UNESCO: Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity – 2008 URL: www.unesco.org Description: The Ifa divination system, which makes use of an extensive corpus of texts and mathematical formulas, is practiced among Yoruba communities and by the African diaspora in the Americas and the Caribbean. The word Ifa refers to the mystical figure Ifa or Orunmila, regarded by the Yoruba as the deity of wisdom and intellectual development. In contrast to other forms of divination in the region that employ spirit mediumship, Ifa divination does not rely on a person having oracular powers but rather on a system of signs that are interpreted by a diviner, the Ifa priest or babalawo, literally the priests father. The Ifa divination system is applied whenever an important individual or collective decision has to be made. The Ifa literary corpus, called odu, consists of 256 parts subdivided into verses called ese, whose exact number is unknown as they are constantly increasing (there are around 800 ese per odu). Each of the 256 odu has its specific divination signature, which is determined by the babalawo using sacred palm-nuts and a divination chain. The ese, considered the most important part of Ifa divination, are chanted by the priests in poetic language. The ese reflect Yoruba history, language, beliefs, cosmovision and contemporary social issues. The knowledge of Ifa has been preserved within Yoruba communities and transmitted among Ifa priests. Under the … Video Rating: 4 / 5
As some of you may know, I have been in Cambodia volunteering at an community based ecotourism project, which aims to give money and benefits to the local community whilst helping preserve the elephants and the forest. This is the second time I have been to Cambodia and I really love it, and it was partly this that made me choose to get my first tattoo there.
I got two dragons forming a heart shape (based on the Anne Stokes Dragon Heart Pendant), and in the middle the Cambodian letter for ‘J’ which is the initial of my wonderful dog Jumble who passed away last year at the grand old age of 17. This simultaneously allowed me to express my love for my dog as well as Cambodia, in a form which reassures me, making me feel like Jumble is still with me in some way.
Tattoos are an amazing way of marking something powerful upon our bodies, the planning and even the pain of the tattoo contribute to the significance of the finished product. By blessing your tattoo you can add powerful energy to the tattoo, perhaps using it for protection, courage, or strength, and also as a way to keep linked to someone who is no longer here.
This spell has been written with honouring a dead loved one in mind, but can easily be adapted to suit your tattoo.
Wait for a new moon (when the moon is at it’s smallest)
Buy or make some holy or blessed water
Bring a black and a white candle (symbolising the cycle of life and death)
Bring some incense (Ideally Frankincense for it’s ability to bless, purify, aid meditation and give power and courage)
Get some Frankincense oil to anoint yourself with
If applicable take a photo or keepsake of the dead loved one you would like to honour
Go to a quiet place, light your candles and incense and sprinkle your holy water around you saying, I bless and consecrate this space. Meditate for a few minutes upon the keepsake or photo of your loved one. Think clearly of your intention, in this case for the tattoo to be a bond to my dog, and also to give me strength and courage in my everyday life.
The ouroboros or uroboros (/?j??r??b?r?s, ?j??ro?-/, from the Greek ????????? ???? tail-devouring snake) is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail.
Take the essential oil and add a few drops to your holy water. If you have an wand you may wish to stir the water with it, but if not just using your finger is fine. Then anoint your tattoo with a holy symbol. (Make sure it is fully healed first or the oil could irritate the tattoo!) I have chosen ouroborous for it’s connotations with life, death and rebirth, and also with it’s links for healing. The picture shows the ouroborous snake interweaved with a pentagram which is beautiful, but as my tattoo is on my back I will just do a circle!
“Oh high ones hear my call
Grant that this sacred and powerful
Marking upon and within my body
Be consecrated in honour of my loved one ………(insert name here)**
As a sign of our never ending bond
As a talisman of courage and power”
At this point think about the sign you have anointed your tattoo with, and if a loved one signified by the tattoo, think of them too, and imagine a part of their spirit flowing into the ink. If the tattoo is not of a loved one but perhaps a totem animal or something, imagine this thing coming partly to life on your body, drawing down energy from the new moon.
As you are filled with energy, begin to chant..
“Fill me with your magickal power
Your love, your truth, and courage at this hour
Bring me strength, bring me protection
Guide me in the right direction”
Repeat this a few times till you feel sufficient energy has flowed into you and your tattoo, finish by saying
“To seal this tattoo as symbol of eternity and love
I ask this favour from above. So mote it be!”
