Awakening Vasilissa's Doll

Before any poppet or helper doll can be put to work it must be enlivened and connected to either the person in effigy or a spirit you are working with. You can make poppets to represent prosperity, saints, divinities, people ( for healing or hexing), or any other spirit you wish to work with. I like to work with fairies and having a poppet around that represents them in this world helps make the magic with them a little more tangible for me. Here we will be awakening a helper doll much like Vasilissa's from the old Slavic fairy tales.

The first thing you will want for this ritual is activation incense. It's easy enough to make. Blend together in equal measures and burn on a charcoal:

black pepper
ginger
nutmeg

You will also need:

white candle
poppet
water
salt

Set your altar with your poppet upon it in the normal way you would for your own magic rituals and light the candle and incense. Make sure to set circle. Be sure to focus on your need and desire before picking up your poppet.

Hold the poppet over the incense saying:

with this air I give you breath

Make sure to turn the poppet over a few times to let it soak in

Hold the poppet over the flame with out scorching it saying:

With this fire I give you desire

Sprinkle the poppet with water saying:

With this water I give you power

Sprinkle the poppet with salt saying

with this earth I give you life!

Cup your helper doll in both hands draw up the earth energy from your grounding cord. Let it fill you and spill out into your doll. Focus on your helper doll taking on life perhaps from a beloved ancestor or spirit guide you have been working with, but be certain to have chosen this carefully before you begin. When you feel as though the doll is full. begin your chant. Here's the Vasilissa one I have used with success.

Dance with me friend and show me good paths.
Hop in my pocket, help find my desire.
Help me do Baba's impossible deeds,
Help me bring home the needful fire.
Awaken awaken awaken my friend!

Say this until you feel light and buzzy, blow three times on the poppet's face and whisper it's name thrice in its ear. Be sure the first day to put it in your pocket and parade it around to let it get to know your life and needs. Keep it a place of honor in your home and on occasion an offering and smudging do wonders.

http://www.viona-art.com/portfolio/sets/vasilisa-brave

Origami Bird Devotion.

A friend of mine came over this morning for the usual coffee, chat while the little ones take command of the living room and build train sets together. Although we were minus the other child, as she was at home and not with grandpa today. Which works for me right now, because poor little man has caught his sister's cold ( read as: here we go).

Today was let's do some reiki magic today with cranes. . . oh hey, let me teach you how to do cranes. If I wasn't going to do Hecate's night last night I can at least do it tonight, if little man let's me ( read as: I am going to be up all night anyway.) So he was actually pretty good at building origami . . . cranes not so much. This is where the project got interesting. The first crane actually looked like a crane, the others looked clearly like other birds, including a bird of prey! They seemed to be directly applicable to his situation. I will be watching to see what happens with this. I will also be pulling out my Language of the Birds book out here very soon to review anything I may have missed earlier.

I have my craney looking cranes ( I'm soooo boring, I guess) and put them aside for a small devotion tonight. I'll pull out my cast iron cauldron and commit them to flame.

I developed this short devotional ritual a long time ago when I began to realize that as a Mother some of my devotion acts must be short and sweet. Life happens. . . it is quite that simple and I don't always have the time to do exactly what I want to do and I'm pretty fine with that. As far as I can tell, I have had no complaints about being human and alive yet.

Before you start to fold your crane on a square piece of paper or nice origami paper, take a little time to roll a wish around in your head. Make it clear and concise. I also like to make sure that it matches the phase of the moon ( yes I know, crazy right??) When I have a clear statement, I write it down quickly as a rough draft somewhere because there are going to be about fifty million interruptions as I go about my day, especially if some one is not feeling well. I just go with it. As the house quiets down, I get out the paper I will be working with and take my time with the process of building an origami crane.

Artwork by Prince-Zaire on deviantArt.

I usually let a period of time pass before I actually set circle quickly and do any energy work. I am waiting to see who is going to come shuffling out of bedrooms in a sleep walked daze requesting that the freezer be filled with ice cream then settling for water. ( I keep waiting for the part where one says there's a monster under the bed so I can pull my Hog's Father routine out.)

