SACRED JOURNEYS Organic Shamanic Herbal Dream Tea or Smoking Blend, Powerfully Entheogenic for Lucid Dreaming, Vivid Visioning

כ״ו באלול תשע"א
Belz 28

Powerful original entheogenic blend for shamanic journeying, lucid dreaming, vivid visioning, and Otherworld pathworking.

From my Morgen Collection, SACRED JOURNEYS Shamanic Herbal Dream Tea may also be burned as a ritual incense or used as a sacred smoke. Exclusive to WITCHCRAFTS Artisan Alchemy™, this original proprietary blend contains nine select magical herbs including Calea Zacatechichi, Motherwort, Mexican Tarragon, Wild Lettuce, Valerian Root, Calamus Root, Damiana, Dittany of Crete and California Poppy.

Calea Zacatechichi induces lucid dreaming.

Motherwort aids relaxation, promotes lucid dreaming and enhances dream recall.

Mexican Tarragon aids relaxation and promotes a shamanic state of consciousness.

Wild Lettuce is psychoactive, promotes altered states of awareness and supports lucid dreaming.

Valerian Root induces a feeling of "floating in air."

Calamus Root is mildly hallucinogenic and was one of the constituents of the ancient sacrament used by Moses of the Torah when approaching the tabernacle in the wilderness.
Calamus Root also has antifatigue properties and increases stamina during shamanic journeying.

Damiana produces euphoria that can last up to one and a half hours. Used in sabbat rituals, Damiana is designed to bring each individual and the coven to conscious actualization of their united magical divinity.

Dittany of Crete promotes astral projection.

California Poppy promotes restful awareness and sleep.

Comes in a 1.75" width x 2.5" height 1 oz. aluminum tea tin. Use about 1-2 tsp per cup of tea.

Comes beautifully packaged.

AWAKEN Lemongrass, White Sage and Salt Ritual Potion

ט״ז באייר תשע"א
Mab 18

Awaken and access the power of your Divine immortal soul with this Old Ways witch-crafted AWAKEN ritual potion oil magically charged with Lemongrass, White Sage, Celtic Sea Salt and Dead Sea Salt. Generously scented with the refreshing aroma of Lemongrass and Sage.

AWAKEN may also be used for purification, protection, shamanic soul retrieval and spiritual renewal.

Wake up!

Each 3ml corked glass spell bottle is wax sealed and adorned with handmade silk sari and organdy ribbons.

Comes beautifully packaged.

AWAKEN may be purchased at WITCHCRAFTS by Liorah Lleucu.

SNAKE OIL Magic Potion Number 10

י"ד באב תש"ע
Lughnasadh 15

Exclusively at WITCHCRAFTS, handcrafted under the power of the Full Moon, this SNAKE OIL is a potent blend of 10 magical ingredients including genuine Snake Skin, Liquidambar styraciflua (Styrax), Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), Dark Opal Basil (a cultivar of Ocimum basilicum with deep purple mottled leaves), Dragon's Blood, whole Blood Root, Black Mayan Copal, Galangal, Frankincense and Moonstone.

The 3/8 ounce corked oval glass potion bottle is stably sealed with a black and burgundy mixture of professional wine bottle sealing wax and hung with a a silver pentacle by handmade hand dyed Mysterious silk sari ribbon (exquisitely laced throughout with deep burgundy, royal blues and other dark colors dancing with iridescent hues of the Night).



Snake is a totem of Divine Feminine power, sexuality and vitality, transformation and transmutation, new opportunity and transition, creativity and intuition, wholeness and healing, rebirth and immortality. Snake magic is heavy magic, and not for the weak minded. Snake medicine witches are those whose experiences involve contact with poisons (physical, emotional and spiritual) and the transmutation and transformation of those poisons into something extraordinarily beautiful. As Snake swallows its food whole, so too do Snake witches take in Wisdom and Understanding with wholeness to create perfect Knowledge.

Comes beautifully packaged.

SNAKE OIL may be purchased at WITCHCRAFTS by Liorah Lleucu.

OLD WAYS Ancestor Conjure Incense

כ״ט בתמוז תש"ע
Lughnasadh 1

Open a magical door to the ancestral spirits of the Otherworld. OLD WAYS Ancestor Conjure Incense is a sacred shamanic brew derived from a traditional Celtic Faery Witchcraft recipe for pathworking with the Ancestors. A blend of certified organic dittany of Crete, whole star anise with seeds, marshmallow leaf, acacia leaf, myrrh and patchouli with cedarwood essential oil, the botanicals were ground using a natural olive wood mortar and pestle, and called with three breaths of Awen to awaken as a bridge to the Ancestors under the erev shabbat New Moon of Annwn during the planetary hour of Jupiter.



