Seed Charm for the Ancestors
This charm is for honouring those that have passed over, it can be for humans or animals. The seeds are grown in memory of your loved ones.
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The term witch’s ladder has a few meanings, but here I use it to designate a spell made by tying knots in a length of cord. Various items, such as feathers and beads, might be tucked into the knots.
It occurred to me that perhaps a witch’s ladder could be made not by making knots and inserting items into them, but by spinning a cord—actually creating a cord using the ancient art of spinning fibers together—while spinning into the fibers a length of strong thread onto which beads had been strung.
After all, there must’ve been a time in history when a witch’s ladder was not necessarily made by tying knots in a cord, but by actually creating a cord using the ancient art of spinning fibers together. That seems inevitable, given the magic inherent in spinning.
Magic has been worked in the Druid tradition since ancient times. As it is a growing tradition, with new knowledge and techniques influencing it all the time, you can certainly feel free to write up your own spells, using whatever tools you desire, whatever components and whatever technique you feel best suits your practice. Here are some guidelines as to how to go about writing and performing a spell.
Today I'm sharing a spell/ritual from the new second edition of my book Ancient Spellcraft. It calls on the power of the griffin, an ancient mythological creature of great power. We have recently rediscovered the Minoan sun goddess Therasia and come to realize that the griffins are hers. If you like, you can call on her directly as you perform this ceremony. I do recommend that you develop a relationship with any deity you call on for spells and rituals, since they're not cosmic vending machines (you put in an offering and out pops a goodie).
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This morning, I intuitively chose a talisman to wear, without knowing why it was the right one for the day ahead. A while back, I’d made the talisman out of Angora fibers (otherwise known as rabbit fur), Cormo, which is one of the softest wools in existence, some other fibers, and two glass beads. (In case it's hard to see in the photo: the three center beads are ones I made out of fibers, and on each side of them is a glass bead. If memory serves, I spun the cord entirely out of bunny fur.)
Later today, while on my physical therapy walk through the woods, I meditated on what the talisman had for me today. The first thing that came to me was the gentleness of rabbits.
Like many people, I have fallen in love with the new Wonder Woman movie. Also like many people, I am in need of getting myself into better physical shape. I’ve decided that a great way to support my fitness goals is to have a pop culture character to work with as a trainer to help motivate and guide me: thus enter General Antiope.
***This post will contain some minor spoilers for the beginning of Wonder Woman. If you haven’t seen it you, go do so!***
If you haven’t seen Wonder Woman yet, General Antiope is the fiercest of all the Amazons and the one who teaches Diana her skills. Antiope has several characteristics that make her an ideal trainer.
First is her genuine desire to prepare those under her supervision to overcome any obstacles the world throws at them. Antiope decides to train Diana, against Diana’s mother’s wishes, because she knows that someday Diana will have to go up against Ares and that Diana needs to be prepared. Antiope does not train Amazons for reasons of honor or prestige, but out of a genuine desire to keep them safe. I’m not looking to “lose weight” or have a “beach body,” I’m looking to improve my physical health for the sake of having the stamina to actually do everything I need to do.
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