Tag: Full Moon

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Breaking a Magickal Dry Spell

Advertisements

If you’ve been a practitioner for any length of time you’ve come to realize that everything has its cycles. The seasons come and go, the tides ebb and flow, and our lives have their ups and downs. Even our practice as Witches and magicians waxes and wanes with our mundane lives. But every once in a while we seem to get out of sync, slow down, and our magickal practice stops, well, being magickal. We cease doing spells. Our rituals fade into memory, and a quick “hello” to the moon is as good as it gets. We know we need to do something to kick us back on the path. This is when our work gets hard as we try breaking a magickal dry spell.

Don’t deny it, we’ve all been there, including me. There have been weeks, months even, that my practice has faded into the distance. The first time this happened I really beat myself up over it. My self-talk included a lot of “You must be a terrible witch because you forgot (enter Sabbat here)” or “Oh my Goddess, you slept through the Full Moon. What kind of witch are you?”

Then there was a time when I just didn’t feel the call, felt less magickal and more, well, exhausted and magically burnt out. I had no desire to continue doing what I’d been doing for years. Each gesture, every word of every spell felt flat and lifeless. I felt like a complete witchy failure.

Identifying Our Dry Spell

Then I learned I was not alone, that all magickal practitioners go through this stage. I talked to friends, other practitioners on line and chatted up whomever I could. Hearing them share their stories, share their ups and downs, really helped. And while it made me feel better, I still couldn’t figure out how to get back into the groove. How was I going to go about breaking a magickal dry spell?

The analytical side of this Virgo witch decided it was time to play. I started researching this phenomena in earnest. First I started with the “whys”. Why did this happen? What was the impetus that gave us our dry spell? I wrote down the responses I received from my chats and compiled them into a list (Don’t you just love lists, or is it just me?). Below are several of the possible causes for dry spells.

  • Mundane overtaking Magickal: A personal crisis or major change caused the practitioner to neglect their magick for a time.
  • Apathy: Over time our practices become so “meh” and boring that we become apathetic and just don’t really care.
  • You’ve lost that loving feeling: Your practice just doesn’t feel right or fit anymore so you abandon it without learning why.
  • Loss of faith in what we do: Our magick seems to have stopped working so why bother?
  • Not a clue: Our practice just stopped. We don’t know the exact reason why, it just did.

Having identified the “whys” we must then find our way to break the dry spell. Seems simple, right? Yes and no.

Breaking the Magickal Dry Spell

I have found, as with all challenges in life, that we must first change our mindset before we can change our current conditions. We have to want our magick, our practice, back. Repeat this aloud with me (yes, really), “My practice is important to me. My Magick is important to me. I will always make time for what is important to me.”

How did that make you feel? Did it resonate with you? Now say it 9 times. Everyday. For 9 days. Yep. That’s what it took for me to get my mind back in the game and on track. We all seem to make room for the time killers. You know, the video games, television, movies, and all those things that take up our time but don’t really have tremendous value. If you can do those things which are not vital, you can make time for what is. Your magick, your practice, your Gods and your path are vital. Other than your family, there is nothing more important.

If your magick has stopped working chances are it’s because you actually fall into one of the other “whys”. You’ll need to ask yourself some hard questions and take some time to examine your last working. Was it fun? Did it excite you? Were you rushed because of mundane issues? Was your mind there are on other problems? Do you still believe in yourself and your abilities? If not- why? Once you pinpoint why it happened then you can move forward in finding a solution.

But what if your practice is boring, blah and lackluster, or you are just not feeling it anymore? I wrote about this in my blog “I like my Witchcraft Shaken not Stirred” . Sometimes you need to try something new, shake things up, in order to get the fun, the feeling, the magick, back into your practice. Look into new paths. Try skipping to create your circle or blow bubbles to raise energy. Play again and watch how your magick blossoms within.

Watering the Dry Spell

Now that you’ve identified and then broken your dry spell you need to water it to make it blossom. How? By doing. Each and every day. I believe it was Christopher Penczak (if I’m incorrect I apologize) that said you should do something magickal for at least 15 minutes each day. It’s something I do myself and I ask it of my students as well. Fifteen minutes makes a huge difference in how you feel about yourself, your path and your abilities. Heck, think of all the time you’ve wasted in line getting coffee or donuts and you’ll realize 15 minutes is not only doable, it’s easy to accomplish. Even better, that 15 minutes often stretches into 20, then 30 and before you know it the magick is infusing your life one again.

