Corvinnia Speaks – Episode 2

I just finished the second episode of my Pagan Podcast – Corvinnia Speaks! You can listen or subscribe to the show by going to http://www.ravenswell.com/item.asp?iid=2135.

In this episode I honor the Harvest season by discuss the story of Grain & the history of agriculture. I also tell you about some of my favorite Pagan podcasts and read some listener feedback.

Episode 3 is in the works, and the topic is……. DOGS! Their history, myths, and legends show up in cultures around the world. We’ll talk about how dogs relate to the Pagan path, and ways that you can incorporate your four-footed furry friends into your magickal and spiritual life.

Check it out!

New Free Pagan Class Coming

Beginning Witchcraft with Corvinnia will start October 31, 2009, at www.RavensWell.com

We’ve finally set the date for the first free class to begin at www.RavensWell.com – Samhain! That’s right, come this Halloween the first of RavensWell’s Pagan and Wiccan classes will begin. I’m so excited! The class is scheduled to run for 13 weeks, from Samhain to Imbolc, and is an introduction to the art of witchcraft. Topics will include:

• The Archetype of Witch
• The Difference between terms like “Witch,” “Wiccan”, “Pagan”, etc.
• Types of Magical Practice
• Brief History of neoPaganism
• Grounding, Centering, Meditation, Visualization
• The Basic of Energy & Energy Work
• Natural Rhythms & Patterns
• Solar and Lunar Patterns
• The Wheel of the Year
• The Elements
• The Pentacle
• The Power of Symbolism
• Casting a Circle
• A Witch’s Tools
• The Parts of a Spell
• Casting Spells
• Writing Spells
• The Ethics of Witchcraft
• Further Research – Tarot, Astrology, Herbalism, etc.

So, while I’m going insane writing the course material, collecting resources, and figuring out the logistics of it all – I figured I’d blog what I have so far. Perhaps it will help me organize my thoughts, and in the meantime perhaps it will be of some interest to you!

Keep posted over the next few days for my notes on Class 1: An Introduction to Witchcraft

Enjoy and Blessings,

Corvinnia

Corvinnia Speaks – Our First Podcast!

We are SOOO excited! We’ve just uploaded the very first episode of our new Pagan podcast “Corvinnia Speaks”. You can download the first episode here, or subscribe by adding http://www.ravenswell.com/cs/corvinniaspeaks.xml to your favorite feed aggregator (we like Google Reader). The homepage for the show is here.

You can also find us at Podcast Alley here, and we’d really appreciate it if you would vote for us there!

The first episode includes “9 Pitfalls for the Newly Pagan,” how to magically cleanse trouble areas in your home, and notes about an upcoming Support our Pagan Soldiers section at www.ravenswell.com.

We’re so excited! Please take a listen and send us your question, suggestions, and comments to corvinnia@ravenswell.com or to podcast@ravenswell.com.

Smudging Tips

Most people are familiar with smudging – that is, cleansing a room or object by wafting the smoke of an smoldering herb around it. This traditional purification method has been used in different cultures around the world for thousands of years.

While many herbs work well for cleansing, some are more commonly favored for smudging, especially white sage, sweetgrass, and lavender.

The process of smudging is pretty simple. You can find a quick How To Smudge article in the RavensWell learning section. Here are a few more tips that most people forget:

Don’t Forget to Smudge:

The corners of the room: Energy can get trapped in corners, bouncing back and forth between the walls. Get a step ladder if you need to and smudge all of those corners!

Reflective surfaces: Doorways to the spirit world, reflective surfaces include things like mirrors, windows, computer monitors, TV screens, picture frame glass, and glass tabletops. Smudge all reflective surfaces regularly. Some witches even cover up the mirrors and TV screens in their bedrooms when they sleep, as this is when they’re most vulnerable to these kinds of influences.

Electrical outlets: Often overlooked, electrical outlets are direct energy routes into your home! Smudge them well and consider buying plug covers for outlets not in use.

Smudge to cleanse, THEN PROTECT. Once you’ve gotten rid of bad vibes and lingering spirits, do something to keep them from coming back! Sprinkle blessed salt across all your homes thresholds (doors and windows), burn protection incense and herbs, or bury a witches bottle near your front door. Whatever you do, every cleansing should be followed by some form of protection magic, or at least a home blessing.

You can find a good selection of quality smudge sticks at RavensWell’s Wiccan & Pagan Supplies here.

