A very wise teacher once told me that negative energy will seek you out when you are trying to do good and come into or grow within your spiritual power. When I heard it, I didn’t really understand but I believe that I now do very personally. Through journaling and meditation I have realized that at these specific times in my life I have been challenged the most in my faith. The challenges have come from all angles, anything to throw me off my game: financial hardship, family disputes, illness, injury, etc. Some close people will say to me, that I am living wrong or that God (referring to their Christian god) is angry with what I am doing and is punishing me. I feel so blessed to have had this wise woman’s words spoken to me in warning back then because had I not…..I may have believed the people who think I am doing something wrong in believing and practicing as I do. The ones who try to put little echoes of doubt in my mind and my ear. Instead I can see that it is just another way that the negative energy is using people to get to me. Because of my wise teacher, I see this negative energy taking one blow after another as a bit of a compliment. I am a threat to it and it is trying to knock me back. It feels my growth and seeks to stop it, which gives me motivation to move through it and beyond. I know that I will turn a corner and the dawn will be so bright with possibility. We must choose how we will look at the challenges put before us and whether those will stunt our growth and cause us to hide or whether we will allow our inner warrior to gain momentum from them and soar. The pagan path isn’t one for the faint of heart. It isn’t easy and it hasn’t been for many years. Its full of criticism, misunderstanding and judgment. To follow this path we must be strong in our beliefs every day, not just when our body and mind is well. You see the God/Goddess is all you do, when you look out the window, even just driving your car. You find their presence and work in good times and in the bad, through success and through trials and tribulation. It is not only a belief, it is a way of living your life.
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Time of Month: Waning Moon Supplies: Cynnamon Charmed Love Ball, black candle and offering Tips: Be sure to read through the ritual beforehand so that you can know what to expect and have set up. This allows things to flow much more smoothly without decreasing energy.
I have been seeing many confusing discussions about this coming moon. So let’s talk about what this moon is all about. First of all, you will notice that there is no Full moon for February this year. That would be because this is the second full moon in January. If you remember, January 1, 2018 was also a full moon. So, some people are calling this Jan. 31, the Wolf Moon. Well technically the Wolf moon is the first full moon to the new calendar year. So to me that would have made the Jan. 1 moon the Wolf Moon. This moon is what I would call the Storm moon. Also, this moon is called two other things that we can clarify now: a supermoon and also a blue moon. Simply put, it is a supermoon because of the closeness it has with Earth. Because of the closeness it appears larger than average, however you probably will not notice that size difference with the naked eye. Also, when two full moons appear in the same month, the second of the two is commonly referred to as the blue moon. Hence the blue moon reference some people will see to the Jan. 31 Storm moon. What I notice about the month of February is that this is a hard month, generally speaking. Here in the central United States we have seen a few months of winter and it isn’t letting up just yet. Actually it’s the coldest right now. Many times, the previous holiday season has financially strained many people and they are playing catch up over the next month. In older days this was the same sort of case. February for our ancestors was full of hardships. Many of the winter food and supply storages are now coming in short supply. Depending on how prepared they were, they were now rationing just to make it through the winter. These coldest days were the hardest on the livestock who needed even more food for energy but food may have been in short supply for them too. This month was all about strength and survival. February is also the month of Imbolc. Because of this we know that the ground is on the cusp of an awakening. The Sun is new and getting warmer. We know that our cold dark days have turned the corner and that we must just hold on. This is the month of fertility. So during the Storm moon we will celebrate things like fertility, strength, and perseverance. This would be a great time to manifest things in your life in areas that may need this extra energy. In addition, this moon is in Leo which lends the extra passion, confidence and determination we may need during this time. Think of challenges that you are facing in love, life or career. These are all things to work on this month. Photo Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/morgoththebetrayer/2599855574/ Time of Month: Waxing Moon Supplies: Cynnamon Charmed Love Ball and offering
Photo Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lovespellsblackmagic/36205662744/ Time of Month: New Moon Supplies: Cynnamon Charmed Love Ball and offering Tips: Be sure to read through the ritual beforehand so that you can know what to expect and have set up. This allows things to flow much more smoothly without decreasing energy. Also, the Imbolc Correspondence blog posted on 1/23/18 will be highly beneficial since we are seeking the same energy here. Therefore, the correspondence list will be very affective in love spell work so be sure to have that handy if you need it for reference.
