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Salt has been called “The Tears of God” and with good reason, as it is one of the purest substances on earth.  Negativity cannot adhere to salt – therefore it is ideal for clearing/cleansing ones’ self.  Before beginning ritual, even if only to smudge/cleanse a space, many individuals like to begin by taking a spiritual salt bath.  Sometimes we need to start fresh, clean our bodies and clear ourselves – maybe after a bad date, a negative experience at work or just a streak of bad luck that doesn’t want to end.  A salt bath can be just the thing you need, to “re-set” the energy and allow yourself to move forward.   To start, know that you go into a spiritual bath clean.  So shower, wash your hair, and wipe down the tub before filling it.  Make it a full bath (as you will be completely submerging yourself) and throw in 3 handfuls of sea salt.   If the tub is not deep enough, you can sit and pour the water over your head instead.  As you lie back in the tub, visualize all the problems and concerns you are afflicted with – then submerge under the water a total of three times.  While the tub is draining, sit in the water and as it goes down the drain see your troubles sloughing off and going down, too.  Wring out your hair, allow yourself to air dry so the salt forms a protective film over your body.  Note:  It is not necessary to air dry, unless you are feeling afflicted by negativity.  Repeat weekly (every 7 days) until weight of negativity has been lifted.  It can also help to salt your mattress – remove all bedcovers, liberally sprinkle sea salt onto the mattress, then re-make the bed.  It is an Irish tradition to throw a handful of salt under the bed.  

Keeping a glass of plain tap water on your nightstand while you sleep helps keep bad dreams and negativity away so you can truly rest.  You may observe the water is full of bubbles upon awakening – then throw the water out the front door.  Refill/repeat nightly, until the water is clear and there are no bubbles in the morning.  

It can also help immensely – If you are Christian – to keep your Bible open to Psalm 23 (“The Lord is my Shepherd”) and next to your bed at all times.  Read the Psalm aloud every morning when you wake up and every night just before sleeping.

These are indeed troubling times, with plenty of negativity and bad feelings to go around.   The suggestions above have stood the test of time and proven helpful to the staff and patrons of Talisman, my little new-age shop in Monroe, Connecticut.  I hope they serve to help you as well.  

Brightest Blessings, Laura

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Pendulums are among the most popular divination tool because they answer a clear “yes” or “no” rather than offering options and possibilities.  They are certainly one of the best-selling items at my shop!  Choose a pendulum that draws you – both by its looks and how it feels when you hold it.  Pendulums are typically made from metal, wood, semi precious stones or crystals and usually come with a chain or cord attached. The pendulum is not a magical implement but a tool which allows you to tap into your own higher self.  By relaxing/meditating prior to divination, you will find your “center” by clearing internal noise and thus be better able to focus your mind on the question.  It is suggested that you ask no more than three questions at a time (each question being of a different subject) and say “thank you” after each answer.   

Before you begin using your pendulum, clear it:  you can smudge it using incense smoke, allow it to rest overnight in a bed of sea salt crystals, or place it in the light of a full moon for several hours.  Then you must determine how it is “programmed” to answer yes and no.  Each pendulum will answer differently.  For example, a “yes” might be indicated by the pendulum swinging in a circle clockwise – or swinging back and forth, or side-to-side.  Ditto a “no” response.  To begin, stand or sit comfortably allowing the pendulum to swing freely.  Hold the pendulum with your dominant hand in front of you – or rest your elbow on a table to keep your hand steady.  To start the divination process, swing the pendulum in a motion away from you and towards you. This is the neutral action and is a way of saying, “I am ready to start divining”.  First, you need to predetermine the signals that mean Yes and No.  To do this, you ask the pendulum itself. 

To determine the Yes response – While your pendulum is still swinging in the neutral action, state, “Show me my Yes response”. You do not need to say this out loud but make sure you state it clearly in your mind. Now watch the pendulum. It will change direction or change its movement style or it may stop altogether. Whatever movement it makes after you ask for your Yes response is the movement that will be your signal for Yes.

To determine the No response – Swing the pendulum once again in the neutral action. While the pendulum is still swinging in the neutral action, state “Show me my No response”. Watch the pendulum and whatever motion it makes will be your No response.

