Cyber Cauldron

A solitary pagan path can be one of the most difficult paths to follow and you can often find yourself with out warning resting along the way. As with all things in a pagans life it all about the ebbs and flows the circle of the year.

With this there come your own natural ebbs and flows there are times when everything flows perfect your home life, work life and health all seem to be working in perfect harmony and your spiritual life just fits in perfectly.

But there are times when one or more of these life aspects fall out of harmony sometime causing major problems with your life and your health. When these aspects fall out of balance that happen for a reason. They cause us to spend more time focusing on our lives in greater detail.

These times can affect us greatly and our spiritual selves can take a back seat or we can over rely on them to see us through. When we are in a group our group members can help support us, or offer advice cast spells to assist us, ritual can be created to help us. But the solitary does not have that luxury – the solitary is never truly alone thou they do have friends in the craft that will do workings for them and support them.

The solitary witch or pagan has chosen a path which relies of a personal understanding of the divine and their place within the structure life, the universe and they understand that sometimes that their attention has to focused on mundane things such as work, relationships, and money which can put a strain on their spiritual practice or it can seem that way.

This strain manifests in shorter rituals or basic observance of special days and much less magickal workings. Now many beginners to a solitary pagan path often feel the moment something starts going wrong in the daily lives that magick is the solution so out come the wand and Book of shadows.

When a beginner starts to use magicks to solve their problems a number of things can happen either the spell works and problem solved only to return at a later time stronger and with more devastation or it fails leaving you feeling worse off and let down by your deity.

The moment we start to use magicks to improve our lives is the moment we stop dealing with life correctly. I have found over the years that issues arise where magick seems to be the simple solution but when I have used magicks the issues would arrive in a different and more pronounce form at a later time often causing more distress.

As pagans and witches we stride two worlds the worlds of mortals and the worlds of magick these two worlds come together during ritual and each world influences the other at other times.

Our mortal dealings are never smooth but are filled with many experiences which help us to develop spiritually each adversity we over come leads us to a greater understanding of our self and we grow as people it is through our experiences that we learn to help others and empathise with them making us better people.

The old adage these thing are sent to test comes to mind and it reminds me that the goddess is mother and the god is father and like good parents they want us to learn those that learn that mum and dad will not bail them out every time grow into strong people who know that they have to stand on their own two feet to truly succeed while those that rely on their parent never truly fully grow as people and cope badly when things go wrong. Using magick to solve your mortal problems is like running home to mummy and daddy asking for help it not an ideal solution.

Your parents can guide you the same way the goddess and god can guide you ask for their advice this can be done in the form of meditation /prayer think of meditation / prayer as phoning home to mum and dad you may not like what they have to say but they will give the right advice.

When I have difficulties I know that my energies will be lower than normal and my mind is filled with the mundane and these things should not be taken into ritual so my ritual work often drops off and is replaced with meditation /prayer below is a prayer I use in difficult time.

Mother Moon and Father Sun always with me always present.

My life is filled with problems the silliness of daily life. (Insert your problems feelings and fears don’t list them talk about them)

Help me find the solution the way through the dark.

Father Sun, lend me your strength and wisdom to face each day, as I must.

I know you have face the same as each day weakens you I have seen you carry on

Each I now battle I face (Insert your problems feelings and fears don’t list them talk about them)

Empower me with your wisdom and help me carry on

Mother Moon, be kind and gentle as always,

Hold me and cuddle me and tell me it will come right

Let me hear your caring song once more and let me find the rest in you arms.

Hear my woes and sorrows and guide me on my way.

(Insert your problems feelings and fears don’t list them talk about them)

Mother Moon and Father Sun thank you for your time, guide me to the solution set the sign clearly to guide me through this time

Feel free to adapt to your own needs.

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Originally posted 2011-04-01 17:38:22. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

I can remember when I was first starting that I wanted all the best tools but money was an issues so I used to troll around car boot sales, charity shops and flea market trying to find things that I could use for my alter. You will quite surprised on what you can pick up for just a few quid.

Over the years I have replaced all my second had stuff with brand new stuff and some of it is more pretty that practical (who does not have a chalice with a loose liner) but it makes me think what tools do you really need? To be really honest you don’t really need any tools, fingers can replace wands and athames and a chalice can be replaced by cup etc.

You can spend thousands of pounds buying robes; alter statues, wands, athames, Chalices, Crystals to dress your altar,pots and dishes and  cauldrons  and pointless things like hand bound virgin parchment paper leather bound book of shadows but having expensive tools does not make you a good witch or even a competent witch. When building your tools worry more about what feels like than what it looks like, just remember to cleanse second hand items full before use.

