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Weekly Craft Topic - 28 October 2018

Wheel of the Year:

🎃 Samhain 👻

Possibly the most famous of the Wiccan Sabbats, it signifies the end of the harvest season in preparation for the colder, darker days ahead.

In the days of the ancient Celts, this day was celebrated by lighting large bonfires and slaughtering the cattle that they didn't think would survive the winter. They believed that the veil between worlds was at it's thinnest during this time, allowing spirits to walk between the two worlds.

Nowadays, Samhain can be celebrated in many different ways. Cooking and baking are wonderful ways to celebrate the fruitfulness of the year while looking ahead to the future.

Each of us may celebrate this holiday very differently. Let us know in the #witchy-general channel how you celebrate Samhain!

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Weekly Craft Topic - 21 October 2018

Wheel of the Year

This subject seems fitting for the impending celebration. Different practices of witchcraft have different calendars they use to mark the days of the year, specifically to mark certain agricultural days of note. There are several calendars that you can adopt for your specific craft, but I wanna cover one in particular today.

One of the most popular calendars in use today is that of the Wiccan and other popular Pagan traditions. This calendar is usually depicted as a circle or wheel. It's divided into eight sections, one for each Sabbat of the year. I will go into each holiday as they come up so as not to bog down this topic.

As eclectics we can replace, remove, or add holidays as we choose, but our holidays serve as a reminder for us to be thankful for our lives, the environment, and the earth which provides these things to us.

If you have unconventional holidays that you celebrate, share them in the #witchy-general channel! We look forward to hearing about them!

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Cleansing Bath Ritual for New Months

By @jen

This ritual is typically preformed in the first of every month to welcome the new opportunities and energies for the month ahead of us.

Start by cleaning your bathroom as this will start the ritual off by cleaninsing and ridding all negativity. You should also declutter everything you do not use as well, only keeping things you are going to use. This helps physically declutter your mind as well. You should also make sure that you have fresh, clean pajamas and fresh bedding on your bed as well.

You should lay your pjs and towel on the radiator. You should also make sure you have a some slippers or bed socks ready.

After the bathroom is clean, remove the clothes you used to clean and place them outside the bathroom.

Light a white candle used for smudging and go around the room in each corner starting from bottom working your way up cleansing all darkness that may have become trapped. You should definitely do a lot of cleansing around the toilet as well as this is where literal shit goes.

Once your bathroom is clean and the smudging has been done, fill your bath with hot water.

In the bath add:

- Lavender oil (homemade)

- Sage (used for protection and cleansing of unwanted energy’s)

- Salt (only a small amount as to much can dry out skin)

- Rose petals

- Rosemary (used for protection and aura washing)

- Thyme (typically used to banish unwanted emotions)

Light a candle carved with your intention on banishing dark/negative energies and place it in corner of bath where you will be able to see it.

Add more white candles as these are used for purity and also great for light as you may like to switch off the main light before you enter the bath.

Before you get in the bath, make sure you have a glass of detox water. Add cucumber, lemon, lime, and even ginger if you wish. Once you have your water, candles, and bath ready, and you have removed your clothes, stand in front of the mirror and chant 3 times:

“I call upon the elements of earth, fire, air, water, spirit, and the deities.

It is a new month, a new start. Please bless me.

Help guide and support and remove all negativity.

This is my will, so mote it be."

Then enter the bath. You may like to play meditateive or drumming music to help you mediate and focus on the candle light of the banishing candle. Focus on removing all of the negative emotions from yourself, and focus on all the good you have in your life and all of the things you want to accomplish this month. As you wash, you are washing away all the darkness. The water that is touching you is layering you in a layer of protective light.

Soak your body for around 45mins to an hour. After you have soaked, stand up in the bath and, again, look in the mirror and thank the elements, the spirit, and the deities by chanting 3 times:

“I thank the elements earth, fire, air, water, she, and the deities.

I thank you for the help and for blessing me.

I have now washed away all the negativity,

And I have embraced the love, luck, and support you have laid on to me.

This is my will, so mote it be."

Leave the bath, dry yourself, and put your fresh clean pjs on.

Empty the bath and meditate on the bathroom floor facing the bath until it’s empty. As you meditate, imagine the water as the negativity, and how it's all being washed away.

Wash out the bath with the shower head to make sure all the negativity has been removed.

