Four Thieves Vinegar

Dear Neophyte,


Four Thieves Vinegar is part of the standard magical arsenal of any self-respecting hoo-doo witch.  While there are several variations of this concoction, the simplest one is to just add garlic to vinegar and let it marinade for a month. 


Use Practical:  Anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties allow this to be used external and internally and around the home as a cleanser. Can be cut with water by half as a wash-down before going out into bug-infested area.  Key ingredients also ward of fleas and pests that carry diseases and may even ward off rats! 




Use Magical: Psychic protection, ward off spells of other witches, to enhance spells calling for vinegar and to remove unwanted enemies.  Sprinkle on their doorstep or smear on doorknob where they will touch it or serve it to them to get the ball rolling on getting them out of your life.  Make a wash to remove negative energy, and plague, after healing work.   Can also be used in healing to chase an illness away. 


Ingredients: 
Cayenne Pepper
Black Pepper
Garlic
Lavender
Sage
Thyme
Lemon Balm
Hyssop
Peppermint
Peppermin
wormwood
meadowsweet
juniper berries
rosemary
camphor
cinnamon
cloves
Elemcampane root
Wild Marjoram
Cloves
Angelica
Horehound
Camphor
Rue
Nutmeg
Acetic acid


Instructions: Mix any combination of the herbs and cover with apple cider or white wine vinegar.  Let sit for 1 month to 6 weeks, shaking daily.  Strain out old herbs and end of soak or they will start to dissolve and be nasty.  You can alter the ingredient list to make it taste or smell according to your wants. 


Lore of Four: Tradition says that only four herbs can go into the mixtures at a time and it must be heated and cooled and boiled for four min on four days and used four times to achieve effect.  One for each thief. 


"How I made mine: 
Cleansed, invoked and bless both the garlic and the vinegar and as I made it chanted several times:

“I charge you now to banish all pests,

Let my itchy kin know some rest”

I kept this change up as I charged it for as long as I felt it was making the potion stronger.

I worded it like this so that I could not only spray it on my cats in between baths but also use it on the furniture and on clothing if I have to. It will keep ALL my ‘kin’ free of biting fleas. Warning, though, it does smell and smell strongly. Since vinegar is one of the key ingredients in a sauce we put on our rice, it made me have food cravings to smell it. Since I don’t want to change the smell-association, I will be using this sparingly."

What I could have done differently, if I had the information at my fingertips, is to use more correspondences:

Day

Time

Moon Phase

Color of Bottle

Food color the vinegar (mine was already red)

Number of Ounces of Vinegar

Number of Garlic Bulbs used

Correspondences of when Garlic Was Picked

Number of Times Garlic Was Pressed

Number of Times Bottle was Shaken or Stired to Mix

Number of days between swirling.

I also should have grounded and centered before starting, maybe cast a circle around myself to contain the energy, but I was pressed for time. Didn’t want a wakeful roomy to walk threw and disturb me since I was in the kitchen. It was a rather spur of the moment working. The good thing is that the moon is waning so the banishing phase of the moon is covered. 

Lastly, the quote of the day:

The kitchen table is the Altar in the Temple of Life.

                                                                                                                                                                                               

Froggy Kisses,

~*~ Sesh ~*~

Note: It's been almost a year since I made this and it's still in the cabinet.  Because of how god-awful strong it is I only used it once for it's intended flea-getting-rid-of purpose.  I also forgot to strain the garlic out and now it's kinda gross looking.  It still smells ripe as heck though!  And since it's only got garlic in it, I wonder if it's edible...

Either way, I know just who I need driven away with this since I cant bring myself to subject my poor kitties and house mates to the smell :(

Also, Four Thieves Vinegar has a lot of ways it can be used and it's worth reading up on.  It's a natural insect replant, air cleanser and body cleanser for working in a sick room.

Bless my... Litter Box?

Dear Neophyte,


I LOAD incantations up when I clean the kitty box.  I got into it, praying for the eradication of bacteria that is found in most fecal mater.  I chanted it for lowered amounts of dust.  I prayed for the litter to not cause any adverse health effects to my cats.  I blessed it to keep bad odors at bay between scooping.



"Dear Bast,
Bless me with a clean kitty box
Against all odors this litter shall block.
Absorbing the poo smells
And urine that reaks
Level all dust clouds
And giving kitties clean feets.
Kill all the microbes
Leave not a one
Ward my felines from danger
Screw 'harm none"!
I invoke the right to care for my pets
Against kidney stones
And lung disease
And costly trips to the vets.
I ask forgiveness of Mother Earth
For taking her clay
And shrinking Her girth.
I detest the strip mining
That brings me this treat
I love inside kitties
That stay safe with me.
Goddess of Joy
And playfull mirth
Grant us your blessings
As I pour forth this earth.

