AUTUMN COMETH

Merry Meet to All of You!

We are slowly leaving summer behind us and you can feel in the air, autumn is on it's way.

For me, this is the time of the year to start slowing down, look more inwards and take stock about the progress of your year so far.

To leave the heat and buzz of the summer and take in the cooler, calmer spirit of autumn, personally, there's nothing like going for walks among the trees and spend time with nature.

While walking in the woods, breathing in the scents of the fresher air and taking in the subtle changes of colours and textures which occur at this time, I can feel the hustle and bustle of summer falling of and autumn entering my soul with introspection and peaceful quietness.

If you don't have any woodland near you, why not marvel at all the gorgeous autumn flowers in the gardens, like asters and chrysanthemums, which lighten up the spirit with their vibrant colours, or watch the migrating birds gather in giant flocks, ready for their long flights south, and let your thoughts follow them to distant shores...let your mind wander and reflect.

Autumn for me is a time of tranquil beauty, where nature is bounty- and colourful in one last glorious burst, before the dark of winter:

"Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile" - William Cullen Bryant

Bring in some autumn greenery from your walks for the spirit of the season to enter your home, go and collect wild berries and mushrooms (make sure you are confident in identifying edible ones), pick up the first coloured leaves along your way, or simply sit still in a favourite spot, marvel at nature's beauty around you and breath in autumn deeply, the cooler air refreshing your senses
...all this helps me to get into the soul of the season and brings joy and serenity to my heart.

I will follow up on this post with more autumnal subjects, like the autumn festivals, spells you can use to prepare yourself and/or you home for the darker months, recipes for food and incense and more...

...but for now, let's just slow down, reflect, and welcome the coming of the season of tranquillity with a smile.

Have a lovely start to autumn,

Warm Blessings,

Ilona

BANISH BAD LUCK

Merry Meet to All of You!

Welcome back to the Herbal Chalice, after a short sabbatical due to family visiting, I'm back in the swing of things. I hope you all had good times while I was gone, I am glad to be back with you :D.

As today is Friday the 13th, I thought I share with you a little bit of protective Magick, to ward off any bad luck, which might befall you on this, as some say, 'unlucky' day.

Its a really easy bit of 'Kitchen cupboard Magick', as you probably already have 90% of the ingredients in your household supplies.

To protect yourself from bad luck, simply grind the following constituents together and wear them in a mojo bag on your body and/or place them around your home as a protective potpourri.

Frankincense

Juniper Berries

Cloves

Dried Dill

Dried Fennel

Dried Tarragon

Dried Bay Leaves

Use the ingredients in quantities of nines, sevens and fives, as these numbers possess protective qualities too, for example nine bay leaves, five cloves, etc.

With this, I wish you all a good Friday the 13th, free of bad luck :D!

Warm Blessings,

Ilona

PS. For a comprehensive list of herbs and their properties/use in Magick, click here

LAMMAS - THE FIRST HARVEST

Merry Meet to All of You!

I wish you a Blessed Lammas, may your day be great and your harvest be abundant )O(.

Warm Harvest Blessings,

Ilona

THE WHEEL OF THE YEAR

Merry Meet to All of You!

As the festival of Lammas is upon us this weekend (1st of August), I thought it a good idea if today's blog post deals in general with the Wheel of the Year, as we are swiftly moving through it. So, here is a general description of the suspected origins and festivals it contains (many if you will be very familiar with the subject already, but it did not seem fair to assume everyone knows and jump straight to Lammas directly).

The idea of the wheel of the year as a representation of the changing seasonal and solar aspects of the year constitutes a very ancient common heritage of humanity, with its origins possibly reaching as far back as the neolithic era. Depictions of wheels in stone are quite common, and may as well represent the turning of the times (their intended meaning is not known to this day).

So, as part of an underlying earth-based spirituality, the idea of the wheel of the year has accompanied humanity for thousands of years.
In this context of earth-based spirituality, as in Wicca or paganism, the Wheel of the Year represents the major events in the natural year, such as the seasons, solstices and equinoxes, which are celebrated in eight Sabbats, the four Greater and four Lesser ones:

In general, the Wheel is divided in two main parts: summer/light and winter/darkness. The two major deities of paganism and Wicca, the Goddess and the God, rule superior at specific times, with the Goddess dominating the summer months (the growing season) as the goddess of fertility and abundance, while the God dominates the winter months as the god of hunting and death (with hunting having been the major source of fresh food during these times).
The eight Sabbats divide into two categories, the seasonal and solar festivals.

