A Ritual of Gestures

I'm hoping to get a video done on this, but since that requires a little more energy than I have a this time, and my 

blog has been sadly neglected for this very reason, I thought I'd share it with you all now.

Ritual of Gestures

Stand in the ritual area.  Still your thoughts.  Breathe deeply for half a 
minute or so until composed and calm. Turn your mind to your Deities. 

Face North. Lift both hands to waist height, palms down. Press your fingers 
together,  creating two solid, flat planes. Sense solidity, foundation, 
fertility. Invoke the powers of the Earth through the gesture. 

Moments Later, turn toward the East. Raise your hands a foot higher, your palms 
facing away from you (no longer parallel with the ground), and elbows slightly 
bent. Spread your fingers and hold this position, sensing movement and 
communication. Invoke the forces  of Air through the gesture. 

Face South. Lift your hands fully above your head.  Keeping the elbows straight, 
grasp  your fingers  into tight fists. Feel force, power, creation and 
destruction. Invoke the forces  of Fire through the gesture. 

Turn to the West. Lower your hands a foot or so. Bend the elbows, turn your 
palms  upward and cup them, pressing the thumbs against the forefingers. Sense 
fluidity, the  ocean, liquidity. Invoke the forces of Water through the gesture. 

Face North again. Throw your head back and raise both hands to the sky, palms 
up, fingers spread.  Drink in the essence of The One, the unknowable, 
unapproachable ultimate source of all. Sense the mysteries within the universe. 

Lower your projective hand (your writing hand) but keep your receptive hand 
high.   Pressing the third, forth and fifth fingers against the palm, lift the 
forefinger and thumb to  create a rough crescent shape. Sense the reality of the 
Goddess. Sense Her love, Her fertility, Her compassion. Sense the powers of the 
Moon in the gesture; the force of the eternal seas - the presence of the 
Goddess.  Lower your receptive hand; lift your projective hand. Bend down the 
middle and forth fingers toward the palm, and trap them with the thumb.  Lift 
the forefinger and little finger up to the sky, creating a horned image.  Sense 
the reality of the God. Sense the power of the Sun in the gesture; the untamed  
energies of the  woodlands -  the presence of the God. 

Lower your projective hand. Lay down flat. Spread your legs and arms until 
you've created the pattern of a pentagram. Sense the powers of the elements 
running through you; merging and coalescing into your being. Sense them as 
emanations from The One, the Goddess and God. 

Meditate.  Commune.  Communicate. 
When finished, simply stand up.  Your rite of gestures is over. 

Divination Series - Part 8 - Stichomancy/Rhapsodomancy

Whose heard of Stichomancy, or its alternative, Rhapsodomancy? I sure hadn't until this Series, but amusingly enough had been engaging in this practice a good decade or so ago with my best friend of the time using a dictionary while bingeing on peanut butter oreos.

So what is Stichomancy (aka Bibliomancy), you're asking?
According to thefreedictionary.com:
Stich´o`man`cy

n.

1.

Divination by lines, or passages of books, taken at hazard.

So yeah. Pretty simple, right? We'll get to a basic "how to", but first, some more history:According to the Oxford English Dictionary the word bibliomancy - meaning “divination by books, or by verses of the Bible” – was first recorded in 1753. Sometimes this term is used synonymously with stichomancy (from sticho- “row, line, verse”) which can be defined as “divination by lines of verse in books taken at hazard”, and was first recorded ca. 1693. To make use of stichomancy, you don’t need a bible, all you need is a book or any reading material for that matter; even a magazine or newspaper can work just fine. Sometimes we are faced with decisions we just can’t find an answer to, and stichomancy can help reveal your subconscious thoughts and desires. It really works by the law of attraction: you will attract a passage in a book that you are meant to read at this point in time. Carl Jung called it synchronicity: same things happen at the same time. The book passage you will choose will be in perfect alignment with your vibration of energy. You can’t make a mistake. All forms of divination work that way. How To Bibliomancy practitioners traditionally use the bible to extract answers from. In stichomancy, any kind of any time period by any author can be used. Some psychics think that the book of choice should not be a very old book or any book that has been read by the person asking the question, because old and used books already have too much history in common with the questioner. Dog-eared books and books that always open on the same pages (those which have been read the most passionately) are perfect for others. I personally prefer books without a history. What you prefer is what may work for you. Very often, brand new books that do not have a history with the questioner but are fresh from the press, lead to astonishing and exact answers. So, how do you do this? You pick a book, preferably a new one with no history. You may take a book that has been in the possession of someone else. You ask a question with the intention of receiving an answer or a hint from the universe. You can say it aloud or to yourself. You open the book by putting a finger or finger nail anywhere you like between the pages. Then you pick a paragraph or passage without looking. Some people do this blind-folded, some don't. The Interpretation Of Book Passages Bibliomancy and stichomancy are very free techniques. They are a combination of interpreting poertry and throwing dices. This doesn't mean that they are techniques that will not be enjoyed by people who want straight answers. Sometimes they can really give you "aha!" moments by giving you astonishingly accurate book passages. Sometimes they don't. And that's when you have to contact your inner artist and ask her or him what to make of this. If you are an abstract thinker, stichomancy techniques may be thing for you.

