Almanac 22nd to 28th February

All information from "Llewellyn's Magical Almanac 2016"

Colour and Incense based on information used by Llewellyn from

Personal Almanac by Amber Wolfe

All times are Eastern Standard (US) Time (EST)

or Eastern Daylight (US) Time (EDT)

Next Sabbats and Full/New Moons

20th March - Ostara (Spring Equinox - Northern Hemisphere (NH)

20th March - Mabon (Autumn Equinox) - Southern Hemisphere (SH)

22nd February Full Moon

8th March New Moon

February Correspondences

Stone: Amethyst

Animal: Otter

Flower: Violet, Primrose

Ruling Planer: Uranus

Zodiac: Aquarius

Pagan's Magical Notes:     

Goodness me. Somehow I managed to miss last weeks posting. My humblest apologies. Though I intend to make up for this by, hopefully, posting a couple of new blogs. One on celebrating you and another on the humble besom. So watch this space.

I do hope you all had a good week and that you are now starting to feel the effects of nature waking from her winter slumber and the days drawing out again. Though it must be said, last week was chilly in most parts of the UK. But I had a busy week of creating my own cleaning spray with added lemon and lavender essential oils. Both these have purification properties,love and longevity and lavender of course also has protection, making these ideal for cleaning your work surfaces. Again I hope to write a small article on such things as I also created a cleansing spray I use on my work surfaces before 

I start work in my kitchen.

Now this Monday we have a Full Moon, so don't forget to put out all your crystals and tools you wish to cleanse and charge. You may also wish to create some lovely Luna water you can use in all your magical works, or add to washes etc. Simply put some spring water into a bottle and leave on your windowsill to adsorb her beautiful rays.

If you check the tags in the right column and look for 'Full Moon' you should find some prayers, spells, activities etc. And talking of the moon. The following is an from my Llewellyn's Witches' Datebook 2016 by Elizabeth Barrette about the Cougar Moon...

Enjoy!

Enjoy and have a blessed week.

~ Pagan )O(

The Cougar Moon

From Llewellyn's Witches' Datebook 2016

Image Source

February is the Cougar Moon. The last part of winter favours the solitary hunters because there is so little food left, and the spring renewal has not yet come. The power of Cougar lies in grace and solitude. They are elusive creatures, never seen unless they choose to reveal themselves. From the cougar, you can learn about enjoying your own company.

            To cast this spell, you need a single beeswax candle. Ideally you should be alone.

Light the candle and say:

Cougar unseen,

come from between,

to join in my rite.

Concentrate on how the golden-yellow beeswax matches the tawny coat of cougars. The wax's sweet smell symbolises the sweetness of solitude. Listen to the quiet around you and seek the pleasure in yourself. Think back on some things you have accomplished all by yourself. Visualise yourself as a cougar, alone and powerful, stalking through the winter woods. Feel your inner strength and know you have the self-sufficiency to stand by yourself.

            When you finish, blow out the candle and say:

Cougar alone,

time has flown,

go back to the night.

Later, keep an eye out for solitary projects and activities you can do.

~ Elizabeth Barrette

           

The Moon and Correspondences For This Week

Monday 22nd

Waxing Moon  

Moon Phase: Full Moon 1:20pm 

Colour: Ivory

Moon Sign: Leo

Moon Enters: Virgo 6:24 am

Incense: Narcissus

Tuesday 23rd

Waning Moon

Moon Phase: Third Quarter  

Colour: Black

Moon Sign: Virgo

Incense: Bayberry

Wednesday 24th

Waning Moon

Moon Phase: Third Quarter

Colour: Brown

Moon Sign: Virgo

Moon Enters: Libra 5:41 pm

Incense: Bay Laurel

Thursday 25th

Waning Moon

Moon Phase: Third Quarter

Colour: Purple

Moon Sign: Libra

Incense: Myrrh

Friday 26th

Waning Moon

Moon Phase: First Quarter

Colour: Rose

Moon Sign: Libra

Incense: Alder

Saturday 27th

Waning Moon

Moon Phase: Third Quarter

Colour: Black

Moon Sign: Libra

Moon Enters: Scorpio 6:26 am

Incense: Pine

Sunday 28th

Waning Moon

Moon Phase: Third Quarter

Colour: Orange

Moon Sign: Scorpio

Incense: Heliotrope

Chants

Chanting is a tool that many of us either know very little or nothing about and just simply don't realise how important this simple act can be. It is simply the rhythmic sound of your voice. This can be speaking, singing of words, such as one word, a God or mantra, or a sound and is more often than not one or two pitches that are called reciting tones. But it can also be simply the repeating of one or two of lines of a song. It can be used for reasons such as meditating, spellwork and raising inner energies. This article really is just touching on the subject. It is as fast as it is powerful, so lets start with Om.