The four Greater Sabbats celebrate the natural shift of the seasons, with Beltaine and Samhain representing the main divisions between summer/winter, light/darkness. Imbolc and Lammas mark the midpoints in between, recognising specific occasions in the agricultural year, Lammas for example being a celebration of harvest.

The four Lesser Sabbats are solar festivals, marking the events in the solar calendar, the solstices (Litha and Yule) and equinoxes (Ostara and Mabon).

There is no singular way in which to emphasise or celebrate these Sabbats in the wiccan or pagan community. Some groups, for example, may concentrate on the seasonal (Greater) Sabbats, while others put their emphasis on the solar festivals.

As you progress on your spiritual journey, you may be intuitively drawn to certain Sabbats and decide to only celebrate those important to you, or you might choose to treat all eight with equal reverence - the choice is yours!

I hope you enjoyed this little introduction, and in tomorrow's post I will go deeper into the traditions especially linked to the festival of Lammas.

Warm Blessings,

Ilona

PS For more on the Wheel of the Year click here (Greater Sabbats) or here (all Sabbats and general info)

"CHASING THE SUN" - AN ODE TO CREATION

Merry Meet to All of You!

Today I just wanted to share with you a lovely video of one of my favourite songs, "Chasing the Sun" (lyrics underneath) by Pia Gaurangi.

It's an inspiration to wake up to the wonders of creation around us, and the wonderful song and imagery in the video speaks for itself...much better than my little words could ever describe the magnificence of the Universe we live in and our Mother Earth.

So, I hope you enjoy the video, and the next time you look at the stars, walk in the woods or even while you tend your garden, do so with open eyes and a joy-filled heart towards the wonder that is Creation/Nature, from the largest galaxy to the tiniest insect.

Let's All be chasing the sun!




Warm Sunshine Blessings,

Ilona

THE CHARGE OF THE MOON

Merry Meet to All of You!

What a gorgeous first Full Moon night we had here in Richmond, Yorkshire, yesterday! Hope yours was equally magickal :)!

As I said in the post yesterday (see), today I would like to give you a practical example as how to use the power of the Full Moon to help your visualisations/affirmations for the next lunar cycle to manifest.

The easiest way to do this is to create a talisman, which you charge up with your intend and the light of the Moon itself.

I normally use a Tarot card from a spare deck, which I find apt to the course as to what I want to bring into/improve in my life.

It doesn't have to be one though, choose what ever object is of meaning to your own course of action, be it a piece of jewellery, a crystal, even something as simple as a feather or a pebble from the woods. What matters is only that the object feels right to you to use in light of what you like to manifest.

Lite a candle, sit with your chosen object for a while, bringing your intended manifestations to the centre of your thoughts. You may ask the Goddess/God, the Angels, certain deities or the Universe itself (again, go with what feels right for you) for protection and Blessing of the act you are about to undertake.

Then, with your index fingers and thumbs, form a triangle and place it on your talisman to be, and concentrate on words which clearly state your intend.

After repeating these words for a couple of times, leave your seat (fingers still forming the triangle) and go to the nearest Moon facing window. Put your arms up, until the Moon sits in the centre of your triangle and repeat your mantra of intent again and again. (On a cloudy night just aim for the general direction you know the Moon to be in.)

Do it until you can feel the energy of the Moon being drawn down into yourself and the Moon itself seems to become blurry in your vision, like a double image.

Then go back to your chosen object and slam your charged up finger triangle firmly on it (or around it, if its small) and let the charged energy flow into it, while trice more repeating your words of intent.

That's it basically, you have created a talisman, charged up with the energy of the Moon, which will positively aid your aim of manifestation. You can carry it around with you through the next Moon cycle or put it in a special place, again it's up to you.

Oh, and if you asked for Blessing and protection at the beginning, please do not forget to give Thanks after...it's good manners after all :).

