Witchy Ways

Coeur-ageous Magic for the New Moon in Leo

Posted on by Della Ratcliffe

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Getting ready to make a Courage Essential Oil Blend

The New Moon in Leo arrives 23-July @ 02:45 AM Pacific Time / 09:45 UTC. Are you ready to enter this new doorway of transformation?

Silver RavenWolf, in her book The Ultimate Book of Shadows for the New Generation Solitary Witch, suggests the New Moon in Leo is a good time for spells for courage, strength, success, and leadership.

Sounds good to me, as I’m working with coeur-age this month!

There are very many Courage Spells and rituals but I like this simple Enhancing Courage Spell from Ann Moura’s Grimoire for the Green Witch (p. 279)

ENHANCING COURAGE SPELL
For this ritual, done in a Waxing to Full Moon, you will need a red candle and either some Rosemary Essential Oil (Rosmarinus officinalis) or a Courage Essential Oil Blend.

I like this recipe for Courage Essential Oil Blend from Scott Cunningham’s The Complete Book of Incense Oils & Brews (p. 112):

  • 3 drops Ginger Essential Oil (Zingiber officinale)
  • 1 drop Black Pepper EO (Piper nigrum)
  • 1 drop Clove/Clove Bud EO (see NOTE  below)
    • NOTE: Mountain Rose Herbs lists their Clove Bud as Syzygium aromaticum but Aromatics International labels their Clove bud as Eugenia Caryophyllata (as does mine in the picture above).

If you prefer not to touch these oils directly, add the drops to one tablespoon of your preferred carrier oil. You can then use this diluted blend on your skin for a little bump of courage when needed.

No essential oils? No problem! If you have any dragon’s blood or frankincense, light these in an appropriate burner and waft your candle through the smoke. Or pick up a sprig of rosemary from your grocery store or garden, and use it as a smudge.

START THE RITUAL

Before you begin the ritual, meditate on the Strength and Courage you are seeking and create an affirmation for it.

Then, begin with your own personal rituals for spell crafting or ceremonies such as grounding and centering; casting the circle; calling in the directions; calling in your guides, ancestors, angels, goddess(es), etc.

Anoint/rub the candle with your oil (or smudge it with your incense), then inscribe with an appropriate runic (or other) symbol.

I love working with the WomenRunes created by Shekhinah Mountainwater (perhaps The Flying Woman, the Rune of Transformation, or The Heart, the Rune of Love & Passion?) or these choices recommended by Moura:

FEOH (aka FEHU) for energy
THORN (aka THOR) for protection and willpower
MANNAZ (aka MAN) or self-improvement
KEN (aka CEN) for opening of positive energy
UR for personal strength
DAEG for a fresh start
SIGEL for achievement and self-confidence
TYR (aka TIW) for victory, courage, and success

You can also choose to etch in your personal sun sign or ruling planet sign.

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Rune names and meanings

Light the candle and wave your wand, or favourite crystal, above it while saying these words from Ann Moura or something in your own words with the same/similar meaning:

“I call upon the Powers of Earth, Air, Fire and Water; the energies of the ancient runes; the spirits of the hoary planets! As this candle melts, may these qualities __________________ [insert your qualities or affirmation here] I seek enter into me, that as I will, So Mote It Be!”

Close the ritual with your preferred way (closing the circle, directions, etc), and be sure to give your gratitude to those you called upon for guidance during the ritual.

NEW MOON BLESSINGS!

