Candle Magick

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 We sell an inordinate number of candles at Talisman – in fact, I often leave a stocked shop on Saturday, only to come back on Wednesday to find our supply nearly depleted (come to think of it – what the heck are you people doing on Sundays when I’m not around, hmm?).  So while there are entire books written on the topic of candle magick, I thought I’d provide a brief overview below.

A candle is unique in that, alone, it represents all four elements (flame = fire; wax = earth; liquid wax = water and air which feeds the flame).  The moment you light a candle, it signals the heavens that something significant has begun here below. The fact is, candle magick resonates for many of us. Having been raised Catholic, one of my earliest memories is standing in front of rows and rows of neatly arranged jar candles at the front of the church while my grandmother lit a slender stick (after putting money in the wooden box nearby) then instructing me to use the flaming stick to light a candle of my own – and say a prayer for our family. So it seems natural that we would sell a lot of jar candles at Talisman. White is the most popular color, and while some people prefer to bless their own others will ask that we oil and bless their candles instead. This process is called “dressing” a candle. While jar candles are safe and easy, there are many other shapes and sizes to work with. The choice of color, however, is usually the first thing to consider. Listed below is a basic color chart:

Green: Abundance, money, physical healing, health, good luck.

Yellow: Action, inspiration and creativity, persuasion, confidence, road

opening.

Red: Passion, sex/physical love, fire, strength, courage.

Pink: Romance, affection, friendship, Universal love (pure love).

Gold: Enlightenment, success, wealth, money, masculinity, luck. The

God.

Blue: Communication, healing, harmony, inspiration.

Orange: Legal and business deals, success, career, goals, ambition.

Brown: Animal magick, earth magick, concentration/study, home.

Purple: Divination, psychic abilities, power, contact with spirit world.

Silver: Meditation, victory, feminine energy. Repel destruction. The

Goddess.

Grey: Substitutes for silver.

Violet: Idealism, ambition, independence, revelation of Divine Will.

Ivory: Neutrality, balance and harmlessness.

Black: Protection, reversing, banishing, binding, and repelling.

White: Cleansing, purification, protection, spirituality, use to bring peace.

White can be a substitute for all candle colors; suitable for any ritual.

Many people are afraid to leave a candle burning unattended, which is why chime candles are so popular (they burn for about 30 minutes – a good time for accompanying ritual work, if you want to time the ritual’s end with the candle burning out). Household candles burn for about 3 hours, are easy to carve and can stand in for poppets. I like working with votives – carved, oiled and rolled in herbs or resin then burned with parchment underneath that describes intent and outcome. No special reason, the size and shape just appeal to me personally. Please note that if burning candles (or fire in general) makes you nervous then candle magick may not be right for you. There are plenty of other ways to manifest and move energy - using cords, bottle spells, mojo bags, and lucid dreaming to name just a few. In fact, we will be offering a variety of spell bottle pendants in a month or so – crafted by a witch in West Virginia, each is unique, delicate and lovely to wear. So please don’t work with anything you are not comfortable with!

Figure candles are meant to enhance intent through imagery. In addition to human figures (male/female) you can use candles in the shape of cats, devils, witches, dollar signs, sex organs (aka “pinis” and “Vageena” candles, as my Santero calls them!) , hearts, skulls, knob candles, cherubs, crosses, pyramids, snakes 3the list goes on and on.  Skulls really freak people out – but you’d use a skull candle to “get inside someone’s head” so a green skull candle might be used to inspire your boss to give you a promotion or a raise – or a red skull to inspire passionate thoughts.

You carve a candle by using a sharp instrument (pin, awl, rose thorn) to inscribe dates, names, emblems, dollar amounts etc. into the sides of the candle – all of which add to intent. To dress a candle means to rub it with oil; and same as with carving it’s very important to focus on your intention while you do so. You can also press a tiny crystal into the base or center of the candle; sprinkle it with glitter, and/or surround the candle with herbs or stones to lend energy to your work. 

The timing of your work is important – we banish on the waning moon (the time three days after the full moon until the new moon) and manifest on the waxing moon (the time three days after the new moon until the full moon). So – if you were starting a diet you might begin on the waning moon to banish the excess weight; and I’d use a figure candle and draw arrows or a bulls-eye on the parts of the body I needed to focus on or reshape. Looking for a new job? You’d use an orange candle dressed with drawing oil while the moon was waxing, I’d place my resume under the burning candle after dotting drawing oil on all four of its corners.

Categories: General

Discomfort in the New Age

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Last month, I received an email from a dear patron (shortened version below) – the questions posed are the same ones I hear very frequently at the shop.  In addition to emails and phone calls, I have a constant flow of the people who come into the shop, wide eyed and shining, who tell me that ”I have just found my “way” and I love ALL of this!  The stones, the crystals, the oils, the energy … ALL of it!” 
 
Thank you!  And I love you … ALL of you!
 
Then I find out that in a recent reading(s) they were told that they were absolutely meant to either:  1) Be a “healer”; 2) Write a book; and/or 3) Open a spiritual center.   I touched on this topic in the April 2010 newsletter (http://www.talismanct.com/images/April%2010.pdf).  And before I go on, let me say for the record I truly believe everyone has intuitive gifts and talents, everyone is meant to be a healer, and everyone has a great book inside – just waiting to be written!  
 
