Honeysuckle for love, prosperity and intuition

The honeysuckle has started to flower in my garden and it is beautiful.

Honeysuckle (Lonicera Joponica) is an edible plant that has medicinal and magical properties.

Honeysuckle has been burned as incense since ancient times within homes and dwellings for prosperity.  

Burning honeysuckle can attract and maintain financial security into the home. The sugary and lemony scent of honeysuckle sweetens the thoughts of those who smell it, therefore triggering generosity.

The sweet scent of honeysuckle works to clear the mind and to strengthen intuition and psychic powers. Crushing and placing the honeysuckle flowers next to the forehead can boost the psychic powers within the mind.

Honeysuckle has earned a reputation for being an herb that protects. Deer and other wild animals use honeysuckle to protect them, as the scent of the bush helps to mask their scents and the honeysuckle provides food.

The honeysuckle flower has a reputation for being centered around love and the bonds of love due to its sweet aroma and the fact that the flower looks like two lovers intertwined. The scent of honeysuckle is said to cause dreams of love and passion.

Warning - The honeysuckle's berries are poisonous.

Honeysuckle encourages us to reach for those desires sought while remaining true to the values and beliefs held. The Honeysuckle will help you to tread safely. The sweet scent of the Honeysuckle signals joy in the search for the self.

Honeysuckle (Lonicera Japonica) has got some medicinal uses.

In China it is used extensively to treat sore throats, colds, flu, tonsillitis, bronchitis, pneumonia.

Honeysuckle flower extracts are strongly active against several bacteria causing respiratory problems, including those that cause TB.

Tea can be made from flowers (in summer). In winter twigs and dried leaves can be used to make bitter tea (bitter flavour can be improved by adding honey and lemon).

Tansy

x

Bear Witch Project ....... Crafty Arty!

Well, hello there... Arthur here ............. Have you made and despatched  your Despacho's yet?  No?? well no worries - maybe you'll want to join me on this crafty expedition!

It's coming up to Lug......Lugh.........Lun...... Lammas  *hangs head and shuffles paws* - Ok Raven for you ... Lughnasadh.....!!

Although in the heat of a  summer it might be difficult to discern, but the festival (Aug 1st) marks the end of
summer and the beginning of Autumn (Fall). The days will grow shorter and by the time we've reached Autumn's end (Oct 31st), we will have run  from the heat of August to the cold and (if we are lucky) snow of November. And in the midst of it, a perfect Autumn (hopefully not as soggy as Spring and Summer eh?!)

That's the 'blurb' out of the way - now, the KW team set a challenge on the forum - to celebrate this Sabbat to make a wreath :

For the base/shape:

Wicker circle
Foam base circle
Wire base circle
Salt dough wreath
Fimo wreath
Clay wreath
Wheat circle

Decorate with:

Flowers - fresh (although they won't last long!), dried or silk
Ribbons
Dried fruit
Paint
Glitter
Wheat
Nuts and seeds

It didn't have to be fancy ........... so as there was the promise of nuts and berries and all manner of goodies laying around ............ how could I resist

I started by rolling some salt dough out into three long strands .. Tansy made the salt dough earlier in the day and the recipe she used was:

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes
Ingredients:
4 Cups flour
1 Cup salt
1 ½ Cups hot water
1 tsp vegetable oil

Preparation:
Combine the salt and flour, then add the water until the dough becomes elastic. Add the oil at this time and knead the dough (if it's too sticky, add more flour). Once it's a good consistency, make your decorations with cookie cutters. Bake ornaments at 200* until hard (about 20 - 30 minutes). Once they've cooled, paint them with designs and symbols, and seal with clear varnish.

 After I had the three strands I (with help.... I've only got paws after all...) braided them together ..... the Ladies assure me that should  I in the future have a girl cub and she has long hair I'll get lots of practice at this!!!

 Next, I put the long braid into a ring shape and joined the ends together with water so it stayed together

Whaddya think.... looking good eh???

Now to decorate it......

How about a Triple Moon .....

