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?
Saturday, December 19, 2009
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!
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
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
Monday, December 14, 2009
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
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
Sunday, November 1, 2009
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
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
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
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.
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.
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.
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