Greek Mythology: Zeus

Zeus is the youngest son of Rhea and Cronus...
He was the Greek God of the Sky, and the King of the Gods...

Symbols: Eagle, Bull, Oak Tree, Thunderbolts, Olive Tree

How Zeus ended the cycle of Children overthrowing their fathers: The story of Metis & Zeus
Metis was the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys and was Zeus' first wife. When she got pregnant Zeus feared the cycle of children overthrowing their fathers would repeat. So to end the cycle he swallowed Metis instead of just the child... When Metis gave birth it was inside Zeus began to have a "splitting headache" and Athena to spare you the details was born out of Zeus' head. (Making Athena one of the only Goddesses to be considered wise and not driven by the irrational emotion that most women are driven by) and by giving birth to Athena ended the cycle of mother allegiances killing the father... By this time Zeus had remarried to Hera and Hera was angry that Zeus had a child "without the need of a woman" and decided to have her own child by herself... Hephaestus (who I will talk about in a different post)...

www.crystalinks.com/zeus.html

*really don't like the cherubs in this picture I'll explain later... but this is a famous painting of Zeus and Hera... despite what others may post it as... you can tell by the eagle under Zeus' feet (one of his symbols) and the peacock behind Hera (one of her symbols)...

Zeus had many children with many different people... Some of them were:
(First Wife Titan) Metis: Athena
(Goddess) Demeter: Persephone
(Titan) Leto: Artemis and Apollo
(Titan) Mnemosyne: The Muses
(Titan) Themis: the Seasons and the Fates
(Oceanid) Eurynome: the Graces
(Goddess) Maia: Hermes
(Goddess) (Wife) Hera: Hebe (Youth), Eileithyia (Childbirth), Ares (Offensive War and Bloodlust *and yes there is a reason for the distinction)
(Goddess) Nemesis: Helen (of Troy)
(Mortal) Alcmene: Heracles (Demi-God)
(Moral) Danae: Perseus (Demi-God)
(Mortal) Semele: Dionysus (God)
(Mortal) Europa: Minos

Zeus and one of his Consorts... can you see jealous Hera in the upper left corner?

If there was one thing Zeus was very known for besides his affairs it was his punishments:
I have already posted about Prometheus...
There was also though Tantalus who killed his son as a sacrifice (food) for the gods: He was charged to be in Tartarus for all eternity having food and drink just out of his reach... what does his name sound like I wonder... lol
King Salmoneus made his subjects worship him as Zeus: He was condemned to riding around in a bronze chariot loudly imitating thunder...

Greek Mythology: Prometheus and Man

Prometheus was a titan god of forethought... When you read Hesiod Prometheus is really the Hero to Man who he created. Problems for Prometheus started when he played a trick on Zeus... when he placed 2 sacrificial offerings for the Olympians 1 being beef hidden in the stomach of an ox... the 2nd bull bones covered in fat... Zeus chooses the 2nd and from then on humans would keep the meat for themselves and burn the bones wrapped in fat for the gods. This angered Zeus and to take revenge on mankind he took fire away.

Prometheus tortured by the eagle by Christian Griepenkerl (1839-1916)

Feeling sympathy for humanity Prometheus stole fire and hid it in a Fennel stalk and gave the gift of fire back to humans.... which further angered Zeus punishing both Prometheus and Man... Zeus had Hephaestus make Pandora the first woman out of clay... and her story speaks for itself when it comes to how humanity was punished (and no Pandora did not have a box it was a jar). Prometheus however was chained to a rock and his liver was eaten out daily by an eagle (a symbol of Zeus)... then during the night due to his immortality his liver would regrow only to have the cycle repeat the next day... This continued till he was freed by Hercules (but thats another complete story within itself)

Tools of the Magickal Trade: Wands, Chalice, Bell, Pentacle and Censer

Okay so I am going to power throw the last 5 of the tools...