Hi Laura,
 
I really enjoy the newsletters!  Perhaps you can help guide me to the right path.  Since I was 5, I have seen and heard the other side.  The past few years I have lost the fear of it and accepted it as a gift.  I have also seen very bad things, I am highly empathetic.  After many years of working at a career which had become toxic, I finally left.  I have been writing and love it, first book published.  But there is something off, I am still stuck. Can’t seem to get to the next rung on the ladder. Financially, emotionally and physically.  I meditate and hear “Them” say all the time I am not utilizing my gift and until I do what I was sent here to do, I will stay stuck in the mud.
 
I want to further this gift now. Hone it in, learn more about it and where I fit in this world.  I see, hear and feel them, their death at times also. I have learned to say NO and boundaries.  Where do I begin?  Of course, most think I am nuts til I see a spirit around them and they freak.  Activity is very strong in my house.   It can be BUSY!
 
So, after all of this, do you have any suggestions?  Classes, good teachers, mentors?  It is so powerful that it can be frightening.  Any insight is greatly welcomed.  Thank you.
———————————————-
 
First – I hear you on many levels.  I have friends who are profound healers who regularly “blow out” their microwave ovens, short circuit electronics, etc.  This  is frustrating (and costly!) but speaks to the need to learn to ground one’s self.   Start by wearing hematite – at least a ring, and possibly a pendant as well.  Become more conscious of the soles of your feet – literally, FEEL (through sensing) the bottoms of your feet and push energy down your legs and to the tips of your toes.  Do this exercise several times a day – it really helps.  Most women “live” above their solar plexis, many do not move energy actively into the lower extremities.  Keep a glass of clear tap water by your bed every night, tossing it out your front door each morning.  Refill each evening.  This helps you rest without energies interrupting your sleep.  Keeping a dish of plain sea salt on your nightstand helps too.  If you would like more instructions on clearing, email me at lenhard@comcast.net  and request clearing and salt information sheets and I will forward them.      
 
I hear the other questions you ask from people coming into the shop at least once a day, I swear to you. So many people are exhausted and miserable from working all day in unnatural settings (flourescent lights, in front of screens, against one’s natural internal “clock”) doing tasks that leave them unfulfilled – pushing paper, feeling like a cog in a wheel.  And then one day they “awaken” either gradually or suddenly and ACT on it … get Reiki training, meet with intutives/mediums, start meditating, journaling, yoga, dietary changes to an organic lifestyle … which leads them to know they are not living correctly.  Which serves to add to their feeling of discontent.
 
But of course … we must pay our bills.  And for almost all of us, that requires a paycheck.  The question left hanging (often unspoken but insinuated) is “how do I make this pay?”  And the problem is, we are trying to incorporate non-worldly talents and gifts into our current worldly dynamic of employment = cash income.  In the “olden days” we did not use currency but rather we bartered – someone would come to your home with fresh bread or a dozen eggs; and you’d spend a pleasant afternoon together in the kitchen conversing and healing or channeling or whatever.  No money would exchange hands.  Well, I am one of those people who believe we will go back to a form of living this way, it is slowly happening now, but we are not there yet.  
 
And that means that we still must find a way to earn cash money while we are waiting for the great Change/Shift to take place.  But I have to add, while the “change” is occurring people are not going to be very apt to want a reading or to chat with their beloved dead … most will be trying to forage for food when the supermarkets run out – or find medicines for their sick children – or a means to travel to a new/safer place to live.  Falling asleep won’t be a big problem when most people are truly physically exhausted. 
 
In other words … it won’t be pretty.  Most of us are NOT set up for long-term sustained living in terms of gardens, fruit trees, livestock, etc.
 
So there are two ways to approach this:  One, figure out what jobs ARE out there NOW which you can do – and do without going crazy.  Receptionist, office work, bank teller, medical field, automotive repair, computer services, electrician, plumber, hairdresser, mortician … whatever!!!  There is no job that is not enhanced when you tie it into energy work — a hairdresser can quietly channel healing as she is cutting hair; someone in food services can charge the meals they prepare with positive energy.  We MUST get rid of the headset (where ever it came from, I don’t know) that we can only heal if there is an “exchange” of energy and that the exchange must be a form of currency.  
 
If all else fails, think of it as “practice” … because we like to think of ourselves as “prac-titioners”, right?
 
Then it’s time to figure out what skillsets WILL BE needed – carpentry, herbalist, dentist, midwifery, animal husbandry, spinning/weaving, well digging, outhouse building … put your intuitive gifts to work for YOU, and NOW — SEE what is to come.  It may be macabre, but people will always die and someone must bury the dead.  So, there will always be a need for casket builders and grave diggers (my great-grandfather Thomas McGlynn was one).  Yes, someone may be needed to counsel the mourning … but some able-bodied person must definitely engage in the hard work of digging a six foot hole by hand!  Do you know how to butcher and clean even a fish to eat?  CAN you fish?  Can you wild-forage where you live for a plant-based meal?  If you are a vegetarian – do you have a garden that will sustain you?  Think your property is too small?  Think again – and read this:   http://www.mnn.com/your-home/organic-farming-gardening/stories/the-quarter-acre-farm and read this: 
http://thebovine.wordpress.com/2009/08/09/in-1999-35-million-small-family-plots-produced-90-of-russias-potatoes-77-of-vegetables-87-of-fruits-59-of-meat-49-of-milk-way-to-go-people/

