrackers, 9"


Nutcracker soldiers stand at the ready to greet all your holiday guests! A traditional symbol of the season, detailed wooden nutcrackers are a classic addition to table settings, centerpieces, mantels, and more. The troop is highly decorated with accents of glitter, feathers, fur, gemstones, and gold rope, plus each has a back lever that moves his mouth. ($1 each)


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- The Crafty Witch

Auras

As living, energy-emitting, spiritual creatures, there is essentially no doubt that we all have a personal aura that can be seen and possibly photographed.  Religious photographs depicting a supernatural  glow around the subject are classic examples of the existence and the importance of our own personal auras, and every life form has an aura - be it human, animal, or plant.  Each person's aura is uniquely individual, much like a fingerprint, and interpretation of the fluctuations in intensity and color can give us meaningful insight into the thoughts, feelings, and even the health of ourselves or those around us.  

Though most of us can't see the auras of ourselves or others, some people apparently can, and their reports are what we must depend on to understand the significance of the color of the aura, how far the aura emanates out from the body, and how we can use this data to reveal more about ourselves or others. Unlike the religious pictures mentioned above, which usually portray the subject with a white or golden aura, auras actually cover the spectrum of color, and the colors and intensity of the aura change constantly along with our moods, thoughts, and levels of energy.

Science has not embraced the concept of auras, though they do acknowledge that each living creature emits gasses, radiation, and energy.  Scientific testing has been inconclusive, as would be expected when trying to test an ever-changing, highly variable phenomena such as auras, but photography techniques are being tried all the time in an effort to produce consistent results, and as technology advances, it is almost a certainty that someone will stumble upon a way to get consistent photographs depicting auras.

Despite the scientific skepticism of auras, this concept has been around since the beginning of time, and there is a lot of data pertaining to them from all over the world that is in basic agreement on the meanings of the colors, the intensity of individual auras, and ways to become more sensitive to their existence.  It is this data that we will compile and use in this section to try to give an accurate depiction of auras and how they can be used as a vehicle by which we can understand our thoughts, moods, and even our very existences more clearly. 

25 Best Movies of the Holidays - 6 - 7 Of 25

These two movies don't actually have a category to fall under but after the latest "What do you think poll" both of these movies tied to be on the list. - Movies for the people, by the people - Enjoy.

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Jingle All The Way

Rating: NA          Length: NA               Year: 1996

Cast:Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad, with Phil Hartman, Rita Wilson, Jake Lloyd, James Belushi

Movie Description

A father decides to dream the impossible; to get a Turbo Man action figure for his son just before Christmas.

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Love Actually

Rating: NA          Length: 135 mins.               Year: 2003

Cast: Hugh Grant, Martine McCutcheon, Liam Neeson, Laura Linney

Movie Description

Follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely and interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England.

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-The Crafty Witch

Channeling

Channeling can basically be defined as the process of receiving and relaying information from an outside entity while in an altered state of consciousness. The consciousness level varies from individual to individual, from deep trance to a very light meditation-like state. It appears that the channeler must go into this altered mental state to get in "synch" or reach a compatible vibrational level with the entity to be channeled. Entities that people claim to channel are as varied as the channelers themselves - angels, demons, spirits, aliens, higher dimensional entities, dead relatives and friends, and even living people in some cases - the list is long and quite individualized. As virtually all of us have some psychic abilities to some degree, most of us are perfectly capable of channeling with a little bit of practice if we are so inclined.

Channeling can take many forms and is not just a trance-like state with someone lying on the couch and talking in a foreign language - which is how most of us picture it. Many of the psychic tools we are familiar with are actually forms of channeling, including psychic healing, automatic writing, séances, and ouija board usage. As anyone who has heard a ouija board horror story knows, channeling by inexperienced people can be a dangerous proposition. Having said that, a primer on how to prepare and seek out an appropriate entity is in order here.

To begin, there are two main types of channeling. The first is Trance Channeling, and involves basically going to sleep, relinquishing control of the body, and letting an outside entity take control, usually by speaking through the body and voice of the channeler. Upon awakening, the channeler has no recollection whatsoever of what transpired while he was out, and for this type of channeling to be effective, a 3rd party or a tape recorder should be at hand to record the material. The material that comes out of this type of channeling is generally quite clean and elegant, as there is little ego on the part of the channeler to interfere with the information being presented. Edgar Cayce provided us with a remarkable long-term example of trance channeling, as did Carla Rueckert, whose work resulted in the fascinating Ra Material.

