Once in a Blue Moon...

The Blue Moon isn’t as rare as you might think. It actually occurs approximately every two and a half years. The rarity is that the Blue Moon occurs on New Years eve only every nineteen years.

The typical Birch Moon, which can occur between December 24th and January 20th, is the best time for casting spells and wishes for new beginnings and what you hope to achieve in the coming year.

The Blue Moon is perfect for those requiring long-term results because it holds double the power. Any spells cast in its glow may not come to full fruition until the next one – two and a half years away.

A deep blue ribbon works best for binding spells made at this time.

Blessings
Rain

The YULE Casket

YULE is a time for celebration. With these supplies on hand, we can truly Celebrate the lengthening days and the blessings we have to look forward to.

Candles & Colors:
Candles: Red, Green, Silver, Gold
If you're doing any type of a YULE log candelabra, you will need 2 green and one red

Colors: stash some lengths of ribbon in these colors as well.

NOW is the time to purchase the Silver and Gold candles. They will go on clearance after Christmas in the retail stores and unless you go on-line through a supplier, you're going to be hard pressed to find them. The only exception will be at a Hallmark or someplace that carries anniversary candles. In which case, they're probably going to say 25th or 50th Wedding anniversary on them.

Scents & Herbs:
Bayberry - Wealth and Happiness. (As a Candle, this is incredibly hard to find so stock up when you do)
Mistletoe, Balsam, Fir, Holly, Catnip, Pine Cones/needles, Sandalwood, Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg, Chamomile, Frankincense, Myrrh

Incense in any of these scents will work well. Whether you use the loose and a charcoal block, the sticks or cones, it's a personal preference. However, you can keep the naturals in their dried form in small amounts in your box. If you use dried, I recommend offering them back to Mother Earth at the end of the year and restocking with freshly dried. Also, some of the items will be best used straight from nature at the time. So those items that are readily available to you do not necessarily have to be stored at all.


Charms & Stones:
Stones: Clear quarts, Ruby, Garnet, Green Tourmaline, Citrine, Jet, Diamond, Alexandrite, Kumzie

Do you have anything else you use for YULE?

Ritual and Celebration Caskets

Imagine walking over to your magick cabinet, opening the door and pulling out exactly what you need at a moments notice. You are not shuffling among the items on the shelves or in the drawers to find the items you 'just know are here somewhere'. Instead, you take out the shoe box labeled YULE, close the door and continue with your task at hand. How are you able to do this? Because all the essentials you need are in that little box. Granted, there may be some things you'll use that cross the ritual spectrum such as your wand, candle holders, bowl, etc. But inside this little chest you've put together are all the things SPECIAL to your YULE celebration.

I have broken the contents of the Ritual Caskets into three main categories:
Candles & Colors, Scents & Herbs, and Charms & Stones. Detailing the items into categories will also help you on your shopping trips. Placing like items together means you can shop for at least two of the items needed at the same source or location.

If you have a link to a source for any of these items and know of their reputation, please comment. They'll thank you for the promotion they'll receive in the book!

Blessed YULE

I really let the family stuff take me over the last couple of weeks. I've been so focused on trying to clear up end of the year stuff. I finally booked a hotel room for a couple days so I could hide and get into a personal place where all things would come together. So far it's working.

When I've not been scurrying around like a field mouse stocking for winter, I've been reading verociously about YULE and the supplies needed for celebration.

Have you created a YULE log yet? I was hoping to create a tabletop version but decided to err on the side of safety and wait until hubby is home to plane the bottom for me on his table saw. The chain saw or hand saw and I would have gotten along fine, but I didn't want to start the season off minus a finger. So the YULE long will come next season. For now, I'll enjoy the moment with pillar candles.

This book isn't going to be about rituals. There are plenty of those out there written by talented followers of the Craft. I'll even spotlight some of them as we go along and their books will be listed in the bibliography of The Organzied Witch.

Rather, The Organzied Witch is about the essentials we need for rituals and hopefully to prepare ahead of time (unlike this year hehe). As we go along, watch the Shortcuts for Ritual Caskets and you'll be able to pull up those posts.

Many Blessings
Rain

The Christmas Tarot

I just received the most beautiful set of Tarot. This is not your every day tarot deck. For those of you who love Victorian designs, this set is perfect for you or as a Yule gift.

