Crystal Ball

Crystallomancy is just what you think it is: the ability to accurately read a crystal or crystal ball and it's something I've always wanted to be able to do. Last week I bought myself my first crystal ball, a pristine clear dusky purple crystal that also reads blue in some light. I held an amazing clear quartz ball and an even more incredible amethyst ball but they were loaded with striations that I felt would make my first attempts at reading more difficult. That and their exorbitant price tags. I mean, what if I don't ever get the hang of this? How could I justify spending that much money on what would become merely a gorgeous paperweight, albeit one with really great energy?

So I spent some time handling and getting to know my new crystal ball, then I carefully cleansed it and a few days later sat down one evening for my first try at reading it. I'm aware that this form of divination is considered to be one of the most difficult to master, so I was prepared for a challenge. But seriously, this was hard. To begin with, I had trouble with my light source and despite fussing with my candles and dimming the room lights up and down, and up and down again and again for a good twenty minutes or so, I never truly did find a comfortable amount of light with which to work. I relaxed and grounded and then threw up around me a bubble of safety. And at last I was ready to try to read. Sigh. I managed to find my soft eyes, that sort of pre-trance, almost day-dreamy feeling I get when I read auras or do a visualized journey. But an hour later I had seen nothing at all, not even a wisp, and I had managed to give myself a bit of a sore neck and a violent and unexpected case of extreme nausea that took more than two horrible hours to subside.

Needless to say, my ball and I have kept a fairly respectful distance from one another since that night while I await the arrival of three new books on mastering the art of crystal gazing since I think it best I not try my hand at this again without at least a small amount of guidance beforehand. I'm anxious to give it as many tries as I need in order to begin to actually see something, but I'd prefer to do it without incapacitating myself for hours on end. Trust me, nothing is worth feeling the way I did that night, not even foretelling a strange and glorious future. And until my books arrive, I'll just have to admire my beautiful new purple-blue paperweight safely from across the room.

John William Waterhouse, The Crystal Ball, 1902 (detail)

New Year's Tarot Reading

Here we are again at the new year and, come the first, I'll be doing my annual New Year's tarot reading. I do one for myself every year on New Year's Day and have found it to be a fairly reliable way to forecast what the year to come has in store for me. I use a twelve-card clock spread, substituting the months for the hours starting with January in the one o'clock position and so forth. I spend some time meditating on what the new year might hold for me and then lay out the spread. In addition to simply reading the card for each month, I try to establish any patterns or particular issues that may be in the offing. I keep all my readings in a leather-bound book that now dates back many years. Oddly enough though, I seldom remember to ever pull that book out during the year to see what the immediate months ahead have in store. I will take it down from its shelf and take a peek if things are particularly intense or I'm going through a tough time, just to see if I not only predicted this ugliness back at the beginning of the year, but also to see if there is going to be any blessed relief in the near future. And come New Year's Day, I do read through the previous year regardless of whether I ever looked at it since last New Year's or not before I settle in for this year's reading. I can't wait to see what 2011 will bring me, good or bad.

Regardless of what your plans are for the day, I wish everyone a happy, healthy, safe and blessed New Year, one and all.

December Cauldron Divination

This is such a lovely ritual and perfect for this time of year as we spend time inside our homes where it's warm and cozy, contemplating family, reminiscing, giving thanks and counting down the days to Yule.

What you'll need:

a few freshly gathered dry pinecones (preferably without a lot of pitch on them)

a handful of dried bay leaves

a few sprigs of dried lavender

a pinch of cinnamon

a black votive candle

additional candles, if desired

your cauldron

Place your cauldron on a heat-proof, safe surface and if you'd like, surround yourself with a ring of lit, wintry candles. Using the black candle, light your pinecones and let them burn down to bright red embers within your cauldron. While they're burning, meditate on your life during the past year and ponder what the coming year will bring for you. Take a moment to commune with your ancestors and those loved ones who have passed. When the pinecones have reached the hot ember stage, add the bay leaves, lavender sprigs and cinnamon to create a sweet smelling swirl of smoke. You can scry using the glowing pinecones and the curls of smoke, perhaps divining what the new year will hold for you. Ask for any message that you need to hear at this time and see what your scrying manifests. Work the fire magic until the embers die out, then discard the ashes (when they've cooled) back into the earth and give thanks for all you've been blessed with.

