Llewellyn Publications's Blog, page 8

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Elhoim Leafar, author of the new Dream Witchery.

Some dream spell recipes that we have left from traditional Brujas in South America:

A white rose under the bed will bring clear and pure dreams; it works well as a form of protection against psychic attacks and simple curses.A glass of water and a pinch of salt in every corner of the bedroom throughout the day will keep your energy clean and your dreams clear. It is also used to see in dreams the faces of our enemies and those who wish us harm.A necklace made with dried fruit cuts (lemon, grapefruit, passion fruit, melon, guava, etc…) and star anise is hung from windows and door frames to protect during the night against all kinds of animals, frights, and apparitions. In addition, these necklaces are usually seen hanging from huts in various mountainous regions so that the bats that enter the houses can smell and eat the fruit and not bother the inhabitants.Grind together in a mortar: a clove of garlic for each person in the house, half a fresh lemon, a pinch of sugar, and a sprig of basil. Anoint the frames of the altars and mirrors with this strong-scented mixture and then wash them with water and a dry cloth to remove any curse. The Amerindian people believed that “witches” who came from the old world watched the slaves and servants through mirrors to discover who stole the food, so they made these types of spells in the kitchens of the owners of the houses, so as not to be seen.Although it is enormously popular throughout America and is an integral part of Latin American cuisine today, cinnamon began to be imported initially from Sri Lanka. As a “ritual sacrifice” to show faith and devotion to the spirits of the region, the indigenous slaves hid the cinnamon from the house’s owners. Instead of consuming it, they burned it as incense to send out the aromatic smoke to the gods and thus venerate them. Today, this practice is maintained in different regions of Latin America where cinnamon sticks are burned to attract divine protection and good fortune and dispel misfortune.“Echale sal como si no hubiera un mañana” (“Sprinkle the salt as if there were no tomorrow”) is a typical phrase in Venezuela, but it is also common in Peru and Colombia. Salt is considered a primordial gift from the Aboriginal gods. For the native peoples of the coast, salt was considered the skin of the old gods, who turned into salt while the old gods were water. Salt is used to ward off bad luck, frights, misfortunes, and evil spirits. Salt circles are drawn under the bed so as not to be disturbed by ghosts, and salt is sprinkled under the table to prevent poisoning.

Our thanks to Elhoim for his guest post! For more from Elhoim Leafar, read his article, “Redefining Brujería + Seven Folk Remedies from Latin American Folk Brujas.”

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Anthony Louis, author of several books, including Horary Astrology and the new Secrets of Predictive Astrology.

William Frankland was a British astrologer who was active in London during the period between the two World Wars. Disillusioned with the inability to traditional predictive methods to consistently and reliably identify major life events, he pioneered several symbolic directive techniques. The most well-known of these are the “Point of Life” based on Alan Leo’s study of the orbit of Uranus and the “Age along the Zodiac,” which converts the native’s age to ecliptic degrees and projects them from the Aries Point, based on ° Aries being the start of the zodiac and thus a symbol of initiation or birth.

To illustrate these concepts, let’s look at a recent chart from the news. On 7 October 2023, Hamas attacked Israel, starting a war. According to Nick Campion in his book World Horoscopes, modern Israel was founded during a meeting in Tel Aviv on 12 May 1948 to proclaim Israel as an independent nation. The meeting began at 4 PM and ended at 4:32 PM. The late Alexander Marr, an astrologer with technological expertise, studied this time period and produced a “rectified” chart for the founding of Israel, which he tested and verified against many historical events. According to Marr, the chart for the founding of Israel has 28 Cancer 39′ on the Midheaven and 26 Libra 15′ on the Ascendant.

Frankland’s Point of Life begins at 0 Aries and assigns each sign of the zodiac to 7 years of life. Using an online “days between dates” calculation, I determined that there were 27,541 days between the founding of Israel and the start of the current war. Dividing this figure by 365.24 days in a year, we find that Israel was 75.4 years old when the current war began. Allotting 7 years to each sign, commencing at ° Aries, the Point of Life have traveled 10.77 signs during this period. Ten signs takes us to the end of Capricorn, and another 0.77 signs corresponds 23 Aquarius 06′ (0.77 x 30 degrees per sign).

Thus, Frankland’s Point of Life lies in the 4th house within a 1-degree orb of opposition to the natal Saturn/Mars midpoint at 22 Leo 21′ in the 10th and in square to the natal Sun at 23 Taurus 40′, which conjoins the natal 8th Topocentric cusp. In October of 2023, the Point of Life was activating the natal 4th, 8th and 10th houses as well as 7th-ruler Mars (war) and 4th-ruler Saturn (the homeland) in Leo in the 10th, and the 8th-ruler (death, destruction) Sun which disposits the Leo stellium in the 10th. The symbolism fits the course of events.

