Hallows Everyday 31

Hallows Blessings!

May the Great Mother

And all the Goddesses

Bless you and yours.

May your Ancestors 

Watch over and guide you.

May your life be filled with

Magick, enchantment, and love.

Hallows Everyday 30

Prayer to Hekate for the Dead

Hail Hekate, Mighty Eternal Queen,

Divine Mediator,

She who walks between the worlds,  

Torch-bearer who shines Her light

Upon our path.

Hear me now,

Mistress of Death,

Welcome this departed soul.

I call upon You,

Great Light,

Embrace this soul as they pass through

The gates of death.

Guide my beloved safely

To the other side, 

Offer them comfort,

As they cross the threshold

From this life to the next.

Be with us now in our time of grief.

May we know the peace of eternity.

Let the light of their memory burn bright,

Give us the faith to know that all

That dies shall be reborn.

Credit: Keepingherkeys.com

Hallows Everyday 29

Cast the Circle, made it bound,

Hagstone, besom, cup and flame,

We ride the way in the Lady's name.

 

Here is Her wisdom, for She is within.

Here is Her mystery where magick begins.

Circle of Power, Circle of Might,

Our circle is cast in the dark of the night!

 

Hallows Everyday 28

Oh Spirits unto life return, 

Arise thee from land’s deep hollow.

The old fire does smoke and burn, 

a beacon light we bid ye follow.

O Spirits to the Circle come, 

Enjoy our feast this Hallows’ Night.

About the fire burning bright, 

gather ye Old Ones, Spirits, and Shades,

Come ye to this hallowed ground, 

unto the joyous rites here made.

Dance and tread the Castle’s Round.

By Witch’s Dance and serpent coil, 

Beloved Dead, we thee invoke

The witch’s pot to gently boil, 

amidst the sweet and rising  smoke.

O Spirit presence draw ye near,

voices whisper and visions show

In fire, incense, and shadows appear, 

all the witch would seek to know.

By skull and bones crossed we conjure thee, Come ye forth, so shall it be.

Hallows Everyday 26

A Magic Potion Just For You

Find a very tall black hat;

Fill it with a squeaky bat.

Catch a clever shiny crow;

Gather up the pumpkins' glow.

Call your black cat home to you;

Summon up a ghost or two.

Throw in lots of special treats,

Like candy corn and lizard feets.

Simmer, bubble, stew and wait....

Then it's time to celebrate!

- Laura J Perin, needlework designer

from her blog, two-handedstitcher.blogspot.com

 

Hallows Everyday 18

 

Prayer and Offering for the Dead One of the most poignant and powerful things you can ever do is offer a prayer for the dead. This can be done at any time during the year. Between Hallows and the Winter Solstice is an especially powerful time for these offerings as well as the time of year when your loved one passed. What you need:  1 White votive candle.  Offering of your choice Picture of your loved one What you do: Light a white votive candle. Lay your offering on your ancestral altar, or next to a picture of your special loved one.  Hold your hands together in the prayer position. Say: From the dawn of your birth To the sunset of your death I honor you. From the mission you completed To your duties left undone I honor you From the seasons of your being Through the cycle of your life I honor you From your time beyond the veil Till your earth entrance back again May the Spirits support you May the Goddess surround you May my healing love reach you From this moment until the end of time. So mote it be. (author unknown) Place the offering (with the exception of incense) outside, on the ground or bury in the ground.

Hallows Everyday 17

 Samhain

October 31^st
“The Witches’ New Year”

Correspondences

Colors: Black, Orange, Red, Brown, yellow
Stones: Obsidian, Bloodstone, Onyx, Jet
Herbs, Plants & Spices: Bay, Cinnamon, Cloves, Ginger, Pumpkin, Sunflowers, Rosemary, Mugwort, Myrrh, Sage

Ritual

Sit skyclad or loosely clothed.
Light a white, black, orange or red candle and place so the reflection appears in a mirror or bowl of water. Meditate on the image, reflecting on and connecting with those who have passed on.
Take a bite of bread and a sip of wine or cider, alternating until gone. Blow out the candle.
Blessed Be.