The word Om

Om is one of the simplest chants/mantras and is of Hindu origin.   When you say this word you start with O and draw it out for a few a minute or two before ending with Mmm. So it is Ooooooooommmm, but not pronounced as a Uuu sound as we would normally do. Here's a an example of the sound on Youtube . Though a simple sound it is incredibly powerful. When done correctly it vibrates through your whole body, especially your skull and chest.

A more complex Om chant is Om mani padme hum (or hung in the Tibetan version)Youtube

Chants can be a powerful tool during ritual and spells too. But they can also be an incredible cleanser of the mind, body and soul, especially before you start and should never really be overlooked by us. It is also free. It is simply you and your voice. And if there is a group of you chanting at the same time the energy is beyond measure. It is both powerful and often very moving.

''The Magic Circle' by John William Waterhouse 1886

When many of us thinking of chanting our thoughts immediately go to Buddhism, but you will find it in many of the mainstream religions and of course Paganism, from Wicca to Heathenism.

As I said earlier it can be used during your spells. It helps to raise the energy, focus yours thoughts and intentions as well as giving extra power to your spell. Sometimes all we will do is a chant such as this simple chant for healing grief and pain that can be said aloud or or inside your head whilst you are out walking on a misty or rainy day.

"Brother Wind and sister Rain,
Cleanse my heart from grief
And pain."

You keep repeating this until you feel calmer and do remember to thank the rain and wind for this healing gift. Here's an interesting article Why Do We Do Spell Chanting.

You will find some pagan chants that for me feel more like a prayer as they are multiple paragraphs. The whole point of a chant is that it is a repeated word, phrase or sound. If you start adding multiple paragraphs it is simply a prayer and loses the power of a chant. But you can, as I said, take a song and just use a couple of lines and keep repeating them. for example 'We all come from the Goddess' by Moving Breath. Here are the full lyrics and here is the song on Youtube to give you an idea of rhythm.

Although it is repeated many times, there is only really three paragraphs to this song. I only use the first which is ~

We all come from the Goddess
And to Her we shall return
Like a drop of rain, 

Flowing to the ocean

When I sing it I draw out the word Ocean. 

Here are a few more examples of Pagan Chants you could use. I have also added the Youtube links so you can hear them.

Air I am
Fire I am
Water, Earth, and Spirit I am


- Andras Corban Arthen Youtube

It's the blood of the ancients
That runs through our veins
And the forms pass
But the circle of life remains


- Ellen Klaver Youtube

Earth my body
Water my blood
Air my breath
And fire my spirit


- Author Unknown Youtube

On the Youtube version of this next chant, the word 'Bring' has been changed to 'Show' 

Rise up, O flame
By thy light glowing
Bring to us beauty, vision, and joy


- Author Unknown (recorded by Libana on Fire Within) Youtube

These are just a few examples of what I feel are chants as opposed to prayers. To find out more simply use the powerful tool Google. And don't just use chant as your search but also Mantra and Affirmations as affirmations are often short and make ideal chants.

Mantra Prayer Beads (108)

And before I leave the subject a little something of tools. When we meditate, we often have such aids as candles and incense. 

Chanting is one form of meditation and so shouldn't be treated any differently. You can also use mantra beads to help you keep a count, with out the need to physically count, if you intend to chant for some time. 

Pagan Prayer Beads

Mantra beads or prayer beads can be found on both Amazon and Ebay at very reasonable prices. These can have as many as 108 beads, but you can purchase smaller ones too. And do try Pagan Prayer beads search as this may help you to find something more suitable to your needs.




Also, once you have seen a few examples of chants and mantras, try writing your own. Just remember to keep them simple and only a few lines. Too many lines and you'll lose it's power.

