Tag: Spellmaker.com

  • Prayer for the Earth

    As the grass tries desperately to peak out from under huge mounds of ice and snow up here, this prayer for the Earth came to mind. I remembered coming across it last fall at a Native American Shrine 😉 Hope you enjoy it.

    Earth Teach Me to Remember
       Earth teach me stillness
       as the grasses are stilled with light.
       Earth teach me suffering
       as old stones suffer with memory.
       Earth teach me humility
       as blossoms are humble with beginning.
       Earth Teach me caring
       as the mother who secures her young.
       Earth teach me courage
       as the tree which stands alone.
       Earth teach me limitation
       as the ant which crawls on the ground.
       Earth teach me freedom
       as the eagle which soars in the sky.
       Earth teach me resignation
       as the leaves which die in the fall.
       Earth teach me regeneration
       as the seed which rises in the spring.
       Earth teach me to forget myself
       as melted snow forgets its life.
       Earth teach me to remember kindness
       as dry fields weep in the rain.

       Ute, North American

    Images

  • Spring Equinox – March 20, 2009

    Happy Spring, Everyone!

    Far from being an arbitrary indicator of the changing seasons, March 20 (March 21 in some years) is significant for astronomical reasons. On March 20, 2009, at precisely 7:44 A.M. EDT , the Sun will cross directly over the Earth's equator. This moment is known as the vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. For the Southern Hemisphere, this is the moment of the autumnal equinox. Translated literally, equinox
    means "equal night." Because the sun is positioned above the equator,
    day and night are about equal in length all over the world during the
    equinoxes.

    From a technical standpoint the Vernal Equinox is an astronomical
    event, it’s one of the four quadrature days of the Earth’s orbit.
    However for people both modern and ancient, the Vernal Equinox marked
    the transition from winter into spring. The Vernal Equinox occurs on
    March 20th or 21st and is one of two days during the year when there
    are 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness, the other day is the
    Autumnal Equinox.

    People have been marking and celebrating the
    Vernal Equinox for thousands of years. The Great Sphinx which was
    constructed over 4500 years ago on the Giza Plateau in Egypt, faces due
    east on the Vernal Equinox. The monoliths located at Stonehenge, which
    are estimated to be over 3000 years old, mark the position of the
    rising sun on the Vernal Equinox. In Central America the Ancient Mayan
    Caracol Tower and Temples of the Sun and Moon also have alignments that
    coincide with the sun’s position on the Vernal Equinox.

    Most
    historians believe that this knowledge was important to ancient
    cultures in choosing a time to plant their crops. In Iran they
    celebrate Norouz (which roughly translates to “new day”) on the Vernal
    Equinox. In China they celebrate Chunfen on the Vernal Equinox. In
    ancient Europe they celebrated the arrival of the goddess of spring
    Ostara on this day. Ostara was also known as Ostera and Eostre in
    different parts of Europe. Many historians believe the Christian
    holiday Easter gets its name from Eostre, as she had an enchanted
    rabbit that could lay eggs. In more modern times the Vernal Equinox
    marked the first Earth Day celebration in 1971.

    One of the odd
    traditions that that occur on the Vernal Equinox is egg balancing. The
    story goes that it is possible to balance a raw egg on its oblong end
    on this day. There is no truth to this rumor it’s just as easy (or
    hard) to balance an egg on its end on this day as it is any other day.
    This story is perpetuated by the media who usually run a small segment
    on it, during news shows on this day.

    Media hype or not, as a kid I thought the balancing of eggs on the Equinox was great and magickal fun! I still do it, I did it this morning, as I sat here at my desk at work, with the folks around me asking why I was playing with my breakfast. Its a tradition now, that brings me back to simpler times, when one the actions of one little egg could keep me fascinated for days.

    Hope you all get to go out and do something special today, to mark the beginning of the season of light!

    Light and Love

    Sister Bridget

    Egg

  • Prayer for today.

    Hi There,
    I received this prayer in my inbox today from a dear client. Reading it made me feel so empowered I just had to pass it along…….

