Category Archives: Ritual

Blessed Water and House cleansing…….

Merry Meet again friends.  We are having such beautiful weather here in Ohio.  It’s going to be in the 70’s the next few days!  Quite warm for this time of year.  Windows were open and fresh air allowed to blow in and clean out the stagnant air that builds up when the house is all shut up and the heat is on all the time.  I thought I would take advantage of this and do a thorough house cleansing and blessing before the house is shut up all winter long.

During a Full Moon, I always make up a batch of Moon water or Blessed Water.  For Moon Water, I just mix sea salt and spring water in a bowl and set it out all night in the light of the full moon.  I then consecrate it and bless it and bottle it.  My Blessed Water is actually a ritual I found  from Silver Ravenwolf years ago.  I really like making it this way.  I feel the water is truly blessed and it smells great too!  Here is the ritual to make it…..

Gather these supplies…..

1 tsp of Rose Water
3 tbsp sea salt
1 small bowl of spring water
1 clean glass container
1 storage bottle (small)

Time: Midnight during a Full Moon phase.
Place: Out of doors under the moon, or near a window that will reflect the light of the moon.
Set out your work cloth and all ingredients upon it.
Take five or six deep breaths to relieve the stress of the day.
Cast your Magick circle if you wish to do so…

When you are ready  Say:

“In the cloak of the midnight hour
I call upon the Ancient Power
I seek the presence of the Lady and Lord
To bless this water that I will pour.”

Add the rose water to the spring water. Pick up the bowl of water, hold it toward the light of the moon, and say:

 “In my hands I hold the essence of the Gods.

I hereby cleanse and consecrate this water to Divinity,

 that it may be used for positive acts only,

 and may aid me in my Magickal work.”

Imagine a silver light from the Moon Goddess coming from above into the bowl of water and giving it Her energy.

 Set the water down and pick up the salt.   Say: 

“In my hands I hold the essence of Earth Mother;

She whose bounty sustains all living creatures.

 I hereby consecrate this salt to Divinity,

 that it may be used for positive acts only,

 and may aid me in my Magickal work.”

As with the water, imagine the energy of the Moon Goddess empowering the salt.
 Pour a little into the bowl of water, and stir clockwise three times. Repeat this process twice more.
With both hands raise the bowl towards the moon to reflect the light of the moon into the bowl. After a few moments say:

 “This liquid is now pure and dedicated to the Lord and Lady.

It is free from all negativity in any time and any space.”

Set down the bowl and hold out both of your hands, palms down, over the bowl, about one inch above the water.
Take a moment to feel the energy from your body and send it into the water..giving it your power as well the power from the Moon Goddess….imagine a bright light coming from the water showing it has received the energy and power.  Then say:                                                                       

“As I will
So mote it be
With the free will of all
And harm to none 
 This formula is done!”

 You may ground your energy in two ways. Either place your hands physically upon the ground and feel the energy drain into Earth Mother, or imagine your energy as a force field around you, and quietly step back out of the skeleton of energy and watch it collapse in upon itself and melt into the ground.

Transfer the water to your storage container and store it away until you are ready to cleanse and consecrate your sacred space.

I just love this simple beautiful ritual.  I have a lovely colored glass bottle I keep my Blessed Water in..and I make a new batch every full moon or every other.  Now for a simple house cleansing.  First you make sure your house is physically clean.  Yes, this is the part most of us don’t love..but it doesn’t make sense to cleanse and bless a house magickally if it isn’t clean physically.  It just won’t work!  Declutter and dust, sweep, mop…light candles and put on nice music..really make your home sparkle and smell great!

To do the cleansing there are different ways to do it.  One simple way is; Starting at your front door and moving clockwise..sprinkle the Blessed Water ..which is salt and water…or the elements of Earth and Water….all around the outside edges and around the doors and windows of your home.   Then you can light incense…which is Fire and Air….and use the incense smoke and do the same thing you did with the water.  You can also use a smudge stick instead of incense. This is a simple and easy way to do.  Keep in mind that while you are doing this…you are putting your intention out to the universe that you are clearing your home of all things negative and making room for positive energy in your home.  Another way to cleanse the house that I love is this ritual that I use often!

Light a white candle in the main room of your home.  With your Blessed Water, sprinkle it all around the doors and windows of your home.   Make certain you get each and every one. Next, choose the room that has the strongest negative feel to it.  In a cauldron, light a piece of charcoal. 

Then add:                                                                                                        

1 tablespoon powdered garlic

1 tablespoon peppermint

 1 tablespoon ground clove

 1 tablespoon dried/powdered thistle

handful or two of sweetgrass, sage or dried oak leaves

  Carefully light the mixture so that it smolders, giving off an aromatic smoke. Leaving the candle lit, carry the cauldron in to each room and repeat the following:

“With Lord and Lady and elements of Earth, Water, Fire and Air

 I clear this space of the darkness I cannot bear
                                           

  I consecrate this space with salt and herb’s scent

Bring in joy and love with my consent

May these rooms be cleansed of negativity

As I will it, so mote it be!”

