Days 301–366
Magical Items to Gather
Here are the items you will need for the last two months of your training.
Day 315
• An empty picture frame (with glass inset)
• High-gloss black paint (spray paint works best)
• As many of the following herbs as you can gather: dried mugwort, star anise, poppy seed, yarrow, cinquefoil, and hemp.
Day 316
• A 5–6 inch purple taper candle
• Dried white sage, frankincense, or dragon’s blood resin
Day 318
• A 5–6 inch purple taper candle
• A piece of red, black or purple silk, large enough to cover the entire mirror
Days 323-352
During these days you will explore the runes and you will need the following:
• Four 5–6 inch white taper candles
• Three 5–6 inch purple taper candles
• Three 5–6 inch blue taper candles
• Three 5–6 inch green taper candles
• Three 5–6 inch yellow taper candles
• Three 5–6 inch orange taper candles
• Three 5–6 inch red taper candles
Recommended, but not required essential oils include:
• Lotus
• Anise
• Frankincense
• Lavender
• Carnation
• Gardenia
• Cedar
Day 361
• patchouli essential oil
• cinnamon essential oil
• eucalyptus essential oil
• musk essential oil
• Handful of dried powdered sandalwood
• 2 tablespoons dried patchouli leaf
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon bark (or powder)
Day 301
Devotional Day: Honoring Aradia
Table of Correspondences: Aradia
Symbols: Forests, the crescent moon, cypress trees
Tools: The pentacle, the moon crown, amber and jet necklace
Magical Essences/herbs: Cypress, John the Conqueror, lemon, jasmine, and anise
Direction: North
She Rules: Nature, magic, sexuality, opposites, justice, secrets, wisdom, teaching, learning, karma, protection, counter-magic, politics, social awareness
Animal Symbols: Cat, fish, wolf
Sacred Foods: Crescent moon cakes and grapa
Magical Stones: Moonstone
Aradia is a moon goddess from Tuscany. She is the most popular goddess form that Witches invoke in their ceremonies. Wiccans consider Aradia to be the patroness of the stregoni (Italian for Witches). The Vangelo, the so-called “Gospel of the Witches,” names Aradia as the daughter of the hunter-goddess, Diana, and the god of light, Lucifer (his name literally means “light-bearer”). As in all mythic structures that stress polarity and opposites, the Vangelo depicts Diana as a goddess of night and of darkness (to complement Lucifer, the god of light). As the Vangelo states, “In her were all things; out of herself, the first darkness, she divided herself . . .” From the darkness she created light—Lucifer—and from their union came Aradia. Aradia, therefore, represents the blending of light and dark principles.
She is the keeper of secrets, both light and dark. She is the spirit of nature, and as such she is the complementary divine-feminine figure to the gods Cernunnos, Herne, or Pan.88 She is the goddess who hangs between the balancing points of maiden and mother—perhaps we can call her the archetype of the temptress. She is fertile and she expresses sexuality openly, not for the sake of pleasure, but because it is a magical act. For Aradia, sexual union represents the blending of two into one, the blending of light, dark, up, down, positive, negative, yin and yang. She is the patroness of the woods, since that is where her devotees erected her sacred groves. She is also a goddess of justice, equality, wisdom, and magical policy.
Rely on Aradia when you need strength in your magic. Call on her whenever you need change, or whenever you want to see justice prevail. If you need to keep a secret, ask Aradia for her help. Her sacred symbols are cypress trees and the crescent moon. Her magical essences and herbs are cypress, John the Conqueror, lemon, jasmine, and anise. Aradia is aligned with the north, with earth and midnight. Her sacred colors are white and black. Her animal spirit is the cat, but she also takes the form of fish and the wolf. Aradia’s sacred foods are crescent moon cakes, poppyseed cakes, and grapa (an Italian wine).
Aradia Practice
In honoring Aradia today, build a sacred altar to her divine presence. Take time to face the altar and intone her name, one syllable at a time (pronounced: Ah-RAH-dee-ah) until you feel her presence surrounding you. Once she has arrived, spend some time contemplating what it might mean to serve this aspect of deity. Take time to ask Aradia what it would mean to live life through her energy, and listen for her answer.
Spend the day honoring this goddess by working magic of any kind and by seeking to bring justice and social awareness to yourself and others.
Day 302
Day of Silence and Review
Today, as you observe silence, focus your attention on your spirit, the energy that pervades and sustains your existence. Spend time considering where this energy form may reside. Is this an internal or external aspect of yourself? What makes up your spirit? Consider how it moves you throughout your day. At the day’s end, answer these questions:
• What was it like to focus my attention on my spirit?
• Is spirit something that I could find? How? Where is it?
• How does spirit move me throughout my day?
• Is there anything that seems to affect my spirit?
• How does my spirit seem to interact with my senses, my thoughts, and emotions?
Review
For today’s practice, take time to ask yourself the following:
• Of the information I have learned up to now, what stands out most as vital?
• What information seems least relevant to my spiritual development?
• Which of the practices seemed to move me spiritually, and which had little impact?
• Of the information I have learned so far, what would be best to review? (Take time to review it now.)
Day 303
The Tarot Continued:
The Tower
The Tower is the universal symbol for the “wake up call.” This card depicts a spire struck by lightning. Figures fall from the flaming tower through a field of mana, the pure energy of the universe. The crown of the tower also falls to the ground. The symbolism suggests the overthrow of an existing (and perhaps idealized or unquestioned) mode of life. In the Devil, you explored those things to which you cling, and in The Tower, any closely held principle, person, or situation is finally inadvertently taken away. The Tower represents a sudden awakening to the reality, the depth, and meaning of your current situation. It is not a symbol of regret, because there is still time to take appropriate action. This time, however, you are bade to act according to the presenting reality, and not on your concepts, hopes, or beliefs about the situation.
Divinatory Meaning
In a reading, The Tower is telling the questioner to awaken to the full unedited reality of her life. The questioner may be shocked by the complexity or gravity of the situation, but she should also bring awareness to the part she played. Sudden changes are in the air. Perhaps there is some good where she once saw only evil—or vice versa. The Tower suggests that the questioner’s world has turned upside down; perhaps she loses her grip on ideas, people, and things that she once held dear. However, this overturning of her life will ultimately set things in their proper order. This is a necessary period of purification.
Meditation
Close your eyes and take several deep breaths. Imagine that your body radiates a color that represents your ideals. Imagine this color forms a bubble that surrounds you. Imagine now that you are able to step out of the bubble. Once you do this, the color collapses to the ground beside you. Now look at your spirit body and note how it appears without this color. How does it feel to be without it? This aura cannot survive without being attached to you, so imagine now that the aura dissipates into the ground, where it is neutralized.
Daily Practice
Keep The Tower card with you today or place it on your altar. In front of the altar, set a candle of a color that represents one of your closely held ideals. Take a pin and inscribe a word that represents this ideal on your candle. Light the candle, and while it burns, take out some paper. Write down how this ideal affects your life. Does it create rules? Impossibilities? Does it stifle or direct your behavior in some particular way? How does this ideal defend you from the reality of life? Where do these ideals come from? Who created them? Know that as the candle burns away, so will your ideal. Act throughout the day without sustaining any ideals.
Day 304
The Star
The Star is the universal symbol for optimism and hope. This card depicts a large eight-pointed star suspended above a female figure. Around this star are seven smaller stars. The female figure pours the waters of life into the pool of universal consciousness and upon the earth. The imagery represents the great goddess’ gifts bestowed upon the world. Her gifts are those of nature. In The Tower card, you learned to let go of ideals. In the process you become more natural and spontaneous. This natural spontaneity is the gift of the star goddess.
Divinatory Meaning
In a reading, the Star signifies hope and optimism. It is time for the questioner to stop focusing on any held negativity and “what ifs” that lead to projected tragedy. The star shows the questioner that optimism is recommended at this time. It suggests that the questioner put forth her best effort without holding back, and without giving in to unrealistic fears. The card reminds us that optimism (not used as a defense against reality) is a state of mind that has little to do with one’s circumstances.
Meditation
Is there some situation about which you have nurtured negative thoughts? Try this exercise to lift your spirits and to restore your goddess-given optimism. Close your eyes and imagine that you are standing beneath dark, rain-swollen clouds. The skies are threatening and the landscape before you appears gray and lifeless. Begin breathing deeply, and on each exhalation, imagine that the dark clouds begin to lighten. Gradually, with each exhaled breath, the clouds dissipate altogether and the bright, golden sun appears. Bask in the rays of the sun for several minutes. Open your eyes and resume your day with an attitude that represents this solar energy.
Daily Practice
Keep the Star card with you today or place it on your altar. Keep a positive frame of mind. No matter the situation, try to enter it with a sense of play, knowing that there is no harm that can ultimately affect you. Count your blessings today. For what do you have to be grateful? Acknowledge your gratitude and allow that to guide your optimistic spirit. Do something that makes you laugh today!
Day 305
The Moon
The Moon is the symbol for the unconscious mind as it manifests through the imagination. In the card, dogs howl at a glowing moon. A shellfish emerges from the waters to pay homage to the moon as well. The shellfish links directly with the moon’s own astrological sign, Cancer, the crab. The baying canines represent natural instinct and common unconscious drives. The moon appears to be encased in a glowing sphere—perhaps the sun. The moon is, as Joseph Campbell suggests, the “first spiritual light.” Our ancestors based many of their ancient customs on the moon and its cycles. Many of these rites these became lost or were driven underground by the emergence of Christianity as the dominant faith across the globe. When moon rites became outlawed, they drifted into memory and became the stuff of frightening folklore. But the truth of the moon, as Witches know it, is that it is a harbinger of wisdom. The ancients mostly associated it with women’s wisdom—which also became a feared commodity in the ancient European world. The Moon card signifies that the truth of a situation is never quite as we had imagined.
Divinatory Meaning
In a reading, the Moon asks the questioner to examine how her imagination is influencing the situation at hand. The Moon card suggests that the truth may be unknowable for the moment, but that it is best to remain in a state of not-knowing in order to act appropriately in the situation. Life has so many variables, how can we ever truly know what will come next? The future is always in flux. Don’t make up stories about your life.
Meditation
Sit and watch the moon tonight without any expectation in mind. Allow its energy to silently fill you. How does the energy of the moon feel inside of you? What wisdom does it seem to impart?
Daily Practice
Keep the Moon card with you today or place it on your altar. As you go through your day, remain in a state of readiness for anything that may come your way. Do not resist the situations that come up. Instead, flow with them effortlessly. Keep your imagination and any story about your life at bay.
Day 306
The Sun
The Sun is the symbol for the conscious mind, awareness, and simplicity. In this card, a sun blazes down upon a landscape. In the foreground, a child rides a horse bareback. He is perfectly balanced and aware. He represents the perfection of innocence. Behind him are four sunflowers that bask in the sun’s blazing energy.
Divinatory Meaning
In a reading, the Sun represents clarity of mind and a return to innocence. Ask the questioner about the complexities of her life. It is time to simplify things. What does she hope to gain from a complex life? What is gained by excessive activity or things? Remind the questioner that through simplicity, she can begin to clarify her life situation, regaining strength and spiritual power.
Meditation
At dawn today, sit facing toward the east and watch the sun rise. As you do, begin to breathe deeply, consciously. On each inhalation, draw the power of the sun into your spirit. Allow it to fill your body and your mind. At sunset, sit and face the west. Watch the sunset. As it sinks into the horizon, begin to breathe deeply again. On each exhalation, breathe out your fears, anxieties, and illnesses. Allow the sun to absorb these. It will take them to the underworld, where it will burn them to ash.
Daily Practice
Keep the Sun card with you today or place it on your altar. Today is a day to simplify. Assess the activities of your day to determine if they are essential for existence, for basic happiness and health. If not, disregard them for the day. As one Eastern mystic said of life, “If it does not involve eating, sleeping, or shitting, it is none of your business.”
Day 307
Judgement
Judgement is the symbol for change and renewal. In this card an angel blows his trumpet, awakening human beings from death. In the fore and background, human beings stand in their opened graves, raising their arms in joy to the skies. The symbolism represents a transformation of consciousness. It is a card of alchemy—of magical change. However, this change of consciousness does not occur alone; our highest level of awareness comes when we yoke our normal efforts to the divine force that continually operates in our lives.
Divinatory Meaning
In a reading, Judgement is awakening the questioner to change. Remind the questioner that her circumstances cannot be changed from external efforts alone. The external world always remains the same, but when we change our position to the world, to the external forces, everything appears to change. The questioner is called to modify her approach to the situation at hand. How has she judged or labeled her situation? When she changes her judgement, the situation will inevitably change.
Meditation
Begin this exercise by thinking about a situation that is weighing heavily in your mind. Now take out a piece of paper and write down all of your thoughts and feelings about the situation. Try to keep the pen (and your thoughts) flowing for at least five non-stop minutes. Crumple the paper and cast it into a fire. As it burns, close your eyes and imagine the situation changing. Imagine that it loses its weight and power over you.
Daily Practice
Keep the Judgement card with you today or place it on your altar. Keep track of your judgments today. Are you labeling people and situations as “good,” “bad,” “desirable,” or “undesirable?” Every time you catch yourself in a judging frame of mind, mentally say, “Stop!” Then continue your activity with a clear mind.
Day 308
The World
The World is the universal symbol for totality and wholeness. In this card, a wreath of leaves surrounds a woman who holds a wand in each of her hands. The figures in each of the card’s corners (as in the Wheel of Fortune) represent the four elements, the four directions, and all of their magical associations. The card is somewhat of a mandala that connects the earthly and the spiritual realms of existence. The Hebrew letter that has magical influence through this card is Tav, the final letter of the alphabet. It is a letter linked to the Greek Tau and the Egyptian tau cross, which is a symbol for eternity. The card represents this energy of eternity, totality, beginning and end drawn together.
Divinatory Meaning
In a reading, the World traditionally represents success, but the card goes beyond this simple abstract concept. The World card represents actual attainment. It represents unison with the divine force, which is inherent in all manifestations. The questioner is asked to look for inspiration from her daily life and from nature. Ask the questioner how she understands wholeness in this situation. Can she put all the pieces together cohesively? If not, then perhaps there are pieces of the situation that are not yet resolved or have not come to her attention. Soon the whole picture will become clear and she will be able to make sound decisions. The World card calls for practicality. Ask the questioner what practical steps she can take to restore balance to her situation
Meditation
Close your eyes and breathe deeply. Concentrate your mind on your solar-plexus chakra. Follow your breathing; observe each inhalation and exhalation. In this way you unify the workings of your mind and your body. Now imagine an energy at the center of your solar plexus. With each exhalation, the energy enlarges. Watch it expand to fill your body. Then the energy moves past your body and fills the space in which you sit. Then the energy enlarges to fill your neighborhood. The energy continues to expand, flooding over cities, over vast areas of land. It moves across seas. It envelops the earth. When your energy reaches this stage, open your eyes. How do you feel?