    St. Theresa's Prayer:

     'May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you

     are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of

     faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received, and

     pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself

     just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your

     soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every

     one of us.'

    Images


    Light and Love
    Sister Bridget

  • Quote for today…..

    “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”
        ~~~~ Dr Seuss

    No one is more You than You! Today, do something just for You!~ I swear, sometimes clients can get so caught up in their cases, and all the drama and emotion that can sometimes go along with that, that they just lose track of who they are. So, today, in honor of Dr Seuss' birthday, everyone go out and do something just for you! Remember who you are, and be your own best friend!

    Light and Love
    Sister Bridget

    Images2

  • Writing your Personal Mission Statement – stick to the basics

    Hi There!
    Earlier in the year, I posted about Personal Mission Statements. Basically, this is a paragraph of about 3 to 5 sentences, that reflects your core beliefs and goals for your life. Think of your mission statement as a living, breathing entity, that will change and grow as you change and  grow nd discover new things about yourself along your life's path. This is hardly something that is written in stone, but a work in progress, just as we are works in progress 😉 Below are some general guidelines to help get you started:

    1. Focus on the positive! Write your phrases as what you want to be , not about what you don't want to be. If you find you have written something negative, rephrase it in a positive manner.
    2. Think about the qualities, actions, characteristics and habits that you have in you that you admire, or that you would like to strive towards.
    3.
    Create a mission statement that will guide you in your
    day-to-day actions and decisions. Make it a part of your
    everyday life.
    4.Think about how your mission statement effects every area of your life – relationships, career, family, financial. Your mission statement is meant to bring balance into your life, and should positively effect every area of your life.
    5. Be sure to include an emotional component! Describe positively how you want to FEEL inside about your self and your life!
    6. Start with an affirmative word like "I will…." or "I am….."
    7. Take as much time as you need. Life is not a sprint, but a marathon.  Take some time in thoughtful reflection about who you are and where you are and what your goals are.

    Here are some phrases that you could possibly use to help you get started:

    "I will  live each day with …[ fill in the blank ]… so that …[what is your goal]. I will do this by …(put specific habits or behaviors here]."

    "I am known by …[ people in your life ]… as someone who is …[fill in the blank]…;  "

    Sooooo……give it a ripple, and if you like, post your statement in the comments section of this blog, and we can all work on them together, and help each other out.

    Light and Love
    Sister Bridget

    Images

  • Faith.

    In my duties as Parran of our House, I get asked a lot about the question of "faith."  How to keep the faith? What to do prove what you have faith in, etc.  I am no expert on faith, but I do know that life is pretty bleak if you have faith in nothing.  My wife, Mambo Sam, once said to me that it was really easy to have faith when things were going great, it is when things are going terrible and we need faith that we seem to have it the least. I couldn't agree with her more.  Good days bring great faith, but who needs faith on good days?  It's those bad days where we need our faith.

    Mightier writers than me have written a lot about faith and I thought I would share with you some of the quotes I have found.  I hope you enjoy them and keep them for those days when your faith is in short supply.

    Faith is like radar that sees through the fog.  ~Corrie Ten Boom, Tramp for the Lord

    Reason is our soul's left hand, Faith her right.  ~John Donne

    Faith is reason grown courageous.  ~Sherwood Eddy

    Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother.  ~Kahlil Gibran

    Fear knocked at the door.  Faith answered.  And lo, no one was there.  ~Author Unknown

    If there was no faith there would be no living in this world.  We couldn't even eat hash with safety.  ~Josh Billings, His Complete Works, 1888

    Faith, to my mind, is a stiffening process, a sort of mental starch.  ~E.M. Forster

    Faith is spiritualized imagination.  ~Henry Ward Beecher

    Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.  ~J.R.R. Tolkien

    Faith is courage; it is creative while despair is always destructive.  ~David S. Muzzey

    Faith is a passionate intuition.  ~William Wordsworth

    To me faith means not worrying.  ~John Dewey

    Faith is putting all your eggs in God's basket, then counting your blessings before they hatch.  ~Ramona C. Carroll