Imbolc Correspondences Goddesses: Persephone, Demeter, Artemis, Hera, Hestia, Brigid, Selene, Diana, Athena, Venus, Gaia Gods: Pan, Priapus, Eros, Cupid, Oak King, Cernunnos, Jupiter Herbs/Flowers/Trees: marjoram, cinnamon, basil, rose, sage, rosemary, vervain, violets, cedar, lilac, carnations, Scent: myrrh, sandalwood, frankincense, cedar, lavender Colors: green, pink, red, brown, most pastel colors, white and yellow. Food: eggs, seeds of all kinds, bread, milk and honey, herbal teas made from approp. herbs from above Stones: Turquoise, Ruby, Amethyst, Pink Opal, Bloodstone, Pearl, Rose Quartz, Citrine What you need:
Altar Decor: as you see fit (use the Imbolc Correspondence (1/23) or Imbolc (1/11) blog posts for help. Post date provided to help you find these other Charmed Daily Blog posts. Cynnamon Charmed Imbolc Ritual Kit
Valentine’s Day is celebrated my millions of people across the United States every February 14th as a love and romance celebration. People buy candy, flowers, jewelry, balloons etc. for those they love to signify their affection. Although it isn’t a “bank” holiday, it is still highly commercialized and brings in a lot of money to stores and restaurants across America. This isn’t a pagan sabbat. However, there is some indication that Romans may have had some sort of fertility or right of passage festival for women on this day. Romans may have had a hand in the building of the Christianized celebrations but I know all pagans celebrated love and fertility during this time of year as well. I believe that it is so close to Imbolc that across time stories and dates have gotten jumbled and disassociations have happened confusing some of these celebrations with some of the Imbolc traditions of early pagans. For example, Cupid we see mentioned in the American Valentine’s day celebration and is said to bring love to whomever he shoots with his arrow but he is actually the pagan god of love known also as Eos, Amor, Eros, etc. I am actually surprised that Cupid was kept a God rather than changed into a saint or something else when the holiday became recognized and celebrated by Christians. For me, I group Valentine’s Day in with Imbolc. I see it as a watered down version of the sabbat. I feel like Ground Hogs day and Valentine’s Day are a split meaning modern festivals that was once Imbolc. If you read our blog post on Imbolc this month you see how the associations are so similar. It is a celebration of season changing like Ground Hogs day but in the look at deity it is also a love story told of love and romance and union between masculine and feminine creating life out of their affection. Pagans celebrated Cupid, Eos, Eros, Aphrodite, Persephone, etc. during this celebration because of these associations. The way that you choose to view and celebrate these festivals in entirely up to you. I like to celebrate Imbolc as it was by ancient pagans where I don’t only focus on the love and fertility but also of the seasonal change and the rebirth of self. However, specific love spell work, in celebration of Valentine’s Day (if you choose to call it that), could be done during the Feb. moon rituals. This year there isn’t a full moon in Feb., instead there is one at the end of Jan. and one the beginning of March. If you chose to do love spell work during moon esbats there is a few guidelines you can follow for the best success. Full moons are always great for doing most any magic, a new moon would be great for starting a relationship or bringing new love your way. A waxing moon ritual would be great for growing an existing relationship. A waning moon may be what you looking for if you are seeking courage to end a relationship that is no longer working. I do feel obligated to make a couple points about any love spell magic performed any time of the year. While, Cynnamon Charmed does offer a Love Herbal Blend, Love Potion Blend, and even a Love Ball, all of these things are meant to draw love, protection, fertility, etc. So I feel that we need to be open and receptive to receiving these things. In addition, many of them are also symbolic of the season of Imbolc and draw on the same energy that we look for that time of year. So, what I am saying here is that none of these items are created to put a spell on someone to MAKE them love you. Every practitioner is different and that is fine for them; however, for me and Cynnamon Charmed I will work within my ethical code and offer products that are intended to be used the way we designed them. I can’t control what people do with them once they are purchased but our intentions are to never enforce our will onto others. For example, you could do work that brings your true love to you without specifically naming a certain person. This is asking the Gods to bring the person who is meant to be into your life. However, to ask the Gods to make Johnny your lover is to enforce your will upon Johnny. In my practice, that is not fair to him. Another instance, if you are already in a relationship, I would advise against manifestations asking that “so and so” love you forever or that you never break up. This may be your will, at the moment, but does take away the other persons free will. In my practice, it is more ethical to ask for the Gods to strengthen the love already present in your lives and/or to strengthen your ability to look past your desires and see the truth. You could also ask the Gods to protect you from a broken heart or to help you find peace and resolve in being single. If you are a widow/widower and are looking for love again, maybe ask the Gods to preserve the love you had for your spouse in a special place in your heart while allowing you to open yourself up to be loved again. So, with all these late winter celebrations upon us, I hope that I have helped you to clear up what some of the differences are and also given you