The autumn equinox is almost upon us, being on the 22nd of September this year. As mentioned in the previous post, it is about contrasts, night and dark, light and dark, inner and outer. This is a time of balance and taking a long hard look at ourselves.

A very good ritual is to spend some time looking over the good and bad of the last year. Write them down. What would you change about any decisions you have made in this time? What do you wish to accomplish in the next year?

This is a highly psychological testing of ones self. In the old days, for those inclined, this would have been a time of vision questing, of looking ahead as well as behind.

This is also a highly practical time for looking at your home and lifestyle, preparing for the winter ahead. Do you have a back-up plan for when the inevitable power cuts happen? Candles, matches, an alternative sounrce of heat. Many older people die due to lack of heating in winter blackouts. It is a good time to make sure elderly neighbours are also prepared. Do you ha=ve a gas cooker, or a camping stove? It is a good time to stock up on tinned provisions and for making sure we have a reliable can opener :D

A check-up at the doctor is a good idea fi you have nopt had an annual MOT. Get a check-up, make sure you are up to date with your medications and you have some salt stored up for icy pathways.

It is a good time to go through your book stores and see what you wish to keep and wish to pass on, either selling or giving to charity.

A spiritual ritual for the equinox is to light a candle or lantern and set it onto water, which is moving away from a shore - so a river or the sea. However, many people complain about candlewax so lanterns may be a better option. This is a symbol of saying farewell to the light, and you can add a promise, wish or blessing with it.

BB

On another note, I have written 3 books. 2 are part of a series set in Scoltand about the Sidhe, fairy folk. Available on kindle and in paperback:

The Island of the Mist is book 2

The Stone in the Sword is book 1

The 3rd book is an adult, sexy witchy werewolf/vampire story set in New York and featuring a strong female lead character, again available in kindle and paperback formats:

The Wolf, the Witch and the Coffin

It’s my favourite time of the year and colour is bursting everywhere! Rowan berries weigh the trees down and leaves are turning reds, golds and oranges. Flowers are still in bloom and the sky is a myriad of unusual colours every day and evening. The earth breathes in before the long cold winter ahead.

It’s a bit chillier up here in the highlands of Scotland, so we have the wood burner on already, just to take the edge off the chill and keep the damp at bay. If the rain would stop long enough we would go foraging for mushrooms and any berries the birds may have left on the bushes.

It is the time of year to take stock of all that has happened of the last year, to weigh our pluses and minuses, to measure our adventure through life. What will we change about ourselves, our life, work and play over the next year?

The Equinox brings that time of looking hard at ourselves, out expectations and stopping anything that isn’t working. It is about the balance of light and dark, positive and negative, of night and day and the initiation process. Do we begin courses now, or look within?

This is one of the most challenging times of year because it requires us to be extremely honest with ourselves and with our lives. We need to know what measures up and to cut what doesn’t.

This is the time of study and that may be, as mentioned, a course, or study into our own psyche.

Good hunting :D

On another note, my second book, The Island of the Mist, is now available on both Kindle and paperback formats:

Kindle: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Island-Mist-Kingslayer-Series-ebook/dp/B0092TUS7U/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1346945410&sr=1-2

And paperback: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Island-Mist-N-Roy/dp/147921292X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346506656&sr=1-2

and in the US: http://www.amazon.com/Island-Mist-N-Roy/dp/147921292X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346946271&sr=1-2&keywords=the+island+of+the+mist

And you can still obtain the first book, The Stone in the Sword: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stone-Sword-ebook/dp/B006ZQIEPG/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1327179005&sr=1-3

Dark of the Moon

Tonight will be the dark of the moon, the night before the new moon. This is a very good time for banishing or ridding yourself of anything you do not want, for contacting the spirit world and for working on any inner issues. It is a very good time for really taking a look at yourself on a spiritual and an emotinional level.

The dark of the moon is a time of transition, of making choices, of stepping into the unknown. Hecate (or Hekate) is the goddess of this 'realm'. She is the keeper of the crossroads and the initiator, and indeed many initiations would be carried out at this time, for mystery schools.

So what can we do at this time of month? Look within. Connect the with dark energy, get to know your dark side (dark does not = evil in this, it is merely the things about ourselves that we keep hidden). This is the time to seek out the hidden within as well as without.

If you are thinking of being intiated into something, this is the best time of the month to do it, right before the new moon.

Blessings of the dark moon.