Photo courtesy of Peta Jade on flickr.
The original version of this spell was written by Lily Gardener and published on llewellyn.com.

New Tarot Blog

I have just started a brand new blog, Moon and Blackbird, where you'll find a daily tarot reading using an eclectic variety of decks, various bits and bobs about the art of reading tarot and eventually the option to contact me for a full-length private and personal reading. While being a uniquely individual blog in its own right, Moon and Blackbird can also be considered something of a companion blog to Dancing Beneath the Moon, as it's a continuation of the divination work that has been discussed and touched on here occasionally.

The new blog is still something of a work in progress as, ever the perfectionist, I continue to endlessly tweak it until I can comfortably live with it. It launched today so the first daily reading is now available and each subsequent one will be done shortly after midnight each night with the cards foretelling what that new day will hold for my readers, and thus making it available for viewing first thing each day, no matter what hour you call morning.

I hope you'll take a peek and if you find it enjoyable, are drawn to return again and again. And as always, Dancing Beneath the Moon will continue on just as it has always been. Peace!

http://moonandblackbird.blogspot.com/

Broken Pendulum

My first bloodstone pendulum, before I accidentally destroyed it.

I have attachment issues with just about every one and every thing that means something to me in my life, and my divination tools are no different. So when I was holding my bloodstone pendulum earlier this week and let it slip through my fingers onto a tile floor, smashing it into several large pieces and a fair amount of bloodstone-colored dust, I was devastated. I'd only had it just shy of a year, but this was a pendulum that I had an instant connection with. I chose this stone not only because it's a very powerful stone with potent divination properties but also because this is a stone that my grandmother introduced me to when I was very young. As a result of this personal connection, bloodstone packs quite a punch for me. When I selected this particular pendulum, it was chosen from a dozen or so bloodstone ones, and this one felt electric when I first held it. No question, I knew. We were meant for one another from that first moment. I carried it with me everywhere, against my body and in my pocket, forging a deeper energy attachment with it and in that time developed a very close working bond with it. And then this: a brief moment of distraction and it was gone.

I have other pendulums I can use, though I haven't the same relationship with them as I had with my bloodstone one. And a few days ago I bought myself another bloodstone one, but it just doesn't feel "right." I know this is in part because I was so deeply attached to that first one it will be hard to recreate that bond with just any other stone, but also because I'm a fussy little thing and the new one isn't the same as my last one and I don't want anything to have to be different.

I'm trying to see the lesson inherent in this unfortunate situation and I know I have quite a challenge ahead of me: finding another pendulum, be it bloodstone or not, with which I can forge a new deeply-held bond. I just wish I hadn't lost my best pendulum friend in the first place.

Moons and Totems 2

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.

Ripening Moon

September 11-October 10

Those who are born under this moon tend to be very giving and gregarious, yet ironically, are also highly solitary, introverted creatures. This craving for solitude is especially strong during the late summer, early fall months when the Ripening Moon person wishes to hide themselves away from people and busy places, preferring instead to nurture their inner selves. These are some very mysterious, dark people with emotions that run very deep.

The element for this moon is water and the animal totem is the black bear, a creature who can be friendly and playful, yet powerful, solitary and intimidating as well. The bear is greatly respected by all Native American tribes. The Ripening Moon's plant totem is bearberry, a plant that produces very tart fruits, but which are medicinally very potent. Bearberry tea is a strong curative for breaking fevers and healing upset stomachs. The mineral totem for this moon is obsidian, a powerful stone used for divination. Gaze into a piece of polished obsidian to receive desired information. This stone can take you into yourself and show you what is needed to move forward on your path. Obsidian is also a very powerful protective stone that will draw harmful energy away from you, absorbing it into itself and eliminating it. Lastly, the color of this moon is dark blue, the color of the deepest rivers and oceans where it is impossible to see completely to their depths, just as it is impossible to fathom completely those people of the Ripening Moon.