By our grace
As I will
So shall it be."
              ~ Sesh Au-Set


Blessings,
Sesh

Magic Rings

Dear Neophyte,


I've always liked the idea of promise rings and engraved wedding rings.  I'll skip what is in the LJ post about wedding rings and their quotes and go strait to the magical use:

The engraving idea got me to thinking that if you used Theban you could write a very, very pretty phrase around the outside of a smooth wedding ring. This is one way of having an inexpensive $20 gold ring from walmart and not have to have a diamond in it.  You can also engrave the exact promise into a $20 gold ring (cause that is't allot of money when faced with keeping a promise you had to buy a RING for) and if it were in theban and on the outside of the band, you could read it and no one else would know your promise / vice. 

Oh, just though that this could be a whole field of magic if you like.  Engraving bands of certain metals with sigils and then wearing it for specific purposes.  See... magic and life go hand in hand!

Also, as I am a Witch, I will probably like to engrave mine with sigils.   Included would be keeping the wearer safe, fidelity, tenderness, and health. Last would be for a love that burned consistently like a coal, not a flame that constantly has to be fed and threatens to leave every time a breeze blows into the marriage.

Just an idea :)

Blessings, 

Sesh

An Offering of Beauty

Dear Neophyte,

I love the way I look.  That being said, I dont wear anything that doesnt flatter me.  My clothing is meant to make me look good, my job is not to make the clothing look good.  Therefor I give away the items that dont look good on my anymore and only keep the items that do.

Dress up for yourself.  Even if you dont think your worth your good china and expensive perfume, then the bank teller does and so does the image of the Gods you stand before.  Everyone is a child of the Gods and they are worth your beauty.

You cant be fixated on either inner or outer beauty.  By doing so you become devided and cannot be a whole person.  You have to love your whole self.  We can only ever be happy when we quit giving a damn what others think make us look good and trust ourselves to know what makes us look good.  Feeling good on the inside IS looking good on the outside!

"I dont dress up to impress other people.  I dress up because it makes me feel good.  And dont I look damn good?" ~ Starla

Create a 'secret closet' of sexy clothing that makes you look damn good.  Even if you dont wear them except to do the house work when no one is around, you will look every inch a Domestic Goddess. I happen to look good in a black silk brocade mini skirt, toeless pantyhose, strappy stilletos and a butterfly top with flowing wings for sleeves.

This secret closet will only get worn for my Arden.  My mate.  My all.

Make a list of everything you love about yourself.  Every inch of you that is a Goddess.  Lavish on the details!  Dont leave anything out, right down to skin tone if you like that too!  Praise yourself; worship yourself; see yourself, just for a moment, as that spark inside you that is the Goddess.  Every day for a week look at this list and look at yourself and add something to it.  Just one tiny detail if that's all you can come up with.

When you love yourself so much it spills out then and only then can you offer your truly offer your love to someone else. Only when you are whole and know how to attain that can you hope to help someone else achieve wholeness.

Love yourself.  Offer the world your beauty.

Blessings on your Journey to Wholeness,
Sesh

Samhain 2010

Dear Neophyte,

This post is a little late in the making but ah-well :)

This year for Samhain I went to Aarons house.  We had two roasts, cornbread, sweet potatoes, deviled eggs and banana bread.  Aaron isnt into the whole celebratory thing so we just had a feast and left it at that.

We did go up to Natches trace again.  Not leaves this time, but I did gather acorns, black walnuts and hickory nuts!  This was such a good thing for me, I felt SO connected to the land and my ancestors.

So what if we didnt dance nekked around a fire? (it threatened to rain the whole time)  I had harvested on a harvest festival.  How many others can say they did that??  One suggestion though: give each person a bag so they can each go to separate sides of the tree to forage.  Otherwise you lose your progress in hunting down who has the bag when your hands and pockets get full.

We spent an hour or two on the portch cracking them open and learned the ins and outs of harvesting the meat of wild nuts.  Such as with acorns - crack them *right* before you plan to eat them, otherwise they spoil very quickly!  I think this is why they arnt grown commercially.

I enjoyed the hickory nuts though and am letting the walnuts dry more before I crack them.  Anyway, had a ton of fun and am officially adding "nut savaging" to my yearly pre-Samhain activities!  The resulting fruit will be baked into our Samhain feast like it's suppose to.  This makes me feel so good about getting back to the roots of a harvest festival: I harvested this stuff and *that* is why it's on my table.

Next year I should see what I can do about self-harvesting more of what goes onto my table...

Here are some pictures of the nuts we gathered so other peeps know what they look like:

Hickory nuts, on the tree while green and what they look like dried.  Hickory wood is popular to cook meat over so if you got a big enough bag you could potentially gather some wood to smoke your feast over or add to the ritual fire.

Black Walnut: This is what it looks like on the ground, or this may have turned solid black and be drying out by the time you find it.  Just scrape this part off and the second picture is what is inside.  Break this open for the meat.

Acorn: Comes from the Oak tree, which is sacred to just about every sect of Pagan.  Defiantly gather some of this wood for your ritual fire or for you workings in the next year!  These are so soft they can be cracked by hand if you really wanted to.  The ones that are sprouting actually tastes better than the ones that arnt so get the sprouted ones if you can!

