Celtic Tree Month Of Hazel Begins Today

The Hazel Moon was known to the Celts as Coll, which translates to "the life force inside you". This is the time of year when Hazelnuts are appearing on the trees, and are an early part of the harvest. Hazelnuts are also associated with wisdom and protection. Hazel is often associated in Celtic lore with sacred wells and magical springs containing the salmon of knowledge. This is a good month to do workings related to wisdom and knowledge, dowsing and divination, and dream journeys. If you're a creative type, such as an artist, writer, or musician, this is a good month to get your muse back, and find inspiration for your talents. Even if you normally don't do so, write a poem or song this month.

Serpent Magic and Symbolism

Spring is the season of new life, and as the ground warms, one of the first denizens of the animal kingdom we begin to notice emerging is the serpent. While a lot of people are afraid of snakes, it's important to remember that in many cultures, serpent mythology is strongly tied to the cycle of life, death and rebirth.

In Scotland, Highlanders had a tradition of pounding the ground with a stick until the serpent emerged. The snake's behavior gave them a good idea of how much frost was left in the season. Folklorist Alexander Carmichael points out in the Carmina Gadelica that there's actually a poem in honor of the serpent emerging from its burrow to predict spring-like weather on "the brown day of Bride".


The serpent will come from the hole
on the brown day of Bride (Brighid)
though there may be three feet of snow
on the surface of the ground.

In some forms of American folk magic and hoodoo, the snake can be used as an instrument of harm. In Hoodoo and Voodoo, Jim Haskins relays the custom of using the serpent's blood to introduce snakes into the human body. According to this hoodoo traditions, one must "extract the blood from a snake by puncturing an artery… feed the liquid blood to the victim in food or drink, and snakes will grow inside him."

A South Carolina rootworker who asked to be identified only as Jasper says his father and grandfather, both rootworkers, kept snakes on hand to use in magic. He says, "If you wanted someone to get sick and die, you used a snake that you tied a piece of their hair around. Then you kill the snake, and bury it in the person's yard, and the person gets sicker and sicker each day. Because of the hair, the person is tied to the snake."

Ohio is the home of the best-known serpent effigy mound in North America. Although no one is certain why the Serpent Mound was created, it's possible that it was in homage to the great serpent of legend. The Serpent Mound is about 1300 feet in length, and at the serpent's head, it appears to be swallowing an egg. The serpent's head aligns to the sunset on the day of the summer solstice. The coils and the tail may also point to sunrise on the days of the winter solstice and the equinoxes.

In the Ozarks, there is a story about a connection between snakes and babies, according to author Vance Randolph. In his book Ozark Magic and Folklore, he describes a tale in which a small child goes outside to play and takes along with him a piece of bread and his cup of milk. In the story, the mother hears the child chattering and assumes he's talking to himself, but when she goes outside finds him feeding his milk and bread to a poisonous snake -- typically either a rattlesnake or a copperhead. The old timers of the area warn that killing the snake would be a mistake -- that somehow the child's life is magically connected to that of the snake, and that "if the reptile is killed the baby will pine away and die a few weeks later."

The serpent is instrumental in the Egyptian myth cycle. After Ra created all things, Isis, the goddess of magic, tricked him by creating a serpent which ambushed Ra on his daily journey across the heavens. The serpent bit Ra, who was powerless to undo the poison. Isis announced that she could heal Ra from the poison and destroy the serpent, but would only do so if Ra revealed his True Name as payment. By learning his True Name, Isis was able to gain power over Ra. For Cleopatra, a serpent was an instrument of death.

In Ireland, St. Patrick is famous because he drove the snakes out of the country, and was even credited with a miracle for this. What many people don't realize is that the serpent was actually a metaphor for the early Pagan faiths of Ireland. St. Patrick brought Christianity to the Emerald Isle, and did such a good job of it that he practically eliminated Paganism from the country.