Click HERE for Part One of our New Moon in Leo post with our Soul Questions and more for the New Moon: Coeur-ageous Transformation with the New Moon in Leo

sidebar graphics 7If you love working with Mother Earth, following the energies of Grandmother Moon (Seanmháthair Gealach), aligning with the energy of the Celtic Wheel of The Year, or are interested in learning more about this path, you will find great resources – and the opportunity to ask questions, share rituals, and more – in our NEW private Facebook Group, the Wise Woman Bean Gealach Circle. Limited to those who identify as women. For more information about the Circle, CLICK HERE

WP Sidebar graphics-5Connect to your purpose, your medicine, eliminate self-limiting beliefs, and integrate the new wisdom into your life through this unique you-centered blend of shamanic coaching and journeys, energy healing, alchemical healing, Earth Medicine, PSYCH-K® and PER-K® balancing, and six-sensory work. Together we draw on the modalities that best support your journey. Click on the picture for more information or visit our website:  www.innerjourneyevents.com

WP Sidebar graphics, resized to 300 x 213 pxDo you want a better understanding of the Wheel of the Year and how its shifting energies can support your own transformation and growth, support you in aligning with the rhythms of Nature itself? Subscribers receive regular free ebooks and articles, such as Celebrating the Equinox, along with tips for their personal practices, advance notice on free events and webinars, and much much more! 

Third Quarter Moon: Your Dark Mother Allies

Posted on by Della Ratcliffe

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Selene, by Susan Seddon-Boulet

Wisdom from Seanmháthair Gealach (Grandmother Moon)
Third Quarter Moon in Aries arrives on Day 22 at:
16-July @ 12:25 PM Pacific Time / 16-July @ 20:25 UTC
Moon Rise 12:33 AM PT
Full Moon Set 1:37 PM PT
Moon Mansion 2 Al-Butain until 4:01 PM PT (Essence: Effort, courage, will and energy. Conflict.)
Theme for this Lunar Journey: Authentic Self (Re)Born

Sunday, July 16th finds us three-quarters of our way through this month’s lunar journey… a journey of rebirth and reconnection to our Authentic Self.

At the Third Quarter, we connect most strongly to The Matriarch within… confident… secure… balanced between light and dark like LaLuna. Having started this journey with the rising Yang energy we now can see the result — the shifts and the outcomes — of the rising upward and outward Waxing energy. And now we are once again embracing the increasing Yin energy of the lunar darkness as the moon’s illuminations wane and decrease, as the Yin pulls us deeply inward.

This is the time to shed, to release, and to integrate and deepen our understanding… to ponder on our learning and wisdom from the journey.

SOUL WORK FOR THE THIRD QUARTER: Working with the Darkness
So let’s speak a moment of the darkness of this Waning Moon, as we approach the deep, deep darkness of the Dark Moon / New Moon on July 22nd.

When we talk of darkness, we often are speaking of the Shadow side of our work and our Self… of the “stuff” we have buried deep within, of the “stuff” we hide. But perhaps it’s more…

Jung reminds us that each archetype has a shadow side and a light side. Like a magnet, each has a positive and a negative pole. Not good nor bad… more like opposing qualities which ultimately work together for balance and strength. This is also true of the Mother and the Matriarch — the Dark Mother — as the lunar darkness increases.

The Dark Mothers are the Goddesses of our transitions… the liminal moments between life and death, between the conscious and unconscious, between the shadows and reality. They are creation and destruction. Kali. Hecate. Cerridwen. Arianrhod. The Morrigan. These are the Dark Mothers.

And they are your allies in the Waning and Dark Moon, these Matriarchs and Mothers of the Dark, because their darkness is not just shadow… but power and knowledge.

Their Yin intuitive energy is the deep moist womb where the seeds of promise and growth are planted… the Dark Matter of our internal cosmos, birthing the Goddess within each of us. (Judith Laura’s book Goddess Spirituality for the 21st Century explores this idea in depth.)

This is where we transform.

SOUL QUESTIONS FOR THE WANING MOON

In our New Moon Medicine Wheel layout, the Third Quarter moon represents the West… Water… emotion… intuition… the Autumn. We ask the question, What is Transforming? Such a profound question for our theme of Authentic Self (Re)Born!

As you meditate on this question and this journey, as the dark intuitive Yin energy of the Moon pulls you deeply within your Self, ask additional questions (and pull additional tarot or oracle cards) that will integrate the wisdom and prepare you for any releases required.

