How To Cast A Successful Spell

~Determine Your Intention.
Decide what your desired outcome is. What do you want to accomplish with the casting of the spell? State your intention in a positive way avoiding words such as: can’t, don’t, won’t, never, etc.

~Spiritual Preparation.
For a week prior to spell casting, adopt a positive attitude. Let go of all negativity. It is vital to live in and with positive energy during this period or spiritual preparation.

~Ask The Universe.
Be clear, concise, honest and realistic with your intention. Visualize the outcome of the spell. Be able to describe with positive words what it will look like, taste like, feel like, sound like and smell like. Connect with Deity through meditation and request what you desire.

~Craft Your Spell.
Chose the right time to cast your spell. Find the right harmony within Mother nature. Should it be done on a particular lunar cycle? Day of the week? Planetary alignment? A specific season or weather condition?

Utilize the correct correspondences. Work with the harmonic energy of each ingredient. Research which color candles, particular gems or stones, herbs, elements and deities (this could include The Goddess and God or any other pantheon) that would work best for the spell’s desired affect. The use of a taglock (personal item from the individual for whom you are working the spell) will enhance the power of the spell.

Use a simple rhyme and be sure to use only words you comprehend. Keep the wording of the spell positive, avoid words such as: don’t, can’t, won’t, never. Include the duration for the spell or an expiration time. Don’t forget to use “for the good will of all” phrase. This phrase will bring the manifestation of your spell without impeding the will of others.

~Meditate.
To tap your energy you will need to be in an alpha state or altered state of consciousness. Be sure there are no distractions. Close your eyes. Take 3 deep breaths and relax. Find your magickal voice (the voice that vibrates within your body) and say “release”. Locate Deity energy. Reach out and grasp it saying “unity”.

~Focus.
While connected to Deity energy focus on your intention – your desired outcome of the spell.

~Cast Your Circle.
When casting spells the best result come from within a magick circle. The circle keeps wanted energies in and rogue energies out.

~Raise Your Energy.
By chanting, drumming or ecstatic dancing, whatever your personal preference is, be sure to raise your energy. When casting a spell within a magick circle you are not only using your personal energy but also any energies you have called to aid you with your spell.

~Cast Your Spell.
State your magickal name and the full name of the person the spell is intended for (if no name is known then use the lineage or description of the individual).

~Seal Your Spell.
Most spells have a sealing device whether it be; a wave of a wand, hand motion, sealing wax, tying of a string or using another object. This will hold the spell energies together.

~Believe.
Reject any thoughts of failure. Accept the success of your spell. Be confident in your knowledge and abilities. Trust that Spirit will carry out your desire. Remain positive and look for the manifestation of your spell but understand that sometimes the outcome isn’t exactly what we imagined it would be.


(Bibliography)
McLeod, Don. “Thirteen Steps For Effective Spell Casting”, Spiritual.com.au. November 24, 2009. www.spiritual.com.au/articles/witchcraf.htm
Hicks, Esther & Jerry. The Law of Attraction. Carlsbad, California: Hay House, Inc., 2006.
RavenWolf, Silver. The Ultimate Book of Shadows for the New Generation Solitary Witch. Woodbury, Minnesota: Llewelyn Publications, 2006.

Awareness Creates a Magickal Life

Recently, I participated in an arts and crafts show, and strangely, I had a very good time, and left feeling enlightened, even though we had very few customers. Why? Because life is magickal, if you believe.

I spent time during the show, drawing positive energy together, focusing it, and showering it over all present. I assisted others in grounding, and cleansing their personal energy, to create a more positive atmosphere. And, I met a lot of interesting people, because I kept my mind open to the possibilities, instead of focusing on the negative.

This is about making a conscious choice to think positive, to be aware of your self talk, and of your own energy, and how it is being used in every day life. If we choose to focus it, we can walk a magickal path. If not, it's like Humpty Dumpty, it will all fall down and crash all around us, taking everyone and every thing within energy range, with it.