The corked glass spell bottle is sealed with a black-maroon mixture of wax and hung with a 10 X 10 mm solid sterling silver skull and crossbones charm by handmade Mystery silk sari ribbon filled with rustic dark colors.

Made under the Dark Moon of Annwn, use under the evocative power of the Full Moon.

Caution - Ancestor work is not to be undertaken lightly or as a hobby.

This shamanic incense may be purchased at WITCHCRAFTS by Liorah Lleucu.

Dream Magic

כ"ו בתמוז תשס״ט
Faunus 27

An experienced dreamer may go beyond merely interpreting her dreams. Once the dreamer validates that she is correctly interpreting her dreams through evidential alignments in her life path, improvements in character traits and dream progression, the witch is prepared to consciously direct her dreams.

An excerpt from The Holy Book of Women's Mysteries by Z. Budapest:

The experienced user of dreams is aware that dreams can be consciously directed to resolve conflicts. In a variation of this, something that bothers the dreamer is identified. The dreamer then directs that particular dream to come to a growth conclusion constructed by the conscious mind.

A dream is a link into the deeper threads of reality. The experienced witch may weave them as she wills.

Poppet Joy

ט"ו תמוז התשס"ח
Faunus 17

I've started a new project for upcoming Lughnasadh, the sabbat which harvests the Divine power of the long arm (like in my dream earlier this month). I am handcrafting for myself a unique magic poppet.

In honor of Lughnasadh, today I purchased for my as yet unmade poppet, a kachina ("life-bringer") charm of Angwusnasomtaka, the crow mother spirit from Hopi mythological cosmology. Angwusnasomtaka is a wuya. Black crows are associated with transmutation of consciousness in Hopi, Celtic and Jewish mysticism.

I also purchased today the spanish moss base stuffing which will be charged later with other botanicals and charms as I choose them during the poppet's construction.

Earth-brown 100% linen fabric will form the structure of the poppet's body. I acquired the linen remnant over a year ago at a bargain price. I didn't have any reason to purchase it at the time, other than it 'soothed my spirit' to look at it. So, I bought the remnant and stored it away until 'for what' I bought it came to me. The linen remnant has now been called up from the past to be used in the crafting of my poppet.

I am going to give my poppet a little besom too!

Oh! I am so giddy with excitement and happiness as I plan my poppet's construction. My heart was dancing as I opened one of my treasure boxes to pull out the old remnant of linen. My poppet already brings me joy!

How To Make Your Own Poppet
Illustrated Instructions On How To Make A Poppet

Involutionary Key To Evolutionary Transformation

י"ט סיון התשס"ח
Alban Heruin 20

A rare dark cobalt blue vintage Fenton carnival glass tumbler of outstanding iridescence in a butterfly and fern design is my most recently acquired ritual treasure.

The butterfly totem symbolizes conscious awareness while within the womb (Niddah 30b), sweet transmutation, soul evolution, clarity of comprehensive vision, and the dance of joy.

Fern is associated with Mercury (mastering magic, wisdom, knowledge, reason, curiosity, telepathy, intellectual progression, self-expression, communication, transmission of the spiritual to the physical, commerce), wards off negative energies and unnatural illness, and promotes the discovery of rare hidden treasure.

Cobalt salts color glass deep iridescent blue. Cobalt is a transition metal with magnetic properties, has an atomic number of 27, and is in group-9, period-4, d-block on the periodic table of elements. Most of the earth's cobalt is in its core. Cobalamine (Vitamin B12) "contributes to the formation of red blood cells and bone marrow, the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and proteins and the production of genetic materials. It also assists nervous and cardiovascular mechanisms and plays a role in DNA synthesis. Deficiency of this vitamin may cause anaemia, exhaustion, irritation, depression, shortness of breath, difficulty walking, memory loss, mood swings, disorientation, dementia and constipation." Opposite deficiency, sufficient quantity of cobalamine supports healthy blood, vitality, mental health, respiratory efficiency, ease of mobility, memory recovery, mood stability, focus, clarity of mind and clear channels (tzinorot). D-block transition metals such as cobalt are "key elements in life and evolution."

Taken together, this ritual tumbler is a key tool for mastering the Craft, recovering Divine and Ancestral memory, actualizing evolutionary development of esoteric wisdom, achieving clarity of knowledge, acquiring an ability to communicate wisdom, maintaining equanimity, and revealing inner joy.