Ask your angels/guides where your talents can best serve a population and what you need to learn or acquire (for example, digging tools if you are going to dowse for underground water and dig wells).  There will be lots and lots of hard, physical work for EVERYONE but the very young and very old to do.  We can start NOW by getting physically fit and healthy – and get off prescription drugs that won’t be available should the system fail.  And again – if you are asking, YES, I believe it will fail.  One day, probably without warning, the pharmacy will not be open … and if someone is on meds, what will they do?  I am very concerned about the need for antibiotics – a child’s earache can go from uncomfortable to agonizing very quickly without them.  Ditto a tooth or sinus infection.  I am a naturopath, but the ONE time I got a sinus infection I quickly went to the doctor – if one had not been available, I would have been searching for an axe and a way to chop my own head off.  It hurt THAT bad.  I am currently researching colloidal silver, which apparently serves as an antibiotic and can be made fairly easily at home.  That’s the sort of practical application of “crafting” I am talking about.  Learn more at http://www.naturalnews.com/colloidal_silver.html#ixzz2JM6O9cQX
 
If you are asking how our current social system might fail – something as simple as a strong CME (coronal mass ejection) from the sun could actually knock out our power grids by frying them utterly.  It has happened before and we are just beginning a peak in the sun’s own storm cycle.  A strong earthquake along the New Madrid fault line (which is steadily experiencing increased activity) would rip apart pipelines and cause explosions that would nearly rip our country in two, destroying highways that connect the coasts and make travel/shipments from one side to the other nearly impossible.  And this is NOT science fiction – it is fact.  Talisman’s December 2012 newsletter provides background at http://www.talismanct.com/images/NL%20-%20Dec%2012.pdf.   If I ever hear of pending danger in terms of a natural catastrophic event or man-made one … I WILL use my shop’s newsletter and this blog to alert as many people as possible.  And I pray it never comes to that.

People used to drink seasonal homemade “tonics” rather than take vitamin pills — but you need a working knowledge of herbology and a little chemistry to make these correctly.  Upon reflection, you can see how intuitive gifts used to play their part into the everyday lives of people “back in the day”.   My grandfather came from Alabama – they always planted crops based on the phases of the moon.  In an agrarian society – which is everything our current living situation is NOT – you would put your intuitive ”gifts” to work almost every day — to determine where the herds are, for hunting – where the wild herbs are, for medicines or cooking – etc.   And what we call “mediumship” was known as “ancestor work” because you would call on the wisdom of the elders to know what to do next.  We have come to learn now what everyone knew back then — our beloved dead never leave us, and continue working on our behalf long after they’ve left this earth.  And I truly believe they are coming through STRONG to remind us they are there, so we won’t give up hope and believe all is lost when we are staring down at some pretty grim realities. 
 
So in closing, I think most of us remain challenged to continue working inwardly – to determine how we, as individuals, will bridge the gap from the current world situation and its needs … to the next.  This will require practical spirituality, for the emotionally strong.  All hands on deck, everyone will be needed and each person’s individual talents will be appreciated and utilized.  I think everyone who reads my newsletters regularly is well aware that at Talisman, we DON’T recommend multiple readings, we DON’T set ourselves up as “all knowing” or possessing any talent that cannot be shared or taught – and we try, hard, to teach and share!  But there is no single person out there who can tell you exactly how to “find” your higher calling – you must live it.  Heed your own calling … what beckons you, at a soul level?  What is it that you DO that when you are doing it … you feel utterly comfortable and right with the world?  There … THAT thing, that’s the one. Develop THAT!
 
And lastly, this two-minute video is just too cool not to share – I love how evolution is combined with images of Creator, which is exactly what I was taught by the nuns in California (LOVED them!).  I remember raising my hand and asking how the earth could have been created in seven days’ time when the dinosaurs were here for MILLIONS of years before humans?  Sister Marie answered, “Laura, we don’t know exactly how long a “God Day” would have lasted – each day might have been a billion years long!  The Earth is constantly changing and evolving, and so are all its creatures. Even humans are evolving – we have gotten much taller since the 1700′s for example …”.  Wasn’t that a great answer?  I’ve never forgotten Sister Marie, she always took time to answer my questions (Heaven bless her, I had many!) http://marcbrecy.perso.neuf.fr/history.html

Categories: General

2012 Phenomenon: Series of Articles #2

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These are truly epic times!  Over the past few months, it’s been rare for a day to go by when someone doesn’t ask “So, Laura – what do you think will happen on December 21, 2012?  Is it the end of the world, or what?”
 
And I answer each person pretty much the same way, “December 21, 2012 does not signal the end of life – rather, it is a date that marks the end of a way of life”.  Rather than destruction, think “transformation”.  But I doubt anyone honestly believes this transformation will be painless … I certainly don’t.
 
What I do believe is that every one of us had the ability and ample opportunity, leading up to this specific time, to make changes which would have lessened or prevented the negative impact caused by a rapidly changing world.  Environmentally, socially, financially and spiritually … for better or worse, we now find ourselves heading toward definite change – much of which is now out of our direct control.  Perhaps it is better that way.  It seems every pillar of society must be shaken to its core.  It is crucial to remember that each of us made a conscious choice to be present here in physical form on this planet Earth during this time.  Whether this idea excites or horrifies is your choice to make – likewise, the decision to stay or opt out is yours as well. 
 
