Day 5/44- A Favorite Goddess

One of many favorites, this is a title page I had made for my BOS. Hecate is the Witch Goddess of Greece, the crone aspect of the triple goddess. She has power over heaven, earth, and the underworld. Hecate is most associated with the crossroads- a place of spiritual wisdom and dark intuitive magick. The ultimate sorceress and diviner, Hecate teaches her followers the path of the witch, and guides the seeker to the depths of the unconscious mind.

Day 4/44- picture of Nature (Water Element)

This is a picture of Fletcher Falls by Kaslo BC, Canada, one of my most favorite places in the world. We used to go camping here. I find Water falls so beautiful and so serene

Day 3/44 Witchy Tools- Athame

The athame is a very important tool in the spell casting and ritual performing of witchcraft, yet it is one of the most historically misunderstood items. Horror stories and tales of evil have been told for centuries, and the athame has been thought by many to be the tool used to sacrifice something or, in the most gruesome of stories, someone by a cult of crazed follower of some dark version of witchcraft. The reality is that the athame may be used to cut herbs or string, maybe even to carve symbols in candles, but never to spill blood or take a life.
The blade is a double-edged dagger that is used during ritual to command or direct and manipulate power that is raised within the circle. It traditionally has a black handle for the purpose of absorbing negative energy that may present itself during spell work or ritual.
The blade is double - edged to remind the user of the two sides of everything. One edge is meant to represent Life and positive, the other Death and negative, to remind all that we are the master of our own destiny. The user chooses if to practice positively or negatively. Remember balance is important in witchcraft, and the balance of positive and negative is one of the most important.
There are those traditions that say the athame should have only one edge, not be double – edged. Choosing a one edged or double -edged athame is a decision that must be made by the witch.
The blade is usually about 6 to 8 inches in length. This is the length of most dagger blades, so looking for this size is fairly easy. The length really does not matter, but remember the knife needs to able to be used with ease in ritual, the bigger the knife the harder it is to use in a confined space.
The main purpose of the athame is to provide protection for the witch and gain the support of the directions, elements, and the deities, so the ritual will go well. The athame has a few secondary jobs as well:
1. The athame attracts energy to the circle The athame a powerful tool that is able to “put on a beacon” and suck energy to it. This energy then can be harnessed by the witch and used in the casting of the spell or in completion of the ritual.
2. Invokes deities during ritual The athame draws the deities to the circle that is being cast. The invitation by the witch as the circle is being cast is to get the attention of the deities, and the athame is a place for them to place power and guide the ritual.
3. Banishes negative energies and other entities from the circle while it is being used The athame deals with those things that may damage or interfere with the outcome of the ritual or spell.
4. Sometimes used to cast circles instead of the wand This practice is mostly done when the ritual or spell is one of protection or banishment, two of the strengths of the athame.
The athame is often doing two jobs at once. It calls those things that are positive to the circle, while it is protecting and banishing what is negative. It is working with complete opposites at the same time. That is important to remember and think about when using the athame and calling on it for its powers and abilities. The better a witch understands its capabilities the more effective and positive use they will get out of the athame and their other tools.

The athame is used during ritual to: Cast the circle Open the circle if needed Invoke the god and goddess Symbolize male energies Direct magickal energy to a specific place or in a specific direction
The athame has associations with the following among the many Trads of witchcraft:
Element: Air/Fire
Direction: East/South
Color: Red
Gender: Male, phallic, used to represent the God

If planning to use the athame in public ceremonies make sure the local city, county, and state laws allow for that to occur. Some laws forbid any knife to be seen or used in public, no matter what capacity it is being used in. Be informed and educated about law, the court system and police expect people to know the law and will not make exceptions for religious freedoms unless permits and permissions have been approved.
There are many possible ways to pronounce the word athame. Here are the prominent three pronunciations I have come across time and time again in my exploration of the athame in witchcraft:
a’ - tha – may
ah-THAW-may
ATH – um – may

http://www.witchcraftwitcheswicca.com/witchcraft_athame.html

Day 2/44- A myth or story from Folklore

500 Word Essay on Chang-O, Moon Goddess

 

She is known by many names which are Chang'e, Ch'ang-O, Chang- Ngo and also known as Heng-E or Heng-O. She is the chinese Goddess of the Moon. Chang-O is unlike any of the other lunar deities, in other cultures who personify the moon, Chang-o only lives on the moon. As the "Woman on the Moon" Chang-o could be considered the chinese complement to the western notion of a man in the moon. The lunar crater Chang-Ngo is named after her.

      Chang'e was a beautiful young girl working in the Jade Emperor's palace, Some stories say that Chang'e was The Jade Emperor's daughter, others say she was just a girl working there. The Palace was in Heaven where immortals, good people, and Fairies lived. One Day she accidently broke a precious porcelain jar that angered the Jade Emperor, so much so that he banished her to live on Earth, where ordinary people lived. The only way to return to heaven, was if she contributed a valuable service on earth. Chang'e was transformed into a member of a poor farming family. When she was eighteen, a young hunter named Houyi from another village spotted her. They became good friends.

