Element Of Environmental Stewardship

My father is an insulin dependent diabetic who faithfully checks his blood glucose regularly. The little bottles containing the diagnostic test strips make perfect storage vessels for loose herbs, small oil blends and other small witchy supplies. My father gives me his empty test strip bottles for my incense work.

The bottles are well made (One Touch Ultra), smooth black on the outside, smooth white on the inside, and each has a tightly sealing attached snap cap. Soak off the label, and they are perfect witchy little bottles! Best of all, the act of recycling (by both my father and myself) introduces another positive element (balanced environmental stewardship) into my magic.

This is very good.

Beltane Solitary Sabbat Of Integration

Beltane is one of the Greater Sabbats (also known as Fire Festivals) of witchcraft observed beginning April 30th and continuing through May 1st, marking the midpoint between the spring equinox and summer solstice in the Celtic witch's wheel of the year.

Beltane Candle Dressing Oil

1 tbsp jajoba (carrier)
1 gtt lilac (protection)
1 gtt lavender (protection, purification, peace, happiness)
1 gtt vanilla musk (mental powers, love, grounding)
1 gtt jasmine/sweet pea (love, prosperity, prophetic dreams, friendship)
1 gtt cinnamon bark (success, healing, protection, love, raise vibrations)
1 gtt sandalwood (protection, healing, fruition of intention)
1 gtt frankincense (protection, raises vibrations)
1 gtt myrrh (protection, healing, raises vibrations)
1 gtt benzoin (purification, prosperity)

Candles

yellow votive (clarity, joy)
10 inch white formal (focus, culmination)
brown citrus bergamot votive (grounding, stability, success)
bonfire* braided 3-wick havdalah candle (integration)

Incenses

sandalwood/sage/peppermint (protection, wisdom, fruition of intention)
daffodil (love, fertility, mazal tov)
saffron/ginger (love, healing, happiness, wind raising, nevuah, success)

Altar Gemstones

clear quartz crystal (transduces/amplifies/focuses/activates energy & intention)
blue sapphire (entire sefirotic array)
green chrysoprase (transformation, healing, abundance)

Food/Wine

custard or yogurt sprinkled with flaxseed
kosher red wine

Ribbon Colors (3 sets of 3, ט)

green (growth, prosperity)
red (love, energy, strength)
orange (attract positive gain)

brown (earthy stability, grounding, success)
blue (tranquility, peace)
pink (love, friendship, harmony)

yellow (clarity, joy)
purple (spirituality and nevuah)
white (focused clarity)

Beltane Ribbon Ritual (described here)

[This is a] ritual binding of life and the beauties of life to the Earth plane/the self.

[You'll need] some lengths of ribbon to braid during the Magick making portion of your ritual. The idea here is that you (your body) symbolically becomes the shamanistic tree -- that you see yourself as the shaman on the tree (in your body), able to bring forth a variety of things from the Otherworld into manifestation here on Earth.

Each ribbon will represent one aspect of your life that you'd like to bind closer to you (while realizing the constraints that doing so might imply). Choose the ribbon colors accordingly.

For example, if you want to bring financial security into your life and bind it to you, have a green ribbon on your altar. (Or perhaps you find silver or gold might work better for you here.) If you'd like your life to be constantly surrounded by love, add a pink (or red) ribbon to the array on your altar. If you'd like peace of mind/emotional stability to be a constant in your life, add a light blue ribbon to the mix, etc.

I'd recommend each ribbon be as long as you are tall. Symbolically then, each ribbon represents your physical self. Be sure your altar set-up includes a symbol/tool associated with each of the four elements.

Now light your candles and incense and create your sacred space in your usual manner. Invoke Whom you feel is appropriate. Ask [the Divine] to join you in your dance of life. Include movement in your invocation if you like.

You'll now need to bless each ribbon by the four elements. Take your time in doing this. Pass each one through the incense smoke (Air), over a candle flame (Fire), sprinkle each with water (Water), and pass each through a bowl of sea salt (Earth). Or, think of the smoking censer as representing Air and Fire. Put some sea salt in your water vessel, stir, and think of it as representing Water and Earth.

