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If man has no tea in him, he incapable of understanding
truth and beauty.
– JAPANESE PROVERB

Are you as excited as I am that Brave will be available on dvd soon? I can’t wait to buy it on dvd. You can view the trailer in the other post on this blog. The Hobbit is coming out in theaters soon too.

I have decided to cover divination. The previous post was about runes. In this post, I will talk about tealeaf readings. But I am talking about a different way that I do tealeaf readings.

Tealeaf readings are usually done by the person studying the shapes of the leaves. I experienced something different when I did a reading for a querent. I held the mug in my hands, and was studying the leaves, but it was like something flashed out at me. I saw something literally flash at me. Insight, perhaps? I don’t know what to call it but it was amazing and I was able to accurately complete the tealeaf reading for the querent.

The lady who I did the reading for was a fellow student in my Astrology Level 1 class. I intuited that she had a lot of love in her life and told her that from the flash of insight or whatever you call it from the tealeaves. I think the way it happened for me was different than other readers.

Caroline Dow’s book Tealeaf Reading- Your Fortune in a tea cup, is a great book to read if you would like to learn more about tealeaf reading. She does not describe the flashes or insights I get in the way I read tealeaves. She does go into great detail about the shapes of the tealeaves and what they can tell you. The book teaches you how to give tealeaf readings, prepare tea, hold tea parties, and master tea-taking etiquette.

Tealeaf readings are fun to do and the teas are often savoury. I enjoy herbal teas and they are also beneficial for your health. If you are interested in learning more about tealeaf readings to perform for yourself or others, Caroline Dow’s book will show you how. Her book contains a wealth of information. But do not be afraid if you find you read tealeaves similarly to the way I do. Remember to always trust your first impressions.

Blessed Be,
Lady Spiderwitch

Mabon is the second harvest Sabbat and occurs on September 20-22 in the Northern Hemisphere. It is a time of balance, as there are equal hours of day and night. Apples are associated with harvests, and are ideal for performing Mabon magic.

Apples have always had an important place in magic. Apples represented Avalon. They produced blossoms and fruit and were part of the Celtic paradise. The love planet Venus rules apples. Apples can be used to help predict matters of love.

You can invoke the goddesses Pomona: the Goddess of Apples, Demeter and Persephone. Pomona corresponds with the blooming orchards at autumn. If you slice an apple in half, you will see the five-pointed star, the symbol of the Goddess. Here are some fun methods of divination to try during Mabon.

Peel an apple and keep the apple peel in one long piece. When the peel comes off, drop it on the floor. The letter it forms is the first initial of your true love.

If a girl peels an apple in one long piece at midnight and tosses the peel over her left shoulder, she will be able to read the first initial of her future partner’s home in the shape assumed by the discarded peel.

Wait till midnight and cut an apple into nine pieces. Take the apple pieces into a dark room with a mirror. At midnight, eat the apple pieces while gazing into the mirror. When you eat the ninth piece, toss it over your shoulder. The face of your lover should appear in the mirror.

If a girl stands before a mirror at midnight while eating an apple and combing her hair, her future husband’s image will be reflected in the glass over her left shoulder.

Hold apple seeds in your left hand and recite the name of a suitor for each seed, then toss the seeds in the flames. The seed that pops the loudest is the suitor for whose heart burned for most of them.

Cut an apple crosswise and count the seeds. An even number of seeds shows that you have a high chance of marriage. An odd number of seeds show that you do not. If a seed is cut in half, you will have a rocky relationship.

Cut an apple in half. Eat the first half before midnight, and the second half just as the clock turns to midnight. You will dream of your lover that night.

Place apple seeds between fingers till it flies out. Shake hands, saying, “Apple seed, apple seed, apple seed, Please tell me where my true love will be, North, South, East, West, apple seed, apple seed, apple seed, Please answer this request for me.” Open your palm. The direction in which the pointed end of the seed is facing is the direction in which true love or partnerships lie.

To determine whether someone loves you, eat an apple to the core until you find a seed. Remove the seed and name it by the same name as the one you love on a candle. You can carve a name onto a candle, dress it with olive oil, and roll the candle in glitter for a magical effect. Light the candle and let it burn for a few moments then drop the seed into the candle flame. If you hear a popping sound, the one you desire cannot hold back his love for you. Do not blow out the candle flame as you will incur a quarrel. Snuff the candle out to maintain a harmonious energy.

The color of the candle determines the outcome of the divination. Use red and pink candles. They correspond with love spells and divinations. Also, to bind the energies within a candle, snuff it out. To release the energies from a candle, blow the candle out. Keep away from pets or children.

When performing love magic or spells, please remember to follow ethics. It is tempting to make that special someone love you the way you want them to love you, but in the end, you may learn it is not what you really wanted. The person may not be who you thought they were. Ever bear in mind the Rule of Three: whatever you send out, you get back times three. Make an effort to radiate positive energy, and it will be returned to you.

