Medieval Mysticism also flowered during the middle ages renewing the spiritual heart of the church.
Especially in cloistered settings monks and nuns sat in contemplation of the meanings of the scriptures for the soul. Biblical stories of battles between heroes and their enemies were for instance interpreted as the struggle between the soul and one's baser desires. Beyond this rational thought some engaged in quiet non conceptual prayer simply resting receptively in the presence of God.
In thirteenth century Italy there was the endearing figure of St. Francis of Assisi (1182 -1226). The carefree dashing son of a merchant he underwent a radical spiritual transformation. He traded his fine clothes for simple garb and left the world for a life of total poverty caring for lepers and rebuilding dilapidated
churches since Jesus supposedly spoke to him from the cross. "Repair my Church."
Eventually Francis understood that his real mission was to rebuild the Church by re-emphasizing the Gospel and its commands of love and poverty.
Feeling out of sorts? Try this easy spell for fast relief.
On the evening of a NEW or FULL MOON gather some freshly fallen SNOW and place it into a CLEAR GLASS. Put the GLASS in the windowsill and allow the snow to melt.
Once melted - add 1 to 2 tablespoons of LEMON JUICE.
1. Sprinkle a pair of your beloved’s shoes with spring water.
2. Place a sprig of thyme in one shoe, rosemary in the other.
3. Place a shoe on either side of your bed.
4. Crawl in and dream.
Bridal Protection Spell: Needle in a Shoe
Wrap a needle and a little salt in a piece of red silk. Place this in the bride’s right shoe to promote her magical well being.
Insomnia Spell: Datura-Leaf Shoe Spell
This is an old spell, but be cautious, but be cautious: not only is datura poisonous, it’s also a skin irritant. Place datura leaves in your shoes, then place these shoes under the bed facing the wall to encourage sleep.
O! Mighty goddess, in silvery ice, watching over us as we sleep, a layer of shining white, covering the earth each night, frost on the world and in the soul, we thank you for visiting us. Because of you, we seek warmth in the comfort of our homes and hearths.
See the gray skies overhead, preparing the way for the darkness soon to come. See the gray skies overhead, preparing the way, for the world to go cold and lifeless. See the gray skies overhead, preparing the way for the longest night of the year. See the gray skies overhead, preparing the way for the sun to one day return, bringing with it light.
Write your wish on a Bay Leave, enhance with candle magic and the right day of the week, moon phase, colours etc. Keep in a magical box away from disturbances, add appropriate herbs and crystals to your box which will aid in your wish comming true.
When your wish has come true, burn the leave and herbs or bury it in earth, cleanse the crystals.
Repeat the chant below and feel a securing warmth around your body and imagine white light glowing around your skin, it is sure to rid you of any bad thoughts or unwanted presence.
I see only pure reflected light I am ridding all bad luck and negative energy O Blessed Be
I am peaceful, I am strong Though dark may seem so long. For day must follow every night, Everything is alright. I am always safe from harm, The Goddess holds me in her arms
AFFIRMATIONS "I AM" affirmations: "I AM" what I affirm.
The words you speak or think create your life. What are you saying and thinking that may be detrimental in your life? May you always speak positive words and think positive thoughts.
the enjoyment of others knowledge and style is always looked for and wanted for even within this is an artist and crafter starting upon their own ways.
Make Good Wishes Come True Put 3 candles in the highest place you have at home, inside a plate with sugar all around your candles. Light the candles. Ask for three wishes to your guardian angels: St Rafael, St Michael, St Gabriel.
Ask one wish for business, one wish for love, and one impossible wish
Publish this spell on the third day after you requested the wishes (by mailing it to another person, psoting it to a usernet newsgroup, or announcing your thanks to the saints in a newspaper classified ad) and see what happens on the forth day...
On Monday of a new moon burn ylang-ylang essential oil, breathe in blue, and wear turquoise. Say three times,
"Allow my mind to loose its bonds, let new and original ways to express my inner self arise within me as a bubbling spring can emerge from the earth."