Let’s begin by breaking down the more far-reaching changes, shall we?
 
Environmental:  Does anyone still doubt that a true climate shift is underway? 
 
I asked my good friend Jon Nowinski, Director of The Smoking Gun Research Agency to weigh in on this topic.  He provided the following:  Solar storms have been increasing in severity throughout the last year, and there is a “peak cycle” that will begin in late-October and stretch through December of 2012. Several of these storms have already caused disruptions in cellular and satellite services on our planet, though aside from annoying people in the U.S., they have not been enough to truly draw the attention they deserve. 
 
There have been significant “Earth Changes” within 2012 which have been predicted (by scientists, not doomsday prophets) to peak at the end of 2012 and into early 2013. Among these changes include increased magnitude of worldwide earthquake activity – specifically in areas that were either not prone to earthquakes, or in which large magnitude quakes are “overdue.” Volcanic activity, especially among those considered to be dormant, has also been increasing to the point that many worldwide agencies are oh “high alert” for a major eruption. This includes activity in areas like Yellowstone National Park where the dormant volcanic activity and increased so much in recent months that areas of the park have been closed to visitors due to the highly deadly gasses. 
 
Another aspect that can also be categorized as “Earth Changes” involves the planet’s electromagnetic field, which surrounds Earth and protects us from the toxic radiation of space, as well as from issues such as solar storms. This field is measurable, most commonly we think of it as being measured using a simple compass, however it has been steadily changing. The changes have been so drastic in some areas that compass designations on airport runways have had to be altered by 7 – 15 degrees to make accommodation for the change. While such changes don’t adversely affect people, they do cause extreme issues with other species that rely on the EM field for navigation during migration. This has caused entire bird populations to either not exhibit normal migratory patterns, or “get lost” during migrations, sometimes with deadly results. 
 
A final connection to the EM field changes which is being seen presently is the drastic change in weather patterns throughout the world. The EM field can add to these problems, which are already increasing due to numerous environmental changes throughout our planet. This is the reason why within the last year we have seen more powerful storm cells all over the world, but specifically here in the United States. It is the cause for many powerful tornadoes which have struck locations during times that were not considered their “seasons,” include the tornadoes that swept across the Northeast which caught many people in these areas completed off-guard. It is also partially the cause for such drought conditions in the Midwestern U.S., which led to the terrible issues with wildfires that were present this past summer. 
 
Jon wrote the above for this newsletter prior to Storm Sandy and last week’s tornadoes in Portugal and Italy.  The fact is, we are seeing weather patterns the likes of which we have never seen before.  And we are being told by the experts it will only get worse as sea-level rise is occurring much faster than scientists expected.  Satellite measurements over the last two decades found global sea levels rising 60% faster than the computer projections issued only a few years ago by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.   
 
Societal:  That does not mean to say that good things are not coming out of the chaos.  For example, we are seeing more and more people losing their homes as they go into foreclosure.  And this is a very painful, emotional experience.  However, many are finding they have no choice but to move in with family – which is, in fact, a form of tribal living.  Many times, back when I was driving my grandmother someplace, she’d point out multi-family homes along the way and comment that when these were built, the SAME FAMILY lived in the house – grandparents on the first floor, parents on another and kids/grandkids in yet another section of the SAME HOUSE.  Someone would cook a big meal, and plates would be sent upstairs, downstairs – if you needed to go out, there was always someone home to watch the children.  There was a time not too long ago before daycare (a term which is now politically incorrect, infants now attend preschool); when family was there to tend the children, at home.
 
The fact is, in the “old countries” where many of our grandparents or great grandparents came from, homes were for the most part very small and families were much larger – children didn’t just share a room, they often slept two or three to a bed.  They learned to share.  I can say that growing up, we had one television set in the house.  ONE.  Now we have one in every room.  Is this really an improvement?  We used to gather in the same room to watch TV together, seated together with the little ones on laps, munching snacks and talking during commercials (remember watching Disney and Mutual of Omaha’s Wildlife Kingdom on Sunday nights?).  Today’s kids are in their rooms, plugged into their electronics … nothing is being shared.  And so our children do not learn to share.  When adult children who did not learn to share are forced by circumstance to return to the nest, there are difficulties.  A sense of entitlement, lack of responsibility – some must learn behaviors that weren’t enforced in childhood.  More painful lessons, for all concerned.     
 
Financial:  Hello?  Fiscal Cliff?   Really – need I say more?  But consider this:  The Federal Reserve Act was passed and signed by President Wilson during the Congressional Christmas Break in 1913. The Federal Reserve is a private company owned by several multi-national bank holding companies and in the Federal Reserve Act the Fed received a 99 year charter. This charter expires on 12/21/2012 and in order to be re-chartered it is supposed to take the ratification of 2/3 of the states, just like a constitutional amendment.  Yet not a single politician or anyone in the Financial Media is talking about this, even the Fed isn’t asking congressmen or the executive branch to act on this.  One might wonder if this current crisis isn’t engineered to fast track this re-charter through an Emergency Act ?
 
Spiritual:  Let’s begin by taking a step back from what’s going on today, and review some prophecy concerning December 2012.    

