Power Animal

I periodically do a journeying meditation that I created for myself as I’m not big on doing someone else’s pre-recorded guided ones. Each journey always begins in the same fashion but then branches off as I go deeper into my psyche and then, spiritually speaking, pretty much anything goes. As a result, some meditations are very low-keyed, while others are much more active. Sometimes I’ll be introduced to a new power animal which my life requires at that time, and that’s just what my latest journey did. I was told that my new companion is the rabbit, which is actually rather ironic as in real-life I’m very allergic to the critters. But that said, when I came out of my meditative state I looked up the meaning of the rabbit as power animal and true to form it’s a perfect fit for me right now with my current life issues. The rabbit’s wisdom brings the ability to handle paradox and contradiction, teaches how to live by one’s own wits, enables one to receive hidden teachings and intuitive messages, bestows humility, encourages quick thinking and helps one to move through their fear.

I did this meditation in the morning and late that evening went for a walk as the sun was setting and the summer air was slightly less suffocatingly hot. As I was walking back to the car I saw two small rabbits off in the distance, one further away than the other, and slowly approached them. David said there was no way I was going to get near either one, that they’d both zip off long before I reached them, but that didn’t stop me from trying. Rabbit number one started to run away as I got close, but then stopped about five feet from me and just sat there watching me. When I reached him, rabbit number two ran back and forth before me, around my legs once and then he too started to run off but thought better of it and sat perfectly still, calmly watching me too. I gently thanked them and headed back to David and our car, happy to have my new spiritual companion confirmed. The universe is a truly magical place, is it not?

Photo courtesy of EmileJ.

Medicine Wheel

A tiny medicine wheel I made using epidote in the north, celestite in the east, carnelian in the south, labradorite in the west and river stones between the quarters. In the center I used moonstone for Grandmother Moon/the Goddess and pyrite for Grandfather Sun/the God.

Moons and Totems 7

Everybody knows their western astrological profile and most people also know their eastern, or Chinese, astrological sign as well, but few know their moon profile from the Native American culture and the totems for each moon. As with the two more mainstream belief systems, the moon totem profiles are not only a very accurate read of an individual's personality, but they also add a rich dimension to who we are and where our weaknesses and powers come from.

Hot Winds Moon
July 11-August 10

People of the Hot Winds Moon are very versatile people, able to move effortlessly from one circumstance to another and in the process blend seamlessly with all sorts of different people. Introspective and wise with a degree of maturity to them, they can be very hot tempered and lose their cool very quickly (much like the weather at this time of year). No matter how joyous they may appear, the wheels are always turning in the Hot Moon person's head, searching into the depths of every situation. Adversely, they can easily become quitters when things get tough or ironically, refuse to let something go that has long run its course. Stubborn, arrogant and sometimes carrying a sense of superiority about them, these can be very tricky people.

The element for this moon sign is fire and the animal totem is the trout. A fish that can be a tenacious fighter when hooked, the trout is known for its wiliness and strength. The Hot Winds Moon plant totem is the thistle, a medicinally powerful plant that is able to thrive in very difficult conditions and this moon's mineral totem is jade. Jade is a strong and spiritually powerful stone long used as a token of male potency as well as for luck, long life and prosperity. The Hot Winds Moon color is green, the color of nature at its full maturity and vitality. People of this moon should wear the healing color of green to calm their hearts when they're feeling very angry and emotionally out of control.

Everyone is most compatible with those people born under the moon opposite to their own and the opposite moon of the Hot Winds Moon is the Deep Snows Moon (January 11-February 10).

Photo courtesy of arwriterphotog on flickr.

Broken Mirror Magick

Is it really bad luck to break a mirror or is that merely an old wives' tale? There has been much in the way of superstition in regards to looking glasses, even predating the invention of the "modern" mirror. Primitive man used water sources to gaze at his reflection: ponds, woodland pools and even rain puddles. If his image was found to be distorted, he believed that disaster was imminent, be it of the larger natural kind or even personal to his own self. Early metal mirrors used by Greeks and Egyptians were believed to be very powerful magickal tools and as such were highly valued. But what of glass mirrors and how did the curse of seven years' bad luck begin? We can thank the Romans for this. Ancient Roman culture not only believed that one's soul was held within a looking glass, but that the human body physically rejuvenated itself every seven years, completely recycling itself and creating a whole new person. If one's mirror was broken, and their soul shattered into tiny fragments, it would take that seven year cycle for one's health, luck and prosperity to return.

If you break a mirror, don't despair! There's still plenty of powerful magick in that glass to repel any negative energy from your home. Carefully pick up all the broken pieces and place them in a lidded clear glass jar or bottle big enough to hold them. Be sure to sweep up all the tiny pieces and even the glass dust and add them to the bottle as well. Not only does each and every fragment act as a tiny mirror on its own, but you've also just created a makeshift witch ball. Just as the sharp tendrils of blown glass within a witch ball lure and trap all manner of uglies, so do the sharp pieces of mirrored glass in your bottle. Close the lid tightly, place your mirror bottle on a sunny window sill and be sure to keep it well dusted. Its magick will serve you well.

Photo courtesy of MrNobody97 on flickr.