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!

Tools and Magik

What is Magik?

Magick is the art of transformation, of creation and of manifestation. We all have to ability to perform Magik if we have enough self belief. Magik is not the same as the 'magic' a magician would perform when pulling a rabbit out of a hat. Real Magik is all about the mind and how it can be used to shape reality and create all sorts of desired outcomes.

The religion of Wicca teaches the one rule 'And it harm none...' to always be applied to any kind of Magik performed. Although I don't follow the Wiccan path entirely- you just cant go wrong with this rule. Don't intentionally hurt anyone- that's all. Whatever you put out there into the universe will come back to you- its the law of attraction. The law of attraction is another very interesting subject in itself- which I wont dive into quite yet, but for me it links very closely with Magik and manifestation. The law of attraction looks at the belief combined with science that 'like attracts like', everything is made up of energy- even our thoughts, energy attracts other like energy- hence a positive thought will attract positive things, a spell focused on achieving career success will attract career success, and in the same way a spell to do harm may just bring that harm back upon yourself! 

 Tools are aids to help Magik manifest. I believe that tools are not essential to performing Magik- it is all about the mind. But if you have them tools can be extremely helpful in helping the Magik to manifest- they intensify it! Tools don't have to be expensive items- tools you have found of made often have more of your personal energy attached to them and therefore are more effective. 

The Wand

I will start off with one of the most well know tools- used often by our good pal' Harry Potter and his mates....The Wand!! The wand is a tool used to direct our energies. Unfortunately we don't see the sparks fly out of the end like in the films- but the principle is pretty similar. Our energy is pulsed through the wand and directed at whatever intent we have. 

 Tips on finding your perfect wand

• The wand should be approx the length from the tip of your finger to your elbow- but go with whatever feels right.
• Hand made wands tend to be more effective- find a piece of branch on the floor that attracts your attention (avoid breaking it off a living tree- there are plenty lying around that are just longing to be transformed into wands!)
• Try to find one that comes to a natural point 
• Then  the rest it personal preference, you can use it au natural or sand it down, varnish it, stick crystals onto it.... get creative! 

Wands purchased from a shop can also be very effective-  when i spotted my favourite wand in the cabinet of a crystal shop I thought 'wow- I have to have that'... I was just so drawn to it. I couldn't quite justify the money for it that month so I ended up purchasing its baby sister (pictured below) and the following month returned to get the one I fell in love with- and I still find it to be such a wonderful wand, just perfect for me. 

My Wands

The Athame

 

My Athames

The Athame is a ceremonial dagger- usually with a black handle. It is a ritual tool often used within the religion of Wicca amongst other pagan practices and religions. Similar to the wand the Athame is used to direct energy and represents the magical element of fire. 

I have two Athames- the wooden one was the first I owned but I never really connected with it so I searched around until I found the black handled one- it was just what I was looking for and a perfect size. You can spend nothing at all or serious amounts of money on these tools- but again its not always the most expensive that will be the most effective- it can often be quite the opposite.

The Chalice

The Chalice is similar to a goblet- often used in ritual to carry water, wine or an offering to the goddess/god. It represents the Goddess and her womb- a symbol of fertility. 

Some people like very fancy jewelled chalices, others prefer a simple cup. I got the one pictured to the left at the Mercian Gathering Camp for a bargain price of £2.00!

I find the colour silver to be perfect for a chalice due to the association the goddess/moon.

The cauldron

Typically the Cauldron is made from cast iron and stands on 3 legs. It is also representative of the goddess, her womb and fertility. 

Larger cauldrons can be made to make brews and herbal tinctures. As much as I would love a big cauldron in the kitchen- I think my other (non pagan) half may have something to say about that- so my compromise is this little miniature cauldron pictured to the right. Its a perfect size for me and I use it mainly to burn incense. Just place a charcoal cube in the bottom, light it and leave for a minute or two- then sprinkle on your herbs and away you go- fabulous home made incense! It can also be used for scrying with water/ink, or to hold candles- a tool with many uses!

Candles

Candles are brilliant tools- candle Magik is one of the most powerful forms of Magik for me. 
One of the simplest spells to perform is simply carving your desire into the candle and then lighting it and watching it burn down- focusing on your intent as it burns. 
Candle scrying is also very effective- stare into the flame and let go of all thoughts. After a while you will start to see things within the flame and smoke- letters, pictures, names.

Different candle colours have different uses and meanings.

•  I find white is quite universal- and if you are short of colours a white will usually be a good stand in. 
• Black is great for banishing and ridding of negativity. 
• Blue is perfect for healing
• Pink is excellent for romance and love 
• Silver is for connecting with the Goddess
•  Use gold  for connecting with the God

The Pentacle

The pentacle is something I wish to cover in more detail in future blog posts, but in summary the pentagram is an extremely powerful symbol and can also be used as a tool. Due to the media this symbol often has very negative connotations and for people who are not educated about its meaning it can conjure ideas of evil and 'the devil'. The symbol is actually has a very opposite meaning- each point represent one of our sacred elements- earth, air, fire, water and spirit. It is a very powerful symbol often worn by pagan members as a means of protection. 

 

 The Broom/Besom

 The Broom or besom has been adopted by the media to show witches flying around cackling as they glide through the nights sky. I have to say im a little gutted that isn't really the case- I would save a fortune in petrol!!! The besom is actually a tool used to sweep away negative energy and to cleanse and clear a space, often prior to or after a ritual. 

The Bell

The bell is sometimes used in ritual to begin or end the rite. It can also be used to invoke the goddess or god.

The vibrations of a bell when rang are known to be very powerful and cleansing. I remember watching a you-tube video that advised when your home has that 'stagnant' dull feeling and you cant quite place why- go round ringing a bell, ring it in every room across all the walls and into all of the corners- I was so surprised at how much this actually works! The vibrations really stir up all that stagnant energy!!

The Book of Shadows 

Left to Right- My newest BOS, My first BOS

The book of shadows is a private place where you can write down all of the important things relating to your craft or beliefs. It can include spells that work, chants, poems, information on herbs, crystals, tools, dream analysis, meditations- absolutely anything relevant to your beliefs. My first BOS turned out to be more of a notebook-  but that is fine- its only for you to refer back to, and you shouldn't be forced to show it to anyone.

There are many many more tools to be covered but in fear of this becoming too long winded I will leave it with those for this post. As I said at the start I don't feel any of these tools are essential to perform ritual or magik but they can certainly aid it and help it on its way!! Again I want to throw in here that these are only my opinions and I by all means do now know everything about these tools/items- just from what I have experienced myself. If anyone else has any differing opinions I would love to hear them- I am always looking to learn new things and expand my knowledge!