So there you have it. Stichomancy. Who knew?

Nighttime Rite + Pre-Circle Blessing - 2 in 1 Blog/Video Blog

Direct Link  - Like/Subscribe/Comment if you Enjoyed!

Pre-Circle Blessing

 Blessed be my feet, that I may walk in Sacred Paths

Blessed be my knees, that I may kneel at the Altar of the Ancient Ones

Blessed be my second chakra, that I may bring forth Life, Art, and Joy

Blessed be my heart, which is formed in Beauty, that I may Love, and Recieve Love

Blessed be my lips, that I may speak Words of Power in Times to Come

Blessed be my mind's eye, that I may see the unseen, and recieve Messages of the Spirit

This rite should be done at night, between dusk and dawn.

Opening

"Hail Dark Lady of the Crossroads,
of wisdom hard-won,
grant me Thy blessing, purify my heart,
and teach me the truth of my soul;
show me that death is but the gateway to life.
Blessed Be."

Main Prayer

Lady,
You offer me a lambent grail
of softly glowing moonlight,
as between one heartbeat and the next
souls flit from life to life
with death a well-worn pathway
of the Wise -
a place of respite and release.
Deeply I drink -
a willing sacrifice to eternal motion -
a moment of spirit upon the wind
and another life experience to embrace.

Meditation

How death is but a gateway to life.

Dream Images

In the Name of the Dark Crone: I see the Crone as teacher.

Closing Prayer

"I bow to Thee Hecate, Diana, Mari and thank
Thee for Thy blessing - the Cauldron of Night
full of life, and death, and life again;
Thy magic gives me wings.
Blessed Be."

Samhain Rites for the Afternoon

Opening

"O God of Thunder, God of Might,

set aside Your lightning bolts

and take Your ease of Love with me.

You are the God of laughter!

You are the God of all delights!

Blessed Be."

Main Prayer

Lord,

The solitary motion of

the heart

can be found on the edge of

Winter's shadow.

The Great God sleeps.

The Mother's womb grows

every sort of possibility

and holds the kernel of returning light.

The absence of the God

provides opportunities for

inner seeing;

visions unfold like the

unveiling of the Sun

from morning mist.

I seek the God in

hidden landscapes of my

silent soul as

He sleeps and dreams

me into being.

The Dark Night cloaks

revelation in the God's enigmatic heart.

Meditation

What kernels of possibility are hidden in your heart awaiting revelation?

Daily Affirmation

In the Name of the God: I will honor my visions, and dream dreams.

Closing Prayer

"Thanks to Thee, Lord of the Dance,

for leading me into the deeper mysteries

of the heart.

Be with me now and always.

Blessed Be."

First Vlog! Just an Intro and Correspondences of the Sabbat.

Prayers, Meditation, and Affirmation for Samhain Morning

From here on til and including the 31st, I will be posting a Samhain rite of this format in addition to any other post of the day. Today is a Morning rite, tomorrow an Afternoon rite, the next day an Evening rite, and on the Sabbat a Night rite. May you have a blessed Samhain!

This prayer should be done in the morning, between dawn and noon.

Opening

"Hail Bright Maiden of quicksilver delight,
shine upon me.
Thy morning blessing, which,
like the new dawn, refreshes my Spirit and
lifts my heart with song.
Blessed Be."

Main Prayer

Lady,
Lady of the Harvest, now is the time
to feast and frolic, for we meet
on the edge of Winter's shadow.
All the seed that was sown in
Springtime past has long
been reaped;
the fields stand barren, empty
and the spirit shall soon turn inward.
The world's fabric grows thin and
souls of the dead pass by on their
way to the Summerland.
Bless their passing, for though to some it
seems an ending,
this exodus of spirit foreshadows new beginnings.
Thus do we celebrate the dawn of the New Year.
Blessed Be.

Meditation

Choose an ancestor: what gift(s) have you received from him or her?

Daily Affirmation

In the Name of the Maiden: I will remember and give thanks today to my ancestors.