The Mayans:  The Mayan calendar ends when the winter solstice arrives on December 21, 2012. The Mayans predict that on this date “the sun will rise in the dark rift of the Milky Way galaxy.” Our modern astronomers know this event occurs only once every 25,800 years, it is due to happen next on December 21, 2012. It is feared that this unique cosmic alignment will cause a polar shift on planet earth. The North and South poles will change their positions and this will result in great catastrophe with floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, and all kinds of earth-horrors happening. If this Mayan prophecy is true, then life on earth would become merely an issue of survival.  In the 8th century A.D., the Mayan calendar predicted that on March 15, 1519 “white skinned, bearded gods” from across the sea would land. On that exact date, centuries in the future from the Mayan calendar’s prediction, the Spanish explorer Cortez and his conquistadors arrived in the New World.

Hopi Indians:  The Hopi Indians of the southwest are the oldest tribe of the United States. The Hopi have specific prophecies (almost a thousand years old) regarding the end of times which also coincide with other prophecies of the end of the world. The predictions of the Hopi are frightful.  “These are the Signs that great destruction is coming. The world shall rock to and fro. The white man will battle against other people in other lands — with those who possessed the first light of wisdom. There will be many columns of smoke and fire such as White Feather has seen the white man make in the deserts not far from here. Only those which come will cause disease and a great dying”.  The Lakota and Navaho Indians have similar prophecies which date back hundreds of years.

Edgar Cayce:    Known as “The Sleeping Prophet” Edgar Cayce was born March 18, 1877 on a farm near Hopkinsville, Kentucky.  At an early age he found that he was able to learn his school lessons by sleeping on his textbooks.  He was also able to see and talk to his late grandfather’s spirit, and often played with “imaginary friends” whom he said were spirits on the other side.   At the age of seven or eight Edgar was sitting in a wooded clearing reading the Bible when he saw what he described as a bright vision of a winged figure clothed in white.  The vision asked the child what he wanted in life, and Edgar Cayce responded that he wished to help others.  The next day, Edgar was having difficulty learning his spelling homework.  In his mind he heard the voice of his vision telling him to ‘sleep, that you might be helped’. The boy did as he was told, laying his head on his spelling book.  He woke up later, to find he knew the spelling of every word.
 
Those who came into contact with Edgar Cayce were continually amazed by the depth and breadth of medical knowledge he displayed during his sleep state.  He would frequently recommend the use of drugs which were not generally known, not yet on the market, or which had long since passed out of use.

Cayce claimed, “Apparently, I am one of the few who can lay aside their own personalities sufficiently to allow their souls to make this attunement to a universal source of knowledge — but I say this without any desire to brag about it. In fact I do not claim to possess anything that other individuals do not inherently possess. Really and truly, I do not believe there is a single individual that does not possess this same ability I have. I am certain that all human beings have much greater powers than they are ever conscious of — if they would only be willing to pay the price of detachment from self-interest that it takes to develop those abilities.

In April of 1929, six months before the stock market crash, Edgar Cayce warned people to sell everything they owned in the market.  Many who had followed Cayce before, failed to pay attention to his warning, and lost everything.  Edgar Cayce also predicted the possibility of a third World War.  He spoke of strife arising near the Davis Straits, in Libya, and in Egypt, in Ankara, and in Syria.  Problems would arise “…through the straits around those areas above Australia, in the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf.” Edgar Cayce predicted the beginning and end of both the First and Second World Wars.  He also predicted the lifting of the Depression in 1933.  
 
His most disturbing predictions, however, concern vast geographical upheavals which by the year 1998 were to result in the destruction of New York, the disappearance of most of Japan, and a cataclysmic change in Northern Europe.  The lower Mississippi River will broaden its path by hundreds of miles, nearly the western half of the United States will be at the bottom of the Pacific.  The Great Lakes will become The Great Lake, and New York City will be frozen solid.  Land will appear in the Atlantic and Pacific. [Rise of Atlantis] And what is the coast line now of many a land will be the bed of the ocean. Even many battle fields of the present will be oceans, seas, the bays, the lands over which ‘The New World Order’ will carry on their trade as one with another.

The waters of the lakes will empty into the Gulf. It would be well if the waterway were prepared, but not for that purpose for which it is at present being considered. Then the area where I am now located (Virginia Beach) will be among the safety lands, as will be portions of what is now Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, and much of the southern portion of Canada and the eastern portion of Canada, while the western land — much of that is to be disturbed as, of course much in other lands.  The greater portion of Japan must go into the sea. The upper portion of Europe will be changed as in the twinkling of an eye. When there is the first breaking up of some conditions in the South Sea and those as apparent in the sinking or rising of that that’s almost opposite same, or in the Mediterranean, and the Etna area, then we many know it has begun. There will be the upheavals in the Arctic and in the Antarctic that will make for the eruption of volcanoes in the torrid areas, and there will be the shifting then of the poles – where there has been those of a frigid or the semi-tropical will become the more tropical, and moss and fern will grow.
 
The Changing Earth theories and the readings of Edgar Cayce are extremely similar as to what will happen and where.  Edgar Cayce died January 3, 1945, before most of his prophecies of later times would ever come to pass or not. 
 
