SLIPPERY ELM BARK
Historically used to soothe sore throats, coughs, and upset stomachs, this beneficial bark is still available in bulk and in herbal cough drops and throat lozenges.
How to use:
For tea, 1 to 3 teaspoons of powdered bark per cup, boiled and simmered 15 minutes. Up to 3 cups per day.
Our minds are constantly active, always jumping from thought to thought, emotion to emotion. Getting in touch with the nonlocal intelligence, the universal soul that lies within us and is part of us all, requires finding a way past the fog of distracting thoughts that typically hide it from us. We cannot fight our way through a real fog.
If we are quiet, we encounter moments of pure silence, and through these gaps we can glimpse the deeper level of the soul. Each glimpse increases our understanding, and eventually our consciousness becomes expanded.
Controlling the flood of thoughts is very difficult for most people. Beginners can sometime become very frustrated, but frustration is just another thought, another emotion that gets in the way. The goal is to release all thoughts, quietly, passively.
A common way to begin meditation is to gently focus on one thing so that it becomes more difficult for stray thoughts to enter your mind.
To begin a breathing mediation, find a comfortable position. Sit in a comfortable chair, with your feet flat on the ground. Place your hands in your lap with the palms facing upward. Close your eyes and begin witnessing your breath. Observe the inflow and outflow of your breath without attempting to control it in any way.
You may find that your breathing spontaneously gets faster or slower, deeper or shallower, and may even pause for a time. Observe the changes without resistance or anticipation. Whenever your attention drifts away from your breath to a sound in the environment, or a sensation in your body, or a thought in your mind, gently return your awareness to your breathing.
Once a person becomes comfortable with simply sitting quietly and focusing on breathing, I recommend adding a mantra, which creates a mental environment that will allow you to expand your consciousness.
Adapted from The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire, by Deepak Chopra (Three Rivers Press).
The purpose of meditation is to stop thinking for a time, wait for the fog of thought to thin, and glimpse the spirit within. Controlling the flood of thoughts is very difficult for most people. Beginners can sometimes become very frustrated, but frustration is just another thought, another emotion that gets in the way. The goal is to release all thoughts, quietly, passively.
A common way to begin meditation is to gently focus on one thing so that it becomes more difficult for stray thoughts to enter your mind. I like to start with a breathing meditation.
To begin meditation, find a comfortable position. Sit in a comfortable chair, with your feet flat on the ground. Place your hands in your lap with the palms facing upward. Close your eyes and begin witnessing your breath. Observe the inflow and outflow of your breath without attempting to control it in any way. You may find that your breathing spontaneously gets faster or slower, deeper or shallower, and may even pause for a time. Observe the changes without resistance or anticipation. Whenever your attention drifts away from your breath to a sound in the environment, or a sensation in your body, or a thought in your mind, gently return your awareness to your breathing.
This is the basic mediation. Once a person becomes comfortable with simply sitting quietly and focusing on breathing, I recommend adding a mantra, which creates a mental environment that will allow you to expand your consciousness.
Elder’s Meditation of the Day – October 25
“We create that bad among ourselves. We create it; then we try to call it devil, Satan, or evil. But man creates it. There is no devil. Man creates the devil.”
–Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA
Inside every human being are the laws and codes by which we should live. These laws and codes are communicated to us through a little voice. When we are still, this voice guides us. If we choose to live out of harmony, our lives become filled with anger, hate, selfishness, dishonesty, etc. When these things appear in our lives, we give up accountability and blame it on something or someone else. If we want to live in harmony, we need to pray our way back to living the principles the Creator gave us.
Grandfather, today let me walk with the principles.
Being Aware is the First Step
There is freedom that comes with awareness, because with it comes the opportunity to make a choice.
Life is a journey comprised of many steps on our personal path that takes us down a winding road of constant evolution. And each day, we are provided with a myriad of opportunities that can allow us to transform into our next best selves. One moment we are presented with an opportunity to react differently when yet another someone in our life rubs us the wrong way; on another day we may find ourselves wanting to walk away from a particular circumstance but are not sure if we can. Eventually, we may find ourselves stuck in a rut that we can never seem to get out of. We may even make the same choices over and over again because we don’t know how to choose otherwise. Rather than moving us forward, our personal paths may take us in a seemingly never-ending circle where our actions and choices lead us nowhere but to where we’ve already been. It is during these moments that awareness can be the first step to change.
Awareness is when we are able to realize what we are doing. We observe ourselves, noticing our reactions, actions, and choices as if we were a detached viewer. Awareness is the first step to change because we can’t make a change unless we are aware that one needs to be made in the first place. We can then begin understanding why we are doing what we are doing. Afterward, it becomes difficult not to change because we are no longer asleep to the truth behind our behaviors. We also begin to realize that, just as much as we are the root source behind the causes for our behaviors, we are also the originator for any changes that we want to happen.
There is a freedom that comes with awareness. Rather than thinking that we are stuck in a repetitive cycle where there is no escape, we begin to see that we very much play a hand in creating our lives. Whether we are aware of them or not, our behaviors and choices are always ours to make. Our past and our present no longer have to dictate our future when we choose to be aware. We are then free to move beyond our old limits, make new choices, and take new actions. With awareness, our paths can’t help but wind us forward in our lives while paving the way for new experiences and new ways of being. It is through awareness that we can continue to consciously evolve.
