Saturday, August 15, 2009

Esbats

Hey Everyone,
There are two Esbats in a month, occasionally more.  The Esbats are the full moons and the new moons, and here is a list of the different moons in the year, and some ways to celebrate them.
There are many fun ways to celebrate them.  I really like to do my regular meditation with some of my favorite incense.  But if you want to do something really special say for the full moon in your birthday month, there are many more options.   I really like to bake, so for the October full moon (list is below), I might make moon cakes for the ceremony.  Just do whatever feels right to you for the ceremonies.
Each month has a different moon, so here is the list:
January: Wolf Moon
February: Storm Moon
March: Chaste Moon
April: Seed Moon
May: Hare Moon
June: Dyad (pair) Moon
July: Mead Moon
August: Wyrt (green plant) Moon
September: Barley Moon
October: Blood Moon
November: Snow Moon
December: Oak Moon
Random*: Blue Moon 
* Can take place in any month because there are 13 moons a year, but in the Gregorian calender, there is only 12 months, which does not follow the moon cycles.

Thanks for reading, for more information, check back later!
  
Blessed Be!
WiccaGirl101

Friday, August 14, 2009

Witches Cabinet

Hey Everyone,
What is a Witches Cabinet?  It is where you keep all you witchy things, so in this post will be all the basics, and the not so basics.  I keep all of my supplies in a small leather box, but I am quickly expanding.
All:
Altar Cloths
Amulets
Athame
Baskets 
Beads (for making jewelry and talismans/amulets)
Bell
Bolline
Book of Shadows
Bowls
Candles (I have tons, all different colors and sizes)
Candle Holders
Capes and Costumes
Cauldron
Chalices
Compass
Corn (dried and powdered)
Crystals and Gems
Crystal Ball
Decanter (for wine and mead)
Divination Tools (wide variety)
Earth
Feathers
Felt
Glue
Herbs, dried plants and spices
Holy Water
Holy Oil
Incense, bricks, burners and fire resistant plate
India ink (for writing spells on parchment)
Lighters
Magick mirror
Magickal jewlery
Mortar and Pestle 
Oils
Parchment Paper
Pendulum
Pens (water colour)
Pentacles
Pentagrams
Pitcher
Platters
Pocket Knife
Potpourri pot
Pouches
Quill Pens
Rawhide, jewelry, etc.
Rice
Rope (5 feet for making a circle for the children)
Runes
Scales
Scissors
Sea Salt
Seeds
Statues
Stencils and brushes
String
Talismans
Tarot cards (several decks)
Wands
Wooden boxes 
Wooden spoons

You really do not need all of this, but it is nice to have all of it.  I just collect mine over time.

Blessed Be!
WiccaGirl101

This information was found in To Ride a Silver Broomstick by Silver Ravenwolf 

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Moon Cakes

Hey Everyone,
Mmm.  Moon Cakes, festive and delicious for any occasion especially Esbats and Sabbats.  Here is my favorite Moon Cake recipe, along with a non-alcoholic mead, try it, you'll love it!
My favorite recipes are from Scott Cunningham's Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner
Moon Cakes
1 cup finely ground almonds
1 1/4 cups flour
2 drops almond extract
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg yolk

Combine almonds, flour, sugar, and almond extract until thoroughly mixed.  With the hands, work in butter and egg yolk until well blended.  Chill dough.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  Pinch off pieces of dough about the size of walnuts and shape into crescent moons.  Place on greased (or no stick) backing sheets and back for about 20 minutes.

Soft Mead (Non-Alcoholic)
1 quart water, preferably spring water
1 cup honey
1 sliced lemon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Boil together all the ingredients in a nonmetallic pot.  While boiling, scrape off the rising "scum" with a wooden spoon.  When no more rises, add the following:
pinch of salt
juice of 1/2 lemon.

Strain and cool.
  
Blessed Be! 
WiccaGirl101

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Elemental Encyclopedias

Hey Everyone,
There are a series of books, called the Elemental Encyclopedias.  They are very big and quite pricey, but I feel they are really good books to have.  I do not own any of them, but I have spent long hours in the book store reading over them.  Here is a list of all the books that are on my wish list.  (EE stands for elemental encyclopedia)
EE of Witchcraft
EE of 5000 spells
EE of Magical Creatures
EE of Spirits

These books have a lot of interesting infromation for doing spells and rituals, and I just think they would be a really fun read.

Check 
Blessed Be!
WiccaGirl101

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Turtles and the Moon

Hey Everyone,
My mom and I absolutely love turtles, and I also really love the moon, because I feel really connected to her.  But did you know how closely they are related?
If you look closely at a turtle's shell, on the inside there is 13 different sections, which link to the 13 moons in a year.  If you look at the outside, there are 28 sections which link to the 28 day cycle of the moon.  Another fact is turtles only lay their eggs at night, when the moon is out.  
Cool huh?
Thanks for reading, check back tomorrow to learn more about different books, crystals, herbs and much much more!
  
Blessed Be!
WiccaGirl101

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Daily Meditation

Hey Everyone,
This post is just going to be about daily meditations and how to deal with the everyday stress of being a teenager.  
For my daily meditations, I like to have a nice, long, hot bath, with my favorite epsom salts (or bubble bath) and a lot of candles.  I find this very soothing because there is no harsh light, purely candle light.  It is also nice to have some incense burning and music playing.  My favorite meditation music is Enya, and Loreena McKennit.  I like to read my favorite book, then soap down.  And after the bath, it is always nice to mosturize from head to toe.
If you do not have time for a bath, or access to a bath, burning even a single candle in a dark room can be very relaxing.
Thanks for reading!
WARNING!!! Keep all electronics far away from the bath tub, and be careful of the candles!
 
Blessed Be!
WiccaGirl101