Daily Practice
Keep the World card with you today or place it on your altar. Many of us appreciate the concept of nature, but we don’t spend the time getting it on us and in us. Go into a natural setting today and spend time experiencing this place through the senses.
Day 309
Reading the Cards
It takes time to learn each of the tarot’s symbols and to feel competent in integrating them into a cohesive whole when presenting a reading to someone. Set aside time for plenty of practice before reading the cards for anyone other than yourself.
There are many different tarot reading methods. Some of these methods involve the intuitive process. Other methods rely on a structure that assists the reader in interpretation. The structured methods also provide a predetermined context for each card.
For the next few days, you will learn and practice the structured methods. This practice will allow you time to become acquainted with the Tarot as a system. It will also give you an opportunity to practice integrating cards into a contextual whole. For our practices, you will only use the major arcana cards that we have studied.
The Inversion Rule
Tarot readers often ascribe unique meanings to inverted cards (a card with its imagery turned or reversed in its orientation to the reader). However, not all card readers observe this rule. While this reversal rule might have some merit, determining a reading based on reversals can distract the reader from the process of attuning the questioner to the Tarot’s archetypal truths. Reliance on an image’s directional orientation in a reading is akin to “fortune telling,” as opposed to tapping into universal wisdom and guidance. A tarot reading involves interpretation of the archetypes, which are ancient, cross-cultural symbols. There are no reversed archetypes. I recommend if a reversed or inverted card appears in the reading, that you simply turn it so that the image is oriented in a manner that is convenient for your viewing. No special interpretation is necessary.
If you would like to investigate the special meanings of inverted cards, you can learn more about these by further reading in The Tarot Revealed, by Eden Gray or Tarot Reversals by Mary Greer.
One-Card Method
Witches refer to the method described below as the one-card draw. Practitioners use the one-card draw for several purposes:
• To gain specific guidance in a situation
• To gain general guidance for the day
• To understand the current energy or circumstances surrounding a situation or a person
To begin, hold in your mind’s eye the question, “What influence governs my day?” Shuffle the major arcana cards together face down. (Don’t go face down on the floor! I mean shuffle the cards so that you cannot view their imagery.) Shuffle them as long as you would care to do so. Lay the cards in a stack before you. Using your left hand, spread the cards with a single sweep from right to left. This move takes some practice. If you don’t get it right, simply work the cards into an overlapping row from right to left.
While continuing to hold the question in your mind, draw a single card from the row and turn it over. This card represents a spiritual symbol important for you to keep in mind for the day. Refer to the previous pages if you have forgotten the interpretation of the card you have drawn.
When the day is completed, take time to journal about how the card did or did not provide meaningful guidance for your day.
Day 310
Problem-Solving Technique
Today you will learn a tarot method that can provide you with solutions to any difficulties or challenges in your life. To begin this method, shuffle the cards and spread them as you learned in yesterday’s lesson. Then close your eyes and imagine your situation. As you view the situation with your inner eye, you should feel some emotion. There is a place in your body where you feel the emotion of this situation. Where is it? Once you locate the place where you hold the emotional energy of the situation, close your eyes and imagine that you travel down inside your body to that area. Once you are at the location in your body, view the energy and assign it a color and a shape. Imagine that you project yourself into this color/shape and then immediately open your eyes and draw one of the major arcana cards from the cards spread out before you.
The card you have chosen represents the approach you should best take to resolve the problem situation.
Day 311
Three-Card Spread
Use this tarot method whenever you have an open-ended question. (That means a question that is not answered with a simple “yes” or “no.”) To begin this method, shuffle the cards face down so that you cannot see their symbols. As you shuffle, keep in mind the situation about which you would like clarity or information. When you are finished shuffling, spread the cards as you have learned.
Now close your eyes. Bring into your mind’s eye the situation you have been thinking about. See all of the people involved, and most importantly, feel the feelings that arise because of the situation. Once you identify the feelings involved, notice where in your body you feel this first. It can be anywhere: stomach, chest, legs, hands, face.
Wherever that may be, imagine that you now travel through your body and you arrive at that place that holds the emotion. Give the emotional energy a color and a shape. Once you see it clearly, enter that color and shape. As soon as you do this, open your eyes and draw three cards from the spread.
Place the cards face up, one at a time, from your left to your right. Here is the meaning of each placement:
Card 1 (First card on your left): This card represents the past of the situation. It is the energy that is locked up by the passage of time. It represents the foundation of what is happening right now.
Card 2 (Center card): This represents the current situation. The card also presents you with the method, the approach to the situation that will result in action that is beneficial for all parties.
Card 3 (Last card on your right): This represents the future of the situation. This does not mean the future of the situation has already been decided. It indicates what can result if you do not intervene in the energy pattern, the cycle that is already underway.
Try this method today by yourself at first, then try it with a friend.
Day 312
The Inquirer’s Wisdom
Your role in this intuitive reading method is to draw the wisdom out of the inquirer through questioning thoroughly the interpretations that spontaneously occur to her. Here is how it works. After spreading the cards face down, have the questioner think of her situation and draw a single card. Whatever card is drawn, guide the questioner in making verbal associations to the image as it relates to the situation she brings to the reading.
Start by asking the questioner about imagery from the card that appears to stand out for her. Ask about colors that seem to strike her as important or relevant. Ask about features of the imagery that seem particularly interesting. Whatever stands out, have the questioner make free associations with the imagery to her own past, to dreams, to family, friends, memories, and experiences.
Listen to the themes that come up for the questioner and help her to relate her associations to the presenting situation. Your final task in this method is to draw together the dominant (or repeated) imagery and the associations that the questioner has offered.
Of all the Tarot techniques, this one sharpens your skills as a guide. It also helps you to see deeper levels of meaning in the cards. Experiment with this method today and continue to attempt this method as a discipline for sharpening your own abilities in drawing pieces together into a cohesive whole.
Day 313
Yes and No
If you simply want a quick “yes” or “no” answer to a question, this is the method for you. You might use the entire deck, since this method relies on the orientation of cards rather than their imagery. To begin, think about your question and shuffle the cards very well. The shuffling process is important here because you want some card images to be upright and some to be reversed in the deck. Spread the whole deck before you and draw three cards out—one at a time. Turn each one over.
If all three cards are upright, with the picture oriented to you so that the image is not inverted, the answer to your question is “yes.” If all three cards are reversed, meaning with the picture turned upside down from your view, the answer is “no.”
So what about two cards upright, or two cards reversed? When two out of three cards are upright, this means a “qualified yes.” This means, most likely the answer is yes. The issue that may disrupt the “yes” answer depends on the remaining inverted card and where it is placed. If the inverted card is the first to your left, the interruption comes from the past. If the inverted card is in the center, the interrupted energy comes from the present situation. If the inverted card is the last on your right, the “yes” energy might get blocked in the future.
The same process is true for a “no” answer. The reading yields a “qualified no” if two out of three cards are reversed and only one is upright in its presentation. This layout means that most likely the answer is “no.” The issue that may disrupt the “no” answer depends on the upright card and where it is placed. If the upright card is the first to your left, the interruption comes from the past. If the upright card is in the center, the interrupted energy comes from the present situation. If the upright card is the last on your right, the “no” answer might get blocked in the future.
Day 314
Are We Dealing with a Full Deck?
This final method with the tarot is one that relies completely on your intuition. Use the full tarot deck (including both the major and the minor arcana cards) for this method. You do not need knowledge of the traditional divinatory meanings of each card. All you need is your imagination and a bit of creativity.
Before you begin, it is important to learn the basic ten-card spread called the Celtic Cross. First choose a card that is the significator. This card represents the questioner. The significator can be any card in the deck. Tarot specialists suggest using one of the court cards such as a king, queen, knight, or page as the significator. As you select your significator, you might also keep in mind that each of the four suits represents one of the four elements.
• Wands: Air
• Cups: Water
• Swords: Fire
• Pentacles: Earth
Which of these archetypes and elements best represents you? You alone can decide.
Place this significator card on the table at least 12 inches away from you. Shuffle the remaining cards, spread them, and draw cards out of that spread one at a time. Place the first one you draw directly on top of the significator, covering the significator card. Place the second card on top of the first but turn it 90 degrees so that it lies on its side. It should form somewhat of a “cross” with the first card. Next, place the third card in the space directly below the crossed cards. Roll up your sleeves and give yourself some room here! Place this third card at least two to three inches below the crossed cards. Place the fourth card to the left of the cross and place the fifth card above the cross. Place the sixth card directly to the right of the crossed cards.
After you draw out the next four cards, place them in an ascending line to the right of the configuration you have already created. Place the seventh card so that it is parallel to the third card of the spread. Place the eighth card in the space directly above the seventh. Place the ninth in the space directly above the eighth. Place the tenth card in the space directly above the ninth.
Meaning of the Placements
Here are the meanings of the card placements:
• Card 1: The general atmosphere surrounding the question
• Card 2: The challenge within the situation at ; t. The problem, the oppositional energies
• Card 3: The foundation of the matter at hand; this is how the situation evolved
• Card 4: The influence that is just passing or has recently passed away in the situation
• Card 5: The influence that may come into being
• Card 6: The influence that will come into being in the near future
• Card 7: The questioner’s doubts and fears in the situation
• Card 8: How people who are close to the questioner feel about the situation
• Card 9: The questioner’s hopes for the situation or for the people involved
• Card 10: The final outcome or the future pattern that can evolve based on current patterns
Now let us learn how to read the cards. Look at each one and see what imagery stands out for you. Ask yourself what the imagery suggests. Whatever it is that first comes into your imagination—that is what the card represents. Keep the significance of the card placements as I have outlined above, but allow the values of the cards to emerge from your own intuition and personal associations.
This method is not only fun to do, but it is surprisingly accurate and often it leads to profound change for both the reader and the questioner.
Day 315
The Magic Mirror
Mirror, mirror on the wall! Anyone familiar with Grimm’s tales knows by heart the incantation that invokes the power of a magic mirror. Anyone familiar with Witchcraft knows that the tales are true. The magic mirror is real and it happens to be a powerful and versatile tool that Witches use for many purposes. The mirror is a shiny black surface set into a frame. Contemporary Wiccans use the mirror to divine the future, as a point of departure for astral travel and as a focal point through which they can cast their spells.
Making a Magic Mirror
What You’ll Need:
• An empty picture frame (with glass inset)
• High-gloss black paint (spray paint works best)
• Gather together as many of the so-called “psychic condenser” herbs as possible; these herbs include a mixture of dried mugwort, star anise, poppyseed, yarrow, cinquefoil, and hemp.
Before you begin, take some time to consider the picture frame you would like to encase your “mirror.” Choose a frame that is both aesthetically pleasing and large enough to allow for comfortable viewing. I have an antique cherrywood frame that provides about a 15-inch diameter viewing surface.
Once you choose your frame, open it up and take the backing off. Paint one side of the glass with the glossy black paint. Set the glass down with the paint side up so that it can dry. While the paint is still wet, sprinkle it with a mixture of the crushed dried herbs. As the paint dries, these herbs will adhere to the glass. Once the paint is dry, set the glass back inside the picture frame so that all you can see is a shiny black surface.
Voilà! You have created your first magic mirror. Before you go to bed tonight, set the magic mirror on a windowsill so that it can reflect the light of the moon, and the nighttime sky.
Day 316
Blessing the Mirror
What You’ll Need:
• Circle-casting tools
• Magic mirror
• A 5–6 inch purple taper candle
• Dried white sage, frankincense, or dragon’s blood resin
Cast a circle as you have learned to do. Sprinkle the mirror with your salt and water mixture, saying:
I consecrate thee, O creature of the Art, with
the elements of water and of earth.
Carry the mirror to the west and then to the north of your circle. At each quarter show the mirror to the elementals, saying:
(Undines/Gnomes), hear me now; reflect the truth of thy knowing!
Return to the altar. Sprinkle the hot coals in your brazier with your chosen incense (sage, frankincense or dragon’s blood) and allow it to smolder. Cense the entire mirror with this magical smoke, saying:
I consecrate thee, O creature of the Art, with
the element of air.
Carry the mirror to the eastern quarter and show it to the elementals, saying:
Fairies, hear me now; reflect the truth of thy knowing!
Return to the altar. Pass the mirror surface quickly through your fire candle’s flame (the red candle on your altar). As you do so, say:
I consecrate thee, O creature of the Art, with
the element of fire.
Carry the mirror to the south of the circle and show it to the elemental spirits there, saying:
Salamanders, hear me now; reflect the truth of thy knowing!
Bring the mirror to the center of the circle and set it flat on the altar, with the dark mirror side facing up. Using your white-handled knife (or a pin, if you do not have a white-handled knife), inscribe the word “vision” onto the purple candle, using Theban script. Light the candle and place it in a holder. Set the holder on top of the mirror’s surface.
Close your circle, but allow the candle to burn completely out. Once the candle has extinguished, set the mirror again on your windowsill so that the moon can reflect its light upon the mirror’s surface throughout the night.
Day 317
Magic Mirror: Learning
the Secret Name
In traditional magical lore, when you know the name of a thing, you have power over it. There is truth in this old axiom, and therefore it is very important in magical practice to know the names of things. I am not referring to the ordinary names of objects and of people that we all know. I am talking about secret, spiritual, or subtle names. Today you will learn how to discern secret names and you will learn how to apply this practice to your magic mirror. You can also apply this practice to all areas of your spellwork, but most importantly, you will learn how to use this technique to have complete magical effect with your mirror.
Everything in existence has its own spiritual name. Spiritual names represent a person or object’s energy and subtle spiritual vibrations. Magical names are not words as we normally understand them. They are utterances, sounds, or sometimes simple vocalizations that represent spiritual energy as you sense it.
What you will discover is that spiritual names are distinctive for each person. Each of us connects energetically to the world in unique ways. Because of this, I may utter the spiritual, energetic name of an object differently than you do.
This technique may sound tricky, but you will find that this is simply an extension of your creativity. To begin, place the mirror in front of you. Hold out your hands and touch the mirror’s surface. Close your eyes and begin to take several deep, slow breaths. Imagine that you travel down your arms, out through your hands and you project your spiritual body into the magic mirror. Sense yourself becoming united with the object. Expand your spirit so that you fill every crevice and nook of the mirror. When you are ready, a word, a sound, or a vibration will begin to form in your throat. Allow whatever this sound may be to emerge unedited.