Then just pass each ribbon through the smoke and sprinkle it with the water mixture, thereby blessing each by all four elements.

However you decide to do it, take some time to think about just exactly what it is each ribbon represents to you. What it is you'd like to bind to you/bring to the fullness of life within your life? What benefits will accrue to you in so doing? What is the down side in each case, and how will you handle it?

Now gather all ribbons together and tie a knot at the top to hold them together. Meditate on bringing all these things forth in your life and on how they will interact with each other to turn your life into a beautiful braid of happiness and well-being. Remember to envision yourself enmeshed in this braiding as it progresses. When you near the end, tie it off in similar fashion to your beginning knot.

End the Magick by blessing the finished braid with your body. After all, your body symbolically lies at the heart of the braid. Breathe on it (Air). Gather it to your heart (Fire). Spit on it or lick it (Water). Coil it up and stand with it under your foot for a few moments (Earth). Now call the blessing of the Goddess into it.

Wear your braid now, or carry it on your person for the rest of the day and/or night. [Afterwards, ] keep the braid in some secret and safe place away from the prying eyes and possible ill wishes of others. Or, if you're not worried about that, keep it on your altar for the coming seasons of growth and harvest.

*A community bonfire is characteristic of both Beltane and Lag B'Omer; while Beltane is set according to the civil calendar at April 30-May 1 in the northern hemisphere, Lag B'Omer varies as to its civil date independent of one's location on earth.

Beltane Fire Festival

Articles and information on Beltane.

Beltane -- Holiday Details & History
Beltane -- Celebrating The Seasons
Beltane Bonfires & Nettle Soup
Beltane, Introduction
Beltane Rituals
Solitary Sabbat - Beltane
Beltane Correspondences At True Witch
Beltane Correspondences
Beltane Correspondences, Crafts, Incense & Oil
Beltane Ribbon Ritual
Beltane Potpourri
Beltane Recipes
Beltane At Allain's BOS
Beltane At Earthwitchery
Beltane Fire Festival
Beltane At Wiki
Beltane At Technorati

Segulah For Parnassa

Basic segulah format for parnassa shabbat ritual.

Preparations were made during the planetary hour of Saturn, under the double influence of the letter reish (friday and saturn), with the waxing gibbous moon 83% [1] full, on day 24 of the omer (gevurah of netzach - Gra, or tiferet of netzach - Ari).

oil for dressing candles:

3 droppersfull of jajoba oil
2-3 drops benzoin
2-3 drops cinnamon bark oil
1 drop frankincense
small pinch of ginger

candles: inscribe all w/ פרנסה כל טובה לי

4 inch beeswax
12 inch blue-green taper
green votive
citrus bergamot votive

other candle preparations:

votives and altar tea candles sprinkled with nutmeg
green votive sprinkled additionally with basil

incenses (in order of burning):

sandalwood/sage/peppermint stick
patchouly cone
cinnamon/vanilla/ginger stick
nutmeg stick

shabbat candlelighting during planetary hour of Jupiter, under the influence of the letter tav

Footnote:

[1] 83 is the gematria of the word ומלאו meaning "and shall be filled"

The Heyuli Within Herbs & Other Magical Aids

כ"ט בניסן תשס"ז

Phyllis Curott (Witchcrafting) writes:

While an herb, potion, oil, or crystal has inherent power, it does not contain the magic you are seeking. It contains the potential for the magic. In other words, it's not the magical or quantum energy of the herb called damiana that will make your love spell work. The herb itself has no power to affect the outcome of your love life until you interact with it. It is your intent, your desire, and most of all, your appreciation and respect for the assistance given you by the herb or other aid, your reverence for it as an embodiment of diety, and your actions that activate its power.