First is wands is connected to the element of Air and the Gods. There are a lot of particulars that authors talk about when it comes to how you find your wand to the wand length but I again think its up to the person using it... I never could find a wooden wand that felt right so I use small stone wands instead. I'm sure if the right one comes around I will get a wooden wand but this is a tool I really struggle with personally. Even though I was given a beautiful wand made out of a rose bush. The wand can be used to draw symbols in the ground, draw power in and create circles even mix your cauldron. Again I don't do this personally but are things you can do.

Chalice: I waited a long time to buy a really nice hand made one but before that I just used a wine glass... A chalice can be made of almost any substance just make sure that it is not toxic and safe to drink out of... and keep it separate from other regular glassware. A symbol of the goddess and fertility and connected to the element of Water.

Bell: It doesn't have to be a bell... the idea is the sound... many use a drum for example. The bell rings send out vibrations that are often sounded that ward off evil or negativity and signal certain sections of a ritual. It is another symbol of female aspects.

Pentacle: Obviously the symbol of all the Elements but also of Earth because most Altar Pentacles are made of stone, wood, or metal.

Last is the Censer: Obviously connected with Fire. A censer is a fire safe container that you burn incense in... it can be filled with either sand or salt that disperses the heat. The incense can be in many forms cones, sticks, or loose raw. Make sure when you burn things that you check if the item your burning might be poisonous.

Greek Mythology: The Fall of the Titans (part 2)

The Titan Themis and her son Prometheus side with Zeus. The war between the Titans and the Olympians lasted 10 long years. At the very end of the war the Titans sent out Typhon who was a terrible beast. Typhon was fathered by Tartarus and Gaia known as the "father of all monsters" with his wife Echidna. He was said to have the upper body of a man... lower body of a great serpent dragons for each finger and wings... he was said to be taller then the sky...

www.theoi.com/Gigante/Typhoeus.html

Eventually the Olympians win and the 3 brothers divide the realms Hades is the oldest male heir and claims the birth right of the oldest male to rule the heavens but Zeus argues against it saying that he is the one that freed the others and they all agree to "draw lots" kinda like the shortest straw loses.... Well we all know who lost. Zeus was given the Heavens, Poseidon the Seas, and Hades against his birth right was given the dreaded Underworld.

Yet again the Cyclopes and the Hecatonchires (Hundred-handed Giants) were imprisoned in Tartarus... even though they helped the Olympians. As for the Titans that fought against the Olympians... were punished. Some were sent to Tartarus and others who were particularly against the Olympians were selected for special punishments.

Ex. Atlas was forced to hold up the Earth for all eternity.

Tools of the Magickal Trade: Athame and Bolline

You read a lot of restrictions in books when authors describe tools for magickal uses... In Wicca especially Athames can only be dull black handled doubled edged knifes that have a blade 9 inches long... This is simply not true... That is according to that author when it comes to tools follow your gut is my advise.

The Athame is a knife that usually has a dark or black handle, and is only a ritual tool. According to Scott Cunningham this is due to the fact that black absorbs energy.The Athame is usually dull and is not used for cutting anything physical it is a double edged knife. It is connected to the element of Fire and is a viewed as a phallic symbol connected it more with the God aspect then the the Goddess. Some use a sword instead of this tool but that would have to be used if a lot of space is in your working area.

On the other hand the Bolline is usually the white handled knife and is sharp and is more practical. It is used to inscribe, cut things such as herbs, cords and wax.

Personally this is probably some of my favorite tools. Yet none of them follow the standards that I read in books. I prize the knifes my 2 Athames and my Bolline. I use them for many purposes during rituals and spell work. I have 1 small Athame that is made out of metal that I have had for years. Then I got another 1 recently made out of Wood. Then my Bolline is a small wooden handled  knife with a metal blade.

Cherry Wood handle and Maple Wood Hilt

Other side is my name in Runes

You couldn't cut paper with this... lol

The top is a crescent moon

It took me a while to find a Bolline that I really like and though it says that your Athame has to have a Black handle and your Bolline a white one. I don't necessary believe that to be a rule but a guideline... Especially for beginners in the craft it helps but if you find an Athame or Bolline that you connect to you but the it doesn't have the "appropriate" color handle there are things you can do to make it work... Like tying a ribbon around the hilt. So the most important thing first is to find one that you are connected to.

