Anuket, Egyptian Goddess of the Nile

Anuket is the Egyptian Goddess of the Nile cataracts, the fields and hunting. Daughter of the God Khnum, a water God, and the Goddess Satet, she was often depicted with a crown that held tall ostrich feathers. She ruled the realms south of present day Egypt in Aswan and Nubia and was referred to as "Mistress of Nubia" or "She Who Embraces".  Anuket was also a Goddess of the hunt and her sacred animal was the gazelle and her mother Satet is associated with the antelope.

She was particularly worshiped by sailors who would inscribe prayers onto stone for safe passage and a safe return on the Nile river. The areas of the Nile that Anuket ruled over were the cataracts or rapids. Cataracts of the Nile are the rocky areas where whirlpools and rapids ensued. These areas were impassable except during high flood. The annual flooding of the Nile was important to the ancient Egyptians as the excess water gave life to the crops. Being the Goddess of the Nile the ancient Egyptians saw her as a giver of life.
 
Anuket had a temple erected to her on the island of Seheil. It is said this temple was built in the 13th dynasty by the pharaoh Sobekhotep III. Her cult was located on the island of Elephantine where the annual flood waters from the Nile passed. It is said that this is where her cult originated along with the worship of her mother and father. The three Gods were seen as a triad known as "The Elephantine Triad" with Khnum, Satet and Anuket. They were seen as protectors of the Nile river.

At the start of the harvest season the festival of Anuket was celebrated in which thanks were given for crops such as wheat, flax, papyrus and barley. The festival consisted of magnificent river processions in which the rest of the Gods from the Elephantine Triad were honored. Statues of the Gods were carried on the shoulders of the priests to the boats on the Nile. The celebration also consisted of music, dancing, beating drums and rattling sistrums, burning incense and offerings of jewelry and coin were thrown into the Nile.

I hope you enjoyed learning about this ancient Mother of the Nile!

Magic Monday, Palmistry Part I

Palmistry or palm reading is the act of telling ones future by interpreting the lines, mounds and other features of the hands. Palmistry dates back thousands of years and is thought to have originated in India. Although many cultures have practiced this form of divination including ancient Babylonia, Egypt, China, Tibet, Persia, among many others. Some sources also state that palm reading has it's roots in Roma or Gypsy culture.

When reading the palm there are many things to pay attention to. For example the size and shape of the hand, the lines on the palm, the different mounts or bumps of the palm as well as the fingers. Also the right hand is different from the left. It is said that the left hand represents "what the Gods have blessed you with" or your potential, and the right hand represents what you've done with your blessing or potential. Since there is so much information about palm reading I will be breaking this up into two blog entries, part I and part II for next week.

First we will go over the types of hands to get started.

Earth hands: Wide with square palms and fingers and the skin is usually rough. The length of the palm is equal to that of the fingers. People with earth hands are said to be quite practical and experience oriented. They would rather get out in the world and experience things for themselves rather than just learning about it. They are also nature lovers and crave being in the great outdoors.

Air hands: Square palms with long fingers, protruding knuckles, low thumbs and dry skin. The length of the palm is equal to that of the fingers. People with air hands are said to be intellectual, curious and full of ideas. They are great communicators but tend to internalize their own feelings. Air hand people also have nervous energy and are prone to worry and stress.

Water hands: Short, oval palm with long fingers. Palms are wide and fingers are the same length to that of the palm. People with water hands are said to be emotional, artistic and motivated to find peace. Stress is hard for water hand people as they usually handle things based on feelings.

Fire hands: Square palm, flushed skin with short fingers. The length of the palm is greater than the length of the fingers. Fire hand people are full of energy and always on the go. They need variety and are known to be impatient. They are also extremely individualistic and said to make great leaders.

Now for the lines:

Heart line: Deals with all matters concerning love. If your heart line starts under your index finger you have a satisfying love life, if it starts under your middle finger you are selfish when it comes to love and if it starts in the middle of those two fingers this means you fall in love easily. If the heart line is short it means you have little interest in love. A heart line that is broken or has lines going through it means you may have experienced or will experience some kind of emotional trauma. A wavy heart line means you will have many lovers!

Head line: Stands for wisdom and intelligence. A curvy head line means you're creative and a straight line means you're practical. A short head line means that you prefer physical activities to intellectual ones. If your head line is separated from your life line it means that you are an adventurer. If the head line is wavy it can mean that you have a short attention span while if it's long and deep it means you're a focused thinker.

