New Moon in Aquarius + Personal Cleansing

I keep turning over cards with the moon in it. The Moon, moons, crescent moons, frowning moons, moons being eaten...

The Moon.

What is a witch even, without the moon? The truth is, the moon is cold to me and I have had a difficult time connecting with her over the years. There was the eclipse in Aries back in '15, when she was painted red and my world was, well, eclipsing. I woke at the odd hour of the night to watch her shift from pure white, to rust colored menstrual red. Some kind of ancestral memory would surface while I watched. Fear! Doom! The end is nigh! But no, it was just me, shivering on my back stoop, wrapped in a shawl hoping I wouldn't be harassed by night passing meth users.

The sun I find joy in, warmth, life, things grow, I am not cold. This I understand and in that I feel safe. But we don't always learn new things by staying in safe comfort zones.

Not so safe!

That moon though... she's all complicated and I feel so indifferent to her. Aloof.

I feel a bit like the Fool, wandering into the scene of The Moon while I type this. It's is unknown, a bit wild and fearful. Subterranean creatures surfacing from our sub-conscious. However, there is a pathway through this card...

And so it is, when something wants your attention, it makes itself known. Again and again and again... So, do the smart thing: pay attention, respond.

While I do track and follow the lunar month for magical purposes, I haven't dug deeper. I aim to change that. I don't know how specifically, but I think that through acknowledgement of this synchronistic pattern I am seeing, taking steps to be more observant, followed by research and taking some baby steps some sort of path will reveal itself. Probably by moon light ;)

We are currently approaching the new moon in Aquarius and new moons are excellent times to begin new practices and habits, start projects, sow seeds, clean out junk from the old cycle, bring in the new and such like. So here we are. She comes aknockin' and would you look at the timing...

One of my favorite ways of cleaning the slate is with a bath. A magical spiritual bath.

As I have been taught and learned this ought to be one of the cornerstones of regular practice. Sometimes this gets overlooked, or forgotten or you know, one becomes lazy. But the miasma builds up and then enough is enough already! Take the damn bath.

For Saturday, Sunday and Monday I will be rising before dawn to bathe. Three days to suit my personal needs. However ideally this is just done once a week as part of regular routine maintenance. Sunday being my favorite day to do this kind of work.

So what are we cleaning here exactly? Build up negative kinds of energy (miasma). This can come from anywhere. The bus, the train, workplace, your own mind, during a magical working, etc. As we go about our daily lives, we both put things on ourselves and negative things can become attached to us. Wash it away!

My personal method comes from within the tradition of conjure or, Hoodoo. I do not do this work in a relaxed, self care kind of fashion. This is work.

Bay, rue, hyssop, rosemary and lavender.

Rising before dawn I mix together rue, hyssop, lavender, rosemary and bay brewing this into a tea. Any purification herbs can be used to your liking. Along with that, I use a salt blend with rue and hyssop combined with Candlesmoke Chapels Personal Cleansing Oil, which I can't recommend enough. It leaves you feeling wonderfully lifted, light and clean. Over all of this I pray my intentions and needs.

• Rue, cleanses away evil and protects
• Hyssop, to cleanse you as white as snow
• Lavender to cleanse and soothe
• Rosemary to cleanse and is also a strengthener and protector of women
• Bay, for clarity and wisdom
• Salt, all purpose cleansing and protection. It kinda does what you want it to.

After I've brewed this up. I place it into a large bowl and take it into the bath tub that I have filled about ankle height full with warm water. Get naked, step in and in a downward motion I pour the cleansing water over myself and run my hands down my body while washing. The downward motion indicating I am removing it from myself. I do this over and over again with the warm bath water while stating my purpose, "may I be rid of negativity, may all stagnation be washed away, etc."

When I feel a shift in energy I am done. I collect a little of this used bath water into a cup and set it aside, then drain the tub like normal.

After this, I air dry my body. I do not wipe away the work I have done with a dry towel. Air drying can suck, especially in winter but this is how I was taught and this is how I feel it is most effective. It helps to have a space heater for sure. I also like to swing my arms and legs, which gets blood flow going and the whole process is quite refreshing. Hot coffee at the ready is also beneficial.