Create your own questions or consider using these:

  • How do you feel as you step into the darker intuitive Yin energy?
  • What is revealed as you step away from the light of the Full Moon and embrace the deep wisdom of the Dark?
  • What part of you is being (re)born in the Dark Matter of your Inner Self?
  • From the reborn Goddess you now are, what can now be released? (a belief, an emotion, a behaviour, a relationship, etc.)

Time to release!

In PART TWO of the Third-Quarter Moon Wisdom, the Soul Work continues with A Sweet Release Ritual for the Third Quarter Moon.

sidebar graphics 7If you love working with Mother Earth, following the energies of Grandmother Moon (Seanmháthair Gealach), aligning with the energy of the Celtic Wheel of The Year, or are interested in learning more about this path, you will find great resources – and the opportunity to ask questions, share rituals, and more – in our NEW private Facebook Group, the Wise Woman Bean Gealach Circle. Limited to those who identify as women. For more information about the Circle, CLICK HERE

WP Sidebar graphics-5Connect to your purpose, your medicine, eliminate self-limiting beliefs, and integrate the new wisdom into your life through this unique you-centered blend of shamanic coaching and journeys, energy healing, alchemical healing, Earth Medicine, PSYCH-K® and PER-K® balancing, and six-sensory work. Together we draw on the modalities that best support your journey. Click on the picture for more information or visit our website:  www.innerjourneyevents.com

WP Sidebar graphics, resized to 300 x 213 pxDo you want a better understanding of the Wheel of the Year and how its shifting energies can support your own transformation and growth, support you in aligning with the rhythms of Nature itself? Subscribers receive regular free ebooks and articles, such as Celebrating the Equinox, along with tips for their personal practices, advance notice on free events and webinars, and much much more! 

Reflections on the Full Moon in Capricorn: Spellcraft & Ritual

Posted on by Della Ratcliffe

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The Sacred Circle. Art by Lisbeth Cheever-Gessaman

Wisdom from Seanmháthair Gealach (Grandmother Moon)
Full Buck Moon in Capricorn arrives on Day 15 at
08-July @ 9:06 PM PT  /  09-July @ 04:06 UTC

SPELLCRAFT & RITUAL
The Full Moon is associated with the magick of completing, healing and empowering… and for creating the magickal life you want.

Many practitioners choose to do a Release Ritual on the Full Moon, although my personal preference is to release when Grandmother Moon is firmly in the Waning Phase of her journey. But if it feels right for you, do it. Sometimes we need that Full Moon power to energize our release! This blog has several posts on Release Rituals using fire, water, earth.

One of my favourite rites for the Full Moon is Drawing Down the Moon, a very simple rite that can be done alone or in Circle. I love bringing in and internalizing that Full Moon energy… the epitome of the Moon’s energy and its connection to The Great Mother Goddess.

When we Draw Down the Moon, we connect to that powerful full moon energy, allowing it to infuse our very being…. powering up our ability to manifest and affirm our own personal magic.

DRAWING DOWN THE MOON
This rite can be done during the Full Moon OR New Moon energy. If done at the New Moon, it brings in the power of unlimited potential, the raw stuff of the Universe, and is great for initiating projects. If done at the Full Moon, it brings in the power and majesty of harvest and completion.

There are as many variations of this age-old rite as there are practitioners. If how I do this rite doesn’t resonate with you, change it up so that it does. Or look for other variations out there; this is where Google is our friend and ally!

Ideally, this rite is done outdoors in the light of the Full Moon. Of course, when doing at the New Moon, LaLuna is not visible. If the Moon is NOT visible for any reason, imagine instead where it is … behind the clouds…. below the horizon. You could even focus your energies on something representing LaLuna… a crystal, a drawing, a painting.

The important thing is to create sacred space for your ritual… that is the place where the magic happens, no matter where you are.