When it comes to symbolism in general, the snake has a lot of different meanings. Watch a snake shed his skin, and you'll think of transformation. Because snakes are silent and move stealthily before attacking, some people associate them with cunning and treachery. Still others see them as representative of fertility, masculine power, or protection.

via about.com

All About Beltane

April's showers have given way to rich and fertile earth, and as the land greens, there are few celebrations as representative of fertility as Beltane. Observed on May 1st (or October 31 - November 1 for our Southern Hemisphere readers), festivities typically begin the evening before, on the last night of April. It's a time to welcome the abundance of the fertile earth, and a day that has a long (and sometimes scandalous) history. Depending on your tradition, there are a number of ways you can celebrate this Sabbat

Rituals and Ceremonies

Depending on your particular tradition, there are many different ways you can celebrate Beltane, but the focus is nearly always on fertility. It's the time when the earth mother opens up to the fertility god, and their union brings about healthy livestock, strong crops, and new life all around.
Here are a few rituals you may want to think about trying -- and remember, any of them can be adapted for either a solitary practitioner or a small group, with just a little planning ahead.

When Margaret Murray wrote her ground-breaking God of the Witches, in 1931, scholars quickly dismissed her theory of a universal, pre-Christian cult of witches who worshipped a singular mother goddess. However, Murray wasn't completely off-base; a number of individual cults existed in pre-Christian Europe which honored mother goddesses of their own. In Rome, the cult of Cybele was huge, and the mystery traditions of Isis soon took on a mother-goddess status. Take advantage of the blooming of spring, and use this time to celebrate the archetype of the mother goddess, and honor your own female ancestors and friends.

Here's How:

1. This simple ritual can be performed by both men and women, and is designed to honor the feminine aspects of the universe as well as our female ancestors. If you have a particular deity you call upon, feel free to change names or attributes around where needed. Otherwise, you can use the all-encompassing name of "Goddess" in the rite.
2. Decorate your altar with symbols of femininity: cups, chalices, flowers, lunar objects, fish, and doves or swans. You'll also need the following items for this ritual:
   
   • A white candle
   • An offering of something that is important to you
   • A bowl of water
   • A handful of small pebbles or stones
   
   
3. If your tradition calls for you to cast a circle, do so now. Begin by standing in the goddess position, and saying:
   I am (your name), and I stand before you,
   goddesses of the sky and earth and sea,
   I honor you, for your blood runs through my veins,
   one woman, standing on the edge of the universe.
   Tonight, I make an offering in Your names,
   As my thanks for all you have given me.
4. Light the candle, and place your offering before it on the altar. The offering may be something tangible, such as bread or wine or flowers. It can also be something symbolic, such as a gift of your time or dedication. Whatever it is, it should be something from your heart. You may want to read up on Offerings to the Gods for some ideas.
5. Once you have made your offering, it is time to call upon the goddesses by name. Say:
   I am (your name), and I stand before you,
   Isis, Ishtar, Tiamat, Inanna, Shakti, Cybele.
   Mothers of the ancient people,
   guardians of those who walked the earth thousands of years ago,
   I offer you this as a way of showing my gratitude.
   Your strength has flowed within me,
    your wisdom has given me knowledge,
   your inspiration has given birth to harmony in my soul.
6. Now it is time to honor the women who have touched your life. For each one, place a pebble into the bowl of water. As you do so, say her name and how she has impacted you. You might say something like this:
   I am (your name), and I stand before you,
   to honor the sacred feminine that has touched my heart.
   I honor Susan, who gave birth to me and raised me to be strong;
   I honor Maggie, my grandmother, whose strength took her to the hospitals of war-torn France;
   I honor Cathleen, my aunt, who lost her courageous battle with cancer;
   I honor Jennifer, my sister, who has raised three children alone…
7. Continue until you have placed a pebble in the water for each of these women. Reserve one pebble for yourself. Finish by saying:
   I am (your name), and I honor myself,
   for my strength, my creativity, my knowledge, my inspiration,
   and for all the other remarkable things that make me a woman.
8. Take a few minutes and reflect on the sacred feminine. What is it about being a woman that gives you joy? If you're a man performing this ritual, what is it about the women in your life that makes you love them? Meditate on the feminine energy of the universe for a while, and when you are ready, end the ritual.

Tips:

1. This ritual can be adapted for a group easily; with a little planning it can become a beautiful ceremony for a number of people. Consider doing it as part of a womens' circle, in which each member honors the others as part of the rite.

What You Need

• A white candle
• An offering
• A bowl of water
• A collection of pebbles or small stones

Healing Spell

For the month of April I had opened up to some of my followers and asked what type of spells do they use and need on a daily bases or just in general - each blog post except for holidays or days of importance I will be posts a different spell every day.