The spell is finished and now you can feel happy in the knowledge that you have added to the power and meaningfulness of your tattoo, as well as perhaps strengthened a bond with a loved one.
I’d love it if anyone would like to share a picture of any special tattoo that they have had done, please feel free to post a link to your pic, or if you’d like me to put it directly in the article let me know and I will!
Here are my top 5 Wiccan Supplies that I couldn’t live without!.
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Spell Candles
If you’ve read much of my blog you won’t be surprised to see spell candles in my top five Wiccan supplies! Not only are candles beautiful and atmospheric, they are inexpensive, and a great way to add extra power to your spells, rituals and meditations. By choosing a candle with a colour suitable for your spell, it can really set the tone. Candles are also great as they enable you to draw magickal symbols and sigils into the candle. Check here if you’d like to try some candle magick. There are many stores that carry different candle packs and even Amazon carries a set of Mixed Colour Spell Candles which are great for topping up your spell and ritual kits, particularly as you can specify which colours you need!
Incense
Again if you’ve read much of what I wrote you’ll know how much I love Incenseand the power that it brings. Something about smells seem to bypass much of the conscious thought process, I’m sure you’ve had it where you’ve smelled something that reminded you poignantly of someone or some time in your past – before you even had to think about it. The power of smells on the subconscious is what makes me so fond of incense since it can evoke emotions and mental states, perfect for spell casting and also relaxation, meditation and even invigoration.
Incense sticks are handy for trying out a new fragrance as they are inexpensive, but tree and plant resin incenses are ideal for serious use due to the strength and intensity of the smells, also I like the way they come from nature, I feel this adds extra power to any spell. One of my favourite joss stick fragrances is Satya Sai Baba Nag Champa Incense Sticks
for it’s exotic and mysterious scent. My two favourite tree and plant resin incenses are Premium Dark Amber for it’s ability to help wash away sad thoughts and feelings, and Francincense for it’s versatility, being able to be used for meditation, purification, luck and consecration as well as for blessing, energy, strength, visions, healing, meditation, power and courage!
Herbs
Hops Flowers
Being a hedge witch at heart, I love using things that come from nature, particularly herbs in healing, spells and rituals. Herbs can be used within spells, mixed into holy water, sprinkled in a place that you want to cleanse or bring energies to, or even popped into a little bag which you can keep with you, perhaps to give you confidence, or help you with having prophetic or lucid dreams, or astral travelling.
To help me sleep I sometimes use Hop Flowers
in a small organza bag near my pillow. When I want to have prophetic dreams I use a mixture of Star Anise, Yarrow and a few Hops flowers. Yarrow also makes a tasty tea which helps to increase your psychic awareness!
Crystals
Botswana Pink Agate
As well as being absolutely stunning and fascinating to look at, crystals possess useful powers, making them ideal for a Wiccan supplies kit. Sometimes I like to focus the energy of my spell into a crystal, (choosing one with suitable properties for the purpose of the spell) and then carry the crystal or gemstone with me till the spell has been sucessful.
Crystals can help focus the mind, and I still wear my blue sodalite bracelet which I bought for studying, as it helps to clear the mind and help you to think objectively. Rose quartz is my healing stone of choice, and can be got in tumblestones, wands or pendulums. Citrine is well known for it’s ability to encourage wealth, and a recent customer of mine advised me to put some in my wealth corner of my house (the furthest left corner of your home away from your door) as she says it works well for her, I’ll be trying this shortly, thanks for the tip! 🙂
Meditation Tools
Tibetan Singing Bowl for Meditation
As any Wiccan knows, being a witch is not just about doing spells and rituals, it’s also (in fact much more) about living your life in a good and happy way, doing the best you can for others and yourself. To be able to do this it’s important to have a clear and calm mind – at least some of the time! I often find a lot of mental chatter rattling around in my brain, so meditation is a vital tool for me. It helps me sleep, helps me when I am feeling tired or stressed, and also helps me to connect to my psychic side, particularly through being able to calm the mind.
I’ve already mentioned the value of frankincense and other incenses in meditation, but something else I use a lot is guided meditation apps and videos from YouTube which help me to calm the inner chatter!