Pendulum divination helps you to align your intellectual mind with your intuition. It is a simple tool that is easy to use and a great way to increase your psychic development. Tap into your own immense source of knowledge and have some fun in the process. Anyone can divine and a pendulum is a simple and easy method for tapping into the higher realms.  Pendulums are also used in healing to determine blocked chakras, find high water tables prior to digging for wells (dowsing rods are also used for this purpose), to locate lost objects, discovering sources of low energy in paranormal investigations, etc. 

There are lots of good books and websites devoted to this fascinating subject – happy reading!

Blessings,  Laura

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Neopagans and Wiccans often focus on the Goddess, in part to bring balance to our patriarchal society.  But it would be a mistake to ignore or diminish the very real power of the Masculine Divine.  I am most certainly a daughter of Apollo, loving the brilliant sun just as much as the mysterious moon, and enjoy greeting him early each morning when I am out feeding my chickens with a big wave and “Good Morning”!  It is not unlike the casual (but loving) relationship I shared with my own human father.  On my altars I also have images of Chango and Shiva – very masculine, very sexy.  I’m not sure if any Christians, Jews or Muslims view their masculine god as virile but it is definitely the way I view my own!

But, I was raised Catholic.  And while I always felt a pull to Mary, and it was to her I directed my prayers, I do have an affinity and love for Jesus.  I may view him differently – as an Ascended Master, rather than THE Messiah – but that doesn’t mean I do not have respect for his teaching.  In fact, Jesus always felt like a spiritual brother – so very kind and accepting of everyone he met.  There is reason to believe He spent seven years in India, studying Buddhism, and what is written of him appears to support this.  Certainly, His teachings bear a marked resemblance to the Buddhist path.  

Author Phyllis Curott wrote in her book Witch Crafting (Broadway Books, 2001) a better overview of the Masculine Divine than I could ever hope to research and pull together!  Actually it’s a brilliant book, one you should have in your personal library if you are so inclined.  I am going to quote the book directly, straight from the chapter entitled “The God”, rather than reinvent the literary wheel (so to speak).  

Going outside and into Nature is a sure way to experience The God.  But in our culture, we’ve almost completely forgotten about the God who dwells in Nature.  The Green Man is a mystery to modern folk, but he’s one of the most ancient and magical Gods.  The Green Man is the God of Vegetation, the life force embodied in the plant creatures of the natural world.  He wears a leafy crown and his image is found all over the churches and cathedrals of England and Europe, a surviving reminder of the Old Ways.  His energy is gentle, patient and joyful – and like the Mother Earth, He nourishes.   

The pre-biblical cultures of the Middle East honored the Sun as the fertilizing partner of the Great Mother Earth.  The Egyptians called Him Ra, the Greeks Helios, the Romans called Him Sol, the African Yoruban tribe called Him Shango, and the Scandinavians called Him Baldur.  He is also an ancient embodiment of spiritual fire and wisdom.  The early Pagan appreciation of the Sun’s energy as the force that draws forth the Earth’s capacity to bear life is a powerful model for men seeking to retrieve their own power and to create positive, dynamic relationships with women.  If the Green Man is the God of Growth, the Sun is the power that makes the Green Man grow.  His energy is powerful, invigorating, wise and illuminating.  The Sun God teaches you the natural movement of energy – expansion followed by contraction followed by expansion.  Learning to attune your psyche to the Sun’s great energies enables you to make magic that can fertilize and empower your spells … and your life. 

The Horned God is almost as ancient as the Great Earth Mother.  He is the God of Nature, the Lord of the Forests and the Animals.  He dances upon the walls of the prehistoric caves of Lascaux, France - part man, part stag.  Surrounded by the animals upon whom life depended as much as the plants of the Earth, He is the God of their life force.  His figure, as God or shaman, is painted upon the walls of this deep cavern, for He is also a force of fertility.  Horned Gods are Gods of animal power, of sexuality and strength, freedom and instincts, wildness and the body (embodying these qualities in ways that you won’t find in the Green Man and the Sun God).  He is the stag or antlered God called Herne or Cernunnos amongst the Celts and the British; and He is depicted as a bull by the Greeks, Romans, and the Egyptians as Dionysus (and the Minotaur); Poseidon, Neptune, Apis, and Osiris.   And He’s the randy Goat-Foot God, and Pan, known all over the pre-Christian world and bearing no resemblance whatsoever to the Biblical demon Satan (but His goat image was misappropriated by the Church to depict Satan, as a way of demonizing the Pagan God). The Horned God is the power of our instincts, our ability to “smell” danger, and to immediately know all we need to about a situation or person.  The world is full of magic, but we need our animal selves to sense and enjoy it. 