Agrimony – a Powerful Protection Herb

Description

Found throughout the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere this tall, beautiful plant boasts bright yellow flowers from June to September, depending on the area. A leafy base sends up multiple stalks, more than three feet tall, covered in blossoms that have a faint, apricot-like scent.

Used around the world for centuries or more for a variety of reasons, this plant has acquired many names. The tall stalks have resulted in the alias “Church Steeples”. It is also known as Cocklebur, Sticklewort, Garclive (Anglo-Saxon), and Xian He Cao (Chinese).

Agrimony grows in woodland clearings, fields and pastures, and along roadsides and fencelines. It needs a lot of sun, and is prone to mildew if it’s in a shady area. There are about 15 species of agrimony, all with the same general magickal and medicinal properties. Agrimony is widespread, throughout North America, Europe, and parts of Asia. The distribution of different types of agrimony in Canada and the United States can be seen at the USDA’s Plant Profile of Agrimony.

Renewal and Healing

In some rural areas a ”spring drink” is made from agrimony, a tea that cleanses and renews. You can include agrimony tea in cleansing or renewal spells by covering 1 – 2 teaspoons of the dried herb with 1 cup boiling water. Let it steep 10 to 15 minutes and sweeten with honey. Drink the brew as part of your ritual preparation or as part of the working itself.

Agrimony’s many medicinal uses (see below) has given it a reputation as being a magickal healing catalyst. It’s benefits extend beyond physical healing, it also aids in emotional and psychic healing as well. It amplifies healing magick and is used by magickal healers in many ways. You can anoint your hands with agrimony oil before aura cleansings, or burn dried agrimony during healing spells. It’s especially suited for healing problems that distrupt sleep.

Sleep

An Old English manuscript includes an entry about agrimony (garclive):

If garclive be leyd under mann’s heed,
He shal sleepyn as he were deed;
He shal never drede ne wakyn
Til fro under his heed it be takyn.

Place a sachet or dream pillow containing agrimony under a pillow to induce a deep, dreamless sleep. Add mugwort to the mix to promote a trancelike sleep for prophetic dreaming.

Protection

Perhaps agrimony’s protective power is what make it so useful for sleep and healing. It banishes, thus protecting from, negative energy and spirits. In the Medieval period it was carried as a way to detect black magick and harmful witches.

Agrimony is a potent barrier against psychic attacks, hexes, and harmful magick. Empaths and people sensitive to emotional environments are encourage to use agrimony. Those who feel they are under psychic or magickal attack can wear an amulet of agrimony and a red jasper stone as a spiritual shield. You can protect your home from nightmares, ill will, and mischievous spirits with agrimony. Soak Add the herb to a “witch’s jar” and bury it near your front door to protect your home. Take a glass jar (a jam jar works well) and fill it with sharp objects, such as tacks, nails, razor blades, and screws. Add a generous pinch of agrimony, seal the jar, and bury it near your home’s most commonly used entrance. To also protect your physical self and property, add equal amounts of fennel, hyssop, and caraway. Or you can sprinkle your threshholds with agrimony vinegar. Just soak half a small bowl of agrimony (about 1 oz) in white vinegar, cover, and let sit for two to three days. Press and strain the agrimony out and use the resulting liquid. Sprinkle it on and around all the entryways of your home – windows, doorways, chimneys, etc. Don’t forget to place a dab near reflective surfaces like mirrors, monitors, and electrical outlets. I say near instead of on since you don’t want to ruin your TV, and you certainly don’t want to get electrocuted! Just make sure some of that concentrated agrimony is close by these weak points.

A Kitchen Witch’s Cold Cures

‘Tis the season for the sniffles! Even if you’re the picture of perfect health, an occasional cold is inevitable. While there is no cure for the common cold, there are a few items from your kitchen that can help. Here are a brew and a spell that are sure to beat back those cold bugs in a jiffy:

Immune System Booster
Caution: this mix tastes awful, but it’s not as bad as the icky chemical taste of NyQuil or Robitussin!

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried ginger
• 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 2 Tablespoons water

Whisk these ingredients together in a non-metal bowl. Take 2-3 teaspoons at room temperature, three to four times a day, starting at the first sign of a cold (usually a sore throat and a sneezing). No need to refrigerate this remedy, but keep the remainder  in a sealed container.

