Competition

Hello to all our followers! Rowan and I would like you guys to take part in a small competition we’d like to hold to help you bring out your creative side!
The rules are in any way (Paint, Drawing, Collage) design and create the Empress Tarot card! We’d then like you to send it to our new email address paganpairblog@gmail.com. We will then decide on the winner then we will email for your address and send it to you!
The prizes are:
1st place- The Easy Tarot-Learn to read the cards once and for all, by Josephine Ellershaw, comes with book and Gilded Tarot set.
2nd place- A bag of small assorted crystals
3rd place- A Tree-Free greeting cards

The deadline is the 5th September 2012, when you email please leave your WordPress username and a short description about your Empress Tarot card. At the end of the competition we shall post all pictures on the blog announcing the winners!

I’d also like you all to know that we are starting a video blog on youtube as well, which will run along side this blog. We’ll be talking about various diffrent items and things wicca and pagan and will hopefully record some spells as well. I’ll let you all I know when the first video is up!

Thankyou and GoodLuck!

Silversun )O(
Rowan x~x

Taylln

Hey guys we’d like you to know about our other member’s Blog, which she has started. It is very good and humerous and ties in nicely with what we talk about. Hope you enjoy!

http://firsttimewitch.wordpress.com/

Silversun )O(
Rowan x~x

SUMMER SOLSTICE!

WOOP! so the summer solstice has been and gone! T’was a lovely time, Rowan and Taylln and i created wreaths from wild flowers especially yellow ones that celebrate the summer and sun. We have also begun to make our Alter blanket! To make this we have used black silk as this is to keep with tradition as the base for a sort of patchwork Alter cloth. Each member will be given a square to design, which will then be sewn onto the black silk! This way every member of the coven will put forth time and energy into making an important tool of whitchcraft!

Silversun )O(

New Cards!!!

Silversun has a new deck and it is an I-ching deck. She is ecstatic with it and as soon as she picked it up it felt warm in her hands. ^.^ I-ching is a Chinese oracle. The first versions of I-ching date back to the first millennium, before the Era of Christianity. It follows Taoist principles. Coins used to be used for the method, and before that Yarrow stems. The symbols are made of unbroken and broken lines, which make trigrams. There are eight trigrams; Heaven, Earth, Thunder, Mountain, Sun-Fire, Wind-Wood, Lake-Mist and Water.

There are sixty-four cards in the deck. Each one is beautifully designed by Luis Royo. The same artist illustrated Silversun’s tarot deck, which is quite a cool coincidence.

Since the deck is not tarot there are no conventional spreads, so for now Silversun has just been reading with one card. They are full of philosophical messages and spiritual guidance. 🙂

Silversun )O(

Rowan x~x

Athame

OK here’s the long awaited finished athame!!!!!!!

BEFORE:

Close up of the monster tangle

  So you can see the beads completly came off.

AFTER:

 As  you can see I re-strung all the beads; I used a sock for the black hilt!

An athame is used to symbolise the male and is used to open a circle by “slashing” the air.

Please comment and let me know what you think. I did some research on the shape and it appeares to maybe be Mayan or African!

Silversun

)O(

Black wings (and cats)

 

When you look at a crow or raven what do you think? Do you see them as an omen or a messenger of death? These beliefs came from many, many years ago when the bodies of the deceased were left in the open to be devoured by the birds. It was believed that by eating the body a part of that person’s soul was taken in by the crow and that they would then fly and transports that person’s spirit to the spirit realm. This culture then brought in the belief that a black bird was an omen for death and that they caused death which is often depicted as black winged angels. I find these beliefs very superstitious. Crows are very spiritual creatures and are one of the only animals able to go in and out of the spirit world as they please; they are also very helpful creatures in the native American belief as they believed that the crows guarded the deceased.

“ Man follows crow,
Crow follows Wolf,
Wolf kills Caribou.”

Another animal that can easily enter the spirit world is none other than your average cat, in the film “Constantine” Cats are described as “half-in half-out”. This is quite true and cats are very spiritual and can often be seen staring at something which we cannot see, perhaps a wondering spirit?

