Magic Monday, Make a Scrying Mirror

Scrying is an ancient form of divination. It involves gazing into different mediums, such as a crystal ball, a mirror, fire, smoke or calm water to receive visions or messages. It is just another form of quieting your mind so your subconscious can give you the answers you seek. In order to prepare for scrying you must first put yourself in a trance while staring into the
medium you're using. This can be done be repeating a mantra, deep breathing, invoking a deity or sometimes simply the act of gazing is enough.

I find the best way to scry is to practice some deep breathing first, light some incense and then begin gazing. Sometimes it can be hard to keep your eyes adjusted and open the whole time. It is alright to blink and and refocus your eyes if need be. Once you are in a trance like state from the gazing your eyes will naturally adjust to your scrying. Take note of any visions that come through during your scrying session.

For this post I will go over how to make your own scrying mirror which is easy and fun!

Supplies:

• Picture frame with a glass insert
• Black matte spray paint
• Newspaper

Make sure you pick a frame that has some aesthetic appeal to you. Take the glass out of the frame and clean it off. Now take the glass to a well ventilated area (preferably outdoors) place some newspaper down under the glass and begin to spray paint one side of the glass. Let one coat dry then keep adding more coats of paint until the glass is no longer transparent. After the glass has dried, reassemble the frame with the painted side facing towards the back. This way the front of your mirror with not have paint on it and it will make the mirror appear deeper.

Now you may consecrate your scrying mirror and its ready for use! Feel free to paint symbols around the mirror or decorate it how you wish. Although with something like this, simplicity is best, it is your personal divination tool so an extra decorating will be entirely up to you.

Make sure to cover your mirror when its not in use with a velvet bag or some cloth. Enjoy making and using your scrying mirror!








Picture courtesy of eHow

Winner of Goddess Connections e-Book Giveaway!

Thank you to all who entered! And the winner is.........Aphrodisiastes! Congratulations! I will get you your Freyja e-book asap. I hope everyone had fun playing. Thanks again for helping Love of the Goddess reach 5000 fans on Facebook! Stay tuned for the next giveaway.

Giveaway! Goddess Connections e-Book of Your Choice!

In honor of reaching 5000 fans on Facebook I decided to have a giveaway! The prize will be one of my Goddess Connections Workbooks of your choosing. I'm so excited to have reached 5000 fans! Thank you all so much for your support. If you don't know about the Goddess Connections Workbooks check out the e-Books section of my blog: Goddess Connections. Here you will find information about the e-Books as well as which ones are currently available.

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment stating which e-Book you would like and why you are interested in learning about that particular Goddess. For extra credit please follow this blog if you are not already. Please be sure to leave your email address in the comment so I can send you your book if you win. I will announce the winner on Saturday. Thank you to all who enter and good luck! And a big thanks to all the awesome fans of Love of the Goddess!! Without your support all of this would not be possible. Many blessings )O(

Nemesis, Greek Goddess of Justice and Balance

Nemesis is the Greek Goddess of divine justice and retribution. She keeps happiness and unhappiness balanced among the mortals. She sees that justice is served for those who have acquired things in a malicious way. She is associated with the Moriai (Fates) and the Erinyes (Furies), all of these are deities dealing with mortal fate and emotion. Nemesis also brings about loss or suffering in those she feels have been experiencing too much good fortune. This brings balance into ones life and humbles us. The cycle of good and bad must continue in our lives to ensure that the correct lessons are taught. Nemesis sees to it that this gets done.

Daughter to Nyx and Oceanus, Nemesis punishes those who partake in excessive indulgence. Some myths claim that Zeus is her father, instead of Oceanus, as is portrayed in the myth aboutthe birth of Helen of Troy. It is said that Nemesis is the mother of Helen of Troy. In this story it is said that Nemesis was forced to lie with her father, Zeus. Though she did not want this and fled across the sea. Zeus pursued her and she transformed into a fish but this did not slow him down. Nemesis then took off over the land and she transformed into many different creatures. Still Zeus followed. Finally she turned into a goose and Zeus turned into a swan. He forced himself on her and after which Nemesis laid an egg. She kept the egg in a box and when it hatched, Helen of Troy emerged and Nemesis claimed her as her own.

Nemesis is portrayed as a winged goddess with a sword in her hand. She is associated with the apple branch, whip and with balance. She is sometimes referred to as Nemesis Rhamnusia which stems from her cult following at Rhamnus in Attica. There was a temple sanctuary there in her honor. She is said to be the mother of four of the Telkhines which were metalworker/sea daimones.  They are known as mysterious magicians who crafted magical tools for the Gods. Their father was Tartaros who is the spirit of the great pit of the underworld.

In the tale of Narcissus, Nemesis is invoked by the nymph Echo to seek vengeance. Narcissus was known to be a quite handsome man, also quite vain. Everyone that laid eyes upon him fell in love with him although he rejected them all. Echo fell in love with Narcissus and when he rejected her, she became so sad that she faded away. But before she did she called on Nemesis for vengeance. Nemesis saw what happened to her and punished Narcissus by making him fall in love with his own reflection. He was condemned to stare at himself in the reflection of water in a pool for the rest of his days. There he wasted away, died and was transformed into the flower, Narcissus.

Nemesis will only see that justice is served if it is deserved, so take care when invoking her. You might be invoking your own punishment if the vengeance you seek is wrongly deserved. 