Cold Be Gone Spell
This spell can be performed at the beginning of a cold, or when it’s well under way.

You’ll need the following:

• A length of green cord or string, long enough to wrap loosely around your ankle or wrist three times
• Eucalyptus, peppermint, or tea tree oil (or all three)
• A green or white candle (or both)

Sit facing north, and ground and center yourself. Meditate on your healing intention and focus your will.When you feel you’re ready to begin, light the candle(s). Lay the string out in front of you. Tie a knot in the string and place a drop of oil on the knot, saying “Cold be gone, body be strong.” Do this two more times so you have three knots total, each time repeating the phrase “Cold be gone, body be strong.” Wrap the string around your ankle or wrist three times, and securely tie it, saying “So Mote it Be.” Extinguish the candles and get some rest.

After twenty-four hours, light the candle(s) again. Place your hand upon the string and say, “My cold into this string will go. My body’s health will grow and grow.” Focus your will on transferring the illness from your body into the string, then cut the first round of the string. Repeat the process two more times, saying the phrase and cutting the other two strings each time. Once the string is removed from your body, dispose of the pieces by burning, or flushing them down the toilet. As you destroy the string say, “It is done.” Extinguish the candle(s) and you should start feeling better that very day!

Celtic tree month of Ash, Nion, begins

Today marks the first day of the Celtic tree month of Ash, called Nion, which will last until March 17. The ash is associated with water, and all that water energy encompasses – intuition, magick, compassion, nurturing, and the potential for life. In Celtic myth, the Ash is sacred to Lir, the God of the Sea. To the Greeks, the Ash was sacred to Poseidon.

Ash tree wood has been used for crafting boats and oars for millennia, as the wood is strong, resilient, and essentially waterproof. Ash trees grow very quickly, and their wood is used in a variety of ways – making bows, furniture, wood handles, looms, and more. The wood of ash trees was a highly prized commodity in ancient times.

The ash has a long history of magical uses. The legendary Welsh magician, Gwydion, preferred ash wood for his wand. An ash wand was uncovered during archaeological excavations of the sacred isle of Anglesey, dating from the 1st century CE. The World Tree in Norse myth, Yggdrasil, was an ash tree.

Early Irish texts mention five sacred trees that marked the boundaries of early Irish Celtic kingdoms. Three of these trees were ash trees, and the other two were yew. The conquering of Irish Paganism by Christianity was symbolized by the cutting down of these sacred trees. The descendent of one of these trees, the Sacred Tree of Creevna, is said to have stood at Killura until the 19th century. Irish emigrants took a piece of this tree’s bark with them, as a protection charm against drowning.

The Ash tree has highly potent magickal energy, and the month associated with it does as well. To the ancient Celts all life and knowledge springs from sacred waters. As such, water and the tree related to it, embody raw potential. This next month is the time to find that potential, nurture possibilities, and tap into your core magickal abilities.

Want your own ash wand? Check out all of the wands available at RavensWell Wiccan Supplies.

Obama’s Void of Course Inauguration

I don’t want Bush’s presidency prolonged by one minute – I want it prolonged by 29 minutes. I know that sounds like hoping your principal launches into a half-hour speech one minute before the bell rings. But I have my reasons.

Barack Obama is scheduled to be sworn in as America’s 44th president at exactly 12:00 pm EST. High noon in DC. My problem? The moon will be void of course (VOC) until 12:29 pm EST, when it will enter Sagittarius.

Obama’s inauguration will herald in a new era. Whether you support him or not, we all agree that things need to improve, drastically, both here in the US and the world at large. Nobody wants a mediocre, blah first term for Obama. And that’s exactly what a VOC moon threatens.

Moons that are VOC are not associated with an astrological sign. The moon is drifting in the sky, between constellations, and has no real focus. It’s not a BAD thing – unfocused lunar energy doesn’t cause disasters or plagues. It’s just not the best time to start things. Projects and jobs begun during a void of course moon have a tendency to fizzle out, never see completion, or be marked by mediocrity.

If we can just hold on for one half hour – get Aretha Franklin to really stretch those high notes, give Senator Feinstein a case of rambling Biden-itis during her opening remarks – we’re in for a world of good. The moon will enter Sagittarius, and there’s no other sign that could better charge this presidency.

