Lucid Dreaming vs Out of Body Experiences (OBE's)

 
Out of body experiences and lucid dreaming is something I have had a deep interest in for numerous years. It was triggered in my early teens after I was left feeling complete amazement and excitement after  believing that I had felt myself 'float' out of my own body and then fly from my bedroom window. Initially I thought it was just the most realistic dream I had ever experienced, one that gave me a true sense of freedom. I couldn't stop thinking about the 'dream' and hoped every night to have another.

This prompted my research into the possibility that it could have been more than just a dream. Since my early teens I have had numerous of these experiences; initially I feel myself  'rise' out of my physical body (sometimes this is just the feeling of floating up towards the ceiling, but more recently I feel myself 'roll' out of my physical body- as if rolling over in bed.) At times I have turned around to see my own sleeping self below me. I then float towards my window and jump from my window ledge- at this point I am terrified that someone will see me and ask what on earth I am doing- but I know I am safe- I know I will not hit the ground.... I know that I can fly. I fly like a bird across the world, I stand on rooftops, I soar above the trees and fields, I feel true freedom like never imagined. The feelings are real true feelings- but is the experience all in  my mind? Has my inner self really left my physical body behind? These are all still questions I do not have the answers to. Are these experiences Lucid dreams or actual out of body experiences? or something in between perhaps.

Research has distinguished numerous differences between lucid dreams and out of body experiences. Lucid dreaming is a term used to describe a dream in which you are aware that you are dreaming. These dreams are usually very vivid and detailed. Once the dreamer has realised that he/she is dreaming then the possibilities are endless- dream control!! With practice the dreamer can change the scene and content of the dream to whatever fantasy they wish. It is said that with lucid dreaming usually the persons physical body is present in the dream itself. WIth lucid dreaming, although an amazing phomomonom it is still a dream- the dreamer is tucked up safely in bed the whole time with no fear of harm to the physical self. 

An OBE is used to describe the occurrence when your astral body leaves the physical body. People who have experience an OBE all seem to feel the same sensation of their astral body leaving their physical body, almost 'like a ghost'. It is said that with OBE's- the astral body is more of an 'observer' than a 'participant' in the experience.

 
I feel that the experiences I have are a combination of the two- I always have the sensation of leaving my body and I can sometimes see my physical body below me. (This being very typical of an OBE) Whilst in this 'state' I usually have interaction with other people and the 'dreams' are extremely vivid and detailed- after I have woken I remember the details of peoples faces and clothing. (this is very typical of lucid dreaming). My experiences occur as I am falling asleep or have not long entered a sleep (research has suggested this is the case when experiencing an OBE) Lucid dreams are more common when the person has entered REM sleep. The very interesting things with my experiences are that they ALL ocured during daytime sleep. Never have I had a 'lucid drem/OBE' during the night. 

I do not know what category my personal experiences fall into- but I do know that I am truly fascinated by this phenomenon and really enjoy the 'dreams' when I am lucky enough to experience them. I would love to hear from any of you that have had similar experiences or anyone who can shed some light on my own experiences or offer me any further information. 

A Samhain Poem

Samhain

The wheel has turned
The veil is thin
The candles are glowing
The light remains dim

Our alter stands 

Wearing robes of black
We close our eyes
And help guide them back

The pumpkin grins 

And shines the way

To guide them home 

And keep them safe

With memories ripe
Our loved ones are here
We feel so blessed
To have them so near

They always live on
In what they have taught
In words they have spoken

And thoughts they have thought

An energy remains
Even after they move on
Part of them stays
And always lives strong

The cycle of life
A mystery to us all
We stand strong together
Never to fall

Death is the beginning

 Of new life to come

 Of many more lessons;
Joy, love and fun.

Life is a mystery
Death is a certainty
Love is a blessing....

