Avalon Ravenmoon's Internet BoS

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Avalon Ravenmoon
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Post by Avalon Ravenmoon »

Everyday Magic

Everyday magic, to me, is magic that is "mundane", or the mundane in the "magic". It's things we do everyday with just a touch of magic. Sometimes they end up having more powerful results than ritual or other types of magic, because we are able to put in equal parts "above and below" that is, equal parts mundane and magic. By walking with one step in each realm day-to-day, a certain kind of balance is achieved.

In my mind, a witch is someone who knows magic is real, who intuitively feels it all around and uses it, sometimes even unconsciously. The witch intuitively understands "as above, so below". They feel the power of coincidences they manifested. They see the threads that tie everything together in the great web, and the acknowledge that they can weave their will into it. They know the importance of personal alchemy and the power of the mind, of ritual.
In my case, I feel that working with nature's cycles is a powerful way of living the craft. A huge part of working with the cycle is accepting it as a whole. It sounds far-off to some, but the craft can help one realize their purpose, and it can also help them see the sacred in what's already there - in the mundane.

Anyway, that was my little rant on magic of the everyday. Now for how to work with it. A lot of these are small things, but for me, they've actually made a huge difference. Doing everyday magic put joy, purpose, and of course magic! in to so many things in my life that previously just felt like burdens (I used to be really annoyed by housework/cleaning, now I kind of look forward to it tbh).

Cleansing and Cleaning
When cleaning the self or your space, whether it be at home, work, or a local park, take this opportunity to focus your magic on clearing away baneful energies. This is one of the simplest ways to do magic because we often do some sort of cleaning on a daily basis (whether we're showering, decluttering, whatever).
  • ~You can shower in the elements. In the past I have visualized each of the elements raining down on me in the shower and using each of their unique attributes to rid of psychic garbage.
    ~You can clean in circle/ritual. All the while thinking of all the harm you are clearing away and the abundance you are inviting in instead.
    ~If you are washing something (dishes, tabletops and other surfaces, windows, walls, mirrors, etc) not only can you use a homemade blend of water, lemon and an essential oil or two (make sure to research which ones are safe for your surface), but you can wash thrice widdershins thinking "I banish all harmful energies" and wash thrice deosil thinking "and invite blessings" or use "positive/negative energies" if you prefer. I do this all the time when I'm washing dishes or anything else (I often don't use a special blend by the way and it still works great)
    ~Sometimes before I clean I will light a candle (or several) and consider the act of cleaning a symbol of my devotion to living a life of magic, of constant transformation and growth, of not giving up. In the past I've been so ill and depressed I went days without showering or cleaning - I made no effort to do anything. I'd just cry and debate whether or not I was going to kill myself. I didn't even feel worthy of cleaning, of knowing beauty or joy or anything remotely close to human. Now when I do anything that shows my gratitude for life I consider it an example of my growth on my path.
Daily Prayer
For some pagans this one sort of goes without saying. I have always enjoyed prayer. It's comforting and formal feeling to light a candle at the altar before a daily prayer, and I do it often. However, I don't think it's entirely necessary to pray to have to communicate with deity. I have always felt that I am in constant communication with deity throughout the day, whenever I think to myself, I am almost always thinking of deity as well. I have just always felt and heard Spirit.That in itself is magical to me. However, if I want to put more energy into it, I will go to my altar and do what I think of as a formal or ritual prayer. Usually as an everyday prayer, it is more an act of thanking and/or honouring Spirit rather than communicating back-and-forth or anything else.

Sprinkling Magic into Everyday Activities
  • ~I'll admit to casting circle in my kitchen with a fork. A spoon would have been nicer, but I was using a fork to stir my pot at the time. Before cooking I will light a candle too. Like cleaning, I will stir widdershins to banish negativity from my cooking and deosil to invoke blessings. I don't have a lot of herbs, but the ones I do have I will use with intention in my cooking (even if that just means three sprinkles of salt for protection). I use numerology as well (usually tossing it in by threes) and drawing runes or other symbols over top.
    ~Making a protection amulet for the door and stating an intention/prayer to be protected throughout the day once you leave the house can be really effective. I sort of visualize it like the doorway has a film of something like a bubble on it and once I pass through it envelopes me like a certain....balloon of protection, if you will. :lol: Sounds ridiculous, but it works like a charm. :surprisedwitch:

Simple Visualizations for Everyday Situations
  • ~In the mornings or before doing something that may tend to be emotionally draining/stressing for you (like maybe social interactions for my fellow anxious witches?), boost your witches shield (visualize it strengthening and affirm in your head) or try "zipping yourself up" like your in a giant zip up hoodie. There's so many visualizations for protection and they can be as simple or elaborate as you please.
Avalon Ravenmoon
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Post by Avalon Ravenmoon »

Nature's Cycles and the Wheel
Avalon Ravenmoon
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Post by Avalon Ravenmoon »

Spell and Ritualcrafting

This post will be on how I go about crafting spells and rituals.