Shamanic Judaism

כ'ו באייר תשס"ח
Mab 27

Hat tip to Asherah's Place for posting links to two available YouTube (of three) videos featuring topics related to earth-based Shamanic Judaism. The teacher in the videos is Rabbi Gershon Winkler of the Walking Stick Foundation.

Part 2



Part 3



I want to make a drum like the one in the videos.

Four Winds From The Lips Of A Song

י'ב באייר תשס"ח
Mab 13

In kabbalistic shamanism, there is a wheel of 4 winds, where each wind is associated with a corresponding direction/quality [1]. They are:

mysterious NORTH wind of yhvh (illumination)
cleansing SOUTH wind of seeing yhvh (reflection)
shining EAST wind of balance and counsel (balance)
blending WEST wind of wisdom and understanding (healing)

In addition to these directions/qualities, are the lips (יהיה) of a Song (the primeval Breath which is the source of the 4 winds). They are:

wellspring UP
nurturing DOWN

Footnote:

[1] Magic Of The Ordinary, Recovering The Shamanic In Judaism by Gershon Winkler

Witch's Finger

כ'ד באדר ב' תשס"ח
Raven 25
My Witch's Finger crystal was mined in Zambia. Witch's Fingers are a combination of smoky quartz with rutile inclusions, sprinkled with micas, muscovite, zinnwaldite, magnetite, sphalerite, hematite and/or actinolite. Metaphysical properties include protection against chaotic energies, clearing the aura of negative attachments, aura shielding, aiding meditation, and attracting spiritual guides and teachers to partner toward development within the cosmic consciousness.

Witch Doctor

י' באדר א' תשס"ח
Keolwulf 11

Newest addition to my bookshelf - The Way Of The Shaman by Michael Harner

"Some call them 'witch doctors' or 'medicine men', but now an increasing number of Western health professionals are seriously studying the astonishing healing powers of the shamans. Anthropologist Michael Harner takes us on a personal odyssey to the source of shamanic healing: one's innermost self. Step by step he leads the reader through simple techniques and exercises to achieve altered states of consciousness without drugs - the shaman's way to profound psychological fitness and curing. Here, in an ancient system little known to the West, is an invaluable aid to modern medicine, and an enthralling work of psychological and spiritual exploration."

Mugwort, Pathworking & Nun Hafucha

Mugwort is known as the witch's herb. Among mugwort's many magickal associations (which includes prophetic dreaming) is the idea that mugwort is both a superior trail marker (pathfinder) and aids in magickal invisibility.

An article at Goddess Garden teaches regarding mugwort:

Mugwort is reputed in magick to help open locks and locate buried treasure.

Mugwort’s most striking claim to fame is its magnetic [1] character. Often known as the "compass plant", it’s leaves tend to align themselves with the North-South lines of the earth’s magnetic field. It enjoys a reputation for aiding lost travellers, which supports the relationship this plant has with Artemis, the patron of children, the patron of the wood, and a patron of children of all ages lost in the woods.

Priestesses of Artemis to wore clothing that resembled mugwort, having one side green and one side white. Wearing such a reversible tunic, they could turn it white- side-out to be visible in the forest, for staying together and avoiding hunting accidents; or they could turn it green-side-out for camouflage, to blend into the green of the forest and to hide from danger.

Within the Doctrine of Signatures, mugwort has the power to provide "mundane" invisibility, suggesting that it aids in magickal invisibility.

The powers of prophetic pathfinding, of knowing which way to travel (or not travel), and of turning inside out, remind me of the inverted letters nun of Bamidbar 10:35-36.

Footnote:

[1] mugwort contains copper; it's pollen may elicit allergic reactions

Smudging For Spiritual Renewal

I purchased a Native American made sage bundle (similar to the one pictured, except that mine is also wrapped with pink string) and performed my first Rosh Chodesh Esbat shamanic smudging ritual:

'Smudging' is the common name given to the Sacred Smoke Bowl Blessing, a powerful cleansing technique from the Native American tradition. However the burning of herbs for emotional, psychic, and spiritual purification is common practice in many religious, healing, and spiritual traditions. It is a ritual way to cleanse a person, place or an object of negative energies or influences.

More about smudging, ritual herbs and sacred smoke.

Shamanic Smudging
Smudging - How To Do It, How Not To Do It
Of Shamans & Smudge Sticks

Mighty Mouse Of Emunah

Earlier this evening, Jack shared the Anishinaabe medicine wheel (shown above) with me. Anishinaabe (keepers/protectors of the Sacred Fire) is one of the two Native American tribes of my ancestors through my father.