In my opinion the standards that authors give to readers about what their tools should be should not be taken as the end all be all. It is not mandatory what they tell you they are simply giving what they do and as you grow in the path you have chosen or are making for yourself keep in mind that you are given the opinions of others and that it up to you to twist and mold it to what works for you.

Greek Mythology: The Fall of the Titans (part 1)

 Zeus ...
Zeus grew up preparing to overthrow his father Cronus. Gaia gave a "poison" to Zeus when he was ready to finally go through to overthrow Cronus. Zeus slipped it into his drink and Cronus became very sick and regurgitated all of his 5 children first came the rock that he had swallowed and the children followed in reverse order Hestia being the last to be expelled becoming the first and the last born of the Olympians... (lol fun fact)...

Lol... its kinda hard to explain

Zeus then freed the rest of Gaia's "monster" children and in exchange that they would help his against the Titans but the Cyclops went even further in giving Zeus the gift of thunder bolts, Hades the Helm of Darkness (makes the wearer invisible), and Poseidon a Trident.

Greek Mythology: The Reign of the Titans

The 12 major Titans
Hyperion:  God of light. With Theia he is the father of Helios (the sun), Selene (the moon) and Eos (the dawn).
Iapetos: God of mortality and father of Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Atlas.
Koios: God of intellect and the axis of heavens around which the constellations revolved.
Krios: The father of Astraios, Pallas, and Perses.
Cronus: The leader of the Titans he is the father of the first Olympians... and the Titan God of Time
Mnemosyne: Goddess of memory and remembrance and the mother of the Nine Muses.
Okeanos: God of the "Earth-encircling" river Okeanos, the font of all the Earth's fresh-water.
Phoebe: Goddess ofthe "bright" intellect and prophecy and wife of Koios.
Rhea: Goddess of female fertility, motherhood and generation. Sister and Wife of Cronus and Mother of Hestia, Hades, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, Zeus.
Tethys: Wife of Okeanos and the mother of the rivers, springs, streams, fountains, and clouds.
Theia: Goddess of sight and the shining light of the clear blue sky. Wife of Hyperion and mother of Helios, Selene, and Eos.
Themis: Goddess of divine law and order.

Rhea and Cronus

Other Titans:
Asteria: Goddess of nocturnal oracles and fallings stars. Mother of Hecate.
Atlas: Son of Iapetus condemned to carry the heavens upon his shoulders.
Eos: Goddess of the dawn
Helios: God of the sun and guardian of oaths
Leto: Goddess of motherhood and mother of Artemis and Apollo
Metis: Goddess of good counsel, advise, planning, cunning, craftiness and wisdom... her story is very interesting and I will definitely be posting it in a different blog.
Perses: God of destruction
Prometheus: God of forethought and crafty counsel and creator of mankind.
Selene: Goddess of the moon
Styx: Goddess of the Underworld river Styx and personification of hatred.

Selene

..................

After Cronus overthrew his father Ouranos Cronus took power and decided to lock up all the "monsters" (all of Gaia's children who were not Titans) in Tartarus... Then Cronus married his sister Rhea... After a while though Cronus started to fear that his children would overthrow him as he overthrew his own father... but Rhea wanted children. Cronus could not have it so he came up with a solution... every time she gave birth he would swallow them. So she eventually gives birth 5 times and each time he would swallow them... but on the 6th pregnancy she talked to her mother Gaia and when she gave birth she hid her son (Zeus) in a cave on the island of Crete... and disguised a rock in a bundle of blankets and Cronus thought that was the end of the problem

Greek Mythology: Gaia and Ouranos (reading discretion advised)

(this post may not be acceptable for all readers)
Please Read my "Reading Between the Lines of Mythology: Greek" Post First


Gaia was the Greek Goddess Mother Earth

She had 3 children by herself Pontus (sea), Ourea (mountains) and Ouranos (sky).
She then started having children with her son Ouranos and...
They have many children together including Ash Tree Nymphs, Cyclopes, hundred-handed Giants, and the Titans...