If you are going through a magickal dry spell, know you are not alone. With a little contemplation, insight, and work you can wash that dry spell away and welcome the Craft back into your heart and your life.

Blessed Be!

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Capturing the Moon – Lunar Knot Magick

Advertisements

A Triune Moon Magickal Moment

Lunar knot magick, like traditional knot, or cord magick is a simple, yet extremely effective magickal practice. It requires little in the ways of tools, just a simple piece of rope, string or cord, usually made of natural materials. In this article I will show how to gather and capture the moon’s energies using lunar knot magick.

You may already be familiar with knot/cord magick. If so, you will notice that what we are going to be doing here today is a bit different than what you may have been shown before. Usually the knots are created to hold the magick until a spell has manifested. We are instead using a technique whereby the power of the moon is pulled into and held by each knot placed in your cord. As the particular lunar phase energies are required, you release a knot to let loose the energies stored within.

This application had been used by sailors and sea faring peoples for generations. In times past the captains of the ships nay have gone to the local cunning woman or witch to have them create a knotted cord for to carry with them on their voyage. Each knot represents winds pulled in and captured within. This cord would remain on ship, waiting until such a time as the winds calmed, rendering the sailing ship immobile. It would then be produced and a knot would be released, allowing the wind to escape. They would continue releasing the knots until the winds would gain fill their sails.

Creating Knot Magick

Creating knot magick requires just a few tools.

To create your lunar knot magick you will only require two items:

  • Cord – a length long enough to hold your knots. I am using silver cording in the picture but you can use, cotton, hemp, silk or other natural fiber cording.
  • Scissors

Cut your cord to a length appropriate for the number of knots you will be placing in your cord. Simple knots will take less cord than say an elaborate nautical knot. In the example shown I used a 27 inch cord to hold nine simple knots.

Take your cord out with you on the night of the full, dark, or new moon – depending on the energy attributes you wish to collect. You may cast circle of you’d like but it isn’t necessary for this endeavor.

Place your cord on a flat surface such as a table, bench or altar. If you are working with a full moon, try to place the cord in such a way that the light of the moon touches it. This adds an extra but of “oomph” to the working but even if it is cloudy the energy is still there.

Raise your hands towards the moon (in whatever phase it may be) and “gather” the energies. See the light (or darkness) of the moon filling your hands. When they begin to tingle and feel full, place your hands over the cord, filling it with the powers of the moon.

Tying the Knot

Nine knots to capture the glory of the moon!

When I am doing lunar knot magick I like to make knots in multiples of 9. Nine has always resonated with me as the number of the moon and all lunar workings. You may have a different number in mind. As with all magick, use what resonates with you.

Taking your cord infused with lunar energy in hand, make your first knot. Tie the knots firmly, but not so tight that you will be unable to take them out later. As you make the knot, picture the energy being held tightly inside it. You may repeat a phrase or chant as you tie your knots. I have used the following with great success:

“Energies of the moon I hereby bind. Into this simple cord of mine. To stay until they are of need. To be released with focused speed.”

Repeat until you have made all of your knots. When completed, hold the now knotted cord up to the moon and say:

“This cord which I have fashioned this night, filled with magick, filled with might. May it ever serve me well until such time to break the spell.”

Place your cord in a small box or bag and place where it will not be disturbed until its energies required. Place a label on the inside or outside of the box or bag noting what type of lunar energies it holds. If you use different color cords for each type of knot magick, you may not need to so but I recommend it in order to save yourself the frustration of trying to recall what you created your cord for.

Releasing the Lunar Magick

A New Moon/Healing Altar
Look for our next New Moon Healing Ritual date and time at:
https://www.facebook.com/triunemoonproductions

When you are in need of additional lunar energies or when you have a spell that requires a specific moon phase that you are not currently in, grab your lunar knot magick cord. While performing your spell hold your cord over the working. As you untie the knot or knots, (use as many knots as you feel is required for the working), say:

“I release the energies of the full (dark, new) moon into my working. May the powers of this lunar phase mix and mingle with my energies to create the outcome I desire.”

When the cord has been spent, dispose of it by burning, burying or cutting into small pieces then throwing it away. I do not recommend re-using the cord.

As you gaze out at the Full Moon this night, give Lunar Knot Magick a try. I hope that you will find it a special and powerful magickal ally.

Blessed Be!