And just like a shamanic journey allows you to enter non-ordinary reality, Drawing Down the Moon can be a mystical experience of altered consciousness

To Begin:
This ritual is done standing, feet no more than shoulder-width apart, and preferably outdoors under the Full Moon light. If standing is not possible for you, be sure to find a suitable spot to sit or have someone bring a chair for you. And if you can see the Full Moon from indoors, it’s fine to perform the ritual there.

OPTIONAL: Bring some beloved music to play (softly, let’s not disrupt the night, LOL) during this ritual. One of my favourites is We All Come from The Goddess by Lindie Lila.

Start by breathing deeply and slowly until you feel the tensions of the day ebbing away. Focus on your breath, feeling that slow deep inhalation reaching into every part of your body and into your chakras. Focus on the Solar Plexus Chakra in particular, as it will support you in your Soul Work. Feel the Air energy reaching into every cell of your body, inspiring you, cleansing you. With each breath you exhale, feel any toxins, aches, pains, or unwanted thoughts to leave your body to be accepted by the outside Air for cleansing and returning to Mama Earth.

Open your Sacred Space in your preferred way, such as Calling in the Directions or casting a circle.

Call in your guides and allies, and all directions and elements, asking for their support.

Look up at the Full Moon. Really look at Her. Look at Her like you’ve never done before… deeply… feel Her light… feel Her energy. Call out to the Goddess(es) of the Moon… Selene, Diana, Gaia, Áine, Arianrhod, Artemis, Isis, Luna, Mama Quilla . . . Thank LaLuna and the Goddess(es) for their guidance. Send them the love that they give you daily. Continue breathing in LaLuna’s energy for a few minutes until you are fully relaxed and you feel nothing but you and the Moon.

Raise your arms with your palms facing the Moon, like a chalice ready to drink in the energy of The Goddess and the Moon. OPTIONAL: Bring your thumbs together, then your index fingers, to create a triangle through which you can gaze at the Moon.

Hold that position for as long as it feels comfortable…. gazing at the Moon, reflecting on your Will (the Sun) and your Emotions (the Moon)… reflecting on your affirmation for this month… reflecting on the Goddess, as she reflects the Sun.

Invoke the energy of the Goddess in your own way, inviting her to infuse your Self with her power, her love, her magick, her ability to manifest and create. It can be as simple as chanting “I invoke The Goddess” until you feel her energy flow. Feel her energy fill your body… your spirit… your mind…. you ARE The Goddess and She is You.

Hold onto this feeling, this wonderful feeling of wonder, love, energy, awe.. of being the Goddess.

Allow your emotions to flow freely during the rite… laugh, cry, sigh, yell, giggle, sob, dance a jig, kiss a tree, whatever feels right… I have one friend who gets the hiccups (and the giggles) every time she Draws Down the Moon!

And you — or others, if working in Circle — may find that you start to channel the wisdom from The Goddess… let it flow. Trust it.

OPTIONAL: Before completing the rite, say your affirmation (or goal) for remainder of the month or make a request of the Moon and The Goddess, perhaps for their help and support… perhaps the granting of a secret wish you have harboured for a while.

Once you sense that the Drawing Down is complete, thank the Moon, the Goddess(es) and any other deities that have come forward for you. Bring your arms back to your side and take a moment to breathe deeply and slowly once again, reconnecting to Mama Earth. Feel that Goddess power, knowing you can go forth with this energy.

Close your circle/sacred space as you opened it. Thank the directions, elements, allies, guides, etc.

Should you wish to do more Soul Work or Magickal Working during your Full Moon work, this rite will empower your work.

This is the third of a three-part Reflections on the Full Moon in Capricorn:

Part 1: Reflections on the Full Moon in Capricorn… Yellow Flower Moon?