As you may be aware, I have writtena book, available on kindle and now paperback. It is available in Europe as well as the UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stone-Sword-ebook/dp/B006ZQIEPG/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1327179005&sr=1-3

and the US: http://www.amazon.com/Stone-Sword-Kingslayer-Series-ebook/dp/B006ZQIEPG/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1338752368&sr=1-3

July into August

This is a doing time of year. We want to be outside, moving aout, feeling the sun on our skin and smelling the breeze from the ocean. On the 21st of July we crossed from the Month of the Woodpecker to that of the Salmon. Salmon start their trip from the sea back to the rivers for spawning around this time. It is all about action. What do you need to do? What actions are needing to be carried out in your life at the moment?

We have also entered into the Holly tree from the oak tree. This occurred at the start of July,. the 8th. I always think of the Holly tree asa winter tree, so this surprises me every year!

Today (26th) is also the first quarter of the moon. So this is very much a doing time. If you want to do something, now is a very good chance.

As we approach August and the temperatures rise (or fall in the Southern hem), we come closer to the harvest that is Lughnasadh, or Lammas to many. In the Southern hem this is the time of Imbolc, of new beginnings, of brining Bride back into the home. For us in the north, it is a time of preparing for the winter ahead. We approach, slow and steady, like a galleon on open seas, the darker, colder days and try to make as ready as we can everything we will need to face that.

Lughnasah is about the feast. It is a time of games, of doing, competing and sharing. We need to gather for the coming time of less.

I've already seen chanterelle muchrooms in the woods! Quite early, as are the masses of rwan berries on the trees, a sign that winter will arrive earlier than usual. Many of the berries were already red and abundant, which is, I was always told as a child, a sign of a harsh winter ahead. it's a sign that the trees are trying to send out as many berries as possible to ensure some take and grow.

Bit of a babble this blog! Making things for Lughnasah, from pies and cakes, to stews and breads, cooking is part of the festival of light that is Lughnasadh. If you have children, play games and get them involved, if not, find games you can play yourself!

Enjoy the harvest!

On another note, I have written 3 books. 2 are part of a series set in Scoltand about the Sidhe, fairy folk. Available on kindle and in paperback:

The Island of the Mist is book 2

The Stone in the Sword is book 1

The 3rd book is an adult, sexy witchy werewolf/vampire story set in New York and featuring a strong female lead character, again available in kindle and paperback formats:

The Wolf, the Witch and the Coffin

Healing

Many pagans and witches especially go in for healing. Be it Reiki, Bowen therapy, Alexander Technique, Hypnotherapy, Indian Head Massage, Crystal Healing etc, we all feel the need to heal. One thing many people do not do is heal themselves. As a Reiki master, the first thing we are taught, and teach, is healing yourself. This is what level one is all about. However, I know from experience that lots of us do not bother healing ourselves after this initial period and yet it can be so very beneficial.

Some forms of healing are not practical to do on yourself, Shiatsu for example, but for those of us who have been taught a form of healing that we can do on ourselves, why do we not bother with ourselves?

We are all very good at preaching but practising what we preach can be a great deal harder. While we may have excuses for not healing ourselves, such as time, tiredness etc, we know they are just that, excuses. |If we are really not well then no, we cannot heal ourselves but when we first start to feel that cold coming on, or fatigue etc, it is worth sitting ourselves down for a few minutes and offering our body what it needs, a little bit of TLC.

Another thing we can do for ourselves is taking ten minutes a day to re-connect with self. Meditating, yoga, taking a walk outside or just relaxing in a bath for this short amount of time is vital for our physical and emotional wellbeing, as well as our spiritual growth.

Meditation can be especially beneficial - 10 minutes can equate to an hours sleep. Stretching can increase stamina, flexibility and circulation of blood and oxygen through our body. Just ten minutes walking will give you fresh air and make you feel more connected with the earth and ground you!

Blessings,

I have written a book:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stone-Sword-ebook/dp/B006ZQIEPG/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1327179005&sr=1-3

and in the US:
http://www.amazon.com/Stone-Sword-Kingslayer-Series-ebook/dp/B006ZQIEPG/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1338752368&sr=1-3

Spells - how to do them - intro

Many of us want to do a spell but don't know where to begin. There are so many books out there that talk about spells but how do we go about making our own?

Magic is about affecting change in, hopefully, a positive way. We are trying to bring something into our lives, or remove something from our life, depending on which part of the moon phase we work with.

First things first. Intent. You cannot simply ask for money. You need to have a goal for the money in the first place - 'I really need money to pay this bill/buy this car/repay this friend' etc.