Have you ever noticed when a loved one comes home from work after a bad day, begins telling you about all the negative things that happened to them that day, and how that affects your energy level? Many times, you'll notice that they've brought you down too. You feel negative after the encounter, or sad, or depressed, or just plain bummed out. This happens in many circumstances in our lives, from random meetings with strangers, to loved ones in our homes, or even on the phone. Every encounter we have, each and every day, has the potential to affect our energy level - IF WE ALLOW IT! And that is the key.

What we allow in our lives, directly affects everything and everyone in our lives.
To be conscious of this, can assist us in correcting it, and help us in not allowing it to affect us.

So then, the next question is, how do we change it?

There are many things we can do, from grounding, to cleansing and purifying, to prayer, and setting intentions. We can also monitor our self talk, and our frame of mind, or energy, as well.

When we ground ourselves, and purify ourselves, we have effectively cleansed the negative energy out of our energy field. When we do this after encountering a negative person or event, we have chosen to re-stabilize our own energy, making it positive once more.

When we monitor our self-talk, as well as the energy we are putting out, we can head off any negativity we may be projecting onto others, which, in turn, comes back to us.

What we have to realize right now is that we are in the Dark Half of the Year, and will be until Winter Solstice. Negative energy abounds this time of year. Many are not even conscious of it, or conscious of the fact that they are spreading negative energy with every word they utter. However, if we apply the Hundredth Monkey effect to this, and take it upon ourselves to remain positive, to stay purified and grounded, and to keep our energy cleansed and our self talk positive, we assist the overall positive principle of the Universe in spreading positive energy, instead of negative.

You'll notice that a lot of bad things seem to happen more in the Dark Half of the Year, than they do in the Light Half, from Winter Solstice to Summer Solstice. Winter can be a depressing time for many, due to lack of sunlight. And yet, we can counter this, as well, by burning a yellow (Sun) candle on a daily basis.

There are many tricks we can use to remain positive. Awareness is but the first step. Centering oneself firmly in the middle of the Four Directions, can help one to remain positive, due to the Elements and Creature Beings associated with each of the Four Directions. Call on them for help, if need be. Eagle who lives in the East, can assist us in seeing the overall picture, instead of getting mired in the negativity of the moment. Coyote in the South can always help us to laugh, and laughter spreads positivity. Mother Bear in the West will share her strength with you, in times of need, so that you can stay aware, and stay positive and grounded, and not be sucked into any negative encounter. White Buffalo in the North reminds us to give thanks for what we have, and to share what we can, while also reminding us of the Sacredness of All Life.

Then there are the Four Elements. Air, in the East, can be consciously breathed into our bodies, to pull the positive life force into ourselves. Fire in the South assists us by fueling us with the energy we need to remain positive. Water, in the West, can wash away all of the negativity we've accumulated, and Earth, in the North, grounds us and connects us with All of Life.

By centering ourselves in the Four Directions, we pull their energies into our lives, and these energies assist us in staying on our Path, in staying positive, and in staying centered, no matter what happens to us externally.

If all else fails, call on Grandfather Sun, to shine His light on you. His light helps us to grow, to stay positive, and to feel those rays of energy in both our inner and outer worlds. His energy will cleanse negativity off of you, anytime you stand in His light and let it radiate throughout your being.

I see a lot of people this time of year with Solar Plexus Chakra blockages, probably due to the limited amount of sunlight we have available this time of year. Surrounding oneself with bright yellow energy, consciously changing one's aura color to bright yellow, wearing bright yellow clothing, and standing in the sunlight, can all assist in helping to remove this blockage. Just like Grandfather Sun, the color yellow is associated with laughter and happiness, which equals positivity!

Remembering to purify, to ground oneself, and to do whatever is necessary to keep our energy positive, helps to spread positive energy in the world, and this affects us all. The more who do this, the more positivity we spread. At the same time, it affects our own lives with even more positive results. Positivity multiplies in and of itself, when shared with pure intent. More importantly, it multiplies in our own lives, when we share it with others, creating magickal situations.

With practice, you can find that constant awareness of your energy, and begin turning negative events into positive experiences, just as I did at the arts and crafts show. Once you master controlling your own energy, you can then move to helping others to master these techniques. And this helps the positivity to spread, in all of our worlds.

