As we go about this day…

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cooking magic, holiday, stress, thanksgiving

Many of us, on this day, will be cleaning and cooking in a frenzy to put together a meal for family or friends. It is easy to lose sight of enjoying that meal or those people in the hustle and bustle of the day. It is easy sometimes to feel resentful of the time others have to visit and chat while cloistered in the kitchen away from the gathering (though sometimes the solitude is nice as well). It is easy to feel frustrated when people stuff their face at a pace that far outstrips the care and work that goes into preparing such a feast.

It is at this time (and really, any time one prepares a large meal for a gathering) to remember the immense power that we wield, and the sacred task that we are undertaking.

The kitchen is a temple, and all the pots, pans, spices, grains, fruits, and vegetables, as well as the stove, spoons, knives, bowls, and plates, are all Divine objects, full of consciousness, waiting to become part of the Divine, alchemical process of creating a meal. Allow the fire of your soul to become part of the heating element that cooks your food.

As we go about this day, there may be times where we feel harried, impatient, overwhelmed, and just plain cranky. When this happens, stop and breathe. If necessary, pull someone else into the kitchen (or pull someone else out of the kitchen and take their place), and go outside and breathe.

What we do in this space is ritual. It has intention. It is magic. It is transformative. It is the act of worship itself–of service to life.

Though we all guilty (some of us more often than others) from being overly familiar and dismissive of the act of eating and the preceding task of preparing food–perhaps because we see it as common, or because it is transitory and fleeting…or both–it is a simple truth of life that cooking is an intensely sacred life-affirming act of creation.

Whether you are cooking for one or for twenty, for yourself or for strangers, your actions and your intentions matter.

Preparing and cooking food is a magical act, a potent, alchemical process, through which one form is transformed into another form: varied ingredients are deftly combined and subjected to the elements of water, fire and air in just the right proportions, with just the right timing and with appropriate spells—consisting of good mental intentions—to manifest a delicious meal that satisfies both body and soul. A cookbook can be seen as a book of formulas for this magical process, complete with how-to instructions, suggestions, and advice, which, if followed with a cheerful heart and sense of adventure, could result in the most delightful culinary experiences manifesting on the dinner table. Food prepared in this way can even produce a shift in perception of oneself and others, yielding hope and encouragement to move forward through life.

 

 

**All quotes are from Sharon Gannon, adapted from the book, Simple Recipes for Joy, September 2014 (as found here, in its entirety–I cut some of the quote out for being unnecessarily and unhelpfully preachy, IMO)**

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a short thought on magic and spells…

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magic, spells

This morning, I was reminded of something my old neighbor said to me (I was on PaganForum and an old thread popped up) last fall:

Words are a magic wand, casting pieces of yourself out into the universe. Be careful what you say. the chances are good that they will come back to you.

When I was younger, both in years and on my path, I thought that magic was a *something else*, something mysterious or supernatural, some woo-woo power or force to tap into, to use. But the longer I go along, I’ve realized that I’ve been wrong. Magic isn’t a power you tap into, or some special thing you do to make things happen…magic is everything you do because magic is the underlying fabric of Divinity that the Universe is based upon.

(cue the misquoted 80’s pop) …every little thing you do is magic…

And the best magic is that which you do with a clear intention and purpose.

But every little thing you do is not necessarily a spell. A spell is an (IMO) intentionally ritualized* piece of magic that “attaches” an intention and purpose to an otherwise mundane act or item–brushing your teeth with intent (for clear speaking, or for honesty, or to clean up the potty mouth, etc) can be a spell just as much as mucking around with herbs to make a potion (example: adding some relaxing vibes to a relaxing mix of herbs for tea) or enchanting a necklace or charm for confidence or luck before taking a test or going to court.

Often, I have heard people with the problem of when or whether to do magic.  I used to be one of them–don’t do magic if you are angry, don’t do magic if it will cause “harm” (such an ambiguous term anyhow), don’t do magic except as a last result.  If that is what your ethics demand, good on you…but don’t expect or condemn others for doing what their ethics demand.**

Honestly, the ethics involved in choosing to use magic isn’t any different than choosing not to use magic and using a hammer or a scissor or a paintbrush instead. At the end of the day, magic is just a tool like a hammer, or a scissor, or a paintbrush.  If it works, and we are willing to accept the consequences of using it, we should choose to do so or not in accordance with the same morality (or lack thereof) that we display mundanely.

