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Indulge in this sensually satisfying ritual bath that will make your skin glow and surround you with a seductive aura. You will need the following:
December is named for the Roman goddess Decima, one of the three fates. The word Yule comes from the Germanic jol, which means midwinter, and is celebrated on the shortest day of the year. The old tradition was to have a vigil at a bonfire to make sure the sun did indeed rise again. This primeval custom evolved to become a storytelling evening and while it may well to be too cold to sit outside in snow and sleet, congregating around a blazing hearth fire, dining and talking deep into the night is important for your community to truly know each other, impart wisdom and speak to hopes and dreams. Greet the new sun with stronger connections and a shared vision for the coming solar year.
What you need:
Snake tube. What an odd name for a Bronze Age artifact from Minoan sites. That's what Sir Arthur Evans called these cylindrical ceramic objects that were decorated with wavy serpentine shapes running up and down them. You can see a few on the bottom row of the image at the top of this post.
Evans called them "snake tubes" because he thought the Minoans kept pet snakes in their temples and homes, and these tubes were their little houses. I mean, they're decorated with snakes, so why not?
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This is definitely one of the more entertaining solo rituals. It requires you to look hard at yourself, but it’s also fun. Essential elements that are necessary for this ritual include:
It is good to undertake this ritual on a Sunday, but whenever you need support, reserve half an hour of quiet time and brew up some willpower to help you with your self-expression. Light a white candle anointed with peppermint oil and light spicy incense such as cinnamon. Prepare for your Song of Myself by sipping this warm drink for encouragement: Take a sprig of mint (homegrown is best), a cup of warm milk, and cinnamon sticks, and stir together clockwise in a white mug. Recite:
Performing a ritual to acknowledge the end of a relationship is an important part of the healing process. Whether it is a breakup of a love affair or the dissolution of the legal bonds of marriage, approaching this change with ritual will help and heal. I have also known those who performed this same rite with the ending of a friendship. This ceremony is intended to resolve issues, tie up loose ends, and help you to move on. It is very important psychologically, psychically, and emotionally to recognize that a divorce is a very big deal. This ritual is best done privately, although you may want the support of a carefully chosen friend. I have outlined some carefully considered questions for you to ask yourself when trying to figure out if a divorce ritual is what you want to do. As with all rituals, I strongly suggest that this one be given a lot of thought. With this divorce ritual, I recommend going to an even deeper level of introspection, as you will be bidding farewell to an important part of your life that doubtless brought you as much joy as it did sorrow. Many emotions are going to rise up, and you can, gently and with love, put these feelings to rest and assign them a place in your life: the past.
Questions for Yourself
Have a girlfriend get-together and mix up a batch of this magical salve. This oil is redolent with the properties of the four directions, which are the source of all power. This oil will contain your combined energies and can be used during subsequent rituals.
Lavender is for the east, representing mental clarity and ideas.
Everyone has heard of voodoo dolls, but poppets are not nearly as well known. Sewn of plain muslin or linen, a poppet is simply an herb- or cotton-stuffed head, tied with string or threaded about the neck. It can be used to charm, protect, or even heal a friend. You can add something that represents your friend—red yarn if your friend is lucky enough to be a redhead, for example. Your poppet can be placed on your altar and can be the beneficiary of any number of charms or spells of your design.
Take dried sage, a plain muslin square, and a white string to create a “head.” Tie the doll’s neck securely so she doesn’t lose her head, so to speak. Pin or sew charms representing the good fortune you wish for your friend—coins for money, a heart-shaped patch for love, a sun for luck and happiness, a pyramid or moon for wisdom, whatever suits you. Feel free to use your imagination, and remember to use this only for positive results. (To wish harm has a karmic price you do not want to pay!)
