The End of the Year

I've been debating the best way to write this post. Should I write something pertaining to the new year, or can that wait until tomorrow? Or should I write something for a dear friend of mine who passed on? With my friends passing, it does hold some meaning for the new year. One year ends and another begins. One life ends and others begin. I'll mesh the two and see if it works.

My friend Stephanie was an interesting woman. She had a difficult life growing up, and made several mistakes in her life. She joined the army at a young age, and though she was happy to serve, she regretted it later. Once she was deemed unfit to serve, she went to school studying the Middle East. She wanted a job working for the government in that field. She visited Egypt often and brought back many gifts for my family. She tried to see the brighter side to her problems, but things got worse. She eventually left her husband and had partial custody of her six kids. She worked at the University of Utah teaching Hebrew for two years, and spent her winter breaks in Cairo.

Over the summer, she met a man who practically completed her life. Her ex got along with him, her children loved him, and he took care of her. But his life was bad as well. He committed suicide using her pills, and she was the one that found him. She couldn't get over it, and the other night, took her life as well.

I'm sorry she is gone, but I also know she is happier now. We all feel her loss, she was quite the interesting person.

She brought me a pyramid once, that had a pharaoh etching, Thoth, Horus, and Anubis. I chose Anubis to worship today, and ask to guide Stephanie safely in the after life.

Anubis is the jackal god of mummification and the guardian of the dead. In legend, he'd embalmed and protected the body of Osiris after death. He helps prepare the mummy for its journey, and guards it in its tomb. 

It is I who hinder the sand from

choking the sacred chamber,

And who repel he would repel him

With the desert-flames. I have set

Aflame the desert, I have cause the path to be mistaken.

I am for the protection of Osiris.

A spell found upon many Pharaoh's tombs. The symbols for Anubis are the jackal head, an ox skin hanging, black, and hematite as well as all embalming tools. 

Today at my alter I have

Anubis

Thoth

Horus

1 black candle

Hematite

Spell

Picture of Stephanie

Charcoal

Myrrh

I wrote the spell on the opposite side of the picture, placing it under the stones. I put Anubis facing the spell and my black candle behind it. I placed the charcoal and myrrh to the left. After lighting the candle, I spoke my spell out loud and meditated on my favorite memories of Stephanie for several minutes. She will be dearly missed.

Hold Stephanie's hand

And walk her through death,

Keep her mind clear.

She knows she is loved

And we worried for her,

But now we have nothing to fear.

Her spirit was freed

To be with who she loved,

Stand by her for me.

So it is, so mote it be.

The best way to tie this into the New Year is by saying, though life ends it keeps going. Stephanie may be gone, but her memory will remain for us who are still here. With the New Year you have to remember to have hope. Staying positive is one of the hardest things to do. I often loose hope and wonder why I try, thus the blog. Yet I look at how Steph handled it, and realize I can never do that. I don't want to loose everything I have. So with the new year, I will remember my friend as the happy woman she was and grow.

May the Gods and Goddesses grant you peace.

Magic for a Friend

My dearest friend and love of my life is also struggling right now. Today he was kicked out of his living arrangements. I spent the morning putting together a spell to help him find a new place quickly, and spent the evening searching for housing in his area. Even though it wasn't magic for me, it still made me feel like I've done something positive. 

I used

A round plate

A piece of paper

A blue candle

Candle holder

Lavender incense

Peppermint leaves

Lavender flowers

Red Sandalwood powder

Sun stone

Citrine

Blood stone

Silver sun emblem 

I took the piece of paper first and wrote out what I needed. Then I looked up the goddess that represented my needs the best. Hestia, the Greek Goddess, came up the most. Being as I was looking for a home, the Goddess of the Hearth fit well. I didn't have many symbols for Hestia, but here is a list.

Hestia

General

Living flame

Bowl

Veils

Pantry

Keys

Animals

Donkey

Pigs

Flowers

Angels Trumpet

California Poppy

Goldenrod

Hollyhock

Purple Coneflower

Yarrow

Perfumes

Angelica

Iris

Lavender

Peony

Stones

Amethyst

Garnet

Gold

Silver

Brass

Colors

Gold

Dark Rose

Lavender

Silver

Black

My spell or prayer (how ever you wish to view it) was simple. As all spells should, it rhymed. 

Goddess Hestia:

Hear my plea.

Let no more pain;

Befall upon me.

I must help;

One I love dear.

Help me please;

His health I fear.

A home he needs;

A place to rest.

A way to concentrate;

On the true test.

So it is,

So mote it be.

I spent over an hour trying to figure out the best way to word that. Here we are in Utah with almost a foot of snow, and he may not have anywhere to sleep. He should be concentrating on his new job and not trying to find a house that wont use him. So, I took that spell and wrote it down on a separate piece of paper. I then placed it under my plate. Mines blue with green designs along the inside. I then sprinkled my herbs clockwise starting with the West.

Peppermint- Purification, sleep, peace, glimpses of the future, health, healing, money, changes, psychic awareness.

Lavender- In the home brings peace, joy, healing, and harmony.

Red Sandalwood- Clears negative energy, protection, healing, aligns the chakras, burn during meditation

I picked these for their abilities. The peppermint for the change, money, and health. Lavender for the peace, healing, and harmony. And the Sandalwood for protection, healing, and leaving the negative energy. Out of these, the Lavender is also important to Hestia. These flowers were also from my garden last summer. 

After I placed the herbs, I placed my stones. Starting with the West once more and moving clockwise, I placed the Sun stone, Citrine, Sun symbol, and Blood stone. My sun symbol was at the East representing the rising sun and the Sun stone in the West representing the setting sun. 

Sun Stone- extra energy when ill or stressed, increases self healing power

Citrine- self esteem, protects from negative energy from someone else's abuse, opens the mind to new thoughts, promotes clarity

Sun Symbol- life, power, strength, energy, force, clarity, self

Blood Stone- promotes change, protects from evil, symbol of justice

Once everything was where I wanted it, I placed my paper under the plate, and my candle in the holder in the center of the circle. I lit it and let it burn while I looked online for places to live that were in a decent price range. I also lit some Lavender incense for an extra boost of energy.

It seems like a lot, for something that may or may not work. But it's all about believing. I believe it helps, and I'll keep believing it does. We already have two places to look at tomorrow morning before work. Once everything has burned down, I will take the herbs, candle stub, and anything else I need and bury it in the field. A way of saying thank you to the Universe and Hestia for all the help given to me.

The First Step

All journeys start with a problem. Every person on Earth is embarking on their own journey. It may not seem like it most days, but we are each taking a step forward towards a new life. Sometimes it takes a huge push to start going in the right direction though.

While skipping the dramatic issues that have arisen in my life, I'll keep it simple. I'm suffering from mental fatigue. Nothing is interesting to me anymore, and those who love me are concerned. It's time to make my own path and restart my journey. While medication can help me, I'd rather take a more natural rout. 

I've always been enticed by magic. Two years ago, my cousin bought me Silver RavenWolf's book The HedgeWitch. I have read it and re-read it, and occasionally tried a spell or two. My Wiccan library has grown since then, but I've never practiced daily. With my health and mind degrading by the day, now's a good time for a change. 

Magic happens every day. Sometimes we miss it. Other times, we choose not to see it. Today, I'm going to embrace it for all that it's worth.