                                                                                  Amber-Rose (2013)

                                                                                          

Samhain

Samhain is a celebrated on October 31st and has been taken on by millions around the world over recent years (ok it has been commercialized and has had the meaning completely altered) ...but even so, almost every non-pagan will recognize this celebration as 'Halloween'. Although Halloween is  known for being a fun and light hearted celebration , for people of the pagan path however, this is also a very serious and important time of year. (don't get my wrong, we all- pagan and non-pagan alike- enjoy having a good laugh at this time of year) we just also celebrate the root meaning of this festival- a time for appreciating our loved ones who have passed on, giving thanks to them, along with our ancestors, for all that they have given to us. As with most of the Sabats, pronunciation does differ from person to person- I have always pronounced this festival 'Sow-en'.

Samhain is a time for remembering our loved ones that have passed on to the summer-lands, a time for giving thanks to them and for letting them know how much we love them and care about them. It is a time for looking into the past, for learning from our ancestors and listening to what they have taught us.

Samhain is the perfect time for divination, scrying and Tarot. You may hear many describe it as the time when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest- the time when we have the greatest chance of communication with the other side- with spirit.

As the wheel of the year demonstrates, along with all of natures cycles- although this is a time of year representing death- with death comes new life...with death comes rebirth. This is often celebrated as 'New year' in many pagan traditions- following death a new life starts and with it- a new year. 

Colours of Samhain

 Golds, bronzes, browns, Oranges, Black- any colours assosiated with autumn.

 Herbs/incense

 Allspice, sage, catnip, basil, clove, camphor, apple, Myrrh.

Crystals

 Obsidian, Carnelian, onyx, Amber, Jet.

Animals

Cat, bat, owl, Crow.

Things to do at Samhain

• Make a list of all the things you wish to achieve in the next year (and review last years list- have you achieved everything you set out to achieve? if not- add it to this years list!!)

• Dig out pictures of relatives that have passed on and pop them on your alter- pay them a little respect and spend a while with them at the center of your thoughts.

• Make photo albums, photobooks, collages- all of your loved ones- and treasure them!

• Scrying- this can be both fun and informative (I will be covering scrying in more detail in a future post)
  

Spirit work- working directly with spirit and contacting our loved ones directly is not for everyone- many people have very mixed opinions about this and it is often a subject up for debate. My personal thoughts are that as long as you are not hurting anyone, you are respectful to spirit and you have good intent - then it may be something you wish to try. I have had some incredibly amazing messages through spirit board work. I would suggest that if it is something that you are new to, then make sure you have some experienced friends with you to guide you- you may have the best intent at heart- but you cannot always choose the spirit that comes through- and they sometimes like to play with your mind a little believe me! It not only your loved ones you can connect with in this way- your spirit guides, totem animals- you never know perhaps even your goddess or god may come through- its a whole world of mystery!!

• A samhain feast is a great idea- this way you can include all of your family without 'weirding them out' too much if they are not pagan. Invite the fam over for dinner in memory of your late loved ones. Get everyone to bring old photos, old photos hold
  
  more energy than imaginable!
• Carve pumpkins... this isnt just a commercial thing either- history tells that a  candle lit inside the pumpkin left on the window ledge on Samhain night guides the spirits of our loved ones back home to us!

Dress up!! Have fun!! Just because we celebrate the core reason of samhain, it dosnt meen we cant participate in the 'Haloween' that society has created- in a way its kind of refreshing that a pagan festival has become one of the years most exciting and looked forward to days- especially for the children!!  Plus its the one day we can wander around wearing our favourite cloaks and dress 'normally' and no-one would bat an eyelid! We can even take our brooms for a spin and save on the petrol!!

For me personally, if I had no time to do an of the above- the core of this celebration for me is to say thank you to my family that have passed on, to let them know that I still think of them ,that I still appreciate their presence, and most of all...that I still love them!!

Wishing you all the brightest blessings this Samhain!

Herbology

I am going to include a list of the herbs I am most familiar with and include both the magical and medicinal benefits where appropriate. 

 

Acorns- Prosperity

Amber- Happiness, Reassurance

Allspice- Lust, Diabetes, Stomach aches

Bay leaves- Psychic-abilities, Divination, Money, Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, Anti-viral

Basil- Protection of the home, Divination, Anti-inflammatory, Reduces high blood-pressure, Reduces high blood sugar, Oily skin.