A moon in Sagittarius favors optimism, justice, and foreign relationships. Our depressed economy could use a few hopeful shoppers, and some Sagittarian energy could patch up our bedraggled foreign policy. Sagittarians are known for “fighting the good fight.” Acts of injustice or cruelty send them into a fit. A world of war, genocide, and the loss of civil liberties on a global scale, could use an injection of Sagittarian justice.

As a man of global heritage, versed in constitutional law, and a promising symbol of optimistic change, Obama doesn’t really need a whole lot of help from a Sagittarius moon. But for the price of just 29 minutes, it sure couldn’t hurt.

Holy Stars! Mercury’s Going Backwards!

On January 11, Mercury went retrograde, and will stay that way until February 1st (just in time for Imbolc). For many, this kicks off a panic. Emails lost in cyberland, flights delayed or canceled, lost luggage, and gross misunderstandings. The words just don’t seem to come out right. Everything that Mercury controls – communication, messages, travel – will seem to just stop working properly. Have no fear! First of all, this happen three or four times a year, and we always seem to make it through. Things can seem to go a little wonky during Mercury retrograde, but the world isn’t going to stop spinning, and the Sun will still rise in the east tomorrow morning. I promise. In fact, there is a positive side to Mercury retrograde.

How do you turn this normally negative event into a positive one? It might be a bad time to start new projects or take a trip, but it’s perfect for reflection and catching up. Tie up loose ends and clear space for new things that will begin once the planet goes direct again. Before you, and Mercury, move forward again, take some time to make sure you’re ready for the journey forward. Think of it as a “time-out.” Look to the past to see what you may have missed. Do you have any dreams or hopes that got lost in the shuffle of life? Bring those to light again and contemplate pursuing them in the future. Peruse your old journals, and reflect upon where you’ve come from.

So just what is “Mercury retrograde”? Three or four times a year the planet Mercury appears to move backwards. Instead of moving from the east to the west through the course of a night, it looks like its moving from west to east instead. This happens as Earth passes by it in our orbit around the Sun. Planets move at different speeds, and when we pass Mercury, compared to the stars in the background, this little planet seems to move backwards through the sky. Image you’re running through a park, and there’s someone else running ahead of you. You both seem to be moving in the same direction, right? Now picture yourself passing that person. To a third observer, the person you passed will appear to be moving in the opposite direction as you, compared to the trees and playground in the background. That’s what happens to Mercury.

When we pass a planet, we’re essentially creating an alignment. Earth, Sun, and the other planet line up with each other. This happens with every planet at regular intervals. How frequently it happens depends on the size and speed of the planets’ orbits. The energies of each retrograde correspond to the sign the planet is in during its retrograde period. This Mercury retrograde began with Mercury in Aquarius, but will move into Capricorn on January 21st. Curious about what that means, and how it will affect you? You’ll have to stay tuned – a future post will address just this. I also plan to include a reflection spell to help you make the most of it!

Full Moon in Cancer – For an Hour

The first full moon of the New Year is a good one – a Cancer moon. The moon is very happy in this position; it is exalted in Cancer, as this sign is ruled by the moon. The emotionality and sensitivity of Cancer is a natural fit for the moon’s watery flexibility. The best spells for this full moon are those that look to heighten compassion, understanding, and intuition.

It’s coming up on Saturday, January 10th, at 10:27 pm EST (that’s 7:27 pm PST), BUT it won’t last long. The moon goes void of course, just an hour later. A void of course moon happens when the moon isn’t aligned with any other planetary body – it’s not “aspected”. This makes it kind of wishy-washy and muddles its influence. It’s inconsistent. For this reason it’s a bad time for important events. It’s not all bad though, it’s a great time for relaxing, catching up on your laundry, spending some “down” time.

What you Shouldn’t Do:

During a void-of-course moon you shouldn’t make any big decisions, or do anything that looks for a specific, desired outcome. For goodness sake, don’t perform any spells. It just simply won’t pan out, and you’ll have essentially wasted your time and energies (not to mention your magick supplies).

What you Should Do:

There are two things you should do during this next full moon:

1)    Make the most of what you do have. The exact moment of the Cancer full moon is 10:27 pm EST, and will remain there for an hour. Use this hour to use the powerful Cancer / Full Moon combination for spells that increase your intuition, for divination, and for spiritual growth.

2)    Once the moon goes void of course, and you’ve completed your work with the Cancer moon – relax! Void of course moons go hand in hand with relaxation and introspection. People tend to feel “ungrounded” at this time, so try some meditation and open up that third eye!