I hope you enjoyed learning about this ancient Greek Goddess!







Image courtesy of Camp Half Blood

Magic Monday, Make a Witch's Ball

A Witch's ball is a brightly colored glass ball hung in the home or the garden to ward off evil spirits. They were made popular in the 18th century in England but are believed to be much older. They can also be used for luck and good fortune for the family in which they are protecting. The witch's ball is brightly colored which will attract evil spirits and then filled with strands of thread, hair or glass which is supposed to trap and entangle the evil spirits. Making your own witch's ball is fun, easy and inexpensive!

What you will need:

• Clear glass ornament of which the top can be removed
• Silver craft paint or any bright color of your choosing (silver reflects ill wishes back to sender)
• Silver or red thread, tinsel or hair
• Teaspoon of crushed herbs such as lavender, St. john's wort and/or cinnamon
• Essential oils of frankincense or patchouli

To begin take the top off of the Christmas ornament and pour in the paint (not too much) and tilt the ball around until the paint covers the inside. After the inside is painted and you can't see through it, let it sit upside down on newspaper so the excess paint drips out, then let it dry over night. Once it's dry, take your thread and cut it into a few three inch pieces and stuff it inside your ornament. Now take your herbs and mix them together with a drop or two of essential oil and put them into the ornament. Place the top back on the ball and string some thread through the hole at the top to hang it. 

Feel free to bless/cleanse your witch's ball with sage or sweet grass and recite a protection chant over it. You may also wish to decorate it further with glitter, jewels or painting designs on the ball. Hang your witch's ball in a window, by your front door, in your garden or anywhere that you prefer. Have fun creating your very own witch's ball!







Photo courtesy of Tumblr

Lughnasadh Crafts

Lughnasadh is the first of three harvest festivals for fall. It is a time when the first grains and ripe fruits are harvested and thanks is given for natures bounty. There are many fun crafts to do at this time, some of which are baking bread and making your own smudge sticks.
 
Baking bread was an important part of this festival for ancient people as the bread baked at Lughnasadh, as well as Mabon, would last them through winter. If you decide to bake bread there are a few magical ways to spice things up. You can mold your bread into different shapes such as a Goddess, moon, pentacle, triple Goddess etc. You can chant a few words or blessing over your bread as your baking it. Corn was also a popular harvest crop so feel free to make corn bread or any other type of flavored bread such as cinnamon. Place your bread on your Lughnasadh altar as an offering or serve it with your Lughnasadh dinner.
 
Smudge sticks are easy and fun to make. Even though you can buy them pre-made, I like to make my own magical tools whenever possible. Cut herbs from your garden or go wild-crafting. If neither of those options are available to you, try your local farmers market or grocery store. 

What you will need for this project:

• Scissors or clippers
• String cut about four or five feet long
• Cut herbs such as sage, mugwort, rosemary, lavender, etc.

Cut your herb stalks about six to ten inches long and gather them so the cut ends are together. Wind the string tightly around the stem of the bundle leaving a few inches of hanging string (you will need this later). Continue wrapping tightly around the stem of the bundle then gradually work your way up to the leafy section until you reach the end. Now go back down with your string wrapping the bundle the opposite way creating a criss cross pattern. Once you reach the end where the stem is, tie the remaining string with the extra two inches you left at the stem.
 
Once you are finished, cut off any loose leafy ends sticking out through the string so the smudge stick looks smooth. Now you may hang your smudge stick up to dry. It can take up to a week for your smudge stick to completely dry. Once they are dry they are ready to be ritually burned! You can also bless them at your altar to further empower them with your own energies.
 
Enjoy baking your bread and crafting your very own smudge sticks!







Photo courtesy of  Live In Art

Magic Monday, The Witch's Ladder

A witch's ladder is used as a form of cord magic personally crafted and empowered with a particular intent. It is made using three cords of equal length (usually 13 inches) and nine feathers, beads, bones, shells or really whatever you like. Traditionally the colors of the cord are black, red and white although you may also use other colors to represent your magical intent. These can be made for protection, prosperity, happiness or any other necessity. They can be used similarly to a rosary or prayer beads or they can be hung in your home, car, patio or even just left on your altar. 
 
To make your witch's ladder you will need:
 
- Three cords (thread, hemp, yarn) of different colors about 13 inches in length
 
- Nine beads, feathers, shells, etc.

Now tie your cords together at one end. You may choose to braid the cords and make a knot about every inch or so, or just make a knot every inch or so. For every knot add your bead through one string and tie another knot at bottom of the bead so it stays in place. There is a prayer you may say while creating your witch's ladder to give it more power:

By knot of one, the spell's begun.
By knot of two, the magic comes true.
By knot of three, so it shall be.
By knot of four, this power is stored.
By knot of five, my will shall drive.
By knot of six, the spell I fix.
By knot of seven, the future I leaven.
By knot of eight, my will be fate.
By knot of nine, what is done is mine.

I like to add magically infused oil on each knot as well. When you come to the end of your witch's ladder tie a knot. Feel free to get creative and add charms or anything else that speaks to you. My witch's ladder is pictured above and since I made this one for protection, I added an evil eye charm and a Goddess charm to the end.  Now you may choose to cleanse your witch's ladder with sage or incense or maybe call on a particular deity to bless it.  Hang it or place it wherever you need the particular magical energy you are seeking.  I hope you enjoy crafting your own witch's ladder!