Lastly, I'd like to offer a gentle reminder to stay purified during the remaining days of the Dark Half of the Year. It affects us all. It's that important.

Until next time,
May you Walk in Beauty...
Michelle

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Magickal Tea Blends

Making a magickal tea is a wonderful way to bring magick into your daily warm cup of tea. By combining herbs with magickal energies and holistic benefits, you can create a tea that assists you in whatever energy and magick you wish to draw into your life. There are different ways to make teas that have both holistic and magickal benefits.
1. Use herbs with holistic benefits that have magickal color correspondences.
2. Use herbs with holistic benefits that have magickal numerical correspondences.
3. Have a favorite loose tea? Add a small hint of an herb with magickal properties in it to draw those energies to you during your day.

How to make the blends
Through research, recommendation, and recipes suggested by herbal manuals and magickal guides, get together the herbs that you need. Have a clean work area, and use a clean bowl to mix the herbs in.

Safety precautions
Do not blindly mix and match herbs. If you haven’t used an herb before, read up on it and research it! Make sure you know what the herb is, what it is meant to do, and if there are any side effects. People react differently to herbs, and it is important to know what herbs you will react well to. To be safe, herbs available in natural food stores and with tea suppliers are not poisonous. Use your head and avoid herbs that say “toxic” (duh) and come from a questionable source. If you are unsure about an herb, find out if it is consumable. Some are not. For example, wormwood and mistletoe are poisonous. And they taste disgusting. If you have any medical conditions or are on medication, then you need to find out if there are any herbs that could harm you. For example, there is a list of herbs that women who are pregnant should avoid. I always say: “When in doubt, throw it out.”

Once you have found herbs to your liking, make a small test sample. Some herbs taste better than others, and combining massive amounts of specific herbs can make a tea taste pretty gross. If you know some herbs taste pretty yucky together, you can add a “tea base.” That means you can get black tea, green tea, white tea, or rooibos tea to use in addition to the herbal tea blend you are putting together. Don’t drink your tea on an empty stomach. This is a personal guideline I follow. Have you ever gotten medication from the pharmacist that reads “take with food”? I use this same rule with tea blends.

Once the tea loose tea is prepared
Use a tea strainer, or tea bags to strain the blend. You can charge your tea, i.e., give your tea a “magickal kick,” a number of different ways.
When stirring, stir in a clockwise direction. Stirring clockwise draws magickal energy into the tea.

Close your eyes while stirring the tea and envision the cup glowing brightly. You can also use color correspondences in this case, and envision the cup glowing in the color of the magickal energies you wish to draw in your life. For example, if you have a love tea, then envision the cup glowing red. If you have a tea for abundance and prosperity, then envision the cup glowing green.
Try saying a simple mantra, prayer, or incantation. It doesn’t have to be anything grand, or in Latin. Just something small to remind you of the magickal intent of your tea. One I use for prosperity is “Money, money, come to me. In shades of gold, in shades of green.”

For the more magickally minded, draw a circle or perform a ritual to consecrate the tea while it is still loose and dry. This is great if you made a large quantity of the tea, and wish to really charge it with the magick of the universe.
Think about when you use the tea. By combining a tea with the magickal correspondences of the day of the week and the moon, you can use the tea when it is very potent.


Magickal Tea Recipes
Chai Love Tea
1 1/2 tsp. Chai Rooibos (or any rooibos)
1/4 tsp. Damiana ** Note: in large doses, damiana can be toxic to the liver. Eliminate this from your recipe completely if you are concerned.
1/2 tsp. Lemon Verbena
1/2 tsp. Catnip
Pinch of Cinnamon
Tiny pinch of Ginger

Bring water to a boil. Mix the tea blend with 1 1/2 cups of water. Add vanilla creamer to bring more loving energies (and yummy energies) of vanilla into the drink.

Psychic Tea
1 1/2 tsp. Black Tea
1/2 tsp. Mugwort
1/2 tsp. Thyme
1/2 tsp. Calendula
1/2 tsp. Jasmine

Bring water to an almost boil. Mix the tea blend with 1 1/2 cup of water. Add honey sweeten, or cinnamon for another “psychic energy boost.”

