A Souls Release

Posted on October 30, 2020 by Holly & Jacques

s the wheel turns, October once again gives way to November and the killing frosts of the Crone have visited themselves upon the garden, bringing a halt to new growth while melting vines and flowers. The end of wild growth and external labors signal a time of transition as our outer awareness turns itself inward, heightening our otherworld senses. For many of us the enchanting Season of Samhain means working even more intensely and intimately with our Ancestors and disembodied spirits. We decorate our altars in welcome honor of our dead and the long ago ancestors rooted in our past that have given us life. We keep the old ways enlivened through ritually opening the gates, ensuring the presence of the old ones in the here and now, while drawing on the ancient knowledge and wisdom of those from whence we came. Through the acknowledgement of the dead we simultaneously celebrate the living and gather energies to help the visiting and newly departed to reach the ‘other side’.

For many witches and pagans who choose to work in close-knit groups there is an agreed upon purpose or goal. Our Coven had a particular anchor for the sending of our energy and light, however many years ago, during our yearly review, our coven made a collective decision to direct the sending of our energy towards aiding lost and disembodied souls in crossing over.

Many will recall the trauma felt around the country at the terrorist actions on 911. While we might be unable to agree whether it was a Muslim attack or an inside job, I think we can all agree that it was devastating on some level for all who witnesses the event, be it in person or via television.

As an empath I guard myself carefully from the onslaught of emotional vibration and am rarely overwhelmed and given to emotions I am unable to handle. On that particular day, however, the devastation and reverberating emotions overcame me. I felt sick in my solar plexus, faint and fractured. In all honestly, if I pause too long on that moment, it can still bring me to tears. In that moment I did the only thing I could do-I walked my shell-shocked disbelieving self outside to lay in the arms of mother earth and cry until I could no longer form tears.

By the end of it I felt hollowed out, raw and helpless. It was a sentiment echoed by our coven members and we all rallied in our own ways to provide relief to families in whatever way we could. The feelings were compounded as we were exposed to personal stories of the victims and families, repeated footage from all angles of destruction and more information/misinformation was fed to the news channels regarding ‘the facts’ and subsequent emergency response.

It became apparent that we needed to do something more as we begin to feel the overwhelming numbers of the lost and disembodies pressing up against us as we worked our rites. As with spirits who are left wondering after trauma, there is much in the way of confusion and suffering.

This led us to more intensely work towards the common goal of alleviating suffering through the gathering and welcoming of lost souls while providing the energy and momentum to cross over. While we work on this all through the year, it is much easier at Beltane and Samhain especially, to work these rites. We incorporated the powerful words of the ‘Soul-Leading’ and ‘Blessing for a Souls Release’ by the amazing Caitlin Matthews (If you are unfamiliar with her works, do yourself a favor and get the Celtic Devotional, you won’t regret it).

As witches, pagans, shamans and light workers, we once again find ourselves at a crossroads in regards to all of the souls that have been lost world wide to covid and covid related illness during this tumultuous year. Our Coven, along with Euphoric Naturals & Apothecary have chosen to host an event in the hopes that we can reach more people to collectively come together with the common goal of creating momentum around the globe that will alleviate suffering and confusion felt by so many at this time. If you visit the Souls Release event page, the discussion section will have the words being used to connect us all in our goal that can be easily incorporated to whatever personal rite you are performing.

We wish you all a Blessed Samhain!

Season of Ostara

Posted on April 1, 2020 by Holly & Jacques

Ostaracollage

stara, also known as Alban Eiler, Eostre, Summer Finding and Vernal Equinox, is a fertility festival celebrated on the spring equinox, which falls sometime between March 20th and March 22nd. On the spring and fall equinoxes, day and night are of equal lengths. Ostara begins with sunrise to celebrate the light overcoming the darkness and the heralding of spring, burgeoning growth and potent prosperity.

The feminine aspect of the Spring Maiden and the masculine aspect of the Horned God are called upon so that we may align with the necessary balance required for gentle growth getting ready to burst forth at Beltane. The external focus of the Ostara season is coaxing new life forth. We recognize that the length of our days have been growing ever so slightly since Yule (even though it does not feel like it at times) and this light is sending signals to the animals, our brains and plants around us to start mating and growing. The balancing act comes in reading the signs correctly. In the witch’s garden hellebore, witch hazel, snowdrops, early crocus and daphne are all blooming, however, if temporary warmth is coupled with too many full sunny days, some plants unable to withstand freeze start popping up and then buds are killed by the frost. If we misread the signs and become too eager to start our gardens, the plants in the end become listless and weak. Just as God and Goddess are learning what it is to grow the masculine and feminine energies necessary for the hieros gamos at Bel; spiritually cycles of woman and man play out similarly as we too learn to be priests and priestess in our own lives and embody the sacred energies.