1. PURPOSE ~ Determine purpose of the spell or ritual. If it's a spell, what is the goal? If it is a ritual, is it a ritual of celebration? Honouring? Thanksgiving? To mark endings/beginnings of lifestyles, habits, etc.? If you are having a difficult time focusing on a specific intention, consult god/goddess/guides, or use divination to help clarify your desire.

2. TIMING ~ Consider when might be a good time to perform the rite. Check your calendar or datebook. If you want to do a spell for abundance, consider whether you want to perform it as the moon waxes or when it is full, or if you want to do it on a Thursday or a Friday (depending on your associations - I associate Thursday with Thor, Jupiter, vigilance, stability/security, health, and it's also my payday.
But perhaps Friday is when I feel more "abundant"). There may be a Sabbat or other sort of special day coming up that would be a perfect time to do a spell for abundance. Sometimes, goddess chooses the time for me, or the right timing comes to me in some other form (divination).

3. PLANNING ~ Now is the juicy part.

Firstly, consider why you need to the spell or ritual. Yes you decided your focus, but why do you need this? If you are doing a spell for abundance, there's likely a lack of abundance. Why is this? And what have you done to fight it? Maybe you've done everything you can, but there's some kind of blockage. This is where divination and/or talking to deity/guides or meditating can help. You may need to try a spell to remove the blockage before you can do a spell to manifest this new thing in your life. It's a lot more helpful if you know what the blockage is. There's also road-opener spells that you may find useful.

Secondly, if it's a spell, what kind of spell is it going to be? Are you going to use candle magic, a sachet, poppet, witches' bottle/jar, a chanting spell, a simple visualization done in circle? Are you going to do a petition? When I'm planning the type of spell I want to do, I always think of what I already have that corresponds with my goal. If I don't really have anything that I feel corresponds, I might just write a chant for circle, create a sigil, and/or do a simple candle spell. There's a rune or pre-existing symbol for just about any goal, but if there isn't there's always the art of sigilcraft!

Planning a ritual can take a little more effort, because if I am writing a specific ritual I want it to be special. Specially crafted so that I get the most out of it. I will plan Sabbat and Esbat rituals by re-researching the sabbat/esbat, journaling about what it means to me and thinking about how it correlates to my life in this turn of the wheel, and then considering what it is about the sabbat I wish to invoke. Then considering if I want to write a circlecasting, quarter calls, extra chants or invocations especially for just this ritual, and what other specific acts I might want to perform in ritual (if not a spell, a meditation, a prayer, maybe just writing or painting)

4. PREPARATION ~ This stage can be simple or complex. It gets complicated if there are many things you wish to incorporate. Take for example an extravagant Samhain ritual with the works - decorations, spells for the heart of the ritual, divination for the year ahead, homemade libations, etc. If it's a little candle spell, there may not be much more preparation than digging the candle out of a drawer and doing a grounding/centering exercise before beginning.

5. COMPLETION and MAGICAL RECORD KEEPING ~ Finally, you get to do the thing. But that's not all. After you've cast the spell or performed the ritual, record it. I don't always care about writing down the planning process for my spells or rituals. I will often do all the defining purpose and planning stuff in my head, maybe only writing down the spell itself (assuming it's a chant or something). But I do think it's important to write down when you've done a spell. It's been so helpful because I am very forgetful and while I might remember doing a spell for something and how it felt in circle, I might remember some of the wording I used for an invocation, but I won't be able to recall the nitty gritty details. Also if I'm doing a lot of magic in a short amount of time, my memory gets muddled, so going back to my binder I can see everything I've done recently and even just glancing at the titles reminds me. This may not be necessary for everyone, but I'm the type of person who will make "mini-spells" for one big spell, as in I will do a banishing poverty spell during a waning moon and then an abundance spell on the full moon and they will be part of the same overall working. Doing spells this way has been effective for me, but it does make it difficult to remember what was done when and how and why without magical record keeping. Also, it's nice to see a catalogue of my personal craft history.

