This morning while in my bathroom, attempting to comb down my well-slept upon hair, I heard a strange fluttery sound. I thought at first it was my husband, choosing his shirt from our tiny closet on the other side of the wall. This idea was negated when he walked past the bathroom and the sound continued.

I looked out the bathroom window to see what the commotion was. We have a large group of finches who spend the majority of their morning in our maple tree out in the back yard, and their cacaphony seemed louder than ever.

Imagine my surprise when I found one of the finches, apparently stuck to the window screen. The fluttery sound was the little guy attempting to fly away, with his feet firmly clamped around the mesh of the screen. Every few seconds, a couple of his flock-mates would come swooping near him, chirping and fluttering around him in encouragement, but the small bird didn’t budge.

Cooing words of encouragement to him, I gently touched his claws on my side of the screen, trying to determine where he was stuck. He responded by hopping along sideways. Hmm, I thought. He obviously isn’t stuck. By this time my daughter and husband had come into the bathroom to see what was going on. The finch hopped on the screen again, up a little higher but still apparently unable to fly away. He’d flutter his wings, but held tight to the screen. His friends continued their periodic swoop-and-chirp campaign, attempting to help him let go of the screen, but to no avail.

Birds are hard creatures to read. They have no facial expression to show how they feel, and I am completely unfamiliar with avian body language. However, I felt that this little guy was really and truly scared. After all, he could let go the screen, but he just didn’t. Even with the encouragement of his flock, he still held on there for dear life.

I put on some gloves and went outside to the back yard, leaving my family in the bathroom. I approached the little guy gently, touching his back in what I hoped was a soothing motion, all the while sending him a gentle swoosh of Reiki energy, to help him with his innate fear of all things human. Gently I wrapped my hand around his soft and tiny body and lifted him from the screen. In a flurry of feathers, he was away from me, chirping to his friends who had settled in my neighbor’s yard when they’d heard me come outside.

Just like that he was free. He could fly, his feet were not stuck in the screen. There was no physical reason that he couldn’t have let go the screen. Even with the encouragement of his peers, the little bird was scared to let go. Being perched vertically on the screen, I can only surmise that he was frightened to let go because of the strange angle and perhaps a fear of falling.

Drinking my coffee later on, and listening to the cacophony that is finches in the morning, I realized that we all need a little help and encouragement now and then. It’s so easy to hold on, to stay with what feels secure and familiar–even if it is slightly scary–because the unknown is always scarier than the known. We need to listen to our flockmates, take the plunge and find out that scared or not, we can soar after all.

It has been some time since I have posted here, and for that you, Dear Reader, have my apologies. Things have been interesting in my little corner of the world and I just haven’t had the time/energy that I wanted to devote myself to my spiritual musings.

I have been learning a lot about loneliness. I have been feeling a deficit, like a piece of the puzzle is missing. True, my work hours contribute, as I am working at times others are home and my days off are that–days, when most of the world is at work. Shorter lines at the grocery store not withstanding, I am noticing that my life is not necessarily in sync with the rest of the world’s general daily timeline. Funny thing, though…when one gets feeling too much self-pity, God/dess sure hits you over the head.

I was at the library a couple days ago, listlessly looking at books in order to fill up some empty time. I heard my name and turned and there was a friend from high school that I haven’t talked to in years. We spent a good half hour or so catching up, and found out that we have been living in the same town all these years and not even realized it. I went home thinking to myself that maybe loneliness is only a state of being if it’s allowed in; maybe I have more friends than I think.

That worked, for a day or two. Last night, I was in the grocery store. Again, I was alone and it was during an ‘off time’ when most (normal) people are not shopping. I was actually adding up in my head the number of hours in the last 24 that I had spent alone (most of them) because my kids had been at school, my husband at work, and then in the evening, the three of them went to the movies. (Work schedule dictated I stay home, since getting up at the crack of dawn is easier when not out til midnight). So there I was, partially inspecting the produce and mostly just adding up the hours when I ran into another old friend that I haven’t seen in several years. As we stood there talking and catching up, I started thinking that obviously God/dess is giving me a message.

I came home thinking wow, maybe things really are better and I just have to remember that. My email inbox was empty…still. I had no comments on my Facebook status, and the number of visitors here is roughly the same or a little less. None of my (few) contacts on IM were online, nor had they been in some time.

But this time, I felt better. I realized that while being lonely is a valid feeling, it doesn’t have to be the center of things. There are people out there…you just have to be open to finding them.

Today is the anniversary of Scott Cunningham’s death. For those of you who don’t know him, he was a prolific Wiccan author. He wrote many books on the Craft of Wicca and was a guiding light for many who walk the pagan path. I hope that wherever he is these days, he is shining in the light, knowing that he helped many people, myself included, with his wise words.

