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We Pagans love our incense! That has been the case for a very, very long time. As you might expect, the Minoans also enjoyed incense, and plenty of it.
The fresco above is from the West House in Akrotiri. It shows a young girl adding what looks like saffron threads to an incense burner. We know she's a girl because of her unnaturally white skin. And we know she's not an adult because of her hair - it's shaved, with a few long locks, an indication of a person who has not yet come of age.
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You already know that your altar is the nexus of your magical powers, but it can also be a medium through which you give gifts to the Roman god of abundance, Jupiter, also known as Jove. Jupiter is a rain and thunder deity who also controls fertility. He will rain abundance down upon you if you gain his favor through ritual observance. His “jovial” qualities include leadership, jollity, generosity, expansiveness, and a royal manner. Your middle finger is your Jupiter finger, and you can also increase your fortunes by leaving a ring on your altar overnight and then placing it on the middle finger of either hand. Ideally, for the best result, it will be a green or gold stone such as peridot, tourmaline, or citrine.
If you can find a statue or bust of Jove, you should place this symbol on the right side of the altar accompanied by the image of an eagle, which is the ideal prosperity altar emblem, as the eagle is Jupiter’s bird totem. The eagles of Rome and America are this royal bird of the king of gods. Lapis lazuli, the beautiful blue stone beloved of the Egyptians, is also sacred to Jupiter. The alchemical symbol for this stone is the astrological sign of Jupiter in reverse, and the blue of the lapis stone is associated with the blue of the sky god. You can increase your prosperity by remembering one of its most basic principles: By giving, so shall you receive.
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A worshiper crowns a standing stone with a wreath of flowers.
A worshiper sets a pewter unicorn on top of a standing stone.
Which of these two is the worthy offering?
Here's how you determine worthiness: focus. Does the offering enhance, or does it detract? To rephrase: what do you see first?
When you approach the standing stone crowned with the wreath, you see the standing stone. In fact, your appreciation of said stone is enhanced by knowing that someone else has venerated the Stone by giving it a gift.
When, however, you approach the standing stone with the unicorn statue sitting on top, you don't even see the standing stone. Because the human eye is drawn to the anomalous, what you see first is the unicorn. The stupid little geegaw has reduced the Stone to mere platform.
The wreath stays.
The unicorn, though, has got to go.
(The lone exception to the rule against setting something on top of a standing stone that I know of: When you sacrifice to a standing stone, it is acceptable to leave the severed head of the sacrificed animal on top of the Stone. This, by tradition, is counted as an enhancement, if a terrible one.)
It's the heart of pagan worship to treat the icon as you would treat a person. To crown someone with flowers is an act of honoring.
To put a pewter unicorn on someone's head is not even to be thought of.
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 one of the easiest recipes for brownies you will find anywhere. So yummy!
1⁄2 cup flour
To prepare for new relationships and deepen the expression of feeling and intensity to your love life, create a center from which to renew your romantic spirit. Here you can concentrate your energy, clarify your intentions and make wishes come true. If you already have an altar, incorporate some special elements, such as red candles or red crystals, or anything associated with Venus, like copper or a seashell to enhance your sex life. Your altar can sit on a low table, a big box, or any flat surface dedicated to magic. One friend of mine has her sex altar at the head or her bed. Begin by purifying the space with a sage smudge stick—a bundle of sage that you burn as your pass it through the space. Then cover your altar with a large red silk or silk-like fabric. Place two red candles at the center of your altar and place a soul mate crystal—two crystals naturally fused together—at the far right corner of the altar. These are widely available at metaphysical stores. Anoint your candles with jasmine and neroli oil. Also keep the incense you think is sexiest on your altar. Place fresh Casablanca lilies in a vase and change them the minute they begin to fade. Lilies are heralded as exotic and erotic flowers, prized for their seductive scent.
The Minoans were big on offerings. They made all manner of offering stands, libation pitchers, and other paraphernalia for their altars and shrines. And they used these ritual vessels to hold items and substances such as bread, fruit, flowers, wine, honey, seeds, and even wool.
But there are some interesting ritual vessels from Palaikastro that come pre-filled with little ceramic offerings. Were these models of offerings meant to replace the real thing? To be a reinforcement of what was put in the offering dish? Or to be some other kind of symbol - a reference to the deity the offering was given to, for instance, or a depiction of what they wanted the deities to protect?
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