Perhaps one of His greatest blessings is the “fire in the belly,” for the Goddess may be the belly, but the God is the fire within it.  The “fire in the belly” is the power to create, engage, analyze, and assert.  It is the power that breaks down barriers and brings forth a new vision of life.  It is also the power of unbridled lust and sexuality (interestingly, it’s the “male” hormone testosterone that gives women their sex drive).  The God is the fuel to your fire, and the fire that burns within you.  The God restores to women the power to do all the things we were told good girls don’t do, and all the things the culture wouldn’t let us do:  The power to be smart, funny, loud, outrageous, badly or devastatingly dressed, fat, skinny, strong, athletic, independent, passionate, pissed off, visionary, difficult, easy … and yourself.  And doesn’t it feel good?

A man, or woman, who has drawn in the God as Horned God, Sun God, Green Man, or any other form will be forever changed.  You must be prepared to have Him shatter the confining constraints that society has placed upon you, whether you are a man or a woman.  A living, present God grounds you in the magic of your life, your emotions, your desires, your impulses (both creative and destructive), your instincts, your body, and your sexuality.  Invite Him into your life, and He will come playing pipes and dancing in wild and estatic welcome.  Leave your home, walk out into Nature, and He is everywhere.  Look into your life, and you are His magic.  The God dwells dancing within your life.  When you live it fully, joyfully, and courageously, you are expressing His power and His presence in yourself and in the world.

  May The Gods Always Smile Upon You! 

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“When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

I couldn’t resist posting below the latest astrological/prophetic writing by Lasha of Mystic Stars (www.mysticstars.net).   It was forwarded to me by one of my readers, who knows very well how much I enjoy mundane astrology, or the effect of planetary lineup on everyday, worldly events.  Her writing echoes my sentiments regarding “end times” prophecies completely and most accurately.  Enjoy!

Laura

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Okay…this is it folks. This is the week it all begins. 2012 is upon us.

And the gateway to this ‘event’, astrologically speaking, has been the few weeks between the latest solar eclipse (May 20) and a scarcely seen Venus transit due to arrive on June 5th. And so…here we are…for the next five years we will experience the end of life on Earth as we have known it. And, if we are lucky, it will be a wonderful and empowering process.

Watch the news, though. Strange and evermore grizzly crimes, group suicides, strange animal behaviors, shocking confessions from public figures, shared hallucinations and all manner of civil unrest…all will become quite commonplace between now and August 2017. But…you know what? Don’t be fooled. Those in power want you to be fooled. It pads their wallets.

The real story here is how fast human evolution will unfold. Our tiny little planet will soon pass through an area of space or a ‘spiritual realm’ that will trigger very rapid inner development, stunning psychic awareness and a clear pathway to personal enlightenment. Spontaneous wisdom, ‘otherworldly’ abilities and a new understanding of time, history and physical reality will all be on the agenda. Cosmically speaking, it’s time to grow up. And it will change everything.

For some, however, it won’t be an easy process. Those that cannot accept these new energies will likely act and react in very extreme and confrontational ways. There may be a sudden rise in insanity. There may be unchecked aggression in the streets. There may unprovoked declarations of war. And there will be great public outrage.

But our evolution is inevitable. And it is coming upon us fast. Make your choices and start preparing now.

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In many instances, women and men who had suffered abuse as children (particularly at the hands of grown men) are often initially drawn to Wicca because it felt more comfortable or “safe” to worship the Divine in a feminine form.  Of course, Wiccans/Pagans almost always worship both the feminine AND masculine aspects of Divinity (ie Goddess/God) but sometimes emphasis is placed on the feminine to offset the unbalanced energy caused by the intense focus on the masculine by patriarchal religions (Muslim, Judiasm, Christianity). 
 
Growing up Catholic, my affinity towards Mary the mother of Jesus, began at an early age.  Far from a punishment, walking to Church with my brother was an escape from the fighting and unpleasantness of home.  Mary seemed so kind, loving and understanding – it felt natural to direct my prayers to her.  To this day, I continue to collect and display Mary art and statuary in my home.  For me, she is representational of the feminine Divine in the role of mother and healer – as is another beloved goddess, Kwan Yin/Tara.  I’m not exactly sure at what point little-girl sadness turned to grown up rage, but I’m fairly certain it coincided with the onset of puberty and my leaving home at fourteen.  And by then, mythical tales of warrior queens and goddesses, females who kicked ass and took names later – thrilled and compelled me; stories about virgin martyrs and saints could never compare!  
 