But whatever your ethics dictate, magic is a tool, and tools don’t get the job done sitting in the toolbox.  If you just sit on your arse and wait for shit to happen, you will be in for a rude awakening.  To misquote Ben Franklin once said “the gods help those who help themselves”…and so does everything else.

*A spell is a type of ritual, but a ritual is not always a spell.

**This is particularly true concerning the idea of “harm none” that often gets bandied about. First off, its not even the entirety of the Wiccan rede (‘An it harm none, do as ye will). Second of all, if someone isn’t Wiccan, why would they be expected to follow the Wiccan rede as if it were a universal Pagan law (as if there were any of those anyhow!)? And third, the Wiccan rede isn’t even interpreted as literally or simplistically as “harm none” by a good number of Wiccans anyhow.

Serving the Elements: Air

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air, elements, magic, pagan, ritual, witchcraft

*air is invisible but felt all around us and seen only by its influence*

Blessing of Air
May the blessings of the air be upon you,
A soft breeze to refresh you,
A strong wind to lift you up,
Great golden wings to enfold and heal you.

– blessing from a Pagan handfasting ceremony
(via The Blessing Files)

The strongest quality of air is truth.  Air is an element of intellect, of thoughts, and of the mind…whether bright and clear or dark and clouded.    In ancient Greece, the element air was sometimes associated with one’s spirit.

Scientifically speaking: What we call “air” is really our atmosphere.  Our atmosphere is mainly composed of Nitrogen (78.1%) and Oxygen (20.9%).  The remaining 1% (due to rounding, it looks like 1% with the numbers I’ve used, but really its more like 0.97%) are Argon (0.93%) and Carbon Dioxide* (0.035%), as well as even smaller amounts (in order) of Neon, Helium, Methane, Krypton, molecular Hydrogen (H₂), Nitrous Oxide, Carbon Monoxide, Xenon, Ozone, Nitrous Dioxide, Iodine, and Ammonia.  Another component of the atmosphere is, of course, water vapor (its not included in these calculations of percentage, though it makes up an average of 0.25% of the atmosphere by weight, ranging from 0.oo1%-5% locally). (source)

Our atmosphere is divided up into layers, a bit like a cake.  There’s a mnemonic to remember the 5 principle atmospheric layers–The Strong Man’s Triceps Explode (or Thoughtful Schools Manufacture Terrific Experiences…or Terrible Sun Melts Tiny Eskimo!) , which stands for (from the surface of the Earth, out) Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere, Exosphere.  The atmosphere, in some ways, behaves like the oceans, in that there are tides, and currents, and waves, that move energy and molecules.

The troposphere is where weather happens–it contains about 80% of the atmosphere’s mass (including 99% of its water and other aerosols) and extends 4-12 miles above earth (the heights it reaches depends on a location’s latitude and altitude).  Nearly all weather occurs here

In the stratosphere, the coolest temperatures are found closest to Earth, and the highest temperatures are the furthest away.  Other than airplanes (people) and birds, which can fly in the lower parts of the stratosphere, bacteria is the only life form that can be found in the stratosphere.  Also, the stratosphere is quite dry, and it is home to the ozone layer, which protects us from the Sun’s UV rays.

Scientists don’t actually know much about the mesosphere, compared to the other layers of the atmosphere–its too low for satellites and too high for planes and weather balloons (between 31 and 53 miles high).  One thing we do know, though, is that it is the place where meteors burn up in the atmosphere…but its really cold, around -90 degrees C or -130 degrees F (they burn up because of friction with the gas molecules in the mesosphere).  Its also home to a couple of neat phenomena–noctilucent clouds (wispy, almost glowing clouds visible around and after sunset) and sprites (a type of lightning that occurs over thunderstorms, glows red, and is best visible from sky).

The thermosphere, in contrast to the mesosphere, is hot.  Really hot.  It increases in temperature the further from Earth one travels, and the temperature varies between night and day and what is known as the solar minimum and the solar maximum (which has to do with sunspot activity), but the average temperature range for the upper thermosphere is 500-2000 degrees C (932-3632 degress F).  Space shuttles and the International Space Station orbit Earth in the thermosphere…this is also where the aurora happens!

