Mabon

Today we celebrate Mabon, also referred to as the Autumn Equinox, the second harvest and pagan thanksgiving among others.
Like Ostara, it is once again a time of balance, when the day and night are of equal length, but this time the darkness grows as Winter approaches.

On Mabon we give thanks for the bounty we have received, in all aspects. We strive for balance in our lives, and to set things right. Now is the time to tie up loose ends; completing unfinished tasks before Samhain and the winter months.

Mabon Activities: Celebration of the Second Harvest, Thanksgiving, Complete unfinished business, De-clutter your environment, Walking in wild places, Gathering leaves, seeds etc to decorate your home and/or altar.

Workings/Rituals: Balance, Protection, Gratitude, Prosperity, Security, Self confidence, Harmony, the Mysteries, Equality

Colors: Dark red, Orange, Yellow, Gold, Brown, Purple, Forest and Earth tones

Decorations: Cornucopia (Horn of Plenty), Dried leaves, seeds & flowers, Vines such as Ivy, Apples, Pomegranates, Acorns, Indian corn, Wine, Gourds, Pine cones, Grains, Grapes

Food: Breads, Grains, Seeds, Nuts, Dried fruit, Legumes, Corn and corn bread, Squash, Apples and cider, Pomegranates, Roots, Carrots, Onions, Potatoes, Stews, Wine

Incense: Benzoin, Myrrh, Sage, Pine

Gemstones: Carnelian, Sapphire, Lapis lazuli, Yellow agate

Merry Mabon!
~City

Full Moon

The Full Moon phase is actually 3 days; the day before, the day of and the day after the actual Full Moon. The Moon's power is at its peak and any spell work done at this time will get an extra boost.

Magick for any purpose can be done during the Full Moon but workings for: Beauty, Blessings, Divination, Fertility, Happiness, House blessings, Inspiration, Intuition, Judgement, Love magick, Lunar goddess invocations, Obtaining, Omens, Power, Prophetic dreams, Psychic powers, Shapeshifting, Spirit conjuration, Transformations, Unions, Wisdom and Wishes will especially benefit from this Moon's energy.

Happy Casting!

~City

Harvest Moon

Harvest Moon September 4

September is a month normally centered around the home and a time to prepare your space for the coming fall and winter. The Harvest Moon itself was traditionally a time for farmers to gather the remaining crops before the cold. The light of the full moon allowed them to harvest long into the night.
In modern day with our advanced technology and lights, this Full Moon has become more of a time to clear clutter (Both physical and otherwise) and organize your space before having to spend most of your time indoors.

Harvest Moon Correspondences:

* Colors: Brown, green, earth tones

* Gemstones: Citrine, Chrysolite, Peridot, Bloodstone, Olivine

* Trees: Bay, Hawthorn, Hazel

* Deities: Demeter, Brigid, Freya, Vesta, Hestia

* Herbs: Wheat, Valerian, Witch Hazel, Skullcap, Fennel, Rye

* Element: Earth

* Nature Spirits: Trooping Faeries

* Workings for: Balance, Cleansing, Removing negativity and all clutter (physical, mental, emotional and spiritual), Creating change

* Activities: Picnic with lots of locally grown fruits and vegetables, Cleaning, Organizing, Magick up your living space (ie, create a kitchen altar)

Have fun and Bright Blessings!
~City

Every Day Magick

Incorporating Magick and Spritiuality into Daily Life

The rat race: We know it well. Between 9-5, housecleaning, grocery shopping, children, spouses, errands, appointments, pets and our own needs somewhere in there, where does a Witch find the time to feed his/her spirit or practice magick?

Kitchen Witch may mean different things to different people but to me it means incorporating, not separating, magick and spirituality into daily life and not requiring fancy tools or equipment to work magick.

I admit it's very easy for spiritual practice to fall by the wayside when life gets hectic but being Witchy doesn't have to take up a lot of extra time or money. Simply changing the way you approach daily tasks can make all the difference. Almost every situation in life can be suited to a magickal purpose. Do everything with intent.

~Keep a list of herbs/foods and their magickal properties on the inside of a cupboard door. When using the ingredients, charge them with a magickal purpose.
*Refer to the Basil post for cooking with magickally empowered herbs.

~Say a silent blessing before eating.

~Cleaning is obviously cleansing and can be used to remove negativity as well as dirt. Visualize white, sparkling light when washing the floor, windows etc. Visualize negativity flowing down the drain when you are finished the dishes.

~If you make your own household cleansers, put magickally charged herbs in the mixture.

~Sprinkle basil charged with removing negativity on your floor or carpet before sweeping/vacuuming.

~When driving or walking, use that opportunity to move toward a goal.

~Smudge your living space with sweet grass, sage, or another favorite dried herb/incense to remove negativity.

~Keep your space as clean as possible. Clutter breeds negativity and who feels like working magick when there's a pile of dishes waiting?