Everyone is most compatible with those people born under the moon opposite to their own and the opposite moon of the Ripening Moon is the Fast Waterflow Moon (March 11-April 10).

Photo courtesy of Roy Mac on flickr.

Trees 101: Hazel

The hazel is one of the most magickal trees of all as it's the tree that stands at the very heart of the faery realm. In the center of the Otherworld, nine sacred hazel trees stand in a circle around the Well of Wisdom and drop their nuts into the water from their overhanging branches, feeding the Salmon of Knowledge. Hazel was the sacred Tree of Knowledge in many ancient cultures, from the Norse to the Celts to the ancient Greeks. It's no surprise then that this is the tree whose wood is used most often for divination: Druidic wands were always fashioned from Hazel and it's the preferred wood for dowsing and divining rods as well. It's believed that, to this day, hazel works so well as a dowsing rod because it instinctively wants to reconnect with that first ancient well tree in the faery realm.

Want to protect yourself from evil (and especially that most evil thing of all- witches- the handmaidens of the devil)? Craft yourself a shield of hazel or use its wood to carve a protective rod or small wooden talisman. Use it at the dark of the moon in rituals, crafted as a divination tool, or eat hazelnuts before shamanic journeying to increase your psychic knowledge.

The hazel tree is feminine in energy and vibrates to the elements of both air and water. It is ruled by Mercury and the Sun and is one of the nine sacred woods of the sabbat fire in which it represents wisdom. The sabbats for which hazel is traditionally used for are Beltane and, most especially, Samhain.

Photo of this gloriously lush hazel tree courtesy of Argentem on flickr.

Eclectic Spirituality

I've been giving some thought to the idea of eclectic spirituality and the fact that I have been for decades picking and choosing from the world's various belief systems that which I personally identify with and that feed my soul. In doing so I have tailor-made a spirituality that suits me to a tee, yet is constantly shifting a tiny bit in this or that direction as who I am changes through the years. I'm a pagan, a witch, and a woman who spent a full decade of her life studying Buddhism and who incorporates many of the Buddha's teachings into her present philosophy. I am a follower of ayurveda and a practitioner of yoga. As a direct descendant of a full-blooded Native American woman, I engage in many tribal rituals and honor Mother Earth every single day. And while it's well in the back of my mind these days, I also still carry with me the biblical theories pummeled into my brain during confirmation classes, growing up as a little girl in the stuffy and unpleasantly straight-laced Lutheran Church. I believe in the God and the Goddess, I believe in Mother Earth and the four elements. I honor and live by the years, the seasons, the days, the hours. I honor the moon. I believe in magick and intuition and divination. I am a very spiritual person, which (in my opinion, at any rate) is a very different thing from a religious person. A religious person I am not and never have been.

And the funny thing is, I would have thought that this movement towards the eclectic really began in the 60s when so many people were searching for something deeper, something more mystical than everyday life (and quite a bit of drugs) provided. I'm not so naive to think that there was no dabbling into other faiths and beliefs prior to that period, but it feels like that decade is when spiritual momentum shifted into high gear. The term "new age" (which I hate, by the way) was coined in the 80s to describe that decade's movement into the eclectic and many scholars still treat the 80s as though that period was the first real movement towards something broader than a single-based faith. Unfortunately though, that tag brings with it a whole lot of mental images best left back in the 80s, never to be seen or heard from again. And even today, the term "new age" is used rather derisively by most people, both in and out of the mainstream.