  When you have done each room, return to the first, set the bowl beside the candle and wait for the remaining mixture to burn out. Take the ash outside and sprinkle it over the grass/flowerbed/etc, thereby returning it to the Mother.

You should feel a huge difference in the energy of your home after doing this.  The New Moon is a great time to cleanse your home very month too.  I do it during that time often.  Also, the house cleansing loose incense can be made up anytime and kept in a jar just for this purpose!  You want to do this excellent cleansing before your house looks like this! 🙂

So how is your home feeling…a little stagnant?  You feel tired or lethargic?  Maybe appliances are breaking down?  Your pets and kids are acting crazy?  Well try cleansing your home.  I bet it’ll help alot!  I wish you all a home filled with love, joy, health, and good positive energy! When you are done with all this hard work, you can enjoy the beautiful weather…or if your weather is cold and getting snowy, go sit by the fire with a cup of something warm, your kitty, and a good book!

Blessings to you all, Autumn

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Filed under Loose incense recipe, Ritual, Spells

Giving Thanks…..

Merry Meet my friends!  I hope you all had a wonderful Samhain..I know I did.  It was a gorgeous weekend weather wise for us..cool and crisp and sunny!  Just perfect.  We spent Beggar’s night at my daughters so we could pass out candy for them while my little granddaughter went out trick or treating with her mommy and daddy.  She is almost 2 and only made it to 6 houses before she had enough and wanted to go home!  She wanted to be with me and her grandfather and Auntie!  We had great pizza and ate candy and visited…it was a nice night.  Samhain night was just for me at my altar..quietly honoring my loved ones and ancestors and yes, my pets, who have passed on.  It was a beautiful experience and I believe that some of them came for a visit.  On Nov 1 night, I shared a beautiful formal circle celebration ritual with my sisters in spirit…it was magickal also.  While I was outside doing my ritual…two gorgeous Does decided to walk across our yard..not far from me…stopped and checked me out and then walked on their way!  It was so amazing as I have always felt that Deer are one of my totem animals.  I find them so mystical and I think it was a message from my ancestors!  For me, a perfect Samhain..and I hope yours was too.

Now, its November and it is the month of Thanksgiving.  For this month, via my facebook page and here on my blog, I will be talking about thankfulness and gratitude and random acts of kindess.  As a Witch, and a daughter of the Goddess,  I believe that Love is why we are here…what the world is all about..What Goddess and God, however you see them…want for us.  I found this quote and I thought I needed to post it here….

“It is literally true, as the thankless say, that they have nothing to be thankful for.  He who sits by the fire, thankless for the fire, is just as if he had no fire.  Nothing is possessed save in appreciation, of which thankfulness is the indispensable ingredient.  But a thankful heart hath a continual feast.”                  ~W.J. Cameron

I totally believe this quote to be true.  If we live without gratitude…then we have nothing…because we don’t notice it, don’t appreciate it, take it for granted.  If we aren’t grateful for what we have…then it might as well not be there!!

 I learned of the book “Simple Abundance” by Sarah Ban Breathnach about 16-17 years ago on a tv show.  I was struck by the idea of finding something to be thankful for every day.  I bought the book, read it, and it really did change my life.  I started a journal right then and to this day, I keep a journal and write in it; sometimes everyday, sometimes once-twice a month.  In these journals (I have about 20 now), every day that I write in it, I write what I am grateful for on that given day.  Sometimes, it’s hard to find something…but with practice, I learned that it got easier and easier.  Finding gratitude in the small things has changed my life for the better.  I am happier with what I have and who I am.

What are you grateful for today?  It could be big stuff…like the birth of a child, buying a house, money coming your way, a marriage.  But most days..it could be that it wasn’t raining, that the baby slept thru the night, that you didn’t burn dinner, that your mother was in a good mood, or that your husband helped you clean up dishes after dinner.  But even those mundane everyday things, noticing them and appreciating them makes your life better!  Soon you will notice, the sun shining in the window onto your breakfast table, the pretty pitcher that was your grandmothers that you serve your OJ in, the smell of your kids fresh from their bath, the feel of your cat curled up next to you,..I could go on and on.  But you get my point.  Everyday make a point to NOTICE something to be thankful for.  Maybe you would be inspired to keep a notebook or a journal and jot them down…soon that list will grow and grow.  Something bad happen to you or you had a bad day?  Find the silver lining…it’s there I promise.  I have been thru alot of sad and terrible things in my life and yet, I have found the silver lining in almost every situation.  This wasn’t always the case I promise you..I’m not Mary Sunshine…but finding a way to find grace in every day…made my life lovely.