Life line: Line of destiny. The life line shows your true character as well as important life events. If the life line is in the shape of a semicircle it means that you're very enthusiastic and if it's straight it means you're cautious in relationships. A life line that is close to the thumb means you have low energy while a wide curvy line means you have plenty of energy. A break in the life line means a major change in life.



Fate Line: (Not everyone has this) Also known as the line of destiny. If the fate line has many breaks in it it means that your life will change many times. If the line is deep it shows that your life is controlled by destiny. If the fate line is joined with the life line it shows that you're a self made person, possibly owning your own business.


I hope you enjoyed learning the first part of Palmistry 101. Check back next Monday to learn the rest!

Baba Yaga, Slavic Goddess of Death and Regeneration

Baba Yaga is the Slavic Goddess of death and rebirth. She is seen as a crone Goddess and a dark Goddess. She is portrayed as a hag who travels in a big mortar which she steers with a pestle.  Baba Yaga is a wild woman representing our fears of death and the misunderstood. She is called a witch in many cultures. She lives in the forest in a hut which is sitting atop of chicken legs and can move on its own. If someone approaches her hut it will move around and screech until the visitor recites a special incantation to make it stop. Then it will drop and it's door will blow open to invite the visitor in. Her hut is also said to be surrounded by a fence made of bones to keep out intruders. Baba Yaga represents the death of the ego, wisdom and rebirth.

There is a myth involving Baba Yaga about a young girl named Vasilisa. There lived a merchant and his wife who had a beautiful daughter named Vasilisa. The girls mother was very sick. She made Vasilisa a doll and told her that whenever she needed guidance to feed the doll and it would always help her. The girls mother soon died and her father remarried. The woman Vasilisa's father remarried was mean and very jealous of Vasilisa's beauty. She decided to move the family to the edge of the forest where Baba Yaga lived. 

One night the stepmother, Vasilisa and her sisters were working on things around the house when the stepmother decided to trick Vasilisa. She extinguished all the candles in the house and then declared "Someone must go to Baba Yaga to fetch us some light as we cannot work in the dark!" So out into the dark night Vasilisa went in search of Baba Yaga. Despite her fear, she fed her magic doll and asked it for advice. The doll assured her all would be well and to go to Baba Yaga to get light. As she walked through the forest being guided by her doll, she met Baba Yaga's three horsemen riding along, one white, one red and one black. She finally approached the hut of Baba Yaga which was supported by chicken legs and was surrounded by a fence made of bones with illuminated skulls on each post. 

Baba Yaga came out of the hut and approached Vasilisa to ask her what she was doing here. Vasilisa explained to Baba Yaga that her stepmother sent her here for light. Baba Yaga then told the girl she would give her light if Vasilisa did some work for her. If not she would eat her. So Vasilisa began the work Baba Yaga gave her and was finished by nightfall. Baba Yaga then gave Vasilisa some bread which she fed to her doll and then went to sleep. This cycle lasted for about three days when finally Baba Yaga became annoyed that Vasilisa was finishing all her tasks so decided it was time for the girl to leave.

She gave Vasilisa one of her lit skulls and sent her back home. She walked through the forest until she could see her home and almost threw out the skull when a voice said "You need me for your stepmother and sisters." So Vasilisa kept the illuminated skull. When Vasilisa finally returned home and entered the house with the lit skull, it's glowing eyes searched for her stepmother and sisters and burned them to ashes. Vasilisa buried their remains along with the skull in her garden and she carried the magic doll her mother made her until the day she died.

This story teaches us to always trust and listen to our inner voice. To feed our intuitive abilities which in turn will make us all the more wiser. It also shows us that even in the darkest of times, there can be light. Call on Baba Yaga for her wisdom or for help with listening to and trusting your intuition. You may also call on her when you're trying to come to terms with your darker self or to bring about the death of the ego.





Picture courtesy of The Broom Closet

Samhain, Parting the Veils

Samhain is the last of the three harvest festivals as well as the Celtic new year. In the ancient world Samhain was the time when the last of the crops were harvested for food before winter. It was a crucial time for the harvest as it was a deciding factor in how much food there would be to last through the cold winter months.

It is also a time when the veils between worlds is thin and communication with spirits and other magical beings is possible. Faeries and other spirits roam the earth on this night. It is said that people would leave a lit candle in their windows to help guide the wandering souls on Samhain night.

On Samhain we honor the crone and dark Goddesses such as Hekate, The Morrigan, Cerridwen, Persephone and Lilith. These Goddesses help us to let go of that which no longer serves us. They guide us on a journey to our darker selves so that we may prepare for rebirth at Spring. They also  help us with inner transformation and acceptance.

