Moons & Musings

Liminal Spaces.   One thing that seems to keep recurring during research is the term liminal space. It occurs when looking to work with certain deities, ancestors and others, especially this time of year. So, I went down a rabbit hole, and I hope this post can help answer any questions you may have, because I know that I had plenty! (One thing to note here is that, to me, time and space are pretty much the same thing, and those words will be used interchangeably throughout this post. As such, if I use one word and it does not sit right with you, change it for the other.) So, what is a liminal space? Sacred in Druidic practices, e ssentially, liminality is a point or spot where one thing becomes another, and the feelings that this evokes. It is the space and time between what is and what is yet to become. It is that split second between anticipation and potential in an action.     -     the edges of things     -     moving from one space to a...

  Hi Guys, So, I thought that I would take a look at some of the deities associated with this time of the year. Most of the deities are either linked to the afterlife, the underworld or are life/death/life deities. The most well-known for this time of year is probably Hecate, and she will be a post in her own right, as she is very important to the Pagans and the Wiccan community among others. Being a Goddess of magick, and all that... I will compile a list of said deities in this blog, and we can do further posts on individual deities at some point soon. Deities of the Underworld/Death: Hades - Greek Hermes - Greek Anubis - Egyptian Osiris - Egyptian Thoth - Egyptian Ra - Egyptian Tartarus - Greek Erebus -  Greek Chernobog - Polabian Nergal -  Sumerian Pluto - Greek Serapis - Greek Orcus - Roman/Etruscan Xolotl - Aztec Wepwawet - Egyptian Manannan mac Lir - Irish Gaelic Mictlantecuhtli - Mayan Veles - Slavic Varuna - Hinduism Damuzid the Shepherd - Sumerian Kana...

  Hi Guys, So, moving on to our final of the elements this week with Spirit. Although not considered a classical element, as the other four are (mainly because it is not physical), it is in this series as it is used in Magickal works. Also sometimes referred to as Akasha, Aether or quintessence (Latin for the fifth element). It is represented by The Fool card in Tarot. Its planet is the Sun. It is linked to the colours:  white,  silver,  gold,  purple and  violet. Altar items include: Feathers,  Photos of ancestors,  Deity representations,  Pictures of Angels,  Pentacle, Prayer bundles Animals: It is very difficult to find animals associated directly with Spirit, as there are Spirit Animals, which is a different thing. I have compiled a small list here of animals associated  with spiritual  workings and why: Cat - Believed to travel between this world and the spirit realm (especially black ones) Crow - Believed to carry and d...

  Hi guys, Moving on with our elements series this week, we are onto the element of air. I know we missed the Flora Friday of Fire week due to the sad passing of Queen Elizabeth II, so we will revisit that at some point soon. So, onto our penultimate in the elements series: Air corresponds to the East in cardinal compass points. It links to many of the other elements too. It feeds fire, it drives clouds (element of water), it shapes the Earth and is very closely linked to Spirit (next week's topic). Planetary associations: Mercury, Jupiter, Uranus. In Popular Culture Twisters are referenced in many films, Twister and The Wizard of Oz to name but two. It could be argued that films such as Airplane! are also linked, as it is to do with flight. Any comedy is linked to air, as laughter is a form of both breathwork and raising vibrations. (More on those in later posts). Anything that has been written or spoken is connected to air, so that is films, TV shows, plays etc. Uses in Mag...

  Hi guys, First, let me apologise for no blog post yesterday, my 3 hours at work turned into an epic shift that started at 7.30 am and went on well into the afternoon. No excuse, I should have planned in advance, but I didn't, so my apologies once again. So, grovelling out of the way, let's start this week with a bang! Fire! Continuing with our elements theme, we are starting fire today. I thought we had to really, as the tarot on Tuesdays have all been fire cards. I have just realised that in our previous elements posts, that I have not covered the cardinal compass points correspondences, so that will be a separate post at some point. Uses in magicks: Fire has been used for centuries in magicks.  Think of purifying smoke. Incense is used extensively in various ceremonies, including secular and non-secular ceremonies.  How many of us have candles , or have practiced candle magic in one form or another? Ever leapt over a Beltane bonfire? I have, and I have ...