From this, we can understand that the potential magic within herbs or other magical aids is not like the potential for fire which exists in a coal. Rather, the potential for magic within the witch's aids is more like the potential for fire which exists in a flint. The witch must activate and draw out the magic through her own intent, desire and action. The magic is not drawn out by the merely burning incense, for example. The magical potential in magical aids is a heyuli potential - and this heyuli is drawn out and extends into reality in response to the witch's interaction with the magical aid.

Witch's Bath Sachet

כ"ז בניסן תשס"ז

Add together into your mortar or mixing bowl, and with your fingers mingle the following herbs/oils, pouring your specific kavanah into them as you mix:

4 parts rosemary
4 parts ginger
2 parts cinnamon
1 part flax seeds
1 part mugwort
dash chili pepper
2 drops hyssop
2 drops lavender
1 drop frankincense
1 drop myrrh

When thoroughly mixed, place mixture in the center of a cheesecloth (or washcloth) and tie up the ends with natural thread or yarn. Place sachet in tub of warm water and let steep until water is scented.

As the water steeps, light an appropriate bath candle and incense. When the bath is ready, place yourself into it. Invite the essential energies of the herbs and oils into yourself to cleanse you and to augment your abilities to rouse, direct and release mystical power aligned with the Will of your Divine Soul. Meditate on your ritual intention as you soak.

Note: May adjust number of drops according to the dry measure you use.

Kabbalistic Meditation For Alignment

כ"ו בניסן תשס"ז

Kabbalah teaches that each human soul is actually composed of five levels - nefesh (animated soul), ruach (wind), neshamah (breath), chayah (living) and yechidah (single one). The nefesh itself is composed of two levels - nefesh elokit (malchut of the overall soul, the divine spark) and nefesh habehamit (physical body). Thus, we will be working with six basic levels of the soul.

Generally, it is believed that the souls typically have conflicting goals, resulting in functional misalignment. Here is a daily meditation designed to bring one's souls back into alignment and unity. The meditation is merely an outline which can be uniquely tailored to one's spiritual practice.

1. Light a small candle and a stick of incense (optional step).

2. In a quiet place, sit and align your physical frame in a proper but relaxed posture.

3. Breathe, letting your back muscles and torso move with each breath.

4. Lightly touch the roof of your mouth with the tip of your tongue, breathing (through the deep back of your throat) in and out through your nose until a regular relaxed rhythm is achieved. Sway or rock if you feel so inclined.

5. Begin counted breaths. Count to 6 as you inhale slowly and evenly.

6. Pause to the count of 6.

7. Exhale slowly and evenly to the count of 6.

8. Pause to the count of 6, closing your eyes.

9. Take a breath with the sets of 6 for the physical body (nefesh habehamit). As you inhale, envision breathing in pure blue-white sparkling light drawn from the Dark Pool of the Divine Essence formed into the STa"M letter yod (י). The tag and the kotz anchor you from one end (of the Divine) to the other (the physical). As you exhale, envision breathing out the letter hei (ה), filling your body with the blue-white sparkling light. See the inside of your physical body dance with this living light, mingling with your blood, tissues and organs. See the ends of your hair and fingertips gently spark. Feel it cleansing your body.

10. Take a breath with the sets of 6 for the divine spark (nefesh elokit) which permeates and hovers your physical body. As above, inhale the letter yod and exhale the letter hei, filling the nefesh elokit with pure sparkling blue-white light drawn from the Dark Pool through the nefesh habehamit. See the sparkling blue-white light pour out from within through the flesh of your skin and into full expanse of the nefesh elokit which surrounds your physical body. See the unity of the nefashot in the living light. See it quietly pulsate with life. Feel it cleansing your lifeforce.

11. Take a breath with the sets of 6 for the ruach which surrounds the nefashot like an egg. As above, inhale the letter yod and exhale the letter hei, filling the egg of the ruach with the sparkling blue-white light drawn from the Dark Pool through both the nefesh habehamit and the nefesh elokit. See the ruach shine with diamonds of brilliant blue-white light at the edges casting soft rays toward your core. Feel it annihilate all negative emotions and psychological complexes as the rays run and return from edges to core, core to edges.

