James, that was brilliant!

That sounds like it will probably work Abra. Im trying to mentally picture the relationship of the tree branches to your window which must be fairly close. Yes you will want to keep that hole as small as possible so as to not totally uninsulate your house and create a draft. Im also wondering about the tension. It cant be too tight, otherwise the vibrations wont be able to travel up it. There will probably need to be a slight amount of give but then it also cant be too slack or it will only pull the line a little, and not enough to ring the chime.Nylon fishing line will work nicely. They even have a type that glows in the dark for night fishing though thats probably not important for this project.

If this is the spell you feel you need to do then you should. but, you could also use a different one if this ends up not being feasible in the winter.

12 Nights of Halloween

On the twelfth night of Halloween
My true love gave to me...
Twelve pumpkins grinning,
Eleven witches brewing,
Ten spiders spinning,
Nine monsters howling,
Eight vampires biting,
Seven doors a-creaking,
Six ghosts a-haunting,
Five TRICK-OR-TREATS,
Four hooting owls,
Three black cats,
Two flying bats,
And a vulture in a dead tree!

..Author Unknown­

Thats cool. I used to have some Mexican "sugar skulls." I got them when I was in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. They are little candy skulls but beautifully decorated so they are more ornamental rather than a food. They are traditional down there for the Mexican "Day of the Dead" celebration or Día de los Muertos.

http://www.mexicansugarskull.com/mexicansugarskull/pics/01IndexPix/SkullCascade.jpg

I also hooked up with a Mexican Adonis seeing as I was staying next door to the fire department. He was a bombadero.

Witches emerge in the middle of the night to extol the goddess of the moon.
They chant incantations to the forest and the trees and seek divination in the runes

They howl with the owl as they rumba with the bat
they ward off evil spirits with their magical black cat
They fly around on booms with a large and pointy hat
and mumble "Blessed Be's" as they cackle in their chat

They're out to save the world from its somber inclinations
and free the average person from their over-complications
They teach the art of magick to any who'll listen
and if they heed the witch's creed their spirit will be christened

There's magick in a witch's life that can always be bestowed
upon the creatures brave enough to gaze upon this ode
So if you feel you're brave enough to take the witch's road
just visualize your lover and go out and kiss a toad

Witches emerge in the middle of the night to extol the goddess of the moon.
They chant incantations to the forest and the trees and seek divination in the runes

They dance with all the elements that make the world our home
they release the awesome powers that reside in quantum foam
They know the incantations and the rituals and rites
for gaining magick power from the sparkling starry lights

Wind and earth and fire and water are more than merely words
they reside in all the spirits from the serpents to the birds
this is what we're made of and the witch's know the rules
for combining all the alchemy into charms of magick jewels

So when you see a witch's rune carved into a tree
know the spirit's watching you and bow upon your knee
Show respect for Mother Earth and the power she bestows
for if you do, you'll feel anew, from your psyche to your toes

(Abra 10/17/2008)

Abra you would be great at writing rhyming spells!

Would you please write a serious incantation to summon great energy for the tasks ahead?

I disparately need it.

Jeannie

Winds of the east prepare to release

Bring strength and power for Jeannie to feast

She needs your awesome intellect
and your power of the mind
Help her with the tasks at hand
as she feels a bit confined

(to Jeannie)

Release yourself unto the wind
let it flow into your soul
fill yourself with the power you are given to control

Use your power wisely and focus on your tasks
be sure to share your energy with anyone who asks

Become the dream your mind foresees
and thank the wind that blew from seas

The energy is yours for free
so let be in this decree




(typo on the incantation. Me baad)
(all better now)

Cool spell. It worked already. I found this really cool empowering website to meditate on:

It's called the meditation station: You need sound on your computer to hear it.

http://www.wishforlove.com/pages/Gspot.html

Thank you for those James. They are amazing.

Something has come to my attention since I've been reading Scott's books (I'm really enjoying these by the way, Ruth).

In his books he says to never use magick for a 'whim', but to only use it for a 'need'.

I find that interesting, and it makes sense. In other words, we should truly only use spiritual powers for things that we are truly 'sincere' about.

However, I wonder if the terms 'whim' and 'need' are good terms to use.

For example, the love spell: Is love a 'need'? I guess Scott feels that it is since even in his incantantions he calls it a 'need'.

In truth, psychologists do suggest that love is a 'need'. In fact, I was sitting here listening to a talk show on NPR one time and a lady psychologists was talking about how important it is for couples to show affection for each other. She was saying that we actaully 'need' physical affection and that without it the chemicals in our brain become unbalanced.

Well duh? What does that say about single people? Are we all mentally ill now?

In any case, I can see love being a 'need' I suppose. But at the same time it also seems more like a 'want'. I've been single my entire life. I guess I must be pretty screwed up mentally then.

However, getting back to the point,...

One of the magick rituals and spells in Scott's book is for 'Composing Music'.