Part 2: Reflections on the Full Moon in Capricorn: Soul Work 

sidebar graphics 7If you love working with Mother Earth, following the energies of Grandmother Moon (Seanmháthair Gealach), aligning with the energy of the Celtic Wheel of The Year, or are interested in learning more about this path, you will find great resources – and the opportunity to ask questions, share rituals, and more – in our NEW private Facebook Group, the Wise Woman Bean Gealach Circle. Limited to those who identify as women. For more information about the Circle, CLICK HERE

WP Sidebar graphics-5Connect to your purpose, your medicine, eliminate self-limiting beliefs, and integrate the new wisdom into your life through this unique you-centered blend of shamanic coaching and journeys, energy healing, alchemical healing, Earth Medicine, PSYCH-K® and PER-K® balancing, and six-sensory work. Together we draw on the modalities that best support your journey. Click on the picture for more information or visit our website:  www.innerjourneyevents.com

WP Sidebar graphics, resized to 300 x 213 pxDo you want a better understanding of the Wheel of the Year and how its shifting energies can support your own transformation and growth, support you in aligning with the rhythms of Nature itself? Subscribers receive regular free ebooks and articles, such as Celebrating the Equinox, along with tips for their personal practices, advance notice on free events and webinars, and much much more! 

Reflections on the Full ​Moon in Capricorn, Soul Work

Posted on by Della Ratcliffe

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Woman Runes for the Full Moon

Wisdom from Seanmháthair Gealach (Grandmother Moon in Irish Gaelic)
Full Buck Moon in Capricorn arrives on Day 15 at:
08-July @ 9:06 PM PT | 09-July @ 04:06 UTC
Full Moon Rise 8:51 PM PT, Full Moon Set 5:07 AM PT
Moon Mansion 23 Sa’d Bula from 12:31 PM PT (Essence: Conflict, separation, freedom, healing.)
Theme for this Lunar Journey: Authentic Self (Re)Born

“From Woman you were born into this World
From Women you are born into this Circle”

LA LUNA’S ENERGIES
In this first Full Moon following the Solstice, we find the Sun in Cancer (Water, Cardinal) and the Moon in Capricorn (Earth, Cardinal). The Sun represents our Will, while the Moon represents our emotions. These are interesting dynamics — and not without a little tension — bringing together the private, homey, nurturing/mothering influences of Cancer with the ambitious, detail-oriented, career-focused Capricorn… simultaneously looking inward and outward, focusing on our inner life and outward goals, our will and our emotions. And the Moon Mansion Sa’d Bula — with its essence of Conflict, separation, freedom, healing — also embodies this polarity.

And yet these polarities do not have to be a choice, an either/or. We can have both…. we can find the balance between the two, giving a rich depth to our choices and actions.

In the Medicine Wheel of this month (and reading), the Full Moon is positioned in the South, the place of Fire, home of the Celtic Sun Goddess Áine. It is the place of passion, manifestation, and action, the path of Coming Into Being. Here we are supported once again by The Mother Goddess, as we gain mastery and commit to our creativity, our goals and dreams. And our Solar Plexus Chakra is fully engaged with our personal power. The Woman Runes for this Chakra is the Dancing Woman, the Rune of a Power. The Serpent (kunalini energy) is a strong ally at this time… as it sheds its skin in the summer heat, healing and renewing itself, so do we.

SOUL WORK & SOUL QUESTIONS
In our New Moon Medicine Wheel Reading, in the South we ask our Self the Soul Question:

“What is flourishing?”

Create additional Soul Questions for the Full Moon based on your own theme for this month. If using the theme suggested at the New Moon, “Authentic Self (Re)Born”, consider using or adapting these:

  • What parts of my Self have I reclaimed and bring into this Full Moon light?
  • What have I already shed, that masked my Authentic Self?
  • What is now ready to be released in the Waning Moon energies?
  • What action can I take to affirm my Authentic Self, and to celebrate who I am…. and who I am becoming?

TIP: Select cards from your preferred tarot or oracle card decks for supplementing the wisdom of the card(s) you picked for the South in your New Moon Reading. Meditate on the story these cards co-create, and the wisdom they ignite in YOU.