12. Take a breath with the sets of 6 for the neshamah, which concentrates like a haloed sphere around and over your head like a crown, where the crown extends beyond the boundary of the ruach. Inhale the letter yod and exhale the letter hei - as you exhale, see the sparkling blue-white light rush up the spine from the center of your core into your head, pouring sprinkling bursts of living light out your nose, ears, eyes, third eye and top of your head into the crown which represents your neshamah. Simultaneously, see the living light course through your physical nervous system into your skin receptors and into the "places" of the nefesh elokit and ruach. See sparks drop like waters of truth from the tips of the crown into the ruach, nefesh elokit and physical body (nefesh habehamit). See untruth dissolve away within your mind, replaced by the pure Light of Truth.

13. Take a breath with the sets of 6 for the chayah. Inhale the letter yod, exhale the letter hei. See the sparkling blue-white light burst out from within your core, penetrating all previous soul levels in a dazzling display of radiant light surrounding your entire being for several yards. Don't envision it - see it by knowing it. Feel its presence. Be still. See nothing. Experience Pure Enlivened Consciousness.

14. Take a breath with the sets of 6 for the yechidah. Inhale the letter yod, exhale the letter hei. See a dazzling lazer-like line shoot out from your core in both directions, head to toe and beyond into the Dark Pool at both ends. Feel grounded in it. Feel the Dark Peace resting in the heart of the dazzling lazer line of Divine Light. See Divine Sparks shower down over you with soft warmth, and rise from the ground to kiss your lips as the Dark Heart of Peace beats in rhythm with your own heart. Experience the Healing Power. Feel it healing you.

At this point, we are breathing with the lifeforce of YH YHYH (יה יהיה) through both immanent and transcendent soul levels in unity.

15. Repeat steps 9-14 four more times, such that the exercise has been completed five times - once for each Universe - kadmon, atzilut, beriyah, yetzirah and assiyah.

16. Begin breathing normally.

17. After a few cycles of normal breathing, open your eyes and remove your tongue from the roof of your mouth.

18. Stretch, stand up, let candle and incense burn out.

Creating Keys For Remembrance

כ"ו בניסן תשס"ז

Excerpt from T. Thorn Coyle's Evolutionary Witchcraft:

There are other practices you can do throughout the day to remind yourself to ground, center and bring yourself fully into the moment at hand. My favorite is to create "keys" for myself. These keys are attention tricks that remind me of my spiritual life and my reasons for attempting to work on my self. My most effective key is to pause and really notice every time I am about to put my hand on a doorknob. I will take a breath, look at the knob, feel my body, and let a calm space open up inside as I reach for and turn the knob. This can be done in about five seconds. Another key I use is to notice my butt and thighs in the chair as I am sitting at my computer. This reminds me to stay in my body, anchored to my breath, and not let my mind spin off in disconnected fantasies that eat my energy.

You can key your reminders to turning on the lights or opening the refrigerator or drinking a glass of water. A key should be something simple, yet something you do often enough that it will serve you well as reminding factor. You are connected. You are not just living in a world created inside your head, but in a breathing, living, functioning universe. This exercise is not only a way to remind yourself of your spiritual practice, but a way to notice that you have a place in the larger world.

Amplifying Divine Shabbat Consciousness

י"ט בניסן תשס"ז

Regarding preparation of the first batch of Feminine Clarity, in the entry I later noted:

The vessel chosen to store this blend had also changed from the original plan. It is being stored in a ruby crystal bottle with a clear crystal stopper. Why?

