Acbal's Moon: July 2011

Moon and Sea

After a long time of absence, I am here... and I ask for your forgiveness, Gods and Goddesses, angels and demons, because I have left this blog so unattended for so long.

Life has been somewhat slow... and maybe the reasons I have not focused my energies on this blog were that I wanted to do some self-inspection and see what the heck was going on inside my soul that seemed to have me in a very sad, very depressed mood. It eventually has started to get clear... and I think that my next road trip will finally put an end to a circle of vices that I want to get rid of. Past lovers, past energies, bad auto-mojo, and clean my aura. I think I've been carrying baggage that does not belong to me for far too long. I want to leave it behind, maybe the Lord of the Sea can help me dispose of it.

Why do we do this? We cling on to things for so long that it comes a time when we can no longer carry them around... and even when we are well aware of it, we still do it. As if it was a curse, or something we are meant to do. This is one of the reasons -- I think -- that we cannot move on and be happy. Small resentments become big stone crosses, heartbreaks become bitter acid that eats away parts of our souls... True, it is not easy to forget about them and move on... but if we could only apply a small part of that effort (the effort we make to carry around all the bad energy, all the bad memories, the bad spirits) on to healing our souls, hearts and energies... a brighter world would be upon us. So I shall go to the sea, and leave my baggage behind... those who want me to do the same for them, I know you'll know how to find me.

I am thankfull for thy followers to this blog. I will try not to let it alone for so long anymore.

Many Blessings!

Magical Ideas for Lughnasadh

Bake Bread or pretzels; have an outdoor picnic.
Bless marriages, babies, and homes.
Go camping and perform your ritual outdoors!
String Indian corn on black thread for a necklace

Create and bury a witch's bottle. This is a glass jar with sharp pointy things inside to keep away harm.You can use needles, pins, thorns, thistles, nails, and bits of broken glass. Bury it near the entry to the house.

Make a corn dolly to save for the next Imbolic. Double over a bundle of wheat and tie it near the top to form a head. Take a bit of the iber from either side of the main portion and twist into arms that you tie together in front of the dolly. Add a small bouquet of flowers to the hands and then you can decorate the dolly with a dress and bonnet.

Lughnasadh

Also called Lughnasadh, Lunasdal, August Eve, The Festival of Bread, Elembiuos, Lunasa, Cornucopia, and/or Thingtide.

Celebrated on August 1st, it means "To give in Marriage to Lugh". It is the time of the first harvest, when the plants of Spring wither and drop their seeds for our use as well as to ensure future crops. The God looses his strength as the Sun rises farther in the South each day and the nights grow longer. The Goddess watches in sorrow and joy as she realizes that the God is dying, and yet lives on inside her --- as her child.

Lughnasadh Ritual

Place upon the altar sheaves of wheat, barley, or oats, fruits and breads, perhaps a loaf fashioned in the figure of the sun or a Man to represent the God. Corn dollies, symbolic of the Goddess can be present there as well. Arrange the altar, light the candles and censer, and cast the Circle. Recite a blessing chant.Invoke the Goddess and God.

Stand before the altar, holding aloft the shaves of grain, saying these (or similar) words:

Now is the time of the First Harvest
When the bounties of nature give of themselves so that we may survive
O God of the ripening fields
Lord of the Grain
Grant me the understanding of sacrifice as you prepare to deliver yourself
under the sickle of the Goddess
and journey to the lands of eternal summer.
O Goddess of the Dark Moon
teach me the secrets of rebirth as the Sun loses its strength and the nights grow cold

Rub the heads of the wheat with your fingers so that the grains fall onto the altar. Lift a piece of fruit and bite it, savoring its flavor and say:

I partake of the first harvest
mixing its energies with mine
so that I may continue my quest for the starry wisdom of perfection
Oh Lady of the Moon and Lord of the Sun,
gracious ones before Whom the stars half their courses
I offer my thanks for the continuing fertility of the Earth
May the nodding grain loose its seed to be buried in the Mother's breat
ensuring rebirth in the warmth of the coming Spring.

It is appropiate to plant the seeds from the fruit consumed in ritual. If they sprout, grow the plan with love and as a symbol to your connection to the Goddess and God.

--- NOTE: I have a hard time finding wheat... so what I do is that I obtain the grains from the nature botanical store. I also find it useful to use albacar to cleanse the altar before starting.