Shift in Consciousness
 
The reason I wanted to include all the prophecy, all the data on climate change etc. was to validate every single person who has come into Talisman describing their anxieties, visions, dreams/nightmares, sense of unrest and feelings of disconnection.  No, it’s not “all in your head” it’s very real and happening even as you read this.  I wrote about the Ascension Process in the September 2011 newsletter, you can read it on the website (all newsletters are archived under the “news” headbar) or I can send it to you if you’d like. 
 
Because the World around us isn’t the only thing changing.  We are changing, too …   
 
Ac Tah, a Mayan elder who speaks simply but with great eloquence, presents his thoughts with both a scientific as well as spiritual basis.  The last 10 minutes of this 30-minute video is particularly relevant:
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=U8y0MR8KiY8#!
 
And here are the movements demonstrated:  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z5XdgJfpV0&feature=youtube_gdata_player

What happens after the change in consciousness?  
We’re going to take this consciousness…  It’s like suddenly having an idea. This idea you have in your mind for a little while. If you don’t bring the idea to fruit, the idea will lose its force and fade [in its intensity]. This is the same for the alignment and the change in consciousness. The energy is going to last for 8 minutes. People will realise this is true, we’re going to live in peace… but if we don’t do anything about it, people will think it’s just an emotion, that’s it. This is the awakening.
 
How can we prepare ourselves for that moment?
Have a pen and paper ready.  There will be many ideas coming out.  Write them all down so later on you can figure out which ones are helpful. Already, we are prepared… we are within the moment.  We just need this impulse. Continue doing what you’re doing.  You don’t have to change – continue doing whatever you know how to do… There’s nothing better than anything else.  Everything has prepared us for this knowledge… Within a moment we will achieve that unity… but ‘unity’ does not mean we all do the same thing. It means we all learn to co-exist with all of us doing our own ways.
 
What time does the 8 minutes happen?
It starts at about mid-day on the 21st (US Pacific time – Mexico) which is when the alignment begins and ends on the 23rd around mid-day. So if you look in the centre of that time, this will be the centre of the alignment. It’s like the full moon which lasts for 3 days…  but the actual ‘full moon’ only lasts for about 8 minutes. (The Center of the Alignment is from 2:56-3:04pm EST)
 
Is it true about the 3 days of darkness?
Because of this planetary alignment, in the first day is when the moon aligns and we’ll have a solar eclipse.  On the 2nd day we’ll have another eclipse with Venus.  In the morning on the 3rd day is when the night will prolong itself…  So they’re like eclipses which don’t generate anything within the human body… The eclipses are just markers… What we’re paying attention to is the electro-magnetic impact of the centre of the galaxy with the Sun… It won’t be like night-time. It’s an eclipse… more like a sunset.  
 
Edgar Cayce had prophecies concerning the Shift as well:
 
It is also understood, comprehended by some that a new order of conditions is to arise; there must be a purging in high places as well as low; and that there must be the greater consideration of the individual, so that each soul being his brother’s keeper. Then certain circumstances will come about in the political, the economic, and whole relationships to which a leveling will occur or a greater comprehension of the need for it. For changes are coming, this may be sure — an evolution or revolution in the ideas of religious thought.
 
I will end with my own predictions and insights for 2013.

My warning is for Louisiana’s Bayou Corne sinkhole.  This bears close watching.  The sinkhole first made itself known on August 3.  Its first measurements were 324 feet in diameter and 422 feet deep. Recent estimates put it at 6 acres wide.  Residents have been evacuated to escape the toxic gas, contaminated water, and the possibility of a catastrophic explosion. Scientists are organizing vent wells to burn off gas, such as the methane bubbling up to the surface of the sinkhole.  To add insult to injury, Texas Brine VP Bruce Martin said in August that naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) was illegally disposed of inside the Napoleonville Dome in the 1990s, a statement that Texas Brine officials are now denying.  The lack of media attention coupled with my own sense of a pending catastrophic explosion that will set off a dire chain of events has me deeply worried. 

Truly, it is time to reconnect with this beautiful blue planet we live on, our beloved Mother Gaia.  I suggest you all wear a quartz crystal pendant as a means to conduct energy, especially on the three days of the Shift (December 20, 21, 22).  While I urge you to ground yourself; many are telling me they cannot meditate as their minds are too active (or their anxieties too high) to allow them to clear, calm and center.  So try this:  Walk around outside and look for a tree that “calls” to you, an older one (a grandmother or grandfather tree) as its roots have been planted deep into the ground for a very long time.  Stand in front of the tree, rub your palms together to make them warm, and place them respectfully on the trunk of the tree in a way that feels natural to you.  Keeping your feet apart, lean into the tree – rest your cheek against it.  Close your eyes and feel its pulse … allow energy to flow from deep down in the earth up through the roots and through your palms and back down through the soles of your feet – back into the ground.  This energetic exchange will clear and calm you.  Any negativity you are holding will be pushed into the earth and be purged.  Remember to say “thank you” when you feel you are finished.  You can give the tree a hug and a kiss, if you are moved to do so – I assure you, the tree won’t mind!
 
In closing, please know that I am as guilty as anyone in wanting to know where “safe” will be, in the event of a disaster.  I worry about my children, my pets and loved ones.  But we need to trust that we will in fact be placed exactly where we need to be.  So now it’s time to relax, slow down and cherish our loved ones and be kind to ourselves and others.  Que Sera, Sera … What will be, will be.  