Artwork by Prince-Zaire on deviantArt.

There is a feel to the house when everything has finally settled into night. You can hear the clock pendulum in the library tick and the whole room feels like it's lines with silk instead of child litter. The kitchen smells clean and the air hums. I'll be waiting for this moment tonight.

Light Bringer: Hekate Phosphoros!

We do not teach history; we recreate the experience. We follow the chain of consequences -- the tracks of the beast in its forest. Look behind our words and you see the broad sweep of social behavior that no historian has ever touched.

Bene Gesserit Panoplia Propheticus

Chapterhouse: Dune

Strewing the floors

From cavalcades to ticker tape parades the art of strewing is well and alive. Strewing is a means of sanctifying a place whether it be a somber offering to those who go off to battle or the floors of your hearth and home. Herbs, flowers, leaves and magic powders would be tossed on the ground before the  procession to offer blessings of protection or celebration of a job well done.

My children are always excited by strew days in my home. Just like fear, they smell it coming. The herbs and essential oils come out and they anxiously wait for the mix to be ready so they can help me. It's really the only time when I don't get upset with them for throwing stuff on the floors. The strew changes as the needs of my hearth and home shift and so does the length of time that the strew sits. Most of the time I leave it on the floor for about and hour and vacuum it up after the kids have had their fill of running and shuffling through it with glee. Other time in preparation for a sabat or other magics it can sit for a few days after the ritual before the vacuum has it's say.

When I leave a strew on the floor for an extended period it gets added to periodically. I leave it in honor of the divinities and spirits I am working with to see the magic off in a good way and 'set' it. My cue to break out with the vacuum in these cases is usually indicated through my dream work. Something will signal to me that the working or ritual has been accepted and then it is time to clean up and leave any final offering of thanks.

The first thing you should understand about your strew, is to understand the materials you are working with and have a clear goal in mind. (Always use a glass or wood bowl to mix your strew. Metal changes properties of the essential oils and herbs.) Clearing the house after tough times? Salt and baking soda make a great base. You can add a few drops of essential oils such as rosemary and eucalyptus to aid in the clearing process. Or, if you need to lift up the household spirits a boost of tea tree and peppermint are perfect. Hate using powders on your floor? No problem: herbs vacuum up great without making your vacuum demand filter cleaning. The very best thing you can do for yourself, if you are endeavoring to make your own strews, is to get your hands on a great magical herbal and essential oil book (if you intend to use essential oils.) You will have no shortage of ideas that fit your needs.

Since Oscar night is a huge event in my house, I am posting my Oscar strew. Good luck to all nominees!

Oscar's Strew:

rose petals 2 pts (For the love of the art)
pomagranate leaves 1 pt ( for good luck and wishes)
powdered aloe vera 1/2 pt ( prevention of accidents)
rosemary 1 pt ( celebrations like this can be exhausting . . . mental stamina!)
calendula 1/2 pt ( for happy dreams afterward!)

You've just been recruited!

Earlier I talked a little about penny magic. Here is a fun one we are all familiar with from a different perspective.

"Find a penny pick it  up and all day long you'll have good luck."

What if some witchy is running around leaving lucky pennies head side up on sidewalks and shopping mall floors? Well there is! And now with you reading this: there will hopefully be more. Let the penny games begin!

 I like to indulge in magical pay it forward. I like to use nine pennies that are 95 percent copper, pre 1982. Sometimes I include some of those hoarded leap year pennies in the mix. Really, any penny will do if you haven't had time to sort them out yet. I just like to add as much pow in a working as possible. Copper is a metal that attracts abundances. With this magic, I am calling forth abundances of good luck and joy for who ever picks up these pennies.

I set them on my altar, play some happy music and place energy in the penny pile. An added bonus would be to choose a lucky rune such as one for prosperity or joy to shape your pennies into. As I go about my daily routine while out and about I pull one out, place it head side up while no one is looking and whisper : " Find this penny, pick up and all day long you'll have good luck!" It is best to put these pennies in a place where it would be safe for a person to stop and pick it up; after all, we may be indulging children in their game.