Once you have connected with the sound, say it aloud. Open your eyes and write it down. This is the spiritual name of your magic mirror. You might try this exercise with people, animals, plants, and other objects today. How does it feel once you utter the spiritual names of things? What is your spiritual name?
On this third night, set the mirror once again on your windowsill so that the moon can reflect its light upon the mirror’s surface throughout the night.
Day 318
Charging Your Magic Mirror
You have created and blessed your mirror with the four elements. You have discovered its secret name and you have charged it with the moon for three nights running. Today’s practice centers on charging the mirror with the subtle, spiritual energies of the four elements as well as with your secret name. After this, your mirror will be ready for all forms of magical use.
What You’ll Need:
• Your circle-casting tools/equipment
• A 5–6 inch purple taper candle
• A piece of red, black, or purple silk, large enough to cover the entire mirror
Cast your circle as usual. Using Theban script, scribe with a pin (or with your white-handled knife) the mirror’s spiritual name on the purple candle. Go to the east of your circle and place the magic mirror in front of you so that you can see its dark reflective surface. Hold your hands palms facing outward (toward the east) just above the mirror. Close your eyes and imagine that you gather the spiritual energy of the element of air in your hands. Imagine a bright yellow mist that forms in the palms of your hands. Once you see this clearly, bring your palms together, forming the yellow mist into a single ball of energy. Now thrust the ball of energy toward the mirror’s surface. Imagine the yellow energy entering and infusing the mirror with the spiritual energies of air.
Now take the mirror to the south of the circle, set it before you, and repeat the process with the element of fire. Hold your hands palms facing outward (toward the south) just above the mirror. Close your eyes and imagine that you gather the spiritual energy of the element of fire in your hands. Imagine a bright red mist that forms in the palms of your hands. Once you see this clearly, bring your palms together, forming the red mist into a single ball of energy. Direct the ball of energy toward the mirror’s surface. Imagine the red energy entering and infusing the mirror with the spiritual energies of fire.
Repeat this process in the west, forming a blue ball of energy that you will thrust into the mirror. Finally, repeat this process in the north, forming a green ball of energy that you set into the mirror.
Now return the mirror to the altar in the center of your circle. Hold your hands on the mirror’s surface and intone its secret name. As you do this, bring your cupped hands to your mouth. Continue to intone the word in your cupped hands. Feel the vibration of sound. Close your eyes and imagine that as you intone the secret name, a white ball of energy forms inside of your cupped hands. When you see the energy clearly, stop intoning the name and propel the white ball of energy into the mirror’s dark surface.
Light the purple candle with the inscribed secret name. Turn the inscription so that it faces the mirror’s black reflective surface. Allow the candle to burn out completely. While the candle burns, close your circle.
In magical lore, silk has a retentive property to it, so when the candle has burned out, cover the mirror’s surface completely with a length of red, black, or purple silk. From now on, whenever you finish magical work with your mirror, cover it with this silk cloth.
Day 319
Using Your Magic Mirror
Now that you have your magic mirror, how do you use it? The mirror is a scrying tool. The old occult term “scry” means “to divine” or “to see the future.” Scrying tools such as the magic mirror are typically those in which the diviner focuses his or her gaze upon an object and, through this activity, he or she is able to see into the astral realm where the future begins to take shape.
When you scry, you glimpse future patterns forming in the astral realm. Once you know what these are, you are better able to take action, change your consciousness, your attitude, and beliefs, so that new realities form in the astral realm (and therefore new realities can form within the physical plane).
To use the mirror, go to a darkened room and light a candle. Set the candle behind the mirror. Place the mirror so that you can sit and comfortably gaze into its reflective surface. After everything is set in place, hold your hands to the mirror’s surface and whisper three times the mirror’s secret, subtle name. This activates the energies you have set into the mirror.
As you gaze into the mirror, allow your mind to become a blank page. Let your critical thinking take a well-deserved break for the next twenty minutes or so. If you notice thoughts coming up, simply notice them. Don’t try to stop your thoughts, just observe them.
With the aide of this psychic tool, your vision will eventually break through to the astral plane. You will know that you are there because you will begin to see random imagery. For today’s practice, do not concern yourself with the meaning of the imagery. Simply jot down what it is you see in the mirror. When you are finished, cover the mirror with your silk and extinguish the candle.
Day 320
Asking a Question
Today you will consult the mirror for an answer to a specific question. As you did before, go to a darkened room and light a candle. Set the candle behind the mirror, hold your hands to the mirror’s surface, and whisper your secret word three times.
Gaze into the mirror while holding the question that you have in your mind. You will begin to see random imagery. Jot down any imagery you see. Try not to make any mental associations between what it is you see and your question at this time. Simply note the images without editing. When you are finished scrying, cover the mirror with your silk and extinguish the candle.
Finally, sit down and make associations to the imagery you saw. Let’s say, for example, I asked about my relationship and the image I saw was a maple tree. What do I associate with maple trees? Maple syrup, the East Coast of North America, and the changing of the seasons. From here I can perhaps read the symbols in this way:
1. Perhaps my relationship will be going through a change, but this change, like that the maple tree goes through, will be natural; it would therefore be important for me to keep in mind that all things have their rhythms.
2. My relationship is solid as a maple tree. At its center is a certain sweetness that I find satisfying
3. Perhaps there will be renewal in my relationship (East Coast—the direction east and its associations with newness, beginnings, etc.) and I can look forward to things starting in a fresh new way
Day 321
The Runes
So far, you have learned about the tarot and the magic mirror, both of which are fine examples of structured (mechanical) and nonstructured (intuitive) divination methods. Our next method of divination—reading the runes—contains elements of both the structured and nonstructured methods. The runes are a set of ancient Germanic inscriptions consisting of straight lines that come together at various angles to form what historians believe to be an alphabet. There is no consensus among scholars as to when the runes first made their appearance; However, it is safe to say that they were present throughout northern and western Europe prior to the Christianization of the European world. Archaeologists have unearthed some one hundred runic inscriptions that they found throughout Europe. These inscriptions date from roughly the third to the eighth centuries bce.
The word rune seems to come from either the Germanic ru or the Gothic runa, both of which mean “secret” and “mystery.” As with most forms of early writing found in ancient cultures across the globe, the Germanic people associated the runes with magic. They held a ritual function among the tribal cultures as a means of casting lots, of divination, and as a tool to evoke the powers of the gods.
As you learn more about the runes, you may first believe that each rune carries its own meaning and magical association, but these inscriptions are not meant to symbolize or represent anything. They are meant to actually be specific energies. Reading the runes is a process of tapping into the energies that surround the situation and the questioner’s life.
From where do these mystic inscriptions originate? There is both a technical and a poetic answer to this question. Before the runes appeared in the form you will learn, the Germanic people of Bronze-Age Europe scratched pictographs into rocks to communicate basic ideas. From these pictographs, simple straight-line carvings evolved. Scholars believe that the runes evolved into their present form because their straight-line designs allowed people to easily notch them into wood—thus allowing written knowledge and communication to become something portable.
As for the poetic side of the story, the ancient Nordic people told a myth of Odin who hung himself upside down from the Yggdrasil, or world tree. He hung there for nine days until he finally saw a vision of the runes in either the depths of the tree, its roots, or in the earth below the tree. Below is a poem from the Poetic Edda (circa. ce 1200) that describes Odin’s mystical experience.
Practice: Invoking Odin
Cast a circle or go to a secret place in nature. Face the west and read this magical poem aloud. After you read it, sit and meditate on its meaning and its symbolism. What stands out for you in these magical words? How does the portion that stands out in the poem relate to your own life, your current circumstances, or your growth and magical development?
I know I hung on that windswept tree,
Swung there for nine long nights,
Wounded by my own blade,
Bloodied for Odin,
Myself an offering to myself:
Bound to the tree
That no man knows
Whither the roots of it run.
None gave me bread,
None gave me drink.
Down to the deepest depths I peered
Until I spied the runes.
With a roaring cry I seized them up,
Then dizzy and fainting, I fell.
Well-being I won
And wisdom too.
I grew and took joy in my growth:
From a word to a word
I was led to a word,
From a deed to another deed.
Day 322
Making Runes
There are very specific traditional methods that ancient rune masters would use to create their runes. The runes were most likely a descendant of oracle bones that shamans would throw and read. It comes as no surprise that one of the traditional rune-making materials was bone, usually of the human variety. The rune master might also make runes from wood. Trees that were local to the ancients served them best, as they believed that the spirits of the trees were contained in the wood. But rune makers most favored the wood from fruit-bearing trees. The rune master would look for a branch that was as big around as his thumb and would harvest it. Then he would slice the branch into twenty-four equal segments. While carving the runic symbols into the wood, he would prick his thumb and mark the rune with his own blood in order to create a magical link to the inscriptions.
For your own practice, you need not go to such lengths. The runes can be an easy project since they are made of simple interconnected straight-line markings. There are several ways to make your own runes. Many modern-day rune readers paint the runes using gold or silver metallic paints on small (2-inch diameter) flat river stones or small crystals of their liking. However, you can inscribe the runes on just about anything that awakens your divinatory imagination: small tiles, cut sections of deer antler, seashells, large nutshells, woody seedpods, tree bark, glass beads, or sea glass. If you don’t have any of these materials, you can inscribe the runes with a beautiful ink on small (2 x 2 inch) squares of sturdy posterboard or cardboard.
If you want to try making your runes the ancient Germanic way, be sure to use your white-handled knife to carve the runes onto each of the branch pieces, using single knife strokes.
Below are the runes which are divided into their traditional three deity-name groupings: Freya’s eight, Hagal’s eight, and Tiu’s eight.
Freya’s eight:
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Fehu |
Uruz |
Ansuz |
Thurisaz |
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Raido |
Gebo |
Kano |
Wunjo |
Hagal’s eight:
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Sowelu |
Eihwaz |
Hagalaz |
Algiz |
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Jera |
Perth |
Nauthiz |
Isa |
Tiu’s eight:
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Dagaz |
Inguz |
Laguz |
Mannaz |
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Teiwaz |
Ehwaz |
Berkana |
Othila |
Inscribe your own set of runes today. You will learn more about their meaning and magic in the days to come.
Day 323
Freya’s Eight: Fehu
Literal Meaning: Possessions, nourishment, cattle
Interpretive Meaning: Fehu is the rune of satisfaction. It signifies a fulfilled desire. Fehu asks the questioner to look deeply at the meaning of profit and gain in her or his life. Does the questioner have what he or she wants? Does he or she want what they have? Is he or she ruled by their desires? It is possible that the questioner’s desires are leading him or her astray and causing powerlessness.
Aligning with Fehu
What You’ll Need:
• Your usual circle-casting tools
• Recommended essential oil: Lotus
• A 5–6 inch white taper candle
For this simple ritual, it would be best to use lotus essential oil, which aligns with the 7th chakra, at the top of your head, and with Fehu. If you do not have access to this essential oil, simply practice this alignment without it.
Cast your circle as usual. Using your white-handled knife, carve the symbol for Fehu into a white candle. Anoint it with the lotus oil, light it, and silently contemplate the meaning of the rune. Dip your right middle finger into the lotus oil and then draw the symbol for Fehu on your crown chakra (at the top of your head).
Close your eyes and imagine that a brilliant white light etches the symbol Fehu into your crown chakra. The spiritual essence of this rune then permeates your entire being. Feel the vibration of this rune throughout your body.
When you are finished, close the circle and extinguish the candle.
Living Fehu
For the day, live by the principle of Fehu by allowing yourself to feel satisfaction with whatever is in your life.
Day 324
Freya’s Eight: Uruz
Literal Meaning: Strength, man/womanhood, wild ox
Interpretive Meaning: Uruz represents endings and new beginnings. This rune aligns with the pagan celebration of Samhain, which attunes Witches to the cycles of death and rebirth. Uruz asks the questioner to remain open to new beginnings even in the face of what appears to be an ending. Ask the questioner to redefine endings. Is there really an end to things? How might the questioner be struggling against a transition to something new, not necessarily preferred or known? Have the questioner talk about what doors may be opening in her or his life—either wanted or not. Transition appears to be necessary at this time.
Aligning with Uruz
What You’ll Need:
• Your usual circle-casting tools
• Recommended essential oil: Anise
• A 5–6 inch purple taper candle
For this simple ritual, it would be best to use anise essential oil, which aligns with the 6th chakra, at the level of your third eye, and with Uruz. If you do not have access to this essential oil, simply practice this alignment without it.
Cast your circle as usual. Then, using your white- handled knife, carve the symbol for Uruz into the purple candle. Anoint it with the essential oil, light it, and silently contemplate the meaning of the rune. Dip your right middle finger into the anise oil and then draw the symbol for Uruz on your third-eye chakra (at the center of your brow).
Close your eyes and imagine that a brilliant purple light etches the symbol Uruz into your third-eye chakra. The spiritual essence of this rune then permeates your entire being. Feel the vibration of this rune throughout your body.
When you are finished, close the circle and extinguish the candle.
Living Uruz
For the day, live by the principle of Uruz by determining the parts of your life that appear to be ending. Spend time today making peace with and putting to rest your old affairs so that newness can emerge.
Day 325
Freya’s Eight: Ansuz
Literal Meaning: Signals, Messenger, Loki (deity)
Interpretive Meaning: Ansuz is the rune of receiving. Now is the time for the questioner to pay attention to intuition. The gods are sending messages and now is the time for the questioner to pay attention and receive them. Messages from the divine are all around the questioner, if only he were to look and listen.
Aligning with Ansuz
What You’ll Need:
• Your usual circle-casting tools
• Recommended essential oil: Frankincense
• A 5–6 inch blue taper candle
For this simple ritual, it would be best to use frankincense essential oil, which aligns with the 5th chakra, (at the base of your throat) and with Ansuz. If you do not have access to this essential oil, simply practice this alignment without it.
Cast your circle as usual. Then, using your white-handled knife, carve the symbol for Ansuz into the blue candle. Anoint it with the essential oil, light it, and silently contemplate the meaning of the rune. Dip your right middle finger into the frankincense oil and then draw the symbol for Ansuz on your throat chakra.
Close your eyes and imagine that a brilliant blue light etches the symbol Ansuz into your throat chakra. The spiritual essence of this rune then permeates your entire being. Feel the vibration of this rune throughout your body.
