Rituals

Wednesday, June 22, 2016: The moon phase is Waning Gibbous in the zodiac sign Capricorn until entering Aquarius at 4:08 PM EST.

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Element: Air
Color: Topaz
Incense: Bay Laurel (see below for magical uses)

Garden Activities:

• Plow, Cultivate, and weed.

• Plant onions, potatoes, rhubarb, grapes, winter wheat, and berries.

Herbal Magic - Bay Laurel

(Laurus nobilis) G

Folk Names: Baie, Bay Tree, Daphne, Grecian Laurel, Sweet Bay, Laurel, Laurier d’Apollon, Laurier Sauce Lorbeer, Noble Laurel, Roman Laurel

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)

Folk Names: Common Thyme, Garden

Powers: Health, Healing, Sleep, Psychic Powers, Love, Purification, Courage

Photo by H Flannery

Thyme is a perennial shrub, and a member of the mint family. With over a hundred varieties, the most common being garden and lemon thyme.

The Greeks used Thyme “to make a burnt offering.”  In the Middle Ages, Europeans placed it under pillows to promote sleep and ward off nightmares. Women would also give the leaves to knights to bring courage. Thyme was also placed on coffins and burned as incense during funerals to send one into the next life.

Patchouli (Botanical Name: Pogostemon Cablin) Folk Names: Kablin, Pucha-Pot

Powers: Fertility, Jinx-Breaking, Lust, Money

Patchouli is a species from the genus Pogostemon and an herb of the mint family. It is cultivated extensively in India, Madagascar, Sumatra and the Seychelles for steam distillation of oil and used to manufacture perfumes, incense, soaps, hair tonic, tobacco and cosmetics. The essential oil has a lusty, earthy scent and may be used during the Great Rite, as a candle dressing, or mixed into sexual lubricants.

Dalai Lama to retire from political life
The Dalai Lama has announced he will retire from political life within days.

In a speech posted on the internet and delivered in the northern Indian hilltown of Dharamasala, the veteran Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader said that he would ask the Tibetan parliament in exile to make the necessary constitutional changes to relieve him of his “formal authority” as head of the Tibetan community outside China.

ECHINACEA

Botanical Name: Echinacea Augustifolia

Folk Names: Black Sampson, Coneflower, Rudbeckia

Echinacea is a Perennial plant from the the daisy family, Asteraceae. Native to North America, it grows to a height of 2-3 feet.

It was widely used by the Plains Indians for its medicinal qualities as a treatment for symptoms caused by the common cold. In the 1930s it became popular in both Europe and America as a herbal medicine.

**Valentine’s Day: Love… actually?**Valentine’s Day didn’t begin with a pair of star-crossed lovers or a hallmark greeting card campaign — it started with a bunch of half-naked Romans running through the streets  whipping women with strips of goat hide to cure their infertility.

In ancient times February 15 was the Roman feast of Lupercalia, which also included one other rather interesting  tradition: a lottery in which young men would draw the names of teenage girls from a box. The lucky, or not so lucky, girl would then be the fellow’s sexual partner during the remaining year. Often the lady would receive a gift or a greeting in the name of Juno, a Roman goddess. Was this the precursor of the Valentine’s Day card?

International Pagan Coming Out Day - May 2
Coming out to someone is a decision only you can make and it’s a decision best made when you are ready to do so. IPCOD encourages Pagans who are ready to come on out!

There are benefits, personally and for our religious community as a whole, as more Pagans come out. Some of these benefits include the reduction of anxiety caused by living a double life and creating a climate of greater acceptance for all Pagans. Read full story from pagancomingoutday.com

Human sacrifices ‘on the rise in Uganda’ as witch doctors admit to rituals
One man said he had clients who had captured children and taken their blood and body parts to his shrine, while another confessed to killing at least 70 people including his own son. Read full story from telegraph.co.uk

Man Attempts to Kill Mother Over Witchcraft
A 27 year old man is being held by the police in Lagos for attempting to kill his mother on December 30, 2009 over alleged witchcraft which he claimed had retarded the progress of the family. Read full story from allafrica.com

Tony Alamo Gets Locked Up Forever
Tony Alamo, 74, is convinced that a demon possessed FBI and the pope are behind the plot to put him in prison, but this defense didn’t exactly impress the judge who sentenced him to nearly two centuries of hard time. Read full story from unreasonablefaith

Pagan spirituality group offers opportunity to explore beliefs, rituals
With a multitude of churches in the Whitewater area, most people don’t have a problem finding a supportive environment for their religious and spiritual beliefs. Read full story from royalpurplenews.com