Saturday, February 13, 2010

New Moon - New Lunar Cycle


"I'm one with the Goddess and open to Her Wisdom."


1 Day of the 3rd Lunar Cycle
Ruled by Persephone
Lunar Tree Cycle ~ Nion/Ash
24th Day of the Celtic Tree Cycle ~ Luis/Rowan
Moon Phase: New - 9:52PM
Moon rises: 6:51AM EST
Moon sets: 6:45PM EST
Moon in Aquarius v/c 11:35PM EST
Blodeuwedd's Cycle of the Moon
Lunar Meditation: A  plant or flower of
your choice.
Sun in Aquarius
Sunrise: 7:16AM EST
Sunset: 5:51PM EST
Solar Question for the Day: "What significant patterns are
emerging from the last year of your life?"
Imbolc (Gwyl Mair) Quarter of the Year
February 13th, 2010

    New Moon

The beginning nof a new cycle. Keywords for the New phase are: beginning, birth, emergence, projection, clarity. It is the time in a lunar cycle that you are stimuated to take a new action. During this phase the new cycle is being seeded by your vision, inner and outer. Engage in physical activity. Spend time alone. VISUALIZE your goals for the 29.6-day cycle ahead.

Love Divination

   Love divination traditionally takes place at many times of the year, including St Agnes' Eve, Midsummer's Eve, Halloween, Christmas Eve and of course St Valentine's Eve.  While historically these are usually carried out by girls, there is no reason why they should not work just as well for a boy. Here are just a few.

    A blue thread should be thrown over the left shoulder and out of the window. Its shape will indicate the initial of the loved one.
    Two girls should sit in silence from midnight to 1:00AM. Each should pull as many hairs from her head as she is years old and place them in a clean white cloth with some Moonwort fern. At the stroke of 1:00AM, each should burn these hairs, one at a time in the flame of a white candle. Then, still not speaking, they should retire to bed where they will dream of their true love.
     To bring your true love to you, you should sit on the doorstep shelling peas until you find a pod with nine peas in it. This should be placed on the threshold of the kitchen door and the next man to cross over it will be your sweetheart.
     The new bride should give a piece of wedding cake to each of her unmarried friends, which, if they put it under their pillow on the night after the wedding, will give them dreams of their future partner.
     Go out at dawn on St Valentine's Day and seek the trail of a snail. The first you see will have the shape of your future lover's initial.
"Relationships are easy; it's
having good ones which is hard."
[From: "The Real Witches' Year" by Kate West]


Exercise 9 - Counting Down to a Meditative State - "The Inner Temple of Witchcraft" by Penczak

 1. Get into your meditative position. You can do exercise 7 - Total Relaxation and exercise 8 - Candle Meditation if you would like.  Relaxation and focus before any exercise is great, but this countdown can also be used alone to get into a medittive state quickly.

2. Visualize a giant screen before you like a blackboard or movie screen. This is the screen of your mind, or what is called your mind's eye. Whenever you visulize or recall anything, or remember a person's face or anything else, you project it on to this screen. You have always had it, but now we are going to give it some attention. Anything you desire will appear on the screen.

3. On the screen of your mind, visualize aseries of numbers, counting down from twelve to one. With each number, you get into a deeper meditative state. The numbers can be any color you desire, drawn as if writing them, or appearing whole.
       Now visualize 12, see the number 12 on your screen.  12
       11, see the number 11 on your screen.  11
       10, see the number 10 on your screen.  10
        9, see the number 9 on your screen.   9
        8, see the number 8 on your screen.   8
        7, see the number 7 on your screen.   7
        6, see the number 6 on your screen.   6
        5, see the number 5 on your screen.   5
        4, see the number 4 on your screen.   4
        3, see the number 3 on your screen.   3
        2, see the number 2 on your screen.   2
        1, see the number 1 on your screen.   1

4. You are at your meditative state. Everything done in your meditative state is for your highest good, harming none. You are now counting down to a deeper, more focused meditative state. Count backward from thirteen to one, but do not visualize the numbers this time. Let the numbers gently take you down: 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1. You are now at your deepest medittive state, your magickal mindset, in complete control of your magickal abilities.

5. From this point, you can continue on to other exercises and experiences, or meditate at this level for a while and bring yourself up, counting from one to thirteen and then from one to twelve. Gently start to wiggle your fingers and toes and slowly move to bring your awareness back to the physical.

6. Take both hands and raise them up over your head, palms facing your crown. Slowly bring them down over your forehead, face, throat, chest, abdomen, and then groin, and 'push out' with your palms facing away from you. This gives you clearance and balance, releasing any harmful or unwanted energies you might pick up during your magickal responses. Tell yourself:

"I give myself clearance and balance. I am in balance with myself.
I am in balance with the universe. I release all that does not serve."

7. Ground yourself as needed.

This exercise effectively takes you into a meditative state. Even if you have difficulty visualizing the numbers, hold the concept  of them, if not the visualization, in your mind until it grows stronger.

In the first part of the meditation, we cound using the numbers twelve and thirteen. Witches follow the natural cycles, particuarly those of the Sun and Moon. The solar calendar is based on twelve divisions, like the twelve zodiac signs, and the lunar year is based on thirteen Moons. The Sun is associated with more masculine, linear, and logical thought, so during the active solar twelve count, you are actively visualizing and controlling what you see on the screen of your mind. The Moon is linked with the intuitive, feminine energies, emotions and mystery. During the lunar thirteen count, you do not try to visualize or control anything. Simply go with the flow of the numbers and allow it to happen. Psychics and witches often rely on feelings and intuition rather than concrete visualization and direct messages. Doing both counts brings us into balance with the masculine and feminine energies within. Both are needed to make magick.

At the end of this countown, you wave your hands down over your crown and over the front, vertical axis of your body, the chakra line. Chakras are spiritual energy centers in the body. We are primarily working with the third eye, or brow chakra, on the forehead between and above your two physical eyes. This point control your sense of psychic 'seeing', visualization and what many call the mind's eye. During visualization, this chakra is more active. In fact, during many magickal practices, your energy centers activate, like taking a running car from out of neutral and into gear. They are always on, but in different states of activity, depending on what you are doing. Clearance and balance return these centers to a normal energy level to prepare you to focus your energy again in the physical world. It also helps detach any harmful, unwanted energies you may have come across in your magickal practices, returning you to a state of clarity and balance.

   As we continue with further exercises and meditations, refer to exercise 9; Counting Down to a Meditative State to get your magickal mindset. If you are not comfortable with a visual countdown, you can use the techniues of exercises 7 and 8 to begin meditation. Some people modify the countdown to suit their own needs. You can imagine a set of twelve steps that you are walking down, perhaps in a spiral staircase. This engages not only the sense of sight, but also the feeling of movement. Whenever you complete your meditations and exercises, alway end with the last few steps of exercise 9, including counting up, clearance and balance, and grounding if necessary. These help prepare your senses to return to physical reality. The count up is a very important part of the process. Do not skip it just because you become aware of the physical world before you count up.

    There are many meditations and exercise designed to help you access these psychic abilities and improve your skill at creating and holding visual images. The next exercise starts with a series of basic shapes...... 



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