Todays Spell

 

-The Crafty Witch

Sybil Leek's Six Tenets of Witchcraft (6 of 6)

Knowledge

Finally, there is the tenet of knowledge. Without knowledge, there is no growth, no chance to evolve. While we may read books and take classes, true learning also comes from life experience. To truly advance on a spiritual plane, we must accept the fact that we don't know everything there is to know, and that we must always continue to learn, both in this lifetime and in the next. Once we stop learning, we stagnate as a spiritual being.

A final note: It is important to remember that, much like other guidelines found in modern Pagan religions, this list does not apply to every path. Not all witches adhere to these tenets. If you are an eclectic practitioner, you may want to look at this list and see how it can be applied to your own belief system.

 Reblogged From author *Pattie Willington

- 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

Celtic Tree Month of Reed Begins

Celtic Tree Month of Reed begins -- 

Reed is typically used to make wind instruments, and this time of year, its haunting sounds are sometimes heard when the souls of the dead are being summoned to the Underworld. 

The Reed Moon was called Negetal, pronounced nyettle by the Celts, and is sometimes referred to as the Elm Moon by modern Pagans. 

This is a time for divination and scrying. If you're going to have a seanse  this is a good month to do it. 

This month, do magical workings related to spirit guides, energy work, meditation, celebration of death, and honoring the cycle of life and rebirth.

-The Crafty Witch

20 Days Till Halloween

Yep, thats right, 20 days remaining until Halloween. 

These upcoming weeks will be a bit different because of some of the upcoming events.

Check --

Monday for a DIY Project

Wednesday for Fav Halloween Movies

& 

Friday for History & Lore of Octobers Full Moon aka The Blood Moon


-The Crafty Witch

Celtic Tree Month Of Ivy Begins -- Sept 30 - Oct 27

Celtic Tree Month of Ivy begins -- 

As the year comes to a close and Samhain approaches, the Ivy moon rolls in at the end of the harvest season. Ivy often lives on after its host plant has died -- a reminder to us that life goes on, in the endless cycle of life, death and rebirth. The Celts called this month Gort, pronounced go-ert. This is a time to banish the negative from your life. 

Do workings related to improving yourself, and placing a barricade between you and the things that are toxic to you. Ivy can be used in magic performed for healing, protection, cooperation, and to bind lovers together.

via paganwiccan


-The Crafty Witch

Fav Halloween Movies 2 of 7

This is actually one of the best Disney movies I have ever seen, back in the 90's Disney got to get away with racy innuendos and some mild language. This movie as a child was so scary to me and was the absolute best to watch late at night (which at that point and time was really like 10pm) curled up with my power ranger footie pajamas and my fuzzy blanket. ANYWAYS -- its such a great movie.

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Tower of Terror

Rating: UR           Length: 89 mins.               Year: 1997

Cast: Steve Guttenberg, Kirsten Dunst, Nia Peeples

Movie Description

Written and directed by D.J. MacHale, Tower of Terror is a made-for-TV production supernatural thriller from Walt Disney Television. The 89-minute film is based on The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror theme park attraction at Florida's Walt Disney World Resort, the first Disney production featuring one of its own attractions.

Steve Guttenberg portrays a former distinguished reporter who fell on hard times and now toils for a sleazy tabloid. His fortunes begin looking up after stumbling across a 1939 episode in which five people mysteriously disappear while in a luxury hotel elevator during a lightning storm. Buzzy Crocker (Guttenberg) and his niece Anna (Kirsten Dunst) become involved through a chance encounter with Abigail Gregory (Amzie Strickland), an older sister of one of the victims. Abigail claims to know the "real" story behind the incident, and her version intrigues Buzzy and Anna; so much that they attempt to recreate the decades-long mystery in hopes of solving it.

In addition to Guttenberg, Dunst and Strickland, other notable cast members include Nia Peeples, Michael McShane and Melora Hardin.

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Thank you to http://www.disneymovieslist.com for info

-The Crafty Witch

The Imagination

The explanation we get from skeptics and mainstream science - and who are usually people who have never experienced the shadow people phenomenon - is that it is nothing more than the active human imagination. It's our minds playing tricks on us... our eyes seeing things in a fraction of a second that aren't really there - illusions... real shadows caused by passing auto headlights, or some similar explanation. And without a doubt, these explanations probably can account for some if not many experiences. The human eye and mind are easily fooled. But can they account for all cases?