Later I will add my spell and ritual checklists that I use for planning and how I record my spells and rituals when I have completed them.
Avalon Ravenmoon
Posts: 51
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Post by Avalon Ravenmoon »

Past Lives and Animals

When it comes to the afterlife, I don't claim to have everything all figured out. I've had experiences that I would consider to be "paranormal" as in seeing/speaking/feeling those who have passed on - and I don't doubt others who say they've had such experiences. This is because as a pagan witch who does cross the hedge from time to time, I understand what it's like to have an experience with a non-physical entity.
I also know that despite this, there is no way to actually prove these personal experiences. I am open to them being true beings, as well manifestations of aspects of the psyche. I don't think those things are mutually exclusive either.

That being said, I haven't actively done any sort of past-life work or past-life regression. I did however have a past-life "experience" recently, and now that I think of it, as a child I had many more past-life memories that I later chalked up to a result of the collective unconscious coming through.

In any case, my past-life memories I've had in adulthood came through during a lower realm meditation to connect with a power animal. In going through the roots of the world tree and into the earth, I found myself in the womb, and then coming out of the womb or the cold earth as a couple different beings. One was four-legged, I believe to be a white tiger. The other was a woman in the colonial era.

After that I had some encounters with various animals guides that were quite different experiences than when I was the tiger.

I was curious after the meditation and decided to use my pendulum to get some answers, because I feel it is the best divination tool for clear-cut questions and answers. I asked it if I was a white tiger in a past life, and it said yes. I then asked if some of the other animals I saw were my power animals, it told me no they were not my power animals but different guides. So my journey to learn my power animal continues.

I don't know where I was going with this entry, just felt like documenting my experiences on this topic, and I also felt like sharing the tip about the pendulum! If you're reading this, and you aren't sure about your past-life or spirit guides, try divination! I'm glad I recently got a pendulum, because I know I wouldn't have gotten as clear answers with my tarot or oracle decks. So use whatever divination tool is clearest and most accurate for you to help decipher meditations, past life ones or otherwise. So nifty! :flyingwitch:
Avalon Ravenmoon
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Post by Avalon Ravenmoon »

Just thought I'd put my notes here on what's been interesting me as of late, which has been incorporating the wisdom of myth and legend into my practice within the ritual. More specifically, incorporating the energy of mythical and legendary beings and beasts, such as dragons. That's right, dragon magic!

What is dragon magic?

~Working with dragons in the astral (dragon guardians and guides) and/or summoning dragon magic in a circle (the elemental dragons, for example). There are some widely accepted names for the elemental dragons that I believe were originally brought to the masses attention through the works of DJ Conway - however, I cannot confirm this).

~Some say Goddess dragon is red, God dragon is gold. I don't subscribe to this necessarily, but lots of websites refer to these dragons. It may be an interesting exercise to not only try to connect with these specific dragons, but also the elemental dragons (Sairys[air], Fafnir[fire], Naelyon[water], and Grael[Earth])

~I have done astral work with dragons in the past. As a child, I imagined I had dragon eggs, and I would care for them and raise them once the dragons hatched, then sent the dragons out into the world.
In later years, I did a few meditations to meet dragons. The first I met was some sort of turquoise air drake, the other was a white lunar dragon. I also met a dragon with angel-like wings of feathers when I was connecting to my personal guardian of air for my circles.
This Chant is designed specifically for use with a Dragon Partner and draconic energies, It allows you to charge tools and/or spell components for magical purposes by combining your personal energies with those of your Dragon friend(s). This chant should be repeated at least 9 times or until you "feel" and internal signal to stop. While you are chanting (or in between repeats) you should visualize your own energies flowing into the "target" object as well as energy coming in from those Dragons who have answered your call for assistance.



The Chant:



Dragons of Power, Dragons of Light,

Dragons of Wisdom, Dragons of Might!

Lend me your magic; Lend me your aid

Lend me your guidance as this spell is made! -http://www.geocities.ws/dragonmagician/
Avalon Ravenmoon
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Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2017 2:42 pm
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Location: Ontario, Canada

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Post by Avalon Ravenmoon »

Image

An Oak Prayer for the Celtic Tree Month of Oak (Duir)
June 10th - July 7th
Avalon Ravenmoon
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Post by Avalon Ravenmoon »

A Triple Circlecasting by Avalon RavenMoon

1st Pass: "I cast this circle by air, fire, water and earth,
honouring the cycle of life, death and rebirth."

2nd Pass: "I cast this circle with my guides and guardians by my side,
Each and every moon, from Imbolc to Yuletide."

3rd Pass: "I cast this circle in god and goddess light,
with perfect love and trust my soul burns bright."
Avalon Ravenmoon
Posts: 51
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Post by Avalon Ravenmoon »

Elemental Quarter Call by Avalon RavenMoon

North: "Gnomes of earth, I invoke thee,
& powers of protection and prosperity,
I open the faerie portal and invite you in,
to join my circle so the magic can begin."