Then imagine a dry dusty place--from this, a spring of beautiful clear frothing water emerges. Imagine yourself scooping this perfect water into your hands and drinking it. This visualization will feed your imagination whenever you feel the need to refresh your powers.
Rhymes and chants have been with us since our earliest history. They began as invocations to spirits and elements, and to gods and goddesses. They were a string of words that brought the shaman into altered states of reality. They were the early words of mothers, soothing their crying babies and frightened children. And they were the chants of hunters praying to animal spirits to feed their people. Soon these chants took on the dimension of rhyming. Rituals were performed and the words spoken became more pleasing to the gods.
When Christianity took power, the ancient Pagan practices were frowned upon. It was during this time that the Old Ways went underground. Slowly, after centuries, fragments of rhymes from these early Pagan rituals resurfaced and were called Nursery Rhymes.
Divination Rhymes
Numerous divination rhymes have survived the domination of Christianity. Mostly, they have been reduced to practices performed on the days of Saints, Christmas Eve, and Halloween, by adolescent girls seeking a husband. One such divination is to sow hemp seed on the night of Halloween and to afterwards look over your shoulder. There you should either see the physical body of the man you will marry or you will see his spirit-ghost.
"Hemp-seed I set, hemp-seed I sow, The young man whom I love, Come after me and mow."
Another love divination that we all know is:
"He loves me, He don't, He'll have me, He won't, He would if he could, But he can't So he don't."
This is to be said while plucking the petals off a daisy or while taking out the seeds from an apple.
A similar love divination to the one above is:
"He loves me, Longs for me, Desires me, Wishes me well, Wishes me ill, Does not care."
Jumping rope has also been used as a method of divining the initials of one's future husband. This was done by reciting the alphabet, one letter per jump, and the letters on which one's feet got caught in the rope signified the letters of his initials.
Aside from the love divinations that have survived, there are divinations for making decisions. For one ancient divination rhyme, the seeker would write two courses of action on two pieces of paper. He would then lick the backs of the papers and stick them to the back of his hand. He would then say this popular rhyme:
"There were two blackbirds sat upon a hill. The one was named Jack, the other named Jill. Fly away Jack! Fly away Jill! Come again Jack! Come again Jill!"
Next he would blow lightly upon the papers. The paper that flew away first would be his decision.
Another popular nursery rhyme, "Jack Be Nimble," was originally a rhyme said while jumping over a candlestick to determine one's luck for the coming year. If the candle stayed lit it meant that a good year was sure to follow. Similarly, children would stand in a circle and pass a candlestick around. Whoever was holding the candlestick when the flame went out would die within the year.
Charms
Fragments of charms can be found in many of the old nursery rhyme chapbooks. Of these, most were Christianized with the removal of the names of Pagan deities and the use of the names of Catholic Saints and Angels. One such example is the following charm that was repeated three times to churn butter:
"Come, butter, come, Come, butter, come, Peter stands at the gate Waiting for a butter cake. Come, butter, come."
Milkmaids would charm their cows into giving milk by saying:
"Cushy cow, bonny, let down thy milk, And I will give thee a gown of silk; A gown of silk and a silver tee, If thou wilt let down thy milk to me."
Village boys who were hired by farmers during seed time to guard the seeds from birds, would sing out:
"Away, away, John Carrion Crow! Your master hath enow Down in his barley mow."
Also:
"We've ploughed our land, we've sown our seed, We've made all neat and gay; So take a bit, and leave a bit, Away, birds, away!"
A popular seed planting charm that I've heard goes:
"One for the pigeon, One for the crow, One to rot, And one to grow."
Counting Rhymes
Counting rhymes are said to have been started in ancient Pagan times as a means of selecting sacrifices such as was supposedly done by the Druid priests. Whether this is true or not, popular counting phrases such as "Eena, meena, mina, mo" can be traced to sets of Welsh counting words (A.J. Ellis, "Anglo-Cymric Score," 1877). Furthermore, the Welsh counting words can be traced back to Celtic numerals.