Elder’s Meditation of the Day July 16
“Grandfather says…you must not hurt anybody or do harm to anyone. You must not fight. Do right always. It will give you satisfaction in life.”
–Wovoka, PAIUTE
The question one should ask themselves is: Do you want to be right or do you want to be happy? If you want to be right, this is a request from your ego. If you want to be happy then this is of the Great Spirit. The only meaning anything has is the meaning we give it. Maybe we should develop a philosophy of: Today is the last day of the rest of my life. If this were true, how easy it would be to let things go – how easy it would be to forgive.
Oh Great Spirit, let me live today as if it was my last. Let me express Your joy and be happy today. Let me see the joy and honor of living on the Red Road.
Uncover Your True Face
Underneath the Mask
Many of us know the feeling of being stuck in a particular role within our families, as if we are wearing masks whenever we see the people we love. Maybe we are the good daughters, expected to always please others, or perhaps we are the family clowns, expected to be jovial and make everyone laugh. This same scenario can play out within a work situation or a group of friends. We may be so good at our role that we hardly even notice that we are wearing a mask, and yet, deep down, we know that we are not free to simply be who we really are. This can leave us feeling unseen and uneasy.
There is nothing inherently wrong with wearing a mask or playing a role. It is a natural part of any social dynamic and it can even be creative and fun. It only becomes a problem when you feel that you have no other choice than to wear that mask, and this is especially challenging if you realize you are never without one. Perhaps you have forgotten who you really are-a vast and unrestricted being of light-and have identified yourself completely with a role. You may be the dutiful, caring son who keeps his parents’ dysfunctional marriage intact. You may be the angelic wife who enables your husband to continue on a destructive path. You may be the cheerful daughter to a deeply depressed mother. Whatever the case, knowing the motivation behind your performance-the function of your mask-can help to uncover your true face.
Anytime we find ourselves stuck behind a mask, it is an indication that we are entangled in a dysfunctional dynamic in which our true self cannot be seen. We have been placed in this situation for the purpose of our own healing and, in some cases, the healing of others. From this perspective, life can be seen as a series of situations that call us to remove our masks-gently, and with great compassion for all concerned-to reveal the beauty underneath.
You need to be able to concentrate to will the manifestation of spells.
Exercises for concentration
1) Light a candle on the table before you. Look (not stare) at the flame for a
few minutes. Close your eyes and hold the image in you mind for as long as you
can before you conscious mind intrudes.
2) Do the flame exercise once again and once you have the flame in your mind
change the size shape and color of the flame. Summon associated images and
follow them through.
3) Take a picture, place it at eye level, and follow the directions for 1. 4) Do 3 again, but when you have the picture in your mind, make it move, change
it and follow any related imagery through.
Notes on Meditation – meditation centers and grounds you.
Meditation can teach you many things about yourself, your abilities, and the
world around you.
Soft wordless music can help in meditation.
The fewer distractions the better.
Be in a comfortable position, but not one you will fall asleep in.
Do not try to meditate when sleepy, you´ll just fall asleep.
Close your eyes and encircle yourself with protective light, normally white.
Use a staircase, a bridge, a cave, any crossing over symbol you wish, to start
your trip into a different consciousness.
Talk to those you meet if you wish.
Try any thing that feels right to you.
If at any time you become uncomfortable with what is happening reaffirm the
protective light and leave.
You can search out and meet your anima/animus this way if you wish.
You can even meet a guide.
Alpha State –
Close your eyes and center yourself.
On a screen of the inside of your forehead see a large red 7.
Then count down, seeing the numbers on the inside of your forehead,
orange 6,
yellow 5,
green 4,
blue 3,
indigo 2,
violet 1.
Feel each color´s vibration. Once you reach violet 1 then keeping the color violet in you mind count backwards from 10-1.
Then say to yourself “Now I am in Alpha state all I do will be for the good and
harm no one.” Do what you wish now, spellwork, concentration manifestations, etc.
To leave Alpha state first give yourself a total health clearance by removing
everything yucky from your system with your mind (passing a hand across your body and visualizing any stress or illness leaving you works well) then count from violet 1 to red 7.
Then count up from 1-10 keeping the red in your mind, take a few deep breaths and open your eyes.
To get into instant Alpha, when in Alpha decide upon a sign that you can use to go directly into Alpha with your eyes open (useful for use when driving).
To neutralize threats through use of Alpha State, go into Alpha visualize
threats and cross them out with white x´s.
Even if you are not confident about sending healing, you can transmit love and light to a person who is ill or unhappy or whom you know is under intense pressure. The easiest and most powerful tool for this is a crystal pendulum. It will simplify and transmit your own positive feelings and wishes, even if you have never tried healing before.
What You Will Need:
A white or purple candle; a clear quartz or amethyst crystal pendulum (even a small one works).
When To Cast:
At last light.
The Spell:
Monday Is Ruled By The Moon
Archangel: Gabriel
Candle color: Silver
Incenses: Jasmine or myrrh
Crystals: Moonstone or opal
Use Mondays for spells for fertility, protection especially while traveling for home and family and to increase psychic and healing powers.
Where possible, work close to any water and, as a bonus, by moonlight.
The Witchcraft Chronicles 
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