A pentacle.......

A Goddess ....... 

And a broom ............... 

Now it goes into the oven to be baked - and made hard - time to clean up .... *hum, dee, da,* - yep I let the ladies do that ......... :)  Time for me to have a nice cup of herbal tea!

When it's all ready you can paint, varnish and add any finishing touches ..................... and Voila!!! 

So, whaddya think?????????????

Love and blessings to you

Arthur ............... and the KW Leadership team x 

a bit of that ole New Moon Magic

It is the New Moon...so what to do with that New Moon energy?

The New Moon always makes me feel full of anticipation, of expectation for all the wonderful things that are waiting to happen.

It is dark but soon the Moon will start to peep out from the sky bringing with her energy, growth, fresh and new ideas all with the excitement and anticipation those things bring with them.

Some magical ideas for working on the New Moon:

If you have collected some seeds from your garden use these - take one seed for each new idea or project you have and whilst holding the seed visualise that idea or plan coming together - then plant the seed.

Using a white candle dressed with an oil of your choice, charge it with the intent of your new project, then light the candle every evening for a short time until the Full Moon is upon us.

Using a silver or white cord or ribbon visualise your goal then tie three knots in it, saying out loud your intent with each knot you tie.  Keep the cord on your altar or hang it in your garden until the next New Moon then untie the knots and cleanse the cord so that you can use it again.

And the simplest one of all?  Go outside and make a wish on the New Moon.

Colours of the New Moon:
White, Cream, pastel colours

Incense of the New Moon:
Damiana, lemongrass, lavender, jasmine, rose, sandalwood, myrrh, sweetgrass

Magic on the New Moon is all about fresh plans, new projects, wishes and getting things underway. Use the energy to get things in motion, but also make sure to ask for some energy to keep the project going so that it doesn't fade out.  It is also a good time to get rid of bad habits and replace them with good ones.    A good time to start healthy eating too.

To make your own Moon water:

You can make your own blessed water charged with the energy of the Moon, it has powerful healing benefits:

Put a crystal quartz in a glass and fill it up with spring water.

Place the glass outside at sunset (cover the top)

In the morning bring the glass in, it is now charged with the energy of the Moon!

Drink the water to absorb the energy or use in in spell work.

You can also charge crystals with the energy of the New Moon by leaving them out overnight too.

So gather everything together, get organised and make those plans!

Tansy
x

Bear Witch Project ..... Despacho

Well helllooooooooooooooo there - yep tis me again - Arthur ..... I am so excited, yesterday I had my first taste of being a BearWitch and did my first crafty project .....

It all started with Raven and Sun picking me up and taking me to Tansy's house and, well, no self-respecting Witch would work on an empty stomach and this bear's belly was rumbling!!!

Good job Tansy is a wondercook!!!

That's dinner and for pudding ........ 

  But you has to be quick ......

She's a dab hand with a spoon ....!!! but shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh - she loves me really! 

Anyway, when we were all stuffed *pardon the pun* - I was sent out into the garden to light the chine..chimi...china......fire!

 

Why do we need a fire ... well, Raven tells me that we are making Despacho's today, I can hear you asking so I'll tell  you - a Despacho is not a cold soup as Tansy says but a parcel .... here's the blurb....... 

A despacho ceremony is meant to bring Ayni (balance) or reciprocity, into balance and is an act of love to Pachamama (Mother Earth) - A despacho is build (like a mandala) with a specific intent and/or purpose to create balance.  They can be built for any occasion such as: 

To give thanks to Mother Earth

To release fears

To honor new beginnings

To honor the dying and the dead 

To bring balance into our lives 

........... 

So, to start with we brought in Tin from Canada by the miracles of modern technology.... 

And then we began, as you can see with some paper - and then we put on the paper a shell to symbolize Mother Earth, three bay leaves to hold the prayers, ..... then we added something to honor the elements ... 

Mine has:  Pebble (Earth), Feather (Air), Sea Grass (Water) and Pepper seeds (Fire) ...