ALTAR
If you already have an altar, bring in elements to reflect this special celestial event… the Full Moon power following Solstice. Consider bringing in herbs such as Rosemary, and elements to represent the Solar Plexus/Third Chakra, and the energy and wisdom of The Mother goddess(es). Fire colours are also good… yellow, orange, red. And July is also the time of the Fae… our faerie friends, the Sidhe. Perhaps something to embody their wild magick and wisdom.

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And if you don’t have an altar already, this may be the month to start one. Begin simply, selecting items that intuitively feel right. It may be as simple as creating a space where you can sit quietly and meditate, with perhaps a candle to represent the sun and another candle to represent the Full Moon. I like to include something to represent each of the directions and elements, something to represent the Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine, and something to Spirit… and something to represent ME and my Wise Inner Self / Divine Spirit.

My altar above has fresh flowers — St John’s Wort and Lavender — on a turmeric-dyed altar cloth, and simple representations for the Directions / Elements: feathers for East/Air, an Apache Tears stone for South/Fire, shells for West/Water and a pine cone for North/Earth. I also have candles for Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine, my Goddess Stone and my Faerie Stone. The candle in the centre represents Spirit, and my Self.

FULL MOON BATH FOR SACRED TOOLS
The Full Moon is a great time to charge and cleanse one’s crystals. You may ask WHY they need charging or cleansing and the answer is simple: like us, they are pure vibration… waves of energy… and, like us, those vibrations may be depleted, altered or energized by other vibrations around them, especially when we are handling them frequently or using them in healing for the Self or others.

The simplest way is to lay them out at night under the Full Moon, on a favourite cloth or plate, to let them absorb that full moon energy. A Moon Bath!

And if you’re worried that inquisitive birds or squirrels might try to add your items to their collection — or that it might rain on water sensitive items (selenite, for example) — place them on a windowsill that captures the Full Moon energy.

I also like to charge up my sacred tools in the light of the Full Moon… rattles, amulets, talking sticks and more. I’ve even done this with tarot and oracle cards. I don’t charge up my entire collection… just those that seem to need or want it.

I use simple kinesiology to determine which sacred tools or crystals to lay out.

I create a simple statement such as “This sacred tool [crystal] would benefit from the Full Moon energy and light” and then slowly pass my non-dominant (receiving) hand over the objects.

Where I feel a pull, the answer is “YES” and the object gets a Moon Bath. You could also use your pendulum for the assessment.

UP NEXT:

Part 3, Reflections on the Full Moon in Capricorn: Spellcraft & Ritual

Click HERE to read Part 1: Reflections on the Full Moon in Capricorn…. Yellow Flower Moon? 

sidebar graphics 7If you love working with Mother Earth, following the energies of Grandmother Moon (Seanmháthair Gealach), aligning with the energy of the Celtic Wheel of The Year, or are interested in learning more about this path, you will find great resources – and the opportunity to ask questions, share rituals, and more – in our NEW private Facebook Group, the Wise Woman Bean Gealach Circle. Limited to those who identify as women. For more information about the Circle, CLICK HERE

WP Sidebar graphics-5Connect to your purpose, your medicine, eliminate self-limiting beliefs, and integrate the new wisdom into your life through this unique you-centered blend of shamanic coaching and journeys, energy healing, alchemical healing, Earth Medicine, PSYCH-K® and PER-K® balancing, and six-sensory work. Together we draw on the modalities that best support your journey. Click on the picture for more information or visit our website:  www.innerjourneyevents.com

WP Sidebar graphics, resized to 300 x 213 pxDo you want a better understanding of the Wheel of the Year and how its shifting energies can support your own transformation and growth, support you in aligning with the rhythms of Nature itself? Subscribers receive regular free ebooks and articles, such as Celebrating the Equinox, along with tips for their personal practices, advance notice on free events and webinars, and much much more! 

Reflections on the Full Moon in Capricorn… Yellow Flower Moon?