  Hi guys, Going back to the roots (pardon the pun) of this week today and coming down to earth (I'll get my coat.....) So, this could well be a long post, as I am going to try and cover a lot of sub-topics in one day! Remember, this is following on from our earlier elements post. Altar Items: Altar items that can be used to represent the element of Earth are: Salt - used for a long time (it is where the word 'salary' come from, people used to be paid in salt!!) Also used in purification rituals. Various plants, especially root vegetables. These can be changed with the season, Sabbat or depending on why you have created the altar - think Harvest Festivals. A jar of dirt - unfortunately without Johnny Depp, but you can use a bowl or other container of dirt, especially useful in fertility rituals. Crystals, see yesterday's post . Witch's Knot ( link ) Pentacle - although I do think that a pentacle represents ALL elements.  Link You can always do 'combination'...

  Hi Guys! We have covered the Elements in a previous post -  Elements , but I have chosen to go a little deeper into each one, and add a fifth to the mix!  bringing together as many aspects of the craft as we can. From Altar items -  Elements , to deities via superstitions and representations. Today I am following on from the wells we visited yesterday with water (in case you couldn't tell from the pic - courtesy of Cat!) General Water is considered a feminine energy, and relates to aspects of the Goddess and the Moon. Water is considered to be purifying, we often take ceremonial baths to cleanse before a ritual, and let's not forget the Judeo/Christian ritual of baptism, using Holy or blessed water. Associated with the colour blue Relates to the cardinal compass point of West (if I get these wrong, please shout, it is one thing I can NEVER remember!!) Associated with the Tarot suit of Cups Associated with purification, cleansing and emotions Dowsing for water is co...

 Hi all, In today's post, we are going to look at different religions from around the globe, then in later posts, we will plunge more deeply into each religion and culture, and then into each deity themselves, so we are in for a long ride, are you joining us? First of all, definitions: (Joys of holding an English Degree means that I love delving into origins of words. Please just humour me!!) I thought that I would start with differences, so I did an internet search for 'how many 'theisms' are there?' Then realised I needed more coffee! So, coffee made, here goes:  First I discovered that Theism as a term was first used in the 17th Century as an opposition to atheism (see below), and simply means a belief in one or more gods Monotheism - belief in one supreme deity Polytheism - belief in many deities Ditheism - belief in two equal supreme deities Atheism - belief in NO deities Agnostictheism - a hotly debated term, loosely means one who is unsure of the existenc...

(Credit: istockphoto.com)  Hi guys, Today I have decided to cover something called Animism. Strictly speaking, the practice of Animism would be considered a closed practice, as it is practiced by Native American tribes. However, a variety of different and sometimes contrasting religions across the globe have been labelled as Animist, so it is not classed as a single religious practice, but more of a category to which several various traditions seem to belong. It is a practice still continued by many traditional societies worldwide. It is one of the oldest belief systems in the world (apparently even pre-dating Paganism), and I often wonder (as I have that kind of brain) if this system has lead to many of the deities that exist worldwide. Bear with me as I get there! General. Animism is, basically, the belief that ALL things have a spirit. Objects, places, animals, plants, rocks etc. all have a spirit that should be honoured at all times. It is prevalent in the histories o...

  Identifying your deity. So, how do you find your deity?  I know that Cat has already started  Deity Work , but I thought that I might be able to dive a little deeper, as I do work with several deities, one of whom has presented themselves to me just this year. I will get to my deities a little later on in this post. One of the easiest ways is to read through a list of deities, and see which jumps out at you. Of course, if you are looking at something like Egyptian, be prepared that there are hundreds of deities, over many different generations/dynasties!! Perhaps it would work if you look at the things that you truly like in life, and find a God or Goddess that represents that thing. For example, I love cats, so Bast [Egyptian} is a natural choice. If you like horses, perhaps consider Epona [Roman]? Another way to seek one out, is to identify an area of your life or personality that you feel needs work, and find a deity that can help you enhance this. Do you want wisdom...