Our thanks to Anthony for his guest post! For more from Anthony Louis, read his article “William Frankland’s Secrets of Predictive Astrology.”

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Raechel Henderson, author of Sew Witchy, The Scent of Lemon and Rosemary, and the new Natural Home Wheel of the Year.

Crafting comes naturally to humans. We made toys for our children, decorated our clothing and utensils, painted and carved at the same time we were hunting and gathering. That same urge, to create and make useful and beautiful items, extended to ritual. Garb, jewelry, and other ritual accessories and tools were made not only to be functional but pleasing to the senses. As pagans, creation is a fundamental part of ritual and vice versa.

Crafting as ritual doesn’t have to be limited to making items for your altar or for a sabbat. The scarf you are knitting for your niece can be part of a ritual that honors family ties. Cross-stitch, painting, and other crafts with a repetitive aspect can be a focal point for meditation. Making bath bombs, lotions and soaps can be part of a self-care ritual. You can also work magic into your crafts through your choice of materials.

You don’t even have to spend a lot of money on craft supplies. Nature is filled with leaves, nuts, sticks, berries, and stones that lend themselves to craftiness. Get outside and forage some natural objects to make collages, stone sculptures, mosaics, and more. The act of bringing together the items to create can offer time to reflect on your own resilience and the abundance around you.

This doesn’t have to be a solitary pursuit, either. Get the family involved. Children love creating and a craft ritual gives you the opportunity to speak about pagan values and ideas. Form a crafting circle with others where you work on crafts either together or individually. This can be a time to connect with your friends and family.

And it doesn’t take much to convert your craft time to ritual time. Start by setting aside time to craft. Gather your items and make sure you have enough space and time for yourself. Dedicate the space/time to your craft through acts such as smoke cleansing, creating a circle around the space, or even just starting with gratitude or an opening prayer. You can work with a particular deity who is related to arts and crafts. Or you can invite your ancestors—the grandmother who quilted, the uncle who whittled, etc.—to join you as you work.

However you go about it, take your time and be mindful as you craft. Think about the movement of your hands, how your materials feel, what it sounds like to create. Consider the finished project and how it will be used. Engage your senses as you work. This is how you bring intention to your crafting and it is that intention that makes it a ritual.

Our thanks to Raechel for her guest post! For more from Raechel Henderson, read her article, “Last-Minute Kitchen Witch Gifts for Yule.”

If you love new tarot spreads or know someone who does, consider Sasha Graham’s 365 Tarot Spreads. She has such a great collection of fun, quirky, serious, and powerful spreads. It has been a while since I worked with this book, but this fall I’ve been enjoying so many. The book includes (you guessed it) 365 tarot spreads that you can use year after year and apply anytime and in any situation. Each spread is based on a significant historical or magical occurrence on that particular day, and each one is accompanied by a detailed explanation and sample questions to focus on while reading.

This Yule tarot spread excerpted from the book seems like an excellent addition to anyone’s Solstice or Yule plans.

Yule, occurring between December 20 and 22, is a modern wiccan sabbat falling on the winter solstice and also an alternative way to celebrate Christmas by recognizing its Pagan roots. Mark today’s occasion by performing this special spread. It is in the dark nights of winter that we turn inward, cultivating the wisdom of the High Priestess. This spread makes use of the four sacred directions.

 

 

December 15, 2023—2pmCST

Join us for our next Llewellyn Virtual Author Forum! This bi-monthly series of free online roundtable events feature your favorite Llewellyn authors discussing topics important to you and answering your questions.

Our next in the series, on Celebrating Yule, will feature Season Songs author Emma Kathryn; Raechel Henderson, author of The Natural Home Wheel of the Year; Rachel Patterson, author of A Witch for Every Season; and Jason Mankey, author of Llewellyn’s Little Book of Yule. Whether you are looking for new Yule sabbat rituals or for homemade Christmas gift ideas, join the conversation and chime in with questions!

We’ll be streaming live on Crowdcast—save your spot today!

We look forward to seeing you virtually!

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Angela A. Wix, author of Llewellyn’s Little Book of Unicorns and Secret Psychic, and editor and contributor to the new Finding Your Calm.

