Llewellyn Publications's Blog, page 17

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Patti Wigington, author of the new Badass Ancestors.

After three decades of working with my ancestors as part of my spiritual practice, I’ve found that my long-dead kinfolk are an incredibly valuable resource when I need guidance, wisdom, and insight. I call upon my family members in divination workings regularly, and they’ve never failed me yet. While I do keep a scrying mirror and a pendulum on my ancestor altar, I’ve found that the most powerful divination tool I can use with my people is the set of ancestor oracle cards I’ve made for myself.

Ancestor oracle cards are a uniquely personal divination tool that only you can make for yourself, because they involve images of your own ancestors. You’ll never be able to walk into your local metaphysical shop and buy a set of photos of your kinfolk, but that’s okay… because making an ancestor oracle deck is, in itself, a magical action.

Oracle decks can have as many cards as the creator wants, and because they can have any meaning the creator assigns them, they’re fairly easy to learn. Each card has an image, as well as words associating the image with a particular concept or idea.

What family photos do you have access to? If you’re doing ancestor work, they may be right there on your altar! Look at your photos, and consider what concepts come to mind when you study them. Make a list of words or phrases to represent each picture. For instance, does that photo of your great-grandmother make you think of hard work and perseverance? Perhaps you’ve unearthed an image of the horse your great-something-uncle won in a card game, and it brings to mind good fortune at games of chance. Did you have a picture of an ancestor who survived a frightening experience, and who serves as a reminder that your family is strong and courageous?

Scan your photos, creating digital images. Print them out on card stock and be sure to label each with the phrases and words you associate with each picture; you may also want to add the person’s name to help keep things straight later on. For extra durability, consider laminating them when you’re done.

To use your cards, simply hold them in your hands and ask questions as you would with any other oracle deck. Call out to your kinfolk as you shuffle your cards, and then draw a card to see which ancestor has a message to offer you—and then listen to what they have to say.

An ancestor oracle deck will be an ongoing project, as you connect with more ancestors during your research, and unearth photos of them, their homes, and the lands they left behind. Store your cards in a place of honor on your altar, and let the wisdom of your ancestral guides help inspire you on your journey.

Our thanks to Patti for her guest post! For more from Patti Wigington, read her article “9 Things to Keep On Your Ancestor Altar.”

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Simon Court, author of the new The Magic of Pathworking.

Magic, or the Western Esoteric Tradition, captured my mind at an early age. It seemed simple and straightforward to learn and progress through study and work, especially as a member of a reputable order or school. I applied to a group and was accepted, beginning the daily meditation work and text study. This was Qabalistic magic and I devoured the basics of the background theory, the Tree of Life, the correspondences, the method and structure of ritual. I was immersed in it. Then everything changed.

I knew vaguely of pathworkings but was directly introduced to them by Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki, probably the leading authority on the topic at the time, if not still.

What wonders unfolded.

What is below is like what is above, my teachers used to say. And it was a short step to what is without is what is within. There it was. The essence of magic laid bare. Change the inner and the outer follows.

Fantasy journeys, of which pathworkings are a special type, are used in many traditions and have been so used for as long as we can know. You may journey in imagination to a sacred place, on foot, by canoe, on horseback, there to meet celestial beings, sacred animals, teachers, and to learn from these.

As the people of the tribe sat around, the storyteller wove the fabric of words in their minds, adding meaning to the outer world by linking it to the inner.

What I call pathworkings are a specially structured subset of this natural human activity. That is, they can form groups centered around a single inner reality.

For the Qabalist, they are the paths upon the Tree of Life diagram, Otz Cha’im. They have a starting point, a specific set of symbols and meanings and a set finishing point, joining one sphere, Sephirah, on the Tree of Life to another. It is very formal. And effective.

But the storyteller’s pathworkings are different. And I am a storyteller, not a Qabalist.

And my stories are those of the pagan earth, sea, sky. These are where my family forebears have found their meanings, in the flow of the landscape.

It is on this basis that I make my stories in order to reflect inner, mythic, timeless realities. I travel these, explore them and then write stories within a consistent setting so I may invite others to journey as I have.

If we build our inner reality on mythic archetypal themes we will reorder our inner self along those lines. The outer continues to be a reflection of the inner. And, slowly at first, the outer begins to change, subtly, to match the changes we are making within.