    Every tomorrow has two handles.  We can take hold of it by the handle of anxiety, or by the handle of faith.  ~Author Unknown

    Faith is the bird that sings when the dawn is still dark.  ~Rabindranath Tagore

    He who has faith has… an inward reservoir of courage, hope, confidence, calmness, and assuring trust that all will come out well – even though to the world it may appear to come out most badly.  ~B.C. Forbes

    A faith of convenience is a hollow faith.  ~Father Mulcahy, M*A*S*H, "A Holy Mess," 1982

    Be like the bird that, passing on her flight awhile on boughs too slight, feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings, knowing that she hath wings.  ~Victor Hugo

    Faith makes things possible, not easy.  ~Author Unknown

    Faith is raising the sail of our little boat until it is caught up in the soft winds above and picks up speed, not from anything within itself, but from the vast resources of the universe around us.  ~W. Ralph Ward

    Faith… must be enforced by reason…. When faith becomes blind it dies.  ~Mahatma Gandhi

    Faith and doubt both are needed – not as antagonists, but working side by side to take us around the unknown curve.  ~Lillian Smith

    As your faith is strengthened you will find that there is no longer the need to have a sense of control, that things will flow as they will, and that you will flow with them, to your great delight and benefit.  ~Emmanuel

    In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don't.  ~Blaise Pascal

    Faith enables persons to be persons because it lets God be God.  ~Carter Lindberg

    Weave in faith and God will find the thread.  ~Author Unknown

    A little faith will bring your soul to heaven, but a lot of faith will bring heaven to your soul.  ~Author Unknown

    Faith can move mountains, but don't be surprised if God hands you a shovel.  ~Author Unknown

    A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything.  ~Friedrich Nietzsche

    Faith, indeed, has up to the present not been able to move real mountains…. But it can put mountains where there are none.  ~Friedrich Nietzche, Human, All Too Human, 1879

    Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to.  ~George Seaton

    Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.  ~Martin Luther King Jr.

    Faith makes the discords of the present the harmonies of the future.  ~Robert Collyer

    Feed your faith and your fears will starve to death.  ~Author Unknown

    Life without faith in something is too narrow a space to live.  ~George Lancaster Spalding

  • New Services Available ~~ Readings and Rituals by Sister Candelaria

    Hey All-

    I am so happy to be able to finally spread the news that my dear Sister Candelaria, Priestess of Agwe, is now officially offering Cowrie Shell readings and Oceanside Rituals. I KNOW that you will find BOTH the readings and the rituals very informative and helpful to your situations.

    To read about both, please see

     
    And Mambo Sam has written a bit about how shell readings and their ancient art on her blog here.
     
    Light and Love
    Sister Bridget
     
    Images
     
     
     
     
  • Quote for today 😉

    here is one more quote I couldn't  resist passing along……..


    Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.

    — Marie Curie


    Have a great Monday!
    Light and Love
    Sister Bridget

    Images 

  • Quote for today!

    Nothing is predestined:

     The obstacles of your past can become the gateways that lead to new beginnings.

    ~~~Ralph Blum

    Lovebrids

     

  • February is Erzulie Freda Month!

    Lovehands

      Hey There!

    Well, its nearly February again, and Marran Sam's New Orlean's Voodoo Family is gearing up for its annual month long ritual to the most beloved love lwa, Erzulie Freda. Past years  have been very rewarding and sucessful, and we very much look forward to this year's riitual!

    This is a totally free ritual – anyone can send in a request to erzulie@spellmaker.com No purchase is required to participate. This year, Mambo Sam has written up some instructions for people who would like to participate as well, but again, no purchase is necessary. There is a ritual kit available along the lines of the one crafted for the Sobo ritual done not so long ago, for people who are interested.

    Please see Erzulie's Page  for LOTS of information about Erzulie, products dedicated especially to her, the one time ritual pack, and also instructions for the ritual itself. 

    Wishing you all a very happy February!

    Light and Love

    Sister Bridget