In her book “Celtic Women’s Spirituality“ (Llewellyn, 1998) Edain McCoy notes that at the time that Celtic society flourished, women had not been routinely starved, corsetted and given debilitating drugs to curb unfeminine ambition.  These were not the emaciated models of our own time who make a living out of destroying their natural bodies for the sake of attaining a culturally approved appearance; nor were they fragile Victorian flowers who had to be carefully tended by their menfolk lest they wither – but women who were confident that they were the equal of anyone just as they were.  And so the Celts provide us with some of the strongest, most archetypically accessible images of strong women onto which we can focus our spiritual impulses – along with warrior goddesses such as The Morrigan and Scathach.  The Celtic goddess known in Ireland as Brighid, in England/Wales as Brigantia and in Gaul as Brigindo – was a goddess of fire, childbirth, inspiration, fertility, medicine, music, animal husbandry, crafting, and the patron of warriors and children.  While early churchmen tried to eradicate her worship by linking her to their made-up St. Bridget, Brighid’s image as a Goddess of fertility is retained in Modern Ireland through the many holy wells that still bear her name.
 
But the Celts are not alone in offering inspiration for living in feminine power and strength.  African spirituality sees the Creator as a mother goddess connected to the earth and human fertility; Ymoja (Yemaya), Oshun and Oya represent the forces of nature, the wisdom of the ancestors and dynamics of culture.  When the estimated 20 million Africans were exported to the Americas as slaves, they were forced to worship the icons and saints of the Catholic Church.  So the Africans identified their goddesses (and gods) with the saints and superimposed their images onto these – and in this way maintained vestiges of their mother culture and generated other spiritual traditions such as Candomble, Santeria and Voudoun. 
 
The Horned Goddess (Hathor/Isis) is the oldest divine being in ancient Egypt, with rock images dating back 7,000 BCE (before the Common Era).  In Mexico City, the Virgin of Guadalupe is honored at a sacred site – but long before Hernando Cortez marched on the Aztec Empire, a goddess named Tonantzin (Our Mother) was worshiped there, at Tepeyac.  The Japanese religion “Shinto” has its roots in a shamanism practiced by women.  Early Chinese civilizations saw female shamans mediate between this world and the world beyond; these female religious leaders did not survive into later historical times and a philosophy which sees the feminine as a passive force.
 
The Goddess Sarasvati is invoked in the Rigveda (sacred hymns to Indian deities composed in approx. 1200 BCE).  A goddess of bounty, wisdom, music – she “places the fetus in the womb, but dashes to the ground those who hate the gods.”  The earliest Greek goddesses Hera, Artemis and Athena (roughly 1600 BCE) later became important figures in the Greek Olympian pantheon.  And in Native American tradition, in Eastern North America women produced the crops and exercised a strong measure of control over the affairs of men.  Clan mothers could veto any decisions made by the great civil chiefs if the women felt such decisions were not in their best interests.  One of the Lakota’s most sacred objects, the Sacred Pipe, was given to humanity by White Buffalo Calf Woman.  A common theme among native spirituality, regardless of tribe, is that women are life-givers - the source of all that is alive and all that is sacred.
 
All this begs the question:  What does your personal Goddess look like?  
 
My devotion to Kali-Ma is constant; her shrine at Talisman has many visitors and monies collected are donated to The Bridgeport Shelter for Abused and Battered Women & Children.   Kali is not a Death Goddess, nor does she request blood sacrifice.  It is important to remember that she is responsible for the killing of demons who were bent on the destruction of the world – not humans.  Rather, Kali causes the burning and destruction of all limitations, preconceived ideas, erroneous conceptions and illusions regarding our individual existence.  She eradicates worn-out thoughts and beliefs that no longer serve us – and not always gently, as she uses a machete-like sacred sword to quickly do the job.  Her specific action is necessary for protecting us from harmful impulses and for guiding us in spiritual growth.  She is the Mother who purges us of fear, anger, jealousy and grief – then nurses us back to balance in the ultimate act of soul-healing.  Kali represents embracing the shadow, facing fear head-on, and radically transforming your life.  Beneath her frightening appearance lies the truth … that life, sometimes fraught with suffering, is rooted in joy. 
 