Will you win the lottery, meet that special someone, have all barriers suddenly removed? No, of course not. But because you have changed within you will see things differently, see opportunities you may have missed, see beauty that was always there, see meaning in events and see paths to follow for personal growth. You might wonder why you never noticed earlier what must have been there all along.

I have set down an integrated, progressive magical journey in a series of pathworkings taking the reader/practitioner on an adventure of self-discovery in my new book, The Magic of Pathworking. I promise nothing. All promise is already within the reader-practitioner.

Our thanks to Simon for his guest post! For more from Simon Court, check out his book, The Magic of Pathworking.

Here in the northern hemisphere, Mabon, the Autumn Equinox, is almost upon us, but for our southern hemisphere friends, it is time for the Spring Equinox/Ostara. To help you celebrate, we’ve rounded up our best rituals, spells, books, and more!

An Ostara Sabbat Ritual for One: Celebrate Ostara with a ritual to welcome the light and leave the dark behind.

 

 

Brighten Your Ostara by Bringing Balance to Your Life: Use these ideas to rejuvenate and balance your emotions, finding new joy in the process.

 

 

Ostara: A Time to Recreate Yourself: Ostara, that magical time of renewal and balance, is just around the corner. Use this magical time for personal recreation, and to become the person you truly desire to be.

Ostara Spells: Browse our spells to find your perfect Ostara ritual or incantation.

Books:

Ostara
Llewellyn’s 2021 Sabbats Almanac
Rituals of Celebration
Supermarket Sabbats
Sabbats
The Witch’s Wheel of the Year

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Margaret Ann Lembo, author of Chakra Awakening; The Essential Guide to Crystals, Minerals, and Stones; Essential Guide to Aromatherapy and Vibrational Healing, Crystal Intentions Oracle, Crystals Beyond Beginners, and the new Essential Guide to Everyday Angels.

You have many angels around you every moment of your life. They’re with you 24/7, when you are sleeping and when you are awake. They are a thought away.

The angelic realm is waiting for you to give them permission to help. They need specific requests to activate their assistance. Because humans have free will, angels need to be asked to assist on your behalf. They respond to thoughts and “hear” what you are thinking.

Ask your everyday angels to guide you to achieve that goal or intention. Use gemstones, essential oils, colors, and affirmations to help you stay focused on your ultimate outcome. Use these tools until you realize that your request has been answered. You will notice that you are no longer drawn to carry your gems with you or that you stopped saying the associated affirmations. Once you’ve integrated your request into your life you can move forward with a request regarding another area of your life.

Call on the angels to help you for any life situation, including (but not limited to) the Angels of:

Balanced Emotions
Career
Comfort
Grief
Divine Timing
Forgiveness
Happy Home
Health
Inner Peace
Marriage
Protection
…and so many more.These luminous beings of light are patiently waiting for your permission to assist you with living here on Earth. Visualize and imagine the requested everyday angels starting the process. Your imagination is one of the biggest keys to success.The everyday angels are your entourage. You are the important person, and these designated angels are your personal bodyguards and team players! Delegate and direct your team to assist you in achieving your goals and dreams. They will pave the way to creating the life you want and deserve.

Our thanks to Margaret Ann for her guest post! For more from Margaret Ann Lembo, read her article, “Your Heavenly Entourage: How to Connect with Your Everyday Angels .”

 

It’s been quite a year, and it will likely continue to be quite a year. For so many reasons, many of us feel ragged and worn. A little inner peace would be nice. Elliot Adam, author of Fearless Tarot, has some words of wisdom for us, brought to us by the Four of Swords.

Fearless Tarot , by Elliot Adam
Four of Swords from Llewellyn’s Classic Tarot

“Restoring inner peace.”

The Four of Swords symbolizes our need for inner peace. It encourages rest and recuperation. The appearance of the Four of Swords gently reminds you to call your attention to your body, and any areas where tension has been building up. You may need to give yourself some peace and quiet to rejuvenate your body, mind, and spirit. You could also find that it’s time to let go of whatever is preventing a sense of peace and causing inner suffering.

Do you feel inner-peace, or have you been suffering? When is the last time you gave yourself a relaxing mid-day nap? Do you need a break from the stress that’s built up?

