Herb of the Day: Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus):
Local name: Clove Pink.
“The clove gilloflower is most used in physiche… and is accounted to be very cordiall.” John Parkinson.
Folk Names:
jove’s flower, gillies, gilliflower, sops-in-wine
Gender: Masculine
Planet: Sun
Element: Fire
Powers: Protection, Strength, Healing
When made into a syrup (5 pints boiling water to 3 pounds flower heads; 2 pounds sugar per pint), Parkinson claimed it to be “good for disorders of the brain.” Gerard said that it help ease heart sickness.
CAUTION!! Commercial Carnations are often “DYED”. Not knowing what the dyes used are, I would NOT ADVISE you to use Commercial Carnations!!
Magickally associated with: Sun, Fire. Was once worn by Witches to prevent capture and hanging. A sachet stuffed with the flowers and inhaled deeply, is said to help you to get over heartaches. Said to produce added energy in ritual when used in incense. Use in all-purpose protection spells. Gives strength and energy to the sick. Place fresh carnation on the altar during healing spells and add dried flowers to healing sachets and incenses.
“Carnations and streaked gillyflowers, the fairest flowers of the season…” William Shakespeare, A Winter’s Tale
Blessings,
Lady Becky
‘May we live in peace without weeping. May our joy outline the lives we touch without ceasing. And may our love fill the world, angel wings tenderly beating.’
The Universal Heart Center
The astral plane is a spiritual reflection of the material world. Technically, every time you physically perform a spell, you are also working on the astral level. A physical action in a spell is performed specifically for the equivalent and associated energy where it means on the astral plane. Once you have become adept at handling energies gathered in the physical world, then you might find yourself using fewer and fewer props and components. The web of energy, which connects everything, also extends to the astral level. It’s perfectly possible to do an entire spell on the astral plane, which is where most change occurs anyway, initiated by your symbolic actions on the physical plane. It take a lot of focus, and the establishing of a personal place of power on the astral plane.
You’re most likely familiar with the astral plane due to the concept of astral projection. The art of astral projection involve sending your consciousness elsewhere. It takes a lot of energy and concentration to do it, and it usually prefaced by meditation. Basically spellcasting on the astral plane is rather like doing the spell in your head, but with all the awareness and intention of performing the spell in the physical world.
As you work with natural energy and refine your abilities to effect change upon your environment, you will begin to recognize that idle wishes and spoken thought will seem to have more power invested in them.
Over the course of your journey, you have discovered that anything spoken with awareness and intent can be powerful. The more you learn, the more knowledge and experience you acquire as a spellcaster, the more power you bring to bear on your everyday life. Spellcasting trains you to create change at will, using the energy available to you. If you are careless, then the change you have not thought through can occur in response to your words and actions. As you’ve read, the spoken word is an important element in the “as above, so below” relationship representing bringing a though or desire, which exist on the mental plane, into manifestation on the material plane. The spoken word alone carries great power as a spell or as a technique to raise energy. The more experience you gain in this sort of application of energy the more you will develop your abilities, and your words will carry greater and greater significance.
You have heard it over and over, but with greater power come greater responsibility. Be aware of what you say, and how you say it. Make every word count both in spellcasting and in your daily life.
The Witches’ Pyramid is a concept which some spellcasters never hear about, but it’s a valuable meditative device. It lists four key actions. To Know; To Dare; To Will; To Be Silent. These four concepts bear much fruit upon meditation, and mean different things in every individual spelllcaster’s life, but here are some concepts associated with each action for you to start thinking about.
To Know
Every spellcaster has the right and the responsibility to gather as much knowledge as possible, by experiencing as much as you can, by reading as much as you can, by thinking, by discussing with others and by being open to new ideas. It means amassing experience upon which to base future decisions and judgments.
To Will
A spellcaster’s most valuable personal tool is his or her will. Your will is what creates change in the world around you. Your desire might begin it, but your will forces it to happen. By focusing your willpower you direct your determination to act upon your environment, you circumstances, and your life. Your will is what drives your desire to improve and excel. It is the key to your success.
To Dare
A spellcaster has to dare to take action and change his or her circumstances. To dare means to apply the knowledge you have gathered. It also means that you have to take risks, push your boundaries, and challenge yourself. Dare to go beyond what you see already familiar with, and beyond who you are today in order to make a better tomorrow for yourself and for your loved ones.
To Be Silent
The value of keeping quiet is often overlooked in today’s society where everyone is jockeying to have their own say and to be heard. There’s a wonderful adage that illustrates this concept: “Better to be thought a fool than to open one’s mouth and prove it to be true..” Judge carefully as to whom you should discuss your accomplishments, your spellwork, and your beliefs with. There are those who believe that to speak of something draws power away from it, rendering it weak. Keeping silent also avoids the needless waste of energy.
The Witchcraft Chronicles 
You must be logged in to post a comment.