In what is now known
On this day, an annua
- I am the tool, you are the fire.
- Fill this cup with all I desire.
Pagan Lore for Today, December 2
Tuesday, December 2, 2008, 12:36 PM [General]
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Goddess of the Day / Spell of the Day Dec 02
Tuesday, December 2, 2008, 12:35 PM [General]
Pan-
Nina
Theme
Symbo
About
To Do Today
As you go throu
Nina come and make us well;
Banis
Ring the bell in each room at the end of the incan
To overc
(c) 365 Godde
Decem
HAPPI
You will need a coffe
As you do, turn your mind towar
Happy
I am fille
Sprin
As you sprin
Happy
I am fille
© 2003 Wicca
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~crone wisdom~
Monday, December 1, 2008, 09:04 AM [General]
It is grate
Namas
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December Dates & LORE
Monday, December 1, 2008, 08:43 AM [General]
December Dates & LORE
The December moon is known as... Cold Moon, Oak Moon, Wolf moom, Moon of Long nights, Long Nights Moon, Aerra Geola (Month Before yule), Wintermonat (Winter month), Heilagmanoth (Holy Month), Big winter Moon, Moon of Popping Trees
Dec 1: Greek and Roman 'Day of Pallas Athene/Minerva'
Dec 3: Roman 'Feast of Bona Dea' deity of justice
Dec 5: Death if Aleister Crowley 1947
Dec 6: Birthday of Dion Fortune 1890
Dec 8: Mayan 'festival of Ixchel'. Egyptian 'Festival of Neith'. Greek 'Astraea' dedicated to the goddess Astraea, deity of justice
Dec 10: Roman 'Festival of Lux Mundi' (Light of the World)
Dec 13: Swedish 'St. Lucia' (Lucy's Day)
Dec 17-23: Roman 'Saturnalia'
Dec 19: Roaman 'Opalia' for success and fertility. Indian 'Pongol'. Hindu Solstice festival to Sarasvati
Dec 21: Celtic 'Winter Solstice' Festival of the Stars. Egyptian return of Osiris to Isis
Dec 23: Egyptian 'Day of Hathor'. Egyptian 'Night of Lamps' final entombment of Osiris
Dec 24: Anglo Saxon 'Modresnach' (Mother Night). German 'Night of the Mothers'
Dec 25: Roman end of 'Saturnalia' . Greek 'Day of the Geniae' Greeks also honour Athene on this day. Semetic celebration of Astarte. feast of Frau Holle (Germanic weather goddess)
Dec 26: Egyptian birthday of Horus
Dec 27: Norse birthday of Freyja
Dec 31: Roman 'Day of Hecate'. Egyptian 'Lucky day of Sekhmet'. Scottish 'Hogmanay'. Welsh 'Faery of the Van'. sicilian celebration of Strenia, goddess of gifts. French celebration of Dame Abonde for presents. Mexican 'Wishing Night'
The first Christmas was celebrated on December 25, AD 336 in Rome.
Artificial Christmas trees have outsold real ones since 1991.
St. Nicholas was bishop of the Turkish town of Myra in the early 4th century. The Dutch first made him into a Christmas gift-giver, and Dutch settlers brought him to America where his name eventually became the familiar Santa Claus.
In Armenia, the traditional Christmas Eve meal consists of fried fish, lettuce and spinach.
Christmas has different meanings around the world; Christmas Eve in Japan is a good day to eat fried chicken and strawberry shortcake.
Alabama was the first state to recognize Christmas as an official holiday, and the tradition began in 1836.
Many of the traditions associated with Christmas (giving gifts, lighting a Yule log, singing carols, decorating an evergreen) date back to older religions.
Shakespeare' s tombstone in Stratford's Holy Trinity Church bears this inscription, said to have been written by him: Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbear to dig the dust enclosed here. Blest be the man that spares these stones, and curst be he that moves my bones".
In 1647, the English parliament passed a law made Christmas illegal. The Puritan leader Oliver Cromwell, who considered feasting and revelry on what was supposed to be a holy day to be immoral, banned the Christmas festivities. The ban was lifted only when Cromwell lost power in 1660.
Michigan has no official state song, but one, 'Michigan, My Michigan,' is frequently used. The words were written in 1863, and the melody used is that of the Christmas song "O Tannenbaum".
Franklin Pierce was the first president to decorate an official White House Christmas tree.
Christmas Crackers were invented around 1846 by Tom Smith who developed them for Christmas from the French habit of wrapping sugared almonds in twists of paper as gifts.
