New Years

HEy guys,
New years is coming up. For Wiccans, the new year starts on October 31. But what's wrong with celebrating the calendar new year as well?

Hopefully, by now you've realized that being Wiccan is about being yourself. We all go by the Wiccan Wheel of the year, but it's okay to honor holidays other than the 8 Sabbats. There's no reason to feel left out on New Year's Eve when all your friends are out partying.

Everything you celebrate will lead you down your own personal Spiritual Path. It's what makes you an individual. And the reasons to party may not be Pagan in origin, but they are of Spiritual importance to you. So why not?

Here are a few traditional things associated with the New Year:

First Footing:
The first person to enter your house could bring you luck for the rest of the year. Traditionally, this person would be a tall, dark, and handsome man for the best luck. The worst luck would be a red-headed woman. (Sorry. I know it sounds sad)

Fire Festivals:
Fire is burned to drive away evil spirits. This idea could be Pagan originated. In some traditions, it's the reason for fireworks and bonfires.

Cleaning:
Kind of like Spring Cleaning. Families ready the house for the new year. They get rid of the thing they don't need. This is in recognition of the light taking over darkness. Days become longer as nights become shorter.


Okay. I have one announcement to make. I have an account on Wiccan Space:
http://wiccanspace.com/profile/alice
And also an account on WitchVox:
http://www.witchvox.com/vn/vn_detail/dt_pa.html?a=usil&id=293218

Check 'em out!

Blessed Be.
Alice

Holidays

Hey guys,
Is it okay to celebrate other holidays with your friends and family? 

Think of it this way:
Is it okay to celebrate your friends' and family's birthdays? Of Course! Just because a celebration might not be about you or have anything to do with you, doesn't mean you can't enjoy it. 

To answer the question, yes. So go out and have a wonderful time with Christmas or Hannaka or Kwanza, or whatever holiday it is your loved ones celebrate this season. 

This goes for them too. Maybe they would enjoy seeing how you celebrate the Pagan Sabbats. If they don't understand your religion, talk to them about. Tell them what being Wiccan is really about. But don't pressure anyone to practice with you. To each his own. It's their choice. 

That was quite short... More tomorrow, I guess. (:

Blessed Be. 
Alice

Yule Celebration

Hey there,
Yule is here! (hey that rhymed) 

I hope everyone is planning for a ritual sometime soon. Yule is a time for letting go of darkness and asking the Goddess for light. The Sun God is now reborn and we can thrive. 

As usual, the ritual should start with a cast circle. The Yule Log (if you have one) can be placed at the south quarter of the circle. It doesn't have to used in the circle though. My fireplace is on the north side of my house, so the fire will be with me in spirit. 

Here is a casual chant for lighting a Yule fire:

May the log burn,
May the wheel turn,
May evil spurn,
May the Sun return.

This one is for the actual ritual:

Brightly burns the Yule log tonight 
Magic dances in firelight 
Hold my hand and join the song
Raise the Sun King bright and strong 
Dark is giving way to light 
As brightly burns the Yule log tonight! 

Be sure to invite the God and Goddess in for all the fun. :) Don't forget the snacks and offerings. If you're  with friends and family you can party till sunrise. I believe that would be appropriate. If you're solitary, be sure to be up at dawn for this magickal time. 

Blessed Be. 
Alice

Yule and Logs

WooHoo!!!

Hey everyone,
Please excuse my outburst. I am just so excited to be on break. Yule (aka the Winter Solstice) is on December 22nd. That's in two days! (Or just one, considering that it's almost midnight...) Does everyone have their Yule logs made? If you don't, here's how:

First, your going to need a log (duh) about a foot and a half long. It should be from an oak tree because it's traditional. You can use wood from any tree though. If you're cutting the tree yourself, ask for its permission first. I know it might be kind of strange, but it's a living thing, too. If it's already been cut, pray a thanks. 

There're two ways to make it. If you have a fireplace you can burn it there. If you don't, you can drill holes in the top to put candles in. Either way, you'll want to trim the bottom of it so that it sits still. 

You decorate it with:

~ribbons {red, white(or silver), and green; or white, red, and black}
~pine cones
~holly
~mistletoe 
~feathers
~dried berries
~pine needles
~anything else that you feel appropriate

This can all be applied with a hot glue gun. Make sure the ribbons are okay to burn (no wires or plastic materials)

If you're using candles, use the same colors as the ribbons. 

It can be dusted with flour to add a 'snowy' touch. 

And after all that, you end up with a beautiful creation! 

Blessed Be!
Alice

Busy Busy Busy

Hey guys,
I am so sorry, but I won't be able to post much this week. I feel terrible about it. I've been studying for finals which are on Thursday and Friday. I can't wait for them to be over. I'm taking a quick break right now before I go to bed.

What helps me through these busy and stressful times is meditation. There are all kinds of meditating that range from a few seconds to a few hours. The idea is to relax and forget about your troubles for a while.

I sometimes like to imagine myself in my own world with the Gods. Kind of like my idea of 'heaven'. I don't want to go too far in depth because it's a personal place.

Other times I meditate to sort of not think. I just close my eyes and let my mind let go of all thoughts.

Keep in mind that there is no right or wrong way to meditate. It's whatever works for you. You don't need to be alone or in a quiet room. You can even take advantage of the noises around you and tell yourself that with each thing you hear, you will become more and more relaxed. Light a candle if you need to :)

Blessed Be.
Alice

Lunar Eclipse

Hey guys,
So I woke up this morning at dawn and the first thing I see out the window is a half moon on the horizon. That's nothing unusual, except that I'm pretty sure I had a full moon ritual last night. And then I remembered that today is December 10, which is a set date for a Lunar Eclipse.

