Total Pageviews

Tuesday, December 22

Yule

I hope everyone had a blessed Yule. I know I did. I was worried to start, because I knew I could not celebrate to any extent on my own. I ended up shopping with my mom. After two front row parking spots, which I never get, and seeing my best friend in the store which is the only pagan friend I have here and fully didn't think I would see him on our holiday, I knew the Gods were with me despite the fact I didn't expect to feel their presence. I came home and lit the candles on the Yule Log I made for my alter last year and had a wonderful night.

The presence in my life lasted very strongly into today. My parents didn't wake me, which is a shock in itself, leaving me to wake on my own. I got up to my boyfriend saying good morning, did some yoga to connect to my own body and the universe, and did a short meditation. After doing a shielding ritual I adapted, I felt better than I had since I have been home. I chose my stone for the day, which oddly enough turned out to be a quartz, and spent the rest of the day being as mindful as I could and listening to my pagan podcasts.

Basically, what I mean is that I wasn't even trying and I fully connected with deity in a way I never expected. Whether it's through a short prayer or simply acknowledging the works of the divine in even the little things in life, I believe that there is something more and it can change our lives if we only look. Today, negativity was no longer a big deal. I dealt with it my way. I only hope that can continue.

Tuesday, December 15

Stones

I am slowly discovering the power of stones. I recently made a list of what sounded good from the pagan store I visit (Ancient Mysteries), and ended up getting all of them. I found myself choosing each stone due to the energies it gave off. The results have been amazing. I have purified those stones and the ones I had before in a way that I hadn't used before. I put out my stones the day before the new moon in my chalice and covered them with water before setting them on the window seal with the blinds open. I left them there 24 hours to get the energies of the lord and lady. At the same time (at sunset) the next day, I took them from the water, put them in an offering bowl I use, and added sage before putting water over them. Sadly, when I went to go move them the next morning I realized the bowl leaks and I now have a green circle on the cloth I keep on the window seal until I find time to wash it. The sage added on the night of the new moon seemed to give them an energy that was all their own. I put them in the chalice again for one more day and then set them on my alter to dry. Each night I added a little spell. The first night was for the banishing of all energies they had picked up, the night of the new moon was for cleansing and finding the power within the stones, and the last night was a request for the lord and lady to aide in the energies the stones would need to find their full potential. I found that this cleansing worked so much better than the elemental cleansing I had used before with my stones that has always been effective for my tools.

My whole purpose in getting more stones was because I knew I would be headed home for the holidays. I live in a very Christian home and my dad spouts negativity. It is a horrible environment and I find myself being completely drained if I am around the house for even an hour. The first day I was home, I didn't use my stones. The second day, I remembered them. Both yesterday and today I picked stones from my pile based on the energies they gave off as to which would help me the most that day. It has worked wonderfully. I am putting them in water each night under the moon (now in a candleholder because I am home but will use a chalice again when I return to school) so that the energies they absorb in the day to protect me will be drained off.

I failed to mention, after I cleansed the stones I took each and set up a temporary circle to ask the elements and the deities to assist me in finding each stones' purpose and then said what each would be used for and drew a pentacle over each in the air in the form of a spell. I am loving the effects so far. I know a lot of people use stones. Are my practices similar to yours? It it just what I decided would work...what did you learn that works for your stones? Do you cleanse them after each use like I have done? Let me know. Thank you to those who follow me, I love the support and an extra special thanks because I got my first comment!!!!