The Fall of Ouranos
Ouranos (sky) was horrified by the children that he had produced with Gaia (incest what did you really expect) he feared he would be overthrown by these monsters and tried to put them back from whence they came... literally putting them back into her womb... i will leave that to your imagination...
Gaia "goes inside herself" and gives her son Cronos, the oldest of the Titans a scythe and when Ouranos was sleeping Cronos uses the scythe...


Now here is where it gets a bit graphic ...

and cuts off Ouranos' genitalia and it falls into the sea from the blood sprung the Furies and from the "sea foam"' came Aphrodite. (therefore becoming the first God to give birth without a female...

pictures from:
http://www.milica.com.au/greek_myths/creation/uran.htm
http://club.ados.fr/heryn-amlug/galerie-couples-1997/photo/gaia-ouranos-ketka-165453.html#photo-165453-fac-jpg

Greek Mythology: The Beginning (part 1)

The Ancient Greeks believed that in the Beginning there was only Chaos. It was nothing and yet everything genderless... there was no earth no stars no gods and no humans and...

well already there is discrepancies Hesiod tells us that from chaos came the first god ever to exist: Eros God of Love... now I believe this when it comes to the reasons why they say he is the first God and that is Eros was the Greek God of Desire, Will, Love, Sexual love, Passion etc. and without desire there is no will to create anything else... so effectively without that desire there is nothing.

The other gods that came out of Chaos were: Tartarus (the Abyss of the Underworld), Gaia (Earth), Erebus (Darkness) and Nyx (Night)

Gaia

Reading Between the Lines of Mythology: Greek

Lets talk about the Greeks mythology... there are so many versions of the same stories its hard to tell what way is up... I have read many authors from the classics of Hesiod and Ovid to Edith Hamilton and the details seem to get screwed in many different directions and a lot is left to the readers but on the other hand there are certain parts and details that ALWAYS stay the same... I have read and taken great interest in the Greek myths for a number of reasons...
The stories are so memorable for one the names have lived on for so long and most know at least the basic outline of the Greek myths....
The characters in the myths themselves are so dynamic and easy to relate to no matter if you agree with their actions or not..

I want to do a series on Gods and Goddesses first on the Greeks I am mostly going to be focusing on the Gods themselves but also throw in some of my favorite myths and see where it goes... I have to give a little warning however, I will be giving the facts that the myths provide but also my opinions and interpretation of many ideas and details in the myths... basically reading between the lines.

I will try and keep most of these in Chronological order... and most of my interpretations are going to come from the works of Hesiod and Ovid plus what I have learned through class and my own research

I must give a warning however to those of you who read these Greek Mythology posts if you are uncomfortable or offended by concepts such as violence, incest, sex, rape, body parts getting cut off, gore, homosexuality etc. I do not suggest that you read these posts due to the fact that these concepts frequently come up in Greek Mythology.

Tools of the Magickal Trade: Cauldron

Cauldrons are a feminine tool and associated with the element of water...most are made out of metal. Some ways that the Cauldron is used:
Scrying in Water
Holding Energy: The bigger the cauldron, the more energy you’ll be able to hold.
Symbolic of fertility
Letting things burn such as paper
Burning Cauldron Splashes