When you are finished, close the circle and extinguish the candle.
Living Ansuz
For the day, live by the principle of Ansuz by following your intuition and the hints left for you by birds, clouds, flowers, and everything in nature.
Day 326
Freya’s Eight: Thurisaz
Literal Meaning: Gateway, non-action, Thor (deity)
Interpretive Meaning: Thurisaz is the rune of non-action; it is also called the “gateway.” In Eastern traditions the concept of the “gateless gateway” refers to the process of passing through the barriers of your own mind. Usually this means your conditioning, your background, your cultural influences. To pass through this gate, the questioner must take a position that appears to be “non-action.” In magical work, nonaction means action turned inward. The questioner’s eye of attention must turn toward him- or herself to discover the gates that keep them locked into the current situation. The questioner may feel compelled to take physical action in the current situation, but now is the time for the questioner to move inward.
Aligning with Thurisaz
What You’ll Need:
• Your usual circle-casting tools
• Recommended essential oil: Lavender
• A 5–6 inch green taper candle
For this simple ritual, it would be best to use lavender essential oil, which aligns with the 4th chakra (at the center of your chest) and with Thur-isaz. If you do not have access to this essential oil, simply practice this alignment without it.
Cast your circle as usual. Using your white-handled knife, carve the symbol for Thurisaz into the green candle. Anoint it with the essential oil, light it, and silently contemplate the meaning of the rune. Dip your right middle finger into the lavender oil and then draw the symbol for Thurisaz on your heart chakra. You may wish to remove your shirt, blouse, or robe for this magical inscription.
Close your eyes and imagine that a brilliant green light etches the symbol Thurisaz into your heart chakra. The spiritual essence of this rune then permeates your entire being. Feel the vibration of this rune throughout your body.
When you are finished, close the circle and extinguish the candle.
Living Thurisaz
For the day, live by the principle of Thurisaz by moving into your inward life. Explore what gates you have set up for yourself and attempt to intentionally break through these barriers today.
Day 327
Freya’s Eight: Raido
Literal Meaning: Journey, communication, union/ reunion
Interpretive Meaning: Raido is the rune of “powerful action.” It reminds the questioner that the old magical axiom of “As above, so below” is at work now. What is the powerful action to take in the current situation? This is a matter that only the questioner will know. The questioner is reminded to put effort into whatever will become fruitful—making change where it is possible. Do not waste effort on that which cannot be changed. Do not waste good seed on unfertile land.
Aligning with Raido
What You’ll Need:
• Your usual circle-casting tools
• Recommended essential oil: Carnation
• A 5–6 inch yellow taper candle
For this simple ritual, it would be best to use carnation essential oil, which aligns with the 3rd chak-ra, at the solar-plexus, and with Raido. If you do not have access to this essential oil, simply practice this alignment without it.
Cast your circle as usual. Using your white-handled knife, carve the symbol for Raido into the yellow candle. Anoint it with the essential oil, light it, and silently contemplate the meaning of the rune. Dip your right middle finger into the carnation oil and then draw the symbol for Raido on your solar-plexus chakra. You may wish to remove your shirt, blouse, or robe for this magical inscription.
Close your eyes and imagine that a brilliant yellow light etches the symbol Raido into your solar plexus chakra. The spiritual essence of this rune then permeates your entire being. Feel the vibration of this rune throughout your body.
When you are finished, close the circle and extinguish the candle.
Living Raido
For the day, live by the principle of Raido by focusing awareness on when you are needlessly expending effort by attempting to change what cannot be changed. Likewise, be aware when you put effort into that which can be changed.
Day 328
Freya’s Eight: Gebo
Literal Meaning: Partnership, gift
Interpretive Meaning: Gebo is the rune of true partnership. The rune asks the questioner to recognize where partnership would be of value in his current situation. Partnership does not mean reliance or dependence on another person. The questioner finds empowerment through cooperative, united action.
Aligning with Gebo
What You’ll Need:
• Your usual circle-casting tools
• Recommended essential oil: Gardenia
• A 6-inch orange taper candle
For this simple ritual, it would be best to use gardenia essential oil, which aligns with the 2nd chakra just above the genitals, and with Gebo. If you do not have access to this essential oil, simply practice this alignment without it.
Cast your circle as usual. Then, using your white- handled knife, carve the symbol for Gebo into the orange candle. Anoint it with the essential oil, light it, and silently contemplate the meaning of the rune. Dip your right middle finger into the gardenia oil and then draw the symbol for Gebo on your pelvic chakra. You may wish to remove your clothing for this magical inscription.
Close your eyes and imagine that a brilliant orange light etches the symbol Gebo into your pelvic chakra. The spiritual essence of this rune then permeates your entire being. Feel the vibration of this rune throughout your body.
When you are finished, close the circle and extinguish the candle.
Living Gebo
For the day, live by the principle of Gebo through cooperative action. Don’t do things alone; find someone with whom you can share a portion of your life, your work, your laughter or love. Build community today.
Day 329
Freya’s Eight: Kano
Literal Meaning: Opening, fire, torch
Interpretive Meaning: Kano is the rune of seriousness and of clear-minded intention. Kano is intention fueled by the energy of fire—the fire of conscious attention. The questioner is asked to detach emotionally from the issue at hand in order to become clear-minded. He should pay close attention to his surroundings and to every detail of his life. From attentive analysis of the situation, the questioner can determine the most practical solution.
Aligning with Kano
What You’ll Need:
• Your usual circle-casting tools
• Recommended essential oil: Cedar
• A 5–6 inch red taper candle
For this simple ritual, it would be best to use cedar essential oil, which aligns with the 1st chakra, at the base of your spine, and with Kano. If you do not have access to this essential oil, simply practice this alignment without it.
Cast your circle as usual. Then, using your white- handled knife, carve the symbol for Kano into the red candle. Anoint it with the essential oil, light it, and silently contemplate the meaning of the rune. Dip your right middle finger into the cedar oil and then draw the symbol for Kano on your root chakra. You may wish to remove your clothing for this magical inscription.
Close your eyes and imagine that a brilliant red light etches the symbol Kano into your root chakra. The spiritual essence of this rune then permeates your entire being. Feel the vibration of this rune throughout your body.
When you are finished, close the circle and extinguish the candle.
Living Kano
For the day, live by the principle of Kano by leading your life from attentive awareness of your environment. This process facilitates an emergence of the facts of your life and avoids any emotional overlays or interpretations. Analyze information rationally and then take action based on the facts alone.
Day 330
Freya’s Eight: Wunjo
Literal Meaning: Joy, light
Interpretive Meaning: Wunjo represents joy. The questioner is asked to probe deeply into the roots of joy. From where does it come? Where does it go? What seems to control the comings and goings of joy? If he or she looks deeply enough, they can see that joy is not predicated on any external circumstance. Joy is a state of mind. It is mind that has found contentment with the things of everyday living. Joy is at hand for the questioner, if only she or he opens their eyes to see it before them! Nothing is blocking joy at this time.
Aligning with Wunjo
What You’ll Need:
• Your usual circle-casting tools
• Recommended essential oil: None
• A 5–6 inch taper candle (choose any color that represents “joy” to you)
There is no chakra alignment for Wunjo. This is because joy is one of the divine mysteries. It belongs to all chakras and to none. Joy is sometimes a mystery; it appears to come and go of some unseen accord. So, for this simple ritual, you will use an essential oil or some other fragrant oil that represents joy to you. Similarly you will use a small taper candle that has a color that you associate with a feeling of joy.
Cast your circle as usual. Then, using your white- handled knife, carve the symbol for Wunjo into the candle. Anoint it with the essential oil, light it, and silently contemplate the meaning of the rune. Dip your right middle finger into the essential oil. With your eyes closed, allow your hand to move of its own accord. Do not edit the movement of your hand. Eventually your finger will settle on a part of the body that for you aligns with Wunjo. It could be anywhere, so be ready for this. Now draw the symbol for Wunjo on your body.
Close your eyes and imagine that the energy of Wunjo permeates your entire being. Feel the vibration of this rune throughout your body.
When you are finished, close the circle and extinguish the candle.
Living Wunjo
For the day, live by the principle of Wunjo by living simply. Set aside tasks, conversations and stresses that are not essential for the day. In this simplicity, look for joy. Note how you might be holding back any joyous feelings. Show your happiness to everyone and elicit joy from the people around you.
Day 331
Casting Freya’s Eight
Gather together all eight of Freya’s eight runes. Turn them over so that you cannot see their inscriptions. Stir the runes with your left hand while you look skyward. Think of a question about which you would like some insight. Hold both hands over the runes, look skyward, and say:
Guide my hand with the hand of fate,
Goddess drawn from Freya’s eight!
Draw a single rune for your answer. Make the connection between your question and the rune symbol. Now take action based on the insight you receive.
Day 332
Contemplative Day:
Where Are the Gods?
Meditative Question: In what realm is deity found?
Symbolic Color: White
Symbolic Direction: center
Where on earth are the gods? That’s a good question. Nobody knows; that’s because knowing is not the same as feeling and experiencing. It may take you some time before you see what is hidden in plain view. It is through this question that seekers are able to access the realm of deity to awaken their spiritual and magical abilities.
Remember that it is advisable to work with each of these inner-mystery contemplations while sitting within the center of your magic circle. As usual, find a comfortable meditative sitting position in the center of your circle. Light a white candle and sit approximately two feet away from the flame. Cast your gaze upon the flickering candle and hold the question firmly for 20 to 30 minutes. Close the circle, but retain the question throughout the day. Soon you will find the gods’ realm.
Day 333
Devotional Day: Honoring Odin
Table of Correspondences: Odin
Symbols: The World-Tree, the spear, and the runes
Tools: Living trees, the runes
Magical Essences/Herbs: Black pepper, clove, hops, aconite, fly agaric, jimson weed, henbane, hemlock, wolfbane
Direction: South
He Rules: Enlightenment, inner vision, and deep insight
Animal Symbols: Raven, wolf
Sacred Foods: All root vegetables, fruits that ripen on trees, and ale
Magical Stones: Bone
Odin is the Norse god of the universe, of magic and poetic vision. He is also lord of the dead and an archetypal underworld figure. In mythology, Odin was the father-god who set the sun and the moon in motion at the beginning of time. The early Norsemen believed that Odin lived in Valhalla—the afterworld. Nordic myths say that he hung upside down from the World Tree for nine days and nights, “myself sacrificed to myself,” in order to bring up the runes from the well of Mimir. Causing the body physical distress is an ancient technique that sha-mans use to cause rapid changes of consciousness and altered states of awareness, and it comes as no surprise that the Norse knew of these types of trance-induction techniques. Odin is in many ways a patron of the shaman; he is their archetypal figure. Odin, therefore, represents sudden enlightenment, inner vision, and unexpected insight.
When you tap into the ancient archetypal energies of Odin, you also evoke self-knowledge, the ability to see the roots of all problems, and to evoke inner wisdom. Odin reminds each of us not to turn away from difficulties, because it is through them that we have opportunity to develop strength. His sacred symbols are the World Tree, the spear, ravens, wolves, and the runes. His magical essences and herbs are black pepper, clove, hops, aconite, fly agaric, jimson weed, henbane, hemlock, and wolfbane. Odin is aligned with the south and with noon. His sacred colors are red, black, and gold. Odin’s sacred foods include all root vegetables, fruits that ripen on trees, and psychoactive foods such as hallucinogenic mushrooms and ale.
Odin Practice
In honoring Odin today, make an altar that includes his sacred symbols. Light appropriately colored candles and intone his name, one syllable at a time (pronounced: OH-din), until you feel his presence surrounding you. Once he has arrived, spend some time contemplating what it might mean to serve this aspect of deity. Take time to ask Odin what it would mean to live life through his energy, and listen for his answer.
Spend the day honoring this god by consulting the runes for yourself and for someone else.
Day 334
Day of Silence and Review
Today, as you observe silence, focus your attention on your intuitive process. Listen to the small voice that tells you to turn left instead of right. Listen to the messages of crows and floor-creaks. Pay attention to what the snow crunching beneath your feet is saying to you. Spend time tuning into the minds and hearts of other people. Spend time tuning into the energies of the planet. Take some time at various points throughout the day to write down whatever intuitive messages cross your mind. When the day is complete, answer these questions:
• What was it like to focus my attention on my intuition?
• Do I trust my intuitive mind? Why? Why not?
• Could I substantiate any of my intuitions today?
• How does intuition inform me throughout my usual day?
• Is there anything that seems to affect my intuition?
• How does my intuition seem to interact with my senses, my thoughts and emotions?
Review
• For today’s practice, ask yourself the following:
• Of the information I have learned up to now, what stands out most as vital?
• What information seems least relevant to my spiritual development?
• Which of the practices seemed to move me spiritually, and which had little impact?
• Of the information I have learned so far, what would be best to review? (Take time to review it now.)
Day 335
Hagal’s Eight: Sowelu
Literal Meaning: Wholeness, life, sun-energy
Interpretive Meaning: Sowelu is the rune of wholeness. In the traditional Wiccan lunar prayer called “The Charge of the Goddess,” it states that “[the goddess] is from the beginning and she is that which is attained at the end of desire.” In other words, she is all encompassing. The rune is telling you that what you seek is really a part of what you already are, in your essence. It is time to stop looking outside of yourself for fulfillment—it is right here, right now. The questioner should know that only he or she an create wholeness in their life. They know what parts are missing and how to fill in the gaps.
Aligning with Sowelu
What You’ll Need:
• Your usual circle-casting tools
• Recommended essential oil: Lotus
• A 5–6 inch white taper candle
For this simple ritual, it would be best to use lotus essential oil, which aligns with the 7th chakra and Sowelu. If you do not have access to this essential oil, simply practice this alignment without it.
Cast your circle as usual. Then, using your white- handled knife, carve the symbol for Sowelu into the white candle. Anoint it with the essential oil, light it, and silently contemplate the meaning of the rune. Dip your right middle finger into the lotus oil and then draw the symbol for Sowelu on your crown chakra.
Close your eyes and imagine that a brilliant white light etches the symbol Sowelu into your crown chakra. The spiritual essence of this rune then permeates your entire being. Feel the vibration of this rune throughout your body.
When you are finished, close the circle and extinguish the candle.
Living Sowelu
For the day, live by the principle of Sowelu by doing things that evoke a sense of wholeness for you. Meditate. Walk along the edge of some body of water. Take a hot bath by candlelight. Read a detective novel. Listen to the wind chimes on your porch. Drink a cup of tea.
