mystery potion/witchbottle/idk lol

[TheStarlessSkye]

If I had a specific need, I would do a quartz and candle spell. Use a candle colour which corresponds to my need, carve in the symbol with my quartz point, as I do this, I envision my need or reason for the spell being fulfilled, or what I want, happening. Then I may say some words, or just envision in the flame my spell taking course.

That's just a simple way. If you know what stones can help, and what herbs and incense are used for your type of spell: Be it prosperity, happiness, protection etc, then by all means use those things with your spell.  

[Esiris]

Azareas Aquarinus

Well, contacting deity. You need to know their name, that is if you want to contact a specific deity.

In some traditions- a list of attributes that make nicknames or specify who you're talking about is also used. Hey Sang- correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't your religion one of those?

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Just pray, or meditate.

There's also calling someone to ride you, or evoking them to be in your presence.

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Prayer is usually done when a person has a specific need and asks a certain deity to help them.

I always feel sad when I see this- prayer is more than an "I want!" list.

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If you were praying to Bast for protection, use a symbol of a cat, or a statue of her if you are fortunate enough.

Ummm- I could be wrong, but I thought there was a whole ceremony the Egyptians had to do to a statue before it was suitable for their gods- I want to say it had to do with opening their mouth, but I'm not an Egyptian Pagan so I could be wrong.

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A neo-Pagan way of contacting deity is in the circle. The circle is our temple. Where ritual takes place and contact with deities happens.

That's a pretty hefty generalization- lots of different kinds of neo-paganism exist, like Sang's religion- but I don't think she uses circles in her Norse Paganism.

I'm sure she'll correct me if I'm wrong.
To be honest- until I started Seeking Wicca, I just didn't use circles.

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I say "Blessed Be" at the end of my prayers and at the end of a circle rite. I do this because it simply feels right, no other reason.

Do you think that's a good idea? The phrase Blessed Be is ritual language within Wicca and it means something very specific- taking it out of context could be insulting to Wiccans- and maybe even to those you're praying to. confused

Ryu Kei Shou Kawazu

And when you contact gods they actually speak and stuff or something?

In Vodou, the Loa ride a person- some of them speak, some of them don't. Like Dantor- she clicks because her tongue was cut out.  

[Ask Jappleack]

Esiris

Like Dantor- she clicks because her tongue was cut out.

reminds me of my sibling, he had an 'imaginary friend' who spoke with clicks.. said one or two clicks means yes or no or something..  

[ncsweet]

Azareas Aquarinus

Well, contacting deity. You need to know their name, that is if you want to contact a specific deity. You don't have to Astral Project. Just pray, or meditate. Prayer is usually done when a person has a specific need and asks a certain deity to help them. Like a Christian would pray to God for guidance or protection. Those are just two examples. Also, pray upon an image of that deity. So any symbol of that deity will correspond. E.g: If you were praying to Bast for protection, use a symbol of a cat, or a statue of her if you are fortunate enough.

Prayer is simply communication with one's Gods, and it's an integral part of forming a relationship with them - while petitioning them for something can be a part of it, it's definitely not the whole of it. Let's put it this way - if someone were trying to become friends with you, and all they ever did was ask you for stuff, would that really be the sort of person you would want to be friends with. Not only that but after awhile (if at all), you get pretty sick of being asked, especially if you weren't getting anything in return.

Not only that, but as Riri mentioned - each culture has specific ways of doing things. If you are attempting to communicate with a deity of a culture with which you are unfamiliar, it would be a good idea to study them first, to make sure that you aren't doing things that are in fact offensive to them. Continuing with the Egyptians for example - they have (if I'm not mistaken) certain purity standards that integral to their rituals.

What everyone has been trying to get across is that Gods are not a "flavor of the week" - magic is about making something happen for yourself - your will to manifest a desired outcome. If you have a relationship with a specific deity, or several deities and want to ask them for a bit of a boost - that's perfectly ok - but using a random God or Goddess to "fuel" your magical workings, is disrespectful.  

[Sanguina Cruenta]

Ryu Kei Shou Kawazu

How are some typical spells done? I only researched how to do sigil magic and read some stuff about constructs and servitors.. (i tend to do alot of research though but its on vairied subjects)

Oh god thank you xd That's MUCH better.

A spell requires energy to raise, focus on what you want, and will power to want it hard enough and impress your want upon the energy. Everything else essentially is just ways in which to do that more easily.

I meditate, when I remember to. I Walk the Hedge, which in some senses is similar to astral projection. They're not necessary to speak with the gods but they do make it easier.  