Benzoin- Astral travel 

Bergamot- Fertility, Prosperity,  Anti-inflammatory, Antiseptic, Hayfever, Nasal-Congestion

Black Pepper-  Banishing negativity, Antispasmodic, Anti-oxidant, Stimulant

Chamomile- Sleep, Relaxation, Aching muscles, Acne, Asthma, Hayfever, Morning sickness

Cloves- Visions, Bereavement, Wealth, Pain Killer

Chives- Weight-loss, Aneamia, Colds, Digestion 

Dandelion- Contacting the spirit world

Dragons blood- Protection

Echinacea- Healing, Flu, Colds, Allergies, Anti-inflammatory, Antiviral, Asthma, Earache

Eucalyptus- Healing, Decongestant, Mosquito-repellant

Frankincense- Healing, Cleansing, Protection 

Garlic- Home Blessing, Protection, Antioxidants, Reduces Blood pressure, Cholesterol

Hawthorn- Fertility

Hemp- Meditation

Hibiscus- Love, Divination, Blood pressure, Cholesterol, High in vitamin C

Holly- Luck and protection

Jasmine- Love, Money, Spiritual growth, Anti- depressant, Dry skin 

Lavender- Happiness, peace, relaxation, Depression, Anxiety, Pain killer, Anti-bacterial, Anti-depressant, Antiseptic, Bruises 

Lemon- Friendship,  Anti-inflammatory, Anti- oxidant, Antiseptic, High blood pressure

Mistletoe- Youth, Beauty

Myrrh- Fertility, Youth, Use as a mouthwash to fight bacteria

Nettle- Protection, Exorcism, Diuretic, Aneamia, Arthritis, Exzema, Urinary-problems

Oak- Fertility, Health

 Orris- Love

Patchouli- To break or remove a spell 

Pine- Fertility, Money

 Rosemary- Beauty, Colds, Immunity, Alzheimers, Anti-depressant, Antiseptic

Rose buds- Passion, Love

Rose hips- Luck, Anti-depressant, Anti-inflammatory, Antiseptic, Antiviral

Rowan- Psychic-awareness, Success

Sage- Cleansing, Wishes, Wisdom, Protection, Hot flushes, Menopause, Mouth ulcers

Sandlewood- Removes negative energies 

Thistle- Strength

Turmeric- Purification, Alzheimers, Depression, Weight-management, Liver Deoxifier

Valerian- Relaxation, Sleep, Sedative

Vervain- Love, Peace, Protection, Money, Healing, Youth 

Willow- Divination

White willow bark- Protection, Love, Healing, Divination, Pain Killer

Yarrow- Courage, Menstruation, Varicous veins, Wound healing

Ylang Ylang- Inner calm, peace.

The content of this post is not intended as medical advice- it is for magikal reference only. please seek advice from your medical practitioner before using any of the above (especially if you are pregnant or breastfeeding) as there are certain contraindications for each herb.

Mabon/ The Autumn Equinox

Mabon is a celebration of the second harvest and a time to give thanks for the food and crops the earth has provided for us. It is a time to start preparing for the darker and colder months ahead of us- from this day onwards the dark will be taking over the light, the days become shorter and the nights become longer. It is named after a welsh god Mabon ap Modron (the son of Modron). The term Mabon is a neo-pagan term that was created in the 1970's, but the celebration of the festival dates back to 3000 B.C. The Druids call this celebration Mea'n Fo'mhair.

The timing of Mabon varies slightly each year. Astrologer David Rowan helped me to understand this better ''This year's Solar Ingress to Libra (Autumn Equinox) is at 20:44 BST on the 22nd of September 2013.  The word 'Ingress' describes the moment when a planet changes Sign'' (David Rowan, 2013).

''The stations of the Sun, Solsticial and Equinoxical moments, occur when the Sun Ingresses into each of the 4 Cardinal Signs of the Tropical Zodiac:
Capricorn = Yule, or mid-winter
Aries = Spring Equinox
Cancer = Summer Solstice
Libra = Autumn Equinox'' (David Rowan, 2013)

''The dates vary each year because our calendar counting system is not calculated to follow the celestial sphere properly, hence the 'one day adjustment' every 4 years (leap year) '' (David Rowan 2013)

For those interested in gaining a deeper understanding of astrology I will link David Rowans website at the bottom of this post.