Day 336
Hagal’s Eight: Eihwaz
Literal Meaning: Movement, progress, horse
Interpretive Meaning: Eihwaz reminds us to think before we act. Karma is more than a fancy word. It means that everything we do has repercussions. We are all linked together; as Chief Seattle said, “Man did not weave the web of life, but is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.”89 The questioner should keep in mind that whatever action he takes will come back to him eventually. Is action really necessary right now? It would be wise for him to examine his desire for action and contemplate the possible consequences.
Aligning with Eihwaz
What You’ll Need:
• Your usual circle-casting tools
• Recommended essential oil: Anise
• A 5–6 purple taper candle
For this simple ritual, it would be best to use anise essential oil, as it aligns with the 6th chakra and Eihwaz. If you do not have access to this essential oil, simply practice this alignment without it.
Cast your circle as usual. Then, using your white- handled knife, carve the symbol for Eihwaz into the purple candle. Anoint it with the essential oil, light it, and silently contemplate the meaning of the rune. Dip your right middle finger into the anise oil and then draw the symbol for Eihwaz on your third-eye chakra (at the center of your brow).
Close your eyes and imagine that a brilliant purple light etches the symbol Eihwaz into your third- eye chakra. The spiritual essence of this rune then permeates your entire being. Feel the vibration of this rune throughout your body.
When you are finished, close the circle and extinguish the candle.
Living Eihwaz
For the day, live by the principle of Eihwaz by taking the time to think before you act. Contemplate the possible outcomes of your action and then decide if the action you might take is warranted.
Day 337
Hagal’s Eight: Hagalaz
Literal Meaning: Disruptive natural forces, hail, sleet
Interpretive Meaning: Hagalaz is the rune of freedom. Hagalaz asks the questioner to break free from existing patterns, for this is exactly what keeps the situation at hand from growth. Instead of viewing his or her actions to make change as perfunctory, they might view them as necessary to break through to the world of spirit. Spirit needs to infuse the situation at hand and the questioner’s actions will guide spirit into the right direction.
Aligning with Hagalaz
What You’ll Need:
• Your usual circle-casting tools
• Recommended essential oil: Frankincense
• A 5–6 inch blue taper candle
For this simple ritual, it would be best to use frankincense essential oil, which aligns with the 5th chakra and Hagalaz. If you do not have access to this essential oil, simply practice this alignment without it.
Cast your circle as usual. Then, using your white- handled knife, carve the symbol for Hagalaz into the blue candle. Anoint it with the essential oil, light it, and silently contemplate the meaning of the rune. Dip your right middle finger into the frankincense oil and then draw the symbol for Hagalaz on your throat chakra.
Close your eyes and imagine that a brilliant blue light etches the symbol Hagalaz into your throat chakra. The spiritual essence of this rune then permeates your entire being. Feel the vibration of this rune throughout your body.
When you are finished, close the circle and extinguish the candle.
Living Hagalaz
For the day, live by the principle of Hagalaz by studying each situation of your life to determine if it is “stuck” or inhibited from growth. What are you doing to contribute to growth and movement or not? Take steps that do not impede the flow of life’s action.
Day 338
Hagal’s Eight: Algiz
Literal Meaning: Elk, protection, defense
Interpretive Meaning: Algiz asks the questioner to examine their emotional life thoroughly. Are emotions influencing the situation right now? Instead of trying to hide, it is best if they stand still and bravely face their internal turmoil. That is not to say that they should act on what it is they face within themselves. Instead of visiting their turmoil on others, they should simply view the internal drama without getting caught up in it. Remember that timing is everything. The questioner should try not to allow feelings to influence appropriate timing.
Aligning with Algiz
What You’ll Need:
• Your usual circle-casting tools
• Recommended essential oil: Lavender
• A 5–6 inch green taper candle
For this simple ritual, use lavender essential oil, which aligns with the 4th chakra and Algiz. If you do not have access to this essential oil, simply practice this alignment without it.
Cast your circle as usual. Then, using your white- handled knife, carve the symbol for Algiz into the green candle. Anoint it with the essential oil, light it, and silently contemplate the meaning of the rune. Dip your right middle finger into the lavender oil and then draw the symbol for Algiz on your heart chakra. You may wish to remove your shirt, blouse, or robe for this magical inscription.
Close your eyes and imagine that a brilliant green light etches the symbol Algiz into your heart chakra. The spiritual essence of this rune then permeates your entire being. Feel the vibration of this rune throughout your body.
When you are finished, close the circle and extinguish the candle.
Living Algiz
For the day, live by the principle of Algiz by considering your timing. Are you rushing to meet deadlines? Or are you allowing the natural timetable of things to emerge? Remember that no one is forcing you to rush around in your life. Make room for natural timing today.
Day 339
Hagal’s Eight: Jera
Literal Meaning: Harvest, year
Interpretive Meaning: Jera has arrived on the scene as a harbinger of good news. Jera lets the questioner know that the fruits of his labor are at hand. However, it is important for the questioner to remain patient and to wait for the proper season in order to reap his harvest. Cultivate the situation carefully and watch for signs of full ripening.
Aligning with Jera
What You’ll Need:
• Your usual circle-casting tools
• Recommended essential oil: Carnation
• A 5–6 inch yellow taper candle
For this ritual, use carnation essential oil, which aligns with the 3rd chakra and Jera. If you do not have access to this essential oil, simply practice this alignment without it.
Cast your circle as usual. Then, using your white-handled knife, carve the symbol for Jera into the yellow candle. Anoint it with the essential oil, light it, and silently contemplate the meaning of the rune. Dip your right middle finger into the carnation oil and then draw the symbol for Jera on your solar-plexus chakra. You may wish to remove your shirt, blouse, or robe for this magical inscription.
Close your eyes and imagine that a brilliant yellow light etches the symbol Jera into your solar plexus. The spiritual essence of this rune then permeates your entire being. Feel the vibration of this rune throughout your body.
When you are finished, close the circle and extinguish the candle.
Living Jera
For the day, live by the principle of Jera by taking an optimistic frame of mind. No matter the difficulty of your circumstances, try to see what else might be beneficial, joyful, humorous, sweet or light in your life. Try to make the best of any situation today—with a cheerful attitude. Hey, why not? Note if this optimistic approach to things makes any changes in your life circumstances.
Day 340
Hagal’s Eight: Perth
Literal Meaning: Secret, initiation
Interpretive Meaning: Perth is the rune of secrets, hidden or spiritual forces at play in the circumstances of the questioner’s life. It is best if guidance is sought from the realm of spirit. Now is the time to look for a sign. Also, the questioner’s current situation is initiatory. Karma is at work here; perhaps there are influences from lifetimes unknown to the questioner. The outcome may shock or displease in some way, but it will inevitably bring about the greater good and highest learning.
Aligning with Perth
What You’ll Need:
• Your usual circle-casting tools.
• Recommended essential oil: Gardenia
• A 5-6 inch orange taper candle
For this ritual, use gardenia essential oil, which aligns with the 2nd chakra and Perth. If you do not have access to this essential oil, simply practice this alignment without it.
Cast your circle as usual. Then, using your white-handled knife, carve the symbol for Perth into the orange candle. Anoint it with the essential oil, light it, and silently contemplate the meaning of the rune. Dip your right middle finger into the gardenia oil and then draw the symbol for Perth on your pelvic chakra. You may wish to remove your clothing for this magical inscription.
Close your eyes and imagine that a brilliant orange light etches the symbol Perth into your pelvic chakra. The spiritual essence of this rune then permeates your entire being. Feel the vibration of this rune throughout your body.
When you are finished, close the circle and extinguish the candle.
Living Perth
For the day, live by the principle of Perth by seeking signs of the divine manifesting in your daily activities. If you have a difficulty in your life, ask the gods for a guiding sign and then look for their answer in the world around you.
Day 341
Hagal’s Eight: Nauthiz
Literal Meaning: Need, constraint
Interpretive Meaning: Nauthiz is the rune of constraint. The rune asks the questioner to examine his current restrictions. Are his limits actual, real? From where have these constraints come? What is his participation in the limitations he faces? The universe asks that the questioner deeply contemplate those aspects of the self that appear to bind him. He should not look outward to the situation at hand, but inward to his own limitations and shadows as he responds to life.
Aligning with Nauthiz
What You’ll Need:
• Your usual circle-casting tools
• Recommended essential oil: Cedar
• A 5–6 inch red taper candle
For this ritual, use cedar essential oil, which aligns with the 1st chakra and Nauthiz. If you do not have access to this essential oil, simply practice this alignment without it.
Cast your circle as usual. Then, using your white-handled knife, carve the symbol for Nauthiz into the red candle. Anoint it with the essential oil, light it, and silently contemplate the meaning of the rune. Dip your right middle finger into the cedar oil and then draw the symbol for Nauthiz on your root chakra. You may wish to remove your clothing for this magical inscription.
Close your eyes and imagine that a brilliant red light etches the symbol Nauthiz into your root chakra. The spiritual essence of this rune then permeates your entire being. Feel the vibration of this rune throughout your body.
When you are finished, close the circle and extinguish the candle.
Living Nauthiz
For the day, live by the principle of Nauthiz by staying alert to your own participation in the limitations of your life. Are you really a victim? Have you no responsibility in your current situations? Try to break out of the patterns of behavior that you normally take to arrive at a new outcome in your life.
Day 342
Hagal’s Eight: Isa
Literal Meaning: Ice, freezing, standstill
Interpretive Meaning: Isa is the rune of winter and of gestation. When Isa is selected, the energy of the questioner’s life (or current situation) is frozen; action may not be likely or feasible now. Or, movement in the situation may simply not be visible at this time. The questioner should view the current time as a period of rest; he or she should take the example of the bear who hibernates in winter. The questioner should be patient; all seasons turn and winter melts to spring.
Aligning with Isa
What You’ll Need:
• Your usual circle-casting tools
• Recommended essential oil: None
• A 5–6 inch taper candle (choose any color that represents “winter” to you)
There is no chakra alignment for Isa. This is because internal movement, such as that indicated by Isa, is one of the divine mysteries. It belongs to all chakras and to none. It seems to have its own timing. For this simple ritual you will use an essential oil or some other fragrant oil that represents this internal movement to you. Similarly you will use a small taper candle that has a color that you associate with internalized workings.
Cast your circle as usual. Then, using your white-handled knife, carve the symbol for Isa into the candle. Anoint it with the essential oil, light it, and silently contemplate the meaning of the rune. Dip your right middle finger into the essential oil. With your eyes closed, allow your hand to move of its own accord. Do not edit the movement of your hand. Eventually your finger will settle on a part of the body that for you aligns with Isa. It could be anywhere, so be ready for this. Now draw the symbol for Isa on your body.
Close your eyes and imagine that the energy of Isa permeates your entire being. Feel the vibration of this rune throughout your body.
When you are finished, close the circle and extinguish the candle.
Living Isa
For the day, live by the principle of Isa by examining your internal life. What’s going on inside of you? What has gone dormant? What is frozen, at a stand-still? Take time to honor those things that require dormancy by taking non-action at this time. Lie low and allow nature to take its own course.
Day 343
Casting Hagal’s Eight
Gather together all eight of Hagal’s eight runes. Turn them over so that you cannot see their inscriptions. Stir the runes with your left hand while you look skyward. Think of a question about which you would like some insight. Hold both hands over the runes, look skyward, and say:
Guide my hand with the hand of fate,
Goddess drawn from Hagal’s eight!
Draw a single rune for your answer. Make the connection between your question and the rune symbol. Now take action based on the insight you receive.
Day 344
Tyr’s Eight: Dagaz
Literal Meaning: Day, light, breakthrough
Interpretive Meaning: Dagaz is the rune that denotes both awakening and breakthrough. The rune signifies that the questioner has arrived at a life-altering realization about the situation at hand. Whether or notone chooses to act on this realization is another matter. Change is difficult. However, once light has been cast on the situation and he can clearly see what is before one, it is senseless to turn away from such knowledge. Therefore insight is not always pleasant, but it should inform action.
Aligning with Dagaz
What You’ll Need:
• Your usual circle-casting tools
• Recommended essential oil: Lotus
• A 5–6 inch white taper candle
As with the other rune rituals of the 7th chakra, you will use lotus essential oil. If you do not have access to this essential oil, simply practice this alignment without it.
Cast your circle as usual. Then, using your white-handled knife, carve the symbol for Dagaz into the white candle. Anoint it with the essential oil, light it, and silently contemplate the meaning of the rune. Dip your right middle finger into the lotus oil and then draw the symbol for Dagaz on your crown chakra.
Close your eyes and imagine that a brilliant white light etches the symbol Dagaz into your crown chakra. The spiritual essence of this rune then permeates your entire being. Feel the vibration of this rune throughout your body.
When you are finished, close the circle and extinguish the candle.
Living Dagaz
For the day, live by the principle of Dagaz by considering what you are avoiding. Whatever it is you avoid is a spiritual shadow that holds great power. Explore that shadow and cast light into your darkened corners.
Day 345
Tyr’s Eight: Inguz
Literal Meaning: Hero, fertility
Interpretive Meaning: Inguz is the symbol for new beginnings. It suggests that the questioner should allow the intuitive process to guide him. Through the intuitive process, he or she can align their personal will with the universal flow of nature. It may mark the beginning of some new path, a new way of thinking, of feeling or of approaching life. Once he or she clears away the old, restrictive patterns of his or her life, newness can more easily emerge.
Aligning with Inguz
What You’ll Need:
• Your usual circle-casting tools
• Recommended essential oil: Anise
• A 5–6 inch purple taper candle
As with the other rune rituals of the 6th chakra, you will use anise essential oil. If you do not have access to this essential oil, simply practice this alignment without it.
Cast your circle as usual. Then, using your white-handled knife, carve the symbol for Inguz into the purple candle. Anoint it with the essential oil, light it, and silently contemplate the meaning of the rune. Dip your right middle finger into the anise oil and then draw the symbol for Inguz on your third-eye chakra (at the center of your brow).
Close your eyes and imagine that a brilliant purple light etches the symbol Inguz into your third eye chakra. The spiritual essence of this rune then permeates your entire being. Feel the vibration of this rune throughout your body.
When finished, close the circle and extinguish the candle.
Living Inguz
For the day, live by the principle of Inguz by sitting still and feeling the movement of your own body, the air that you breathe, and the movement of the world around you. Look through old photos and see how your life has transitioned over the years.