[Ask Jappleack]

Whats Walking the Hedge and how is it done?  

[Sanguina Cruenta]

Like shamanic journeying. It's done via trance states.  

[Morgandria]

Esiris

I always feel sad when I see this- prayer is more than an "I want!" list.

Yeah. San noted something down once upon a time about something she read from Northern Tradition for the Solitary Practitioner, that I think makes sense as well, that there's five different types of prayers a person can make:

Sanguina Cruenta

They mention five "types" of prayer. I think they can be generalised to all faiths fairly easily, although when they wrote on them they were aiming at Northern traditions.

The first prayer is Thank You - gratitude to deity/ies for their gifts and presence.
The second is Please - a sacrifice of pride and request for assistance.
The third is I Love You - an expression of personal emotion for the deity.
The fourth is I Am Sorry - admittance and acceptance that sometimes we fail.
The fifth is The World Is Wonderful With You In It - a prayer of hailing deity and celebrating both them and their influence on the world.

I've used all of these - I probably use the first and the last most, but really...prayer is much more than just 'Please', all the time.

For me, there's a certain amount of my own striving I have to do before I can come to the Gods with a "Please". They expect me to do my very best efforts on my own behalf, and it isn't appropriate to come to them for something if I've done nothing for myself.

Esiris

Ummm- I could be wrong, but I thought there was a whole ceremony the Egyptians had to do to a statue before it was suitable for their gods- I want to say it had to do with opening their mouth, but I'm not an Egyptian Pagan so I could be wrong.

Opening the Mouth

I'm not sure modern Kemetics go through such elaborate rites. I know statues are cleansed well and fed, but I don't know to what lengths or how nescessary they consider it to be.

Esiris

That's a pretty hefty generalization- lots of different kinds of neo-paganism exist, like Sang's religion- but I don't think she uses circles in her Norse Paganism.

I'm sure she'll correct me if I'm wrong.
To be honest- until I started Seeking Wicca, I just didn't use circles.

A circle can be a temple, if that's what you intent. A fully-cast circle, cleansed, drawn, quarters called and consecrated, is a space removed from the physical to sit between our realm, and the realm of the Gods. If you call the Gods to that space, and they're the sort of Gods who would appreciate the call to such a space, then they'll likely come.

If every prayer, spell, or rite you do requires you to craft a fully consecrated circle...well, it be like a Catholic having to physically go to a church every time they wanted to pray the rosary, light a candle, or what have you. It's ok to do those things in your own home informally - the same goes with contacting deities.

That being said - not all Gods want or need a space removed from the physical realm to come to us and interact. I'd say that paths that use the circle as a ritual format are actually very much in the minority, when you look at paganism overall. Since some pagan religions hold the earth to already be as sacred as it gets, and they don't need to declare a sacred space, the idea of a circle is both unnescessary, and potentially offensive.

You also have to factor in that sometimes people who use circles are simply drawing them as a sort of physical protective boundary - they aren't moving the space within them anywhere, they're just fencing them off.

For me, I don't find spellcraft needs a circle. I want my workings to affect me, and my life on this plane - it doesn't make any sense to me to then take my casting space outside the physical. A prayer or petition will reach the Gods no matter where you send them from, and how, so even if you're not in a circle, they'll hear you. However, if I am considering asking a deity to aid my working, I will either integrate materials or images they enjoy or desire into my spell, or I will perform the working at their shrine.

Esiris

Do you think that's a good idea? The phrase Blessed Be is ritual language within Wicca and it means something very specific- taking it out of context could be insulting to Wiccans- and maybe even to those you're praying to. confused

It might be worth it for Az to consider looking at the lore or myth for the deities you're attempting to connect with, and seeing if there are ritual phrases in their own native languages they might appreciate better. Or try to find formal, but neutral, ritual language - "Hail and welcome", along with "Hail and farewell" are my favorite parting and greeing phrases when I'm not performing WIccan ritual. Also, if you're not blessing something directly, you might do better with "So Mote It Be". It's a phrase whose origins are with the Freemasons, which is how it migrated into Wicca (Gardner was a Mason).

Ryu Kei Shou Kawazu

And when you contact gods they actually speak and stuff or something?

AS Riri pointed out, it's not always actual words. You may see something in a vision, be given an answer in emotion, you might hear music or other sounds, or you might simply have an answer put into your head. You might be given a sign in a physical happening around you, by animals or plants or weather. Or you might recieve nothing at all. Gods are like that.  

[TheStarlessSkye]

Esiris

In some traditions- a list of attributes that make nicknames or specify who you're talking about is also used. Hey Sang- correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't your religion one of those?