It is also a good idea to keep a journal through the next month, charting your progress on your journey of manifestation, as it allows you to look back on it and see where you got and if it is really where you wanted to go, so can fine tune it if you feel you need to in the future.

I hope you enjoyed this little example of how to harness the Moon's power and if you decide to go there, have fun and joy creating your own little talisman!

Don't forget, its your personal journey, I don't believe in following rules or rituals to the letter, it has to feel right to you in order to be most effective...so feel free to make personal changes in order to feel at ease and happy with what you are doing. The technique I described here is loosely based on Raven Grimassi's Triangle of Manifestation. For more information see

http://www.ravengrimassi.net/

Full Moon Blessings and Love,

Ilona

THOUGHTS UNDER THE HAY MOON

Merry Meet to All of You!

Tonight, we are officially entering the July Full Moon, known as the 'Hay Moon' in England.
Names used in other regions include Buck Moon (North America), Guru Purnima (Hindu name), Esala Poya (Buddhist name) or generally Thunder or Mead Moon.

In my mind, the time around the Full Moon is an ideal time to first take some quiet time and visualise what you would like to manifest in your life, where you want your life to head during the next lunar cycle, and then get to work with Magick and Affirmations to bring your desires into being, if you so wish (a practical example of how you may do that will follow in tomorrow's blog post).

So, for tonight, why not sit quietly by candlelight, go outside to do it if the weather allows, look at the Moon and let your mind wander to visualise what it is you would like to bring into or improve in your life during this coming lunar cycle.
If the weather does not permit to do so outside, open the windows of your room, as to let the Moon in, sit at your table or wherever you are most comfortable, and contemplate in front of a candle there.

I have attached a lovely, relaxing Full Moon Meditation video which you can use to help with your visualisations.




I bid you a quiet, lovely Hay Moon night,

Moonshine Blessings,

Ilona

PS For more information about the Full Moon in general SEE Here

INCY WINCY SPIDER

Merry Meet to All of You!

After I recently published a post about natural insect repellents, 'Cast out Creepy Crawlies', a lovely Facebook friend of mine pointed out, that there was no mentioning of any repellents against spiders, so I did some research on the subject and found the following method you could try, if, like me and her, you don't like to kill spiders but also don't want them inside your house.

An easy way to repel spiders ecologically friendly and without harming them is to mix vinegar and coconut oil and spray the affected area.

You can also use the the following recipe to create the perfect natural repellent.

The ingredients are:

1 quart of water (1/4 litre)
5 tablespoons of liquid natural soap
1 ounce of neem oil (29 ml)
A few drops of either lavender or tea tree oil

Mix all these ingredients together in a spray bottle and spray the area where you have spiders. This will not harm the spiders at all and will drive them away, because sensors on their legs react in an unpleasant manner to the ingredients (bit like us having an allergic reaction).

If you can't find neem oil in the local shops, there are plenty of suppliers on the Internet, here's one example:

http://www.pukkaherbs.com/NeemOil

I hope this will come in handy for all of you, I shall certainly try it out :D.

Summer Blessings,

Ilona

PS.

I think I found a real cutie for the picture, even if you don't like spiders...look at that little face :)

ODE TO THE WOLVES

Merry Meet to All of You!

With the Full Moon approaching (and me still suffering from a mind-numbing summer cold), I thought today I share with you a video of my all time favourite animals, who are pure Magick in themselves, Wolves.

I feel a kindred bond to them, as they are often occur in my dreams, and I had the pleasure to see some in their natural environment while in Germany last summer, what an uplifting, blissful experience!!

They are beautiful, graceful, intelligent and have a more caring social structure than us humans have ever achieved so far... so how on Earth could they ever be demonised?!?

I for one swing my bat in favour of the wolves, as their sight and sound of howling are magickal to me.

So, I hope you will enjoy the linked video, fellow wolf-lovers might need to keep tissues handy, as it can choke you up a bit (it did so to me), it's so beautiful!




Here is to howling with the wolves,

Moonshine Blessings

Ilona

TAROT - FULL MOON SPREAD

Merry Meet to All of You!