Oftentimes, words that seem like jibberish in the English language can be traced back phonetically to their original language and meaning. A nursery rhyme found in the United States is said to be the phonetic numbers of the "Plymouth Indians":
According to Henry Carrington Bolton (The Counting-Out Rhymes of Children, 1888), counting rhymes or lots "were used to decide measures to be taken in battle, to select champions in individual contests, to determine the partition of conquered or colonised lands, in the division of spoil, in the appointment of magistrates and other functionaries, in the assignment of priestly offices, and in criminal investigations where doubt existed as to the real culprit." He goes on to say that they were also used in religious rites as well as for selecting sacrifices by "pagan savages." Mr. Bolton believes, and he may very well be correct, that ancient lot-casting practices were the beginnings of the counting rhymes as we know them today, which were performed by "witches and sorcerers."
In the hands of children, counting rhymes are used for making decisions, finding out who one's wife or husband will be, pairing off, and for finding out who's "out" and who's "it." What's more, the counting rhymes do not always need to include numbers:
"Eggs, butter, cheese, bread, Stick, stock, stone dead!"
Names
The names Jack and Jill were considered heathen names and were sometimes replaced with more Christian names or the names of Apostles. The nursery rhyme "Jack and Jill Went Up the Hill" is believed to have been an ancient ballad, long since forgotten, which retold the Norse myth of Hjoki and Bil. Mr. S. Baring-Gould tells us in A Book of Nursery Songs and Rhymes that this nursery rhyme explains "the spots in the moon. . . In the 'Elder Edda' we are told that Mani, the Moon, once took up two children of these names to him, as they were on their way returning from a well with a bucket of water between them."
Jack is also, in many nursery rhymes, the fool or wise-fool. He is shown as beginning an adventure, committing folly, or losing his path. He is often noted as representing the Fool card in the Tarot.
The name Tom, however, was often used to replace the god Thor. The coverup of the names was often done by Christians to "sanitize" the rhymes learned by their children. Another example of this is the name Sally Waters. Sally Waters, found in many nursery rhymes that come from marriage games of the peasantry, can be traced back to a British water goddess named Sul:
"Sally, Sally Waters, sprinkle in the pan, Rise, Sally; rise, Sally, and choose a young man; Choose to the east, choose to the west Choose the pretty girl [or young man] that you love best.
"And now you're married, I wish you joy, First a girl and then a boy; Seven years after son and daughter, And now young people, jump over the water."
The Present Day
In the past there have been a number of attempts to abolish nursery rhymes. Religious extremists in the United States and England have claimed that nursery rhymes lead children to the Devil and that the words are the work of witches.
Today, many historians laugh at the idea that nursery rhymes could possibly be associated with witchcraft. In fact, some claim that nursery rhymes are little more than jibberish made up by illiterate nannies who sang them as songs to lull little children.
Both the religious extremists and the historians of today have failed to do any real research into the workings of witchcraft. For example, do witches believe in the Devil? No. How did witches perform their spells and divinations long ago? How do they perform them today? They used and continue to use chants and rhymes.
For many of us, the holidays seem at odds with an otherwise meditative and quiet time of year. This spell serves as a special gift to yourself.
Start by asking yourself what it is you want now. Carve out a piece of time on this day for your spell.
Decorate your altar with greenery, a cauldron, and any other decorations that are meaningful to you. Place your gift to yourself inside the cauldron.
Or, if it won’t fit in the cauldron, write its name on a piece of paper. Burn a new red candle dressed with bayberry oil.
Focus on the flame and feel the magic vibrating around you. Feel your power coming up from your solar plexus. You can make yourself happy and at peace if you only give yourself the gift.
Wondering how to make black salt, an ingredient sometimes included in hoodoo workings? It does occasionally pop up in Wiccan ritual as well. While there are a few places online that sell it, it's not hard to make your own. Black salt is traditionally used to drive away evil, and can be sprinkled in the footsteps of a person who is annoying you to make them go away.