Posted on by Della Ratcliffe

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Wisdom from Seanmháthair Gealach (Grandmother Moon)
Full Buck Moon in Capricorn arrives on Day 15 of the Lunar Cycle at:
08-July @ 9:06 PM PT
09-July @ 04:06 UTC

Full Buck Moon?

Full Thunder Moon?

What do YOU call the upcoming Full Moon?

I like the idea of creating our own alternate names for the Full Moons, a reflection of what’s happening in our locale… our world… our practices.

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Local Himalayan Blackberry

For July, maybe this will be my Yellow Flower Moon because I’m now foraging for St John’s Wort (finally!!!), wild mustard, agrimony, dandelions, and yarrow… all yellow delights!

Or maybe this is simply the 🌿Herb Moon.

Here in North America, the Full Moon names typically come from our First Nations people. Growing up in Ontario, I knew July as the Full Buck Moon, named by the Algonquin people for the time when a buck’s antlers finish growing and transform from bulbous to pointed, and beginning to harden. To the Tlingit of the Pacific. Northwest, this is the Salmon Moon. To other people, July brings the Full Thunder Moon… very dramatic! And clearly a reminder that with summer heat, we also get storms and dramatic displays of thunder and lightning. I’m hearing of tornado and thunderstorm warnings quite often these days.

According to “the Venerable” Bede (an eighth century English monk and scholar), my British ancestors referred to this month as Mild Month. In their language, that word was Litha (OE Liða). Apparently they referred to both June and July as Litha — the period of warm weather before and after MidSummer, aka Summer Solstice — but they also differentiated between the two by calling June “Before-Mild” (Ærraliða) and July “After-Mild” (Æfteraliða)…. and in some years they even added a third “leap” month, Thriliða, the “Third-Mild.” This is the root of the contemporary pagan term for Summer Solstice. [Click here for additional info on the Anglo-Saxon calendar]

Whatever you call the July Full Moon, this celestial event following Solstice is very powerful. Be sure to pay attention to your energy and what you are manifesting in this Full Moon.

Later today I will post TWO more Reflections from Grandmother Moon to support your Full Moon celebration:

Part 2: Reflection on the Full Moon in Capricorn: Soul Work. Includes reflections on LaLuna’s energies, Soul Questions, tips for your altar, and charging under the Full Moon

Part 3: Reflections on the Full Moon in Capricorn, Spellcraft & Ritual This includes a powerful Goddess rite for the Full Moon

sidebar graphics 7If you love working with Mother Earth, following the energies of Grandmother Moon (Seanmháthair Gealach), aligning with the energy of the Celtic Wheel of The Year, or are interested in learning more about this path, you will find great resources – and the opportunity to ask questions, share rituals, and more – in our NEW private Facebook Group, the Wise Woman Bean Gealach Circle. Limited to those who identify as women. For more information about the Circle, CLICK HERE

WP Sidebar graphics-5Connect to your purpose, your medicine, eliminate self-limiting beliefs, and integrate the new wisdom into your life through this unique you-centered blend of shamanic coaching and journeys, energy healing, alchemical healing, Earth Medicine, PSYCH-K® and PER-K® balancing, and six-sensory work. Together we draw on the modalities that best support your journey. Click on the picture for more information or visit our website:  www.innerjourneyevents.com

WP Sidebar graphics, resized to 300 x 213 pxDo you want a better understanding of the Wheel of the Year and how its shifting energies can support your own transformation and growth, support you in aligning with the rhythms of Nature itself? Subscribers receive regular free ebooks and articles, such as Celebrating the Equinox, along with tips for their personal practices, advance notice on free events and webinars, and much much more! 

Casting with the Moon

Posted on by Della Ratcliffe

IG - Moon Phases (11)

In my Wisdom from Grandmother Moon posts, I often talk about the energies of the Moon, the Soul Questions for the lunar journey, and the Rituals one might use, for instance, at the Waxing Moon or the New Moon, such as releases in the Waning phase and setting goals or intentions or starting new projects in the Waxing phase.