As you probably all aware, the Full Moon is here on Monday, inspiration struck me to create a new Tarot spread for use on the night of the Full Moon, hence 'The Full Moon Spread'.

The aim of this spread is to see what you would like to manifest in your life and how you can go about it physically and spiritually. It also pays attention to the long term effects of such manifestations.

This is a sixteen card spread, which goes as followed:

1. The current Inner You - where you are right now in yourself

2. The current Outer You - how you are perceived by and project yourself onto the world

3. Desired outcome - what you would like to manifest in your life

4. The South Node - roots in the past, how your current status came about

5. Inner Influences - your own contributions

6. Outer Influences - contributors/-ions from the outside world

7. Western Shores - physical manifestation

8. Outer Influences - what you can harness from the outside world in order to physically

manifest your desired outcome

9. Inner Influences - what you can do in yourself to achieve manifestation

10. Wisdom of the East - spiritual manifestation

11. Higher Pathways - positive steps toward manifestation

12. Lower Pathways - inner blocks to overcome

13. North Node - the projected outcome

14. Manifestation in yourself - how the outcome affects you on the inside

15. Manifestation in the world - how the outcome affects the world around you

16. The North Star - how this manifestation may affect your further life path / long term future

The layout goes as followed:

*****************************************************16*
************************************** *13*
***********************************14*******15*
******************************8******************11*
***************************7**********(1)3(2)********10*
******************************9******************12*
**********************************5**********6**
****************************************4*

A dear friend kindly tested the spread together with me and for each of us and it worked really well, neither of us even asking a specific question, so it can be used by everyone for general guidance as well as specific needs/questions.

So if you like to celebrate the Full Moon, feel free to use this spread and have as much fun with and insight through it as we had during the test run (feedback on how you got on with it would be very welcome!)!!!

Bright Blessings,

Ilona

FRESH AS A DAISY

Merry Meet to All of You!

With summer in full bloom don't all the meadows and gardens look just lovely with all the different flowers shining with colour?

In all this splendour, have you ever spared a thought for the humble Daisy?

The Daisy is as a flower linked to the star sign of Taurus as well as to the planet of Venus and therefore Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

In magick, Daisies are a good-luck charm and are used with spells or in potions to bring purity, innocence and loyal love. You may prepare a balm from Daisies, to anoint the person for which you wish these things.

To prepare a balm of Daisy flowers, simply put fresh, slightly crushed (or dried and powdered) Daisies in a pan, together with Vaseline (or lard/unsalted butter, if you like). Bring to the boil slowly, so the Vaseline has time to melt evenly. Once boiling, stir and take of the heat, sifting out the residue via a tea towel or muslin cloth, giving the leftover residue a good squeeze. Finally leave to cool and bottle the balm.

(Information of planetary and zodiacal correlations taken from:'Herbs in Magic and Alchemy'; C.L. Zalwski; 1990 : http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1853270466?ie=UTF8&tag=therichchal-21&linkCode=xm2&camp=1634&creativeASIN=1853270466 )

As well as for magickal uses, the Daisy can also be a colourful ingredient in your kitchen, as young leaves and flowers can be used in salads (country folk in old Italy and Spain used to eat the roots as well) and the flower petals make lovely decorations for puddings, biscuits and cakes.

So, next time you want to bake for your other half, why not make some muffins decorated with one of the flowers of Venus?

(You find a lovely muffin recipe on: http://theherbalchalice.blogspot.com/2009/05/reciepe-of-week-daisy-muffins.html )

As you take your next walk, why not spare a little thought for the lovely little Daisy, and the innocence, love and good luck it stands for?

Summer Blessings,

Ilona

BEAUTIFUL MEDITATION

Merry Meet to All of You!!

Just watched this meditation video and found it beautifully relaxing and at the same time thought provoking.




Hope you all enjoy watching it!

Summer Blessings,

Ilona

ROOT CHAKRA MEDITATION

Merry Meet to All of You!

I have just found this lovely meditation concerning the root chakra on you tube.Watch, learn and simply enjoy!




If you like to learn more about the importance and function of the Root Chakra, go to

http://www.algonet.se/~anki-p/Rootchakra.html

Bright, Grounded Blessings,

Ilona

A MAGICK BREW

Merry Meet to All of You!