A few websites recommend adding a dye or food coloring to the salt. However, as someone who cooks pretty regularly, I know exactly what happens when you add liquid to salt. Best case scenario, it gets clumpy, and worst case, it dissolves. So you'll want to use something dry to color it instead. Here's my basic recipe for black salt:
2 parts sea salt (which is the same as kosher salt) 1 part scrapings from a cast iron skillet or pot OR 1 part fine ash from your fire pit OR 1 part finely ground black pepper
Depending on the density of your coloring ingredient, you may need to adjust the portions a little, but that's the basic method of making it. If you have a well-seasoned cast iron pot, you should be able to get a good amount of black scrapings out of the bottom of it -- if it seems too oily, use the ash or pepper instead.
Don't confuse this concoction, however, with the black salt used in Indian cuisine -- that item is actually a mineral salt which is a weird pinkish gray color and has a bit of a sulphuric taste to it.
This spell is used to 'protect the mind' against things such as nightmares, negative thoughts and invasions of evil doers.
First you must gather 3 red leaves from any tree, plant or bush. Lay them in a triangle on a flat surface. In the centre of the leaves, place an already lighted White candle, and place 3 drops of Chrysanthemum Oil 'on each' leaf.
Say this incantation 3 times: “Red leaves, gift from earth, Birth to death and death to birth, Keep all evil far away, Day to night and night to day.”
Then extinguish the candle, and wrap the leaves in a white cloth or pouch. Place this near your bed within 3 feet of your head and it will stop all nightmares and negative thoughts.
Rev. Allen M. Drago ~ Traveler
Aug 30, 2009
Rev. Allen M. Drago ~ Traveler
A bit of Directional is good.
Aug 30, 2009
Rev. Allen M. Drago ~ Traveler
Oct 11, 2009
Dept of PMM Artists & things
Safe within the harbor
Ancient as a stone
Strong as the sea
Solid as a rock
Safe deep within the Mother
And water that flows 'round me
A Reclaiming Chant
May 18, 2010
Dept of PMM Artists & things
Singing now as one,
Remembering the Ancient Ways,
The women and the wisdom,
The women and the wisdom.
We are sisters on a journey,
Singing in the sun,
Singing through the darkest night,
The healing has begun, begun;
The healing has begun.
Author Unknown
May 18, 2010
Rev. Allen M. Drago ~ Traveler
Aug 19, 2010
SunKat
Aug 19, 2010
Dept of PMM Artists & things
Especially in cloistered settings monks and nuns sat in contemplation of the meanings of the scriptures for the soul. Biblical stories of battles between heroes and their enemies were for instance interpreted as the struggle between the soul and one's baser desires. Beyond this rational thought some engaged in quiet non conceptual prayer simply resting receptively in the presence of God.
In thirteenth century Italy there was the endearing figure of St. Francis of Assisi (1182 -1226). The carefree dashing son of a merchant he underwent a radical spiritual transformation. He traded his fine clothes for simple garb and left the world for a life of total poverty caring for lepers and rebuilding dilapidated
churches since Jesus supposedly spoke to him from the cross. "Repair my Church."
Eventually Francis understood that his real mission was to rebuild the Church by re-emphasizing the Gospel and its commands of love and poverty.
Sep 20, 2010
Dept of PMM Artists & things
Podcasts and other pagan/history media, audio format
Get a Kindle and let it read pagan books to you. It's wonderful.
Geek witch podcast is pretty good.
http://geekwitch.org/
ex Education is a fun one with lots of BNPs.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hexeducation
http://paganpodcasting.org/pagan-podcast-index/
ITunes has a fair amount as well; http://podcastpickle.com is also a directory of podcasts; just search for 'pagan' or 'wicca'
There's Olde Enchantments Radio with 24/7 of Pagan and Celtic music.. You have to download a tuner but that only takes a few seconds..
http://www.oldeenchantments.com/radio/
Jan 7, 2011
Dept of PMM Artists & things
Feeling out of sorts? Try this easy spell for fast relief.
On the evening of a NEW or FULL MOON gather some freshly fallen SNOW and place it into a CLEAR GLASS. Put the GLASS in the windowsill and allow the snow to melt.
Once melted - add 1 to 2 tablespoons of LEMON JUICE.
Repeat as needed!
Jan 19, 2011
Dept of PMM Artists & things
Does your floor need mopped? Could you use some more money? Try this and do both at once!