So then, I am proud and pleased to call myself a Witch - to believe in a religion that views women as powerful life-givers and the source of all that is sacred; and to find joy in the act of worshipping an aspect of divinity that wears a body like my own.   To that end, let me share this video http://youtu.be/5nI2ajUv-rc along with my fervent hope that all of you, female or male, will find an aspect of the Divine Feminine within each of yourselves.    

Goddess Bless Us All ! 

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From Talisman’s own resident astrologer, Alethea Hunt, I am sharing the following: 

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Merry Greetings!  So I am fostering two tiny baby goats for my friend A.J., owner of Rowanwood Farm (www.rowanwoodfarm.com) and in-between late night bottle feedings, I got to thinking about the nature of nurture.  There are the emotional and physical act(s) involving caring for our young, and the things we “treat” ourselves to, in order to make life a little nicer/less stressful … so the physical and mental aspects of nurture we pretty much understand and incorporate into our daily lives – but what about the spiritual?  

My own Catholic upbringing was actually quite positive – at St. Gertrudes (our little Mexican church in Caifornia) mom typed the church bulletin, my brother Michael was an altar boy and the priests were invited over for dinner fairfly regularly.  The priests and nuns were young and upbeat and I never witnessed the awful abuse so many of you have told me about, growing up Catholic in New England.  My mother shared with me some pretty miserable experiences she had, having attended parochial school in Brooklyn, NY.  Personally, I left the Church because its teachings no longer resonated as “true” for me, and I could not condone what “The Church” as an entity had done/was doing in terms of the very real child abuse perpetrated and covered up for so long.  But that’s me, and MY truth.  I also wasn’t raised to believe that there was only ONE truth … besides coming from a family which incorporated mystical beliefs into the spiritual dynamic; my father (who was significantly older than my mother) was a Korean War Vet who came home with a love of the culture and a belief in reincarnation, my grandmother was a lifelong Catholic who did volunteer work at the Episcopal church.  And of course, I had friends who were of different religions and I sometimes went to church with them.  In other words – from a very young age my interest in theology and exploring various spiritual truths was nurtured.  Well … until the day I brought home a book from the public library’s vast metaphysical collection (at age 11) by Anton LaVey.  For that, I got a phone call from Father Tom  … luckily, he had a great sense of humor and just warned me to be careful about what I was absorbing!   He had a lot to deal with, anyway, as I had a habit of “making up” sins in the confessional (I would get bored and tired of haing nothing new to report, so I used the Ten Commandments as a reference point - more than once, I remember him saying “Laura, I’m pretty sure you never did THAT!” with an exasperated laugh).  And sometimes I wonder what that poor librarian must have thought, as week after week I checked out a selection of VERY esoteric topics – at a time when I was almost too short to heft them up to the counter !  

But hey, such was life growing up in open-minded Southern California!  However, many of you have told me that prior to coming to Talisman, you really never had an opportunity to openly discuss spirituality at home or in any other forum - it was either discouraged within your family or you had too many people around who “wouldn’t understand”.  For some, there is a feeling that they must keep their ever-growing collection of books a secret from parents or spouses (male and female) who would make fun/feel threatened by a new belief system.  The idea of building an altar, shrine, or creating sacred space within their own home is just not an option.  I’m not going to pretend that it didn’t take me awhile to wrap my head around those particular realities, and acknowledge the role my little new-age shop was playing in so many lives.  Over the past five years, a strong community of spiritualists, pagans, and seekers has steadily grown and is flourishing  I encourage you to come by and spend some time on a Friday evening, Saturday or Sunday – you’ll find lots of like-minded people here, all ready and willing to talk on any number of fascinating topics.  For example, there is the young couple I met last week at the shop – the wife newly drawn to Wicca, and the husband (who was raised Jehovah Witness) came to support her new interest.  So very sweet … and the very essence of “nurure”.  And I have had many mothers bring to the shop their teenage daughters – wanting to support a budding interest and yet be on-hand to supervise what is being taught to them.   Very appropriate … and yet, so very cool.  

So, how are YOU nurturing your spiritual side?  And perhaps more importantly, how can Talisman be more helpful in these endeavors?  Please feel free to leave a comment below.  Blessed Be!