Healing Tea
1 tsp. Lavender
1 tsp. Chamomile
1 tsp. Rosehips
1/2 tsp. Echinacea
1/2 tsp. Eucalyptus
1/2 tsp. Spearmint

This recipe can make one strong cup of tea, or two cups of tea. Bring water to an almost boil. Add honey or lemon to flavor. Do not add milk, since it will curdle in this drink!

Study and Creativity Tea
1 1/2 tsp. Green Tea or Black Tea (I use a green tea with coconut and ginger in it)
1/2 tsp. Rosemary
1/2 tsp. Orange
1/2 tsp. Lemon Verbena
1/2 tsp. Yerba Mate

Bring water to an almost boil. Mix the tea blend with 1 1/2 cups of water. Add honey, milk, or lemon for flavor. Don’t add lemon and milk together--the milk will curdle!

Reflections:
*What is your favorite cup of tea?
*When do you like to have a cup of tea?
*Have you tried any of these recipes? How did it work for you?
*Do you have any recipes you wish to share?



(Bibliography)
Burnie, Geoffrey, ed. The Little Guide: Herbs. San Francisco, California: Fog City Press, 2000.
Daniel, Marilyn F. Kitchen Witchery. Boston, MA: Weiser Books, 2002.
Dugan, Ellen. Natural Witchery: Intuitive, Personal, and Practical Magick. Woodbury, Minnesota: Llewelyn Publications, 2007.
Elkins, Rita, M.H. The Pocket Herbal, 2nd ed. Pleasant Grove, Utah: Woodland Publishing, 2002.
Hopman, Ellen Evert. A Druid’s Herbal For Sacred Earth Year. Rochester, Vermont:
Destiny Books, 1995.
Moura, Ann. Grimore for the Green Witch. Woodbury, Minnesota: Llewelyn Publications, 2004.

Submissions being taken for The Lunar Gazette!

What we are looking for:
*Articles on magickal, supernatural, and spiritual topics with references.
*Essays on history, mythology, and religion with references.
*Original creative fiction (poetry and short stories) and creative non-fiction.
*Interesting interviews with interesting folk.
*Magickal crafting lessons.
*Magickal recipes - i.e. - incenses, oil blends, spell kits, cooking recipes.
*Art work and photography with a spiritual or paranormal theme.
*Open mindedness, a thoughtful, friendly tone.
*Something unique, original, spiritual, and enlightening.

What we are not looking for:
-One sided opinions and close mindedness.
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-Anything offensive or pornographic.
-Anything boring.
-Anything longer than 1500 words.
-Poor grammar and spelling errors.

Please send all submissions to thelunargazette@gmail.com

Please send them in .doc or .jpg compatible format. That way it’ll be nice and easy for me to read and publish to the site.

When you send a submission, please write your bio in the email message along with any of your website addresses. Whether it is a blog, an etsy page, or a myspace, please consider your publication a way to meet other like minded-folk, network and promote your personal craft!

Looking for a few good writers

Looking for Team Members to join the Lunar Gazette crew!

Team Members have the following responsibilities:
-Writing an article at least once a month.
-Helping to promote The Lunar Gazette through sharing blogs and posting on other blogs.
-Just spreading the spiritual news and magickal energy that will become The Lunar Gazette.

If you are interested, please send a message to thelunargazette@gmail.com.
Please write a little about yourself, what you plan to write about, and a link to your own blog and work.

Thanks again for the interest!
Blessings,
~Kiki~

Welcome to the Lunar Gazette

The Lunar Gazette is an online blog/zine with thoughtful articles, creative writing, artwork and magickal crafting. It is a place of open-mindedness and thoughtfulness. We are geared towards Pagan communities, with an emphasis on Wicca and witchcraft. We are curious about spirituality, the supernatural, magick, and how to improve our lives through creativity, thought, and spirituality.

Welcome aboard! I am Kiki, the founder and creator of the Lunar Gazette, and I am excited about the many talented writers and interesting readers who I am sure will become part of the Lunar Gazette family! Please stay tuned for articles and posts!