Speak Love *** Feel Love *** Be Love

Categories: General

2012 Series of Articles #1

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I have decided that between now and December 21, 2012 (and if the Gods allow – afterward!) I am going to feature unique writing on these phenomenal times, both my own and by others.  Philosophers, clairvoyants, astrologers, spiritualists … so many have written so much.   The topic is endlessly fascinating to me, and I hope my dear readers will find it to be equally so.  

So let me begin with a post from one of my favorite astrological sites, The AstroDispatch.  You can sign up for their daily blog written by some of the most brilliant astrological  writers at www.astrodispatch.com and know that I have the permission of the site’s owner, Elsa, to post here provided I give credit back as appropriate.  You can also get wonderful charts done for prices in the neighborhood of $10 and I have taken advantage of Elsa’s expertise for me and my children on several occasions.  Her transit charts are incredibly useful – you’ll see this all on her site.  

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November 16th, 2012 @ 4:03 am by Dianne Eppler Adams

As we approach the end of the Mayan Calendar next month, stories of what will happen are being spread fast and furiously, raising fears for some and hopes for others. I believe that for every ending, there is a new beginning. What is important now is not what is ending.

Instead, our sights are best set on what is arising. To move through this profound time, we need to be clear about the role of “the past” in our lives. Rather than letting the past imprison us, we can use the past as a launch pad to move into an ever-changing future. Let me explain.

As I look around, I am aware of the many ways people cling to the past, afraid of what might happen. Many are stuck in jobs or relationships that no longer support who they are, but are afraid to see greater happiness.

As a society, for example, we cling to old polluting sources of energy when the environment desperately needs us to develop clean, renewable sources of energy. Clearly, the past – call it tradition or the way things have been – exerts a heavy influence on our choices.

While traveling recently in Israel, I was struck by how it is so deeply invested in the past. Traditions, stories of the past, and rules formulated in the mists of time within Judaism, Christianity, and Islam exert so much influence that it is difficult to see how peace will ever take root.

Like it or not, humanity is in a profound time of upheaval and change symbolized by the end of the Mayan Calendar and the seven exact challenges between Uranus and Pluto (2012-2015).

Holding on to the past, especially in these times, is a prescription for suffering. But does that mean we should pay no attention to the past? No.

I see the past as immensely important. As George Santayana said, “Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” I see the past as a launch pad if we have consciously learned from our experiences – successes and failures – and grown more awake and aware as a result.

By the same token, if we cling to an identity that was true in the past, we may be resisting the opportunity to evolve into someone wiser and more evolved. Of particular harm is when we cling to past suffering or past limitations, letting them continue to define us.

One of my favorite truisms is: the past does not write the future. We cannot become all we are meant to be and enjoy life while we are tethered to pain from the past.

The good news is, rather than allowing the past to be a prison, we can choose to use the past as a launch pad that propels us toward the new possibilities that naturally come with change. We can use the wisdom gained from the past to enjoy the present moment and thus step more confidently into the future.

As I look back on my life (one of the gifts of age), even during difficult times I know I was being urged by life to become wiser, more evolved, and more loving.

What do you see when you look back? If you only see suffering, you are still a prisoner of the past. If you have found the jewel in past turmoil, you have used the past as a launch pad. You always have the choice.

Categories: General

Are You In? The New Moon Eclipse in Scorpio

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There’s a New Moon, solar eclipse coming up on November 13th (at 21 degrees Scorpio). The energy will be intense. Because….well, because it’s Scorpio.

What do you do with a New Moon eclipse? You set your intentions. It’s a time of super-charged new beginnings, so what you start has an added push behind it. Keeping in mind that we’re dealing with Scorpio energy, you’ll want to make sure that what you start is something you really want. No hesitation. This one is all in, or forget about it.  Think of it as being perched on the edge of a pool that has no bottom. Are you ready to plunge in and keep on going?

The house in your chart with Scorpio in it is where you’ll be setting this intention. Or where you may be hit with a new development, without any conscious effort on your part. Either way, it’ll be revealing. Think about that for a second; Scorpio is about what lies beneath. True motivations, raw intimacy, fearless commitments. Don’t start what you can’t finish.

Are you in?

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Nadia – Ruby Slipper Astrology

http://rubyslipper.ca/2012/11/are-you-in-the-new-moon-eclipse-in-scorpio/

Categories: General

Halloween Time at Last!

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Merry Samhain Greetings!  Ooooh boy, here we are – it’s October, and Halloween is coming at last!  Samhain is perhaps the most widely recognized of the pagan festivals, celebrated by pagan and Christian alike as the holiday of Halloween. In Mexico the period is a joyful celebration known as Los Dias de las Muertos, “The Days of the Dead”; in Catholic countries the festival of All Saints and All Souls is a solemn remembrance of the deceased. Typical Halloween activities such as wearing costumes, “trick or treating” and carving pumpkins are likely remnants of pagan rites from long ago. Early communities certainly made offerings to the dead and to the fairies, which they believed would expect gifts on that night. This later developed into the tradition of “guising” which entailed gangs of youths visiting each household in turn to beg for food, money or firewood for the bonfire. With the emigration of many Irish and Scots to America, the tradition evolved again into its present incarnation. The custom of lighting torches and lanterns is probably the oldest of all. Flaming torches would have provided strong sympathetic magic for those trying to drive away unwelcome fairies or spirits.  The addition of frightening carved faces would have made the lanterns all the more effective. 