This is a great way to leave happy magic where ever you go. It is especially helpful when things are in such a somber tone around you. A little light goes along way and it only takes one candle to light another. Before you know it the darkness is lifted! Happiness is just as contagious as depression. Happy spelling! You've just been recruited into the Witches' Penny Brigade!

Note: A variation to this casting can include magic pennies you have picked up along the way. After your day is up, put it in a special bag or jar to use in this working. Remember, this is supposed to be fun for you as well. Oh and remember: Silence is golden!

Four Thieves Vinegar

Not last night, but the night before, 24 robbers came running through my door…

OK so there weren’t 24 of them, only four. They were robbing the homes and businesses of the black plague victims AND not catching it which was something unheard of. Apparently as the story goes one of those dastardly dude’s mother was an apothecary, at least this is the version of the story I heard. She had whipped up a brew of cootie whoop ass so they wouldn’t get sick. Whether she knew what her brew was being used for is questionable; no one seems to talk about that detail. Eventually these thieves were caught and in exchange for the recipe they escaped execution.

So today, we have a brew that has been passed down through history that is not only a antimicrobial (if made with food grade materials you can eat it) but it is a potent magickal protection brew used for everything from averting the evil eye to getting rid of bothersome folk. Good stuff to have around as a staple if you ask me.

Here is a common recipe:

 You can make your own “Four Thieves Vinegar” by following the simple recipe below.

Four Thieves Vinegar Recipe: Use equal parts of the following herbs:

• Lavender
• Sage
• Thyme
• Melissa (lemon balm)
• Hyssop
• Peppermint
• A handful of garlic cloves

Let these ingredients cold infuse in a glass jar covered with apple cider vinegar for about six weeks. Shake it up periodically during that six weeks. Filter out the herb and pour into a clean bottle. I like to keep mine in the refrigerator.

While my personal recipe is a little different, the important factor lies in the fact that each of the herbs used are antimicrobial. I also do a similar mix using essential oils that I put in a spray bottle with water to mist around the house when the kids bring home the cold or if tensions in the house get high due to conflict in or out of the home.

You can make a salad dressing of it by mixing 1 part vinegar to 2 parts olive oil. Shake well before pouring over leafy green salads. You can take it by the teaspoon to help ward off winter illnesses.

I like to put about a teaspoon of it into a bucket of water and use it as a cleaning rinse. I also put it in a spray bottle to clean off counter and stove top surfaces.

While all of these seem to be rather mundane uses, the thing you have to realize that as you are physically cleaning, you are clearing out the magickal realms of your home as well. Negative energies love to gather in dusty, dreary, dirty cluttered places and the best way to deal with negative energies in your life is to give them no refuge in your home. WIth no place to hide, negativity and bothersome folk scurry away like the man in black himself is on their tail!

Energetic Effect of Time

Minutes

• 3: circulation and blood stability is affected
• 11: the pituitary and nerves begin to change
• 22: the three minds ( negative, positive and neutral) begin to work together
• 31: meditation begins to affect your whole mind, your aura and internal elements ( earth, air, fire, water, spirit)
• 62: Light and shadows of the mind begin to integrate
• 2 1/2 hours: Holds the subconscious change for the entire day’s cycle

Days

• it takes 40 days to change a habit
• it takes 90 days to confirm that habit
• it takes 120 days for the habit to become who you are
• it takes 1000 days to master the new habit

Graveyard Etiquette and Dirt!

“Hecate Prytania, you saffron clad one among the tombs, I ask permission to enter the gates of this graveyard. I seek your blessings and safe passage.” 

Wait for a sign of Her permission to enter. Before you enter the gate announce your gift of 9 wine soaked dimes and a bulb of garlic. Shake the dimes up in their container so She may hear them before you empty them onto the ground. There are many different traditions that talk about using pennies as entrance tokens, there are those that talk about using dimes, some specifically talk about Mercury head dimes other talk about a specific number of pennies or dimes. I prefer the modern dime with the torch on the back. I like the connection that implies to Hecate and Her torches. I use the number nine because it is the number of all triple goddesses: (by the power of three times three.)