Michael Braunstein writes regarding crystals:

What time is it? Look at your watch. Chances are, you just looked at a wristwatch that uses a quartz crystal to accurately clock the electrical flow of energy from the watch battery. Put on a CD. Listen to a favorite tune. You just activated a sound system that uses a laser to read tiny pits and flat spots on a plastic-coated metal disc. That laser uses a ruby crystal (that's why it's red) to amplify and organize the light energy that reflects off of those CDs. Did you drive to work today? The ignition system of your car likely uses a small silicon crystal chip to regulate the firing of the spark plugs of the engine. Listen to Otis XII? Your car radio uses a transistor made from silicon to amplify the sound. And your home or work computer? Intel Inside™? You bet. And what's it made from? A computer chip is a chip allright; a chip of silicon quartz crystal. Why do you think they call it Silicon Valley?

The point is, you are using crystals everyday and all day long. These crystals, in the form of computer chips, transistors, clocking devices, liquid crystal displays, etc., are all doing some basic things with energy. They are maintaining, changing, manipulating the characteristics of energy to perform tasks. They store, amplify, correct and control energy waves. Not so mysteriously either. It is, as it turns out, a natural property of crystals to be able to do that.

Plain and simple! If your laptop can store information on silicon quartz crystal reworked by Intel, then what makes you think it's impossible that a quartz crystal pendant might store the energy of a conflict at the gas station earlier in the day? Or an argument with your mom. Or a loving moment of romance with your girlfriend? Energy is energy; crystals is crystals.

Crystal transistors can amplify Eddie Van Halen's guitar to 140 decibels of pure grunge, (through the PA system -- not his amp -- which is a Marshall and uses tubes, not transistors -- a whole other column.) Then don't you think an amethyst crystal properly used can amplify the healing energy of your body?

Or the Divine Shabbat consciousnes focused into my blend called Feminine Clarity?

Divine Shabbat Consciousness In A Bottle

י"ח בניסן תשס"ז

I prepared the first trial batch of Feminine Clarity ritual purification oil tonight under the planetary influence of Saturn and a waning gibbous moon 90% full.

The modified recipe is as follows:

30 mls (1 oz. or 1/8 cup) jojoba oil
3 drops myrrh
2 drops frankincense
2 drops spikenard
5 drops cinnamon bark
1 drop hyssop
1 drop benzoin
1 drop vanilla

Fifteen (יה) total drops of essential oil were used to make Feminine Clarity, where fifteen represents the concealed upper half of the Divine Name (the tetragrammaton). Fifteen has a digit sum of 6 (ו) and is brought down through gathering together the supplies and tools for making the blend into a focused location (my workspace) in time (tonight). The act of actually making the blend further brings down feminine clarity into reality and forms the final hei (ה) of the tetragrammaton.

The five drops of cinnamon bark oil were quite by accident (the original intent was to use one drop) but I let the "accident" remain unaltered instead of adding other ingredients to make original proportions. Cinnamon powerfully raises spiritual vibrations, and given that this week is Pesach, the additional drops were likely an "accident" orchestrated by the Universe to raise spiritual vibrations by an expressive factor of five (hei, ה). There are five total "redemptions" in this blend. Consequently, this "accident" of clumsiness was no accident.

The waning gibbous banishes negativity and impurity through the channel of the letter tzadi (90 צ), where tzadi contains the power to actualize potential and to draw down divinity into the world.

Saturn governs Shabbat and is represented by the letter reish (ר). Reish represents clarification and drawing shabbat consciousness into the weekday.

Thus, the first batch of Feminine Clarity is characterized by rectified expressiveness (five, hei), clarity-clarification (reish), shabbat consciousness drawn down into normative awareness (reish) and complete redemption.

Note: All oils used, excluding the carrier (jajoba), are essential oils. Storage vessel changed to red crystal bottle with clear crystal stopper. The magickal properties of red include survival, transformation and life renewal.