At this time in the PNW, most of the snow is gone and we welcome yellow forsythia brightening the hedge as well as early daffodils and little purple-blue lungwort. These early risers along with fragrant purple hyacinth, daphne and witch hazel are placed around our homes and spring altars along with pastel-colored eggs, chocolate bunnies, rose quartz, jasper, birch, potted shamrocks, early pussy willow and seeds for blessing. While there are many stories about bunnies once being a bird and transformed to lay an egg on Ostara, there are more practical reasons for the symbology. Bunnies are associated with the goddess due to their gentle nature and nocturnal habits. They tend to be prolific in numbers and make more of an appearance during the day, chasing each other before breeding. Egg laying picks up around February, we tend to see a huge upswing in production around this time, which is welcome after so few eggs in the winter. The allegorical theme arises from the Goddess bringing forth the birthed World Tree egg of life and mystery to be laid bare before the Sun God so the fiery spark of heat and light quickens the seed within.

At this time, we come together to pay homage to the Spring Goddess and Horned God. We align ourselves with the vulnerable tendrils of equinox season, seeking balance before taking our next steps. Additionally, we give an offering of gratitude for the returning light seen in the joyous bright colors and intensely scented blooms. We call for the blessing of our seeds, so that they may be strong, healthy and abundant. New beginnings are cast through the seeds of our Grain Goddesses with plenty of water to nurture us until Beltane.

We dye eggs a brilliant red to represent the life-giving blood of the goddess. Each egg contains a message to guide the potential we have within. The shells are then used to plant wheat and nasturtiums or cast into the garden.

Sow a thought, and you reap an act;

Sow an act, and you reap a habit;

Sow a habit, and you reap a character;

Sow a character, and you reap a destiny.

– Charles Reade

What have you planted for the coming year?

Calling all Pagans, Witches, Elders, Healers, Shamans & Spiritualists…..

Posted on March 25, 2020 by Holly & Jacques

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Let us come together and combine our sparks, weave our magic in light and dark!

Euphoric Naturals & Apothecary and the Conveners of Ivy Moon are sending out a call to all Peoples, no matter your path, to join us on the next full moon in sending a wave of love and light around the world.

As was predicted, the year of 2020 would see revolutionary change in social systems and our personal relationships with society and the world at large. Little did we know how these changes would be brought about or what it would look like.

As we speak, many are on the frontlines attending to the sick or working jobs where there is no choice but to do so, while everyone else does their part in staying home to avoid spreading the contagion. The fear, panic, anxiety and overwhelm is palpable.

What most people do not know about pagans, witches and spiritualists is how tirelessly many of us work behind the scenes for the health, protection, healing and benefit of our families, friend, communities, planet and the world at large. In WWI the witches of England banded together and protected their country by turning the tides on the enemy. Many of you may remember in 2000 the late Abby Willowroot founded and launched The Goddess 2000 Project, where we covens and individuals alike created Goddess statues, lit candles and performed rituals that incrementally took place around the world for 24 hours. We ‘Danced the Goddess Home’ and back into the forefront of the earth plane consciousness. It was powerful and effective, to say the least.

With this Call to Action, we hope to follow in the footsteps of the visionary Abby Willowroot and work magic similarly through the combined efforts of all. With this working we strive to bring about change and balance by calling on the goodness and humanity in people to reorient humanistic values to kindness, compassion and respect for all living creatures. It is our intent, through this act, that the ripple effect will impact on a heart level so that each individual from the house wife to the policy maker and people in positions of power will behave in a wholistic heart-centered way. May awareness be awoken in the heart of each living being and felt through all the lands.

We are in a unique position to affect lasting change and weave magic into the world unlike ever before. The April 2020 Full Moon in Libra, ruled by the planet of Venus and Love, provides us with skills of intelligence, diplomacy, intuition that aid us in bringing back balance and harmony.

Starting on April 8th at sundown, each person will enact their own rite and light a candle (preferably a 7 day if you have it). The wave of energy will be sent around our planet for a full 24 hours and continue as long as our candles burn. The first place to kick this project off will be in Fiji and Samoa, followed by New Zealand and continue on down the list. We have placed countries in order according to the ripple of sunsets. If we could get people from each country to commit to a sunset lighting we will be able to collectively combine our energies and align our planet with a healing heartfelt frequency.

For our part we will be setting up an altar specific to our goal, preloading with a meditation, raising energy and then lighting a 7-day candle at the specified time. Please look at the list to see where your country falls in order and sign up for a slot. If you would like please share what you will be doing. Get the word out to everyone in your groups, covens and circles, everyone is included.

Fiji, Samoa and Christmas Island/Kiribati
New Zealand
Most of Australia
Japan, South Korea and North Korea
China, Philippines, Singapore
Thailand, Cambodia and large parts of Indonesia
Bangladesh
Nepal

India and Sri Lanka

Pakistan
Azerbaijan
Iran
Turkey, Iraq, Kenya and most of Russia
Greece, Romania, South Africa, Hungary and other central and eastern European cities
Germany, France, Italy, Algeria, Belgium, Spain
UK, Ireland, Ghana, Iceland, Portugal
Regions of Brazil
Argentina, regions of Brazil, Chile, Paraguay
Some regions of Canada, Bolivia, Puerto Rico
Eastern Standard Time in the US – New York, Washington, Detroit and Cuba
Central Standard Time in the US – Chicago
Mountain Standard Time in the US – Colorado, Arizona
Pacific Standard Time in the US – LA, Nevada
Alaska
Hawaii
American Samoa
Baker Island, Howland Island

Full Moon In Virgo

Posted on March 8, 2020 by Holly & Jacques

FM Grid Virgo

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he time has come once again to set aside the every day and empower our lives by acknowledging the sacred wisdom we witches draw our power from. Our New Moon Pisces vows were set around objectively viewing our soul dreams without judgment. This coming Full Moon and Supermoon will continue the quest of living our best and most balanced life through analytical detail-oriented Virgo.