Hope you are all enjoying the sunshine, well at least until recently, lets hope it returns soon. :)

I know, lovely wheather makes you crave cold drinks more than anything, but I found this tea recipe I would like to share with you regardless.

It's called 'Magical Working Tea' and helps you with your preparation and entering the right mindset before undertaking, well, magickal work.

It is dead simple, just make an infusion out of:

2 teaspoons rosemary

1 teaspoon lavender

grated peel of 1 orange

let it infuse for 10 minutes and drink about an hour before your magickal workings.

Rosemary stimulates the brain while lavender relaxes you and orange is linked with solar energies, thus this tea can help putting yourself in the required mindset for your purposes.

(Recipe taken from: 'The Real Witches Kitchen' by Kate West, page 141; see:

http://richmondchalice.blogspot.com/2009/05/tip-of-day-good-book.html)

So, even in the hopefully returning warm weather, the right cup of tea can still work wonders.

Enjoy a lovely summer and make the most of it outdoors, hopefully in the returning sunshine.

Sunny Blessings,

Ilona

KEEP IT CLEAN - A SPELL SET IN STONE

Merry Meet to all!

As you all know during spring and early summer, most of us feel the urge to do a good all out clean up around the house, clearing out the clutter and freshen the place up. But as you also know, clutter and mess have the uncanny ability to creep back in, claiming your place back ;).

Here is a lovely little spell I came across, which can help you to keep your home tidy after you have done all the hard work!

Collect some nice stones, one for each room in your house and put them in a bowl, covered with a green cloth. Then, holding your hands palms down over the bowl, say the following blessing, once for each stone:

Now I have done the cleaning feat,

bless this stone to help to keep

my lovely home smelling sweet

always tidy, always neat!

Place one of the stones near the entrance of every room and they act as charms to keep clutter and mess away.

Bright Blessings,

Ilona

PS. If you like to clean your home with natural products, for recipies to make your own household cleaners go to: http://www.ecocycle.org/hazwaste/recipes.cfm
Brilliant site!

THE WISDOM OF GRASS

Merry Meet to All of You!

You probably wonder, what the title is about?

Well, it's just something I came up with, when life gets on top of me sometimes and everything seems a struggle.

In Taoism, one of the roots of unhappiness, ill-contentment and negative personal energy is our constant striving in the material world. In our society, it gets ingrained in most of us from a very early age, that it is the most important in life, to be successful - in both personal relationships as well as career wise.

People tend to measure their self-worth in what they have been able to achieve and amass in material possessions. The pressure to keep up a 'successful, perfect' image puts a huge emphasis on constantly 'bettering yourself' and achieve more, and there are no excuses allowed, if you can't keep up.

This strive for socially accepted 'perfection' in your life can lead to rigidity and the inability to deal with changes, which might not fit into your 'personal achievement plan' and thus affect self-worth in a negative way.Taoism teaches that you can reach happiness and contentment by detachment to the material world.

Now, that sounds pretty profound and a bit scary, but the core of it means: you have to learn to bend with the flow of life, in good phases as well as bad, and stop denying yourself the right to regress and re-assess...and yes - to feel sad and awful.Stop striving for societies blind prescription of 'happily ever after' at all costs!

That's why I call it 'the wisdom of grass', because why is grass one of the most successful species on Earth? It is flexible and bends with every direction the wind might blow from and so it survives!It is an allegory of embracing change instead of fighting against it (the grass would breakstanding up to the wind).

So the next time life puts you on a low ebb, visualize a great plain of grass swaying with the strong wind, and how it will not break, but stand upright again, once the storm is over.

Warm Blessings,

Ilona

A LITTLE MAGIC FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Merry Meet to All of You!

The holiday season is fast heading towards us and, to be honest, don't you hate the niggling feeling on the way to airport:'I hope I haven't forgotten anything!?' and then, worse, when you arrive there, you find that you have....in the worst case scenario even your plane tickets or passport?!

I have certainly suffered from 'have I packed everything' stress, so I was really pleased when I came about this little spell, which can help you remember your essentials whilst packing your bags.