Spells

TO REMEMBER A PAST LIFE

Set a white candle next to a mirror so the light from it can hit your face but you will not see the candle in the mirror. Turn off the lights and sit in front of the mirror.
Look into your eyes and say the words:
“Oracle of lunar light, Send me the second sight”
Repeat and concentrate until your reflection becomes that of someone else. Try to look at the face, body, clothing and surroundings to understand more about your past life.

Hallows Everyday 16

Song of the Samhain Goddess

 

Deep night in the forest,

Deep night on the hill.

The Old Wise One opens her cloak -

Inside, bitter smoke coils like a snake.

Heaped at her feet, orange pumpkins grin.

The bones of her hand shine through the skin.

 

Breath of Mystery rides the wind:

Honor me.

Breath of death cold on the back of your neck:

Honor me.

Breath of magic whirls around you:

Honor me.

Breath of endings and beginnings, always new.

Honor me now.

 

~Cait Johnson~

From Witch in the Kitchen

Magical Cooking for All Seasons 

Hallows Everyday 15

 Dear Ancestor 

Your tombstone stands among the rest; 
neglected and alone 
The name and date are chiseled out 
on polished, marbled stone 
It reaches out to all who care 
It is too late to mourn 
You did not know that I’d exist 
You died and I was born. 
Yet each of us are cells of you 
in flesh, in blood, in bone. 
Our blood contracts and beats a pulse 
entirely not our own. 
Dear Ancestor, the place you filled 
one hundred years ago 
Spreads out among the ones you left 
who would have loved you so. 
I wonder if you lived and loved, 
I wonder if you knew 
That someday I would find this spot, 
and come to visit you.

- unknown author-

Hallows Everyday 13

Scarecrow Samhain Blessing 

Left then right into a corn maze

As the sun flickers on October;

Laughter transforms to screaming

As we spot a scarecrow,

A pipe smoking but it’s not lit;

Trick me, treat me he says

By all means creep me.

Welcome, this field is not as it seems,

Flashlights on or the spirits will see.

Blessed be, blessed Samhain.

- Melani Udaeta -

Hallows Everyday 11

Ancestors, who are they? What if you’re adopted and have no background on your bloodline? What if there are ancestors who committed crimes, incest and you don’t want to be connected to them? 

These are questions I am asked all the time. And I have a very simple answer: you need only be in touch with those who are of integrity and love you unconditionally. As for bloodlines, your adoptive family’s ancestors are your ancestors. Then there are the ancestors who were people we were especially connected to by friendship, by what I call breed - our kind, folks who practiced as we do and may have been teachers, people we admired. All of these are available to us by making the connection through the mists. 

There is also the Hidden Company, witches, sorceresses, priestesses who have remained close to this world to assist us.

You make the effort, you do the work, and that connection will come if you are serious. This is a good time to make those efforts, while the mists or veil are thinnest. 

Ancestral veneration, I believe and have experienced, brings great rewards. Ultimately, like all of this work we do, takes effort, dedication, and a bit of time. Take the time, make the effort.

Hallows Everyday 10

 

Potions Rare

 The Brewer

In the cauldron steams and brews

Potions rare that boil and stew.

Steeps thy fortune wise and true,

All that’s good will come to you!

Now for the recipe!

The White Witch

For your sipping pleasure on Hallows, May I suggest a White Witch!

2 cups vanilla ice cream 

2 Oz vodka 

2 Oz Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur

Let ice cream soften a bit then add all ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth and serve. Makes 1 serving.

http://www.hollyscheatday.com/the-white-wi

Hallows Everyday - 31

I wish you

The brightest of blessings

in the deep and beautiful dark

of this Hallows season.

Hail the Crone!

Hail the Dark Goddesses!

Blessed be!

Blessings dark and deep!