Once I am done with that I dress myself in oils to bless. In this case I used my own blessing oil combined with a psychic visions and clarity oil. I apply this to my body starting at my feet and working upwards. The upward motion indicating you are drawing these things to yourself. The idea here is that you just washed away something and you need to replace that cleared space with a blessing, or something you want drawn to you.

After getting dressed it's time for the final act. I take the cup of water to a nearby crossroads and toss the used bath water over my left shoulder towards the rising sun. I walk home and do not look back.

I have been doing this practice for many years and I personally find it very effective. Maybe you will too!

Here's to clean slates, blessings, new pathways and fresh lunar starts!

Spring Gathering: Poplar Buds & Nettle

It feels a bit late to be talking about these two, but my fingers are still deep in their goodness and it feels like I was washing the sticky poplar resin form my hands just yesterday...

The season started slow with poplar buds and nettles. Both have a powerful olfactory effect on me. Poplar bud oil was once worn by an old flame of mine. So upon first whiff I am instantly reminded of him. It's changing though and I am more drawn to the thoughts of the rivers and wet places the cottonwoods grow... and where they grow, nettle never seems far away. You can smell them when the air is balmy and they'll fill your bag with a ripe skunk when you've harvested them up. I've always been rather fond of a good stink, and I sometimes find myself sticking my nose very carefully into the bag I've put them in. Green, fatty, skunky and with a hint of citrus. Yes! To my nose there exists a citrusy note in older nettle leaves.

The nettle has gone into tea for the most part. It creates a vegetal broth of sorts. When you sip it, it immediately touches some place internally that sends off all sorts of signals telling you this is nourishment. Nettle is highly nutritive, full of minerals and a lovely spring tonic. I've also been adding it to my weekly batch of chicken soup. I tried it fresh, but I prefer to add it in once it has been dried. I find it more palatable.

Magically, nettle is a jinx breaker. One that would be powerful I think. Jinx breaking with a bit of a sting to it!

I made oil from the poplar buds and left a good portion of them to dry out for incense and magical needs. Often times I think of plants for their folk magic uses first, rather than for medicine. I find they go hand in hand. Poplar is used to mend broken hearts, or foster reconciliation between two lovers or friends, to soothe strife. You'll find that magical property with a lot of sweet smelling and tasting things. Having had my heart broken by one who wore this as a perfume has been interesting in the development of my relationship with cottonwood to say the least. It truly is a great soothing balm, figuratively and literally!

golden poplar bud oil

The buds also make a most fantastic incense. Once dried and crushed I mixed it with red cedar heartwood to make a lovely sweetening, soothing, clearing and blessing smudge. Try it, you won't be disappointed. 

A Bath for Sorrow and Loss.

I stood in my kitchen this morning before dawn, shivering, wet, cold and red eyed from tears.

I lost someone dear to me. I felt anger, sadness and betrayal, my mind was spinning. I spent the night unable to sleep and as 4:45am approached I decided to wash it away. Spiritual bathing is old and effective. I rose and made coffee and I put together a blend of lemongrass, rosemary and angelica. I said my prayers into the cup of my hands while holding each herb. I prayed that I may be relived from sorrow, from the anger, from the racing thoughts, the feeling of weakness. I prayed for strength. I hadn't really cried yet about it, but I did then. Like a dam breaking under the pressure.

• Lemongrass removes old conditions and cleanses.
• Rosemary to cleanse and bring power to me as a woman.
• Angelica to heal and bring strength to me as a woman.

I could have added some some other things, but this blend called to me. It was simple and sounded right. Balm of Gilead, good for a wounded heart, would be a fine addition and I may add that in my next bath. I will continue this work over the course of several days.

I brewed all of this up in boiling water, making a strong infusion. I diluted it in a basin, set it in the tub and poured it over my body, from head to toe, allowing the water to collect in the tub. I called upon my ancestors and spirits to aid me, and prayed as I forcibly ran my hands down my body. Pushing it off, shaking it off, washing it off. And that's how I ended up standing in my kitchen dripping wet, cold but relieved. After I air dried, I put on clean clothes and walked to my nearest crossroads. As I approached the center of the crossroads, I tossed my used and collected bath water over my left shoulder towards the rising sun. I walked home and didn't look back.

Further reading: This is how we heal, by Miss Bri.