New Addition To My Bookshelf

The Black Goddess And The Unseen Real, Peter Redgrove

"The forces of weather affect us profoundly. This is not so much esoteric as unknown knowledge. Our electrical body is influenced by magnetic resonances in earth and sky. Clouds, which exert such a visual impact, are also movers of unseen forces or "invisibles" which affect body and mind. As writer Peter Redgrove points out in The Black Goddess and the Unseen Real, his study of the non-visual senses, we move through our days ignorant of such resonances; we have been divorced from the timbre of weather's cycles and the intuitions they contain." review from here

Making Hand-Dipped Beeswax Candles

General instructions for making hand-dipped beeswax candles.

by D. Sammataro, Making Candles With Beeswax

The Wick

When selecting wicking, make sure you purchase wicks for beeswax candles, not paraffin candles. Usually a square wick works best. In general, double the thickness of wick used for paraffin candles, but experiment or buy your wicking from bee supply stores. Make a test candle before preparing a larger batch. If your candles smoke, drip or form cauliflowers, change the wick.

Wicks for dipped, poured or rolled candles must be pre-waxed. Make a loop in the wicking and immerse it in 160 F (70C) beeswax until the air bubbles cease to rise. Hang the wicks by the loop until dry.

Dipped Candles

This is a very old way of making beeswax candles. You will need a tall, narrow double boiler of wax, heated at 140 F (60C). You can purchase special candle dipping containers at candle supply or beekeeping supply stores. The pre-waxed wick is dipped into this wax, pulled out, then allowed to cool. Each dipping leaves a thin layer of wax on the wick. If you are doing this in large numbers, there are wicking jigs you can purchase that makes 10 or more candles at a time. Dip, walk around the room, and dip again.

Occasionally, you may need to roll the warm candles on a glass or formica counter to straighten them. Keep the base trimmed so the entire candle can be immersed, and keep filling the can with hot wax. When finished, trim the base flat with a knife. You can make several dozen dipped candles in relays, so you will never have to wait for one candle to dry.

Tips

Heat the wax to no more than 185F (85C). Start at 140 F (60C) and work your way up; the hotter temperatures will discolor the wax.

Slow cooling is best for beeswax, as it will not crack or distort as with rapid cooling.

Allow candles to air dry for 24 hours then wrap each candle in tissue to keep it safe.

Don't worry about the whitish "bloom" that will eventually coat the wax . This is a natural part of all waxes, (including chocolate) and is easily removed with a cloth.

Witch's Brew - "Goblet Of Peace"

ה' בניסן תשס"ז

The following incense recipe brings together into the world of action a link to the supernal Goblet Of Fire (Eliyahu's Cup) as discussed in a previous post on my other blog, Walking On Fire.

The Goblet of Fire corresponds to the "place" on the Tree of Life where Keter of Beriyah (water) and Tiferet of Atzilut (fire) are One. In other words, in Keter of Beriyah (which is Tiferet of Atzilut) peace is made between fire and water. Thus, the goblet of fire is exactly this place where peace is made in the heavens [1]. Importantly, we can also understand from this information that the Goblet of Fire is also the Goblet of Peace.

גבעי = 85 = 8 + 5 = 13 = "my goblet"

Brew ingredients by gender and elemental correspondences:

Masculine & Feminine Ingredient (1):

2 parts benzoin (m & f)* - air (avir)

Feminine Ingredients (4)

1 part vanilla (f) - water
1 part white sandalwood (f) - water
1 part myrrh (f) - water
1 part barley (f) - earth

Masculine Ingredients (4):

1 part pomegranate juice (m) - fire
1 part cinnamon (m) - fire
1 part nutmeg (m) - fire
1 part mugwort (m) - earth

Essential Oils (4):

1 drop hyssop - fire (m)
1 drop spikenard - water (f)
1 drop myrrh - water (f)
1 cinnamon bark - fire (m)

In this blend there are 9 (a vessel for peace ט) primary ingredients and 4 (Malchut ד) essential oils, for a total of 13 ingredients.

Benzoin is the ingredient where both fire (atzilut, feminine pillar) and water (beriyah, masculine pillar) combine in peace, resulting in elemental "air" (yetzirah and avir kadmon, the middle pillar as above, so below). The entire formula, written out and performed through actually making the incense is the "earth" (assiyah) where One Peacefully Dwells. Just like in the conclusion of the Amida.