Stephen Wagner

-The Crafty Witch

Shadow People

There's a growing interest in the phenomenon of shadow people. What are they?

Ghosts? Interdimensional beings? Time travelers? Something else?

"WHAT WAS THAT?" You were sitting comfortably on your sofa reading the latest issue of FATE in the dim light when movement across the room caught your attention. It seemed dark and shadowy, but there was nothing there. You returned to your reading - and a moment later there it was again. You looked up quickly this time and saw the fleeting but distinctly human shape of the shadow pass quickly over the far wall... and disappear.

What was that? Some natural shadow? Your heightened imagination? A ghost? Or was it something that seems to be a spreading phenomenon - apparitions that are coming to be known as "shadow people" or "shadow beings." Perhaps this is an old phenomenon with a new name that is now being discussed more openly, in part thanks to the Internet. Or maybe it's a phenomenon that, for some reason, is manifesting with greater frequency and intensity now.

Those who are experiencing and studying the shadow people phenomenon say that these entities almost always used to be seen out of the corner of the eye and very briefly. But more and more, people are beginning to see them straight on and for longer periods of time. Some experiencers testify that they have even seen eyes, usually red, on these shadow beings.

The mysterious sightings have become a hot topic of conversion in paranormal chat rooms, message boards and websites, and it is given widespread attention on paranormal talk radio.

I think the main questions we should be asking ourselves are what are shadow people and where do they come from?

Stephen Wagner

-The Crafty Witch

Feng Shui

Feng Shui (pronounced Fung Shway), in its simplest terms, is an ancient practice originated by the Chinese as a way to live in harmony with nature. Translated into English, Feng means wind, and Shui means water. Bear this in mind, because everything in Feng Shui is directly related to flow, or movement, such as in wind or water. Energy is a term you will also hear often in Feng Shui, and this relates to Chi, or the energy that permeates everything around us.

Alrighty then, the question arises as to whether Feng Shui really works. The simple answer is that it does seem to, although the reasons for why are debatable (more on that later). At its core, Feng Shui is a environmental discipline that emphasizes cleanliness, orderliness, and harmony with nature in and around the home and workplace. Clean house, clear mind. We've all heard it. The first rule in Feng Shui is to declutter - which will in turn supposedly declutter your mind. Fair enough, but what if you have 5 screaming kids and the house is a wreck all the time and you work two jobs trying to keep food on the table? You need Mary Poppins, not friggin Feng Shui. I get it. So a good portion of this section will be devoted to you, the harassed, the overworked, the disorganized, and the exasperated people who are actually the very people who can benefit most from Feng Shui. But don't misunderstand. These are principles that can and do apply to anyone who lives or works in a man-made box commonly called a home or office.

The very first step in harmonizing with nature using Feng Shui is to assess your surroundings. Very few of us live in a home with naturally great Feng Shui, and a lot of the concepts of Feng Shui involve just plain old-fashioned common sense. It's better for your house to be above street level than below street level because of careening cars, heavy rains, and such. It's better to have a hill behind you than have a yard that slopes steeply in the back for safety reasons - criminals can more easily sneak up on you from below grade and it's dangerous to enjoy the backyard when there's a cliff out there. Inside, bathrooms are a big deal in Feng Shui because of all the nasties that go on in there, and placement in the center of the house is not considered a good thing. In fact, it seems that placement anywhere is never really optimal for a bathroom in Feng Shui. The good news is that whatever horrific Feng Shui scenario your house or office endures, there is a Feng Shui remedy that will negate the bad and enhance the good energies.

Look around for a few minutes. I mean really look around. How do you feel about the space you are in? Is there a really good feature to that room, such as architectural moldings, great windows, or a cool nook? Is there a terrible feature such as a horrible light fixture or rusted vent cover? How you feel in your core about your space is what you have to learn to listen to. You can fill your space with new stuff, but if it doesn't sing to you, it's all just stuff. Learn to listen to yourself and modify your space accordingly. If your problem is that you are just overwhelmed with stuff such as toys, find creative ways to either put it to use or store it in an attractive way. And please get rid of what is not usable anymore and teach the kids to put stuff away if they want to keep it! Even if you don't have much money, there are resources available for creative storage ideas. Search for pieces of furniture that do double duty.