Author of Tarot for Writers, Tarot specialist Corrine Kenner sent me an email this afternoon with the following note...

I am excited to announce my latest project: a Christmas tarot deck, inspired by the magic of a Victorian Christmas. It's electronic so you can download it in less than a minute. It also comes with a 45-page guidebook that you can read online. For more information visit www.ChristmasTarot.com
Merry Christmas

I checked out the website and fell in love. Of course, that led to purchasing. Normally, this deck will cost $9.99 but during the 2009 holiday season you can download it for only $2.09! Wow!

Not only can you use the deck on-line, but you can use any photo-printing medium of your choice to print a hard copy 4x6 deck. The site even includes printing tips to get a great quality deck to work with.

Please remember to post to Corrine what you think of the deck. I'd love to hear your comments here, too.

Blessings
Rain

Shopping Day

Merry Meet and Happy New Year friends

I hope you enjoyed an evening with family and friends from both sides of our world last night. Wasn't the moon beautiful!

If you've not already left the house, today is the day you need to visit your local discount and grocery stores. Traditional Halloween stuff will be marked down. You'll want to focus on candles--black in particular. Pick up as many as you can afford as we'll be placing them in several ritual caskets throughout this journey. Also look at fabrics for altar covers and linens/dishes for table setting. This is the time to begin planning Samhain for future years and future generations.

Something that has gone by the wayside over the past years is the Hope Chest. When shopping for items, consider picking up extras to put aside for your child(ren). Starting your own home can be expensive enough without the added cost of celebration necessities. When passing on your beliefs, pass on the things they need to continue your traditions.

Let us know what kind of deals you find today. And as an added bonus, everyone who posts their shopping experience by midnight (CST) Nov. 2nd will go into a drawing for items you'll want in your Samhain Ritual Casket.

Many Blessings
Rain

The Organized Witch - the Basic Tools

One of the things I'll be focusing on is preparing Ritual Caskets. If you don't already know, Ritual Caskets are baskets/boxes/containers that hold all of the basics for a specific ritual or ceremony.

We will discuss the contents for each Ritual Casket as we go along. You might find some information for materials you hadn't been aware of. To create Ritual Caskets, I'm suggesting those plastic shoe boxes you find at discount stores for under $1. Most are clear and have a snap-on lid. You're also going to want to create labels for them. You can use your printer and rubber stamps and get as artistic as you want. Make them yours!

The neat thing about Ritual Caskets is they are portable. You won't have to go through your entire supply cabinet to pull out what you need. If you're doing a Full Moon, pull out the casket already filled with those supplies.

The other thing you'll learn as we go is that some things you'll need in your caskets are only available at specific times of year. Unless you have access to a candle shop, for example, have you ever tried finding a black candle in July? What if you plan to do a banishing spell? Do you have everything you need?

Beginning with Yule preparation, we'll start talking about each Ritual Casket two weeks ahead of time. We'll discuss the contents, possible suppliers and Ritual content. This will give you plenty of time to shop for supplies. If you have a supplier you work with and recommend, please share them here. I'm looking for suppliers to share but want to provide quality to my readers.

Remember the 'Harm None' creed. Please don't post negative comments about someone or place. If someone posts a recommendation and you've had problems with, please email me off-list - LdyRainLyte@yahoo.com so I might follow-up in private.

The Organized Witch - Intro

Merry Meet everyone!

With this post we begin the journey into what I hope will be my first non-fiction book and my first on the Craft. The concept of the book is to take us through the wheel, beginning with Samhain. We will travel through the Sabbats, Esbats and various other rituals in a creatively organized fashion.

The idea came to me when participating in a group that helped us pre-plan for non-pagan holidays, mainly Christmas. I was amazed at how much smoother the holidays ran when I wasn't stressing out over not having everything I needed when the time came. Imagine being prepared for Ritual ahead of time!

We know we are more receptive to what the Goddess and God have to share if we are relaxed and open. 'Relaxed and Open' do not describe the witch who suddenly realizes she doesn't have the proper candle color or enough essential oil fragrance required for Ritual.

Add stress to this if you are in a 'blended' family. A family situation where you are still committed to 'traditional' holidays and all their trappings, while trying to practice your own beliefs. Now you are trying to make sure you have everything in place for those AND yours.