~Using the bathroom is good for removing negativity or something you want out of your life.

~Practice being in the moment. This is hard for a lot of people. Try NOT to multi task sometimes; instead focusing solely on every nuance of what you are doing at that time. If you are eating, notice how the food looks, how it smells, how it feels, tastes, etc. Try doing this for the entire meal. If you are walking somewhere, pay attention to the sound of your feet on the sidewalk, the feel of the ground beneath your feet, the feel of your legs moving, the feel of your clothing, the breeze on your skin, the sun on your face -- you get the idea. This really helps people to focus and comes in handy magickally as well.

Any other ideas for living magickally every day? I would love to hear them!
Please comment at the end of this post or visit the City Kitchen Witch page on Facebook.

Bright Blessings!
~City

Moon in Gemini

From August 15 - August 17 at 2:19 p.m. EST the Moon is visiting Gemini.

Now is a good time for magick involving Communication, Change of residence, Writing, Public relations, Travel and Healing for the shoulders, arms and hands. The corresponding color is mauve and the nature spirits of Gemini are the airy Sylphs.

Happy Casting!
~

Totem Animals

I always thought my totem animal was the butterfly because they are my favorite but lately I have come to realize that my current totem is the one creature I really don't like: The spider.

I have always been afraid of spiders. Rationally I know they're relatively harmless - nature's creatures, yadda, yadda - but they still give me the heebie jeebies. I never would have chosen the spider for myself but we know how the Universe works!

You will have more than one totem through out your life. Your totems will most likely change as the lessons you need to learn in life change.

After a few too many strange encounters I started to pay attention and got the feeling the Universe was telling me something. Keep in mind this is the Reader's Digest version because I will be here all night. There are too many to list and I see at least one spider every day even though I live in the city.

Last week, I had just arrived at work and sat down when I saw a tiny spider descend on its silk string, floating down, down, down, to land right in front of me. The timing was perfect. If I had arrived just 30 seconds later I would have missed it. And why my desk? Why not Steve's?

An egg sac in a web hatched on the bottom of my screen door when I went out for a cigarette and we had hundreds of spider babies all over the place. Almost like it waited for me to go outside to witness nature in all its creepy glory. More likely the door closing triggered it but still, perfect timing. Thank goodness I don't smoke anymore!

A couple of times using the bathroom at work, a movement caught my eye and I noticed a spider crawling on the bathroom floor, under MY stall door when there are 5 others it could have visited.

Leaving the laundry room I saw a fly which I manoeuvred around but for some reason I looked back and it was actually a spider hanging in the middle of the doorway. I never usually look back after leaving a room so it struck me as strange that I did that time and it was a spider again.

A few nights ago I dreamt I was lying in bed when I happened to look at the far corner of the ceiling as a huge spider descended on its silk string to the floor. This was before any of the totem talk. The dream is what prompted me to start researching.

The next night I got what appears to be a spider bite on my back while I was sleeping. I woke up with a big, red, itchy painful bite. Better now but it totally validated my theory.

The following questions are taken from http://www.animaltotem.com/find-your-totem.html

1. Since we are drawn to that which resonates with us, what animal, bird, or insect are you drawn to?
2. When you go to the park, forest, or zoo what animal are you most interested in seeing?
3. What animal do you most frequently see when you're out in nature or in the city?
4. What animals are you currently interested in learning about?
5. Which animal do you find most frightening or intriguing?
6. Have you ever been bitten or attacked by an animal?
7. Is there a recurring animal in your dreams or do you have one you have never forgotten?

On a less creepy note I've made peace with the face that I have a spider totem and they're less scary after hearing about the Spider Woman and Grandmother Spider legends of the Aboriginals and what spiders symbolize magickally.

Spiders totem teaches us to balance mundane life with spirituality. Don't allow your your day to day life to become your whole self.

Spider appears to us when we should reconnect with our soul's original plan; our true life path and also reminds us that we create our own reality by the choices we make much like weaving a web.

Spiders also symbolize unity, infinity, their webs signify the interconnectedness of all things.

Spider souls are by nature very creative and good communicators; most often via the written word. This creativity should be nurtured otherwise they will feel incomplete.


Become a fan of City Kitchen Witch on Facebook and share your thoughts about Totem Animals on the discussion board!

Some Totem Animal Resources:

http://www.sayahda.com/cyc4.html
http://wolfs_moon.tripod.com/totemspage.html


~Bright Blessings!
City

Waning Moon

The Waning Moon occurs after the Full Moon and is when the moon appears to be getting smaller each day. It lasts approximately 14 days from after the Full Moon to the New Moon.

The Waning Moon is a good time for magick involving: Ending Addictions, Breaking bad habits, Reversing bad luck, Binding, Exorcism, Breaking curses, Overcoming fear, Ending sickness, Liberation, Reversing love spells, Ending war, Banishing negativity, Banishing nightmares, Real estate (to sell), Weather working (to quell), Weight loss.