Elementally:
Earth:
Layer salt, wax shavings, three powdered or ground herbs, lighter fluid and ivy leaves in the cauldron while focus and chanting. Use a candle to light it. When the smoke starts to roll, extinguish the cauldron by putting the lid on.
Air:
Using tongs, put a chunk of dry ice is a small glass or ceramic bowl and place the bowl on a cloth in the bottom of the cauldron. Allow the cauldron to smoke as long as the ice lasts. The mists create excellent images for scrying.
Fire:
Cover the inside bottom with dirt or sand to dissipate heat. Light incense charcoal and add either salt-peter for flame and spark or flash powder for a different but spectacular effect. To assist in releasing or firing off peak energy, try using flash "bombs". Make a small pocket in a piece of flash paper, fill with flash powder and tie with thread. The "bomb" should be about the size of your smallest fingernail. The results are spectacularly bright, so use the powder sparingly. Don't look directly at the flash as you drop the "bomb" in the cauldron.
Water:
At least seven days before the ritual, place equal quantities of three appropriate herbs in a pint glass jar. Fill the rest of the jar with Everclear (200 proof alcohol), cap tightly, and shake gently while concentrating on the purpose of the ritual. Add a chant if its feels right. Let the jar rest in a dark, warm spot and shake twice daily, charging with purpose. Before the ritual, place a fireproof ceramic or glass bowl in the cauldron. Pour in the herb mixture, being careful none spills into the cauldron. Light with a candle to produce a beautiful blue flame.

Care: Make sure that you clean your cauldron after every use... it is so important especially cast iron...

Personally:
The tool I have been using this tool a lot lately... I own 2 and neither are used for food the first one I ever owned is a smaller cast iron with a pentacle and then the one a bought most recently is a larger cast iron...

it depends on what I want to use the cauldron for when i choose which one i use... mostly though I use the smaller caldron for burning scrolls and the larger one i use for cauldron splashes because its safer when its splash is burning...

Some info taken from http://www.witchway.net/ritual/cauldr.html

Added comments:
It can also be used for cooking keep this one separate from the others that you use though. A tool that is a symbol of transformation and of the Goddess being the "essence of femininity and fertility" according to Scott Cunningham "reincarnation, immortality, inspiration"

Stagnant Energy

This is in my opinion the worst energy to have around... Around you and your house. I use to keep everything when I was young and later I realized what I was doing and I started coaching myself in stopping and getting rid of everything I didn't need or really want...

I read a book recently and it was mostly talking about the stagnant energy in your home and ways of fixing it. A list of things to consider when you are going through things to get rid of or keep...

Getting the stagnant energy out of your home lightens up the house, and the people that live there it feels incredibly freeing. It helps with depression and lack of energy.

The book is called Magical Housekeeping by Tess Whitehurst

Cauldron Splash Recipes: Abundance and Luck

 So I have been experimenting with Cauldron Splashes and here are the recipes I gave out at last Thursday's meeting

Abundance:
Fill container 3/4 the way for rubbing alcohol 70%
Fill container 1/4 the way with another alcohol (vodka works best)
2 drops of green food coloring
3 drops Bergamot Oil
3 pinches of Chamomile herb
4 pinches of Cinnamon herb
4 pinches of Clove herb

last night i added 10 drops of prosperity oil which I'll give the recipe for later

Luck:
1/2 filled with rubbing alcohol 70%
1/2 filled with another alcohol (vodka works best)
3 drops of Mandarin oil
a pinch of rose petals
3 pinches of heather
a pinch or 2 of Hazel

Now remember what you do with the  cauldron splash is after you create your splash you let it sit in a cool dark place in a sealed container for about a week to 2 weeks and then you put it in a fire safe container to burn... lite and let burn like an incense when you do a spell it has the same effect as candle or oil...it amplifies the spell

Tools of the Magickal Trade: Candle Snuffer?

Why do Witches use candle snuffers....

There are many reasons today when you look in your witchy books that the say to pinch out the flame or use a candle snuffer. I always wondered why obviously not being born and raised in this path why they did this. Well after I did research I found that the reason why is that for one it is disrespectful to the element of fire and also that the magickal working that you have used the candle for the energies get dispersed. So for me I don't find the pinch method good just because if the candle is in a jar for example how do you get your hand down the glass to pinch it out without burning yourself. A candle snuffer is inexpensive you don't need a fancy one and its not one of those objects like an wand where it should have such a deep connection with you...