Well, I found this quite intriguing because I was indeed hoping to use magick to improve my music composition skills (as well as my actual playing of music).

Is that a 'whim' or a 'need'?

Do I need to compose music?

I do know that there are spells to help with creativity in general. So I suppose that 'creativity' in general is considered to be a 'need'.

Maybe in the same way as love?

Maybe my creativity over the years has kind of filled in for my lack of deeply meaningful loving relationships. In fact, I'm quite sure it has. If it wasn't for my creativity (whether in art or science) I would have gone berserk a long time ago.

So in any case, I think the terms 'whim' and 'need' are kind of misleading.

I think maybe just the level of sincerity might be a better way to put it. If you're truly dedicated to doing something constructive then it's probably fair to treat it as a 'need'. Otherwise it might be difficult to know where to draw the line.

In any case, he has a rather involved ritual for using magick to help a person compose music. So this is quite interesting. It's water magic. Although it also uses specific stones, herbs, and flowers.

Owl definitely being setting up that ritual. I can see that one being an ongoing ritual in my life.

Also these books only touch on a relatively few rituals and spells. I imagine if there is a ritual for composing music then similar rituals can be performed for any art or craft.

In fact, I really like the last Chapter of the book "Earth, Air, Fire and Water". In that chapter he describes how to create your own rituals, spells and incantations using what you have learned about the elements and their powers.

I'm already prepared to write my own book on incantations, spells, and rituals.

I just have so many ideas.

I'm focusing on Tree magick right now. I live in an enchanted forest anyway, so this is cool.

I'm also learning about stone magick and the river is only about a mile down the road, so I'm looking forward to going down and finding some special stones. I'm truly intriged with what I've read about stone magick already. I should have gotten into this many years ago. Better late than never I guess.

Im uncertain if we actually require love and affection in our lives as humans. I would guess that a strong argument could be made to support that presumption however. I would think that the hormonal upheaval that takes place when we meet someone new that we are physically attracted to is in fact responsible for a much stronger overall hormonal effect on the brain than simply being alone for an extended period of time. Lust responds mainly, in both sexes,to testosterone, the male hormone. Females also possess testosterone but just not as much as males. And conversely, males also produce estrogen. Attraction is marked by high levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine (also activated by cocaine and nicotine), norepinehprine (adrenaline), the heart-pumping hormone used to respond to emergencies, and low levels of serotonin, another major neurotransmitter. So falling in love can really be a significant physiological response. Also being rejected by a lover or someone that we fancy in that capacity. I suppose we could ask any person sitting in prison today for committing a "crime of passion" for validation of this theory.

And, herein lies the beginnings of the reasons why I am not Wiccan.

The idea of using magick only for "needs" etc is not something I subscribe to. Wiccans, IN GENERAL, tend to be what is often called "fluffy bunny witches". This is not true of all Wiccans, but it has been my experience with a great number of them. They are so concerned about "staying in the light" and avoiding anything dark that they have become just as unbalanced as someone who embraces the dark and shuns the light. This whole thing, everything is about balance.

As for spells, I have found that doing them for what I need or what I TRULY want works fine. When I say "truly" I mean you have to be passionate about what it is you want. There has to be emotion and focus there and it's very hard to build that up for just anything.

I agree totally that balance is what is needed most.

In the tarot, the card the Magician represents a person who has begun to discover and use the tools she (or he) has to manifest what she desires with what they have available.

A regular person who learns how to get what they want is a magician. You may be one and not even realize it. Most people learn to get what they want in life and do not consider themselves a magician.

The one who learns the law of attraction is a magician who has learned the craft well.

JB

We are now in the waning phase of the moon for this month. Between now and the Dark Moon is a great time to do banishing spells or clearing away of old habits, patters, negativity, etc. If you have some "internal housecleaning" to do, now is the time.

I'm in agreement here. The main reason I bought this up was because Scott had mentioned this quite a few times in two of his books (I haven't read the third book yet which is accually on Wicca )

I'm not truly concerned with 'Wicca' to be quite honest about it. The magick I've been reading in his "Earth Power" and "Earth, Air, Fire, and Water" books could just as easily apply to North American Indians as well as many other forms of pantheism.

So I'm not really looking at this as a 'religion' specifically, but rather just to get some ideas of how people have viewed their relationship with the powers of nature, and how to call upon them.

When I actually read the 'Wicca' book I may disagree with a lot of stuff. But that won't stop me from continuing to pursue the natural magick. I don't see where it needs to be affiliated with a specific organized tradition. Although I guess some people have more of a need for that than others.

I believe in natural magick (or the 'Law of Attraction' as some call it).

Jeannie seems to like to believe that it's solely in the mind and that the mind projects the universe as some sort of holographic projection. To me, that's almost solipism which I personally have a problem with.