But surprisingly, following an eclectic path spiritually dates back to ancient Greece. The word eclectic comes from the Greek word eklektikos which means "selective, or the act of picking out." One of the first to ever take from the world's existing religions and philosophies and blend them into a truly personal spirituality was Ammonius Saccas, a philosopher who left no writings of his own but was referred to by many other Greek philosophers in theirs, namely Plotinus and Porphyry. Ultimately, Saccas wanted to fuse all religions together into one that honored the Divine Being who made everything possible, as all faiths ultimately originate from this same source, and by returning to it one could end a lot of hatred. His studies gave rise to the term "eclectic" and although his beliefs were accepted by many, ultimately he was driven out of his homeland and silenced by the early Christians.

And despite a couple of millennia passing, life doesn't change all that much does it? And regardless of what others think of me, or my belief system, I'm going to continue on the path laid before me. It feels right in my heart and soul and ultimately, that's the only thing that truly matters. It's taken a lifetime of searching for me to feel as peaceful as I feel today and that's a beautiful thing. Happiness and sorrow are both fleeting, but being able to find peace in who you are and what you adhere to is the perfect foundation on which to build everything else. Go where your heart leads you and fear nothing.

Trees 101: The Beech

Beech trees have a long magickal and medicinal history. Used for centuries in Druidic rituals, forked beech branches are also a great choice to use as a divining or dowsing rod. Associated with rebirth, reincarnation, transformation, and ancestors, beech trees are used as protection against lightning strikes as they are a good conductor of electricity.

Beech is known as the "mother of the woods" and is the Beech Queen to the Oak King, providing shelter to shorter, smaller trees and food for humans and animals. Beechnuts are believed to bring wisdom to those who eat them and are used as protective amulets. They can also be carried or worn as lucky charms. The beech tree is associated with time, wisdom and knowledge. Scratching your name or wish on the bark of a beech tree- either on the tree itself or a piece torn off, written on and then buried- will ensure that your wishes will come true. This simple wishing spell dates back millennia.

Likewise, the bark, leaves, roots and sap all have medicinal properties. Beech is said to cure burns, ulcers and liver problems, as well as tuberculosis. Beech bark and leaves can be used as an astringent and can even be found in many modern skin care products. Beech brings relaxation to those who use it.

Using beech wood in your spellwork will bring stability to your life, will help you bring your intentions to fruition, can be used in cleansing and protection rituals, is a perfect offering for the Goddess(es) you may worship and can be used to contact ancestors in ritual as well. Beech vibrates to a feminine energy as well as to the elements of fire and water and is ruled by the planet Saturn.

Photo courtesy of Kornelis on flickr.

Beltane Lore

Opposite Samhain on the Wheel of the Year, Beltane is the sabbat we celebrate to usher in the beginning of summer, the warmth of the sun and to bless both our crops and Mother Earth. And just as the veil between our world and the spirit world is at its thinnest at Samhain, the veil between our world and the world of the Fae is at its most thin at Beltane.

When one thinks of Beltane, the first thing that comes to mind is the Maypole. If you're lucky enough to participate in a Maypole ceremony you'll not only bring yourself an afternoon of joy, but a year of good luck as well. While the pole itself is an ancient ritual, the brightly colored ribbons and flowers tied around the pole are a slightly more recent addition, bringing a feminine aspect to the celebration of the God and his virility.

Lighting fires is a Beltane custom, as the original festival was in honor of Bel, a solar deity, and this practice was both a way to honor the return of the sun needed for a successful growing season and a means of purification as well. Make yourself even a small Beltane fire and either jump over it or pass yourself or any items you wish to cleanse through its smoke and you will ensure yourself a year of prosperity, purification and protection.

In an attempt to Christianize this sabbat, the early church renamed it Roodmas, or the Feast of the Cross which celebrated the finding of the cross by Saint Helena on which Jesus was crucified, and which was far more palatable to them than the obviously phallic connotations of the Pole.