Fill your MOP BUCKET with water and whatever soap you use. Then add in a FEW FENUGREEK SEEDS and a PINCH or TWO of BASIL to the water.
Mop away! With each swish of the mop you stamp out dirt while you invite in money.
Jan 23, 2011
Dept of PMM Artists & things
True Love Dream Spell: Fetch My Lover
1. Sprinkle a pair of your beloved’s shoes with spring water.
2. Place a sprig of thyme in one shoe, rosemary in the other.
3. Place a shoe on either side of your bed.
4. Crawl in and dream.
Bridal Protection Spell: Needle in a Shoe
Wrap a needle and a little salt in a piece of red silk. Place this in the bride’s right shoe to promote her magical well being.
Insomnia Spell: Datura-Leaf Shoe Spell
This is an old spell, but be cautious, but be cautious: not only is datura poisonous, it’s also a skin irritant. Place datura leaves in your shoes, then place these shoes under the bed facing the wall to encourage sleep.
Jan 27, 2011
Dept of PMM Artists & things
O! Mighty goddess, in silvery ice,
watching over us as we sleep,
a layer of shining white,
covering the earth each night,
frost on the world and in the soul,
we thank you for visiting us.
Because of you, we seek warmth
in the comfort of our homes and hearths.
Feb 2, 2011
Dept of PMM Artists & things
See the gray skies overhead, preparing the way
for the darkness soon to come.
See the gray skies overhead, preparing the way,
for the world to go cold and lifeless.
See the gray skies overhead, preparing the way
for the longest night of the year.
See the gray skies overhead, preparing the way
for the sun to one day return,
bringing with it light.
by Patti Wigington
Feb 2, 2011
Dept of PMM Artists & things
Write your wish on a Bay Leave, enhance with candle magic and the right day of the week, moon phase, colours etc. Keep in a magical box away from disturbances, add appropriate herbs and crystals to your box which will aid in your wish comming true.
When your wish has come true, burn the leave and herbs or bury it in earth, cleanse the crystals.
Feb 17, 2011
Dept of PMM Artists & things
Repeat the chant below and feel a securing warmth around your body and imagine white light glowing around your skin, it is sure to rid you of any bad thoughts or unwanted presence.
I see only pure reflected light
I am ridding all bad luck and negative energy
O Blessed Be
Feb 18, 2011
Dept of PMM Artists & things
Chant to Release Anxiety
Nervous anxiety, you are dead.
Lord and lady, soothe my head.
Bring me to your calming peace
as I will so mote it be
Feb 20, 2011
Dept of PMM Artists & things
Love this simple but effective chant.
I am peaceful, I am strong
Though dark may seem so long.
For day must follow every night,
Everything is alright.
I am always safe from harm,
The Goddess holds me in her arms
Feb 21, 2011
Dept of PMM Artists & things
"I AM" affirmations: "I AM" what I affirm.
The words you speak or think create your life.
What are you saying and thinking that may be detrimental in your life?
May you always speak positive words and think positive thoughts.
Feb 25, 2011
Dept of PMM Artists & things
Imagine a spiraling path from the newly awakened earth, past the treetops to the sun! Happy Ostara
1. Melting Snow: What is leaving
2. Seeding: Envision!
3. Flower woman's path: Future blessing
4. Sap rising: Energize!
5. Birdsong: message
6. New Fire: Beginings
Feb 25, 2011
miyoko canter
Oct 9, 2011
Dept of PMM Artists & things
Oct 9, 2011
miyoko canter
Oct 9, 2011
Dept of PMM Artists & things
Oct 9, 2011
miyoko canter
Oct 9, 2011
Dept of PMM Artists & things
Oct 9, 2011
Dept of PMM Artists & things
Make Good Wishes Come True Put 3 candles in the highest place you have at home, inside a plate with sugar all around your candles. Light the candles. Ask for three wishes to your guardian angels: St Rafael, St Michael, St Gabriel.
Ask one wish for business, one wish for love, and one impossible wish
Publish this spell on the third day after you requested the wishes (by mailing it to another person, psoting it to a usernet newsgroup, or announcing your thanks to the saints in a newspaper classified ad) and see what happens on the forth day...