Take your white candle used for smudging and cleanse your body, especially near your head and heart.

After this, drink the detox water and try to do this in one go. As you drink it, will all the bad dark stuff inside away when the water touches it.

The open the bathroom window (if you have one. If not, the bathroom door will suffice) to let any negativities leave through. Blow out all the candles and move them back to my sacred space.

After leaving you bathroom, you can switch back on your normal light if you wish. However, you should make sure that the bathroom is clean when you leave.

I hope this helps anyone who was struggling with ways to start the new month.

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Weekly Craft Topic - 07 October 2018

🧙Diety Work🧙

There is much to be said about dieties in witchcraft (too much for this post unfortunately). Different paths revere different gods/goddesses/spirits, but as eclectics, we are not bound to one or another, or any for that matter.

Personally, I am not a believer in dieties or spirits, but at times I do invoke the names of different spirits for a more powerful ritual. Whether or not you believe in them, if you choose to invoke them within your craft, you should probably respect them as though they are real (see Pamela J. Ball's book, 'Natural Magic' for more info).

Treat your deities as though they are welcomed guests in your home. Keep your altar nice and neat for them. Leave offerings of tea, cake, cookies/biscuits, etc. for them (not too long though). Light candles or incense for them. They are your helpers in your craft and should be thanked.

If you have studied Satanism, you know that there are no other gods but you. If this feels right for you, treat yourself the same as others treat their deities (see Anton LeVey's 'The Satanic Bible' for more info).

Some people may view their deities as literal anthropomorphic beings that exist within the physical world. Others may see them as representations of archetypes or aspects of nature. Others also may see them simply as metaphors.

Regardless of how each of us view deities, we should remain civil and respectful towards each other when we discuss them. We're also not here to evangelize for one and condemn the rest, so please keep that in mind, as as well.

I hope this short post has been a little helpful for you guys. Feel free to head over to the #witchy-general channel to discuss your thoughts with each other on this topic.

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Spell Jar for Success and Patience

by @Kate

I originally created this to aid a close friend of mine who has been going through some stressful times surrounding her family, work, school, planning a wedding, and taking the steps she needs to come to terms with past trauma. My intents were focus on her being successful in the work place and at school, as well as having success using the right emotions with family members she is having a difficult time with while planning her wedding. It was also to help her find patience within herself and her surroundings, work/school, her family, and her wedding.

This jar can be used to promote success within yourself (or others) with handling relationships, work/school, and stress. You can combine your intent for success and patience together, or make two separate jars to focus on each task.

I would ask permission before creating any spell/magick for a person I know and trust. If you want to do this for someone close to you, please ask for their permission first. Ask them some questions as to why and what they feel they need from this. That way you will be able to focus a specific intent into each herb, crystal, and candle as you add them to the jar.

Items and tools:

- Jar(s) with a cork top. I always cleanse my jars with rain water. In cases where I did not have rain water, I use running cold water and visually cleanse it that way.

- Rain water for cleansing.

- Sea salt for protection and purification.

- Herbs, crystals, and candles that correspond to your will and intentions for the spell. Some examples are provided below. NOTE: if you don't have the actual herb, you may substitute it with essential oils.

For success, you will need:

• Basil – prosperity, success, purification, protection.

• Bay leaves – success, wishes

• Ginger – finances, success, speed up the process

• Oregano – love, action

• Parsley – strength, purification, prosperity

• Rosemary – wisdom, protection

• Sage – wisdom, protection, purification

• Cinnamon (stick or ground) – passion, quick success

• Clear quartz chips – purify, amplification

• Light blue candle – focus

• Red candle – passion

• Orange candle – ambition, joy

For patience, you will need:

• Eucalyptus oil – cleansing, healing

• Lavender – purification, relaxation

• Marjoram – protecting, calming the mind

• Star anise – good luck

• Thyme – strength, courage

• Amethysts chips – calming

• White candle – peace, healing

• Yellow candle – positive attitude, confidence

• Green candle – growth

Method:

1. After casting your circle (if you use a circle), begin by adding your rain water. Add as much as you feel is right.

2. Begin adding each herb first, then the crystals. Start from the success portion of ingredients. Focus your intent into each herb, mediating with each one before adding it to the bottle. Add whatever amount you feel is right. Repeat the process with the remaining herbs, oils, and crystals. NOTE: On your bay leaves, write the name of who this jar is for, a sigil, or a word for what you hope/wish this jar will bring them.