I am a strong believer in planning ahead. In fact, the original working title for this book was to be 'A Year and A Day: The Practical Practicioner's Guide to Practical Practice'. Quite a mouthful, huh? :-) So as we walk through this project together, I'm receptive to a title I hope the publisher will let me keep when the time comes. For now, let's just call it, 'The Organized Witch'.

Along the way I hope to bring in guest bloggers. Some names you will know and others I look forward to introducing to you. These will be extras just for you taking this journey with me. Please thank them by commenting on their posts and visiting their websites. If you buy their books, that will be an added bonus for them.

I hope you find a nugget or two in this process - or a whole cauldron full of good stuff that will help you on your Magikal Journey.

Mabon

Goddess, I can't believe it's been over a month since I posted. We took our first vacation in 20+ years the week after the last post, then the in-laws were here for a week. I spent the whole next week getting back into a schedule.

Today marked the second- to- last harvest of the cycle. The pantry is full of goodness reaped from the garden and we've already sampled some of the bounty. Soon we will be protecting the hibernating plants for winter and preparing for Samhain. This will be my first Samhain with my granddaughter. Though she will be just under two years, there is so much she can enjoy.

Here in the Ozarks, the days are in the upper 70's and the nights in the mid 50's. I love it. The window open, the fan pulling in the lovely smells of a autumn night. When I drive my daughter to work on early mornings, the mist nestles amongst the valley's. It's is breathtaking. It's my one joy in getting up and out the door by 5 a.m. Soon the leaves will be changing color, intensifying the beauty.

The hummingbirds are still buzzing around. Chatters was at the feeder this afternoon. They are fewer in number and I suspect they will be gone by end of the week.

The garden and brown spiders are enmasse. The garden spiders are beautiful and I love to look at the intricacy of their web with the little zipper string in the center. The brown spiders, I'm not so crazy about but they have their place as well.

Speaking of the spiders, I have noticed them building a lot closer to the house this year and the garden spiders have been right up by the door. Everything seems to be coming in a couple weeks ahead of normal. I'm watching other signs from Mother Earth. I think she's telling me to prepare.

Are you prepared for winter?

And while we're on the subject of being prepared, I am working on the book and will begin posting snippets sometime next week. I hope you will comment. Anything you see I might explain better, give more detail about or include in the book will be appreciated and a blessing.

Many Blessings
Rain

Preparing for the New Year

As the hummingbirds begin to visit the feeder en mass, I know they're preparing for their trip south. Just in the past week, my feeder has gone from being a buffet for 6 to hosting 11 or more. One in particular is interesting. I've named him Chatters. He is a very sociable bird. Where most are territorial and will run other birds off, Chatters will perch and talk to the others as they feed. Sometimes talking more than he's drinking. I wonder if Mother Nature has scolded him for not preparing for his forthcoming journey?

When they leave, and I suspect it will happen within the next couple of weeks, fall will be right around the cycle. With this final burst of heat and humidity I am so ready for the rustling of leaves, the cooler nights and all the renewed energy I gain.

This past week, I mowed the sacred space and also found someone to tell me what size wire they're using for rock columns here in the Ozarks. I know my pillars will not be ready this year... but a work in progress. But by the time Samhain comes in, I will have a place to celebrate the coming of the new year.

I'll be posting some things over the next few weeks about preparing ritual caskets and being ready for rituals. I hope you'll join me.

Blessings
Rain

Remember Earth Day!

Although today is the National day to recognize Mother Earth, I'd like to hear how you guys show your respect year round.

I'm making a concious effort to put less into the landfills. I shredd all my paper and use it as mulch and to feed the worms in my worm compost bedding

I unplug appliances not in use, we've switched to those cute little energy efficient bulbs and we are getting back to basics as far as our daily living goes.

Share your tips and tricks for being kind to Mother Earth

Blessings
Rain

Construction begins

Although my sacred space already exists, there are some things I want to add. From the moment I stepped into the area I envisioned stone columns marking the four points. I saw them to be about 4' high. Each one with a spot to hold the necessary candle and/or incense. I knew I was looking at an expense and thus the reason for the delay in really doing anything beyond upkeep of the space. And then the vision became more clear.