Dec 2, 2011
Dept of PMM Artists & things
Home Protection Spells
Black is the color most commonly associated with protection.
The use of black stones, black candles, and black clothes are associated with protection spells.
I like keeping a piece of irradiated smoky quartz near my front door to keep out any unwelcome intruders.
Plant holy thistle (Silybum marinanum L.) around the house to turn away thieves.
This herb is most commonly found in California, but in cooler climates, plant it in a large container out in front of your house.
This will also prevent it from going wild all over your property.
Sprinkle betony at doors and windows for some extra protection.
Burn fiddleheads, or uncurled fern fronds, indoors as a smudge for a strong wall of protection.
~ Boudica
Dec 2, 2011
Dept of PMM Artists & things
IMAGINATION SPELL:
On Monday of a new moon burn ylang-ylang essential oil, breathe in blue, and wear turquoise. Say three times,
"Allow my mind to loose its bonds, let new and original ways to express my inner self arise within me as a bubbling spring can emerge from the earth."
Then imagine a dry dusty place--from this, a spring of beautiful clear frothing water emerges. Imagine yourself scooping this perfect water into your hands and drinking it. This visualization will feed your imagination whenever you feel the need to refresh your powers.
Dec 20, 2011
PerseH ~Staff Wrangler~
Rhyming Witchcraft: The history and use of rhymes
Rhyming Witchcraft:
The History and Use of Rhymes
Rhymes and chants have been with us since our earliest history. They began as invocations to spirits and elements, and to gods and goddesses. They were a string of words that brought the shaman into altered states of reality. They were the early words of mothers, soothing their crying babies and frightened children. And they were the chants of hunters praying to animal spirits to feed their people. Soon these chants took on the dimension of rhyming. Rituals were performed and the words spoken became more pleasing to the gods.
When Christianity took power, the ancient Pagan practices were frowned upon. It was during this time that the Old Ways went underground. Slowly, after centuries, fragments of rhymes from these early Pagan rituals resurfaced and were called Nursery Rhymes.
Divination Rhymes
Numerous divination rhymes have survived the domination of Christianity. Mostly, they have been reduced to practices performed on the days of Saints, Christmas Eve, and Halloween, by adolescent girls seeking a husband. One such divination is to sow hemp seed on the night of Halloween and to afterwards look over your shoulder. There you should either see the physical body of the man you will marry or you will see his spirit-ghost.
"Hemp-seed I set, hemp-seed I sow,
The young man whom I love,
Come after me and mow."
Another love divination that we all know is:
"He loves me,
He don't,
He'll have me,
He won't,
He would if he could,
But he can't
So he don't."
This is to be said while plucking the petals off a daisy or while taking out the seeds from an apple.
A similar love divination to the one above is:
"He loves me,
Longs for me,
Desires me,
Wishes me well,
Wishes me ill,
Does not care."
Jumping rope has also been used as a method of divining the initials of one's future husband. This was done by reciting the alphabet, one letter per jump, and the letters on which one's feet got caught in the rope signified the letters of his initials.
Aside from the love divinations that have survived, there are divinations for making decisions. For one ancient divination rhyme, the seeker would write two courses of action on two pieces of paper. He would then lick the backs of the papers and stick them to the back of his hand. He would then say this popular rhyme:
"There were two blackbirds sat upon a hill.
The one was named Jack, the other named Jill.
Fly away Jack! Fly away Jill!
Come again Jack! Come again Jill!"
Next he would blow lightly upon the papers. The paper that flew away first would be his decision.
Another popular nursery rhyme, "Jack Be Nimble," was originally a rhyme said while jumping over a candlestick to determine one's luck for the coming year. If the candle stayed lit it meant that a good year was sure to follow. Similarly, children would stand in a circle and pass a candlestick around. Whoever was holding the candlestick when the flame went out would die within the year.