On Beltane morning, get up early and wash your face in the cool May Day dew for youthful beauty and health. Then find yourself a small clear pool of fresh spring water, a clean puddle, a creek or even the edge of a lake and do a quiet divination within its mirrored surface. End the day by making love with your partner, preferably outdoors, as you ring in the season of Mother Earth's fertility.

Blessed be.

Photo courtesy of Zayabibu on flickr.

A(nother) New Pendulum

Pendulum made of aventurine, yellow jasper, brecciated jasper, clear quartz, obsidian and amethyst with a round of red jasper capping the chain.

Pendulum made of bloodstone, with a round of bloodstone capping the chain as well.

I was so pleased with the bloodstone pendulum I bought last year that I went out and bought myself a second pendulum. And while I didn't exactly need another one as the first one's energy is wonderful and brings great clarity to my readings, when I saw this multi-stoned pendulum I just knew I had to have it. Its energy is quite potent and I was drawn to it instantly. Pendulum divination is really, at its most basic, physically quite a simple practice, but at the same time is also intriguingly subtle and complex.

Amethyst. Amethyst is a stone rich in ancient magickal history. This is a stone of peace and pure spirituality. It calms all turbulent emotions and fears, focuses meditative states, and helps the wearer attune themselves with their highest psychic vibrations. This is the ideal stone to wear during any divinatory work as it also enhances its wearer's mental accuity as well. It cures headaches, halts nightmares and puts an end to insomnia. Amethyst is the stone of wisdom.

Aventurine. This stone is used to increase perception, to stimulate creativity and to enhance intelligence. This is a wonderful stone to use in divination.

Bloodstone. Bloodstone has a magickal-use history of more than 3000 years. This stone brings courage to its wearer, calms fears and eliminates anger. It is used to increase the effectiveness of spells and brings concentrated power to magickal rites and rituals. Bloodstone is also a general health-giving talisman, but is especially used to halt bleeding and reduce fevers.

Clear Quartz. Crystal is a powerful stone used in various forms of divination from pendulums to scrying and as such is prized for its ability to amplify psychic and magickal energy. Each of the various colors of quartz crystal offer unique properties and uses, and clear quartz is no exception. Clear quartz, as a stone symbolizing the goddess, taps into the deepest part of the conscious mind, helps to open the subconscious mind, and brings to its wearer a very powerful psychic experience when divining. Quartz is also a stone that can be used to protect oneself during magickal ritual as well.

Jasper. Jasper is another stone with a rich and ancient magickal history. It was used by Native Americans in their rituals and ceremonies, and like them is still used today to connect with the earth's energies and to ground when working magick. Like quartz, the various colors of jasper offer their own unique properties including acting as a protective stone when working magick and aiding the wearer in heavy psychic and spiritual work.

Obsidian. This is another grounding stone used to center oneself when performing magick and is an exceptional stone to use when scrying as it is believed that the pure blackness of its surface allows easier access to one's subconscious mind. This is a stone of protection when opening oneself up psychically.

Personal Tarot Cards

In addition to doing my annual New Year's tarot spread for the coming year (see Tarot, 2-20-08), I also check to see what my year card is and usually that one-card reading for the coming year is spot on. The full spread gives me greater depth and detail for what to expect for the next twelve months, but my year card is quick and to the point. If you'd like to know what your year card is, take your birth month and day and the current year, add the three together and reduce any double digit numbers to their lowest possible single digit and you have your year card. It's that simple! For example, to determine my tarot card for this year, this is what I did:

8

14

2010

2032

This is then reduced to 2 + 3 + 2= 7, which means my year card for 2010 is The Chariot.

You can also determine your personality and soul cards, or those tarot cards that most closely reflect the person you show to the world as well as that inner part of you that's in your soul. This is done in the same manner as your year card, but in place of the current year, you would substitute your birth year. If the number is a double digit number, the first number represents your personality card and its reduction to a single digit, your soul card. If the reduced number is still greater than 22, reduce it once again. If your number is larger than 22 and must be reduced, or is a single digit from the get-go, then your personality and soul cards are one and the same. One number will reduce two times: 19, which reduces to 10 which in turn reduces to 1.