The second and most prevalent type of channeling is Conscious Channeling. This is the origin of the Jane Roberts/Seth material, a compelling modern-day example of channeling. With this type of channeling, the channeler remains conscious and allows expression to be processed through his body. This is not the cleanest of ways to channel, as the material can be edited at will by the conscious channeler, but it is certainly safer than Trance Channeling, especially for beginners. Ouija boards, psychic healing, most seances, and automatic writing all utilize this type of channeling.

An important note here is that there are a lot of ways to connect with a spiritual higher plane. Anything you love doing and find that you are good at could be a form of channeling. Who is to say that Michelangelo or Einstein weren't tapping into some higher consciousness as they worked in their fields of expertise. If you love playing music, by all means try music as your way to communicate. If you love reading, try automatic writing (computers and keyboards work just as well as pencil and paper). If you love dance, cooking, sports, painting, crafts, gardening, or any other creative endeavor, feel free to modify the guidelines here to fit your situation and open yourself to a higher plane while you enjoy the activity of your choice. There are as many ways to channel as there are individuals on this earth, and we have all experienced the feeling of "drifting off" as we go about our daily lives. This is the stuff of channeling!

As with all worthwhile endeavors, channeling takes a little time and practice to produce results, so don't expect to get a Seth or Ra quality right out of the gate. Your goal is to put mind, body, and soul into a peaceful meditative state in order to "connect," and this does take some practice. Once you have read the general guidelines below, try to go to your place every day at about the same time and devote at least 15 minutes - this is to establish a ritual, much like your cup of coffee in the morning or brushing your teeth every night. If you have to miss a day here and there, that's perfectly okay - you want this to be a short, pleasant break - not an annoyance.

Start by finding an quiet area in which to relax and prepare. This can be anywhere inside or out, but it should be the same every day. You can sit on the floor with legs crossed meditation style, or on a comfortable chair. It is not recommended that you start practicing by lying down on a bed, especially at first because the relaxation techniques are a recipe for falling asleep. Take a hot bath or shower before starting for cleansing and relaxation if desired. Go to your place and light a scented candle or incense stick to set the mood. For the first few days, just go sit in your place and try to clear the mind as much as possible. Breathe in deeply a few times, mentally pushing out all the clutter with each exhalation. As thoughts try to creep back in, focus again on your breathing to dispel them.

Once you are comfortable with the above procedure, you can start trying to contact others through channeling. A little known rule for all channeling is that you have to agree to let the entity in before it will come in and start relaying information. If you are not comfortable with what you get, you can ask the entity to leave, and it must do so upon request. A common mistake with Ouija boards is that the users get so rattled by what is coming through that they never demand that the entity leave, opening the door (and leaving it open) to all kinds of weird occurrences. The same thing can happen with channeling, so do remember to close any session and listen for a like response.

So, you are sitting in your quiet meditative place, and you have practiced clearing your mind for a few days. When you are ready, watch for the signs. You can either ask (mentally or aloud) for entities to speak, or you can listen for them to ask you for a connection. Believe it or not, this will come once you have got your basic relaxation techniques in place. You can ask for someone specific or just ask for the highest beings of light you are capable of communicating with and see what you get. Again, if you are not comfortable with what you get, do not hesitate to ask the entity to leave.

When you do connect with an entity, you will know it. You might feel a numb or tingling sensation - or you may just be dimly aware of a "presence" and get messages and images telepathically. You will be aware of your own body and surroundings in varying degrees day-to-day. Until you become practiced, many of these messages received will be muddy, broken, and even inaccurate, but with time they will become much clearer. The key is learning how to get into that relaxed state and recognizing and acknowledging the input when it does come knocking.

On a last note, you can only channel what you are capable of channeling. If you tend to be money-oriented, greedy, or dishonest, expect your entities to be of like mind. If you try to be honest, loving, and live life in an ethical way, you will attract the same sort. Your inner strength in either case is what determines how high in the realm you can go, and there is a limit for most of us.

Happy Channeling!