Charms
Fragments of charms can be found in many of the old nursery rhyme chapbooks. Of these, most were Christianized with the removal of the names of Pagan deities and the use of the names of Catholic Saints and Angels. One such example is the following charm that was repeated three times to churn butter:
"Come, butter, come,
Come, butter, come,
Peter stands at the gate
Waiting for a butter cake.
Come, butter, come."
Milkmaids would charm their cows into giving milk by saying:
"Cushy cow, bonny, let down thy milk,
And I will give thee a gown of silk;
A gown of silk and a silver tee,
If thou wilt let down thy milk to me."
Village boys who were hired by farmers during seed time to guard the seeds from birds, would sing out:
"Away, away, John Carrion Crow!
Your master hath enow
Down in his barley mow."
Also:
"We've ploughed our land, we've sown our seed,
We've made all neat and gay;
So take a bit, and leave a bit,
Away, birds, away!"
A popular seed planting charm that I've heard goes:
"One for the pigeon,
One for the crow,
One to rot,
And one to grow."
Counting Rhymes
Counting rhymes are said to have been started in ancient Pagan times as a means of selecting sacrifices such as was supposedly done by the Druid priests. Whether this is true or not, popular counting phrases such as "Eena, meena, mina, mo" can be traced to sets of Welsh counting words (A.J. Ellis, "Anglo-Cymric Score," 1877). Furthermore, the Welsh counting words can be traced back to Celtic numerals.
Oftentimes, words that seem like jibberish in the English language can be traced back phonetically to their original language and meaning. A nursery rhyme found in the United States is said to be the phonetic numbers of the "Plymouth Indians":
"Ain, ain, fethery, fip,
Arte, slatur, debbery, dick;
Antic, taintic, feathertic, bumpit,
Ain-bumpit, tain-bumpit, gee-kit."
According to Henry Carrington Bolton (The Counting-Out Rhymes of Children, 1888), counting rhymes or lots "were used to decide measures to be taken in battle, to select champions in individual contests, to determine the partition of conquered or colonised lands, in the division of spoil, in the appointment of magistrates and other functionaries, in the assignment of priestly offices, and in criminal investigations where doubt existed as to the real culprit." He goes on to say that they were also used in religious rites as well as for selecting sacrifices by "pagan savages." Mr. Bolton believes, and he may very well be correct, that ancient lot-casting practices were the beginnings of the counting rhymes as we know them today, which were performed by "witches and sorcerers."
In the hands of children, counting rhymes are used for making decisions, finding out who one's wife or husband will be, pairing off, and for finding out who's "out" and who's "it." What's more, the counting rhymes do not always need to include numbers:
"Eggs, butter, cheese, bread,
Stick, stock, stone dead!"
Names
The names Jack and Jill were considered heathen names and were sometimes replaced with more Christian names or the names of Apostles. The nursery rhyme "Jack and Jill Went Up the Hill" is believed to have been an ancient ballad, long since forgotten, which retold the Norse myth of Hjoki and Bil. Mr. S. Baring-Gould tells us in A Book of Nursery Songs and Rhymes that this nursery rhyme explains "the spots in the moon. . . In the 'Elder Edda' we are told
that Mani, the Moon, once took up two children of these names to him, as they were on their way returning from a well with a bucket of water between them."
Jack is also, in many nursery rhymes, the fool or wise-fool. He is shown as beginning an adventure, committing folly, or losing his path. He is often noted as representing the Fool card in the Tarot.
The name Tom, however, was often used to replace the god Thor. The coverup of the names was often done by Christians to "sanitize" the rhymes learned by their children. Another example of this is the name Sally Waters. Sally Waters, found in many nursery rhymes that come from marriage games of the peasantry, can be traced back to a British water goddess named Sul:
"Sally, Sally Waters, sprinkle in the pan,
Rise, Sally; rise, Sally, and choose a young man;
Choose to the east, choose to the west
Choose the pretty girl [or young man] that you love best.
"And now you're married, I wish you joy,
First a girl and then a boy;
Seven years after son and daughter,
And now young people, jump over the water."
The Present Day
In the past there have been a number of attempts to abolish nursery rhymes. Religious extremists in the United States and England have claimed that nursery rhymes lead children to the Devil and that the words are the work of witches.