So what do you need for a basic alter from my point of view a candle and a joss stick works fine but if want to add more to that then you can. Here are some ideas for low cost replacements to expensive altar equipment.

I have found that I have better rituals with altar equipment that I have created myself they may not be the prettiest but they have all the energy that I poured into them when made them.

A good idea is to join a pottery class and make what you need. Remember that no one has the right to tell you should not put something on your alter create what you feel is right for yourself.

When your first trying out a pagan path there are two very good reasons why you should create your own personal tools rather than buy direct from a catalogue or internet shop, the first is it will help you empower the items with greater ease due to your personal connection the second is paganism is not for everyone and why spend a fortune on something your not going to continue.

There is one thing that never seems to get mentioned in regards to altars and that a tape deck MP3 Player or CD player as music is important in raising energy I will chat about music in rituals in next posting, but insure what ever technology you use to play your music just make sure it is ease to control and that you can pause and play with out to much trouble.

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Originally posted 2011-05-12 16:40:26. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Only perform this ritual if you’re in a stable emotional state of mind, as this ritual is design to invoke personal discoveries some of which can be painful so having someone to be with you after ritual can help.

Timing.

Waning moon to black moon (note the closer to the black moon the stronger the results so start with baby steps start just after full moon and work towards a black moon do not perform day after day unless you have done some practice I could take a year or mores practice before you can do the whole waning moon).

Deity

This requires one of the dark deities those that deal with the realms of the dead, it is advisable to choose one you are familiar with or one of your own gender.

Equipment

Wand / Athame

Candle (colour any)

Preparation

Take a look at your life and you will see that you repeat the same mistake over and over again, it could be with relationships or work life you will need to question your self why doe relationships fail or why do I never get promoted once you have found the question you are ready to start

Cleansing

You will order prescription drugs online need to shower or bath and as you do just keep remembering times when you have made the mistake, dress in light clothing.

Create your scared space

No need for formal circle a energy bubble will do just as long as u have enough room for candle and wand / Athame.

The Invocation

In darkness you hide

In shadows you dwell

You hold my greatest fears

You who command and protect

<deity> reveal to me by darkest fears my hidden shame

Be my guide and reveal the truth

Let me see what I did not see before.

<deity> see me as worth to face this trail

Spend a moment or to in silent meditation focusing on what your trying to achieve, when ready pick up wand / Athame and trace a invoking inverted pentagram while chanting.

Now take the time unwind the door now let me see what was before

Let <deity> be my guide, Let <deity> be my guide, Let <deity> be my guide

(Visualise the pentagram forming).

Once the pentagram is complete see the edges brighten but only filling the internal structure of the star until it becomes a bright star.

The say out load

Door before me only my guide and I have free travel both ways (light candle) this light will bar all spirits and negatives entrance to this realm now open and let me in.

Now visualise the door beginning to open,

As the door opens you can make out a small boat on the banks of a river it is dark as you and the deity step in to the boat the boat moves in to the current and you start to travel on the river you look behind you and you can see the candle in the door way getting further away.

Your guide explains that you’re travelling to the underworld as the boat travels deeper you notice that the river is getting thicker and blacker and just off in the distance you can make out a large jetty and a very large house. In no time at all you find yourself along side the jetty your guide offers standing on the jetty offering you a hand to get out of the boat.

Your guide leads you up the path towards the house; the house has so many windows and you marvel at its size, once your at the door your guide warns you of what you will find inside, he warns you that although you can view and feel events they can not harm you

You guide will ask you if you are ready to face your fears if you are not ready you will be returned to the boat and the doorway and you will leave. If you stay, the door will open and you step through.

Inside you find a large hall with many doors you are asked to walk freely around the house and if you feel a door calling to you open it step through and you will find yourself in a part of your past you will be able to rewind, stop and ask yourself questions such has why did you say that what are you feeling you will get to observe your actions and feelings as an outsider seeing ever action as if it was a movie of your life. Once you have got all you can from this room find another door to which to walk through, you may enter another event in your life to which you do the same ask questions and view or you may find yourself back in the boat travelling back to the doorway (ant time you want to leave think boat and open a door and you will find yourself back in the boat) once their step through and prepare yourself for next step.

Next step

You will need to close the door lift the candle to the centre of the star and ignite the centre so the star glows bright see the light fade leaving the lines of the pentagram pick up your wand/ Athame and banish the pentagram.

Now spend some thinking about what you have seen and felt what lesson did you learn.

When your ready draw the energy bubble back and ground yourself.

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Originally posted 2010-12-03 12:34:25. Republished by Blog Post Promoter