 Mabon Insence

 (recipe by Scott Cunningham)

• 2 parts Frankinsense
• 1 Part Sandlewood
• 1 Part Cypress
• 1 Part Juniper
• 1 Part Pine
• 1/2 Part Oakmoss
• 1 pinch of pulverized Oak Leaf

Astrological sign 

 1 degree Libra

Mabon strones 

 yellow agates, carnelian, lapis lazuli.

Colours

  Reds, browns, yellows, maroons, golds.

Herbs

Acrons, myrhh, seeds, tobacco, ferns, marigolds.

 

 

Activities 

 Long walks in the woods, scattering offerings in nature, making wines, making corn dollies,

making of talismans and amulets, dip leaves in paraffin wax and bless them (they make perfect little gifts).

Mabon

(by Ezzy Violet)

The Time of Change is upon us again -
the Equinox comes, the Wheel turns...

The Goddess and the God prepare for
Their journey to the Otherworld,
as the Earth and all of Her children
prepare for the Time of Quiet and
Reflection that lies ahead...

May we use this Autumnal period to seek for the strength and power within
to assist us on our own quests for
vision, feeling, and peace...

May we see and feel the presence of

the Goddess and the God within, though
without, the Earth begins Her slumber...

Keep us in Your light...

 

I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a Blessed Mabon! 

http://www.davidrowan.co.uk/solar/introducing_astrology.html 

http://www.davidrowan.co.uk/solar/astrology_online_teaching.html

Making your everyday life Magikal...

Magik is all around us, it surrounds everything and everyone- all we have to do is become tuned in to it to feel the great effects it can have on our every day life. Magik isn't just present in our rituals or within our sacred circles- its absolutely everywhere!! 

Sometimes in our hectic busy life schedules its very hard to find the time to put aside to practise Magik- casting a circle with all the tools and props can take alot of preparation and in turn be quite time consuming. It took me a while to realise this wasn't all necessary to bring magik into our lives on a daily basis- there are so many very simple yet effective ways you can lead a magical life with hardly any preparation at all... I would love to share a few of my ideas with you all. 

Divine Dialogue

For those of you who have never heard of Charming Pixie Flora- I would strongly suggest you check out her youtube videos- she helped me so much when I first started on my pagan path, she has such a positive energy about her and her videos are really inspiring. In one of her videos she talks about daily divine dialogue. Its all about talking to not only the goddess and god but to our spirit guides, our animal guides, the elementals, the Fae.. and so on. Communication is essential- and we can all do this on a daily basis but just talking to them. I usually do this in my car- Ill chat away to the Goddess giving my thanks and asking for anything I require at the time. If we don't ask we don't get- it really is that simple. Ill link Charming Pixie Floras video below (I promise all of her videos are worth a watch!!) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJXeDPaA6QY

5 Minute Morning Affirmations 

Every morning spend 5 minutes making daily affirmations, and instead of saying to yourself 'I am going to have a great day today' change it round and say 'I am having a great day today', 'I am making a difference to someones life today for the better' 'I am confident' 'I am beautiful', 'I am happy' 'I am feeling great' (and so on) It works- I promise!! If you start the day by rolling out of bed and thinking 'oh I hate work im dreading it', 'I feel exhausted and have no energy' .. guess what- that's exactly how you will feel- its all magik! You create your own reality. You attract if your day is going to be positive and productive and enjoyable. So take a few minutes each day to focus on how you want your day to be- and believe it!

 Crystal Baths/Showers

We all shower or bath on a regular basis (id like to hope :p)- so make it magikal by adding crystals! Pop your favourite crystals into your bath and their energies with radiate through the water and our bodies are literally bathing in this energy- a great way to start the day!

If only we all had a bath made out of crystal-  I can always hope!