East: "Sylphs of air, I invoke thee,
Faeries of knowledge with delicate wings,
I open the faerie portal and invite you in,
to join my circle so the magic can begin."

South: "Salamanders of fire, I invoke thee,
Givers of passion and creativity,
I open the faerie portal and invite you in,
to join my circle so the magic can begin."

West: "Undines of water, I invoke thee,
Merfolk of healing and love from the sea,
I open the faerie portal and invite you in,
to join my circle so the magic can begin."

To Release: "(Elemental) of (element), I release thee,
& give thanks for the gifts you give to me,
As I begin to close the portal to faerie,
I thank you for joining my magic sanctuary."
Avalon Ravenmoon
Posts: 51
Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2017 2:42 pm
Gender: Female
Location: Ontario, Canada

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Post by Avalon Ravenmoon »

Just posted my favourite circlecasting and quarter calls that I've written.
I haven't used these threads much because I was inspired to start a blog near the start of 2020, so aspects of my journey is over there at
(link removed)
Avalon Ravenmoon
Posts: 51
Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2017 2:42 pm
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Location: Ontario, Canada

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Post by Avalon Ravenmoon »

I'm sad to say my "blog of shadows" on blogspot was deleted due to "copyright issues".
I emailed blogspot for answers, as I always sourced all outside material and never breached any copyright laws as far as I'm concerned. It is a possibility, but I did go out of my way to avoid this issue.

In any case, I'll be posting more things here as I work on building a new blog.
Avalon Ravenmoon
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Post by Avalon Ravenmoon »

How Diana Made the Moon and Stars

(I'm sharing this legend from Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches, because Diana is one of the two primary goddesses that I work with).

"Diana was the first created before all creation; in her were all things; out of herself, the first darkness, she divided herself; into darkness and light she was divided. Lucifer, her brother and son, herself and her other half, was the light.

A modern depiction of a Moon Goddess by fantasy artist Josephine Wall The moon goddess wears a veil of stars and cradles the moon in her arms as the moons warm glow covers the earth.
And when Diana saw that the light was so beautiful, the light which was her other half, her brother Lucifer, she yearned for it with exceeding great desire. Wishing to receive the light again into her darkness, to swallow it up in rapture, in delight, she trembled with desire. This desire was the Dawn.

But Lucifer, the light, fled from her, and would not yield to her wishes; he was the light which files into the most distant parts of heaven, the mouse which flies before the cat.

Then Diana went to the fathers of the Beginning, to the mothers, the spirits who were before the first spirit, and lamented unto them that she could not prevail with Lucifer. And they praised her for her courage, they told her that to rise she must fall; to become the chief of goddesses she must become a mortal.

And in the ages, in the course of time, when the world was made, Diana went on earth, as did Lucifer, who had fallen, and Diana taught magic and sorcery, whence came witches and fairies and goblins--all that is like man, yet not mortal.

And it came thus that Diana took the form of a cat. Her brother had a cat whom he loved beyond all creatures, and it slept every night on his bed, a cat beautiful beyond all other creatures, a fairy: he did not know it.

Diana prevailed with the cat to change forms with her, so she lay with her brother, and in the darkness assumed her own form, and so by Lucifer became the mother of Aradia. But when in the morning he found that he lay by his sister, and that light had been conquered by darkness, Lucifer was extremely angry; but Diana sang to him a spell, a song of power, and he was silent, the song of the night which soothes to sleep; he could say nothing. So Diana with her wiles of witchcraft so charmed him that he yielded to her love. This was the first fascination, she hummed the song, it was as the buzzing of bees (or a top spinning round), a spinning-wheel spinning life. She spun the lives of all men; all things were spun from the wheel of Diana. Lucifer turned the wheel.

Diana was not known to the witches and spirits, the fairies and elves who dwell in desert place, the goblins, as their mother; she hid herself in humility and was a mortal, but by her will she rose again above all. She had such passion for witchcraft, and became so powerful therein, that her greatness could not be hidden.

All those who were present said--

"If thou canst do such a strange thing, having risen to such power, thou shalt be our queen."

Diana went into the street; she took the bladder of an ox and a piece of witch-money, which has an edge like a knife--with such money witches cut the earth from men's foot-tracks--and she cut the earth, and with it and many mice she filled the bladder, and blew into the bladder till it burst.

And there came a great marvel, for the earth which was in the bladder became the round heaven above, and for three days there was a great rain; the mice became stars or rain. And having made the heaven and the stars and the rain, Diana became Queen of the Witches; she was the cat who ruled the star-mice, the heaven and the rain."

From Charles Leland, Aradia: or the Gospel of the Witches. 1890.
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