As we move into the tail end of 2023, a rising sense of inner anxiety tied to current external world events tells me to take care. Whether you’re facing heightened anxiety and panic attacks, burnt out with responsibility and the pace of modern life, or struggling with any number of our current world challenges and traumas, finding our calm has become a vital act. With that in mind, I challenge you to take a moment now to practice letting go in stillness. With that in mind, I challenge you to take a moment now to practice letting go in stillness. This exercise is from Finding Your Calm, which offers guidance on twelve different methods to release anxiety, relieve stress, and restore peace within your life.

Settle comfortably into your space. You can practice this meditation sitting or lying down. If you fall asleep, that’s okay. Take some deep breaths now and consciously relax. Relax your feet, your calves, your upper legs. Moving up, now relax your hips. Take another deep breath and feel it filling your belly. Relax your abdomen. Relax your chest.

Continue to move up, feeling the tension release from your neck. This relaxing sensation trickles down through your arms and into your hands. It spreads into your face now, and you feel your jaw, your lips, and the muscles around your eyes and in your forehead all relaxing. Take another deep breath now and feel your body melting even more into the surface that’s gently supporting you. Sit in this relaxed state for a moment.

When you’re ready, rest one hand on your heart and the other on your belly. Feel the energy in your hands. You might sense it as movement or a thickening sensation in the space at your palms. See this energy as a vibrant light. It moves from your hands into your heart space and abdomen. Feel the warmth as it fills your body and expands out to your limbs and up to your head. Savor this sensation for a bit before moving on.

In your mind’s eye now, see yourself standing at the top of a set of stone stairs. With your bare feet, take a step down, then another, and another. The stones are rough underfoot and the air that was initially warm starts to feel damp and cool. You run your hand along the mossy stone walls as you continue making your way down. With each step, it’s as if you’re removing the weight of the day from your shoulders. The stairs continue downward, until the sunlight from above is almost entirely out of sight. Finally, you reach the bottom, feeling light and free. There you find a door and looking at it you know there is something fantastic waiting for you on the other side. You take a step forward and wrap your hand around the cool knob, turn it, and swing the door open.

On the other side you find a luxurious space for relaxation. Perhaps it’s a beach with turquoise waters. Maybe it’s a reading nook stacked with pillows, blankets, and books with a window revealing a drizzly autumn day. Or it could be a giant bed topped with cozy comforters, ready to envelop you. Wherever you find yourself, move fully into your space and take it all in.

As you’re getting ready to sit down in your space, you notice a small table with a beautiful box sitting on it. Step closer and look at the details of this box. You pick it up, turn it over in your hands, and open it to see that it’s empty, waiting for you to fill it. Set it back on the table and take a deep breath. Once again feel your muscles relaxing all over and ask that any remaining tension be released. Any pain and discomfort you have rises up and away from you, like steam into the air. See it form into a bubble and then solidify further into a gemstone. It hovers in the air in front of you until you take it and place it in the box, where you then close the lid. The box and its contents disappear and are no longer your concern. Take another deep breath and feel the lightness that remains in your energy and body.

Now fully immerse yourself into your space. Sit in your nook and watch the rain falling, the wind blowing in the trees. Sit on your beach and listen to gentle waves rolling in. Dive into that bed and feel yourself sink deeply into the folds of its embrace. Whatever your space looks like, sink into it. Take all the time you need to enjoy this moment of relaxation.

If you choose to drift off to sleep from here, you’re welcome to. If you decide you want to make your way back out to the day, see yourself stepping away from your lovely space and know that it will be here waiting for you whenever you decide to return. Move back through the doorway now and, without looking back, sense the door close behind you. Now move up, up, up, and back into the daylight ahead. Take a moment to get yourself back into the present moment. Feel your body. Wiggle your fingers and toes and take a good stretch. Drink a glass of water. If you’d like, jot down the details of your experience in your journal.

Hopefully this brief practice will leave you with a place to start in finding your calm, but don’t forget to keep looking for what works for you. Maybe that means exploring aromatherapy, chakra work, astrology, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), your innate body wisdom, empathic self, and the wonders of the vagus nerve. You can explore these and even more relaxation methods by checking out the book Finding Your Calm.

Our thanks to Angela for her guest post! For more from Angela A. Wix, read her article “3 Ways to Find Your Calm.”

One of my favorite times of the year: gift-giving season. Here are some decks suggestions in various categories. I hope you find something for your friends or for yourself if you’ve been very good!