Mabon is a potent time for divination. Magic crackles, the veil opens between the worlds, and an early frost chills the air. I hope you enjoy trying these divinations and have a magical Mabon. You may just find that special someone!

Today I had the honor of being interviewed by a friend who is also an author. The interview is on his blog site at http://www.dawsonwalton.wordpress.com.

I am posting it here so people can read it on this blog, as well, if they would like. I was happy and honored to be interviewed about my writing. I hope you enjoy reading this interview.

This interview is with Heddy Johannesen, an up and coming writer.

“So Heddy, tell us about yourself, what do you write?

I like to write nonfiction and fiction. I like to write poetry, but I feel my success lies in nonfiction and fiction. I am currently at work on my second novel. I have over twenty magazine articles published and have been published in anthologies, Ezines, and they were mostly nonfiction.

What has been your proudest moment as a writer?

I can’t say specifically which one was my proudest moment as a writer. I have a few, the best one being when I published my book of poetry, Metamorphosis, and the success that came with it. The book is in the U.S., the UK. And George Elliott Clarke reviewed my book in the Chronicle Herald. My other proudest moment was when I reached 13,000 total page views of my blog. I loved it that people enjoyed reading my blog that much. My blog is about finding the sacred in the mundane and how to live more spiritually. I think that in today’s crazed, rat race world, there is a cry for something meaningful and people have found that in my blog.

What would you like to see happen in the future with your writing?

I would like to publish my ghost story, because it is personal to me on a few levels. I learned about my family history as I researched it and it has challenged me from the beginning. I feel like I am sharing something personal with readers, and I hope that they get that sense if they read it. I am also a medium and I once lived in a house that seemed haunted, and I tried to put that experience in the story. How it felt. I remember nights when I laid still, every hair on end, listening to sounds in the house when I knew people were asleep. I am a witch too. The paranormal is a popular topic in books today, like Twilight and Harry Potter. There is a demand for paranormal books right now. I love being challenged.

Besides writing, what are you most passionate about?

Writing about witchcraft comes naturally to me. I have several magazine articles published in Wiccan/Pagan magazines that reflect the content of my blog. The topics ranged from history of pagan bonfires to herb magic to how I honor my chosen deity. I have magazine articles published on health and well-being too, with a spiritual focus.

Besides my writing, I am passionate about my garden and of course, my pet cat Shadow and the environment as well.

If you could give a new writer advice, what would it be?

If I could give a new writer advice, it would be to read everything under the stars, read widely in your chosen genre, never say no to an opportunity, and practice, and practice your writing and always try to be the best you can be. I try to be positive and pour myself into everything I do. Drink lots of coffee. Be open to constructive criticism about your writing. Be flexible. Support the writers around you in your community and they will support you too. Join a critique group.

Where can people find your work?

I am included in the Salt Lines anthology, and my book of poetry, Metamorphosis, can be found at Bookmark on Spring Garden Road.

My blog can be found at http://lady-spiderwitch.blogspot.com and I can be found on Facebook and Twitter.

On a personal note, I have read excerpts of Heddy’s upcoming book and all I can say is Wow I can’t wait to read it in its’ entirety.”

Thanks are in order for Author Dawson Walton for interviewing me. The link to his blog is posted at the top of the page. Feel free to browse and read about it.

Many happy Lammas + Full Moon blessings to you!!

As promised, I am going to talk here about divination. I have been busy and have not been able to post here. If I had more hours of daylight, it would be a different story.

There are different methods of divination. They share a long history and varying techniques. Divination is a way of seeing into the future. Some methods you may be quite familiar with already, such as pendulums and tarot cards. I enjoy research though and finding out about the methods that are not often heard of. I read a fascinating book about the methods of divination practiced by our Celtic ancestors. It may come as a surprise.

The seers and prophets of the Celts were highly favored by the people. The way they performed divination was by literally putting their thumb in their mouth. I am not referring to Cerridwen and Taliesin here.

In the Netherlands, the space between thumb and finger was called Wodenspanne, a link with the Germanic God Wodan. Sometimes the seers and prophets bit their tongues to gain knowledge. I do not recommend you all try that.

The Tale of Sigurd the Volsung tells of how he put his thumb in his mouth and gained knowledge. The tale is a fourteenth-century saga. He slayed a dragon. Sigurd was taught by Regin, a smith bearing supernatural powers. His mother married again and saved the broken pieces of the sword (makes me think of the Shards of Narsil from LOTR.)Regin’s brother shape shifted into a dragon Fanfir, and guarded a great treasure, which Regin coveted for himself. Odin favored Sigurd and gifted him with a great horse. Regin reforged the sword and egged Sigurd on to kill the dragon and get the gold. Regin intended for Sigurd to die. Odin intervened, and instructed Sigurd to build deep pits so the dragon blood would flow in them, which Sigurd did. Regin drank some of the blood and Sigurd cooked the heart of the dragon, checking to see if the dragon heart was ready. As soon as he did, he burnt his thumb and gained knowledge from the speech of birds who warned him of Regin’s true intentions. Sigurd drew his sword and chopped off Regin’s head. He claimed the treasure and went on to many adventures.