Footnotes:

[1] He who makes peace in His heavens, may He make peace for us and for all Israel; and say, Amen. (Oseh Shalom, Conclusion of the Amida)

* Benzoin is a "masculine botanical" by virtue of its hexagonal aromatic ring and is a "feminine botanical" by virtue of its vanilla-like scent, where the hexagonal aromatic ring corresponds to the masculine partzuf zer anpin and where vanilla is etymologically derived from a Latin word meaning "vagina".

Witch's Brew - "Feminine Clarity"

ד' בניסן תשס"ז

I've revised the rituals and substances I will use for the ritual bath and other purification procedures prior to shabbat and performing spellwork.

First, for the general cleansing bath or shower, dedicated handmade lavender soap will be used to cleanse and purify the body in accordance with the general purifying properties of lavender.

Second, while I will still use the salt water preparation (prepared with salt crystals from the Dead Sea) to "cleanse" the ritual space, the ritual bath for the body will not be performed with this water. Instead, a ritually prepared and dedicated purification oil based upon a biblical purification recipe will be used. My recipe uses essential oils blended into a jajoba [1] carrier oil, and is as follows:

15 mls (1/2 oz. or 1/16 cup) jojoba oil
3 drops myrrh
2 drops frankincense
2 drops spikenard
1 drop cinnamon bark
1 drop hyssop
1 drop benzoin
1 drop vanilla

My recipe uses vanilla and benzoin (vanilla-like) instead of calamus. Calamus represents masculinity, while vanilla represents femininity (as does vanilla-like benzoin, with a benjaminic aromatic chemical group). Thus, my blend Feminine Clarity uses vanilla and benzoin in contradistinction to the biblical blend which uses calamus.

After preparation, Feminine Clarity will be stored in the witch's bottle shown above.

Footnote:

[1] Jajoba oil is more like a liquid form of wax with an indefinite shelf life, and thus won't turn rancid as can olive oil (which has a non-refrigerated shelf life of approximately one year).

My Chalice, The Silver Goblet

ואת-גביעי גביע הכסף ... Bereshit 44:2

The phrase "and put my chalice, the silver goblet" (in Hebrew above) has a total gematria of 752, the same gematria as the Hebrew word for the phase "in the cleft" (בנקרת) in Shemot 33:22.

Shemot 33:22 - And it shall come to pass, while My glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with My hand until I have passed by.

Chalice (goblet) is derived from the shoresh גבע, meaning to "elevate".

Witch's Brew - "Satisfaction" II

ג' בניסן תשס"ז

I've amended the recipe for my witch's brew Satisfaction. This afternoon I tested the blend on my "fresh" nose and then decided to add two additional parts of myrrh. Following addition of the new myrrh, my "fresh" nose was again "satisfied" with the result.

The two additional parts of myrrh were added under the influence of a waxing crescent moon, 12% full, during the planetary hour of Venus (favor, fruitfulness, love).

This evening, I tested the scent on an impartial person, who really liked the smell.

So, the waxing moon base recipe for Satisfaction now stands as:

3 parts myrrh (commiphora myrrha)
1 part frankincense (olibanum)
1 part dragon's blood (daemonorops draco)
1 part benzoin (styrax benzoin)
1 patchouli cone (powdered)
1 sandalwood cone (powdered)
32 parts mugwort (the witch's herb, artemisia vulgaris)

Note: original post amended to reflect this change from 1 to 3 parts myrrh.

Witch's Brew - "Satisfaction"

ב' בניסן תשס"ז

My newest witch's brew incense recipe is called "Satisfaction". I blended ingredients until my nose was "satisfied". It's a loose blend for burning on charcoal or bamboo. The "parts" I used are small: 1/4 tsp. increments.

3 parts myrrh
1 part frankincense
1 part dragon's blood
1 part benzoin
1 patchouli cone (powdered)
1 sandalwood cone (powdered)
32 parts mugwort (the witch's herb)

Tonight's first batch was prepared during the planetary hour of Mercury, with the waxing crescent moon 7% full. Mercury influences wisdom, skill, writing and language. The waxing moon brings increasing creative energy into the mix.