Lastly, we have the exosphere.  Depending on where one gets their information, it is either the last layer of Earth’s atmosphere, or the first “layer” of space…some sources actually consider “space” to start in the thermosphere (How high is space anyhow?).  Either way, this region is where the lightest elements wind up, still bound by Earth’s gravity…but tenuously.

Traditional Correspondences: East, flying, sound, yellow, mountaintops, wind-swept plains, cloudy skies, knowledge, recovering lost items, fragrant herbs and flowers, light stones (such as pumice) and transparent stones (such as mica), wind instruments, birds and winged insects, airplanes, balloons, bubbles, spring, dawn, wands (magical tool and tarot–but beware the “controversy”, in some systems swords are associated with air, and wands with fire), feathers, incense smoke, divination, concentration, visualization, wind magic

Deity Correspondences:  There really aren’t any gods of air, specifically.  There are, however, sky deities and wind deities. My “favorite” is Aeolus, the Keeper of the Winds from Greek mythology.

In the natural world, Air is associated most closely with the sky, wind, and clouds. Mountain peaks, which seem to touch the sky, are also Air. Birds of all kinds belong to this element, and hawks and eagles are especially associated with Air because they fly so very high and make their nests at such high altitudes. A stork or duck, by contrast, is a less powerful symbol of Air because, although these birds fly, they live in and near the water.

In a person, Air is associated with thought and with the intellect, corresponding in the Witches’ Pyramid to “To Know.”1 Ideas are said to come from Air, as is inspiration, a word that also means “to breathe in.” Logic and scholarship are Air functions, which is perhaps why academics are said to live in ivory towers as opposed to ivory basements. People who spend all their time thinking “have their heads in the clouds,” and if they’re “airheads,” they mistake imagination for real life and are impractical (because practicality is an Earth quality, which they lack).

The direction of Air is the East, and since the Sun rises in the east, Air is associated with the morning, with the spring (the beginning of the agricultural and astrological year), and with beginnings of all kinds. Anything that “dawns” is a thing of Air. The things in our lives that dawn, be they projects, creations, or careers, dawn with an idea. Often inspiration feels like the sunrise; a bright beginning full of promise and possibility. Since seeds are beginnings and are associated with the spring, seeds, too, belong to Air.

Deborah Lipp, The Way of Four

Getting to know air:

• Go fly a kite (made of natural materials that will biodegrade without causing damage).  But DO NOT release balloons!  They just become pollution.
• Take a hot air balloon ride
• Spend an afternoon (or morning) watching the clouds roll by
• Skydive, parasail, bungee jump, etc
• Volunteer at a bird sanctuary or wildlife refuge that rehabilitates birds
• Keep track of a nest
• Get to know your backyard birds–put up a bird feeder and pick up a field guide
• Make a set of windchimes
• Create a shrine to the four winds (or to another spirit or deity associated with air
• Plant a tree and study photosynthesis and respiration
• DO NOT collect feathers from migratory and native bird species in the US, if you would like to collect feathers, go through someone that is properly permitted
• Learn your native birds and winged insects
• Make a bee box, a bat box or a bird house (or all three!)

How I do it differently…Adapting Correspondences:

If you’ve been a reader of my my blog for awhile, it comes of no surprise that I’ve made some changes, adaptations, etc to the conventional correspondences that fit my practice and beliefs better.  I’ve mentioned many times over that I’m a big believer in witchcraft being an extension of one’s geography–that part of our job is to *grok* the forces and cycles that are native to one’s location and to work with them, forging our own relationship, rather than some formula from some book by some guy (or gal).  Now, if it just so happens that those correspondences work for you, that is awesome…and if you aren’t sure, try on the traditional correspondences for a bit, and shift them as needed for your environment.  I promise, you won’t break anything!

So, for me, air is now.  Its an end-of-summer, fall thing (hurricane season), its a North correspondence, and air, as an elemental force, reaches its peak around Samhain…

Serving Air:

Through ignorance and carelessness we have poisoned your clean air. For monetary gain we have reduced verdant forests, the lungs of our world, to barren wastes. In our craving for more we have plundered your beloved creation and driven many of our fellow creatures to extinction. Only recently have we begun to realize the dangerous future into which our current patterns of consumption and waste are driving us, especially in relation to earth’s climate. Only recently have we begun to see our need to find a wiser and better way of life, before it is too late and our choices are limited by the consequences of inaction. Lord of the Winds, in your mercy, hear our prayer.3

I pray that I may draw a lifesaving breath. This is the most important element of health, to breathe clean and unpolluted air.