J.S.Bach inscribed most of his musical scores with the note 'In dem Namen Jesus', or in English 'In the name of Jesus'.
The Canadian province of Nova Scotia leads the world in exporting lobster, wild blueberries, and Christmas trees.
Roast turkey did not appear consistently on royal Christmas Day menus until 1851 when it replaced roast swan. The medieval dish of Boar's head remained popular with Royals for much longer.
Electric Christmas lights were first used in 1854.
Once in England, because of a water spout, it rained frogs!
Submitted by the Taylors
Submitted by the Taylors
Ireland Fun Facts:
A Christmas Whitewashing
Around Christmastime, you’ll still find the odd farm building out in the Irish countryside that looks like it’s just been whitewashed. Long ago, farm families cleaned and then whitewashed every building on the farm in December. They were all covered in white paint or limewash, to symbolically purify them for the coming of the savior. The tradition traces back thousands of years, not just through Celtic culture, but through other Central European cultures.
Around Christmastime, you’ll still find the odd farm building out in the Irish countryside that looks like it’s just been whitewashed. Long ago, farm families cleaned and then whitewashed every building on the farm in December. They were all covered in white paint or limewash, to symbolically purify them for the coming of the savior. The tradition traces back thousands of years, not just through Celtic culture, but through other Central European cultures.
Before Christmas Trees
Having an evergreen-type Christmas tree is a relatively new phenomenon in Ireland. Years ago, whole families went out to find holly bushes and ivy to decorate the mantelpiece and other parts of the house. Finding a holly bush with lots of berries was considered a harbinger of good luck in the coming year. Holly was also used because it allowed poor people could decorate their homes in the same way as those who were better off. The bush was so common in Ireland in winter there was plenty for everyone.
Having an evergreen-type Christmas tree is a relatively new phenomenon in Ireland. Years ago, whole families went out to find holly bushes and ivy to decorate the mantelpiece and other parts of the house. Finding a holly bush with lots of berries was considered a harbinger of good luck in the coming year. Holly was also used because it allowed poor people could decorate their homes in the same way as those who were better off. The bush was so common in Ireland in winter there was plenty for everyone.
It’s considered bad luck to take down holiday decorations before “Little Christmas” on December 6th (see article below).
A Welcoming Candle
A Christmas candle in the window, still popular not just in Ireland but here in the US, was long displayed as a symbol of hospitality (though Ireland never had a rule quite as strident as Scotland’s “first footing,” the New Year’s tradition dictating that one had to take in and lavishly entertain the very first person to enter one’s home after midnight). Window candles in Ireland were a symbol that the homeowner would welcome the Holy Family – unlike the inn keeper in Bethlehem who bore the guilt of having turned them away. During times of intolerance for Catholicism in Ireland, window candles also were meant to announce that it was safe to say mass in a home.
A Christmas candle in the window, still popular not just in Ireland but here in the US, was long displayed as a symbol of hospitality (though Ireland never had a rule quite as strident as Scotland’s “first footing,” the New Year’s tradition dictating that one had to take in and lavishly entertain the very first person to enter one’s home after midnight). Window candles in Ireland were a symbol that the homeowner would welcome the Holy Family – unlike the inn keeper in Bethlehem who bore the guilt of having turned them away. During times of intolerance for Catholicism in Ireland, window candles also were meant to announce that it was safe to say mass in a home.
Leaving a mince pie and a bottle of Guinness out on Christmas Eve was once popular in Ireland. It was meant to be a snack for Santa Claus.
Ancient Celts believed that mistletoe had tremendous healing powers. Christians saw it as such a strong symbol of paganism, in fact, that they banned it until the so-called “revival of Christmas” in the Victorian era.
On December 8th, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, virtually all schools in Ireland are closed for the day.
Pantomimes are still performed by small groups of amateurs and professional actors alike in the days following Christmas. Irish “pantos” are humorous productions of Cinderella, Snow White and other familiar fairytales. In them, men frequently play the part of women and vice versa. Generally, there’s a great deal of singing and dancing, with jokes making fun of eminent politicians or celebrities thrown in.
www.ireland-fun-facts.com/ IrelandFunFacts-december14issue.html
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Using Teas in Kitchen Magick
Monday, December 1, 2008, 08:33 AM [General]
When you drink a magickal tea, you drink it for other reasons than the obvious. Perhaps you wish to help speed the healing of a friend. Peppermint and thyme would be a wonderful combination to use. Many herbs are herbs of healing and combinations are unlimited according to taste, intuition, and personal need. The peppermint and thyme will medicinally help clear clogged sinuses and bronchial tubes. If this is a need at the time, the medicinal effects are merely a bonus. The magickal uses of teas are the focus here. The following tea combinations are tried and true for the fundamental needs in Tea Magick.