Now relax and enjoy!

~ Pagan Hare

Useful Links

Beth's Pagan Chants (though personally I find some are too long)
En-Chant-Ment ~ Home of Pagan Chants
98 Pagan Chants
Mantras for Precarious Times
How To Use Mantra Beads (108)
Pagan Prayer Beads

My Birthday Altar and Wishes Spell

Today is Valentines Day. But not only that. It's my birthday. and this year i decided to do something that I have never done before. I created a special birthday altar.

As I'd never done one before I had a look around on Google to see what others had done and I found almost nothing except one a mother did for her 5 year olds birthday. So in the end I just used my experience.



My Birthday Altar

The birthday altar will probably be one of your most personal as this altar literally reflects you. Or it should do. After all, this is YOUR day. So firstly I looked at the month I was born. For me violet is the key word in colour, flowers and incense and in crystals Amethyst. And it's also Valentines Day. So I started with:

• A cloth that was violet in colour
• An Amethyst crystal
• And for my incense I chose Lavender. It's the closest in colour to violet. But for my it's a favourite flower and scent. Remember this is a personal altar
• A picture of Brighid as my birthday falls in the month of Imbolc
• A tarot card The Star as is this represents my birth sign Aquarius The Water Barer
• Hearts scattered on my altar and hanging on the wall for Valentines Day
• A lavender candle
• And of course it's my birthday, so a small cake with a candle (for the spell)

After those choices everything is literally personal to me. So this is also what is on my altar.

• A picture of myself as a baby with my Grandad Newton
• A picture of myself with myself. I used this picture because I have a camera in my hand and like Doctor Who, it has been with me all my life, photography not that camera lol I am a creative individual and photography is just one outlet for that creativity. The younger me in the picture is 5 years old
• I wanted flowers on my altar, so I chose yellow tulips. Again a personal favourite.
• A green cloth and a single green ribbon because I love green
• The is a small Buddha, because it was because of Buddhism I found the path to Paganism
• A TARDIS because Doctor Who has been with me all my life and I am still a fan
• A Torchwood ID card with Captain Jack Harkness, This represents two things. I became a fan of Torchwood via Doctor Who and it was because of John Barrowman aka Captain Jack, that I stepped out of the closet.
• A Rainbow googly eyed thing (I have yet yo identify) it's something I was given at the last Gay Pride I attended last year. Because I am gay

So that's my very personal altar. I set it up last night and when I sat and looked I confess to shedding a tear because this was part of who I am. Not all of me, but a part and it's very emotional I think when you see it like that. Especially when it's yourself that has done this.

So remember, when you do your birthday altar it's YOU that you should see there. Some of the things that mirrors the person you see yourself as.

Of course this wouldn't be a birthday altar with out a birthday wish spell!

Birthday Wish Spell

Firstly, i don't claim this spell as my own. I liked it because it's a lovely and in truth, a very old spell as we have been doing this for a very long time. So nobody can claim it as their own on the internet.

So now, nobody wants to be doing too much on their birthday. You want to relax and chill out with those you love, and this lovely and simple spell reflects that. This is all about the wish. now you could do this when you have your party. But for me this was personal moment. So I chose to have a small cake in my room. And an extra one for my party :P

For this spell all you need is:

• A candle. This doesn't need to be a big candle. One you would have on your cake is ideal. This technically should be a colour that represents you, such as your birth colour. In my case that's violet. But it's not always possible. So I chose a white one and has another candle that was the right colour on my altar (to tell the truth I wanted a candle on my cake :) )
• A cake. Well of course! It's your birthday! Mine is a red velvet cake. again reflecting the Valentines Day theme.

As I said, this is all about the wish. So light your candles. I lit all mine on the altar, as well as the one on my cake.

Close your eyes and think about your wish. When you have it, say the following and then blow out the candle.

"A year has come,

A years has passed,

I'll make my birthday wish at last,

Magic powers old and new,

Make my birthday wish come true!"

Blow out your candle!

I then added:

"I cast this spell with harm to non,

so mote it be my spell is done!"

And there we are. One simple spell, that is as old as the hills themselves! Enjoy your birthday! And now I shall join my family and await my sister Raven Moon and her hubby to arrive!

Beannachd

Pagan Hare