To begin with, fill the room with the aroma of lemon, either by lighting a lemon-scented candle, or , if you can' t get hold of one, a simple white one next to a bowl of lemon juice.Next, take a red pen to a white piece of paper and write down everything you want to remember to pack three times. Then burn this list in the candle whilst saying:

"When I touch my bags to pack, from memory this list bring back!"

Then, simply stop worrying and have a great holiday!

Warm Blessings,

Ilona

CAST OUT CREEPY CRAWLIES

Merry Meet to All of You!

With summer here, keeping your home free of creepy crawlies, which re-emerge with the rising temperatures, can become an issue.

If you are like me, and don't like to use the 'chemical warfare' of conventional repellents, here are some ideas of how to apply aromatherapy, which is natural and kinder to the environment (including the creepies, as it keeps them away without necessarily killing them), to achieve the same effects.

You can use the following essential oils for the different kind of insects:

Mosquitoes:

Use Citronella. A few drops on your pillow case and/or mattress will keep them at bay. Alternatively, you can dilute 15 drops of the essential oil in 30ml of sunflower oil, which you rub onto your skin (this also soothes the effects of bites).

Flies:

Use Lemongrass. Mix 15 drops of the essential oil with 600ml of water in a pump spray bottle, shake well and spray around the room or onto the buzzing flies directly.

Ants:

Use Tea Tree and Thyme. Dilute 8 drops of Tea Tree oil and 7 drops of Thyme oil in 30ml of water. Use a pump spray to spray the areas where the ants come in or walk.

Pet fleas:

Use Geranium, Lavender and Tea Tree. Dilute 6 drops of Geranium, 5 drops of Lavender and 4 drops of Tea Tree in 30ml of water. Use a pump spray to spray into you pets fluffed up fur, avoiding their eyes.I hope these little tips come in handy to keep your home chemical and pest free during the summer months.

Good luck in your fight against the crawlie invasion ;)!

Bright Blessings,

Ilona

KITCHENCUPBOARD MAGICK - HERBAL BATH SATCHETS

Merry Meet to All!

You don't need to buy expensive and exotic ingredients to add a little bit of natural magic and holistic approach to your lifestyle.
Just have a good look in your kitchen cupboard (and garden, if you have one) and you'd be amazed what you can do with the 'everyday things' in there.

Here, for example, is a really nice recipe for herbal bath sachets, which are very simple to make and will give you an invigorating, 100% natural bath experience, which puts the spring back in your step.

All you need is:

4 cups of dried lemon verbenna *
2 cups of dried thyme
1 cup of dried peppermint
fabric, like muslin or organdie, which can be easily penetrated by water

*lemon verbenna is a common garden herb (see picture), but if you can't get hold of it, you can use dried lemon rind

Take to needle and threat and make little sachets of the fabric, which you fill with the herbs - that's all there's to it!

When running a bath, hold the sachets under the tab or simply float in the water. A filled sachet can be used twice, and the sachets themselves can be refilled with fresh herbs again and again.

Enjoy!

Summer Blessings,

Ilona

A Magical Moment

Merry Meet to All of You!

Yesterday I put a post up, inviting you to take part in a Vigil to the Dark Moon, if you so wished.

Well, me and my friend Idun went to a very special place for our contemplation, a truly magical, peaceful clearing with a magnificent ancient oak tree (see picture of the tree above).

Having the Vigil there, feeling the energies of nature and the spirit of the tree around us was a truly soul-expanding and connective expierence from which we both returned energized and cleansed.

I wish for everyone who took part in the Vigil to have felt the same peace and emergence of positivity and hope.

As the New Moon is upon us, may all your wishes and visulisations come true and may the Dark Mother guide you in your quest, whatever it may be.

New Moon Blessings and Love,

Ilona

VIGIL TO THE DARK MOON

Merry Meet to All of You!

A dear friend of mine is inviting everyone to join in a Vigil to the Dark Moon tonight at 9pm English time. It doesn't matter what timezone you are in, just hold it at the corresponding hour where you are). So if you feel you would like to connect to the powers of the Dark Mother feel free to join :).

For more information go to:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=109947902387991&index=1

Hail the Dark Mother and her wisdom,

Summer Blessings

Ilona