Closing Prayer

"Thanks to Thee Bright Maiden for Thy care,
for green laughter and fire-edged dew,
and for Thy blessing, a most precious jewel.
Blessed Be."

Awesome Source! 

Samhain Tarot- Magic Cauldron, Dark Self, Season of the Witch, and Spreads for Spirits and the Deceased

Jack O’ Lantern Spread

--1-2--
3-----4
---5---
"The last question (the horizontal card at the bottom of the mouth) is where a jack-o-lantern's candle shines brightest. If you use reversals, you'll need to decide for yourself how to tell if that card is upright or not. One way would be to read it whichever way it's drawn; I chose to read it as upright regardless of how it landed in the spread."
1. How am I tricking others?
2. How am I tricking myself?
3. How can I treat others better?
4. How can I treat myself better?
5. How can I shine?

Magic Cauldron Spread

--2--
4---3
--1--
1. What is in the pot? Current situation or problem
2. What stirs the pot? What influences, agitates or stirs the situation
3. What needs to be added? What can be done to enhance the situation or solve the problem
4. What comes out of the pot? How the situation or problem will work out

Dark Realm of Yourself Spread

Meant to be used with a “dark” deck

7******9******8
5******1******6
3******2******4
1 - Your Dark Soul Card - the card that represents the querent in this dark realm.
2 - Why you are here? - the reason why the querent is in this dark realm.
3 - What have you learned? - so far, in this journey of the soul, what lessons you have learned from this place.
4 - What do you still have to learn? - the lessons you still have to learn from this dark realm.
5 - What are you hiding from the others? - the aspects of yourself that you don't show to the others.
6 - What is hidden from you? - the aspects of yourself that you're not aware of; can be external from the querent.
7 - Your Dark Guardian - everyone has a guardian, and this card is the querent's dark guardian; this card somehow represent inner aspects of the querent, for sometimes the guardians went through similar issues of the querent, so they're there to teach to the querent the lessons they've learned.
8 - How does your Dark Guardian helps you? - this is the tip given by the Dark Guardian to the querent on how to deal with these issues; the Dark Guardian shows here how he/she helps the querent.
9 - How to see, and to get to, the light? - This is the ultimate advice of the reading.

Season of the Witch

Spread is shaped like a witch's hat
_____1
____2_3
___4_5_6
1. The Witch Herself - Significator - sets the tone for the reading, the special powers the querent has and their ability to transform energy
2. The Cauldron - something percolating in your life - the matter of the reading
3. The Spellbook - the plan, where things are currently headed
4. The Black Cat - forces that are here to assist you
5. The Skull - a message from your ancestors, advice form those who know best
6. The Broom - what you need to take your plans further

Spreads for Communicating with and Contacting Spirits and the Dead

--2-----3--

-----1-----

--4-----5--

card #1 represents the spirit, a little info about who they are

card # 2 represents why they are with you right now

card # 3 represents what they want you to know

card # 4 represents what actions you can take and/or how you can help them

card # 5 is a summary/outcome of the entire reading

Before you deal the cards, you must pick the spirit guide that you wish to talk to and find a court or arcana card that represents that person. Do the same for the seeker. Also, if you have an object or photo connected to the person you're trying to hear from, lay that out on the table. I, personally, have stones and runes that I use specifically for this spread to give the connection extra power. But when you do this, do whatever suits you best.
THE SPREAD
~~objects/photos/etc~~
M~SG~1,2,3,etc~Q~S
M: Your Moon card goes here. It symbolizes the Spirit Realm.
SG: This is where you place the card that represents the spirit you're trying to connect with.
Q: This is where you place the card that represents the questioner/seeker.
S: Your Sun card goes here. It symbolizes the Physical/Living World.

-----1---------2-------
----------5------------
-----3---------4-------
1 = Where was the deceased at the time of death?
2 = Where was the deceased immediately after death?
3 = Where is the deceased now?
4 = Where will the deceased soon be?
5 = Feelings toward/message to the querent

Path of the Ancestors:
1. Who are the ancestors participating in this reading ?
2. What is their relationship to you ?
3. How do they make their presence known ?
4. What is the wisdom you need to find ?
5. What is the wisdom they have to give?
6. Key to finding your path :
7. The reason this path is yours :
8. What is within you that this path must express ?
9. The Initiation :
10. The Dedication:
11. The Culmination :
12: A Blessing from the Ancestors:

Spread for the Haunted

*****2*****
***********
6**3*1*4**7
***********
*****5*****

1: The Spirit/Being (basic information)
2: Where it came from
3/4: about its Life
5. About its Death
6: Why it chose to follow (you)
7: How to rid yourself of it if it intends to hurt (you)

**Spreads Posted @ http://www.tarotforum.net**