Blessings,
Sesh

Magic Cooking Basics

Dear Neophyte,


Magical cooking takes a few steps to integrate into your routine and habits.  Here is a list of ways in which you can get used to seeing the mundane in a magical way.


Bless the water before you cook.
Bless the salt before you add it to your food.
Charge one or two of the herbs you use - but not too many as this will could end badly!
Be aware of what materials your dishes are made out of.  Metals have magic properties.
Know what your wooden spoons are made of.  Wood has magic properties.
Be mindful of where your food comes from.
Give thanks for your food, taking a moment to visualize blessing all the people who helped get your food to you.
Give thanks to the spirit of the animal who was butchered so you could eat it.
Bless your beverage if it's some kind of tea or juice.
Have the Gods bless your meal and always immediately cut a nice slice of everything and offer it up.  I take mine outside and dispose of it in the compost pile.
Be aware of the four elements and how the affect your cooking and even your ability to cook.
Draw symbols and signs over and into your food to bless it.
Make a Kitchen Witch doll to charge and hang into your kitchen.
Use magical herbs you grow in your cooking.
Design an apron with a magical theme to use while cooking.
When blessing meat for consumption, I first ask for forgiveness of the animal that died to bring it to me. I then ask for it’s soul to journey happily to the Spiral and takes it’s place there. I assure the animal that its body is not going to waste and thank it for it’s sacrifice to feed me.   If it’s a specific Purpose I have in mind, as I did with the fish mean, I may charge the meat with a purpose. If not, then I continue to the general blessing used for the veggies and every meal.


Remember, if you cook something, bless it and charge it for anything specific, always be thankful that your prayers are answered.  Even if it's not the method of answer you expected.


There are more ways to bring magic into your cooking and I'll add them latter as I discover them :)


Blessings,
Sesh

On Love Spells

Dear Neophyte,


I've heard many conflicting suggestions for how to find the perfect mate.  Some are ridiculous sounding and some are pretty reasonable.  Two of the most popular suggestions for spell working are 1) be specific and 2) let the Universe sort it out!


While these are obvious contradictions I decided I could have the best of both.  A man the universe finds for me that is not 'perfect' but at least has my shared commons.  I wrote up a perfect man contract and if I ever do a love spell, reading each of these aloud to the Gods is diffidently going to be part of the working.  


Where as the Universe, being a non-entity, isnt partial and will often send you what you asked for in a different package, the Gods can be told exactly what your looking for and asked to keep specific things in mind when going a-hunting on your behalf :-)

Perfect Man Contract

First and foremost, he must understand:

I am one of Gods own prototypes; an oddity never considered for mass production.  So far they havnt found a second member of my species.

Must show respect, have solid morals values and manors. They must be about the same as mine in order to ensure peace.  While I dont suggest being anal, I also wont stand for lax codes of personal conduct.

Must be Environmentally mindful.  Lack of empathy is a sign of emotional illness that foreshadows abuse.

Must be a nature lover. Must love being outdoors during all seasons. Must understand the romance of wet moss and slick tree bark. Must have a heart that is open to Mother Nature and all her creatures.  If you dont like spending time outside and with animals of all kinds, this is a deal breaker. 

            

You dont need to be religious but you need to respect that I am.  My home and my life reflect this.

             

My family is matriarchal threw choice.  Our union will be a duality of power.  That being stated, I'm keeping my name if I get married.  I hate children so you dont have to worry about that, but know I stand strongly on the right of women to pass their own name on to their offspring.  

The idea of polygamy dosent bother me in theory.  In practice, I have no idea though the suggestion to bring another into our fold will not be shoved aside.

I would like to get Handfasted for my legally binding marriage. That being said, I do not believe that you have to be legally bound to be married, or enjoy married life. 

If you ever hit me, I will fucking destroy you. I'm not Wiccan so dont mistake that I dont know how to harm as well as heal.

Must understand that you cannot actually cheat on a person with books. Yes, they take up all my free time, keep me entertained and drain all my spare money away. I come with a mistress and her name is Books. She will require her own room with floor to ceiling, wall-to-wall book shelves and a desk against a window that overlooks a garden. She will also require the use of your car to go pick up all her friends from BAM Camp, and possibly your credit card. How much can we mortgaged the house for…?

While looks are not everything, if you are overweight and a slob, dont bathe regularly and are hairy as an ape - this is a deal breaker. 

Financially independent with his own dwelling and transportations.  Not being financially independent is a deal breaker, but living with and caring for an elderly parent or not owning a car due to inability to drive (medical reason or whatnot) is fine.

Must be able to keep house to the same standard I do and must know how to cook basic nutritious meals.  Not knowing the first is a deal breaker as getting a girlfriend is not akin to hiring a maid.

Talk to me. That is all.

Salutations, 

Sesh