Today, I will thank each of you who come to visit my blog.  I appreciate you and am thankful for you.  I have a lot of readers but not alot of subscribers.  Sign up to follow me..I’d love to have more of you as subscribers.  It just means you’ll get an email when I write a new post.  Thank you so much for those who leave comments too.  I am also grateful today for being an American and having the right to vote!  I voted..did you?

Until my next post, thank you and Blessed Be, Autumn

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Filed under Books I'm reading, Family, Granddaughter, Quote, Ritual, Samhain, Thank You!

The Dumb Supper……..

Merry Meet my friends…Samhain draws ever nearer and I find myself thrilling to it.  Darkness falls earlier each night…the wind is brisk and leaves are falling…jack o’lanterns are showing up on porches…the veil in thinning…Magick is afoot!

Samhain is about honoring our ancestors; our loved ones who have passed beyond the veil.  One way to do this is to have a Dumb Supper.  This year, my family will be having one.  A Dumb Supper or Silent Supper is just that..everyone present stays silent during the meal.  There are a few particulars about the meal too….it should be held in sacred space.  You can accomplish the sacred space in your own kitchen or dining room simply by casting a circle, cleansing and consecrating it.  All table service should be black..this includes the tablecloth, plates, glasses, napkins etc.  I don’t have black dishes so I accomplish this with a visit to a party store and I buy the heavy plastic dishes.  Third, I only use candles for lighting or oil lamps…this gives the space the beauty and somberness it deserves. Lastly, each guest should bring a prayer for their loved ones who are being honored and they may bring their divination tool of choice also.

The chair at the head of the table can be shrouded in black…now the Spirit chair.  Then you may leave other chairs empty to represent the loved one you’ve lost or your ancestor.   When setting the table, place a black votive candle at each empty chair that represents a deceased loved one or ancestor and a white votive candle at the Spirit Chair.  Light each candle. Place your hands on the shrouded chair and ask for Spirit to be with you. Walk to each ancestor’s chair touch it, explaining that the ritual is being done in the ancestors’ honor.

The host of the feast sits in the chair opposite the shrouded chair. As each guest enters the room, he or she should go to the Spirit chair, touch it, then go to each of the ancestors’ chairs and place a prayer under each plate or say a simple prayer silently. The guests then take their seats, join hands and pray a wordless blessing of the meal and for all present. The host serves the empty chairs, beginning at the head of the table. Then the host serves the living guests from oldest to youngest.

After the feast is done and all have finished eating, all join hands, silently asking for the blessings of Spirit on the living and the dead. Now is the time to gather each prayer left under a plate and burn it in the flame of the candle by that plate, catching the ashes in a container. On the sign from the host, the guests leave the area, stopping by empty places or ancestral altar on their way out.

After the host thanks Spirit, the guests return to share any impressions they received during the feast. The table is cleared, and divination can be done. Allow the candles to burn until all have gone home, and then snuff each candle. Throw the candle ends and prayer ashes into a moving body of water, or bury them off the property.

I find this to be just a beautiful way to honor our loved ones…the meal should be simple, delicous and beautiful.  Even if its just your immediate small family, this ritual can be very touching and magickal.  While you are silent, or during divination after the meal, listen to see if anyone has a message for you…do you feel their presence? 

My paternal grandmother was a christian woman whom I loved dearly…and whom I believe gave me my early understanding of the witch in me!  She was a witch and didn’t know it!  She had a huge garden that she loved spending time in..she taught me to know when veggies were ready to be picked..how to shell peas and snap green beans and make homemade apple sauce and apple butter.  She made her own home remedies..she taught us to lay in a hammock and look at the starry sky…taught us to listen for the birds, how to make a doll from hollyhocks..she was wonderful!  A meal at her house ..even breakfast..was a 7 course meal full of things made with love from her garden.  I often feel her near to me…and I know she is aware of our lives and whats going on with us.  I will celebrate her at my Dumb Supper..along with other grandparents, a good friend and yes, even my two little dogs.  And this year, I have a baby grandchild who was lost in early pregnancy but I believe I will know in another life. 

Beggar’s night in my area, is on saturday night the 30th.  My family will celebrate that as well!  We live on a windy country road and pretty far from the road and we don’t get trick-or-treaters here, so we head over to my daughter and son-in-laws house for the evening.  She makes chili, cornbread and an apple dessert.  This year my nearly two year old granddaughter Lily will be going out to collect her candy in her darling lady bug costume while us grandparents and Auntie will pass out candy at their house.  Then we have a nice casual meal and just enjoy being together!  I can’t wait!

I send my wishes to you all for a Blessed Samhain..and my your ancestors and loved ones come thru the veil to spend some time with you.

Blessed Be, Autumn

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Filed under Family, Ritual, Samhain