Magic-themed decks

Everyday Witch Tarot

Wizards Tarot

Witchling Academy

Witch’s Garden Tarot

Holiday-themed decks

Trick or Treat Tarot

 

Yuletide Tarot

Animal-themed decks

Magical Dog Tarot

Mystical Cats Tarot

Animal Totem Tarot

Soul Cats Tarot

Owl Tarot

Literary-themed decks

Scorpio Sea Tarot

Edgar Allan Poe Tarot

Tarot in Wonderland

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Mawiyah Kai EL-Jamah Bomani, author of the new Conjuring the Calabash.

Whenever folks come to the realization that I am a witch and they themselves are not in the market for cozying up to witches, they do one of two things. Either they take on the role of what can only be compared to a vampire slayer, minus the wooden stake thrust into my black heart, but with all of the gasping and crucifix prophesying kicked up I’d say to the zillionth power. Or, they quietly excuse themselves from my life forever—goddess blessings and good riddance. Now the old me would have given all the flucks she had on deck and even a few borrowed from relatives. These days, since paying off my house note, since emptying my nest of four children, and since being three years away from retirement, it is like thanking Goddess that all the flucks I have left can fit securely in the palm of one hand. This means I have fewer flucks left to store under lock and key. I have downsized my fluck 401k and it only contains the bare fluck minimum.

There is a witch in room 112. She is cute but brazen and a bit slutty when she wants to be. Since perimenopause has sashayed into her life, just between you and me, she wears white in and out of season. You know that pisses people off, which is why I always remind them to just let it out. Go on, for fluck’s sake, say it; you know you want to. How about we chant it together? How dare you wear white after Easter? You scandalous witch.

At work, I am the witch in room 112, the woman who refuses to roll out of bed, forsaking her 3 a.m. yoga and her morning cup of Cuban coffee simply to pray to Jesus that the children’s test scores increase so that a building full of manic-depressant teachers can get monetary kickbacks. All jokes aside, being a public witch has freed my soul immensely. Not only do I get to skip the standardized test score prayer circle, but I am also excused from the Pledge of Allegiance and from judging the Halloween pumpkin art contest, where pumpkins are carved to depict scenes from biblical parables—like Jezebel being thrown to her death from a window for painting her eyes and adorning her head. To add an even greater insult to bloody injury, the pumpkins’ innards reveal Jezebel’s corpse trampled under the hooves of horses. I know it’s hard to believe, but I live in the buckle of the Bible belt, and even Halloween leans into a chance to play Jesus dress up.

I know that screaming from the rafters, “I am a flucking witch, so deal with it” is not for everyone. That’s why I don’t advocate that every witch around the world jump free from the broom closet. I get that we have to protect our sanity and our financial status as much as possible. We live in a world of narcissistic, patriarchal, sociopathic evangelical proselytizers. These folks are blatantly stewing in a pot boiling over, fueled by hatred. I know that at fifty-one years around the sun, I am fortunate to have been born into and married into families that respect and advocate for my right to choose whether or not I want a sky mama or daddy or both or none. That’s the same choice I have extended to my own children

As a teacher privileged enough to have taught K-12 and then adult education, I have run across a few kindred spirits. It happened; you had to be there as a Wiccan, a Buddhist, a Hoodoo, a Satanist, and a Light Worker giggled, gossiped, and became enraged about the politics of not only America but of school systems upholding critical race theory as if Indiana Jones had unearthed a CRT artifact buried deep within the ark of the covenant. Critical Race Theory (CRT) is the artifact that will save the fate of America. I am calling B.S. on that. We’d spend a few hours after work banishing stagnant energy from our auras. We each took turns protecting each other’s doorways and used baneful magick to rid our schedule of our tyrannical boss. As each person grew closer to retirement or transferring to new positions, more drawn-out rituals were to be had to ensure that the power of the collective forever protected the individuals still remaining behind.

Walking into the building each morning, I can still feel the residual Spirits of my Sistah witches whispering, “The witch in room 112 is here now and forever, protected, loved, and grounded in the essence of salvation. Don’t fluck with her mood, or you’ll be more than sorry. You risk expulsion from humanity!”

Our thanks to Mawiyah for her guest post! For more from Mawiyah Kai EL-Jamah Bomani, read her article “Hoodoo for Little Fingers.”

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Billie Topa Tate, author of the new Spirit Guide Invocations.

“Nature is the doorway to our wellness”—Billie Topa Tate, Founder of MSI Wellness Center and author of Spirit Guide Invocations

Often, people ask, “How do you work with so many stressful situations and long hours and still stay so calm?” The answer I give them is: self-care and goodness to yourself while you are doing your daily work and activities is important. As a Native Teacher, I have learned to use mystical time to promote personal calm and sacred balance, which is extremely healthy for the body, mind, and spirit.