3. Once you have added all of the herbs and crystals from both the success and patience ingredients, begin lighting each colored candle one by one and let the candle wax drip into the jar into the crystals and herbs. Focus your intent for the meaning of each candle. Once you feel you have added enough wax into the jar, put the cork into the bottle.

4. Place the jar on a plate and begin dripping candle wax onto the top of the cork seal it. Again, focus your intentions for each candle color. I save the white candle as my last candle. By doing this, I am ensuring that the jar will be protected from all that wish harm. I place the candle on top of the waxy cork top and let the candle melt completely over the bottle.

5. Once you have covered the entire Cork and rim of the bottle with wax, place the bottle on your altar or somewhere you will see it for about a week. During this time, sit with it and focus on charging it with energy and stronger intentions into it until it is ready to do its work.

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Weekly Craft Topic - 30 September 2018

Hi, @everyone! So I thought I would start this first topic off on something very, very basic that I think we all know, but probably wouldn't hurt going over once with everyone together.

🤔What is Magick?🤔

Ask a layperson and I would bet my next paycheck that they'll tell you it's something akin to Harry Potter: levitation, vanishing, telekinesis, etc. We all know magick doesn't work like that. We can't make things disappear before our eyes or curse something with the waving of a wand. It's a bit more practical and realistic than that.

Magick is a system by which a practitioner is able to project their will into the world in anticipation that that desire or wish will come to pass through rituals, ceremony, and spells. And it doesn't end there. There has to be action on your part in order for the magick to be able to work. It's not enough to put energy into the spell. You have to continually feed the magick with energy from your intentions throughout the duration of the spell's purpose. It's like growing a tree. You can't just sow the seed and water it once and expect a strong tree to sprout forth. You have to constantly tend to its needs in order to reap the harvest.

Let's go through an example: say you want some help nailing that big job interview, but you're super nervous about it. Start with the spell of your chosing (being eclectic, I feel pretty safe saying that none of us are going to have similar spells). Before you begin your spell, clear your mind of everything else but that job. This can be done easily by meditation. Think about what having that job would mean to you. Think about what a difference you will be able to make to the company. Think about success. Keep that in the foreground of your mind. Make it your intention to get that job.

Perform your spell while keeping that intention in mind. Say it out loud during your spell. Make it known. After completing the spell, have it in your mind that you will get that job. You will probably find that the days leading up to your interview, you're nervousness will begin to ease away. That's the spell beginning to work its magick. Keep your hopes up and prepare yourself for the interview.

The day of the interview, keep that intention firmly grounded in your mind. Say it to yourself. "I will get this job. I am the best candidate for this position, and I will show the interviewers that fact." Pump yourself up. Dress for success. Feel the energy that you put into the spell flowing through your body like blood in your veins. Walk into that office in so much confidence that the other candidates will be intimidated. If you created a talisman during your ritual, keep that thing with you in your pocket, or wear it inconspicuously around your neck or wrist. Touch it and allow yourself to feel the energy you placed within it. It's OK to feel nervous at this point. We're all human. We can't help ourselves, even as witches.

When you are called into the office, walk with pride and greet everyone with a smile and answer their questions with the utmost confidence. The energy from your intent during the spell will beam from every part of you as you sell yourself to them.

This is what magick is all about. It would be silly to expect that job to be waiting for you simply because you did a spell. You feed the spell with the energy of your will and intentions to get the magick going, but it still needs energy throughout the process. You feed the magick through concentrating on your intention and putting that energy to work in the physical realm by acting on that intention.

This is just a very simple example of how magick works in the real world. We may all be different in our practices, but magick works by the same principle: magick is only as good as the intentions of the practitioner. It will not work without you fully concentrating on your intentions for the spell. Keep that in mind as a rule of thumb. It is a good principle to live by as you improve your craft.

I apologize for making this first post so late. I plan to make the following weeks' on time. Feel free to discuss this topic in the #witchy-general channel. As you discuss, be respectful of everyone's idea of magick. It's OK to disagree and debate, but be respectful in your debates.

If you have an idea about future topics, feel free to send Sam or me a private message, and we'll discuss it. Thanks, guys!

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