Tools of the Magickal Trade: Materials of Tools

Okay so I love this topic because I find it present in my path. When a type of material works REALLY WELL for you and when another material works horribly. For example I am very attracted to and work well with stone but when it comes to tools made out of wood I have to be EXTREMELY cautious. There are many types of tools and almost equally the amount of materials those tools are made out of... why the hell is it important what material a tool is made out of? An Athema is not going to be the same for you if it is made out of metal or wood for example... and even when it comes to wooden tools if you feel a connection with Oak and not to Ceder DO NOT BY A CEDER JUST BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE OAK. You have to be patient and the pay off will be so great when you do find that tool.

Test things out and realize look and reflect on the items that you are attracted to even if you didn't know it at first there will be a pattern. I thought that I had no connection or really good energy with any wooden tools because all my tools ended up being other things. The one time I did give in and tried a wooden wand it failed miserably. It didn't feel right it felt awkward it just was blehh... so i stopped even trying and that's when I found an athema made out of maple and cherry wood... and all of a sudden I am really attracted to all of these things made out of maple wood... It really made sense after a while it was always my favorite tree in meditations it had always been a maple tree that I visualized...

but again its different for everyone when in doubt hold the item for a while but for me I find myself first visually attracted to the item and then when I hold it and I can feel the energy and that's when I am usually sold on an item... but there are sooo many options out there in this product filled world so if you don't like stone the item is probably made in a different material somewhere and you will find one that works for you...

Some of the more common materials are:
Wood
Stone
Gem
Metal
but within these categories there are so many options as well...

Tools of the Magickal Trade: Intro

Okay I am going to be creating a little mini series called Tools of the Magickal Trade. My practice is constantly evolving I have bought tools over the years that I still use today. On the other hand there are tools that many believe to be essential and I do not have them. I view tools as personal and individual as ones practice in paganism. This series will be a lot of my interpretation, personal experience and information I use as well as what I have read.

First a couple notes about tools in general:

I have the belief if you don't connect with a particular tool you shouldn't buy one just to have one... It's a waste of money and also wait for a particular tool you connect with... don't just pick the first wand you see. A lot of the time I will first be visually attracted to a particular tool then I will ask to hold the item, and feel the energy in the tool and how it reacts to my touch. This might sound like a strange analogy but if you have seen or read the Harry Potter series they talk a lot about the idea of "the wand chooses the Wizard" and in a sense I think that is true for the tools we use. It is energy that a tool gives off as well as what feels good and comfortable for the user. Using the tool will not have the same affect if you use one that you do connect with compared to one you don't. There are tools that you will not connect to and you find different ways of doing things...

And PLEASE NOTE: The price of the item does not determine how well it works... SO many pagans get their items from thrift stores. Some of my favorite items are on the cheaper side... don't get me wrong the pretty ornate tools are gorgeous but its not NECESSARY... my suggestion is wait till you know the tool works for you before going out and buying the expensive version of that tool...

Scary Accurate Runes

OMG! okay so I haven't picked up any divination tools in a while but last week a friend of mine had me do an oracle card reading for myself and I got a pretty interesting card... okay so 2 days later I go to a class at a local pagan supply store on Runes and I brought my set... well in this class we had partners and we had to read Runes for them and they had to read Runes for us. Now that we are done with the boring explanation... I can not believe the Rune reading I got and how it correlates with my life right now and the future (i think) also how it connects to the Oracle card reading I got 2 days before that...

So message today is RUNES WORK! and if your not prepared when you have a reading of any kind whether it be tarot or runes or anything else... you better get prepared because the message they give you can be so helpful, instructive, or revealing...

For those of you that have never tried any divination tool... I really suggest that you try it sometime.

Magic vs. Magick?

Okay so when I was typing my last blog I was having a real struggle I noticed between the spelling of the word magic and magick. Now there is a lot of controversy about this spelling thing. So people care some people really don't.
The spelling change happened when (I believe) a man named Aleister Crowley chose the spelling to distinguish between "stage magic" and "energy manipulation magick". Many new agers like the difference because k is also the 13th letter in the alphabet. Which is a lucky and powerful number for us pagans.