The tale above is one of many tales of ancient seers and prophets. Sigurd was not perceived as a seer but the tale is still popular. Christian monuments from the Isle of Man depicted a man roasting a dragon in a pit and eating the dragon meat. A stone from a Viking cemetery showed a seated figure with his hand to his mouth standing near the slain body of a dragon. He was shown as the victorious slayer of the dragon and owner of the treasure.

The Irish story of a man named Finn Mac Cumaill. He was a warrior and a poet and seer. His teacher was named Finn, who desired to eat the flesh of a special salmon, that would gift him to knowledge where nothing would be hidden from him. He instructed Demne, the boy, to cook the salmon. Demne brought the salmon to him, and Finn asked if he ate any of it. Demne replied that he had burnt his thumb and put it in his mouth. So Finn realized that Demne was the one meant to gain sacred knowledge and gave him the name Finn. The boy ate the salmon and “whenever he would put his thumb in his mouth and sing through teinm laida (chewing of the pith),” hidden knowledge would be granted to him.

The two tales above show two different methods of gaining arcane knowledge but they show how secret knowledge was gained. Today we may not even consider burning our thumbs on the slain heart of a dragon as a method of divination, but that was common then. The God Odin sacrificed his eye to gain knowledge from the well of wisdom. There are likely many tales of how secret knowledge was gained. Tolkien includes a sword that was reforged in his book The Lord of the Rings. It is highly possible that the tale above may be where he found the inspiration. He heavily borrowed from ancient mythology from different cultures such as the Celts and the Vikings.

The gods of the Celts and Vikings played important roles in the mythology as well as the idea of shape shifting in the tales here and the tale of Cerridwen and Taliesin.

Today the practice of divination continues and while there are no dragons to slay or dragon blood to drink, or special sacred potions in cauldrons, we still seek answers to hidden knowledge. It is a tradition that has never and will never die. I am listening to a song called The Celts by Enya. I wear Celtic jewelry and I have a Celtic cat keychain. The Celts art and mythology survived the test of time.

How many of you have an animal familiar/ pet cat that sleeps on your table and gets his/ her fur all over your table? Want an affordable, easy-to-do solution to the problem? If so, read on.

I decided to do something about it. I created my own cat bed for my cat Lady Shadow. I went to the nearby fabric store and bought a yard of pink printed fleece. Sewing your own cat bed costs pennies and is a much cheaper alternative to buying one. The fabric cost me $3 and I bought stuffing. I cut a semi-circle out of the material. I sewed three sides shut and left a hole for the stuffing. I pressed the seam allowance and put the stuffing in the cushion. I sealed the cushion shut.

I love the material because it is fleece, which appeals to cats, is pink and printed with the word meow, and is decorated with polka dot cats and striped cats, and hearts. Purrfect!! I put the cushion on my altar and programmed the cushion and said a small chant, and hugged it for love. I made a catnip infusion and sprayed the catnip infusion on the cushion. I left it on the table for Shadow to find in her own time.

Soon, Shadow found the cushion on the table. I don’t know if it will always keep her off my table. I should have nipped that bad habit in the bud a long time ago. Before long, she napped on the cushion, and left her scent on it, which means that there is a strong chance she will nap there again- and not on my table.

Today we are going to look at divination. Divination is my favorite thing. I am going to post a series of topics on the subject of divination. I hope you enjoy reading them..

What is divination, exactly? It is a way of divining the future, a way of learning what the future holds through tools such as pendulums, crystals, scrying, cauldron gazing which is similar to scrying, and has many approaches. A person can choose to divine for himself or herself or for someone else.

The ancient Celts were the pioneers of divination. There is a book about that called Celtic Visions written by Caitlin Matthews, a real expert on the subject. Caitlin Matthews has written extensively on the ancient Celts.

The methods of divination are numerous and varied. A friend has introduced me to a new way of thinking about divination. It is about looking back to the ancient shamans and seers’ way of divining, and reinterpreting it to practice in our time. It is new to me. I have plenty to learn and read about this fascinating subject, methods our ancestors practiced long ago.

Today we still practice divination, owed in part to the revivals of Wicca/ witchcraft/ paganism and the many different traditions within it. Last night, I performed a reading for a client and I performed a tealeaf reading combined with a three-card spread of the Tarot of Pagan Cats deck. I like the fact that we honor traditions that were done centuries ago. Even in our modern, fast-paced technological, crazed world, we find time for a cup of tea and in person communication. Ipods, Ipads, laptops, wireless networks and Kindles have not stamped out time-honored traditions.