Hidden in the stained-glass window in the Four of Swords is the word: PAX (Latin for PEACE). Aside from encouraging rest, this card asks if you are feeling inner peace. Often the cause for suffering in our lives is attachment to things that need to be surrendered. Trying to control outcomes or hanging onto a path that no longer brings rewards are examples of this. Identify anything that is interfering with your inner peace. Is it a life path that you honestly aren’t happy with? Is it a fixed attachment to a specific outcome? Wouldn’t it be a relief to finally let the source of your suffering go and see what new wonders await you? We are often very good at rationalizing why we need to suffer, but there is no rationalization for it. You can choose inner peace and let go of whatever you’ve outgrown that keeps preventing you from being at peace within yourself.

Prayer imagery is also prevalent on this card. The figures in the stained glass are praying, as is the effigy on the sarcophagus. The scene depicted takes place in a church. This reminds us of the Hierophant card and the re-balancing that occurs when seeking assistance from the Divine. Perhaps the peace you are seeking will be obtained through reconnecting with what is most sacred to you. Feel your stress dissipate as you ask Spirit for what you need.

Another way to bring a sense of inner peace is deep breathing. Secure ten minutes for yourself where you won’t be disturbed. Sit back and relax in a comfy chair. Bring your awareness to your body. With your mind, slowly scan the sensations of your body from head to toe. Is there an area with tightness built up? Find the area of tightness and relax the muscles surrounding this area as much as you can. When you identify where the tension has built up, it’s time to breathe into it. Empty all the air from your lungs. Take a deep breath, slowly inhaling through your nostrils over an eight second count. Fill your body with revitalizing air. Let your stomach expand with the inhalation. Inhale the revitalizing oxygen into the place of tension. Hold the air there for eight seconds, right in the tense spot. While holding the air, purse your lips as if you were about to drink from a small straw. Exhale all the air over eight counts through this aperture slowly. It should sound like a dolphin’s exhalation. (PPHHHHHHHHH). Use your abdomen to press all the old air out of your body. Let all the tension escape with the breath. Feel the muscles around the tense spot relax even further. Repeat this breath exercise with two more healing inhalations and exhalations (Eight counts in, hold eight counts in stressed spot, release through pursed lips over eight counts). With each exhalation allow your body to let go of all the accumulated stress of the week.

People in Western culture often need to be reminded to breathe, relax, and let go. Modern humans are always being stimulated by tasks, media, and demands. Breathing is the easiest way to release tension, but there are so many other ways to relax. Take a nice hot bath with candles and scented water. Sip a cool refreshing drink or soothing herbal tea. Take a relaxing nap for an hour just to rest your brow. Read your favorite book with snuggly blankets a cup of cocoa. Take a breather in a cool darkened room.

When the Four of Swords appears, you must allow yourself rest and recuperation. Perhaps it’s time to plan a vacation, or even a walk in Nature. You don’t need to suffer. Blessings will always come to those who are at peace within themselves.

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Melissa Cynova, author of Kitchen Table Tarot, Tarot Elements, and the new Kitchen Table Magic.

“I’ve always wanted to study magic, but I never had time to sign up for classes or go through training,” said my friend, Karen, causing me to nearly spit out my gum.

Magic just IS, I insisted. It just is. It’s in you. You don’t need anyone to tell you anything, really. YOU don’t need a wand; you can just point your finger.

Honestly, you can just toss some salt at some things.

This is why I wrote Kitchen Table Magic. To bring a comfort and an ease to learning magic. There aren’t any “have to’s” and there is no religion or god attached. Just you, your intuition, and your gift. It’s time to put down the idea of gate-keeping and that there is a certain way to learn magic. It’s just you and your needs and your intention. Everything else is gravy.

This book is for the little witches out there who are certain they can make things happen. It’s for the older witches who have felt dismissed or pushed aside by structures and ideals that don’t appeal to them. It’s for the weirdos and the outcasts, the nerds and the bookworms. This is magic that you can tap into right away, and take with you wherever you go.

Our thanks to Melissa for her guest post! For more from Melissa Cynova, including her books, articles, and more blog posts, visit her author profile.

