Break for Yule

There will be a break in blog posts for the next few days as The Witches Collective celebrates the holidays. Happy Yule everyone!

Happy Yule!

The day has finally come and Yule is upon us. Tonight will be the longest night of the year, symbolic of winter itself. But the sun will rise and increase in strength day after day until its peak on July 21st. Bless this day or rebirth and renewal.

On this day, dance, sing, bake, and celebrate your life. In however way you show your joy, no matter how small, you celebrate Yule. Fill this world with your joy and the spirit within you.

Happy Yule!

The New Moon on Christmas Eve?

Yes! There is a new moon on Christmas eve. What are you going to do about it? For most people, they will be traveling or merry making. But we can't forget that the new moon will be looking down upon us on one of the most celebrated holidays of the year.

Even if you can't spare much time, try to remember and reflect on this night. Remember that the darkness of winter does not last forever, like the bitter seasons of our lives. The sun will rise again and turn us to spring. 

Chant to Raise Power

 A power raising chant brought to you by The Witches Collective Forum

Here is a copy of the Witch's Rune it is slightly different then what is in the Gardnerian Book of Shadows but it how it was taught to me and honestly it flows better than the Gardnerian version.

Darksome Night and Shinning moon, Hearken to the Witch's Rune:

East then South, West then North, Here Come I Call Thee Forth.

Earth and Water, Air and Fire, Work ye unto my desire.

Wand and Pentacle and Sword, Hearken Ye Unto My Word

Cords and Censer, Scourge and Knife, Waken All Ye Into Life,

Powers of the Witch's Blade, Come Ye As The Charge Is Made:

Queen Of Heaven, Queen Of Hell, Send Your Aid Unto The Spell,

Horned Hunter Of The Night Work My Will By Magick Rite.

By All The Power of Land And Sea As I Do Say So Mote It Be

By All The Might of Moon and Sun As I Do Will It Shall Be Done.

Newsletter TidBit

Now that our Yule 2011 newsletter is out I would like to take a moment to share one of the many articles written for it. This is a winter inspired poem written for the newsletter.

Winter Inspired Poem

(Not Titled)

Quiet now child
Take a break from your game
The evergreen is calling
It whispers our name
Listen close,
Come gather round
The sky is grey,
Snow on the ground
The Cycle is ending
A time for rest,
The winter has come,
With death as a guest
The ground is barren
Our homes are cold
But remember the promise
That the Gods foretold
Our Sun has grown weak
But has not forgotten us
Soon he will return
In this we must have trust.
The Lady cares for him now
In her divine womb
Soon rebirth
A bride and a groom
But for the time,
Crone and Sage
Slipping into the darkness
Becoming maiden and page
A moment in silence
The break from harvest’s grain
Until the sun returns
And time for life to start again.

If you would like to see the full newsletter click HERE .

Seasonal Sabbat Newsletter

There is a new feature in The Witches Collective. The first issue of our Seasonal Sabbat Newsletter will be coming out this Wednesday! For all of you that have not signed up you can so so HERE. The newsletter will feature holiday crafts, recipes, articles, and a whole lot more! We invite you to sign up.

Also there is another project in the works at The Witches Collective so stay tuned. The Mysteries of the Divine Apprenticeship Program is going nicely and our students are learning a lot. The coming year is looking bright!

Drawing Down The Moon

The ritual of Drawing Down the Moon is a famous one, but new witches may not understand what this means. Drawing Down the Moon is a ritual to invoke the Goddess. The High Priestess goes into trance and takes the spirit of the Goddess into herself. The process can be both exciting and scarey. It is not an easy ritual or one to be taken lightly. Especially if the Goddess invoke is not all love and peace. So before you think of really doing it, do the research. Get to know the Goddess you want to invoke and be respectful.

Don't Go Hunting

When you are on a spiritual path you may, at one time or another, be inclined to hunt down spirits. Whether you scout around spiritual places, cemeteries, or woodlands it is important to remember not to get yourself in over your head. Never hunt anything you don't understand. There are more things in heaven and earth than we could scarcely imagine.

If  you do find yourself in trouble there are resources out there that you can draw on. The Witches Collective is here for those that need us.

Solitary New Moon Ritual

From the WC Forum

Special tools:

• cedar or sage smudging wand
• white candle

Feel Free to replace the names of the God and Goddess as you see fit.

Cast the circle

Use the smudging wand to purify the space as you move around the circle.
Invocation to the Goddess

(ring bell with arms in Goddess position, arms in a V above your head)

"Great Hecate
Queen of the Underworld
Protectress of all Wicca
It is my will on this night of the new moon
to overcome my shadows
and bring about change
I invite you to my circle to assist and protect me in my rite."

Invocation to the God

(hold athame with your hands in the God position, crossed over your chest)

"Great Anubis,
God of Protection
It is my will on this night of the new moon
to overcome my shadows
to bring about change
I invite you to my circle
to assist me and protect me in my rite."

Statement of intent

"Dark is the night as I reach this turning point
Here is a time of death, yet a time of rebirth.
Endings and beginnings
Ebbings and flowings
A journey done and a journey yet to start.
As the wheel turns, I see birth, death and rebirth
and I know that every end is a beginning."

Meditation

Remember a time in your life when you were miserable, depressed and felt like you couldn't go on.
Let the painful memories overtake you, feeling yourself weaken and become frightened. Put yourself back in that pain-filled time in your life.
As you meditate on that time, sink down the floor and curl up in an embryonic position.
You are completely obsessed by pain and depression. The shadows around you lengthen and darkness spreads.
Then! Arise!

Light your white candle and hold it high overhead.
Say:

"In darkness, there is light!
I feel energy and life returning to me!
I feel my heartbeat strong
I feel the power of the universe and the power of the Goddess and God within me."

Pass the candle over your body, tuning in completely with the light, feeling its power heal and protect you.
Allow its rays to completely penetrate your being, healing and cleansing you.
As you are doing this, chant

Let the light cast out all darkness

Cakes and wine

Thank the God and Goddess for their presence

Close the circle

A Purification Spell

From our admin at WC Forum

Purification

This is an all purpose purification mix. However, have at least one window open! This is to ensure that there is a clear and easy path out of your home for the duration of the ritual.

6 Tbsp. peppermint
1 Tbsp. spearmint
1 Tbsp. rosemary
1 Tbsp. dried lemon peel
1 Tbsp. dried lime peel

Again, during the entire process, visualize yourself and your home as clean and pure. Mentally envision all negativity being drawn to the steam, joining the steam, and leaving your household through the open window. While you are going through this cleansing process, say:

"Scented breeze, blow pure and clear
unwanted power far from here."

Art and Craft

Creating a piece of art can be very fulfilling. It can also be a very spiritual and magickal practice. When you create art, you invest energy, time, and emotion into your project. Sometimes, if you are making a gift for someone, all your care for that person is infused into that gift. We can use this same process to attract different things into our life. By focusing on what kind of career you want and visualizing it while drawing a picture or crafting a piece of jewelry imprints that energy on the object. From then on that jewelry, when worn, will radiate the abundance and attract it into your life. Its not a terrible hard process, but it is very effective.

A Money Spell

Brought to you by The Witches Collective forum.

Money Spell

2 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
4 Tbsp. whole cardamom seeds
2 Tbsp. whole cloves
1 tsp. ground nutmeg or 2 whole nutmegs
1 tsp. ground ginger

While you are measuring out your herbs, mixing them in the bowl and then finally simmering them in your pot, visualize increased prosperity. As you're measuring, mixing & simmering, say:

"Money simmer in the air,
money shimmer everywhere!"