Samhain is considered the best time for divination because it falls at a great turning point of the year: the boundary between the worlds is more diffuse and access to other realms is easier. In Wicca, Samhain is the time when witches believe the veil separating the worlds is at its most transparent and when we honor and remember our dead. Wiccans do not actively try to summon or call back the dead in the same manner as spiritualists holding seances, but rather make the ancestors welcome – should they care to come! It is a lovely custom to create an altar to our beloved dead. This can be a tabletop or mantle display of pictures along with trinkets or objects that the deceased held dear – for example, a picture of a beloved pet next to one or two favorite toys or a worn collar. This is an opportunity to reaffirm the special bond and place in one’s heart the person or pet continues to hold. A time to celebrate life, rather than mourn its passing … secure in the knowledge we are always connected.

Categories: General

The Legend of the Holey Stone

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Holey stones are known by a variety of names;  Holed stone, Odin Stone, Crick Stone, Hag Stone, Fairy Stone and Witches Amulet.  A holed stone, or holey stone, is any rock with a weathered/eroded hole in it which has been created by nature alone.  The sculpting powers of wind and water create the opening in a stone over a great amount of time and it is believed to carry the wisdom of the ages, having both healing and magical properties.  Talisman (my shop in Monroe) has holey stones which have been hand picked from the shoreline of the North Norfolk Coast of England.  These hard to find stones are considered powerful protection stones that can be worn for personal protection, hung at doorways or windows to protect the home, or even hung near a pet’s sleeping place to protect the pet. Hung by a black ribbon at whichever door is most regularly used in the home it will snag negative vibrations as soon as they enter.  To prevent nightmares, place in the sleeping area of the one who wishes to be free of nightmares.  When strung with a red string or ribbon and hung over the bed it acts as a shield against bad dreams much like the Native American dream catcher.

A holey stone may also be used for Full Moon magic by gazing at the moon through the hole and speaking a need to the Gods. It is also said to give one the power of second sight and with a little practice, the ability to see the flitting forms of the faerie folk and Nature spirits (perhaps you remember this from the movie “The Spiderwick Chronicles”)?  Crystal healing lore holds that Holey Stones are helpful for healing disease and maintaining general health, particularly when the stone is rubbed on the body of someone sick. They are also said to improve eyesight.  Proper care of holey stones consists of cleansing them in the same manner as most other gemstones, usually by soaking in salt water and recharging by placing in sun or moonlight.

Categories: General

Every Once in a Blue Moon …

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We have a glorious Full Blue Moon shining brightly as I write this (note that the full moon cycle runs the day before and day after the official date of Friday, August 31).   A blue moon does not actually refer to the color of this moon, rather it means there are two full moons in one month!  The next blue moon will not occur until 2015.
 
Wiccans/Witches honor divinity in polarity, recognizing and worshipping separately the masculine half and feminine half of The Divine One.  These two halves are very different, yet perfectly balanced and equal in nature.  The Sun is revered as an aspect of the Masculine Divine (God) and the Moon as an aspect of the Feminine Divine (Goddess).  Together, day and night comprise the complete 24-hour span of a single day here on Earth.  This is why you see so many Celestial themes throughout Talisman!  The celebration of the Full Moon is called an “Esbat” and is often dedicated to the making of magick.  It is also a wonderful time to set out your crystals, jewelry, tarot cards etc. under its light to charge them with energy and clear them of negativity.  While psychic abilities, energetic work and spells enjoy heightened energy under the full moon, I think it is great just to stand in awe and thanksgiving before our Spiritual Mother.  It’s that simple:  Just say “thank you”.

This past Thursday at the shop, I was discussing with Pina and Kim various aspects of ritual and ceremony – we talked about the fact that sometimes people are scared off by the idea of not knowing what to do and so they do nothing.  In the case of channeling the glorious full moon energy, this is unfortunate because it really isn’t that hard to do.  While “Drawing Down the Moon” in the Gardnerian Wiccan tradition is done by a High Priestess and involves an actual channeling of the Goddess via trance state, there is also a simpler means to experience this energetic exchange … and you do not have to be a high priestess (or even a woman!) to do so. 
 
Go outside to a place where you can see the moon clearly and will not be disturbed or interrupted.  Spend a few minutes becoming acquainted by really looking at the moon:  Observe Her halo (if there is one) the craggy surface marked by shadows, which create pictures and very often a distinct “face”.  When you are ready (centered and grounded), stand with your legs spread about two feet apart, feet flat on the ground and raise your hands over your head in front of you and make a triangle (thumbs together, index fingers touching) and look through this triangle at the moon overhead.  Keep looking directly at the moon and soon you will both see and feel a distinct silver line coming down and attaching itself to you.  Remain still, and allow the moon’s cleansing energy to wash over and through you.  It is truly a remarkable and spiritual experience.  Stay in this light as long as you wish – just don’t forget to say “thank you” out loud when you are done.  You may find yourself a bit lightheaded upon completion, eating something light (like a cookie) will help ground your energy. 
 

Congratulations – you just experienced your first Esbat! 
Blessed Be!
Categories: General
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