Day 346
Tyr’s Eight: Laguz
Literal Meaning: Water, sea
Interpretive Meaning: Laguz is a rune that aligns with the element of water. Laguz appears in a reading to let the questioner know that there are powerful and unseen flows of energy at work in his current situation. He needs to learn not to personalize the usual movements of life, and the comings and goings of people. In the matter at hand, he is perhaps only playing a part in much bigger workings. This rune also signifies a time for cleansing the spirit through reevaluation and deep meditation.
Aligning with Laguz
What You’ll Need:
• Your usual circle-casting tools
• Recommended essential oil: Frankincense
• A 5–6 inch blue taper candle
As with the other rune rituals of the 5th chakra, you will use frankincense essential oil. If you do not have access to this essential oil, simply practice this alignment without it.
Cast your circle as usual. Then, using your white-handled knife, carve the symbol for Laguz into the blue candle. Anoint it with the essential oil, light it, and silently contemplate the meaning of the rune. Dip your right middle finger into the frankincense oil and then draw the symbol for Laguz on your throat chakra.
Close your eyes and imagine that a brilliant blue light etches the symbol Laguz into your throat chakra. The spiritual essence of this rune then permeates your entire being. Feel the vibration of this rune throughout your body.
When finished, close the circle and extinguish the candle.
Living Laguz
For the day, live by the principle of Laguz by allowing other people’s concerns to come before your own. Set your issues and interests aside and allow your partner, your children, your friends, and family to come first.
Day 347
Tyr’s Eight: Mannaz
Literal Meaning: Man, human race, self
Interpretive Meaning: Mannaz represents the self. Interestingly, the element of Mannaz (as with Laguz) is water. The rune suggests that the questioner will function best by learning to be adaptive and fluid (like water) in his current situation. Mannaz proposes the question, “Who are you?” Are you what other people say you are? Are you what you say about yourself? What makes you a self in the first place? Probing these mysteries will deepen the questioner’s wisdom and ability to face her or his life circumstances.
Aligning with Mannaz
What You’ll Need:
• Your usual circle-casting tools
• Recommended essential oil: Lavender
• A 5–6 inch green taper candle
As with the other rune rituals of the 4th chakra, you will use lavender essential oil. If you do not have access to this essential oil, simply practice this alignment without it.
Cast your circle as usual. Then, using your white-handled knife, carve the symbol for Mannaz into the green candle. Anoint it with the essential oil, light it, and silently contemplate the meaning of the rune. Dip your right middle finger into the lavender oil and then draw the symbol for Mannaz on your heart chakra. You may wish to remove your shirt, blouse, or robe for this magical inscription.
Close your eyes and imagine that a brilliant green light etches the symbol Mannaz into your heart chakra. The spiritual essence of this rune then permeates your entire being. Feel the vibration of this rune throughout your body.
When finished, close the circle and extinguish the candle.
Living Mannaz
For the day, live by the principle of Mannaz by questioning your existence. What or who are you? Explore this deeply through writing, meditation, and discussion with magical friends. Act as water does by flowing naturally, impersonally, in each circumstance.
Day 348
Tyr’s Eight: Teiwaz
Literal Meaning: Harvest, year
Interpretive Meaning: Teiwaz is the rune of the spiritual warrior, or perhaps it is like certain aspects of the crone or sage. This rune represents someone who is able to cut away the dross, the excess, in their life without regard for any sentimental attachment. Teiwaz suggests that the questioner cut loose in two ways. First it asks himor her to cut loose from whatever may be holding them back at this time. It also asks them to cut loose from anything to which they may be clinging. Now is the time to release their grip on the situation and allow the natural outcome to emerge. The questioner is asked to bear in mind the principles of cause and effect. Natural consequences follow actions—that may either benefit them or not.
Aligning with Teiwaz
What You’ll Need:
• Your usual circle-casting tools
• Recommended essential oil: Carnation
• A 5-6 inch yellow taper candle
As with the other rune rituals of the 3rd chakra, you will use carnation essential oil. If you do not have access to this essential oil, simply practice this alignment without it.
Cast your circle as usual. Then, using your white-handled knife, carve the symbol for Teiwaz into the yellow candle. Anoint it with the essential oil, light it, and silently contemplate the meaning of the rune. Dip your right middle finger into the carnation oil and then draw the symbol for Teiwaz on your solar-plexus chakra. You may wish to remove your shirt, blouse, or robe for this magical inscription.
Close your eyes and imagine that a brilliant yellow light etches the symbol Teiwaz into your solar-plexus chakra. The spiritual essence of this rune then permeates your entire being. Feel the vibration of this rune throughout your body.
When finished, close the circle and extinguish the candle.
Living Teiwaz
For the day, live by the principle of Teiwaz by releasing your hold on your life situation. Contemplate how you might be investing time, energy, and effort into specific outcomes for your life. Are your particular outcomes really necessary? Explore what would happen if none of your life turned out as you had planned.
Day 349
Tyr’s Eight: Ehwaz
Literal Meaning: Horse, course of the sun, movement
Interpretive Meaning: The rune Ehwaz symbolizes a horse, and it is the rune of movement and transition. If this rune trots your way, it suggests that the questioner should prepare for transition or change in the current situation. All things change and develop over time; nothing remains static. The questioner may mistakenly grasp at a moment, but as soon as he or she believes the moment is caught, it has gone. No matter the current status of her or his life, the questioner should know that “this too shall pass.”
Aligning with Ehwaz
What You’ll Need:
• Your usual circle-casting tools.
• Recommended essential oil: Gardenia
• A 5–6 inch orange taper candle
As with the other rune rituals of the 2nd chakra, you will use gardenia essential oil. If you do not have access to this essential oil, simply practice this alignment without it.
Cast your circle as usual. Then, using your white-handled knife, carve the symbol for Ehwaz into the orange candle. Anoint it with the essential oil, light it, and silently contemplate the meaning of the rune. Dip your right middle finger into the gardenia oil and then draw the symbol for Ehwaz on your pelvic chakra. You may wish to remove your clothing for this magical inscription.
Close your eyes and imagine that a brilliant orange light etches the symbol Ehwaz into your pelvic chakra. The spiritual essence of this rune then permeates your entire being. Feel the vibration of this rune throughout your body.
When finished, close the circle and extinguish the candle.
Living Ehwaz
For the day, live by the principle of Ehwaz by spending time feeling the movements of your own body. Begin with body parts in isolation, such as the hand or the fingers. Feel how they move and transition from one position to another. Begin to combine the isolated parts and see how the body moves fluidly as it transitions from one posture to another. Notice that the body never maintains one posture for long. Neither does life. Ehwaz is teaching you about the activity inherent in each moment—no matter how quiet that moment may be.
Day 350
Tyr’s Eight: Berkana
Literal Meaning: Birch tree, growth
Interpretive Meaning: Berkana is the symbol of the birch tree, of growth and ripening. The questioner should focus attention on what it is he or she has in life. He or she should try not to focus in on what is missing or what has been lost. This is a rune of hope; the seeds that were planted are already beginning to root.
Aligning with Berkana
What You’ll Need:
• Your usual circle-casting tools
• Recommended essential oil: Cedar
• A 5–6 inch red taper candle
As with the other rune rituals of the 1st chakra, you will use cedar essential oil. If you do not have access to this essential oil, simply practice this alignment without it.
Cast your circle as usual. Then, using your white-handled knife, carve the symbol for Berkana into the red candle. Anoint it with the essential oil, light it, and silently contemplate the meaning of the rune. Dip your right middle finger into the cedar oil and then draw the symbol for Berkana on your root chakra. You may wish to remove your clothing for this magical inscription.
Close your eyes and imagine that a brilliant red light etches the symbol Berkana into your root chakra. The spiritual essence of this rune then permeates your entire being. Feel the vibration of this rune throughout your body.
When finished, close the circle and extinguish the candle.
Living Berkana
For the day, live by the principle of Berkana by assessing what it is you have in your life. Count your blessings and hold a small ceremony that gives thanks for them. Thank people who have contributed to your life—even in small ways.
Day 351
Tyr’s Eight: Othila
Literal Meaning: Home, possessions, retreat
Interpretive Meaning: This is the rune of separation. When Othila appears in the reading, it does so to remind the questioner to recognize the appropriateness of endings. All things must end, so says Othila. And when this rune appears, the questioner should expect an end to the current situation. It may also mean that you he learning how to grapple with closure in the situation. It asks the questioner to step aside so that the natural processes already set in motion can come to completion.
Aligning with Othila
What You’ll Need:
• Your usual circle-casting tools
• Recommended essential oil: none
• A 5–6 inch taper candle (choose any color that represents “closure” or “endings” to you)
There is no chakra alignment for Othila. This is because the archetypal energy expressed in the concept of endings is universal. It belongs to all chakras and to none. So, for this simple ritual, you will use an essential oil or some other fragrant oil that represents or expresses the concept of endings to you. Similarly you will use a small taper candle that has a color that you associate with endings. Use your imagination!
Cast your circle as usual. Then, using your white-handled knife, carve the symbol for Othila into the candle. Anoint it with the essential oil, light it, and silently contemplate the meaning of the rune. Dip your right middle finger into the essential oil. With your eyes closed, allow your hand to move of its own accord. Do not edit the movement of your hand. Eventually your finger will settle on a part of the body that for you aligns with Othila. It could be anywhere, so be ready for this. Now draw the symbol for Othila on your body.
Close your eyes and imagine that the energy of Othila permeates your entire being. Feel the vibration of this rune throughout your body.
When finished, close the circle and extinguish the candle.
Living Othila
For the day, live by the principle of Othila by living your day with the knowledge that each moment is an ending. You will not get back the time that you have already spent. How will you best live your day with this knowledge? Stop procrastinating! Finish tasks that are incomplete.
Day 352
Casting Tyr’s Eight
Gather together all of Tyr’s eight runes. Turn them over so that you cannot see their inscriptions. Stir the runes with your left hand while you look skyward. Think of a question about which you would like some insight. Hold both hands over the runes, look skyward, and say:
Guide my hand with the hand of fate,
Goddess drawn from Tyr’s eight!
Draw a single rune for your answer. Make the connection between your question and the rune symbol. Now take action based on the insight you receive.
Day 353
Casting All the Runes
Casting the runes is a creative process that involves both the mechanical means of divination as well as the intuitive process. There is a wide range of methods available to rune readers. Below I have shown a spread that rune readers most commonly use.
The Action Rune Spread
Turn all of the runes over so that you cannot see any markings. Lay them in front of you in a large grouping. Have the questioner think of a situation—not a question—that needs clarity and a new understanding. Have the questioner draw three rune-stones, one at a time. The first one she picks represents the current situation. This rune does not offer a solution, but it sheds light on the deeper workings beneath the visible situation. The second rune represents the action that the situation requires. The third rune represents the outcome if the questioner takes the action suggested by the runes.
The Elemental Rune Spread
As you did with the action rune spread, lay all of the runes with their designs face down. Have the questioner think of a situation and then draw four runes, one at a time. Place the first rune at the top. This represents the element of earth. The earth rune represents the way the situation presents itself in the here and now. It is the current manifestation of the situation.
Place the second rune below and to the right of the first rune. This rune is the rune of air. The air rune represents the questioner’s thoughts and ideas about the situation. It could also represent any first actions that have already taken place in the situation. Place the third rune below and to the left of the first rune. This represents the element of water. The water rune shows the questioner’s feelings surrounding the situation. It may also represent the questioner’s dreams or intuitions up to this point. Place the final rune directly below the other three, in a straight line with the first rune. This is the fire rune, which represents the action that the questioner needs to take in order to successfully approach/resolve the situation.
Try one complete rune reading today for yourself. When you feel confident with one of the methods, try casting the runes for a magical partner or for a friend.
Day 354
Using the Runes in Magic
As you learned over the past several days, the runes carry their own magic, their own energies. You can put these energies to use by incorporating the runes in your spellwork. (See list of magical associations and powers on page 365.) There are several ways to do this.
• Draw runes on candles, or on parchment paper that you bless; you can even carry or wear your runes in order to draw specific circumstances into your life
• Use your athame to ritually draw runes in the air to invoke their powers
• Inscribe runes above doorways to summon their energies
• Do “instant magic” by visualizing glowing in front of you a rune that you choose for a specific purpose
• Try one of these techniques today in order to help you experience the power of the runes
Magical Associations & Powers of the Runes
Here are some of the magical associations and powers of the runes.
|
Rune Name |
Sigil |
Magical Power |
Astrological Symbol |
|
Fehu |
|
Wealth, comfort |
Aries |
|
Uruz |
|
Strength, healing |
Taurus |
|
Thurisaz |
|
Opens locked doors, stops enemies |
Gemini |
|
Ansuz |
|
Wisdom, communication |
Cancer |
|
Raido |
|
Protection in travel |
Leo |
|
Kano |
|
Heals wounds |
Virgo |
|
Gebo |
|
For relationships |
Libra |
|
Wunjo |
|
Joy, happiness |
Scorpio |
|
Hagalaz |
|
Reverses spells |
Sagittarius |
|
Nauthiz |
|
Transforms troubles, lightens the heart |
Capricorn |
|
Isa |
|
Changes the tides, reverses the current situation |
Aquarius |
|
Rune Name |
Sigil |
Magical Power |
Astrological Symbol |
|
Jera |
|
Brings desires through a natural cycle |
Pisces |
|
Eihwaz |
|
Love, lust |
Pisces |
|
Perth |
|
Reveals secrets, keeps secrets |
Aquarius |
|
Algiz |
|
Charms animal spirits |
Capricorn |
|
Sowelu |
|
Solar magic, draws on the power of the sun |
Sagittarius |
|
Teiwaz |
|
Brings courage to the heart |
Scorpio |
|
Berkana |
|
New beginnings |
Libra |
|
Ehwaz |
|
Creates movement in your current circumstances |
Virgo |
|
Mannaz |
|
Adaptation |
Leo |
|
Laguz |
|
Commands the seas |
Cancer |
|
Inguz |
|
Fertility |
Gemini |
|
Dagaz |
|
Breakthroughs, insight |
Taurus |
|
Othila |
|
Peace of mind |
Aries |
Day 355
Numerology
Numerology is the study of mystical relationships between numbers and the spiritual properties of objects and living things. The great megalithic stone rings, which appear to indicate early man’s mathematical knowledge of solar activity, pay tribute to the fact that numbers and their symbolic meaning must have been important to humans long before history or even numbers were ever written.
Pythagoras, the ancient Greek mathematician, was the first in our Western history to speculate freely in his writings about the mystical qualities of numbers. Pythagoras held to literal beliefs that the universe was composed of numbers. He also felt that the number 1 was the ancestor from which all other numbers were derived. It was also Pythagoras who proposed that odd numbers were male in their energy, while even numbers were essentially female.