One aspect of goodness toward our body, mind, and spirit means that we upgrade our thoughts, especially about ourselves and our situation, so that we promote a progression of self-awareness and self-improvement and open doorways from the universe to help us. Which means: you do your best to be guided by higher thought and promote more kindness and wisdom for yourself. I do this by asking the universe to help me daily.

Here are some wonderful ways of promoting a great sense of personal calm and sacred balance.

Set a beautiful intention before you start your day by asking for help from the universe. Use a mantra such as, “I accept my own goodness,” and say this mantra throughout the day.Connect with nature by helping nature.Use medicine words to change the energy around us, such as, “I am receptive to empowering friendship.”

Our body, mind, and spirit will strive to be in a state of balance because our ecosystem inside of us loves to be in sync with the ecosystem outside of us. It is important for us to take care of both ecosystems in a wisdom-filled and joyful way.

I was inspired to write about mystical self-care in my upcoming book, Spirit Guide Invocations. AND, you can receive 20% off your pre-order of Spirit Guide Invocations through Llewellyn when you use coupon code SGI20 at checkout, now through 12/31/23! (Note that you must be logged in to your Llewellyn.com account for coupon to apply to cart. Not valid with other discounts or on previously placed orders.)

I hope to hear from you about how my book help you!

Our thanks to Billie Topa Tate for her guest post! Billie Topa Tate is a third generation Mescalero Apache medicine woman who mentored under her mother, grandmother, and elders. She is an active member of the American Indian Center in Chicago. She also owns and operates MSI Wellness, where she offers reiki and healing sessions as well as teaching classes that help others find their own sacred journeys. Visit her at MSI-Healing.com For more from Billie Topa Tate, including to see her upcoming events as well as preview and pre-order Spirit Guide Invocations, visit her Author Page.

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Thumper Forge, co-author of the new Virgo Witch.

My go-to method of fortune-telling is lithomancy: that is, divination with semi-precious stones. It’s something I picked up originally for no-nonsense, yes/no answers, but over time, I’ve been able to get fairly complex readings out of it, which never fails to surprise the hell out of me.

My friend Chester recently asked for a reading, and I was happy to comply, even though my Virgo brain did its best to interfere with anxiety and insecurities. (You can read more about both lithomancy and my neuro-spiciness in the new Virgo Witch, part of Llewellyn’s Witch’s Sun Sign Series.) But I breathed through the nerves, laid out my casting cloth, gently tossed the stones upon it, and took note of what they had to say.

Chester’s question involved career direction, and the stones just nailed it: He should continue working from home, but he should also establish a business partnership with someone experienced in his field, specifically someone with a branded online presence. Which was…a lot to get out of a random scattering of small rocks, but the message was undeniable.

Chester was happy with the reading, which was great, although he was a little less enthused by my reaction, which was to absolutely lose my damn mind over the accuracy. It just freaks me out sometimes when something that logically shouldn’t work—like divination—does work. And honestly, I know better than to let that show, especially when reading for other people. The problem was that I forgot how I play pool.

Not how to play pool in general, mind you, but how I play pool.

I love playing pool, but I legitimately have no billiard skills whatsoever. What I do have is preternatural luck—like, I’ll miss the ball that I’m aiming for, but in missing, I’ll somehow knock three other balls into pockets while simultaneously blocking any opportunity my opponent may have had. (It’s not the world’s most impressive X-Man power, but I feel like they’d let me on the team anyway.)

The first time it ever happened, I was like, “Wow! That was amazing, and I definitely did not mean to do it,” which, as you can imagine, did not go over well with the people playing against me. As such, I quickly learned to just hit the cue ball, impassively watch the highly improbable trick shot play out, and then just give a slight nod and move on. And if anyone expresses astonishment, I’ve trained myself to shrug noncommittally and gesture for the game to continue.

The same rules apply to divination. I don’t know how the stones are going to land when I throw them, but they’re going to give an answer. And the querent doesn’t need to know if I’m caught off guard by how precise that answer is—they just need to know the answer itself. All I am in this situation is the messenger, and nobody pays the messenger to crow about how great their delivery is.

So here’s my advice to you, born from awkward experience: Throw your stones, or pull your cards, interpret the message, and let your querent decide if the information provided is worth blowing a gasket over. And if it is—if your divination reveals a clearer truth than expected—let your querent’s feelings on the matter have the spotlight.

All you need to give in return is a slight nod and a shrug. Which I promise will be more than appreciated.

Our thanks to Thumper for his guest post! For more from Thumper Forge, read his article “Night of the Living Earth Sign: A Virgo Witch vs. the Zombie Apocalypse.”