13 Goals of a Witch
by Scott Cunningham, Wicca for the Solitary Practitioner, 1988

1. Know yourself
2. Know your Craft (Wicca)
3. Learn
4. Apply knowledge with wisdom
5. Achieve balance
6. Keep your words in good order
7. Keep your thoughts in good order
8. Celebrate life
9. Attune with the cycles of the Earth
10. Breathe and eat correctly
11. Exercise the body
12. Meditate
13. Honor the Goddess and God

 The Charge of the Goddess

by Doreen Valiente

Listen to the words of the Great Mother;
she who of old was also called among men
Artemis, Astarte, Athene, Dione, Melusine,
Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Cybele, Arianrhod,
Isis, Dana, Bride
and by many other names:

Whenever ye have need of anything,
once in the month, and better it be when the moon is full,
then shall ye assemble in some secret place
and adore the spirit of me,
who am Queen of all the witches.

There shall ye assemble,
ye who are fain to learn all sorcery,
yet have not won its deepest secrets;
to these will I teach things that are yet unknown.
And ye shall be free from slavery;
and as a sign that ye be really free,
ye shall be naked in your rites;
and ye shall dance, sing, feast,
make music and love,
all in my praise.
For mine is the ecstasy of the spirit,
and mine also is joy on earth;
for my law is love unto all beings.
Keep pure your highest ideal;
strive ever towards it;
let naught stop you or turn you aside.
For mine is the secret door
which opens upon the Land of Youth,
and mine is the cup of the wine of life,
and the Cauldron of Cerridwen,
which is the Holy Grail of immortality.

I am the Gracious Goddess,
who gives the gift of joy unto the heart of man.
Upon earth, I give the knowledge of the spirit eternal;
and beyond death, I give peace and freedom
and reunion with those who have gone before.
Nor do I demand aught in sacrifice;
for behold,
I am the Mother of all living,
and my love is poured out upon the earth.

Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess;
she in the dust of whose feet are the hosts of heaven,
and whose body encircles the Universe.
I who am the beauty of the green earth,
and the white Moon among the stars,
and the mystery of the waters,
and the desire of the heart of man,
call unto thy soul.
Arise, and come unto me.
For I am the soul of nature, who gives life to the universe.
From me all things proceed,
and unto me all things must return;
and before my face, beloved of Gods and of men,
let thine innermost divine self be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite.
Let my worship be within the heart that rejoiceth;
for behold,
all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals.
And therefore let there be beauty and strength,
power and compassion, honour and humility,
mirth and reverence within you.

And thou who thinkest to seek for me,
know thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not
unless thou knowest the mystery;
that if that which thou seekest
thee findest not within thee,
thou wilt never find it without thee.
For behold,
I have been with thee from the beginning;
and I am that which is attained
at the end of desire.

Take a pinch of each of these:

Nutmeg, sage, cinnamon, one clove, sea salt, basil.

Add one bay leaf.

Wrap securely in a small packet (I used saran wrap).

Put this packet into a small pouch. Add other money-drawing or lucky symbols.

I put in a plastic dollar sign, a herkimer diamond, some adventurine, and two sea shells.

Smudge with sandalwood incense and seal with a pentagram. Ask that you win if it harms no one and DON’T BE GREEDY.
Wear amulet within your aura when you go to the casino.

RESULTS:

1. ME: I had the amulet in my bra. I won about $500. My biggest single win was $300 on a penny slot machine, with a $20 investment.

2. MY SISTER: Kept her amulet in her purse by her side. She also won on the penny slots, but only $130.

3.  THE CONTROLS: Our men did not have amulets. They did not win anything.

If you choose to make this amulet, please post your results here!

~ Vanishing Spell ~

Using a pencil, write on small strips of paper several things you want to be rid of in your life. These can be bad habits, specific troubles, debt, etc.

When you’ve finished writing, place the papers in a dish of water and chant:

“Water, water take away These things that I must keep at bay.”

Allow the paper to soak until the words have vanished. Then, pour the water on the ground or into a potted plant and bury the strips of paper.  —from Spell-a-Day, 2008 Almanacs

Full Moon Names and Their Meanings

Full Moon names date back to Native Americans, of what is now the northern and eastern United States. The tribes kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to each recurring full Moon. Their names were applied to the entire month in which each occurred. There was some variation in the Moon names, but in general, the same ones were current throughout the Algonquin tribes from New England to Lake Superior. European settlers followed that custom and created some of their own names. Since the lunar month is only 29 days long on the average, the full Moon dates shift from year to year. Here is the Farmers Almanac’s list of the full Moon names.

• Full Wolf Moon – January Amid the cold and deep snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howled hungrily outside Indian villages. Thus, the name for January’s full Moon. Sometimes it was also referred to as the Old Moon, or the Moon After Yule. Some called it the Full Snow Moon, but most tribes applied that name to the next Moon.

• Full Snow Moon – February Since the heaviest snow usually falls during this month, native tribes of the north and east most often called February’s full Moon the Full Snow Moon. Some tribes also referred to this Moon as the Full Hunger Moon, since harsh weather conditions in their areas made hunting very difficult.