Same for anything else - 'I want this job, as long as it is right for me' or 'keep my home safe'.

Think about what you want and have a particular request. Vague = no result.

Using planetary magice can boost your request, so you think about what you want, say a promotion or new job. Jupiter is the Planet of success/career and legal matters, so you would work your spell on a thursday. A royal blue candle would be used and cedar/nutmeg etc would be the oil/incense. If you are using candle magic, run the oil onto the coloured candle (beeswax is better for your health and the environment, as it doesn't contain paraffin).

Think about your goal as you rub the oil along the length of the candle. You can ask your patron god/dess, angel or whomever you work with, or simply ask Jupiter (god and planet) for this. see yourself getting that promotion/new job. See yourself happy and doing the work. Light the candle and hold it, continuing your visualisation.

Do this for several nights of the growing moon (if it is a waning moon, you could ask for obstactles to your goal to be removed (as long as it harms none and doesn't remove relationships you want to maintain)). Remember that you can work with either phase of the moon, just think about it in a specific way. You want to bring new, healthy approaches into your life, waxing moon. You want to lose weight or stop smoking - waning moon etc.

On the last night, bind the spell. you could do this every night but it seems more logical to do this on the last night, as the spell is then complete.

Starhawk has a good binding a spell in her book, The Spiral Dance - 'When you have finished casting a spell, visualise yourself tying a knot in a cord wrapped around the symbol or image on which you have focused. Tell yourself you are setting the form of the spell....Say,
By all the power
Of three times three,
This spell bound around
Shall be.
To cause no harm,
Nor return to me.
As I do will,
So mote it be!'

This should be done when the candle has burned down completely. you can thrown any remains in a fire if you have access.

Then let the spell go. Do not keep thinking about it. You have put it out there.

Whether you use candle magic, cord magic, talismans or whatever form the spell takes, binding it completes it and states to the universe that this is what you wish to bring into your life (or the life of a friend).

Intent is key.

On another note, I have written 3 books. 2 are part of a series set in Scoltand about the Sidhe, fairy folk. Available on kindle and in paperback:

The Island of the Mist is book 2

The Stone in the Sword is book 1

The 3rd book is an adult, sexy witchy werewolf/vampire story set in New York and featuring a strong female lead character, again available in kindle and paperback formats:

The Wolf, the Witch and the Coffin

Give thanks and get tactile!

Giving thanks is not the first thing many pagans think of, except at the end of a ritual, thanking any beings that have been asked to attend.

At this time of year especially, when food is so abundant and the weather is (hopefully) half decent, it is a good time to give thanks. Thanks for the bounty, for the sunshine, for the fresh air and the people you love around you.

This is also a psychological benefit, especially for people who are suffering depression or are in a rut. thinking about what you have, rather than what you don't have can be uplifting and have a positive effect on the way you view yourself and life around you.

Whenever I am down because life has thrown me a whammy, I like to think that ok, this sucks, but at least I have...

The gods honour us in so many ways, it's nice to think about them and offer a small prayer or offering.

Something else that I love about this time of year is the abundance of food. Most pagans I know love their food. I am no exception and finger food is one of the most sensual, enjoyable ways to eat at this time of year. Summer is an especially good time, as we are less likely to be having soups/stews/casseroles, and more likely to be having salads/burgers/fajitas/hummus/strawberries etc. getting your hands on your food, especailly at a barbeque is a wonderful way of feeling closer to your food, to nature and adds a new dimension to the food itself.

My book is now available in paperback as well as Kindle. It is aimed at early teens as well as adults, so if you know anyone who might be interested, please pass the links on. Thank you and have a wonderful summer!

Here is the link and the description:

Kindle:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Stone-Sword-N-Roy/dp/1477466347/ref=tmm_pap_title_0/279-1528994-5900510?ie=UTF8&qid=1327179005&sr=1-3

Paperback:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Stone-Sword-N-Roy/dp/1477466347/ref=tmm_pap_title_0/279-1528994-5900510?ie=UTF8&qid=1327179005&sr=1-3

Description:
"The Old Ones wove the light of the world into that small stone, a part of the primordial fire from whence everything formed. That small stone has the power to end everything as we know it"

16 year old Charlie Larson leaves California for 6 weeks in the Scottish Highlands. Before long he is thrust into a new world of magic, myth and mystical beings where he is the only person who can rescue his kidnapped brother and save the human world!

Taken from Celtic/Scottish lore, this story weaves the modern world into the fabric of the Sidhe (fairy) world in rural Scotland.