Silversun

)O(

Meditation

You’ll notice that a lot spells and rituals ask for you to enter your meditative state, but do you know what that is?
Meditation is done in countless religions and countries but it’s exact creation date is uncertain. For today though I will just concentrate on Buddhist meditation as this is probably the most used. There are 9 stages of this meditation and believe me these stages cannot be done in a matter of weeks, not even months but years and years and years!

The first stage is called placement, at this stage it is difficult or even impossible to clear your mind or concentrate on the image that you are trying to picture depending on which method is being used (image projection is usually done in guided meditation while clearing is done for higher states)

The second stage is called continual pacement where you can now hold the image or clear your mind for a few minutes, however you can still get distracted. This is where most people start to give up as they cannot keep mentally still for longer and get frustrated.

(It’s between the second and third stage that i’m at!)

The third stage is called replacement, at this stage you can now immediatly still your mind and hold for longer.

The fourth stage is placement where you can now still your mind and begin entering a higher state, however this is when people get excited and lose that inner peace (we’re only human)

The fifth stage is called discipline, this is where you learn not to lose your state through emotions like excitement but are still aware of how you feel.

The sixth stage is called pacification, you can now hold this calm inner peace of a completly cleared mind with no distractions, you are at a high meditative state

The seventh stage means you can hold a meditative state with no distractions and you are becoming aware of everything that surrounds you, every rock and tree and every creature.

The eigth stage is called single-pointed, like the seventh but more defined.

The ninth stage is now where you can hold the state for as long as you like, you may feel more connected with everything that surrounds you and be more able to contact spirits and other beings.

Silversun
)O(

Initiation ritual

Recently, we’ve got a new member to our coven. We haven’t initiated her yet so we thought we’d write what it is we will do.

There is a river near where Silversun lives, surrounded by a protected rookery. This is ideal to symbolise crossing over into the coven. Because we all represent rivers that surround the land of the Neuri, crossing this river is representative of crossing our own river into these lands.

When we walk across the river, bare foot (or with crocks because of the gravel) and with our trousers rolled up to our knees, the cold water shocks us and drives us forward. To those who aren’t used to wild swimming it can make you breathless and unable to move. To keep going, it can be quite an ordeal. Thus, when you reach the other side there is a kind of catharsis or a feeling of relief and joy.

When our new initiate, Taylln, steps into the water she is met with a very spiritual experience. The element of water is often considered gentle, caring and healing, but we mustn’t forget that sometimes to heal you have to face the pain.

She will begin to cross the river, towards Rowan who will be standing in the middle with our goblet (newly acquired from a local charity shop). There she and Rowan will make the vows of a witch, to always act in good conduct with her craft. She will take a sip from the goblet (red wine) and then continue on her way to the other side.

On the bank, Silversun will stand. Here, they will recite the vows of our coven (secrety secrety stuff). Silversun holds our athame, which we are still restoring but will be done soon ^.^. Silversun will then hand Taylln her Spirit mask. Rowan and Silversun will have already donned their own.

She can now step into our space, a little place we spotted next to the river that has wonderful energies.

Now she will be part of our coven. We will all gather and make a special toast to her, as well as offering the rest of the goblet of wine to the spirits in this place.

This is an initiation into our coven. ^.^

Rowan

x~x

Silversun )O(

Love spell

Here’s a spell to bring love into your life 😉

What you will need:~
Pink candles
Rose quartz
You

The more candles and rose quartz you have the better this spell will work, another added boost is to have rose cented pink candles.
Light the candles around you whilst holding a piece of rose quartz, while lighting the candles say:
“Love to me please bring
By the power of love so true
Fill my heart and make it sing
Rejoice and help me love anew
And let it be done that it harm no one”

We know that this spell works well as Bran from the coven used this 1 month ago and is now in a new relationship and very happy!

Runes

Hey I thought I better write about another form of divination! Runes isn’t something I use very often myself as I find it a bit complicated but if you can read them properly they are lots of fun! 🙂
The word Rune itself mean’s secret knowlege and wisdom and originated from germanic tribes is AD, and were also widely used by vikings and was believed to be used by the viking god Odin. The runes themeselves are actually writtain in the old Nordic Language and many of them link to the diffrent viking gods. These runes are called the Elder Futhark.

There are 24 runes in total and are used much like tarot in the way of asking them a question or looking towards the future. While having the question in your mind hold each rune in turn if one feels hot or you get the feeling it’s the right one look at it and it will be your answer.