(from my Prayer for Clean Air)

Plant a tree.  Stop smoking.  Plant another tree.  Drive less.  Plant a tree.  Turn off your lights and wash your clothes in cold water.  Plant a tree.  Write your representatives to support limits on air pollution by industry and fuel efficiency standards for vehicles and alternative energy.  Plant another tree.  Stop buying furniture made from rain forests.  Plant a tree.  Stop buying ANYTHING made from rain forests, unless it is ethically sourced and fairly traded in a way that supports local peoples.  Plant more trees.  Plant sea grass.  Let your lawn grow as high as you can without getting a citation.  Plant a tree.  Get rid of your lawn, and make it a certified wildlife habitat, and a place for birds and bees and butterflies.  And for goodness’ sake, plant another tree!

Read the rest of the series: Earth, Fire, Water, Intro

Pagan Blog Project: Magic is Mystery

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2013PBP, magic is mystery, pagan blog project

Magic is the Mystery of our interaction with Nature and with the Cosmos to coax the manifestation of what is in our heart with the will of our minds and the actions of our bodies.

~yours truly

Magic is a mystery.

Think about it for a second. Let it roll off your tongue and rattle around in your brain for a minute or two. Magic is a mystery.

There are several definitions for the word mystery, and most of them somehow describe what magic *is* (however it is that one might define magic, which is what makes this phrase so apt). Mystery can alternately mean “an unexplained or inexplicable event, phenomenon, etc”, “ skills, lore, or practices that are peculiar to a particular activity or group and are regarded as the special province of initiates”, “a religious truth that is incomprehensible to reason and knowable only through divine revelation” and (though it is no longer used in this way) as a trade, occupation, craft of guild of such persons.

…forget the ‘a’ this time, and capitalize the M in ‘mystery’ in your head this time.  Say it again, but first close your eyes and take a deep breath.  Exhale.  Feel the words.

Magic is Mystery.

When you do a spell–when you release a tendril of energy out into the universe to manifest your will, does the exact mechanism of how it works really matter?  Whether it was brought to you by divine will, or by the power of nature tilted towards your desires, or by sheer dumb luck coaxed in your direction, or random coincidence, or the machinations of a quantum universe, or pure psychological placebo?  I mean really, does it matter?

YMMV, but I tend to say “No, not really.”  I care, at the end of the day, that I can drift away into blissful slumber instead of worrying away into the wee hours about something out of my control.  I care, at the end of the day, that I have done something–I have used the tools at my disposal to take an action.  Magic is a toolbox full of tools with which we can achieve agency* in those instances where agency could not ordinarily and mundanely be achieved (or when ordinary and mundane need some help).

I care, at the end of the day (or maybe a week or so later) that it worked*.

I think, what is more important, is the Mystery of magic.  I’m a big fan of knowing how things work, of dissecting the mechanisms that makes things function in the world around me.  Its a big part of why I have a degree in biology.  But…but.  There are sometimes when the end result is more important than the mechanism.  There are times when we cannot concretely observe a phenomenon.  I’ve been a witch for too long to doubt the veracity of my experiences just because I can’t explain them.  And, to be quite honest, I don’t think that I need an explanation for the mechanism of my experiences for them to have value.**

It is the Mystery of magic that makes it…well, magical.  I think, in this world of technology, information, knowledge, the idea of controlling and precision of everything we think or do or say, in this world of politically correct niceties, we are too bound to the idea that there are things we can’t know, that we can’t explain, and that that is okay.  It is okay to do things without proof, to do things that can’t be explained, to do things that others think are silly or superfluous or downright crazy/stupid/whatever!

I believe in Mystery, because I have experienced it through magic.  I don’t know how it works, I don’t know (or care) if its all in my head or guided by outside influences, and I don’t care if other people think its foolish.  

Magic is Mystery!