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Melanie Marquis, author of The Witch’s Bag of Tricks, A Witch’s World of Magick, Beltane, Lughnasadh, and the new Llewellyn’s Little Book of Moon Spells.

If you’re feeling lonely, this moon spell for love can help you forge a path for a worthwhile partner to follow and find you. Finding a suitable romantic partner is a challenge in any era of history, and dating during a pandemic presents its own unique difficulties. It’s much harder to connect with new people without the ordinary options of hitting the town, checking out the clubs, or going to networking events and parties. If we want to find new love in the midst of this current crisis, we have to find new ways to adapt, connect, and socialize while maintaining social distance. Open yourself up to opportunities to connect with others online or through video calls, and cast this moon spell to help bring more love into your life.

You’ll need three candles for this spell: a white candle for the moon, a candle in your favorite color to represent yourself, and a candle to represent the partner you are hoping to meet. Place the unlit candles before you with the white one at the center, and focus your eyes on this center candle as you focus your thoughts on the moon. Ask for the powers that you feel the moon encapsulates and symbolizes to be present and to join you in your spell. Think of how this hunk of minerals and metals is able to bring so much illumination to our nighttime simply by providing a space on which the sunlight may reflect upon us.

Next, light the candle you’ve chosen to represent yourself, and think of your own ability to brighten up the lives of those around you. Think of the love that you would give to the worthy partner you desire. Imagine the space within your body and the field of electromagnetic energy that surrounds you opening up, providing a clear channel through which the vibrations of love may stream.

Now light the white center candle for the moon, with the flame of the candle that represents yourself. Then use the flame of the white candle to light the candle that represents the partner you wish to find. Bring the candles close together, then loosely circle them all in length of string, making three loops around them. Speak this verse or create your own, feeling the meaning of the words in your heart and soul as you wrap the string around the candles:

This love I show you, bright as gold,

Shine on someone to behold!

This love I give to you to mold;

Send it back to me threefold!

Give my love a road to travel;

Weave the webs of fate unraveled!

Bring me one that’s meant for me;

Bring me love that’s meant to be!

Extinguish the candles and bind them tightly together with the string, tying it off with six knots. Light the three candles and allow them to burn for three minutes on every full moon until love finds its way to you.

Our thanks to Melanie for her guest post! For more from Melanie Marquis, read her article “Traditional Lughnasadh with a Modern Twist.”

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Jack Adam Weber, author of the new Climate Cure.

Each of us has a personal and a community life, and trying to balance the two can be challenging. We have aches and hurts that have little to do with global and collective trauma/crisis. Larger events have little to do with our personal lives.

Or so it seems.

Our personal lives and global crises intersect inside us. In Climate Cure I write, “Personal crisis and climate crisis intersect in our hearts.”

We can’t devote all our attention to worldly events, nor can we devote it all to our personal lives (though some try). The goal of inner work is to free us up for outer work, for helping the world. Otherwise it’s merely a personal indulgence project.

At first inner work might seem self-indulgent, but the fact is that for many (not all) burdened by pain and trauma, it’s all they can do to take care of themselves, and much of their time, energy and finances are spent on anxiety, depression, and paralyzing, unreckoned grief.

While healing trauma is damn hard, it is also a gift, a privilege, and an honor. For myself, it bonds me to the world, to the less privileged, via the very compassion that emotional work engenders. Grief work, which I dive into extensively in Climate Cure, is especially poignant in making our hearts as wide as the world. As Mother Teresa says, “May God break my heart so completely the whole world falls in.”

Most of us, most of the time, can’t be effective when riddled with unreckoned, overwhelming pain. Healing through the pain frees us up to be able to care enough to get more involved in tending the world. This care has been forged in me by being humbled enough to experience it wholeheartedly, openly, and bearing it. It’s to become compassion rather than merely mustering it as an effect.

I wish it were so that we could all make the sacrifices to reduce our consumerism, rebel boldly against the psychopathy of our culture, get out in the streets, and devote more of our free time at activism. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. Often, I think it’s because we need so much to fulfill a high level of fun and enjoyment. Freeing our hearts and sharpening our minds are what I propose to be a way forward, out of the double bind of repressing pain, creating more of it, and being a slave to consuming too much entertainment.