Hallows Everyday - 27

Hearth - Happiness in our hearts and homes

The Halloween Oracle by Stacey DeMarco

There is no place like home... for most of us... or at least the home in our hearts, that place we long to have as our sanctuary, our place of comfort. No matter how large or small, no matter how rich or poor we are, we can certainly make that place, because that sweet home is not made with money and possessions, it is made with love. 

With this card we are nudged to look at what makes our sanctuary. It tells us to look to our relationships with family and friends. We build that place of love - our hearth, our heart of the home - by bringing in the loving fires. We need to make our relationships the priority in our lives, not to the exclusion of all else, but healthy relationships are maintained by being nourished. We nourish with love, freely given and received, compassionate and unconditional.

Now some may think that they will lose when relationships become the priority, one person cares more and most no longer want to risk being the person who cares more, who struggles to keep the heart of the home, the loving fire, burning. The truth is that without love, there is nothing to hold the home together and there is nothing to hold us together. Even if one lives alone, or a couple has no children, love is still what holds it all together, it is that which creates the sanctuary. And that sanctuary, that loving home, is just the best place to be. We must begin by loving ourselves, warts and all; that is unconditional love. Next, accepting who our families are, again unconditionally. This does not mean accepting abuse of any kind, it means filling the home with love that will heal.

We have come to a time where family and friends mean less than money and possessions. Conflicts are not dealt with to resolve them, relationships are discarded because there is no sense that they are more important, necessary to creating and nourishing a healthy environment in which to live. It seems today it is easier to walk away than work to nourish that home fire.

At this time of year, it is the perfect time to build that merry home fire, to make our homes the sanctuary they ought to be. We need to take stock of our relationships and give them love. As fluffy as it sounds, the fire in the heart and our lives, is love. When one has love, wherever it comes from, and that includes the self, one has everything. The love of self is where it all begins, creating the initial loving flame that spreads throughout our lives and making the hearth fire burn strongly, overcoming all.

A few times a week, or every night if you can, light a special candle designated as your home fire. As it burns merrily recite this little prayer, perhaps three times if you feel so inclined, with real feeling and visualizing loving energies flowing and filling your home. Allow the candle to burn for an hour or so, then extinguish.

I ask my Ancestors, those who love me,

Come and fill my home and family

with all that is loving and good.

May we be surrounded and filled with

 that which is nourishing to us in all ways.

May we know love and kindness and happiness, 

good health and prosperity.

May the flame of our home burn brightly always

bringing all we ever need.

So mote it be!

(c 2016 E A Kaufman)

Blessings dark and deep!

Hallows Everyday - 26

.

Word Magic

hag (hag) n. an ugly old woman, esp a vicious or malicious one.

2. a witch

hagio-, a learned borrowing from Greek meaning "saint," "holy,"

"sacred," used in the formation of compound words

hagiology, hagiocracy

hagiocracy (hag' e ok' r se) n.  1. government by a body of persons

esteemed as holy

~ Burleigh Muten~

Blessings dark and deep!

Hallows Everyday - 24

Three Sisters

by Frank Howell

We are the bones

of your grandmother's grandmothers.

We have returned now

We say you cannot forget us now

We say we are with you

And you are us.

Patricia Reis

from The Ancient Ones

Blessings dark and deep!

Hallows Everyday - 23

... a glowing caldron full of jewelled fire;
the emerald earth a dragon's eye,
the poplars drenched with yellow light
and dogwoods blazing bloody red.

Margaret Walker, October Journey    

Blessings dark and deep!

Hallows Everyday - 18

2 - Self-Renewal

Soulful Woman Oracle

by Shushann Movesessian & Gemma Summers

This is a new deck I just obtained and this is the first card I have drawn; perfect for this season. 

As I clean out old energies

I have more space for that which

wants to be birthed into my life.

Time to do some clearing work on ourselves, in our homes, work, even the car. When was the last time we smudged any of these places? When was the last time we took the time to really focus and bless our spaces, ourselves? This card reminds us that this is the perfect time to take stock of what is around us and how it affects us. Perhaps some decluttering and autumn cleaning is in order too. 