some specific ideas on how you may want to celebrate them. Remember that only YOUR way is the right way. It is only right if it is what feels good and has deep meaning in your heart and soul. My hope for all my followers is that your lives are full of so much light and love this season that it allows you spirit to shine brightly. Blessed Be )0( Photo Credit: https://www.amusingfun.com/love-flowers-and-romantic-flowers-wallpapers/ During my shadow work this past week I had this amazing (to me anyways) revelation about myself, I am my most artistic during the crone season. I have previously written about how my resolution this year was to work on myself through deeper shadow work. Feeling closed off and alone I didn’t start out feeling too useful in this quest but soon I realized many important things. One, I meditate best while I am crafting! I can lose hours wrapped up in my physical work and all the while I come out of it very “Zen”. It is because during that time I have also been working hard mentally on a different level then the surface level of my work. This was very important to realize because the past several months my normal meditations just stopped working for me. Everyone meditates differently and the importance lies in actually doing the meditation work (well and its quality) not in how you are able to do it. Secondly, it is during this shadow work phase that I am the absolute most artistic. I have heard artists talk about being in the zone and wanting to be left alone before they lose their motivation and I didn’t understand that. Now I do! I have “dead” periods where all my ideas are crap or nonexistent. Then all of a sudden BOOOOOM it hits me and ideas flow so fast I can barely keep up. Everything I touch turns out amazing and I can barely finish one thing before I am being drawn to a whole new project that turns out just as well. I have learned that I need to take advantage of these moments when they happen because I never know how long they will last and they go as fast as they come. I wonder why this is so. Maybe because I am channeling the inner most part of my spiritual being? I don’t know….further food for the fire. I have also realized that these spurts of artistic ability rarely come in the Spring and the Summer. It is during that time that I express myself in nature and in completely different forms of art. Ones that involve growing, harvesting, etc. These revelations are absolutely vital to Cynnamon Charmed and may just change the way that we do things this next year. Focusing on my strong suits while they are strongest and not stressing on new ideas when ideas aren’t flowing naturally. In order to bring my best to my followers I need to focus on how to access the best I have to offer and this is a step in the right direction. Thirdly, the strangest revelation I had was that I AM AN ARTIST! I refer to myself as many things, a wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend, business owner, herbalist, writer, blogger, etc. BUT never as an artist. That never crossed my mind. I just do what I do and I assumed it was ordinary stuff anyone could do. That one title and idea of myself, made many pieces fall into place. And so I continue my shadow work as the owner, writer, herbalist and artist of Cynnamon Charmed and just another woman on her spiritual journey. Imagine author:Unknown We have just launched a new Facebook group. This will different then the Facebook page for many reasons. One, its a closed group, not public. People can see that you are a member of a group called Cynnamon Charmed but they do not see any of the post discussion within the group unless they are added as a member. This group is going to be a LOT more interactive than the page. Our page is really the face of the Cynnamon Charmed shop but we want the group to be a learning community. I post lots of articles here and share them on the page; however, going forward these posts will only be available for a short time on the page. For group members exclusively, they will be part of the files and easily referenced for future use. In addition, the group members will get exclusive coupons for Cynnamon Charmed. The group will have daily threads that can be posted in, and my hope for the future is that maybe we will start a free exchange opportunity where we will have a partner and send each other spiritual products at no cost. We are a small a group right now since the group was just created. I am not in a big hurry to grow the group because I want to have quality in the people we attract. However, I know that my blog readers are these quality people. Its important to me that this group is a safe place for people to grow. It will not be like "those other groups" where you are afraid of posting out of fear of being attacked. If this sounds like something you may be interested in come check us out on Facebook. Our group name is Cynnamon Charmed- the group. You can send me a request to join and if accepted you will need to read and accept our groups conduct guidelines. Click HERE to be directed to the group. Cynnamon Charmed "About Us" : Cynnamon Charmed was created to enrich people's lives using magick and herbs. The group evolved out of the need of companionship, community and education to help manifest that idea. This group will help you to live a magickal life on a daily basis, grow spirituality in YOUR practice, regardless of your tradition and to learn from others and the diversity among us. This is a closed group. That means that our group can be searched and found by name and the members can be seen HOWEVER no content or posts are public to anyone other than members. Photo Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/111734839@N08/11406307886/ |
Keri Nichol
Founder, Artist, Herbalist, and Writer Archives
August 2018
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