Pitom HaKetoret

Parchment with incense portion shown above sold here. Larger graphic here.

The incense offering portion - Pitom HaKetoret - of the Torah will be written in Hebrew with my own hand using my own blend of magickal ink onto parchment pages within my new Book of Shadows. It will be written (using the one above as a guide) preceding the introduction of incense recipes into the BOS.

The Zohar Shemot, Vayakhel Pg 218b

It is a ruling of the Holy One, blessed be He, that whoever looks and reads the incense-offering portion … will not be damaged that whole day.

Rabbi Shimon said: If men only knew how exalted the section dealing [with] the incense-offering was in the eyes of the Holy One, blessed be He, they would take each single word and make it an ornament for their heads, like a crown of gold. And whoever, wishes to study it should examine it in every detail. And if he concentrates upon it every day, he will have a share both in this world and the world to come. Pestilence will disappear from him and from the world, and he will be delivered from all the [evil] judgments of this world, from evil powers, from the judgment of Gehinnom and from Judgment of the alien kingdom.

New Additions To My Bookshelf

Evolutionary Witchraft, T. Thorn Coyle

"We need to connect, to find the sacred in our lives right now, rather than on some future day of transcendence and redemption. In a time of global and environmental crises, a religion that firmly connects us to the earth is not only appealing, but crucial. In Evolutionary Witchcraft (Tarcher - Penguin softcover/October 1, 2004), Coyle invites us to uncover the dignity of our souls, to connect with both the natural world and realms unseen to wholly embrace ourselves and see what emerges from that crucible of contradictions: strength, compassion, generosity, joy, darkness, and light. It calls us to our wild, magical core-the source to transform our selves and the world."

Wonder Of Witchcraft, Sage Weston

"The study and practice of witchcraft or 'wise-craft' goes back to the dawn of time. The wisewomen - and men - of days gone by understood the four elements that made up the world - those of earth, air, fire and water - and respected their powers. They learnt a little about the movement of the stars, the effects of solar and lunar tides, prompting tides of group thought - the impulse that ran through the mass subconscious. Sage Weston traces the origins of the Old Religion and its importance and relevance to life in today’s fast-moving, noisy, crowded society. The importance of finding one’s own quiet space is discussed, as are the seasonal and cosmic rhythms - the natural time and tides so vital to the modern witches and their ancestors alike. The uses of meditation and dreams, the Hidden Path, magical names, linking with the elements and linking witchcraft with everyday life - really living it - are all covered here."

Witchcrafting, Phyllis Curott

"Far from being just another mechanical spell book, Witch Crafting is the first book to offer readers not only the how-to of Witchcraft, but also the why-to, explaining the profound spiritual tenets behind Wiccan techniques. Filled with both traditional and innovative shamanic practices, Phyllis also provides an empowering new definition of magic and reexamines the ethics under which Witchcraft is practiced, offering a groundbreaking alternative to the Threefold Law."

My Book Of Shadows

א' בניסן תשס"ז

This is my custom made Book Of Shadows, except that the leather of my sefer is black. The leather is deeply and exquisitely wrinkled. The spine has five corded sashes with a pentacle set into the spine at the third cord. Brass appliques adorn the classic raised corners of the cover. The end papers are marbled black. The inner aged parchment pages are huge - 11 by 14 inches! The edges of the 500 pages are hand-burned, like the book has been plucked from a fire. This book is a gorgeous piece of handcrafted artwork! My Torah-kabbalistic-shamanic witchcraft is going into it as an heirloom for my children.

I'm in heaven!

With the Rosh Chodesh Nissan purchase of this book, I hereby mark a new chapter in my life.

Although a huge expense for me at a time when cash is not plentiful, the purchase itself - to me - is sacred and invested with my hopes and dreams for the future. The purchase is a personal segulah for healing.