Notes:

*And maybe it didn’t work (but usually it does).
**I’m not saying that there is no value, intellectually, or in developing one’s practice, into exploring the possibilities of mechanisms for magic (or for that matter, what gods are/are not, etc)…just that, ultimately, what matters is that magic is working for you (or that your gods are fine with how you worship them, etc)
…I borrowed some bits from the following old posts of mine: Thoughts on Correspondences, Scientific Prag-Magic-tism, and Defining Magic

this has been a post for the Pagan Blog Project

Practice Safe Herbalism!

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herbal safety

The Poison Garden’s gate at Alnwick Gardens.

Don’t Eat What You Can’t Name
*a Pagan morality tale from yours truly, originally posted @ Pagan Forum*

I once knew a talented fellow
That could weave a tale, fierce or mellow
But never did he ever learn
The leaf of tree, wildflower, or fern

So when one night, he deigned to gather
Parts of plants he thought would matter
And he boiled them in a brew to drink
Then promptly expired in a lather, I think.

Don’t Wipe With It, Either
*an alternative ending by Perzephone @ Pagan Forum*

I once knew a talented fellow
That could weave a tale, fierce or mellow
But never did he ever learn
The leaf of tree, wildflower, or fern

So when one night, he deigned to gather
Parts of plants he thought wouldn’t matter
Cleaning his regions most tender
A fearsome red rash he did render

Lately, I’ve seen and heard several DIY ideas and herbal recipes and concoctions on blog posts and FB statuses on different pages that have made me cringe. Please, please do plenty of research before you use any recipe or herb you see on the internet or outside of a reliable herbal guide*…especially if you are intending it for a child, a pregnant woman, or a furry friend.  In fact, I feel so strongly about this that even though I just posted it on the blog’s FB page, I’m posting it here as well as a second reminder (and, I know some of you aren’t FB users)!

I’ve been practicing herbalism for over a decade, and I still always ALWAYS double (and triple) check dosage, contraindications, interactions, and any new information that has come about about the safety** and efficacy of an herb before I use it in a manner that is not consistent with my personal normal use. ALWAYS. Because you never have the excuse of “well, I didn’t know” or “But so-and-so on the internet said its what they did” when it is someone else’s life and health at stake.  Please practice safe herbalism!

A QUICK REMINDER ON HERBAL SAFETY
(this is by no means a definitive list)

• NEVER assume that because a herbal remedy is “natural” that it is “safe”.
• NEVER assume that because an herbal remedy works a certain way in an adult that it will work the same way in a child.
• NEVER assume that because an herbal remedy is safe for us that it is safe for our pets.
• NEVER assume that just because something is being used topically or for cosmetic purposes that it can’t be toxic.
• NEVER assume that a magical herb should be used medicinally or cosmetically.

• ALWAYS research all of the herbs (whether they are being used in an infusion, as an essential oil, etc) that you are using.
• ALWAYS check their toxicity for whomever you are planning to use them on AND those that might come into contact with them accidentally–human or animal (or for that matter plant).
• ALWAYS check for contraindications with medical conditions and medications and allergies.
• ALWAYS double and triple check your dosages and measurements.
• ALWAYS be 100% sure of your identification of a plant if you are foraging, AND that you are gathering it from a safe place–if you are not sure, DO NOT USE IT. Otherwise, be sure the company or individual you are getting your herbs from is reputable.

Addendum:

*I use the term “reliable herbal guide” fairly broadly–your “guide” to herbalism might be a professional herbalist or a really, really good herbal, or a combination of in person, in print and (accurate and reliable) internet sources.  Unless your cousin’s girl friend’s uncle’s tarot card reader is any of those things, they don’t qualify.  Nor, for that matter, do I.  I try to be as reliable, accurate, researched and multi-sourced as possible before I post anything, but I’m certainly not perfect.

**Also, if working with poisonous plants is a goal of yours, for whatever reason, that’s fine.  I’m not one to pass judgement, I work with a number of plants that aren’t entirely safe myself.  They have a valid spot in magical herbalism for those of us of the witchy persuasion.  But please, please, please be smart about it.  Keep both herbs and the tools used to process them out of the reach of children and pets.  Have a separate set of tools for those substances (don’t make smoothies in the blender you pulverize arnica in).  Get training from someone that knows what they are doing.  Respect the plant, and don’t push the limits of safety, use them properly and in the correct dosages.  Be wary of working with herbs that are addictive in nature, particularly if you have a history of addiction, or it runs in the family.