Back to the two worlds: personal-collective and inner-outer:

The dynamics between inner and outer—which I share in the book in great depth and detail and in a way to guide you through these dynamics in unique ways—goes unseen and under the radar of popular culture.

For example, consider how grief work “schools us in doing without.” Anyone who has gone through the desert of grief and emerged knows that the pure expression and embodiment of that pain eventually liberates more love from us. This love is sustainable fulfillment, as opposed to the lumping on of things (consumerism) that staves off (deny) backlogged grief and creates more pollution. I call this the “inner path to sustainability,” and it hinges on intellectual and emotional honesty.

But before we feel the love, we must accept waiting, being with pain and finding some peace in that desert. It is that peace we find that also functions as a detox from unsustainable outward fulfillment. It frees us up for what matters to a heart able to accept and rejoice in simple pleasures. This inner richness translates to outer life, to being fulfilled with less stuff, leading to less consumerism and outward distraction, busyness, and craving for entertainment…which reduces our consumption and therefore climate change.

This is but one of many examples for how inner work can translate to outer results, not only to climate cure, but to truer happiness (fulfillment).

There are exceptions to all this, of course, and there are devils to these details, but not for here. What I have seen, at least in our culture, is that we care about ourselves first. What I outline in Climate Cure is a very different approach to feeling fulfilled that leads to inner and outer balance and abundance…and becoming a force for upward regeneration cycle, personally and together, and fortifies us with the aptitudes to work together, communicate well, and go the path of embodied, emotionally intelligent love.

So, back to the intersecting in our hearts:

Because it seems many of us can’t become genuinely empowered and activated without caring enough (which I propose happens most permanently via clearing enough pain and having enough support to do it), we can view the inner-outer dynamic as one happening. In terms of clearing our hearts of pain, this means understanding and feeling what is both outside and inside us as a mirror. For example, our anger over the current and past injustices that we see in the world around us also speaks to any injustice we have personally experienced. These outer and inner worlds intersect, whether we want them to or not.

It also means that our experience of personal injustice is triggered by outer injustice, and vice versa. And that by being with all the feelings and data, while realizing the underlying intersections of the personal and collective, we can use all of it not only to create more justice by rising up in revolt, but also work to heal our personal lives (ultimately the two are not separate at all).

And it means that if we have judgment against anger, don’t know how to be skillful with it, or have repressed it altogether, our response to crucial events (such as a united front against COVID) that necessitate our wise participation will be distorted, inefficient, hurtful to ourselves, and outwardly lacking. Emotional intelligence, which is the foundation of Climate Cure, helps cure this.

This way we don’t have to hide or deny. We can pay attention to the problems of the world and in ourselves. Really, we have to because it is reality. Failure to welcome it is to build a shadow, which eventually comes back to bite us—which is how I view the crises of our day. It is climate crisis, environmental collapse, throwaway and cancel culture, Covid-craziness, racism, and gross financial injustice. It is also every personal shadow and denied experience that eventually boomerangs back to us.

Climate cure is to begin to undo the boomerang effect, from the inside out and the outside-in, to join together in one spiral upward.

Our thanks to Jack for his guest post! For more from Jack Adam Weber, read his article, “8 Creative Ways to Cope and Thrive Through Coronavirus and Beyond.”

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Dr. Debbie Palmer, author of the new Mindful Beauty.

I’ve read so much about what makes happy people happy—and the things they do on a daily basis that makes them so joyful. What I know is this: being cheerful is contagious—for you and for everyone else around you. (It’s hard not to smile when someone else smiles at you!)

It also brings a natural radiance and beauty to your face that can’t be mimicked by skin creams or treatments. Happy people are beautiful people. This is what I call truly natural beauty.

Here, then, are 8 habits of happy people. Try them—they’re contagious!