This also true for spellcrafting, also known as magical workings.

There is a “right” time — and perhaps a better way to say it would be that there is an optimal time energetically — to cast certain spells, and even optimal days of the week, times of the day, Moon Mansions and zodiac sign.

But let’s start with spellcrafting by the Moon using the broad basics of waxing and waning energy. That being said, these are only suggested guidelines and other practitioners may do it differently. But keep in mind the concept of alignment… aligning the intention of your spells with LaLuna’s energy … the rising growing energy of the Waxing Phase… the harvesting, releasing, composting energy of the Waning Phase.

🌒 The Waxing Moon
Ideal for new projects, growth, expansion
From the first glimmer of the Waxing Crescent to the Full Moon

🌕 The Full Moon
Ideal for completing, healing, empowering
1-2 days either side of the Full Moon energy

🌘 The Waning Moon
Ideal for releasing, cleansing, banishing, reducing
From the day after the Full Moon to the last glimmer of light of the Waxing Crescent

🌑 The New or Dark Moon
Ideal for divination, personal growth, inner peace
The three-day (or so!) period when there is no illumination seen on the Moon

What would YOU like to learn more about in spellcrafting?

sidebar graphics 7If you love working with Mother Earth, following the energies of Grandmother Moon (Seanmháthair Gealach), aligning with the energy of the Celtic Wheel of The Year, or are interested in learning more about this path, you will find great resources – and the opportunity to ask questions, share rituals, and more – in our NEW private Facebook Group, the Wise Woman Bean Gealach Circle. Limited to those who identify as women. For more information about the Circle, CLICK HERE

WP Sidebar graphics-5Connect to your purpose, your medicine, eliminate self-limiting beliefs, and integrate the new wisdom into your life through this unique you-centered blend of shamanic coaching and journeys, energy healing, alchemical healing, Earth Medicine, PSYCH-K® and PER-K® balancing, and six-sensory work. Together we draw on the modalities that best support your journey. Click on the picture for more information or visit our website:  www.innerjourneyevents.com

WP Sidebar graphics, resized to 300 x 213 pxDo you want a better understanding of the Wheel of the Year and how its shifting energies can support your own transformation and growth, support you in aligning with the rhythms of Nature itself? Subscribers receive regular free ebooks and articles, such as Celebrating the Equinox, along with tips for their personal practices, advance notice on free events and webinars, and much much more! 

The magick in my life

Posted on by Della Ratcliffe


I like to think there is magick in my life.

Everyday.

Everywhere.

And sometimes I use a little spellcraft to manifest my intentions even more, or to create or support the magick.

How do YOU define magick?

The Oxford Dictionary defines magic as “the power of apparently influencing events by using mysterious or supernatural forces.” Hmmm… maybe not so mysterious!

Llewellyn.com includes this definition: “Magic is the art of affecting the manifest through the Unmanifest. The manifest is all that can be seen, touched, perceived, manipulated, imagined, or understood. The Unmanifest is none of these things. It is the place, or rather the non-place, from which everything issues. All that comes into being comes from the Unmanifest. All that passes away goes back to the Unmanifest.” [Source “Truth about Ritual Magic, by Donald Tyson]

But I like this definition, which I read in a post by Allison Carr, defining magick as:

“the ability to intentionally affect change in the world around me.”

Did you ever see that lovely holiday classic film “It’s a Wonderful Life”? Clarence, a guardian angel-in-training, gives a precious gift to George Bailey on the bleakest night of his life: a glimpse into what the world would have been without him, and how much he had changed the lives of those around him just by being his authentic Self.

George didn’t recognize his personal magick until his guardian angel showed it to him.

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Closing scene from “It’s A Wonderful Life”, 1946

So even though you may not always be aware of how you are changing the world around you with your personal magick, know that your energy and your intentions can bring positive — and lasting — effects.

You are truly a gift.

You are magick.

What magick do you see around you?

What magick do you intentionally create in your life?

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