Over the course of history, western occultists elaborated on Pythagoras’ mystical arithmetical ideas. The Hebrew esoteric traditions of the Qabalah also played their part in the evolution of the numerology most commonly practiced in Western cultures today. Our system maintains that the nine primary numbers are each imbued with occult powers. The numbers are all associated with English language letters. Each of the numbers (and, therefore, the letters) symbolically links to planets, natural elements, and divinatory meanings. When it comes to the English alphabet, occultists over the centuries have tried to devise universal methods for number-letter association. Although there has never been full agreement across all magical disciplines, most modern occultists rely on the simplest and most readily understandable method called the Serial English-Qabalah.
Here are the number/letter combinations of this system:
|
A = 1 |
J = 10 = 1 |
S = 19 = 1 |
|
B = 2 |
K = 11 = 2 |
T = 20 = 2 |
|
C = 3 |
L = 12 = 3 |
U = 21 = 3 |
|
D = 4 |
M = 13 = 4 |
V = 22 = 4 |
|
E = 5 |
N = 14 = 5 |
W = 23 = 5 |
|
F = 6 |
O = 15 = 6 |
X = 24 = 6 |
|
G = 7 |
P = 16 = 7 |
Y = 25 = 7 |
|
H = 8 |
Q = 17 = 8 |
Z = 26 = 8 |
|
I = 9 |
R = 18 = 9 |
To arrive at these numbers, each letter was first placed in its usual sequence and then numbered. Double-digit numbers assigned to letters (which is every letter above the ninth) are added up to arrive at a final single digit. For example, the letter R is the eighteenth letter of the alphabet. Add together the numbers 1 and 8 and you arrive at the single digit of 9.
The entire system of numerology is based on these same numeral-reducing principles. Each word in the English language has numerical associations. When you add the single digits together, you can reduce multiple-digit numbers into a single value. The only exception to this is if your name or word total adds up to a master number. The master numbers are never reduced. The master numbers are: 11, 22, and 33.
Numerology Example
Let’s use the name Mary as an example of how to set up a basic numerology chart.
Step 1: Associate each letter of a word with its numeric value.
M A R Y
4 1 9 7
Step 2: Add all of the digits together.
4+1+9+7=21
Step 3: Add together each digit of a multiple-digit number until you arrive at a single digit.
2+1=3
Therefore, the name Mary adds up to the num-ber 3.
Now let’s try with the name Timothy.
Step 1: Associate each letter of a word with its numeric value.
T I M O T H Y
2 9 4 6 2 8 7
Step 2: Add all of the digits together.
2+9+4+6+2+8+7= 38
Step 3: Add together each digit of a multiple-digit number until you arrive at a single digit.
3+8=11
Although you might initially suspect that the name Timothy should further reduce to the number 2 (by adding 1+1), it does not. That is because the name total arrived at a “master number,” which was 11.
Practice: I’ve Got Your Number
Try this technique with your own name and keep track of the numeric value of your first, middle, and last names. Then add them all together to create a single-digit number that represents your whole name.
Keep all of your notes and numbers for tomorrow’s practice.
Day 356
The General Meaning
of Numbers
Now that you have tried setting up your own numerology chart, let us look at what the numbers signify.
Number 1 Traits
Independent, original, pioneering, bossy, fiery, driven, goal-oriented, self-centered, masculine energy, courageous, determined, freedom-loving.
Number 2 Traits
Feminine energy, balanced, intuitive, cooperative, receptive, diplomatic, loving, moody, ambivalent, indecisive, intelligent, process-oriented, circular in thinking and expression, relationship-oriented.
Number 3 Traits
Creative, expressive, good with written and spoken expression, enthusiastic, sociable, quick-minded and quick to speak, flirtatious, impractical, lighthearted, analytical, judgmental, scattered.
Number 4 Traits
Stable, solid, reliable, slow-minded but practical in thought, rational, grounded, clear-headed, strong work ethic, model citizen, disciplinarian, harsh, stubborn.
Number 5 Traits
Loves travel, resourceful, versatile, unpredictable, sometimes irresponsible, desires freedom and expansion, insatiable curiosity, impulsive, adventurous, loves speculation and gambling, risk-taking.
Number 6 Traits
Need for companionship, kind, tolerant, strives for peace and harmony, family-oriented, smothering, good sense of timing, can be argumentative.
Number 7 Traits
Thoughtful, considerate, analytical, spiritual, deep thinker, knowledge-seeking, dislike of manual labor, perfectionistic, down to earth, can easily recognize deception, attracted to animals.
Number 8 Traits
Just, self-disciplined, cautious, successful, lives by the Golden Rule, organized, interested in finances and monetary gain, executive material, power- hungry.
Number 9 Traits
Governed by love, humanistic, compassionate, selfless, a giver (sometimes unwisely), flexible, broadminded, forgiving, emotional or possibly indifferent, escapist tendencies.
Number 11 Traits
Spiritual revelation, idealism, emotionalism, visionary, feelings of futility, imperiousness, depression.
Number 22 Traits
Extroverted, financially stable, complete control, mastery, can be destructive and exploitative.
Number 33 Traits
Master teacher, worldly success, skillful, famous, perfect in relationships, can be oppressive, poor or misuse of power.
Check out the numbers for your first, middle, and last names. Then look at the names in combination. You are a unique blend of these numbers.
Day 357
The Birthpath
The birthpath is the numerological name for your destiny, or what it is you are here to do in this lifetime. The birthpath is easily calculated. Add together the month, day, and year of your birth. I have listed the numeric value of each month below.
|
January=1 |
May=5 |
September=9 |
|
February=2 |
June=6 |
October=10=1 |
|
March=3 |
July=7 |
November=11=2 |
|
April=4 |
August=8 |
December=12=3 |
Birthpath Example
Let us use December 21, 1985 as our example while you learn the steps for calculating the birthpath.
1) Lay out your birthdate on paper:
|
December |
21 |
1985 is the same as: |
|
12 |
21 |
1985 |
2) Add all of these digits together now:
1+2+2+1+1+9+8+5=29
3) Reduce the double digits (except master numbers) to a single digit: 2+9=11
You shouldn’t reduce this 11 further, unless the description of 11 does not seem to fit your life path or interests. If it does not, then reduce one more time: 1+1=2.
Try this with your own birth date to determine your birthpath number. Once you have your birthpath number, look up the meaning as described below.
Number 1 Birthpath
You are here to be a leader. Strike out boldly. It is the lifetime for you to do things independently. Express your originality. Teach people the “right way” to get things done.
Number 2 Birthpath
You are here to express and channel the goddess’ energy. Express kindness and nurturing to other people and to the planet. Teach others about getting in touch with their divine feminine and their gentility. Work as a relationship counselor, diplomat, or psychic. You’ll be a good parent.
Number 3 Birthpath
You are here to express yourself creatively. Don’t settle for any way of life that may hold back your creative juices. Write, act, create artistic masterpieces. Whatever you do, find some format to express your vision.
Number 4 Birthpath
You are here to explore a life of stability. Teach other people how to be as practical as you are. You will mostly teach others by your example. You are also here to show others how to use the mind rationally.
Number 5 Birthpath
You are here to explore life as an adventure. You feel best when you dig into life with no formal plans. Travel and unpredictability are in store for you, but this won’t worry you as you are freedom-loving and versatile.
Number 6 Birthpath
You are here to explore life through partnership and family. You will work best in partnership and your life is best realized when you have formed a solid relationship with a suitable life-partner. You will be drawn to having children and will most likely be a good parent.
Number 7 Birthpath
You are here to explore the spiritual side of things. You should look deeply into the nature of life and explore the spiritual mysteries of many different paths. Or you might be drawn to a life of asceticism or of monastic living. Since this may not be a viable choice for you, be sure to spend time each day exploring your spiritual nature.
Number 8 Birthpath
You are here to explore the world of material gain. Don’t fight it. Your interest in finances, monetary gain, and the power these things can bring is valid. Through this path you will learn how to be reasonable, fair-minded, and how to balance physical with spiritual needs.
Number 9 Birthpath
You are here to express your humanistic tendencies. You will be drawn to work and activities that allow you to give all that you can and to care for the needs of others. Be careful of giving beyond your means.
Number 11 Birthpath
You are here to express your ideals. You will be motivational to other people and some might say you are a visionary. You may not be very practical, but you will inspire those around you who will have the practical know-how. You are also here to learn to trust your psychic senses.
Number 22 Birthpath
You are here to work on behalf of the world community. You may think in terms of global concerns and you will most likely have the practical ability to express or even carry out large-scale plans. You are here to put the larger community ahead of your own concerns.
Number 33 Birthpath
You are here as a master teacher or guru. In this lifetime you can easily teach spiritual principles and your truth will change the lives of everyone who hears it. You are a force to be reckoned with. You are here to serve spiritually in a public life.
Day 358
Numerology and Magic
Numerology can also boost your magical work. Each number has a correspondence in color, magical stone, and planet. Here is how you can use numerology to boost your spells.
• Write down the purpose of your spell in one word—for example, “love,” “success,” “understanding,” etc.
• Analyze the numeric value of the spell’s es-sence—for example, “love” would be the num-ber 9, since it is a combination of 3+6+4+5)
• Choose a candle color and a gemstone, and use the appropriate planetary seal in the creation of your spell—for example, if you use the color gold, you could use an opal, and you would inscribe the sigil for the sun, either on your candle or anywhere else in your spell materials
Practice: Your Personal Correspondences
On the following page is a table of correspondences for each of the numbers. Practice analyzing your own name and determine the correspondences to your own energies. What are your stones, colors, and planetary energies? Also practice analyzing various words that you might use in your spellwork to determine their correspondences.
Day 359
More Numerology
Correspondences
On page 370 you will find additional correspondences to the numbers. After reviewing these, take time to analyze words that you might use in a spell and determine how you might incorporate the appropriate correspondences into your spellwork.
Practice: More Personal Correspondences
Practice analyzing your own name and determine the correspondences to your own energies. What are your herbs, gods, goddesses, and elemental energies? Try the technique for your birthpath as well. Find out the correspondences of friends and family members. Once you know their elemental energies, you can see how and why various people have harmonious relationships (or don’t). Here is a brief list of the energies that complement one another:
• Each element balances best with its own element (e.g., air with air, water with water).
• Male energies harmonize (e.g., air and fire) because both are active principles. The drawback is that air tends to fuel fire, so air might make fire angry. On the positive side, fire might feel stimulated by air. Air might feel depleted by fire, or air might feel as though it is the center of attention.
• The female elements of water and earth make another good pairing, because they are both receptive principles. However, water and earth make mud and these two can potentially lose their relational boundaries easily.
• Air is least harmonious with earth and water. Earth believes air is too flighty and insubstantial. Water wants to feel and air wants to think and analyze, so water will feel as though air is lacking in emotional depth.
• Fire harmonizes least with water and earth. Fire feels extinguished or grounded by both of these energies. Earth believes that fire is too energetic.
Basic Number Correspondences
Here is a basic table of correspondence for the numbers:
|
Number |
Color |
Gemstone |
Planet |
Metal |
|
1 |
red |
diamond |
Mars |
iron |
|
|
white, silver |
pearl, moonstone |
Moon |
silver |
|
3 |
yellow |
agate |
Mercury |
mercury |
|
4 |
black |
turquoise |
Saturn |
lead |
|
5 |
maroon |
opal |
Pluto |
steel |
|
6 |
pale green, pink, or blue |
sapphire |
Venus |
copper |
|
7 |
sea green |
bloodstone |
Neptune |
tin |
|
8 |
brown, green |
quartz crystals |
Earth |
copper |
|
9 |
bright blue |
amethyst |
Uranus |
platinum |
|
11 |
gold |
ruby |
Sun |
gold |
|
22 |
red-gold |
coral |
(none) |
none |
|
33 |
sky blue |
lapis lazuli |
(none) |
none |
Additional Number Correspondences
|
Number |
Herbs |
God Aspect |
Goddess Aspect |
Element |
|
1 |
basil, woodruff |
Mars |
Kali |
fire |
|
2 |
anise, orris root |
Pan |
Diana |
water |
|
3 |
fennel, lavender |
Hermes |
Athena |
air |
|
4 |
comfrey, mullein |
Cernunnos |
Demeter |
earth |
|
5 |
damiana, dragon’s blood |
Shiva |
Ereshkegal |
fire |
|
6 |
boneset, catnip |
Cupid |
Venus |
water |
|
7 |
mugwort, poppy |
Osiris |
Hecate |
water |
|
8 |
lovage, hyssop |
Faunus |
Gaia |
earth |
|
9 |
cinnamon, clove |
Dionysus |
Isis |
air |
|
11 |
chamomile, rosemary |
Helios, Zeus |
Kwan-Yin |
fire |
|
22 |
(fly agaric) |
See 4 |
all four |
|
|
33 |
(hemp) |
See 6 |
all four |
Day 360
Animal Powers
When most people think of a Witch, they can’t help but imagine her sidekick, the black cat. It is a fanciful image that actually digs up Witchcraft’s most ancient roots. The popular image of the black cat is one of the few direct remnants of the ancient shamanic practices that linked the animal and human worlds.
The oldest pagan rites are those reflected in the Paleolithic cave paintings that sprawl across the vast caverns of Lascaux and Trois Freres, France. There, within the depths of the earth, you will find enormous renderings of half-man, half-animal figures dancing and hunting. These images—among the oldest of religious iconography known to date—suggest that the earliest notions of the divine were tethered to the animal world. It is no accident that one of the first human instinct was to represent the divine in zoomorphic form. To the ready imagination animals appear to have powers beyond human limits. The task of the shaman was to tap into the spirit of the animal and harness its power for good. Each animal spirit was believed to bestow powers on human beings. For example, the bison brought the powers of endurance. Deer brought swiftness of foot. Hares could elude predators. Owls brought messages from the gods.
Buffalo, bison, elk, deer, and owls were among the most popular animal representations of the divine in ancient European cave art. In later periods of Old Europe, as we learned from anthropologist Marija Gimbutas, skilled artists symbolized the forces of the divine in such varied animal forms as frog, bee, snake, and bird—just to name a few.
It seems that the practice of linking the animal world to that of the divine was not limited to Europe. The most well-known and perhaps some of the most vivid, animal representations of the divine emerged from ancient Egypt. Their sacred beasts included hawks, cats, jackals, leopards, dogs, and many other creatures. Other places in the world where archeologists find evidence of animal deities include Australia, Mexico, throughout the continents of Asia, South America, and North America. There is evidence of animal-god symbolism in virtually every corner of the world inhabited by human beings.