What are your favourite Wiccan Supplies and tools? What do you use them for? Let me know! 🙂
Given that I just wrote a post about the Wiccan Rede and the Rule of Three, the later of which states that everything you do good or bad will come back to you threefold, I thought what a good time to post a link to the hunger site. By clicking the picture below, the sponsors of the hunger site will donate one cup of food. You can only click that one once a day, but if you are keen to do more there are other links on the site which allow you to click more in one day, feeding more people.
It’s a really good, quick and easy way to do something nice for someone else so please get clicking!! You can also like the site with your facebook profile, and maybe even post a link there to spread the word. If people buy stuff from the shop then even more food gets donated. You can take a look on the site to see how many cups of food have been donated each day, yesterday it was an impressive 202 310 cups! xx
One of the most wonderful things (as I see it) about Paganism is the freedom to make up your own rules to live, as long as you aim to be a good person. The other notable teaching is the rule of three, that which you do comes back to you threefold. I found this lovely artwork and poem about the Wiccan Rede, so thought I would share it here with you. Just in case you have problems viewing the picture, I will write it here as well.
Wiccan Rede Poem
I do not know the author of the artwork or poem, so if that is you please let me know so that I can give you credit!
The words for those unable to see the picture:
Bide the Wicccan Law ye must,
In perfect love and perfect trust.
Eight words the Wiccan Rede Fulfull:
An’ ye harm none, do what ye will.
What ye send forth comes back to thee
So ever mind the law of three
Follow this with mind and heart,
Merry ye meet, and merry ye part.
Wow so beautiful and well put! Do you have any Wiccan, Pagan or nature poetry that you’d like to share? I’d love to hear it!!
Making a spell from scratch is a great way to create something really powerful, but to do this, its best to use the correct magickal correspondences, such as finding out which day of the week is best for your particular spell, which colour candle to use, how to choose incense for your spell, and what part of the lunar cycle to do it on.
Not only can you find out about magickal correspondances but also lots of tips about how to craft a spell and how to make it effective. I really welcome feedback and suggestions so if you think that I have missed things out or have any ideas on improving what I have written then please do comment or email me.
I’m sometimes asked if my pendants are magickally charged. Whilst I believe that symbols that have been used for a long time, gather significance, and a magick of their own, the pendants do not come precharged by a person.
So in this blog post I’m going to tell you how to magickally charge your own Pagan, Wiccan, Buddhist or other alternative jewellery and symbols. .
Mermaid and Dolphin for Harmony and Happiness
First, think about what it is you want the talisman to help you with. For instance, if you have the Mermaid and Dolphin for Harmony and Happiness you may just want overall happiness and harmony, or perhaps you have a particular situation that you want happiness and harmony to come to, such as your family life
Think of a positive way to state your intention, for general happiness you could say: “This pendant brings harmony and happiness into my life.”
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For a particular situation such as family life, you could say: “This pendant brings harmony and happiness to my family life.” .
Next, find out the magickal correspondances that match your desire – ie the best day of the week to do the spell, the correct colours and so on. .
In this case you would pick: Friday, as it is associated with family, harmony and friendship The Waxing Moon: Because you want to attract harmonious energies Lilac: as it is associated with inner healing, calmness and tranquility OR
Light Blue: for its associations with peace and harmony .
High Celtic Cross Charm for Guidance and Protection
Get a spell candle in your chosen colour. .
Make or getsome blessed water to cleanse and purify the pendant, leaving it ready for you to imprint your magickal charge. .
You may wish to get herbs to add extra power to the spell, in this case Aniseed, Jasmine Flowers or Meadowsweet would work well. .
I highly recommend getting or making someincense as fragrances have a very powerful effect on our subconscious. Jasmine, Lavender, Rose and Orange are all connected with happiness and peace. Vanilla is for granting wishes and promotes a positive vibe
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Ok, now you have all the equipment and preparation you need to magickally charge your pendant. Now it’s time to begin.
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Light your candle and incense. .
Step 2 is optional, but something I find really helps to add power to spells. ..
Wheel of Taranis Charm for Strength and Courage
To raise magickal energy I like to cast a sacred circle, then stand in the middle, taking deep breaths and imagining my self rooting into the ground like a tree. Then I stretch my hands upwards and imagine they are reaching up to the sky. Hopefully you will begin to feel energy flowing through you, but don’t worry if you don’t. You can then imagine a circle of swirling energy growing in strength between your outstreched arms. .