When we keep our spaces and selves clear of stagnant or unhealthy energies, we are more fully able to release what doesn't serve us; the energy that is fresh, healthy, and energetically enriching and nurturing is more easily available to us. Our minds, on an intellectual level as well as a psychic level are clear and open to receiving the messages that will assist us on our spiritual path.

Sort through the physical, emotional, and psychic debris, letting our intuition guide us as to what we want to keep - that which aids us, and that which needs to be let go of. Whatever it is that is ready to be released will go effortlessly if we allow ourselves to be in that place of openness to the goddesses' wisdom and healing. This will become a rebirthing for us, while letting us make room for new blessings, ideas, new life.

Blessings dark and deep! 

Hallows Everyday - 17

Witch's Brew Pumpkin Squash Soup/Stew

This recipe is a sort of hodgepodge, very forgiving, adjusted over the years, adding this, one year and that, the next... so just go with it. It is very, very yummy! Read through the entire recipe before cooking since it is a hodgepodge and you want to make sure you have everything you need.


Ingredients
2 large butternut squash or whatever squash you like
29 oz can of pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
fingerling potatoes - or any other small potato
2 large apples, peeled, cored, quartered
3 sweet onions, nice and large, chopped
4 stalks of celery, sliced
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 quarts rich stock - veggie, chicken, or beef
butter
olive oil
barley (quick cooking is fine)
real maple syrup - grade B if you can get it
apple butter or sherry
salt, ground cloves, cinnamon, and allspice
optional: ground beef, stew meat, chicken, or pork - shredded
sour cream or heavy cream

Wash the squash and poke some holes in them, then bake, along with a handful or two of fingerling potatoes and a couple of large peeled, cored, and quartered apples, all having been tossed with  some olive oil, in a 350 degree oven until just tender, about an hour. I cool and then cut the squash in half, scrap our the stringy stuff and seeds, peel off the skin and place in a large dutch oven or soup pot, then use a potato masher and mash the squash a bit, leaving it somewhat lumpy. I add the canned pumpkin, mix it well with the squash, then add a good chicken or vegetable stock; I start with a quart to a quart and a half, depending upon how thick I want the soup - I want it nice and thick. I then add the potatoes whole or halved and the apple which I coarsely chop.

In a frying pan, I add a couple of good sized pats of butter and a splash of olive oil, heating over medium heat. I then add 3 chopped onions and 4 celery stalks, sliced, cooking until the onions are browned a bit and the celery is cooked. I then toss in 6 cloves of garlic, chopped coarsely but not minced and let that just cook until fragrant - don't brown the garlic, it will get bitter. Add these veggies to the soup pot and bring to a simmer. Add ½ - ¾ cup of barley (quick cooking is fine) when the soup is very hot. Cook over medium low heat for about an hour. Check the thickness, add more stock if the soup is too thick for your taste. Taste the barley to make sure it is chewy but not hard.

Season with salt to taste, as well as about a 1/2 cup of real maple syrup, grade B if you can get it. Add ¼ teaspoon of group cloves, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon of ground allspice, then mix well. Take a taste and adjust the seasoning and maple syrup to your liking. I also add about a ½ cup of apple butter and blend in well. This is a very forgiving soup, adjust it as you like, add anything extra including more stock to thin if too thick. I have left out the barley and added cooked ditalini instead, but the barley gives it a very nice, traditional flavor. You can also add browned and cooked stew beef or ground beef, shredded chicken or pork, or all three. If you decide to add beef, use a good beef stock for a very rich flavor. I've also added cup of sherry instead of the apple butter and that was quite good too. Do as you will, cackle - just a little witchly humor! ;)

And there you go... a lovely seasonal soup/stew, full of autumn flavors, very easy and very satisfying. I like to serve it with corn bread and plenty of butter. A dollop of sour cream or a splash of heavy cream adds a nice touch too.  I would love to hear from anyone who tries this recipe, how you liked it, and how you made it your own.

Blessings dark and deep!

This design is from an old magazine, no clue who the designer is.

Please advise if you have info.