Smile. Smiling makes you happy on the inside. It lights up your face—and makes others happy to be around you.
Appreciate the simple things in the every day. Big victories and events shouldn’t be the focus in life. It’s the small victories and pleasures that we also should be finding joy in.
See the glass as half full. As hard as it can be to look at life from the bright side, doing so will make you happier. In fact, being positive has been linked to a healthier heart, too.
Take time to relax. The happiest people are those who take regular breaks from daily stress. Whether it be regular meditation, yoga, exercise, daily walks, or even just taking time for yourself to do something you enjoy, taking a break from the grind will make you happier.
Be resilient. Knowing how to get back on track when life doesn’t go according to plans is key to happy people’s cheerfulness.
Do good—for others and for the world. The sense of helping others and the world at large gives happy people what’s been called a “helper’s high”—and seems to help protect them against depression.
Cultivate your spiritual side. Spirituality gives you a sense that there’s something greater in the world than just you. This is a humbling way to think—and seems to help happy people shrug off the not-so-great things that happen in life.
Spend time with other people. Happy people are those who have strong social ties and close family and friends. Very simply, the more social you are, the happier you’ll be. Pets help make people happy, too, because they provide meaningful social support. They add so much daily pleasure and love to life.

Also, just making it a habit to count your blessings on a daily basis can help make you happier: make a list if you have to, every day, of the 5 to 10 things that bring you happiness. You might just find your outlook shifting—for the better.

Discover more ways to stay happy, healthy, and glowing in Mindful Beauty.

Be happy, be healthy!

Our thanks to Debbie for her guest post! For more from Dr. Debbie Palmer, read her article, “5 Ways to Manifest Outer Health, Inner Peace, and Beauty.”

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Ileana Abrev, author of the new Mindful Mama.

Speculations continue about whether maternal feelings are spiritual, bodily, or environmental in nature and cause. Regardless of from where these feelings arise, the maternal essence is there. This essence resides within a woman from the moment she is born. Over time, it grows just as brightly as a lotus flower. I like to believe that each petal is a stage of the essence that makes as women, mothers, daughters, sisters, grandmothers, granddaughters, partners, wives, aunts, stepmoms, and even in adopted parents.

Writing Mindful Mama has given me further insight into nurturing life and the power we have as women. We care for the physical life that is growing within our womb. We look after our physical well-being, but often we tend to forget the emotional food we give to our unborn child who not only feeds nutritiously from its mother but emotionally as well.

When we find out we are pregnant, we start making a list of the things we need to be doing and eating. Our shopping list is full of healthy foods that are nutritiously good for the baby and us. We also follow an exercise routine, which is recommended by our medical provider. But we get so worked up about the physical side of the pregnancy that we tend to forget the shopping list for the emotional stability from which our child will feed.

I suggest you to make an emotional shopping list that is something like this:

Monday: I will tell my baby, “I’m looking forward to being your mother.”

Tuesday: Today I will send nothing but happy thoughts to my baby. I will think of the good things in my life and the things my baby will look forward to by being a part of our family.

Wednesday: I will meditate on a healthy and a positive emotional womb experience. I will send nothing but love and peace to my womb.

Thursday: My mantra for the day is, “My baby is nurtured by the good things within me.”

Friday: I will talk to my baby and tell it stories of my childhood and the positive and bright future it will have.

Saturday: Today, I will let go of the things that bother and stress me so that my baby doesn’t carry my insecurities into its future.

Sunday: I will look forward to my next week of pregnancy with nothing but joy, laughter, peace of mind, and spiritual enlightenment. I will not stress about the things over which I have no control. I will not catastrophize present situations and handle them with ease and comfort while letting my baby know that “All is good and is as it should be.”

Each week, make a different emotional list, tweak it until you get it right with nothing but good things that feed on love and comfort so that your baby can have a happy womb experience. Let your baby feed on nothing but goodness and positive energy.

I wrote Mindful Mama to give my daughter the tools to her own journey into creating and nurturing life herself. She is now pregnant and making her emotional list and guides herself with my copy of Mindful Mama. She is enjoying a new way of nurturing life with nothing but positive affirmations, meditations, crystals, candles, safe essential oils, music to soothe the soul, colour therapy, and balancing her chakras for a mindful pregnancy.

Nurturing life is one of the most wondrous experiences we as women will ever go through. The light essence growing within a woman’s womb is nothing short of a miracle. We can hold this essence close to our heart. When we do, we are able to be the mother we always wanted to be. Our child, in turn, will be an adult who is healthy, true to his/her emotions and a spiritual well-grounded human being.

Our thanks to Ileana for her guest post! For more from Ileana Abrev, read her article “A New Age of Spiritual Pregnancy: Tips for a Happy Womb Experience.”