For me, having been born in 1963, my personality and soul card is The Hierophant, a card that is exactly who I am: an artist, a perpetual seeker of the spiritual truth, and one who follows her own path in everything undertaken. This is both what the world sees and who I am in the depths of my soul when it's just me alone.

8

14

1963

1985

1 + 9 + 8 + 5 = 23, 2 + 3 = 5.

Have some fun with this and enjoy your results. I suspect you'll be pleasantly surprised by its accuracy.

Pendulum Divination

This past week I tried my hand (no pun intended!) at a new form of divination, for me at least: using a pendulum. I had never given it much thought until someone this week mentioned that they swear by it and I should give it a try. Given that I have a fairly well developed sense of intuition and am always open to a new way to use my abilities, I thought, "What the heck, why not?"

Knowing absolutely nothing about it, I tried my local library for a how-to book on it, but with no luck. I then went online and found a great book, but in the meantime took a quickie self-taught crash course online for the basics. As I had no actual pendulum, I got out a cherished ring that belonged to my father and a strand of rather thin yarn. And as usual for me, I got started in the wee hours of the morning (my favorite time of day), so there wasn't a whole lot of time to spend working on it. Besides, I fully expected to quickly be less than impressed, or for nothing at all to happen, and then I'd head off to bed. Boy was I surprised!

I sat there for a few minutes concentrating on making my makeshift pendulum swing vertically but nothing seemed to be happening. I carefully watched my hand to be sure it wasn't moving in the least (being an artist, one thing I do have is a very steady hand) and also made sure to not get too discouraged and to stay focused. And then it happened. Slowly at first and then faster and faster: the pendulum moved just as I had wanted it to. Likewise for a horizontal direction and then a small tight clockwise circle. It took me some time to get it going in each direction, but get it going I did, which blew me away! The three fingers I was using to hold the yarn were also humming with energy inside them and swirling about them on the outside. I wished that someone, anyone was awake to share it with, but only my dogs were up with me and they weren't in the least impressed.

So I guess I now need to find myself a pendulum, one that calls to me while all the others just lie there lifelessly before me. I need to spend more time with it and learn how to really use it. I find the thrill of a new form of divination very exciting and I can't wait to jump into it with my heart and soul.

Cabbage Lore

For those who don't like to eat cabbage for Halloween (see recipe below) or at any other time for that matter, here's a bit of lore for you instead.

Did you know that cabbage stalks were once used by early Christians to divine whether or not they were going to go to heaven or hell when they died? A person would be blindfolded, sent into a cabbage patch and would then pull up a stalk at random. The stalk was then carefully examined. If it was clean and light-colored, it was said the person was sure to go to heaven. But if it was darkened by frost and rot, that person was going to burn in hell for all eternity.

In England, it was believed that if an unmarried woman went into a cabbage garden at midnight on Halloween and cut a stalk of cabbage, she would see an apparition of her future husband. If she saw nothing, she was destined to die a spinster. It was likewise for single men as well.

Personally, I prefer to eat my cabbage indoors on a cold Halloween night rather than stumbling blindfolded through a dark and chilly garden hoping for a bright future!

Colcannon

The traditional Irish food for Halloween is a potato dish known as colcannon. While it was eaten all year round by the poor due to its few ingredients, low cost to make and its ability to fill the belly quite nicely, it was considered special on Halloween as the cook would hide small trinkets within the dish. Traditionally it was a ring, a coin, a thimble and a tiny porcelain doll. The ring was said to signify marriage for the lucky recipient of that prize, the coin was said to foretell wealth, the unfortunate thimble bachelorhood or spinsterhood, and the little doll meant that that person would be the first in the group to have children. In modern times coins alone are hidden within the dish and it's believed to bring good luck for the coming year to those who find one (or more) in their serving. Colcannon also contains cabbage and butter, but many other ingredients can be added to it as well: milk, cream, bacon or ham, and garlic. Like the traditional Christmas pudding with its hidden prizes still served in England, cook up a batch of colcannon, add a few (safe!) lucky charms to it, and enjoy it with your guests after your Samhain rituals are over.