Herb of the Month

Frankincense

(from Book of Shadows: Journey of a Solitary Witch Blog )

This is an aromatic resin from any of the four main species of deciduous trees in the Boswellia genus. They come in the form of small bushes and trees of moderate size with compound leaves and grow in a wide variety of environments, though the most aromatic varieties come from more arid regions. The flowers are yellowish-white with five petals. The resin comes from cuts in the tree which allow the sap to bubble out and harden . This is done when they are about 8 to 10 years of age. It has been a valuable trade item for thousands of years and used in rituals for just as long.

Latin Name:
Boswellia Carterii

Folk Names: Olibanum, Olibanus, Olibans

Element: Fire

Gender: Masculine

Planet: The Sun

Deities: Ra, Baal

Magical Uses:

Frankincense is often added to other magical mixtures in order to increase their potency due to the powerful vibrations of energy that are released from it when it is burned. These intense energies drive away negative energies and evil so it has been used throughout the ages for purification and exorcism. With this in mind we can see that it also an excellent choice for preventative measures such as that of protection. The strong vibrations produced by frankincense make it an excellent choice in meditation incenses and also in mixtures used to promote spiritual growth as well as to induce visions.

Medicinal Uses:

The resin has long been used in the Ayurvedic medicine of India and the bark has been used in Africa to treat fever, gastrointestinal distress and rheumatism. Studies are currently under way to test the resin, and its chemical derivatives, for treating chronic inflammatory diseases and one study claims the incense may work similarly to a psychoactive drug to reduce depression and anxiety, a correlation to its magical uses that cannot be easily ignored.

Folklore:

The resin was once burned as an offering to the sun god Ra in ancient Egypt on a daily basis at sunrise. As many people know, this was one of two magical resins presented to Jesus in the story of his birth by the Magi or “wise men”, who were traditionally wizards from the east. It has also been in use by the Catholic church as an incense, probably for this reason. It is also used in the Jewish tradition. Its appearance in these stories, and its current use by the church, is obviously influenced by its extensive use for thousands of years before they were written.

Spell - A - Week

Blowing Darts

(from Gypsy Magic Blog)

This is a spell to break and remove all the bad energy, negativity, bad luck, hexes, and etc. that others have put on you, or that you have inadvertently collected or allowed.

You will need:

1 white candle
1 smudge stick OR 1 generous handful of dried sage leaves (not the powder)
1 lemon (lemon essential oil - or pure lemon juice will also work)
1 paper plate
black marker or pen
13 straight pins
1 black cloth - the size of a large handkerchief
1 egg
1 potato

Making the spell:

Gather your supplies
Get centered
Draw an "eye of protection" on the paper plate with the black marker or pen.
Cut the lemon in half and rub it briskly over the candle until the candle is coated with the juice, wipe your hands on the black cloth.
Now, light the candle.
Next light the smudge stick, OR if you are using dried sage, place the leaves into a fireproof container and light them so that they begin to smolder and smoke.

Once you have some good smoke, take the potato and submerge it in the smoke using a circular, counterclockwise motion.
When the potato seems well fumigated, set it down on the paper plate and cover it with the black cloth.
Insert the 13 stick pins through the cloth into the potato.
Crack the egg over the cloth covered pinned potato and let the egg slide off of it and onto the plate.
Blow on each stick pin and into the potato. As you do this, recite the incantation, saying it louder each time, until you feel the negative energy has left you and transferred into the potato.

The Incantation:

Thirteen pins in the poppet,
Hex be broken. Now I stop it.
Curse be over. Curse be done.
I succeed. I have won.
Bad luck stays within the black.
I am not under attack.
Curse be buried and destroyed.
My life it is now filled with joy!

Dispersing the bad energy:

Unwrap the cloth, being careful to keep the pins intact. If a pin does not come out with the cloth, but stays embedded in the potato, you'll have to re-do the spell.

This is important. The potato and the black cloth with the pins in it must be disposed of separately, far from your home. The paper plate should be burned, along with whatever remains of the sage. It's also important to dispose of the lemon (if you used one) and the shell from the egg.

Ideally, the black cloth with the pins will be dropped at a crossroads NOT near your home; the paper plate and the sage burned - their ashes scattered to the four winds; and the potato tossed into a river or sent out with the tide.

Alternatively, the items could be buried near a crossroads (just be sure that the potato and the black cloth are buried separately and at a good distance from one another). Do not bury any of the items in your own back yard!

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