Caution: All herbs contain some medicinal properties and some are allergic-positive. Others are extremely harmful and should be avoided. Before ingesting any herb or combination, ensure that not only are the herbs identified properly, but that you thoroughly research them yourself. Never take one person’s word on something so important. Check them out, because at the same time, you will learn and grow.
For needed income: For love:
-chamomile and blackberry -strawberry and orange
-sassafras and almond -raspberry and lemon
-jasmine and mint -licorice and jasmine
For healing: For purification:
-cinnamon and lemon balm -peppermint and anise seed
-mint and apple -lemon and chamomile
-saffron and fennel
When you use tea for magickal purposes, always set aside a time and place to do your ritual. You should take a few minutes and run your wrists and hands under warm water. Soap them and rub them gently together to mix the energy between them. As you run the warm water over your skin, invite the power of the water to enter you for the work you are going to do. Know that the element of water is one of birth and growth, continuity and fluidity. Each of these attributes are invited into you for you to use toward the desired result.
Breathe deeply as you prepare yourself for magick. Allow the element of air to oxygenate your blood. All of the right conditions for magickal work of any kind must always be brought by proper breathing and meditation.
As you prepare the tea, enjoy the task. Don’t rush to put the kettle on and hurry the burner. Really be aware of what you are doing. Hear the sound the water makes as it hits the bottom of the kettle. Look at—and really see—the steam as the water starts to boil. Enjoy the smell of the tea when you pour the water into the cup. And all the while, keep your goal in the back of your mind. The more you can associate every step in the process to the ultimate desired end, the stronger your magick will be.
Now, sit quietly by yourself and savour the taste, heat, and smell of the tea. Feel it go down your throat as you swallow. By charging* the herbs or teas you are using, and by drinking their product, you are taking the very properties of them into you. Taking an herb this way enables the herb to empower you.
Never rush what you do. If you are rushing, then you only have on your mind what you must do next. It is the current moment that is important in magickal work. You must see this moment as an opportunity to concentrate more fully, breathe more deeply, and accept the knowledge of that experience.
Simple teas are wonderful as well. A simple tea is a tea made with just one herb. Raspberry tea should be a staple in every woman’s home. This is not meant in a sexist manner, but rather, the tea made from raspberry leaves has properties that no woman should do without. Because women must function within the lunar cycle, the emotions and psyche can change throughout her month. Raspberry has the magickal properties of protection and love. Most women experience times of stress or vulnerability through their month and raspberry is made to order. The increased protection allows us to continue work and alleviates some of the stress, by holding it at bay.
The medicinal effects of raspberry tea come into play when concerned with PMS, cramping, water retention, mood swings, childbirth and general lethargy. Raspberry’s prime function is to ease the discomfort of menstrual-related symptoms. It has been used throughout history to treat birthing, cramping, and excess bleeding. So when you feel out of sorts, or are experiencing the discomforts of your cycle, pour boiling water over crushed raspberry leaves and let steep for 2-3 minutes. Sip the tea slowly and relax. Let the herb do its allotted job and enjoy the benefits.
*To charge your herbs, first wash your hands and dry them thoroughly. Then, while taking deep cleansing breaths, crush the herbs lightly between your two palms. Concentrate on their immediate task and see, in your mind, the essence the herbs add to your magick.
Hot to Make a Perfect Pot of Tea
Select loose tea instead of tea bags for a more robust flavour and luscious aroma.
Fill a kettle, with fresh, cold water. Just before it comes to a full boil, pour a bit of water into the waiting teapot, swirl it around inside to warm the pot, then pour it out.
Add loose tea to the pot. (Some people prefer to use a diffuser or place the leaves in a small sieve or strainer that sits over the pot's opening. You can also place the leaves into a tea ball.) Use one full teaspoonful per cup plus one "for the pot."
Pour in boiling water and stir. Let the tea steep for at least five to ten minutes.
Pour and enjoy. (If the tea is loose, pour through a fine strainer unless you'd like to try the ancient art of tea-leaf reading!)
Spell to Charge Tea With Power
Over your cup of tea, move your hand in a clockwise direction three times and say:
Swirl the tea in the cup and drink it, visualizing yourself absorbing all you need from your magickal brew.
Sources
Pat Ross, Kitchens: Imaginative Tips & Sensible Advice for Decorating, Equipping & Enjoying
Janet Thompson, Magical Hearth: Home for the Modern Pagan
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