• Full Worm – March Moon As the temperature begins to warm and the ground begins to thaw, earthworm casts appear, heralding the return of the robins. The more northern tribes knew this Moon as the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signaled the end of winter; or the Full Crust Moon, because the snow cover becomes crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night. The Full Sap Moon, marking the time of tapping maple trees, is another variation. To the settlers, it was also known as the Lenten Moon, and was considered to be the last full Moon of winter.

• Full Pink Moon – April This name came from the herb moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the spring. Other names for this month’s celestial body include the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and among coastal tribes the Full Fish Moon, because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn.

• Full Flower Moon – May In most areas, flowers are abundant everywhere during this time. Thus, the name of this Moon. Other names include the Full Corn Planting Moon, or the Milk Moon.

• Full Strawberry Moon – June This name was universal to every Algonquin tribe. However, in Europe they called it the Rose Moon. Also because the relatively short season for harvesting strawberries comes each year during the month of June . . . so the full Moon that occurs during that month was christened for the strawberry!

• The Full Buck Moon – July July is normally the month when the new antlers of buck deer push out of their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur. It was also often called the Full Thunder Moon, for the reason that thunderstorms are most frequent during this time. Another name for this month’s Moon was the Full Hay Moon.

• Full Sturgeon Moon – August The fishing tribes are given credit for the naming of this Moon, since sturgeon, a large fish of the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water, were most readily caught during this month. A few tribes knew it as the Full Red Moon because, as the Moon rises, it appears reddish through any sultry haze. It was also called the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon.

• Full Corn Moon – September This full moon’s name is attributed to Native Americans because it marked when corn was supposed to be harvested. Most often, the September full moon is actually the Harvest Moon.

• Full Harvest Moon – October This is the full Moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox. In two years out of three, the Harvest Moon comes in September, but in some years it occurs in October. At the peak of harvest, farmers can work late into the night by the light of this Moon. Usually the full Moon rises an average of 50 minutes later each night, but for the few nights around the Harvest Moon, the Moon seems to rise at nearly the same time each night: just 25 to 30 minutes later across the U.S., and only 10 to 20 minutes later for much of Canada and Europe. Corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, and wild rice the chief Indian staples are now ready for gathering.

• Full Beaver Moon – November This was the time to set beaver traps before the swamps froze, to ensure a supply of warm winter furs. Another interpretation suggests that the name Full Beaver Moon comes from the fact that the beavers are now actively preparing for winter. It is sometimes also referred to as the Frosty Moon.

• The Full Cold Moon; or the Full Long Nights Moon – December During this month the winter cold fastens its grip, and nights are at their longest and darkest. It is also sometimes called the Moon before Yule. The term Long Night Moon is a doubly appropriate name because the midwinter night is indeed long, and because the Moon is above the horizon for a long time. The midwinter full Moon has a high trajectory across the sky because it is opposite a low Sun.

 From: http://www.farmersalmanac.com/full-moon-names

Dream Magick
By Silver RavenWolf

Do you ever want to get an important message through to someone, but you just don’t know how to do it?

Here is what you do:

1. Determine precisely what it is you want them to hear, or perhaps feel. Write down your wish on a piece of paper in simple sentence form.

2. Make a dream pillow using a small square of fabric and a little batting. Throw in a pinch of lavender and rosemary. Put in the piece of paper last, then sew up the end.

3. Put the dream pillow on your altar. Do an altar devotion to center yourself, then create sacred space. Cast a circle and call the quarters if you like, but is isn’t necessary.

4. Center yourself, then hold your hands over the dream pillow and say the following:
Holy Mother, Goddess Divine,
I stand before your sacred shrine.
This person won’t listen or hear
My words tickle at deafened ear.
Holy Mother, Goddess Divine,
Send a dream, awaken the mind.
Through his/her vision he/she might live
The nightmare/passion/lesson he/she so freely give.
Holy Mother, Goddess Divine
Send them your enchanted design
Clear out the cobwebs, tear down walls
Carry my message through spirit calls.

Feel free to change the incantation to suit your purpose.

To Communicate with an Absent Partner

You will need:

• pink candle

• photo of your partner/friend

• crystal ball or magnifying glass

First, light a pink candle. Now, holding a photo that clearly shows your partner’s face, look into his or her eyes. You can look deeper into the eyes and beyond, into the mind, by placing a crystal ball or a magnifying glass on top of the image. Speak directly to the photo or through the object you have chosen to magnify it with. The eyes, mouth, and facial features in the image will move in such a way that it appears you are speaking directly, face-to-face, to the person you’re trying to contact. At this point you have made the connection. Tell the person what it is that you want, or ask a question. The response will come to you telepathically. Blow out the candle and wave the photo through its smoke from north to south and from west to east. Return the photo to where you normally keep it.

http://www.everythingunderthemoon.net/spells/communicate-with-absent-partner.htm