As we tilled parts of the yard for the rose beds/wild flower garden/vegetable areas we turned up LOTS of Missouri rock the size of a man's fist. Some were slightly larger while others were closer to the size of a young adult fist. At first I dreaded the thought of the work involved in removing them from the tilled areas. Then I remembered that around here, many farmers mark their property corners with wire 'barrels' filled with the rock they remove from the property. Hmmmm

So after mowing the area the other day, I decided the time has come. For now, as I remove the rock, I'll pile it to a far East end of the space. When I have enough to support the chicken wire formed into the barrel shapes, I'll begin tossing those and any new rocks into place.

My thought is when the columns are complete, I want to use a smooth mortar mix to create a solid top for placing the magical tools necessary for those points.

The cauldron, hanging from the wrought iron tripod, will be placed in the center over a small fire ring.

The North fence will be lined with Quacking Aspens. I remember these trees as part of my childhood in the foothills of Colorado and was thrilled to find we are still far enough North for them to grow here.

I haven't decided on how to acknowledge the 'gateway' to the sacred space - but outside the circle. It is on the West side of the space. Because the path to the pond also begins here, I want to designate a 'don't go beyond this point' kind of thing so people do not stray into the area, but remain on the path. There are a couple of pine trees there now and I'm considering leaving them.

Do you have a outdoor space? How is it set up?
If you don't have an outdoor space, what would yours look like if you did?

Blessed Be

I'm so Excited!!!

Even though I didn't have the time to go anywhere on Sat. night, hubby lovingly encouraged I attend a local auction with him. "We won't stay late, I promise. But you really will be happy you went." So, I took time out from packing for a road trip to go. Five feet in the door, he gave something a kick. I looked down to see a large cast iron cauldron. Squeeee!!!!! This puppy will hold about 8 gallons. The entitites were with me as I bid. I got it for an awesome price and I'm so excited. Guess that means I need to get the sacred space cleared. hehe

What have you added to your 'magic closet' recently?

Creative Blessings!
Rain

Full Worm Moon

It seems like such a short time ago we were celebrating the Full Wolf Moon and here we are into March and the Full Worm Moon. The days are getting longer, the earth is beginning to warm. Warm soil means easier travel for the earth worm and the sign of robins. For a couple days in late February my yard was covered in robins - dozens upon dozens of them. I didn't know until last year that robins are not a migratory bird. I grew up with the impression that the sign spring meant the robins were returning North. When in fact they are here all along! So where do they go in the winter? Do they hibernate?

With the arrival of the warmer days, I am anxious to build my worm composting beds. Since last fall, I've been raising worms in a aerated rubbermade tub in the basement. Now, I want to move them outside and give them more of their natural habitat to munch away at debris and multiply.

Of course, we're suppose to have storms in here tonight. Storm clouds hiding the moon make moon magic so difficult. Maybe when the Full Pink Moon of April rolls around, weather will have improved.

Until next week...
Blessings

Imbolc

Merry Meet friends.
I'm finally getting a daily routine in place. Today seems the perfect time to begin offering up information.

Imbolc is Feb. 1 at 10 p.m. It is common practice for celebrations to begin on February eve (tonight) and carry through Feb. 2nd.
Imbolc is all about a new beginning. The Crone's grip on winter begins to loosen, preparing the way for the warmth and rebirth of Spring. This is the perfect time for initiation Rites, rededication and purification of self/space/tools. Spring cleaning begins in earnest and inventory of our Magickal supplies begins.

Symbol of Imbolc is the candle and is often referred to as Candlemas. Candles signify the growing strength of the sun and the lengthening of the days. Choose candles in Yellow (sun), Green (Mother Earth), Lavendar and White
Water, and all it's healing power, is also a symbol - recognizing the Celtc deityBrigid and her reputation as a healer . This is a time for healing and rejuvination. Your ritual might include scrying and meditation.

Dress your Alter for the occasion. You might include a crystal bowl with spring water or snow, white flowers or paper snowflakes.
Along with your candles, your incense choices should be cinnamon, Frankincense or rosemary

After ritual and meditation, Feast on Dairy (honoring the season of 'ewes milk and promise of new lambs'), Spicy foods, spiced wines and dishes containing raisins (honoring the sun).

At sunset, light candles or lamps in every window, inviting Brigid to visit.

May your Imbolc bring you peace and the promise of a new beginning
Blessings
Rain