Rose Ariadne's Chitchcraft Blog

Dear Friends,

It seems to me as though many people rarely consider the importance and power of the moon. True, many witches recognize the moon as powerful because it is a symbol of the Goddess, but have you ever actually sat and considered how awe-inspiring the moon really is?

Without the moon, life on our planet would be completely different than as we know it. Indeed, there are many that will tell you that without the moon, there would be no life on our planet as the influential pull of the moon on the ocean tides created tide pools from which life sprang forth. The landscape of our planet would be different; the atmosphere would be different. The moon’s influence on Earth is immeasurable.

And, just as the moon has such power and influence over the planet, so does it have such power and influence over us as well. They rhythm of the moon is an astrological process that is used by many to determine their birth charts, astrological influences and when they should perform certain tasks in their day-to-day lives.

In order to begin to truly use the power of the moon in your life though, one must really understand rhythm of the moon. For many people, the extent of moon “rhythm” knowledge they contain is that the moon goes through four phases; the new moon, first quarter moon, full moon and second quarter moon. Knowing these phases of the moon is very important, but when it comes to moon rhythm there is so much more to learn and understand!

The time it takes for the moon to pass through it’s four phases, from one new moon to the next new moon, is called a synodic month and takes about 29.53 days. The time it takes the moon to make it’s elliptical orbit around the Earth takes about 27.33 days and is called a sidereal month. As the moon makes it’s orbit, it passes through each of the zodiac signs which are ruled by a planet in our solar system. The aspect, or angle, that the moon has to these zodiac signs and planets can have a profound effect on activities in our lives.

Each of the 12 zodiac signs if ruled by one of the planets in our solar system, including the sun and the moon. For a quick rundown, here are the planets and the zodiac signs which they rule:

Jupiter rules Sagittarius and Pisces
Saturn rules Capricorn and Aquarius
Mars rules Aries and Scorpio
Venus rules Taurus and Libra
Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo
Uranus rules Aquarius
Neptune rules Pisces
The Moon rules Cancer
The Sun rules Leo

As the moon moves through the 12 zodiac signs, or is in aspect with these signs, we refer to the moon by a different name. For instance, when the moon is in aspect with the Leo constellation, it is a Leo Moon, and so on and so forth. Each moon has its own energies that not only influence who we are as a person depending upon the moon we are born under, but activities that we all perform in our daily lives as well. Some aspects of the moon are more favorable for performing certain tasks than others. Since the qualities of the sign the moon is in aspect to influence the powers of the moon, learning these zodiac qualities can help you to better understand how to use the rhythm of the moon to improve your everyday life by performing daily tasks on days that are astrologically favorable.

Since this is just part 1 of a series on using the rhythm and powers of the moon in your daily life, next week I will go over some of the qualities of each moon aspect. For now though, I implore you all to take some time to focus on the moon and contemplate the true power and influence that the shining orb of the Goddess has over life here on Earth.

Rose Ariadne
Your Warm and Caring “Resident Witch in Charge”

Dear Friends,

In today’s hectic, fast paced world, stress, negativity and aggravation seem to be common place and a way of life for many people. Unfortunately, these emotions can invade our lives and affect us even if we try to keep them out of our own personal life. Negative emotions can have a severe impact on how we feel and if we let these feelings in, can attract further negative energy to us.

This of course, can greatly affect our daily life. It can wear us down, cause us to feel depressed and tired and negatively affect any spells or rituals that we may try to perform. Avoiding negative energies put off by others is impossible. Sadly, too many people in the world let these people control their lives, in fact, some people seem to prefer these feelings rather than feelings of happiness and positivity. Fortunately though, it is possible to help deflect these emotions from taking hold of you, and protect yourself from the draining powers of negative energy.

One of the best methods I have found for protecting myself from these energies is a visualization. Learning to visualize a protective positive “bubble” around yourself can help to deflect these energies and have them fleeing from you in fear. This is a process that takes a little time to perfect, so you can not expect immediate results overnight. It can take a great deal of concentration to at first learn how to create this positive “bubble,” and then take practice to learn how to keep your protection around you without having to continuously focus on it.