Yeah I know that. Like a symbol or attribute of the chosen deity.

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There's also calling someone to ride you, or evoking them to be in your presence.

Yeah. Is riding you residing in your physical body?

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I always feel sad when I see this- prayer is more than an "I want!" list

.
Sorry! I know it's not just that now. Since I pray every morning and day. I pretty much welcome the sun, thank the goddess for the night, and ask the Sun (god) to take me through the day.

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Ummm- I could be wrong, but I thought there was a whole ceremony the Egyptians had to do to a statue before it was suitable for their gods- I want to say it had to do with opening their mouth, but I'm not an Egyptian Pagan so I could be wrong.

I should stop using Egyptian deities as examples, since it could be offensive to them...

Quote:

A neo-Pagan way of contacting deity is in the circle. The circle is our temple. Where ritual takes place and contact with deities happens.

That's a pretty hefty generalization- lots of different kinds of neo-paganism exist, like Sang's religion- but I don't think she uses circles in her Norse Paganism.

I'm sure she'll correct me if I'm wrong.
To be honest- until I started Seeking Wicca, I just didn't use circles.
I'm not saying it's the only way. Just a way I feel comfortable with most.

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Do you think that's a good idea? The phrase Blessed Be is ritual language within Wicca and it means something very specific- taking it out of context could be insulting to Wiccans- and maybe even to those you're praying to. confused

I'll say what Morg suggested:

Hail and Welcome, Hail and Farewell.

(I already use So Mote it Be).  

[TheStarlessSkye]

Thanks again, Morg!  

[Esiris]

Azareas Aquarinus

Yeah I know that. Like a symbol or attribute of the chosen deity.

That's not what I said Az- I mentioned a nickname, instead of just an attribute because attributes can be things like brown hair or male. These nicknames- I think there's a special word for them, are more like personal aspects a lot of the time. They're special to the god or spirit.

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Yeah. Is riding you residing in your physical body?

Yep- some Loa do it, some not so much.

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I should stop using Egyptian deities as examples, since it could be offensive to them...

I think it's not so much that it might offend them as much as you and I don't know enough about them and their religions to try and explain things with them as examples.

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I'm not saying it's the only way. Just a way I feel comfortable with most.

Sorry for the confusion- I read it differently. It seemed like you were treating Neo-Paganism as a religion and giving examples for it- which didn't make sense to me because it's not a religion itself.  

[TheStarlessSkye]

Esiris

Azareas Aquarinus

Yeah I know that. Like a symbol or attribute of the chosen deity.

That's not what I said Az- I mentioned a nickname, instead of just an attribute because attributes can be things like brown hair or male. These nicknames- I think there's a special word for them, are more like personal aspects a lot of the time. They're special to the god or spirit.

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Yeah. Is riding you residing in your physical body?

Yep- some Loa do it, some not so much.

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I should stop using Egyptian deities as examples, since it could be offensive to them...

I think it's not so much that it might offend them as much as you and I don't know enough about them and their religions to try and explain things with them as examples.

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I'm not saying it's the only way. Just a way I feel comfortable with most.

Sorry for the confusion- I read it differently. It seemed like you were treating Neo-Paganism as a religion and giving examples for it- which didn't make sense to me because it's not a religion itself.

I see. Would the Nickname be well known or just the person talking to the deity will know it? I know "Old Horny" is a nickname for the Horned God. I read it on Wikipedia.


Yeah. I'm basically invading alien territory. I guess I should do more research on the Egyptian deities.  

[Morgandria]

Esiris

That's not what I said Az- I mentioned a nickname, instead of just an attribute because attributes can be things like brown hair or male. These nicknames- I think there's a special word for them, are more like personal aspects a lot of the time. They're special to the god or spirit.

I think you're thinking of kennings, which are specifically Norse...but I use similar sorts of appellations for my own Gods, when addressing them.  

[Esiris]

Azareas Aquarinus

I see. Would the Nickname be well known or just the person talking to the deity will know it? I know "Old Horny" is a nickname for the Horned God. I read it on Wikipedia.


Yeah. I'm basically invading alien territory. I guess I should do more research on the Egyptian deities.

I looked up Kenning after Morg mentioned it- that was what I was thinking of.

You should look it up- it would help.

Morgandria

I think you're thinking of kennings, which are specifically Norse...but I use similar sorts of appellations for my own Gods, when addressing them.

Thank you Morg! heart
Can I have a pocket sized one of you to bring with me? It would make explaining things and remembering them so much easier! xp