Take the bulb of garlic to either a triple crossroad in the graveyard or a tree you feel call. Some practitioners feel it is appropriate to entice the Goddess to let you in with a gift. However, my intuition tells me that Hecate may be insulted with something She may view as a bribe, so I wait permission to enter then give Her my gift regardless of the answer.

When leaving the graveyard there are traditions that view turning your back upon the mighty dead as not only rude, but foolish. Not all of the mighty dead are benevolent and would leap at a chance to cause havoc and mischief in your life if given the excuse. So before you walk out the gate face the dead and back out of the gate three steps. Bow to the mighty dead and say:

“Thank you to the mighty dead who have shown me hospitality in their home. Merry Meet and Merry Part.”

Bow to the mighty dead and leave the graveyard gate without looking back.

Graveyard Dirt

When researching graveyard dirt I found a whole bunch of people selling it (????), some of the formulas for sale had absolutely no dirt in it. I found mullein, patchouli and a few other herbs powdered and mixed together. None of this felt right so I had to go and ask a few of my elders to help me sift out the crap. My intuitions were confirmed by both my elders and this statement I tripped over:

Against a few modern white authors claiming that “graveyard dirt” is a secret code for mullein herb, we have evidence that the folklorist Harry M. Hyatt interviewed hundreds of black people in the late 1930s who told him the proper ways they knew to collect and pay for graveyard dirt — and NONE of them mentioned mullein.

Take the dirt from the seventh grave from the gates, they told him, or from the third grave on the left, or from any grave; make sure you get it from the grave of a murderer, from the grave of a baby, or from the grave of someone who loved you; collect it at the foot of the grave, the head of the grave, from the head and foot both, from over the corpse’s heart; pay for it with a dime, with three pennies, with a measure of rum, with a measure of whiskey; dig it with a silver spoon, dig it by hand only and use no tools — their instructions vary, but they ALL are speaking quite frankly of literal graveyard dirt — some even calling it “that old yellow graveyard clay.”

There are as many ways to buy graveyard dirt as there are cultures. So my intuition tells me that I should be sure that I do things that are congruent to my own beliefs while respecting the tradition of graveyard etiquette: be polite, because you are in someone else’s ‘house’, pay for what you take, leave an offering to the patron deity, in my case, Hecate Prytania presides.

For me it makes sense to take dirt from one of four places on the grave: the head, the heart, the feet, and the groin.

Head: to deal with thought forms, gossip, protection, liars

Heart all matters of the heart positive and negative

Feet: safe travel, make someone go away, wealth ( I associate this with the Italian tradition of old shoes being thrown at a wedding for wealth of the couple)

Groin: sex offenders ( payment here is higher due to the nature of root chakra energy and it being the base of all beings… nine pennies face up)

I know I have not listed all matters. I do not want to get too specific because a lot of this is intuitive and common sense based. Our ancestors were practical people after all. If it didn’t work, they didn’t use it.

For common use graveyard dirt, the gate is a good place to but it from, but because you are dealing with the Goddess herself here and not an individual from the yard, a higher price is called for. I use nine pennies here as I would for groin dirt. Now as much as there is rules for where to take the dirt from there are also rules about who to buy it from. The first rule is always ask permission and know who you are dealing with.

Teenager (11-19): to cause inattentiveness or irresponsibility in your target or to kindle sexual attraction

Child (2-10): great for appearing innocent, developing friendships, or obtaining necessities ( best to get this from a poor child rather than one who ate from a silver spoon)

Baby: when you need someone to cast a blind eye to what you are up to, insuring that someone remains dependant on you, or when you need to appear indispensable

Adulterer: to create a love triangle or breaking up a relationship ( esp helpful if you know the relatonship is toxic)

Doctor: to either cause or heal illness

Insane: to bring on madness in your target, remember that the person you are dealing with may not be coherent enough to understand your request and you may not get the desired affect you expected.