Virgo’s motto is “I analyze” and keywords are discriminating, dependable, unselfish, exacting, perfectionist, scientific, holistic healer.

We have touched on the need of weaving in balance throughout this year’s workings and this becomes even more necessary while the moon’s power is at its height during the sign striving for perfection.

The combination of the sun in Pisces and moon in Virgo lends itself the appearance of a calm pool, however, all that has transpired between the new and full moon is swirling in the depths. Coupled with the aspects of Neptune and Mercury, all this yummy energy is coalescing on a Monday (Moon’s day) to give us a very real opportunity to bring laser focus to that which is important. Virgo moon pushes us to pursue improvement in all areas of our lives, however, this sign also can get lost in the pursuit of perfection. In our everyday life, we may start to feel the need to do something-anything, give of ourselves freely and try to make sense of the chaos around us. The ‘devils in the details’ analytics that will attempt to organize all that is being churned up from the depths, which can serve to overwhelm or give us exactly what we need if we will but listen.

In planning our upcoming FM rite it will be imperative that we silence the noise and input by tuning out of social media, silence the voices serving to divert us off our path while avoiding images and information that add to the chaos. We may be flooded with ideas taking our brains in all sorts of directions. This is not the time to go down the rabbit hole. Instead, make lists and review the lovely new ideas at a later time. We have all the information we need within ourselves and do not need to gather more data.

The Pisces NM encouraged us to survey our internal landscape in the new young light of the moon. Virgo FM directs us to dive under the placid surface and follow those beams of moonlight to what is being lit up (aka: what lights us up) while anchoring our feet in the nourishing rich soil that will take the often disconnected abstract separates and grow them into something unique to our spiritual walk. This particular FM is enabling us to get out of our own way and trust the process of balancing intuition and discrimination to commit to what arises and feels right in our gut without overthinking it. Give yourself over to the Moon, hear with your ‘heart’ and she will give you exactly what you need!

“We must be willing to let go of the life we had planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us”
~Joseph Campbell

Merry Part and Goddess Bless!

January 2o2o Cancer Full Moon

Posted on January 8, 2020 by Holly & Jacques

INTUITION * EMOTIONS

FM Grid Cancer

J blk anuary 2o2o kicks off with an intriguing New Year of pivotal historic and spiritual change as we transition into the Age of Aquarius. As discussed in a previous post, moving into the Age of Aquariusis an exciting time, but can also be a nerve-racking transition as we are plagued with a country and world divided unlike ever before. As with any transition, the struggle to let go is very real and apparent; issues of civil, political, religious and social unrest are quite turbulent and much in the forefront of our awareness.

Current projections for the 2o2o show a year that is mellow into June, but indicate worldwide concerns with material scarcity as oppressive social systems begin to unravel. The astrological and planetary alignments require us to let go of dead habits, ideas and old world views that no longer serve so that we can make space for both new and remembered indigenous knowledge of community and spiritual practice. Astrologists predict a major shift in the rebuilding of society through humanitarian efforts.

As pagans and witches, our spiritual practice and magical rites are informed by the seasons, the natural world around us, synchronicities, meditations, rituals, and divinatory practices, all of which are cluing us into the importance of the full moons in the coming year. The Full Moon in Cancer, taking place on January 10th, provides us with an opportunity to engage in magic specific to family and home. My recent meditations regarding magic for the coming full moon repeatedly show me scales, indicating a need for a balance brought forth and maintained during this transition, specific to the mind and how we frame challenges in our future as well as fiduciary responsibilities. As Cancer oversees the home and emotions, Cancer, in her ruling sign, the Moon, focuses on the intuition necessary to navigate us through trying times. For us, this upcoming Full Moon will deal with internal housecleaning, fine-tuning our internal compass, and communicating with our bodies about what is in harmony or out of sync. I will ask of my internal home, ” What are my emotional strengths and weaknesses? What feels good and right in my body? What sends a red flag? What secrets am I hiding about my true feelings? What are those emotions that lead to imbalance and veer me off the path of authenticity?” In magic one of the most important tasks before you is asking the correct question.

As we all know, change happens at home and this begs the very real question of “who am I in this world of change?” “who do I want to be?”. Ultimately it comes down to how can we balance our responsibilities in the everchanging world while being authentic and connected to our most essential selves, especially when surround by spiritually asleep people who see/experience the world much differently than we? More importantly, it is a time that requires us to adapt in the face of frequent changes that increase as we transition from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius.

As Einstein said, “The Measure of intelligence is the ability to change’.

As you cast your circles and create sacred space, remember…….we are all in this together. Be gentle with yourselves and others.

Merry Part and Blessed Be!