I believe that it is a combination of both. I think we live in an actual physiological universe that is guided by thought and emotion. However, in a sense I feel that the powers that we can call upon are not necessarily due entirely to our thought.

Actually I think Jeannie is more in-line with how I believe that she might think. She talks about vibrations and putting vibrations 'out' into the universe and that they bring back or 'attract' the powers and things that we focus our attention on (both mentally and emotionally).

Well, the rituals and rites can actually be a huge part of that process.

Sure, I think it can be done with mind and emotion alone. However, since it is the physical universe that is vibrating it makes sense (to me anyway) that interacting with the physical universe via ritual and incanations can actually enhance the our 'connection' to the vibrations.

Moreover, the more I read about this stuff, whether it be magick, or the Law of Attraction, or The Power of Belief, or even via religious prayers to an imagined diety, a key element seems to always focus on emotional involvement as well as visualization.

I believe that the actual performance of physical rituals and rites serve termendously to raise the level of both visulization and emotion. I think the melodic chanting, and/or rhyming on incantations does much to set a mood and thus invoke emotional involvement. The atmosphere can truly become spiritually charged which greatly enhances the connection to vibrations.

I'm learning how to charge stones. I haven't gone through the ritual yet. This make take some time. I first need to find stones that I can feel vibrations from. As with anything this may take some initial time and patience. I'm going to build a stone charging circle.

I've decided to do this indoors. I'm going to start small with fairly small stones. I've always believed in the spirit in the stones (the spirit's in everything), but I've never fully understood how to access it. Now I think I'm beginning to understand and so I'm looking forward to 'charging stones'.

I personally believe that 'charging stones' is to truly do nothing more than become intimate with them on a spiritual level. In other words, I need to find stones that I can easily become 'in-tune' with. Perhaps the stones are truly acting like 'anntenna' or even transceivers. After all, most stones are indeed a form of crystal and even science knows the vibrational power of cyrstals. So this truly is supported by science.

The idea is finding stones the resonate with my spiritual frequencies and then 'charging them' with my spirit.

I could almost write a book dedicated to just stone magick (or the charging of stones) and I'm just starting out. But this is because I truly feel and intuitive understanding of this.

I guess I rambled on far from our initial topic.

Back to the topic of needs versus wants, I tend to agree with you Ruth. Anything we truly desire passionately with sincerity is game.

I think in a sense we should view it from a 'god' perspective. Simply imagine that we are 'god' and what would we desire for our children.

Anything that we would desire for our children we should more certainly feel totally comfortable with. After all, if we would desire it for our child, then why should we deny it of ourselves?

Again, the only reason I brought it up was because Scott has mentioned it in serveral places in his book. Perhaps all he was truly trying to get at was not to take the magick for granted and use it for totally frivolous things.

I think that's reasonable. I'm just not sure if putting it in terms of 'wants' versus 'needs' is good terminology. Just saying not to take it for granted is probably all that needs to be said.

And that also relects on the idea associated with the Law of Attraction that gratitude is important. When things become frivolous and taken for granted then gratitude is lost.

So rather than saying that it should only be used for 'needs', I think it is better to say that it should only be used for things that we truly want.

Because, like I say, how do we decide between needs and wants?

I personally didn't like using the term 'need' in the love chant. I would personally feel much more comfortable writing an incantation that states clearly that I 'want' someone to love.

To me that would be more sincere.

And so that is the road that I will take. I will re-write my own love chant, and express what is truly in my heart, not what was in someone else's mind.

I think it's best to take the bull by the horns and be who we are.

Wow!

Was this a ramble or what?

I was just reading about that and I realized that we are in a waning phase. But it's just starting so there's time yet.

I do want to send some stuff away with this waning moon. But I need some time to organize. First I need to decide precisely what I want to banish with it, and then write up the proper incantations.

For me personally, properly written incantations are very important. This may be simply because I'm a man of words, (blah, blah, blah, )

But yes, I do want to banish old habits in particular. And then owl be looking for the new moon to give birth to a new cycle. I'm looking forward to 'worshiping' the moon as it waxes in the next cycle.

I use the word 'worshiping' here to mearly mean to admire and esteem it, not to worship it as a diety.

I will equally be a sun worshiper, a wind worshiper, and of course a worshiper of all the elements and their manifestations.

I should have done this years ago.

It's really just Nature Worship.

I found a really cool site

I was searching for more information on stone magick and came across the following web page:

http://www.witchscauldron.net/cauldron/stones.htm

She has some really pretty stones in her collection. I'm definitely getting into stone magick.

I'm gonna get stoned.

Anyway while I was at this site I also found the most beautiful witches chants!

Witches Chants

http://www.witchscauldron.net/cauldron/chants.htm

What a find!

This will definitely influence me in my own chant writing and composing.

Here's the main like to the entire site it's called:

Inside the Cauldron

http://www.witchscauldron.net/cauldron/index2.htm

Thank you James