The first step is to begin to visualize your bubble. Sit in a quiet room in a comfortable position. If you are familiar with meditation, you are basically going to be sitting and meditating, visualizing yourself putting this bubble in place. Begin to visualize your protective bubble, or circle, forming around you. The best analogy I have been able to find to explain this bubble to beginners is the bubble that would transport the good witch Glinda in the movie “The Wizard of Oz.” Your bubble should be large enough to protect your entire being, and it is best to visualize the bubble in a bright, positive white light. Hold the bubble in place around you while you meditate, envisioning it blocking out any energies that are trying to find their way in.

At the end of your meditation, do not visualize yourself taking the bubble down. In the back of your mind, or in your subconscious mind, try to visualize keeping the bubble in place. Now this here is the most difficult part. You cannot focus on keeping the bubble in place all of the time, or you will have a hard time concentrating on the rest of your regular daily tasks. What I generally instruct students to do, is throughout the day, just do a quick “reminder” visualization to keep the protective bubble in place. For the first few days, possible even a few weeks, it may take some practice to remember to think about your protective bubble. However, even if you only remember to think about it when you first wake in the morning before bed and again when going to bed in the evening, it can help to fix this protective circle around you permanently.

Over time, your protective circle will become so ingrained within your subconscious mind that it will stay around you permanently, protecting you from the negative energies and emotions that fill the world. You will find that you not only feel better, as these negative energies no longer drain your emotional being, but that you are likely better able to help others find positivity as well, as the strong level of positive energy residing within you will spread to those around you.

Rose Ariadne
Your Warm and Caring “Resident Witch in Charge”

Dear Friends,

The power of herbs is often overlooked by people. These tiny little plants are typically thought of as nothing more than seasoning for food, when in fact many of them have so much more to offer. Herbs can be used not only for additional flavor in food, but many have high nutritional value as well. They are used to treat illnesses in holistic medicine and help the body maintain optimal health. Some herbs are also very powerful in magick, and can be used in a variety of spells and rituals.

Yarrow is one of my favorite herbs. Yarrow is a weedy perennial herb that grows in the Northern Hemisphere, though many people are unaware that the plant even exists. It has deep green leaves that have a pungent aroma and are covered in fine white silky hairs. Yarrow plants bloom small clusters of flowers that can vary in color including white, lilac, yellow and pink. It is a beautiful addition for aesthetic purposes in the home garden, and my favorite part, can be harvested and used for magick and healing in a variety of ways.

Yarrow has been used for hundreds of years in healing and in magick. Over the years, the plant has been called a variety of names including bloodwort, devil’s nettle, arrow root, snake’s grass, field hop, gearwe, nose bleed, staunchweed and more. Many of the plants names, such as staunchweed, nose bleed, sanguinary, woundwort and others of that ilk, are indicative of the plants primary use in healing, as yarrow is used in traditional medicine to help stop bleeding. Other traditional uses of yarrow in medicine include use as a tonic to treat depression or melancholy and treatment (combined with other herbs) for the common cold.

When it comes to magick, yarrow is truly a witch’s herb. Yarrow can be used as an all-purpose addition to any spell as it helps to amplify the powers of other herbs and overall increases the power of spells. The list of magickal benefits of yarrow is definitely a long and lengthy one; it can be used for strengthening psychic abilities like clairvoyance and divination, love spells, luck spells, protection spells, defensive magick, animal magick, banishing spells, consecration and much more.

Yarrow can be used in attraction spells to attract courage and bravery, friendship and love. Yarrow grown around your home will help to attract the fairies. It can be used in a charm to help strengthen and nurture a marriage, and when combined with nettles can make a power charm to combat fear. You can wear a sprig of yarrow in an amulet to ward off negative energy and provide protection. There are so many things that yarrow can do!

An easy spell to perform using yarrow is making a dream pillow. When yarrow is added to a dream pillow, it may grant you a vision of your future spouse. Place the yarrow herbs into a small pouch, focusing on your desire. As you are placing the yarrow into the pouch, recite this spell:

This pretty herb from Venus’ tree,
Thy true name be it Yarrow;
Show my one true love to me,
Pray tell to me tomorrow.

Place the satchel under your pillow before bed. As you wait to fall asleep, focus on your heart’s desire, for the yarrow to reveal your future love to you.

In my personal opinion, yarrow is simply one of those herbs that a witch just cannot be without. It is so versatile and so powerful that it is practically an essential tool for any witch to have. And fortunately, yarrow is very easy to grow as well, making it easy to have fresh and dried yarrow on hand whenever you need it.

Brightest Blessings
Rose Ariadne Your Warm and Caring “Resident Witch in Charge”