This is also a perfect time for magic of all kinds. Rituals, spells and divination can be performed on Samhain night. Communication with the dead and faery magic is also popular at this time. Leave out some milk and honey for the faeries or a plate of food for your departed loved ones. You may also wish to leave a lit candle in your window to help guide the souls.

Wishing everyone many magical Samhain blessings!




Picture courtesy of Nicole Evelina

Magic Monday, Samhain Tarot Spread

Samhain is just a few days away! The time of year when the veils between worlds is thin and communication with spirits is possible. This is also a great time of year for divination of all kinds. 

Since Samhain is the Celtic New Year, this tarot spread will give you insight into the coming year. The spread will require seven cards placed into the formation pictured above. Once you have shuffled your deck and spread out your cards you may begin your reading. You may even wish to invite your ancestors to aid you in this spread. 

Card 1: Where I'm at currently in life

Card 2: Where I would like to be

Card 3: What am I ambitious about?

Card 4: What I want to achieve 

Card 5: An area I need to work on

Card 6: An idea I should consider

Card 7: Where do I go from here?

Make sure to write down your reading to use as a sort of guide for the upcoming year. Have fun with your reading!

Samhain Magic, Dumb Supper

Many Samhain celebrations involve a Dumb Supper which is basically a meal honoring loved ones who have passed over. On Samhain the veil between worlds is thin and communication with the dead is possible. This is a great time to set up an ancestor shrine and speak with your loved ones once again. Many of us speak to them on a regular basis already but it is tradition to do so on Samhain.

For the Dumb Supper you may choose to have people over for dinner or even have a quiet meal by yourself. There are some requirements for a Dumb Supper such as setting up an ancestor shrine, not speaking during dinner and making a plate of food for your loved one. Although as with any other magical working feel free to get creative.

On your ancestor shrine have photos of your loved ones, family heirlooms, or anything your loved ones left behind or anything that reminds you of them. Also be sure to have candles, incense and sage on your shrine. If you have people over for dinner have them place mementos on the shrine as well.

For your dinner use only candles for light no electricity and smudge the area with sage. You may also wish to invite the Goddess to join the dinner as well. Once your altar and dinner table is set up you are ready to enjoy your meal! Make your plate of food and make a plate for your ancestors, now you may eat in silence. While you're eating remember the times you had with your loved ones who have passed.

Once you're through eating clean up the table and thank the Goddess for joining you. Now you may go to your altar and talk with your passed loved ones. You may wish to light some incense in their honor as well. Once everything is completed you may blow out the candles and turn on the lights. Write down your experience and pay attention to your dreams that night. Sometimes spirits communicate with us while we are sleeping.

Enjoy your dumb supper!

Berchta, Germanic Goddess of Winter

Berchta, also called Perchta, is the Germanic Goddess of winter, the forests and destiny. Her worship originated in Bavaria which is in Southern Germany. She is associated with other Germanic Goddesses such as Mother Holde and also the Norse Goddess Frigg. Known as "the Bright One" or "the White Lady" she is said to dwell in the forests and caves and amongst the snow.

Berchta is honored at the Winter Solstice in a celebration called "Mothers Night". During this festival everyone stops working on their spindles for the night and enjoys a meal of fish in her honor. As spinning is sacred to her she is said to check all the spindles on this night and reward those who have been working hard. It is said that if she is angered on this night she will slice open your belly open and fill it with straw.

Berchta is portrayed in two forms. Sometimes she is said to be beautiful with a white robe and a crown. Other times she is portrayed as a hag with straggly hair and long teeth, while flying on a broom with a goose flying beside her. She is closely associated with the goose and according to Jacob Grimm, author and mythologist, has a goose foot or swan foot which is thought to be a sign that she has the ability to shape-shift.

Berchta is also honored at the time between the winter solstice and the new year. She is said to travel around with her wagon to visit children. She rewards those who behave well with gifts and punishes those who have been bad. There are other Goddesses who practice the same act such as La Befana, an Italian deity, who has similar characteristics to Berchta.
 
Berchta is known as the great teacher and initiator. In her myths the act of her belly slicing is seen as a form of initiation. She teaches people the stories of her culture and prefers not to break away from cultural norms. She works at the spindle spinning the fates of many and teaches us that we have the power to decide our destiny. Berchta's sacred colors are black and white, her sacred animals are the goose, bear and wolf and her sacred herbs/trees are elm, juniper and willow. She is also associated with the spindle and the Wild Hunt.

Enjoy honoring this Germanic Goddess of destiny! 






Picture courtesy of Source Ceremony