I wish I remembered this earlier because then I at least would have had a camera ready to take a picture of it. I love the color of the moon during an eclipse. I think it's especially pretty in the morning with all the colors in the sky.

The truth is, I'm terrible at remembering things. I'm just glad I actually woke up that early on a Saturday. ;)

I hope you all were able to see it!
Blessed Be.
Alice

Oak Moon Tonight!

Hey Guys,
Are you as pumped as I am for the full moon tonight? This moon is call the Oak Moon Esbat. The Oak stands for strength. We ask the Goddess for strength to last us through the cold winter. It's a time to release negativity because the Sun God is about to be reborn at Yule. 

Here is a ritual that you can do by yourself or with friends. 

Ritual:
You Will Need:
White Candle for each person
Matches
Any and all things used for casting a circle
(Optional) Yule Log made from an oak tree
Mead and some kind of bread or cake (for yourself and as an offering)
Dishes for the food & offering

Best to be done outside in the light of the moon. If it's inside, open a window. Invite the Goddess. [Notice I said 'invite' and not 'invoke' because it's more polite this way]. It could be something simply like saying "I invite you, Goddess, to join me(us) in this rite." and ring a bell. 

As you light the candle repeat:

“I have strength of heart, and I can break free
Away from unwanted negativity
It has no power or no hold
This is my truth and now it is told”

Ask the Goddess for strength and a release from negativity. 
If you have a Yule Log, you can ask for it to be blessed. 

When you're finished, poor some mead into a bowl and soak some bread in it. This is the offering. Leave it be as you enjoy the treats for yourself as well. When you're cleaning up, place the offering under an oak tree. 


I hope you all have a wonderful experience tonight (or tomorrow night. It lasts for 2 nights this month)! Feel free to tell me how it went. 
Blessed Be. 
Alice

Birthday Altar

Hey guys,
My birthday is coming up. (:
I'm starting to work on my birthday altar, which includes things that represent me and past and future birthdays and things like that.

Here is a list of things I have so far:
~16 red tea light candles (red is my favorite color, one for each year of my life)
~little black boxes to give the tea lights dimension
~bowl of M&Ms (my favorite candy)
~a recent picture of me and my best friends
~an incense stick that smells like soda (I know. Weird, right? But I love it.)
~My Book of Shadows
~I plan on having my favorite rose hips tea
~I'll have some kind of music thing on there

That's all I got so far. I'll give an update on it when it's finished. In the meantime, please send me some other ideas.

Blessed Be.
Alice

Wand vs Athame

Hey guys,
This is a huge debate in Wicca. One represents Air. The other represents Fire. But which is which?! You can look all over the Internet and books but everyone says something different. The truth is, the only opinion that matters is your own. They both do the same things anyway. They both cast circles and are both beautiful. 

Those of you that are new to the craft might be thinking "What the hell is an Athame?" It is a black handled dagger used for circle castings and rituals. It is not used to cut anything. It is just symbolic. A wand is used for the same thing. 

My opinion:
I believe that the Wand represents fire and the Athame represents air. My element is fire and I feel Fire's energy in my Wand. I don't own an Athame. But I feel that it has the essence of Air in it. I don't know how to explain. I just have this feeling that I know it's there. 

Don't let my opinion taint yours. It's all about how YOU interpret the tools. 

Let me know your opinion on this debate. Send me an email!

Blessed Be. 
Alice

PS: Wondering how to pronounce Athame? Ah-thuh-may

Tarot

Hey guys,
Have you ever heard of tarot cards?
If you haven't, you must be living under a rock. It's a great divination tool to learn.

I own two decks. One is the original Rider-Waite deck. The other one is a faerie deck. I got the Rider-Waite deck first because it's the best to get for beginners. The faerie deck is a gift from my mom. I use it the most because it has really pretty pictures on it. I also have an app for my iPod. Just go to the app store and search "Garlic Software tarot". They have three decks with cool pictures. They're each $2.99. I don't use the app for actual readings because I can't physically hold the cards. I just use it to practice.

If you haven't done a reading before, the best spread to start with is the 3-card spread.

First, think of a question. It helps to write it down. Then think of what each card represents and write that down too. You can shuffle the cards in any way you like. What I do is shuffle them with the elements. So, the first three times I shuffle them I think about Earth. The next three times I think about Air, then fire, then water. The last three times I think about the spirit of the cards and what question I want answered.

How I lay them out, I pick each card in order from the top of the deck. I know most people pick them from anywhere. But I think if I did that, then what's the point of shuffling them? That's just my opinion.  So you can do it however you like.

There are plenty of spreads out there to choose from. You can even make up your own if you want. I try to do a 1-card spread everyday. I just ask the cards what I need to know about today. It's really good practice for learning the cards. After a while, I noticed I was drawing the same card a lot. It was the Ace of Swords. This card represents a triumph. Meaning, I have obstacles and set backs but I have the strength to overcome them. I think I drew this card because I needed to be reminded that it's not the end of the world when unplanned events take place.






Tarot is a great practice that I recommend to everyone. To start learning how to use them, go to
http://www.learntarot.com/
On the left, click on lessons.

If you're wondering where you can buy a deck, go to a book store. I got mine at Borders.

Blessed Be!
Alice