Interestingly, "mouse" rules the water according to this tribal medicine wheel. Mouse is also one of the two power animals which have "spoken" to me during states of altered consciousness. Significantly, mouse is distinguished by the pivotal role he played to the epiphany of 1967.

Instrumental to protecting my life in 1967, mouse may have also protected my life in the event described by my dream this morning. In the dream, enemies attempted to drown me. Yet, I emerged unshackled and alive (as did my "husband") from the water, which mouse rules. This is one mighty mouse I have for a power animal.

הטוב והמטיב

As mouse is also associated with the south on the medicine wheel shown above, the south I have associated with the vowel (nekudah) kametz on the medicine wheel I made previously. In recognition of mouse's ever-faithful (אמונה) service as my "guardian angel" which endures the test of time, the vowel kametz (ָ) will mark the mem מ (the letter corresponding to water) "casting" my sacred "circle", the one cast by HaMasovevet. Both the vowel kametz and emunah are associated with the sefirah keter; more specifically, with the "unknowable head" in Atzilut of partzuf keter, Reisha d'lo Ityada.

May my ancestors and the people Anishinaabe be blessed with shalom v'kol tuv (peace and all good, שלום וכל טוב).

ללאכו המָסובבת

Shamanic Power Animals

During my life, two animals have "spoken a message" to me during altered states of consciousness. The first animal was the common field mouse*, in the "epiphany" of 1967 when I was 6 years old. The second animal was a golden-haired kitten* (cat) around 1987, long before I came to the recent realization that this was a shamanic encounter. It was also before I became a ba'alat teshuvah in 1996.

Reviewing my dreams, over the past several recent years and past decade, the animals which frequently appear or have appeared in dream journeys are the spider (mythic and mundane), the lion, the snake (mythic and mundane), the gorilla (in the mythic sense of King Kong), the dog (wild and domesticated), the crocodile, the shark, hornets, bees, buffalo, the bear, the horse (untamed), lice/flea-like "almost" insects, piranha, the meercat and the elephant (mythic and mundane). None of these animals have "mystically spoken", although I have had unusual real-life encounters with both a spider and a snake.

In the case of the snake, a very large one was found by my children to live in the basement of a house I rented as a single mom. My children found it one day while putting their bicycles away in the basement. My oldest son killed it and then came and told me about it. Time: around 1992.

In the case of the spider, I asked a for a "sign" and if it was "true" I would see a spider immediately. Amazingly, one immediately walked over the edge of my desk onto the top of it and walked across it. Time: 1996.

For a short period, about 3-5 years ago, a large mythic land-based whale-like "sea-creature" and a flying dragon made more than a few appearances in my dream journeys. Those appearances stopped as a cluster of spider-lion-snake appearances began.

*Importantly, the mouse and the kitten were speaking spirits whose purpose was to protect me.

Baruch Hashem for these two special animals who accomplished their purpose at great cost to themselves.

What are shamanic power animals?

Classic Versus Core Shamanism

In response to this post by Aron, here are my thoughts on shamanism as it pertains to my experience.

My journey into shamanism tends toward the experience of classic shamanism as opposed to core shamanism. This article by Raven Kaldera provides an excellent summary of the basic differences between the two (hat-tip to e-falki). Importantly, selected distinctions which mark my calling as being of the classical kind include (from the article):

1. Is generally entirely involuntary. The individual is chosen by the spirits/God/Goddess, often with no warning, and is not allowed to refuse the "gift", or they will suffer illness, and/or insanity, and/or death. They can never stop being a shaman so long as they live, or it will recur.
2. Is nearly always accompanied in the early stages by severe life-threatening experiences, including but not limited to chronic serious illness, psychotic break, and/or near-death experience.
3. Is nearly always accompanied by a traumatic death-and-rebirth experience, after which the personality is radically changed. A visionary experience of being dismembered and rebuilt differently by the spirits is evident cross-culturally in the accounts of many tribal shamans, and is almost a hallmark of the experience. (I didn't have a traumatic near-death experience, but I did have an epiphany when I was 6 years old (in 1967), an encounter with the angel of death (in 1994), a mystical experience of being "chosen" (in 1994) and a mystical experience of being absolutely no-thing (in 1996) where being "no-thing" is the ultimate "dismemberment", I think. The radical transformation of my personality was "stepped up" and catalyzed through the encounter with the angel of death.)
4. Causes radical, unusual, and permanent changes to the aura and astral body. This process is inflicted onto the shaman by the spirits, and is entirely out of their control.
5. Shamanic practice occupies the main focus, time, and energy of the individual's life for the rest of their existence. All mundane careers, projects, etc. are secondary to the shaman's career of spiritual service.
6. Primarily taught by divine and/or spirit teachers, although in the beginning stages the novice is usually taught the cultural context and symbolism by another shaman.
7. Lives are bounded with dozens of increasing taboos, violation of which generally brings immediate illness, pain, or other physical and spiritual retribution.
8. Cannot work entirely alone; must be attached to a tribe. If no tribe is in evidence at the time of their shamanic rebirth, one will be provided for them by the spirits.
9. Is almost always seen primarily as a path of service to a particular tribe (although a particular one hasn't been provided for me yet).
10. Mental breakdown or temporary psychosis common to the early "death-and-rebirth" stage, after which shamans have been tested and found to be comparatively extremely sane and stable. Mental illness never returns as long as they continue to do their jobs.
11. Generally requires one specific central cultural context, although they may borrow from neighboring (and thus not radically different) cultures. The symbolic context seems to be a useful "anchoring-point" for the training of beginning classic shamans, and aids in bonding them with the tribe that they are to serve. (Perhaps the "communities" chosen for me broadly include the entire Jewish, Celtic and Native American people, and that is why I feel bound to and fed by them all. All of these are my people and the people of my ancestors.)