How does this relate to Witches? What we know of the Witch’s familiar—the black cat, and other documented animal spirits—can be traced to extant tribal cultures across the globe that still venerate animal gods and spirits. Within these primal cultures, shamans maintain that each of us has an animal spirit dwelling within us. They sometimes refer to these animal spirits as “powers,” “dwellers,” or even “familiar spirits.” The Witch’s familiar is a direct link to these primal practices.
The records of the old European Witch trials show us perhaps not what real Witches believed, but what folk customs and beliefs had survived from ancient times. Accused Witches often made reference to the familiar spirits that would come to aid them in magic. Most often these familiars appeared to the accused in animal form, although some testimonies refer to unseen spirits. Clearly, it is more than coincidence that there are similarities between the Witch’s familiar spirit and those of tribal cultures.
In fact, psychoanalyst Carl Jung stated in Man and His Symbols that the animal spirit is an archetype. It is a cross-cultural symbol that represents the unconscious mind, which is wild, unfettered, and unlimited in its abilities. This, perhaps, is one explanation for the animal spirit as a reoccurring motif across cultures and history.
Animal Spirit Practices
Over the next several days we will explore two main types of familiars that are part of Wiccan practice. I have based the two types of familiars on the research of Margaret Murray, author of The Witch Cult in Western Europe. Through her in-depth studies of Witch trial transcripts, Murray explored the folk practices and beliefs of the pre-Christian Europeans. The two main types of familiars she found as constant themes were “domestic” and “divining” familiars.
The domestic familiar was the physical animal that magical workers kept in their presence as a tool of powerful magic. This was the black cat, ferret, owl, or other physical animal. The divining familiar was a spirit helper that could apparently change over time and directly linked to the animal spirit beliefs, customs, and practices of tribal people globally. This spiritual aspect of the familiar is what I call the familiar self.
Practice: Personal Animal Traits
Before you understand more about the familiar self, try today’s magical practice. Make a list of your personal traits, characteristics, and habits. Try not to edit the list. Once you are finished, try to look at the traits objectively to determine what kind of animal might closely resemble your traits. Make a short list of animals that you think might fit your profile. One mistake to avoid in this exercise is altering your traits so that you fit the profile of an animal you admire. Not everyone is a wolf, tiger, lion, or bear. Some of us might more closely resemble pigs, skunks, porcupines, or black widow spiders! Allow your reality to shine through fully, unedited.
Practice: Tracking the Familiar-Self
The familiar self is the animal spirit that resides within each of us. Your animal spirit lends you specific strengths, traits, and certain magical abilities. It also shapes the personality. Now that you have created a list of your personality traits, compare this list with the traits of various animals. If you don’t know much about the traits of animals in the wild, take a trip to the library and do some old-fashioned research, go to the zoo, or find an online resource that will help you to compare your personal traits to those of animals.
Through this comparison process, you can develop a list of potential animal candidates that might represent your familiar-self. Try not to consider the list of animals you’ve compiled as definitive. Although you may have certain traits similar to a specific animal, you may ultimately find a surprising animal spirit residing within. It happens, so stay open to the possibilities.
Day 361
Animal Spirit Oil and Incense
Now that you have developed a list of possible candidates for the familiar self, you will prepare for the final phase of discovery. In today’s practice, you will create an essential oil and incense blend that will help facilitate your discovery of the animal spirit in tomorrow’s ritual. Here is the formulary for your magical incense and oil.
Animal Spirit Oil
Blend the following oils and herbs into 1 ounce of safflower oil, grape seed oil, or vegetable glycerin:
• 3 drops patchouli essential oil
• 1 drop cinnamon essential oil
• 1 drop eucalyptus essential oil
• 5 drops vetiver or iris essential oil
• A pinch of dried patchouli
Animal Spirit Incense
• Handful of dried, powdered sandalwood
• 2 tablespoons dried patchouli leaf
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon bark (or powder)
To these dry ingredients, mix in 5 drops of vetiver or iris essential oil and 2 drops of eucalyptus essential oil.
Day 362
Discovering the Animal Power
What You’ll Need:
• Your usual circle-casting tools
• Animal spirit incense
• Animal Spirit Oil
• Blank paper and a pen or pencil
Cast your circle as usual. Sprinkle the animal power incense on a hot coal and allow it to smolder. Offer the incense at each of the four compass points of your circle: east, south, west, and north. As you offer the incense around the circle, say the following:
Bull-beggars, spirits, Witches,
Hags, Satyrs, Pans, Sylens,
Changelings, Dragons, Men of the Oak,
Open the way to the sacred hunt,
From thy thunder echo the voices of
Feather and fur, claw and talon.
Return the incense to the altar and then use your left hand to fan the smoke across your body. Carry your animal spirit essential oil blend to the east of your circle. Once there, face the perimeter of the circle. Anoint yourself with the oil at the base of the throat, saying:
I open to the voices of the animal world.
Repeat the oil anointing in the south of your circle. This time, dab the oil to your solar-plexus area, saying:
I open to the power of the animal world.
Repeat the oil anointing in the west of your circle. This time, dab the oil between your eyes at the center of the brow, saying:
I open to the wisdom of the animal world.
Repeat the oil anointing in the north of your circle. Dab the oil to your root chakra, saying:
I find my root in the animal world.
Now lie down on your back in the south of your circle with your feet pointed north and your head south. Anoint yourself with the essential oil on the insides of your elbows and the backs of your knees. Have a magical partner read the guided imagery provided below, or tape record it before your ritual and play it back now.
Reader:
Close your eyes and imagine that you stand before a great oak tree. Take several deep breaths, and, with each breath, imagine that your body becomes increasingly transparent. Now move close to the tree and walk into the trunk. You are now one with the tree.
Imagine that you travel down through the heavy roots of the tree as they descend through layers of sediment, rock, and soil. You follow the roots even more deeply into the dark, cold earth. Follow the roots until you come to their end, which places you inside a large cave. You cannot see anything before you, but you can sense the enormity of the cavern. Listen in silence and soon you will hear the noise of your animal spirit. What is this noise?
(Reader: pause for a moment.)
Follow the sound of the animal in the cave and know that you will not be harmed. The floor of the cave is smooth and soft. There are no obstructions in your way. Simply follow the sound in the dark. Soon you will feel something brush up against you. This is the feel of your animal spirit. How did it feel?
(Reader: pause for a moment.)
The animal spirit continues to summon you with its sound. Follow the sound and eventually you will catch the scent of your animal spirit. What is that scent?
(Reader: pause for a moment.)
Finally, you notice a speck of glowing light on the floor of the cave. As you approach the soft glow, you can see it is not a speck at all, but a large luminous symbol. This is the mark of the animal spirit. What is this symbol? Remember it for future reference. Reach down and touch the glowing symbol and the cave crumbles around you to reveal a landscape. Where are you? Is this the beach? Is this the desert? A forest? A mountain top?
Wherever you are, begin to explore the terrain. Soon you will encounter a single animal. This is your animal power, your familiar self. Greet the animal power and ask its name.
(Reader: pause for a moment.)
It is now time to return to the upper world. Thank the animal spirit for revealing itself and bid it farewell. Soon the vision of the landscape and the animal fades and you find yourself back inside the cave holding on to the oak tree root. The root seems to quickly draw you back to the upper trunk. Step out of the trunk and then watch your body as it becomes visible and solid again.
Once you are ready, open your eyes and write down what it was you saw. Write down the animal power you found, write its name, and draw its symbol.
Close your circle as usual.
Day 363
The Animal Spirit’s Magic
What You’ll Need:
• Animal spirit incense
• Animal spirit oil
• Blank paper and a pen or pencil
Now that you have found your way to the sha-manic lowerworld, you can return any time you like by following the roots of the oak tree. That is where you will find the animal spirit whenever you seek contact. You do not need to cast a circle for future trips to the lower world. Now that you have found your way, you do not need the safety of the magic circle. However, I do recommend that you anoint yourself at the backs of the knees and the insides of the elbows with animal power oil. For added boost to your lowerworld journeys, you can also burn animal power incense.
Today, you will return to the lower world to learn about your familiar-self’s magic. Have a magical partner read the following guided imagery or tape record it and play it back when you are ready.
Reader:
Close your eyes and imagine that you stand before a great oak tree. Take several deep breaths and, with each breath imagine that your body becomes increasingly transparent. Now, move close to the tree and walk into the trunk. You are now one with the tree.
Follow the heavy roots of the tree as they descend through layers of sediment, rock, and soil. You follow the roots even more deeply into the dark, cold earth. Follow the roots until you come to their end, which sets you inside a large cave. You cannot see anything before you, but you can sense the enormity of the cavern.
Eventually, as you stand in the darkness of the cave, you spot the glowing mark or symbol of the animal spirit. Walk toward it, reach down, and touch the glowing symbol, and watch the cave as it crumbles around you to reveal the animal spirit’s landscape. Your animal power is waiting there for you.
Ask the animal spirit what magical power it lends to you.
(Reader: pause for a moment.)
Now ask the animal spirit what drawbacks it brings to your life.
(Reader: pause for a moment.)
Finally, ask the familiar spirit for a chant or a word of power that you might use to summon your animal’s power.
Once you are ready to leave the lowerworld, bid the animal power farewell. When you do this, the cave will surround you once more. Reach up and you will find the root of the oak tree. Follow it back to the upper realm. Step out of the tree trunk. Open your eyes and write down what you were told.
Whenever you need the animal spirit’s power, use your chant or word of power. Do not share this word or chant with anyone else.
Practice: Animal Instinct
In tribal cultures throughout the world, the animal spirit—the familiar self—is a source of wisdom. Here is a method to use whenever you want to seek the advice of the familiar spirit on any matter.
To begin, take time to formulate your question. Try to ask open-ended questions, so that the wisdom of the familiar-self will not end with a simple yes or no. The familiar spirit may become frustrated if you do not allow it to express fully. Likewise it may become frustrated if you do not follow the advice it gives, so be prepared to follow whatever it is you hear. The familiar spirit has a good overview of life and gives answers that apply to the best resolution of your query over the long range. Even if the answer you receive does not seem to coincide with what is needed, follow the advice you receive. Over time, you will see how the familiar self has guided you toward your greater good.
What You’ll Need:
• Animal power incense
• Animal power oil
• Blank paper and a pen or pencil
Light the animal power incense and anoint yourself with the animal power oil. Close your eyes and return to the lower realm, as you have done before, by following the roots of the oak tree that you visualize. Follow the roots until you come to their end, which sets you inside a large cave.
As you stand in the darkness of the cave, you spot the glowing mark or symbol of the animal spirit. Walk toward it, reach down, and touch the glowing symbol, and watch the cave as it crumbles around you to reveal the animal spirit’s landscape. Your animal power is waiting there for you.
Ask the animal spirit for its guidance in your situation. Wait for your answer. Once you receive it, bid the animal power farewell. When you do this, the cave will surround you once more. Reach up and you will find the root of the oak tree. Follow it back to the upper realm. Step out of the tree trunk. Open your eyes and write down what you were told.
Follow the advice of the familiar self.
Day 364
Contemplative Day: Nothingness
Meditative Question: What lies at the center of nothing?
Symbolic Color: None
Symbolic Direction: Nowhere
This is the final meditative question of your year and a day study. Freud once stated that life is a circular journey; it emerges from nothingness and then it submerges once again into the void. It is a brief reverberation between two silences.
Mythologist Joseph Campbell says that the chant word “Aum” is really a four-syllable word. The first three syllables are the sounds of the word (ah-uu-mm). The fourth syllable is the silence from which the sound came and to which it returns. This sound, represents the complete round of our human life.
Since we have come full circle in our year, today’s question is apropos. However, the question poses a paradox for us. How can there be a center of nothing? The ultimate realization of the divine, of life, and of your own self resides within the answer to this contemplative question.
Remember that it is advisable to work with these inner-mystery contemplations while sitting within the center of your magic circle. Find a comfortable meditative sitting position. Use no candle, no incense or oil. Simply rely on your own abilities to go within and search for the truth. Cast your gaze downward toward the ground and blur your vision so that you do not focus on any one point on the floor. Look through the ground in front of you instead of at the ground. Hold today’s question firmly for 20 to 30 minutes. If you notice extraneous thoughts intruding as you concentrate on your contemplative question, simply take note of the thoughts and shift your focus back to the question.
Now that a year has gone by, what lies at the center of nothing? You tell me.
Day 365
Devotional Day: Honoring Yourself
By now you should realize that you are an aspect of the divine. This is what you are in your essence. That’s right, the divine is flawed, goes to the bathroom, takes kids to school, buys groceries, eats meals, and lives life. Your life, just as it is, is the life of the gods. Take time to honor yourself, to take your own place among the pantheon of honored mythological beings.
Begin by reviewing your numerological correspondences. From that, review other magical correspondences so that you can create symbolism to decorate your own shrine. Build the shrine around a photograph of yourself. Add candles, colors, planetary sigils, and other objects that are important to you.
Now add an object to the altar that represents each of the gods and goddesses you have studied and honored throughout the year. When you have finished this altar, sit before it and contemplate each of the gods and goddesses as an aspect of yourself.
Make Your Own
Make your own tables of correspondences that include:
Symbols: Design your own magical symbol, perhaps based on runes, and astrological signs, or do some meditative work to discover a symbol that represents your energies
Tools: With which of the Witch’s tools do you most connect?
Magical Essences/Herbs: Which herbs align with you numerologically? Which essential oils seem to draw your attention and feel representative of your energies?
Direction: With which direction do you feel the most affinity?
You Rule: What is your greatest skill or asset? What do you have to offer to the world? What are your greatest spiritual gifts?
Animal Symbols: What is your animal power?
Sacred Foods: What foods do you find sacred, or at least delicious?
Stones: Which stones align with you numerologically?
Day 366
Day of Silence
Congratulations on completing your year and a day of study, magic, ritual, and contemplation! Your final day is symbolic of life’s journey, and it relates to this month’s contemplative question. Your final magical act is a day of silence. Be mindful of your actions, your breath, and your thoughts throughout the day. When the day is complete, answer these questions:
• How do I feel now that my year and a day is complete?
• Am I considering taking the next step and becoming initiated as a Witch? Why?
• What stands out as the most important aspect of my training this year?
• How have I changed or grown during the year?
• What areas of magical study do I intend to study in depth?
• How do I plan to maintain a spiritual practice beyond this 366th day?