Coffee tables with lift up lids, end tables with doors and drawers, ottomans that open for storage, beds with dressers built in underneath - there are a lot of ways to cram stuff into a small space, and it doesn't have to be expensive. Thrift stores, flea markets, Craig's list - all are good sources for really cool storage. And for those with a few basic power tools and a tape measure, you can make shelves, rework closets, and make boxes to hold stuff for a big return with little investment other than time. I've done all this stuff at my house, so don't give me that crap about not being able to do it yourself. We have internet, people - and there are videos and web pages filled with wonderful information on basic do-it-yourself projects - use them!

Once you get the clutter under control, the real Feng Shui fun begins! For one thing, if you have followed the instructions above, your life is undoubtedly a good bit better than it was before. Nothing like a creative, useful project to make you feel better - especially when visitors notice! As referred to above, one of the reasons that Feng Shui works is that it is a vehicle by which you take back your life and feel more empowered. For those with kids, jobs, and no time or money, just this unprecedented mastery of your environment is empowering and invigorating. Even if you just spray paint that rusty vent cover, DO something to make your living space more appealing to you!

Author Unknown

-The Crafty Witch

Smudging & Clearing

Threw the site and from individuals in general I have been inquired about what smudging or a sage-ing is. Well let me first clarify what it is done for and what is being done.

“Smudging is the burning of certain herbs to create a cleansing smoke bath, which is used to purify people, space, ceremonial tools and objects. There are many different herbal mixtures that can be used as well as varied ways to smudge according to cultural beliefs. The herbs are burnt on their own or in mixtures, depending on tradition and required effect. Sage is used as a cleansing and purifying agent, the effect of the smoke is to banish negative energies. The powerful cleansing vibration it emits when burned is used to purify the subtle energies.”

What I do as a spiritual healer is I will come to you, your house, and so on it is you need done and perform a clearing/smudging of your space and what that does is remove stagnant energy. I also clear the space of leftover vibrations from a previous owner, tenant, or any negative energy to begin with.

Many people believe in different things like vibes, chakras, energy flows and much more. When you burn the sage it is within a spiritual aspect that you are cleansing you or your space. It’s all about cultural beliefs but even beyond that it’s about the acknowledgment of the existence of such things.

If you are left with any questions are invite you to visit our Cosmic Seekers site to find out more about Smudging or even send us and email at c.seekers@aol.com so we can clarify any questions you may have

-The Crafty Witch 

Celtic Tree Month of Vine begins

Celtic Tree Month of Vine begins -- 

The Vine month is a time of great harvest -- from the grapes of the Mediterranean to the fruits of the northern regions, the Vine produces fruits we can use to make that most wondrous concoction called wine. 

The Celts called this month Muin. The Vine is a symbol of both happiness and wrath -- passionate emotions, both of them. Do magical workings this month connected to the Autumn Equinox, or Mabon, and celebrate garden magic, joy and exhilaration, wrath and rage, and the darker aspect of the mother goddess. 

Use the leaves of the Vines to enhance your own ambition and goals. during this month. The month of Vine is also a good time to get balanced, as there are equal hours of darkness and light.
 

Life After Death

"In the dawn of physical existence, men knew that death was merely a change form......"

The question of life after death has been around since the dawn of mankind. Most people do believe that there is some type of existence after the physical body is gone, and one good explanation for this is that there is no compelling reason not to believe it. What would be the point of going through this sometimes very hard life if we were just going to be reduced to dust after all is said and done? We are spiritual beings, and as spiritual beings we often manifest unmistakable signs that give us insight into the fact that our essence, or spirit, is not bound to our physical body. Intuition, perception, deja vu, strong emotions, feelings, psychic abilities, and many other common spiritual functions give strong evidence that we are somehow connected to a much higher plane than is present on the

Volumes have been written on the experiences of individuals who have come very near to death, or actually died and were then resuscitated. The descriptions of these experiences tend to be remarkably similar, despite the actual individuals being from very different religions and lifestyles. Virtually all report sensing that rather than the end, this is the beginning of their spiritual journey. Most feel warmth, serenity, and a comforting tunnel of light, and some report seeing Angels, friends, family members, and even beloved pets waiting for them on the other side.

Of course, as with most supernatural, paranormal, psychic, and otherworldly phenomena, there is no concrete proof of life after death, but spiritually, on some level, most of us likely do believe that this earth is not our only plane of existence.

Author Unknown

-The Crafty Witch