The path of a shaman separates one from the realm of "ordinary experience", particularly during the crisis phase. For one religiously unknowledgeable (as I was) about shamanism, it is likely well into the crisis phase when one discovers he or she has been "chosen".

Take a look at Raven's entire article. It's well done and highly informative.

Shamanic Medicine Bag

My current project is to make a shamanic medicine bag. I have, without deliberation, accumulated a few objects over the years to place in one, so now I have to actually do the deed and make a special medicine bag. Currently, I have a small cloth bag, but it is time to make one with my own hands.

It's funny how one "knows" the call of a holy object. It strikes you. You know it. Deep inside, the silence sounds. Here, peace abounds.

Kabbalistic Medicine Wheel

Liorah's Kabbalistic Jewitch Medicine Wheel

Every medicine woman needs a medicine wheel. I have created one to uniquely fit my work. It's a Jewitch medicine wheel incorporating elements of Jewish, Celtic and Native American spirituality. In Native American tradition, the medicine wheel "symbolizes the individual journey we each must take to find our own path." You can read more about the medicine wheel in the Native American tradition here, here and here.

Click on the medicine wheel to see a full size view.

Asibikaashi & Sacred Dreamcatching

From my father's side of the family, I have Native American ancestry of the Cherokee (Tsalagi) and Potawatomi (Anishinabe) tribes. The Potawatomi are known as keepers of the sacred flame. This too, is my heritage.

The "sacred fire" consciousness bequeathed to me through my Native American ancestors contributes to the reality where I see the Hebrew word כבשן as "cauldron" (Bava Metzia 84a). The word כבשן derives from the root כבש which also can mean "spider". The two meanings "cauldron" and "spider" are linked via Native American sacred myth as well.

The sacred fire, the cauldron of creation, is intimately interwoven with the Native story of Asibikaashi (Spider Woman) and the origin of the dreamcatcher (asubakacin, net-like).

Not only is Asibikaashi a keeper of the sacred flame, she is the creatrix of creation and one who weaves the world into being each morning, filtering and catching the dew of one's nightly soul journeys (dreams, bawedjigewin) into the web of memory. Consequently, we can see the the "fiery cauldron" of creation and "spider" are not only connected through the Hebrew root כבש, but they are connected through Native American sacred myth as well.

Shamanistic Initiation

I dreamt.

I was working as a "lowly" (shefel) Jewish nurse at a hospital. Another "higher" Jewish nurse (higher in terms of social and professional status) was treating a sick baby. I helped her with the procedure she was doing as part of her work, even though it was time for me go home. She was going to help me too.

We were both off work following the procedure. We exited the building and walked each to our separate cars in the parking lot. I was ashamed for those in her group to see my car.

I woke up.

The other night, at work, an older woman walked past me as I was administering medications, and as she walked on by, she said to me "hi, medicine woman". I never saw her face. The way she said it, struck me. It particularly struck given the context in which it was said.

The very same evening I had read about the path of the shaman. One pattern which distinguishes the shamanistic path is the "experience of a major crisis or initiation process whereby a person undergoes a magical transformation from ordinary individual to magically powerful shaman." [Celtic Wisdom, Carl McColman] I think the unrelenting nature of the multiple crises which have marked my lifepath qualify to be called a "shamanistic initiation".

This woman's remark, whether intentional on her part or not, confirms it in my mind. I am now an initiated shaman, a spiritual medicine woman.