All posts tagged: spirituality

How to Make Four Thieves Vinegar

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*All items in Four Thieves Vinegar not pictured Written By: Psychic AlyciaRose Herbal vinegars have been used as medicine since the time of Hippocrates, the father of Western Medicine. Four Thieves Vinegar comes to us from a time when the plague was rampant in Europe, which is also known as the Black Death. It is also known as  Marseilles Vinegar. It is also an old magickal remedy, a protection against evil and the magick of others. It is still commonly used today by modern practitioners. The story behind it involves a band of thieves in the city of Marseilles in the seventeenth century.  Four of these thieves were caught were robbing the sick and the graves of the dead during a plague outbreak, never falling sick themselves. They are said to have covered their bodies and face masks in this herbal vinegar, which we now know contains antibacterial and antiviral properties. When they were caught, they were to be tried and burned at the stake for their crimes. The judges noted that they had an …

How to Care For and Use Your Crystals

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Written By: Dr. Nikki These days, it seems like everyone is going wild over crystals. Their power and special meanings are nothing new, but their appeal in popular culture seems to have taken over the mainstream. So where should you begin? How do you even get started? Let me help you out with a few crystal basics. Choosing: Few of us have the option of going to mines and digging out our own crystals. Thankfully, New Age shops, specialized crystal sellers, and rock and gem shows are all excellent places to find crystals. It is always a good idea to get as much information about the crystal you are buying as possible, such as the type (clusters, single points, etc.), and where it comes from. Natural stones are always better, while manmade crystals tend to be less expensive. A crystal ball is great for scrying, a single or dual point is used for healing work, and a cluster is fantastic for a meditative focus. Clear Quartz, which occurs worldwide, is a good first stone as it has …

Celebrating the Sabbat, Lughnassadh

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Written By: Psychic AlyciaRose Lughnassadh or Lughnasa (pronounced Loo-nas-ah), August 1st, is the first harvest festival in the Celtic and Neo-Pagan Year – of which eight sabbats is celebrated. Like all Celtic Fire Festivals, it begins on the eve of the actual day. Although it later became known as the Christian holiday of Lammas, it still survives in modern Gaelic as Lúnasa (Irish), Luanistyn (Manx), Lunasad or Lùnastal (Scottish) and Calan Awst (Welsh). Lammas stems from the Anglo-Saxon word meaning ‘Loaf Mass’ since bread was made from the first grain (and the first loaves were blessed by the Church) – replacing the older tradition of offering the first sheaf cut to the Gods. Lugh was an important solar deity to the ancient Celts whose name means “shining one” and “nasad” is a tribal gathering for fairs and games. Lugh is also known as a god of grain and harvest who dies annually with the reaping of the crop. He is the warrior of light inextricably bound with the Earth Goddess and must enter her dark womb to be …

Herbal Magickal Baths For Love, Purification + Money!

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Written By: Psychic AlyciaRose Water has always been a purifier from the beginning of time; it cleanses everything it touches. Water is also a spiritual cleanser, washing away energies that are not our own while purifying both body and spirit. It is the essence of life, releasing psychic blocks, restoring us to balance and harmony. Taking a magickal or ritual bath permits us to open ourselves to higher energies, and those energies we wish to attract to ourselves. The history of the ritual bath is ancient. Many cultures ancient and modern use water as a method of spiritual purification. Ritual bathing was a n important part of Roman, Greek, Middle Eastern, and Japanese societies. The faithful washed themselves before prayer, entering a temple or participating in spiritual activities. The use of water in purification is also used by Muslims washing before prayer, Catholics dipping hands in holy water, Native Americans in the sweat lodge, and some modern Witches before entering the sacred circle. In many magickal faiths and folk magic, the bath often becomes spellwork …

Understanding Tarot – The Cups

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Written By: Dr. Nikki The Cups are the best known suit in the tarot. Symbolizing our deeper emotions, this suit can be represented in a number of ways. Cups are the more standard and most often seen in decks, but they can appear as Chalices, Bowls, and Hearts. The Cups equate to the suit of Hearts in a standard card deck. The Cups are aligned with the element of Water, which rules emotions and, especially, love. Water is fluid, as our emotions. Water reflects how we express our inner selves to the world. Man can live without food for weeks, but can only survive a few days without water. Water, and our emotions, are the stuff that life is made of. Strongly influencing the relationships you have with others in the world, Cups can indicate a need for transforming or changing the way you interact with others. Creativity is said to come from the heart – from the emotion. As a representation of water, the Cups invite us to drink from the flow of life …

Magickal Uses of Mint

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Written By: Psychic AlyciaRose Of all the well known culinary herbs, Mint is one of the most versatile. Whether its aromatic foliage is used in cooking, as a deodorizer, teas and drinks, a garden insect repellant, medicinally, or in spellwork, mint lends its own unique magic. There are over 40 species of Mint which hybridize easily, producing infinite variations. Peppermint is in actuality a natural occurring hybrid of spearmint and water mint. As an herb, Mint originates in the Mediterranean and Western Asia, and was cultivated in ancient times by the Greeks, the Romans, and the Egyptians – most notably used in Egyptian and Roman funeral rites. Mints commonly used are: the Chocolate Mint is used in desserts, Spearmint for drinks, Peppermint for drinks & desserts Pineapple Mint for salads, and regular garden mint is used for general cooking. The name Mint comes from Greek mythology, there are many versions of the story but the most popular legend tells us Minthe was originally a nymph, and was seduced by Hades. His wife Persephone, in a fit …

Understanding Tarot – The Pentacles

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Written By: Dr. Nikki Pentacles are represented in decks in many different ways. They can be shown as Disks, Pumpkins, Coins, and even Diamonds (also the suit Pentacles relate to in your regular playing deck). The Pentacles are often elaborately decorated; for example, the Queen of Pentacles is normally shown amidst abundant natural growth and vegetation to represent her fertility and fecundity. Aligned with the element of Earth, these are the cards that relate to money, material and earthly matters. When considering the elemental connection, Pentacles are not just about money. The Pentacles show the material world that you live in and how you relate to it and these are important aspects of your spiritual nature. Fertility is a strong component of the Earth element and sensuality, sex, and the fertility of creative energy are all represented in this suit. You will want to consider your foundation when Pentacles are present. When reading about health, pay particular attention to the Pentacles in your spread as health is governed by the Earth element. When there are …

Summer Herbal Harvesting Tips

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Written By: Psychic AlyciaRose The July Moon is known as the Wort Moon, a peak time to gather herbs (worts) to be dried, for use in spells and natural medicines long after summer has passed, with the full moon’s energy being seen as especially potent in influencing the natural qualities of the plants. ‘Gardening by the Moon’ is still a  longtime tradition, utilizing the age-old practice that cycles of the Moon affect plant growth. You can find out more about this simply by consulting your Farmer’s Almanac for your planting zone. If you are just getting started growing and harvesting herbs, the following guidelines will help. Do visit the garden often, noticing the changes when the various herbs are at their peak. Medicinal and magickal qualities, flavor and aroma are preserved best by cutting at optimal times for their intended use. One you know how to harvest them, and how to preserve them, you can have the fresh taste of summer in your cooking all year long. Some good general guidelines to use: Harvest using …