Magical Practitioner: virtually everything

Pet: Protection and loyalty

The Abused: to assist in removing one from an abusive relationship.

The Murdered: to right an injustice or to seek revenge.

Murderer or Serial Killer: do not use his dirt unless it is your intent to cause grave harm to your target. I would reserve this only in the most dire need and even still I would hesitate. You may not get the desired result you wish, in fact, you may unleash Hell.

Nun or Priest: spiritual protection and to convey the sense of innocent goodness to the outside world.

Soldier: soldiers are trained to follow orders think on their feet, be strong and courageous. Therefore this dirt is good for just about anything, but you would be wise to understand what this soldier believed in and his/ her causes so that you do not get worked against.

Lawyer/ judges: winning a court case, to protect your rights and dealing with injustices.

Housewife: to ensure domestic tranquility or protection of the hearth and home. May also be used to create discord and chaos in your target’s home.

These are all suggestions I have been able to glean from the online materials I have found. I don’t think anything is truly set in stone as all magick under the realm of Hecate tends to be liminal anyway. Use your intuition and good common sense. I have heard that it is best to buy dirt from someone who knew and loved you in life, but not all of us have that luxury, so be certain of who you are dealing with is not only willing to help you but capable. Meditating and having a conversation with the passed one is necessary before you do any work with them.

Blue Beads and the Evil Eye

There are cultural references to the evil eye from all over the world. It sits in the back of the human mind like an old cautionary tale from childhood bedtime stories and not like the watered down versions that most western children are told for bed time entertainment. Its symptoms vary from uneasy feeling of dread to headache and fatigue; in extreme cases, physical illness. It is believed that this superstition radiates out from the lands of Sumer where moisture rules the day. The evil eye is believed to cause withering and drying causing harm to beings and even destruction if caution is not taken. So it is no surprise to me that the color of water is the cure. 

The most common blue bead seen for this purpose is a cobalt blue bead with an iris appearing dot at its center. It is commonly called a nazar boncugu. It is believed that if the iris falls off the cobalt bead then the evil eye had been cast and averted. A new charm would then be acquired.

The Hebrew community also has its own belief in the evil eye and uses red ribbons to deter it and even spitting. On occasion an elder hebrew woman can be spotted making a peh- peh -peh sound upon a compliment paid her grandchild as they are believed to piggy back the evil eye. Better safe than sorry is the axiom used to justify this action.

So I have asked myself: Am I as superstitious to believe in the evil eye? All evidence points to yes and not out of the axiom ‘better to be safe than sorry.’ My grandmother believed in the evil eye, my mother in law believes in the evil eye, my own experiences and actions reflect to me that I do as well. Each of my children have been made blue bead anklets on a red cord. And they wear them. Not all the time mind you, My eldest seems to go through periods where he feels just fine not wearing it, but I have noticed that during times of strife among classmates or when school events take place, he hunts high and low for his anklet. My daughter is the same way, particularly around choir performance time. 

I tend to defer to simplicity and obscurity. I use cobalt beads on a red cord. The red cord denotes to me protection and connection to the vitality of life and the blue beads represent the life nurturing properties of water. Within my own tradition the colors also lend the protection of both the God and Goddess. I chose to place it upon my ankle simply to keep a low key on my superstitious nature. While there are those that believe that the charm must be seen to work, I believe no such thing.

There are many cures and preventive measures used for the evil eye, including mirrors, black eyeliner, incense laden prayers and horseshoes. My answer, the one that works for me and my family are blue beads on a red cord as protection and an egg rolled down the body to remove it. I like simplicity. I like unobtrusive accents that won’t smack to the viewer, if they are paying attention, of a superstitious ninny. I realize that we live in an industrial age and there are those that pooh pooh old world beliefs. Just because the world has turned it’s back on spirits and nature, doesn’t mean that spirits and nature have forgotten us and will stay their hands for good or for ill. 