Adding Magikal Intention Into Your Cooking

Food...we all love our food don't we- food is our fuel, its how our bodies run- so lets add magikal intent into our food when cooking. When preparing meals really focus on positive energy, healing energy, and love energies all going into what you are making. When we eat we absorb this energy into our bodies- if food is made in a rush with anger and frustration- its likely we may absorb these feeling when we eat the food. When making a cup of tea I usually start by stirring anti-clockwise and imagine all negativity disappearing, I banish all bad thoughts. I then stir clockwise imagining positive energy being infused into the drink- love, healing, prosperity.... its so easy and effective.

Don't just look- see!

We all look around at nature, as we drive to work, as we walk in the park and we stare out of our windows- but looking isn't always enough- really see what you are looking at, take a  minute to appreciate it. Once you start taking that extra second to really see a whole new world opens up. Look at the birds in the trees, look at the flowers in the garden, look at the wildlife, and the trees and the rocks.... That's when you start to get messages from nature. 

Music

Music has such an incredible affect on us- its truly incredible. It can completely change the way we feel instantly... now that's powerful!! If you listen to gentle meditation music its likely you will feel relaxed and calm, if you listen to shamanic drumming you may feel the energy building up inside you until you feel you need to dance or sway or express yourself in some way. Its magikal. Pop a CD on on the way to work in your car- start the day with some gentle soft music, or songs you love. A CD with chants is also a good idea- I love to sing along to the chants whilst driving along- its fun, relaxing, connects you to the Goddess and raises energy at the same time- its a win win!!

You can add intent and magick into pretty much everything you do in your daily life- weather it be a hobby such as knitting or gardening, having a cup of tea or getting ready for work. Getting in these little habits will actually make a difference to your life- its worth giving it a go and see the results for yourself.  

Making Magik with Gaia

I have just returned from a glorious week away in the beautiful Alcudia, and whilst I was away soaking up the sun on the white gold sandy beaches,

I had the pleasure of reading 'Making Magik with Gaia' by Francesca Ciancimino Howell. I thought I would share this book with you all as it really made me take a huge step back and re-evaluate myself and my own life. It focuses on how as individuals and as a society we (often unknowingly) have such a negative and harmful impact on the environment and our mother earth. I put my hands up and admit that I for one am guilty of buying many materialistic items that I do not necessarily 'need', wasting too much water on baths/showers, using our planets resources without a second thought... and until reading this book had not even considered how certain things really impact the natural world around us. The book was very refreshing and has encouraged me to make certain day to day changes and break bad habits and replacing them with newer ones that will have a more beneficial impact on our mother earth. 

Within each chapter these are numerous exercises to help us heal our planet on a physical and spiritual level- and in return receive healing ourselves. There are so many signs our planet is sick and needs our collective help to re-gain her strength. This book is not only aimed at pagan or even spiritual individuals- it can be enjoyed and be of value to anyone who takes an interest in protecting our earth- our mother Gaia. 

 Whilst I was away I discovered a gorgeous crystal shop with hundreds of the most spectacular crystals I have ever seen- I was in heaven! (my family knew they were in for an even longer than usual wait outside of this shop!!) They had every crystal I can think of- and some extortionately priced ones too- but as we all know its not always the expensive immaculate polished crystals that catch our eye- its the ones we really need in our lives that draw us to them!
 

 


The first one to jump out at me was this gem to the right- and after reading Making Magik with Gaia I had decided I needed a crystal to represent our  mother earth when directing healing- and this one is perfect! 

 

The next one is the tiniest little Citrine cluster- (its so very cute!) Citrine is one of my favorites- a great crystal for prosperity- and im sure none of us would turn a little prosperity away one in a while!

 

The next one to jump out at me was this clear quartz point- it was sitting at the back amongst about 30 others- but Im sure we all know that familiar feeling when we just get drawn to one particular crystal and we know that's the one that's coming home with us.. I find clear quartz is such a great all-rounder and can be easily programmed to have almost any property you desire. 

 


 

My favorite of all is this Agate Crystal...with what looks like an evil eye on the surface.... I was very excited when I found this little gem. For those of you not familiar with the evil eye- it is a symbol well known in many cultures to ward off evil and protect the person to carry it or wear it- a little lucky charm!