Elemental Correspondences

The elements in this case refer to the four basic elements of alchemy, Fire, 
Earth, Air, and Water, rather than to the elements of chemistry. Historically, 
in the west, it was believed that all things were made up of various proportions 
of the elements. Each of the elements was studied to determine it's nature and 
characteristics which were set to writing by the early alchemists. Each of the 
four correspond to various traits, feelings and purposes. In Wicca each of the 
cardinal points is associated with one of the four elements, as is each of the 
points of the pentagram, with the addition of spirit for the uppermost point.

The designations of the elements are somewhat different in the East, in China 
they are Metal, Wood, Fire, Water, and Earth. Wood dominates in spring and the 
East, Fire in summer and the South, Metal in the autumn and the West, Water in 
the winter and the North. In India the elements are Earth, Water, Fire, Air and 
Ether. In Tibet they are La - vitality, Sok - life potential, Lu - bodily 
health, Wangthang - personal power, and Lungta - wind horse.

The following charts outline the nature of each of the elements. Elemental 
correspondences may be invoked in ritual by representations or symbols of the 
elements. A candle or oil lamp may represent fire, incense may represent air, a 
bowl or cup of water may represent water, and sand or a stone may represent 
earth. In ritual the elements are also represented by the ritual tools; the 
Athame, the Pentacle, the Wand, and the Chalice; the attribution of these and 
descriptions of their use is on the Ritual Tools page. Choose the element that 
corresponds best to your ritual intent. Elemental Correspondences Western

 

Symbol/Color & Element

Fire - Red

Earth - Green

Air - Yellow

Water - Blue

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-The Crafty Witch

25 Best Movies of the Holidays - 1- 5 Of 25

During the holidays I would sit with my grandparents and watch all five of these movies with them and grew to love them all in their own special way. The 25 Best Movies has no particular order, only categories. This week its all the best Vintage Christmas Movies. 1 - 5 of 25 Enjoy!

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 Holiday Inn

Rating: NA          Length: 100 mins.               Year: 1942

Cast: Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Marjorie Reynolds, Virginia Dale

Movie Description

At an inn which is only open on holidays, a crooner and a hoofer vie for the affections of a beautiful up-and-coming performer.

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It's a Wonderful Life

Rating: NA          Length: 130 mins.               Year: 1946

Cast: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell

Movie Description

An angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would have been like if he never existed.

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Miracle on 34th Street

Rating: NA          Length: 96 mins.               Year: 1947

Cast: Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn

Movie Description

When a nice old man who claims to be Santa Claus is institutionalized as insane, a young lawyer decides to defend him by arguing in court that he is the real thing.

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The Bishop's Wife

Rating: NA          Length: 109 mins.               Year: 1947

Cast: Samuel Goldwyn, Cary Grant, Loretta Young, David Niven

Movie Description

The Bishop's Wife is a Samuel Goldwyn romantic comedy feature film starring Cary Grant, Loretta Young, and David Niven in a story about an angel who helps a bishop with his problems

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White Christmas

Rating: NA          Length: 120 mins.               Year: 1954

Cast: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen

Movie Description

A successful song-and-dance team become romantically involved with a sister act and team up to save the failing Vermont inn of their former commanding general.

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-The Crafty Witch

Witches Simple Herb Garden

I believe any spiritual healer, practitioner or witch should always have these herbs in her garden or on your shelf. They are super simple to find/grow and have a wide range of use

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CHAMOMILE: luck and gambling 

CINNAMON: money and success or to use as a healing charm.

CLOVES: banishing evil, clearing your head, protection, love, and money. Using cloves in your magickal spells is said to ensure that your magickal intention is realized.

LAVENDER FLOWERS: Lavender has been used for protection, chastity, longevity, purification, and happiness.

MUGWORT: to aid in strengthening Psychic Powers. strength, protection, prophetic dreams, and healing. 

ROSE BUDS/PETALS: These are wonderful for use in spells to draw Love. Use red for passionate love. Use pink or white for romantic or true love. 

ROSEMARY: can be used as a substitute for just about any herb. It's powers include love, lust, protection, exorcism, purification, healing, longevity, youth, mental powers, and sleep. 

SAGE: Sage is useful for protection, healing, wealth, fulfilling wishes, and spells to increase longevity. 

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-The Crafty Witch