Now that you have raised your energy, get your blessed water. If you have some herbs you can mix them into the water. .
Sprinkle some of your blessed water on the talisman and say three times
“I cleanse, bless and consecrate this pendant” .
Take your jewellery in your hand and stare at your candle, repeating your intention. Imagine the positive energy flowing into your pendant. Try to visualise the successful achievement of your pendant helping you, whether that is having happy times with your family, generally enjoying life or whatever .
Keep doing this until you feel the pendant is charged. .
Finally say: ‘An it harm none, so mote it be!’ .
Close your sacred circle if you opened one, and now you are done!
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Your pendant is now magickally charged, all you have to do now is wear it regularly, the more you wear it the more attuned to you, and thus the stronger it will become. .
I hope you enjoyed this article, as with everything, these are just suggestions, so if you feel like changing something or doing something differently, then give it a go!
Let me know how it goes and please leave your comments below!
StormJewel x
Anne Stokes Dragon Love for Brave & Tranquil HeartElf Heart for Happiness and LovePagani Pentagram to Increase Psychic Ability
The Aura (although it doesn’t look quite like this when I see it!)
It’s easy to see auras it just takes a bit of patience, give it a few weeks and you’ll be starting to see results, if not before, although it takes a long time to get really good at it. You may have noticed that you sometimes see things out of the corner of your eye more clearly or brightly, for instance when you look up at the stars (try it!).
To give you an idea of what the light of an aura looks like, think of when someone takes a photo of you with a flash. That flash that you see is a bit like what an aura looks like and works in a similar way. ie when you look directly at it, it disappears, but then you see it again from your peripheral vision.
For another example look at this turquoise colour for as long as possible without blinking. Then look at a white piece of paper, you should be able to see a pinkish colour when you blink. Again this is not an aura, just an after image in the opposite colour to turquoise, but it gives you an idea of what the glow of an aura looks like.
Stare at this Turquoise rectangle to help you understand what an aura glow looks like
Here’s how to learn to see auras
Hold your hand about 20-30cm from your face in front of a white background.
Relax your eyes and try to stare off into space so you are looking beyond your hand, keeping it in your vision but not looking directly at it.
Keep doing this and try not to blink. You may need to practice this stage for a bit but soon you should see a clear kind of glow surround your fingers. The tricky part here is not to look directly at it when you see it, just keep it in the corner of your vision
When you do blink the glow will fade but do it again and it will start to come back easier and easier
Soon the glow will take on a colour and this is the first level of your aura.
Once you’ve practised a bit try staring off above someones head especially if they are in front of a light background (and they don’t get freaked out!)
Again relax your eyes (sometimes being tired helps!) and wait for the glow to appear.
It really does work, I’ve done it and even mananged to teach my friends who had never done it before when we stared at another friend who was meditating in front of a dimly lit white background, his aura was all glowing and pinky purple and pulsating and we all saw it!
Be aware that there are actually several levels of your aura, but the first one you are likely to see will probably relate to the health or emotional state of your body and mind.
Once you see your’s or someone else’s aura, you will want to know the colour meanings, check this chart or visit the link below (from which I got the chart!).
A Pentagram that has absorbed some of the owner’s aura
You don’t need any psychic powers to see auras but for those who are a bit sceptical (I used to be!) Kirlian Photograpy can show you some proof. It was discovered by the Russian scientists Semyon and Valentina Kirlian when they accidently touched camera film through an electrical current that had been generated by connecting two metal electrodes (small poles) to an electrical source. When the film was developed they saw a glow round the hand that they thought was the life force, what many call the aura of living things, but also things like crystals, rock, metal and minerals.
A Leaf that still ‘remembered’ part of it’s aura, hours after the corner was cut off
Kirlian photography can show many things, from when a plant has a leaf cut off it remembers it in the aura for a few hours, or a sigil or jewellery kept near the body temporarily absorbs some of the owners aura.
Interestingly one photo I saw shows two people about to kiss, their auras have merged already. I compared this to another photo where two people who don’t like each other have their fingers close but the auras are keeping tightly away from each other.
Is Aura photography genuine?
Many people are skeptical about Aura photography when it is done of the head and shoulders. Skeptic’s Dictionary explains that true Kirlian Photography is contact based, therefore the item must touch the camera for it to work.