The traditional recipe called for an alarming amount of butter, and as most of us no longer live in sod huts, and with our modern central heating, we really don't need to pile on an excess layer of fat to see us through the colder months till spring. As such, I've reduced the fat content substantially and by browning the onions in a healthy oil (rather than adding them raw as in the original recipe), have maintained a nice hearty flavor in this dish without using multiple cups of butter. Feel free to add to it whatever your hungry heart desires!

Colcannon serves approximately 10 as a generous side dish

six or seven good-sized potatoes (approximately 4 1/2 - 5 pounds), peeled and coarsely chopped

one medium head of green cabbage, chopped or shredded (not too finely)

one medium onion, chopped

3/4 cup milk (approximate)

2-3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

freshly ground black pepper to taste

one pound bacon cooked and cooled or ham cooked the previous day and chopped into small pieces (optional)

Peel the potatoes, coarsely chop them and put them in a medium pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil, cooking until just tender, but not mushy. Drain and mash. Add butter and milk to potatoes and mash until well blended. Adjust the milk so potatoes are neither too wet nor too dry. In a small skillet, place chopped onion in olive oil and saute over low flame until lightly golden in color, adding a bit more olive oil if necessary to keep from sticking. Add to mashed potatoes and pepper to taste. Steam the chopped cabbage just until color darkens slightly. Cabbage should be cooked, but not be mushy. Drain and add to potatoes, mixing thoroughly. An additional pat of butter can be added to each serving in an indentation made on the top of each.

And if you've added any prizes, please eat with care so as not to break any teeth! Enjoy!

Samhain "prize lore" information came in part from The Pagan Book of Halloween by Gerina Dunwich.

Additional information courtesy of Wikipedia.

Photo courtesy of teenytinyturkey on flickr.

Candle Superstitions

Many people around the world think it's extremely unlucky to look at their reflection in a mirror by candlelight on Halloween night (although oddly enough, there's an old witch's ritual of making a wish by candlelight while gazing into a mirror on Halloween night). It was believed that gazing into a mirror lit only by candle(s) -especially a red or black candle- would summon the devil.

A burning candle placed within a carved pumpkin keeps evil spirits and demons away, especially on Samhain night when they are most active walking the earth. This is the basis of the tradition of lighting jack o' lanterns, which began in Ireland with the carving of gourds which were then used as lanterns to not only light a traveler's way, but to keep them safe from the things that go bump in the night.

For good luck burn black and orange candles on Halloween as these are the traditional colors of this sabbat and their color vibrations are at their highest on this day. Always burn new candles on Samhain for this will bring you good luck. And never burn your Samhain candles at any other time of the year as this will bring you bad luck.

If a candle should go out by itself on Halloween, by either wind, breath or an unknown force, it’s believed to be a sign that a ghostly spirit has arrived, so look lively!

Scrying into a candle flame on Halloween night is a good way to divine the future and to receive clairvoyant visions and messages. Or burn a white candle on Halloween, pour the melted wax from it into a cauldron full of cold water and divine the future by reading the patterns formed by the hardened wax floating in the water. There doesn't seem to be any literature on how to read this candle wax, unlike say, tea leaves, so it's up to you to divine the signs!

Burn a new orange candle at the Witching Hour of Midnight on Halloween and let it burn till the sun rises on the morning of November 1st and you will have very good luck, but be sure to burn it safely in a sink or bathtub if you aren't planning to stay up until the sun rises.

Photo courtesy of Me the Wanderer on flickr.