Now do I make a BIG deal about the spelling of the word... the answer is no. If an author writes it one way and another author decides to use the opposite spelling I will not favor one author over the other. Personally I like to make that distinction especially in writing and use "magick" just so everyone isn't confusing it with stage magic... but that is just me...

What do you think?

Lily's List of Recommeded Reading

lol (I like the title of this one).... okay so here it goes, of what books I have read these are the books that I have liked the most... these books do not all fall under the same sect of paganism but I love all of them and since I am eclectic it works for me... I do have them sorted MOSTLY on the subject matter though so its a little easier to read... I also will give a list of my favorite authors yay!

Let me start off by saying:
Obviously Scott Cunningham is an author everyone loves and you always have people recommending his Solitary Practitioners Guide as well as Living Wicca. For new pagans I do recommend especially the Living Wicca book however, I do disagree with a few things when it comes to some of the details in the book... but I believe that's do to my own personal believes and things I have learned later on...
That being said I believe that a good author to being with besides Cunningham is Kate West.

Favorite Authors
Kate West: All the books I have read so far have been great
D.J. Conway: I only really like her books on dragons though she has books on different subject matter
Scott Cunningham: Even though I don't agree with EVERYTHING he writes I think he was so influential for the pagan community and Wicca...
Ted Andrews: I really like his writing style and the content is really good

 Starter books:

The Real Witches' Handbook by Kate West
Earth Power by Scott Cunningham
Earth, Air, Fire & Water by Scott Cunningham
The Real Witches' Book of Spells and Rituals by Kate West
The Real Witches' Kitchen by Kate West
Living Wicca (For those interested in Wicca) by Scott Cunningham

Reference Books:
The Complete Book of Incense, Oils, and Brews by Scott Cunningham
The Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham
The Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem and Metals by Scott Cunningham
The Crystal Bible

Runes:
The Little Giant Encyclopedia of Runes by Sirona Knight
Nordic Runes by Paul Rhys Mountfort

Zodiac
Sun & Moon signs by Julia & Derek Parker (they also have individual books on each of the zodiac I chose to get the big book...)
The Little Giant Encyclopedia of the Zodiac by The Diagram Group

For the family:
The Family Wicca Book by Ashleen O'Gaea
Circle Round by Starhawk, Diane Baker, and Anne Hill (Normally I would not recommend Starhawk and many people get mad at that idea but I find her information very dry and hard to read but this one I think is great for families)

Misc:
Modern Magick by Donald Michael Kraig
The Magickal name by Ted Andrews
Dancing With Dragons by D.J. Conway
Animal Speak by Ted Andrews

I have read a lot of books yet there are still so many I haven't read that are even in my own library just haven't had the time recently to read them... but I see time opening up and I hope to be adding to this list soon...

Getting an affordable BOS

I've had a few books that I started but I have always lost heart in completing one. From 3 ring binders to leather bound journals. However a few months ago I decided ti really commit to a BOS. I've had issues with this before because the binders I never could really connect to and the leather bound journals if you made a mistake or wanted to switch things around it was too late...
OH and one other thing a nice Book of Shadows is SOOO incredibly expensive! The ones I have liked have been upwards of 250$.

PLEASE NOTE: no one is paying me to promote anyone... I only promote people that I have bought from and had a good experience with...

But I have found a beautiful solution... I have found an artist based out in Wisconsin and she also sells premade or custom BOS. I got mine custom done for I believe 125$!!! The cover has her artwork on it has colored ribbons as markers... and hand stained paper... now with the problem I had with not being able to move pages around that is fixed it has 3 metal rods that can be screwed out and so you can be moved around.  The process of having the book made was really nice... the artist is very nice and answers questions quickly. If you do get a custom book you get to pick the color of the paper used on the book as well as the piece of art on the book from her collection (or get a custom piece of art for a price) then you get to pick the color of the satin and organza ribbons...