Here are some good links for more information on the evil eye, it’s prevention and some cure if you care to do your own homework:

http://www.luckymojo.com/evileye.html

 http://ezinearticles.com/?Meaning-of-the-Mediterranean-Evil-Eye-Myth&id=150317\

 http://azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/83_folder/83_articles/83_evil.html

 http://perceptivetravel.com/blog/2010/09/07/the-evil-eye-in-istanbul/

 http://users.tns.net/~mroashan/Folklore/EvilEye.htm  

http://www.forteantimes.com/features/articles/241/the_evil_eye.html

A little Something About Oddlings

Poppet: a doll fashioned in the likeness of another person or divine being to affect change for good or for ill, usually poked with a needle or pin to direct the focus of energy to a specific place in the body. At least this is how I define poppet. Most poppets are single spell use with a specific target in mind to bless, curse or heal another. There is the phenomenon of Orisha dolls fashioned to represent specific Orisha Gods in their honor. Orisha dolls are generally treated with the highest respect with offerings and rituals designed around them and housed on altars or in shrines.

Oddlings as they have been dubbed, are poppets that are vessels for spirits from the faery realms. I have been known to create Oddlings to house saints and gods, but mostly I work with faery spirits. I keep my personal Oddlings close to me and safely kept in a place of honor. They receive offerings, are included in certain rituals, held during meditations of guidance, and like a good Vasilissa, I tote them around in a pocket to go out and about with me when I feel called to do so. Yes, you could say I still play with dolls.

For me, the practice of creating poppets originated from a folktale of my ancestry: Vasillissa the Brave. Vasillissa's mother made her a doll before she died. This doll became a helper during her days of trial that would follow her mother's death and lead her to a place of vindication and happiness in her life. I made the first helper doll for my daughter as she was experiencing issues with school while she was small and it brought her comfort and the help she needed to move forward. She carried it with her to and from school in a pocket of her backpack. It was not the felt poppet that I make now. It was made of muslin and the stitching eventually loosened by fraying fabric as muslin is wont to do, but she still sits in my daughter's room a happy memory. Once I started playing in felt, I fell in love with the durability of the seams and muslin went right out the window.

On occasion I get asked: "so why the black heart???" Well it's a little faery secret about the true nature of innocence. We see it in small children and animals. Small children and animals make no excuses for themselves. They are what they are and they have no shame about who and what they are. In my particular tradition, this concept is represented by a black heart. On each Oddling you will also find a blue bead for a belly button. There are two meanings here: one in Feri the goddess is represented by the color blue and the color is a reminder that all of us are born of women, two: cobalt blue is used by many cultures to ward off the evil eye. No sense in having something special to have it tainted by the jealousy of another is there? There is one open eye represented by a button to see our world with, there is an eye that sees the faery realms represented by an embroidered X, and a crooked smile of slyness sealed shut to keep those secrets between only two creatures: the poppet and it's guardian.

When meditating with an Oddling, I hold it while focusing firmly on the subject in question. Grounding here is a very good idea, not only does grounding keep you from wandering in your train of thought, it helps filter out any expected results of the meditation making plenty of room for real guidance. There are times when dream work is done and for this I place the poppet in my pillow after telling it what it is I need to see and know in my dreams. Sometimes I don't remember the dream itself, but I am suddenly inspired with a solution upon waking. I never know just how this sort of magic will manifest, but I find that there is always a positive effect for me.

I leave offerings of gratitude when I finish working with my Oddlings. Depending on who they are and what I am guided to do the offerings range from cookies and milk to vodka or wine that later get poured into the earth with thanks. Sometimes the offering is a good old parade around town with a comfortable seat in my pocket followed by ooo's and aww's from the humans that encounter them. Keeping them clear and fed is key for me. Sage and church incense smudgings on a regular basis keeps them fresh and I find that some of them request a sprinkling of powdered flowers and herbs. Those things tend to vary from Oddling to Oddling so I listen carefully to what my intuition says and follow through.

If you have an Oddling already, I hope I have given you some ideas on how to work with your helper doll. If you don't have one yet, why not ???? The only things I ask you to remember should you bring an Oddling into your life is don't poke with pins. . . they don't like it much and it is your friend, not servant.