Ivy Leaf Lore

In England, ivy has been used for centuries to divine the future. To foretell if a member of your family is going to die within the next twelve months, write the name of each family member on a leaf of ivy and on Halloween night place the leaves in a bowl of water and go to bed. In the morning, check the leaves: if one is shriveled up, has turned black or dark, or if there is the shape of a coffin marked on any of the leaves, this is believed to be an omen of death for the person whose name is written on that leaf. A leaf with black spots portends sickness, red spots a violent death for that unlucky family member. These events, however, can all be reversed if a wise man with knowledge of protective incantations can be found to magickally help you.

Want to induce dreams of your future love? Place ten ivy leaves beneath your pillow before you go to bed on Halloween night.

Ivy is sacred to Bacchus and Osiris and is said to offer protection against all forms of evil. It's long been used in the art and practice of divination and is ritually paired with holly. It aids in fertility, brings good luck and ensures fidelity. Ivy is a powerful witch's tool, even when it isn't Halloween.

Thanks to The Pagan Book of Halloween by Gerina Dunwich and In Worship of Trees by George Knowles

Tarot

I'm a lazy tarot reader. It would be one thing if I did readings for others on a regular basis, but I don't. I don't charge money for a reading as it isn't my goal to make people pay me to tell them what their cards say. Not that there's anything wrong with doing readings for a living provided you're really paying attention to what the cards are saying. I've been to quite a few people who I could guarantee had no knowledge of the tarot and this was painfully obvious when they told me the usual schtick: you're coming into money, you're going on a trip, anything positive they thought I wanted to hear for my dollar. In fact, in all the years that I have been reading tarot, which is now approaching 28 years, I don't think I've ever once seen these things in my own spreads. While the cards can be pretty issue specific, they aren't that specific. I do read for friends when they ask me, which I very much enjoy doing. But when it comes to myself, most of the time it just seems like too much bother to get out the cards, shuffle them and throw down a spread. It doesn't get more lazy than that.

Every once in a while I'll go through a brief spell of reading a card a day, to see what that day holds for me, but again, that requires the effort of the process and when I am first hitting the floor in the morning, the last thing I usually remember to do is pop out a deck and pick a card, any card. I'm more focused on the trillion and one things I have to do that day and how there isn't ever enough time to get everything done that needs to be done, let alone sit down and spend some time quietly contemplating the card(s). Reading tarot takes concentration, it takes relaxation and a bit of meditation and first thing in the morning that's impossible for me, especially given the fact that I am not even remotely a morning person. I'm lucky to even be ambulatory and recognize my own name before lunchtime.

I do however do a yearly spread on New Year's Day. Many witches who do divination of some sort like to do it on Samhain, a traditional day for that sort of thing, but I started out many years ago doing this on New Year's day and thus it's remained. The witch's New Year is not only a beautiful time for this but an especially potent time for this, but when that calendar ticks over into a fresh new year, it just seems to me that that's the perfect time to see what the coming months have in store for me, not in October. I have kept a journal of these spreads through the years, too. It's not only nice to see what has transpired during this year, but in years past as well. It's a lovely way to mark the changes within me and the passage of my life from year to year. My hopes, my fears, my personal journey all laid out courtesy of the cards that fell on that particular winter afternoon. I was once telling someone how accurate this is, that most of what I read for myself on January 1 actually does come to fruition throughout the year and I was asked how many times I checked during the year to see whether my reading was spot-on or not. I hadn't actually thought about this before and I would guess to a skeptic the idea that I could be reading my own journal periodically throughout the year and subconsciously manipulating the events of my daily life to coincide with what the cards told me on New Year's is a possibility. But I don't do that. In fact, I seldom even read my journal until the following New Year's day when I sit and do my reading for the new year. I admit I will occasionally, if things in my life are especially trying or difficult, take a look at what I predicted and see if this was something that the cards had foretold, but otherwise I never think to check.

Still I wish I had the time, the discipline and the dedication to do regular readings for myself and for those closest to me. It's a beautiful art that I'm thankful to know. And even after nearly three decades, I never cease to be amazed at how intimate and accurate this divination can be in knowledgeable hands.