You can contact her either at mysticmoonmedia.com or http://www.etsy.com/shop/mysticmoonmedia

This is mine...

Tattoos and Tattoo Artists

Tattoos: My personal opinion is that it is a beautiful form of expression, capture the way you feel, remember someone or something important in your life, and a gorgeous art form.

Now that we got that said and done... I want to talk about the importance of finding the right tattoo artist. There is so many tattoo artists out there but not a great number of good or great ones. It is so important to find a tattoo artist whos art you appreciate and the tattoo artist that actually cares about the art and the person they are tattooing. From personal experience I have had both and I can confidently say just because they can trace and put ink under your skin does not give the same feeling or experience as you will get when the artist actually cares.

Onto current events lol... I used to have a skeleton key on my ankle and it was great in symbolism for me but the experience with the tattoo artist he didn't care or even try in anyway to get it past what concept i had in my head... it was the first tattoo I ever got I didn't have any idea about the tattoo process and if I didn't know it was more about the artist then tattoos in general it would have been a bad stopping point when it came to all the tattoos I want in the future.

So yesterday I got a cover-up tattoo over the first one, and found a great artist to do the tattoo... I got Hermes Wings but not the cute angel type wings you always see... Hermes was an inventor and built his winged-sandals and they were very mechanical so I took that idea instead of the traditional look... and here it is... YAY!

Cauldron Splashes

So I have wanted to do this for a while, and while talking about it to a few witchy friends I noticed not everyone has heard of this concoction. I have seen it done a few times and think it is AWESOME. Its called a cauldron splash... and its basically an rubbing alcohol based witchy item that you pour into your cauldron (not too much mind and you light it on fire... sounds fun right... well its a little more then that it can be used kinda like a oil, candle or scroll magick kind of deal but its a type of incense where the cauldron splash a bunch of herbs stone chips and whatever else... kinda looks like a oil with all the fun stuff floating inside but instead of jojoba or whichever oil base you use it is mostly alcohol based and obviously people can play around with it.
I have a bunch of websites for examples... so if your interested you can take a look...

videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq1e6KhkUbU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-kiaxm3lbM

ingredient breakdown
http://bubblingcauldron.blogsome.com/2005/06/12/violet-rose-splash/
http://kallistasmagicks.blogspot.com/2011/01/cauldron-magic.html
http://broomclosetconfessions.blogspot.com/2010/11/herbal-cauldron-splash.html

sellers
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SpelledWithaW?ref=seller_info

Coffin Cookies

 The reason they are called coffin cookies is I used coffin shaped cookie cutters...lol

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 8 Minutes
Ready In: 2 Hours 25 Minutes

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4-1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup (ish) granulated sugar for decoration
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, milk and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs and stir in the vanilla extract. Combine the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar; blend into the creamed mixture. Cover and chill for at least two hours. (Note: I divided my dough into 4 parts on a cookie sheet and chilled them)  2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Divide the dough into two parts. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece of the dough out to 3/16 inch in thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 1/2 inches apart onto greased cookie sheets. Sprinkle cookies with plain or colored granulated sugar. 3. Bake for 8 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Little Witchy Wonders and more...

My name is Lily I am a college student from AZ studying History and Photography. I am an Eclectic Pagan and Witch. I have been studying this path for the last 8 years and have loved where it has taken me. I love to travel and have been to a few countries, yet I find it interesting that I haven't been to a large number of the states. My loves in life our my spirituality, European and Egyptian History as well as Photography.


Why I chose Little Witchy Wonders? I find that so many things in Paganism and Witchcraft to be incredibly eye opening. Like wonders of the world also the idea of Wonderland which always intrigued me the interesting and the surreal. The "witchy" part I believe is kinda obvious being the nature of what my blogs are going to be about.

This blog is for expressing myself, my opinions, and also my
successes and failures that happen along this journey as well as other things that come up along the way. On that note: I am no expert the information, advice, and opinions are from my personal experiences and may not work the same for others and are not telling others what to believe or think.