What is the aura?
Auras are thought to be the emissions of photons of light, and tiny electrical currents that exist in the body. This is what the aura is made of (although for more detailed info check this Wikipedia link), but the next question is, what does the aura signify?
What does the aura mean and what can Kirlian photography be used for?
Many believe auras can be used to diagnose illnesses in the body, and also to interpret moods, and give insights on people’s personality. For instance a common colour for a spiritual teacher’s aura is yellow or gold. Someone who is meditating is likely to emit a purple/pink aura.
As well as being able to show physical illnesses, they can also indicate energy blockages, which may be caused by emotional issues, among other things. It can also be used to show a before and after image of energy flows, when someone has had healing, to demonstrate the removal of energy blockages.
Kirlian Photography can be used to diagnose energy blockages
This photo, taken from Full Spectrum, shows one hand emitting a much weaker aura. Full Spectrum explain the meaning:
‘there is more radiation on the left compared with the right suggesting more right (emotional) brain activity. Energy flow is restricted and needs a yang correction.
This can be interpreted as follows: The individual has a lot of ‘heart’ but is holding back emotionally, inhibiting their ability to express themselves freely. ‘
Interestingly, Kirlian photography can also be done on foods, to show the difference between organic and processed foods.
Although there is little scientific evidence to support it, many people believe and have experienced (including some I have met) that eating a raw food diet makes you feel much more healthy and alive, because the energy you are getting from your food is much stronger. Kirlian Photography supports this.
Aura from an organic bean sproutAura from an organic lentil sprout cooked for 2-3 min
As you can see, the lentil sprout on the right, which was blanched for only two minutes, has a much smaller aura, and this leads people to believe that there is much more nutrition and vital energy to be gained from the raw sprout.
It's healthy to have a bit of skepticism when learning new things
I recently got into a bit of an argument with a forum owner who I shall not name, that posted some healing and psychic art (using radionics, something I know only a little about).
I stared at the picture as directed and it did not have much effect, except that I felt a little sick, so I noted this on the forum, and asked if perhaps I was doing something wrong.
Unfortunately the forum owner got very defensive for some reason, and named me as a skeptic, which is rather ironic since I am a practising Pagan, healer and diviner among other things, own a Wiccan and Pagan shop, and have a team of psychics!
I responded politely saying that I was a little skeptical, but also open minded and ready to be shown differently, and pointed out the value of a little bit of scepticism. He took offence and tried to start a flame war with me which was shocking to me, firstly as the forum purports to be about healing and I was very upset by the interaction, and secondly, being a very peaceful and also diplomatic person, I have never had that reaction before!
Anyway the reason I bring this up is because sometimes when I talk with friends who are not into alternative and spiritual practices such as myself, they assume that I believe everything I hear without questioning. Actually I am quite a sceptical person, (but I’m not a sceptic which means something different!) and so when looking into a new practice (eg tarot card readings, astral travelling, seeing auras, reiki healing) I do keep an open mind, but won’t totally believe it until I’ve seen the results for myself. (which I have for all those things).
That doesn’t mean that I think that just because something doesn’t work for me, it doesn’t work for anyone, but the point I’m trying to make is it is good to be a little sceptical, as long as you can keep enough of an open mind to give things a fair chance.
Don’t just accept what anyone says, (including me!) listen carefully and have an open mind, try it for yourself and then decide!! Most psychics usually are quite sceptical people, that’s how you know when something really works!
I’m currently learning Pendulum dowsing from Sig Lonegren and his pendulum diving kit (highly recommended!) and he sums it up nicely, under a chapter called ‘Think for yourself’
“In order to think for yourself, you must first be able to listen to others, then make up your own mind to the validity of what you have heard. I am open to what you have to say, but ultimately I’ll make up my own mind, thank you.”
What are your thoughts? Have you been called a skeptic? Do your friends think you believe in everything and anything? Do you think some scepticism is healthy or not?
which are great for topping up your spell and ritual kits, particularly as you can specify which colours you need!
Again if you’ve read much of what I wrote you’ll know how much I love 
for it’s ability to help wash away sad thoughts and feelings, and Francincense
for it’s versatility, being able to be used for meditation, purification, luck and consecration as well as for blessing, energy, strength, visions, healing, meditation, power and courage!