Today, many historians laugh at the idea that nursery rhymes could possibly be associated with witchcraft. In fact, some claim that nursery rhymes are little more than jibberish made up by illiterate nannies who sang them as songs to lull little children.
Both the religious extremists and the historians of today have failed to do any real research into the workings of witchcraft. For example, do witches believe in the Devil? No. How did witches perform their spells and divinations long ago? How do they perform them today? They used and continue to use chants and rhymes.
By Elizabeth Yetter
http://www.sacredspiral.com/articles/qrs/rhyming.htm
Dec 21, 2011
miyoko canter
i love things that rhyme.
Dec 21, 2011
Dept of PMM Artists & things
Dec 25, 2011
Dept of PMM Artists & things
Dec 25, 2011
miyoko canter
hello.
Dec 25, 2011
Dept of PMM Artists & things
Hello and good eve, may you find what you need and add within your knowledge so others can find what they are looking for
Dec 25, 2011
Dept of PMM Artists & things
Spell for Christmas Eve
For many of us, the holidays seem at odds with an otherwise meditative and quiet time of year. This spell serves as a special gift to yourself.
Start by asking yourself what it is you want now. Carve out a piece of time on this day for your spell.
Decorate your altar with greenery, a cauldron, and any other decorations that are meaningful to you. Place your gift to yourself inside the cauldron.
Or, if it won’t fit in the cauldron, write its name on a piece of paper. Burn a new red candle dressed with bayberry oil.
Focus on the flame and feel the magic vibrating around you. Feel your power coming up from your solar plexus. You can make yourself happy and at peace if you only give yourself the gift.
Merry Christmas!
By: Lily Gardner-Butts
Dec 25, 2011
SunKat
Black Salt: How to Make Your Own
A few websites recommend adding a dye or food coloring to the salt. However, as someone who cooks pretty regularly, I know exactly what happens when you add liquid to salt. Best case scenario, it gets clumpy, and worst case, it dissolves. So you'll want to use something dry to color it instead. Here's my basic recipe for black salt:
2 parts sea salt (which is the same as kosher salt)
1 part scrapings from a cast iron skillet or pot OR
1 part fine ash from your fire pit OR
1 part finely ground black pepper
Depending on the density of your coloring ingredient, you may need to adjust the portions a little, but that's the basic method of making it. If you have a well-seasoned cast iron pot, you should be able to get a good amount of black scrapings out of the bottom of it -- if it seems too oily, use the ash or pepper instead.
Don't confuse this concoction, however, with the black salt used in Indian cuisine -- that item is actually a mineral salt which is a weird pinkish gray color and has a bit of a sulphuric taste to it.
Dec 30, 2011
Dept of PMM Artists & things
Conjuring a Goal Spell
Our collective focus now turns to the coming year, and to our goals, resolutions, and new beginnings.
To strengthen your focus on a new goal, select a card from your favorite tarot deck that symbolizes your desire.
If it's an increasing or attracting goal, choose a night during the waxing Moon to cast this spell.
If it's a decreasing or releasing intention, choose a night during the waning Moon.
Light a white candle.
Place your tarot card in front of you.
On a clean piece of paper write down your goal three times, and place it in your wallet.
Place the tarot card on your altar.
When the goal is achieved, burn the paper and return the card to your deck.
By: Karri Allrich
Jan 1, 2012
Dept of PMM Artists & things
Three Red Leaves Spell
This spell is used to 'protect the mind' against things such as nightmares, negative thoughts and invasions of evil doers.
First you must gather 3 red leaves from any tree, plant or bush.
Lay them in a triangle on a flat surface.
In the centre of the leaves, place an already lighted White candle, and place 3 drops of Chrysanthemum Oil 'on each' leaf.
Say this incantation 3 times:
“Red leaves, gift from earth,
Birth to death and death to birth,
Keep all evil far away,
Day to night and night to day.”
Then extinguish the candle, and wrap the leaves in a white cloth or pouch.
Place this near your bed within 3 feet of your head and it will stop all nightmares and negative thoughts.
Jan 6, 2012