Then we added flowers (marigold heads) and something sweet (lemongrass) and some dragon resin - is it just me or does mine actually look like a dragon ..........???

You then add a note to represent your intent, or a photo, or whatever it is you are releasing /giving thanks for ... this will be personal to you

Then you wrap the parcel .....

And tie it with yellow twine - Raven tied mine for me - and then you burn it ..... 

*as I am flammable - Raven put the Despacho in for me*

When the fire is out and the Despacho is burnt - you let the wind take the ashes ..... anything that won't / can't burn then you bury in Mother Earth ....

After the ceremony we headed back inside for some fun and laughter - and a little more crafting ..... coming soon to a blog near you!!!!

Til then ......

love and blessings

Arthur .....and the KW leadership team!

x x x

Candle magic basics

We were asked recently via facebook to blog about the basics of candle magic...so we have:

Candle magic is one of the most popular methods of working magic. It can be as simple as lighting a white candle and putting your intent into it or going the whole hog and tying in the correct colour of the candle, adding corresponding herbs, anointing with oil, carving runes or sigils, chanting a spell to go with it – or anywhere in between.

The choice is yours, it’s a personal thing, sometimes you may want to keep it simple, other times you may want to add to it – play around with all the various methods and see what works best for you.

When should I work candle magick?

Well, again this is up to you. If you have a need to do the working right now…then do it. If you want to add a bit of oomph to your candle magic working then you could correspond it to the phase of the moon.

The basic rule of thumb with the moon phases is:

Waxing Moon is for growth and new projects.
Full Moon is for completions, healing and empowerment.
Waning Moon is for releasings, cleansings and banishings.
New (or dark) Moon is for divination.

If you really want to get specific, you could also perform the candle magic on the corresponding day of the week

A basic white candle is good and covers pretty much every intent. However if you want to add power to your intent pick a coloured candle that mirrors your objective.

You can also dress your candle with a corresponding essential oil and also add crystals at the base, or carve runes into the candle itself.

At the end of the day all the extra touches add a bit of extra power, but it is your intent that is most important.

Charge the candle with your intent, by holding your hands either side and sending the energy of your intent into the candle, visualise the outcome that you desire as you do so.  If you choose to use herbs or oils to dress the candle in, charge those as well.


For spells I prefer to use small beeswax candles as these don't take hours and hours to burn and they don't leave any wax behind.


Never leave a lit candle unattended.


Tansy
x






We have an in depth lesson on candle magic within our Kitchen Witch School of Natural Witchery

2nd July .... or How I got a name.....

Helloooooo loyal Blog followers .... Arthur here ... I am so grown up with a name all my own and what a name it is very regal!

Did you know that there was a King called Arthur, he had a magician called Merlin and lived a long, long, long time ago.  He is reputed to be living in the Isle of Avalon waiting for a time when he is most needed to come back to lead 'us' again!

Now, this is a bit freaky ... but did you also know that Glastonbury is reputed to BE the Isle of Avalon ... and I was there with the lovely KW leadership team having cake and generally soaking up the atmosphere.. However, being male I couldn't get out of the bag at the Goddess temple... but I do hear wonderful things about the place.

So, apart from being named what else have I been up to?????????

Well, not a lot really I've been missing the Tin'd one a lot and I've had the snivels which has resulted in my stuffing being a bit soggy........ soggy stuffing is not good let me tell you!

However, Raven assures me that I will be seeing Tin again soon and she's had a word with the other Brit leadership and I'm allowed to join in when they have their moots and stuff!!!

love Bea.............. Arthur x x x

and the bear...his name shall be...

We were totally overwhelmed by the amount of people that suggested names for our travelling bear, thank you all so much - there were some amazing suggestions it was very difficult to choose.


and the bear...his name shall be...


ARTHUR


watch out for future blogs from Arthur, as he is staying with us in the UK now we thought he ought to learn a little bit about witchcraft, so we shall be blogging his progress with us at the Kitchen Witch School of Natural Witchery