        One Day a strange occurence happened, a phenomenon you might say. 10 suns arose in the sky instead of one, blazing the earth, making the earth quite warmer than usual. Houyi, an expert archer, stepped forward to try to save the earth. He successfully shot down nine of the suns, becoming an instant hero. He eventually became king and married Chang'e. As time went on though, Houyi became a tyrant and very greedy. He wanted to become immortal, so he could live forever, so he ordered an Elixir to be created for him to prolong his life. The Elixir in the form of a single pill was almost ready, When Chang'e happened to find it, she either accidently or purposely swallowed the pill. King Houyi was outraged and went after his wife with his bow and arrow. Trying to flee, she jumped out the window of a chamber at the top of the palace, but instead of falling, she floated into the sky toward the moon. King Houyi tried to shoot her down with arrows, but without success. Her companion, a rabbit, is constantly pounding the elixir of immortality in a large mortar. King Houyi ascended to the sun and built a palace, He eventually forgave his wife and they would reunite on the moon when it become full. So Chang'e and Houyi came to represent the Yin and Yang, The moon and the sun. On Mid Autumn Day, the full moon night of the eigth lunar month, an altar is set up on the open air facing the moon to worship her. New Toiletries are put on the altar for her to bless. She endows her worshippers with beauty. So my understanding of the story is that it is not good to take something that is not yours and being greedy will get you nowhere.

Day 1/44- What is your Witchy Background?

Well as I may have mentioned before, I grew up going to many different churches, my mom and dad never forced me to go to church, well maybe when I was younger and went to Sunday School, but really I grew up going to many different churches on my own terms, trying to find the right place in go. I was never really happy in these places. It wasn't until I was 16 yrs old when I found some books in the library that caught my eye. "Drawing Down the Moon" by Margot Adler and "The Spiral Dance" by StarHawk. I borrowed them and I was intrigued, I started buying all these great books, I was finally happy, at least I thought so, but people close to me found out and was told I was going to hell, so reluctantly I stopped and once again continued finding the right church for me and not feeling very happy doing it. I did keep going back to witchcraft and I did keep going back to church until 2004, when I just decided I've had enough of the hippocrits and the judgmental people who claimed they were Christian, but they were idiots( I don't have anything against Christians, because I know there are really good people in this world) but then again there are idiots who claim they are just so they can use it against other people and that pisses me off. I'm happy where I am now, I'm not changing for anyone. I found my forever home in this world, so that is my witchy background, nothing too spectacular, no ancestors that I know of, no mentors to guide me, I found this on my own. Brightest Blessings )O(

4 years of confusion

I'm really not understanding what is going on with all this blame and hate, and seriously I am tired of it, 4 years ago when my daughter was diagnosed with PDD-NOS, I thought by now I would have a better understanding of it, but I'm just as confused as I am now, I'm seriously considering deleting a lot of these groups. I find it extremely sad that people would sink so low and blame or even accuse innocent people, I've grown up being bullied and it still happens, I'm just not sure what to do anymore. I was hoping to find answers and even more understanding of my daughter's diagnosis, but instead I find blame and anger, and bullying, and plain ol bullshit. Yes I will admit that there are still awesome people who always has such wonderful information, and there are still a few groups that are worth staying. But I think that most groups will be deleted by tomorrow

44 days of Witchery

So I was super inspired by the lovely faerie-blood’s 30-Day Paganism and/or Witchcraft Tumblr Challenge! click here to read more about her challenge. I wanted to do a witchy Tumblr challenge as well, and for some reason I wanted it to be more extensive and personal - so 44 Days of Witchery was born! Feel free to participate as you see necessary, add, subtract, and do works best for you!

1. What’s your witchy background? 
2. A myth or story from folklore. 
3. Witchy tools: athame.
4. Picture of nature (water element).
5. A favourite Goddess. 
6. A favourite God. 
7. Air element.
8. A photo of a magical place outdoors. 
9. A favourite mythological animal.
10. Your sun sign.
11. Witchy tools: oils.
12. Picture of nature (air element).
13. What are some of the witchy books that influenced you?
14. A favourite pagan holiday that you celebrate. 
15. Thoughts on the afterlife?
16. Favourite witchy website(s).
17. Picture of nature (fire element).
18. Have you had any paranormal experiences?
19. Fire element.
20. A picture of a tarot or oracle card, and its meaning. 
21. A favourite scent.
22. Current moon phase.
23. A favourite candle.
24. Your moon sign.
25. How do your close ones feel about your witchy path? Do they know? Why or why not? 
26. A witchy podcast.
27. Picture of nature (earth element).
28. A picture of a witchy I-Want-It-Now!
29. Water element.
30. Witchy tools: wand.
31. A favourite pagan/witchy movie.
32. A pagan/witchy artwork. 
33. Faerie of your choice.
34. Rune of your choice.
35. Something that I think people who don’t know much about paganism/witchcraft should know. 
36. Flower of your choice, and its magical properties.
37. A famous pagan/witch!
38. Witchy tools: cauldron.
39. Something that inspires you.
40. Your altar, if you have one!
41. A spell you’ve done.
42. A favourite nature spirit.
43. A magical recipe.
44. Witches Choice