Hello there folks,

For those of you in the United States, I hope you've had a pleasant Thanksgiving weekend. 

Continuing on with the process of empowering women through the discussion of helpful & powerful female deities, today I'd like to talk about the Taras. 

Now, in the discussion of Tara-Ma, you'll notice that I switch between singular and plural pronouns: this is intentional, as she's essentially one deity with a multitude of faces and manifestations. If you account for each variation as a deific mood, of a kind, you will likely begin to understand and experience her as I do, for she is a multiplicity as a singularity. The ultimate gathering of force and form, in many respects.

Each of these moods represent a multitude of deities gathered into one thread, not unlike hair gathered in a ponytail in some respects. Each form has their own manifestation, tone, tendencies, and strengths, and en masse they are a bit of a circus...all have their own voices, though they're all interrelated and connected through one consciousness.

She is a wonderful being, and her various manifestations are colorful, beautiful, and individually potent. Tara is a Boddhisattvadevi (or female Buddhist Teacher), and her general goal in life is to clear the way such that her followers can learn and improve upon their lives. She cares strongly for a balance in all things and seeks to rectify disturbances either through handling them directly or teaching those who honor her how to unpack their troubles and manage them.

​
These faces of hers all have a variety of names, so I'll seek to cover a few of them here:

• Lalita, The One Who Plays, often shown to be a light green.
• Ekajati, One Plait Woman, otherwise known as the Blue Tara.
• Kurukulla, Red Tara known as a weaver of magic and enchantment.
• Khadiravani, Tara of the Acacia Forest, she is a Green Tara known for teaching and directing growth.
• Sitatara, the White Tara. I generally see her as the "leader" of the circus, as she's stern, but kind.
• Ugratara-ma, the Black Tara. Her name translates roughly to "Mean Tara Lady", and its a more Kali-like manifestation that's less kind & quite active.
• Ayra Tara-ma, another White Tara, she is sweet and kind. Childlike and ancient.
• Praviratara, another Red Tara, she is swift and powerful, often seen as a heroic being.

These are not all of her aspects, and in truth, she's one of those entities where the specific names aren't needed. Instead, you generally need more of a byway into her realm...a foot in the door, if you will.

Thus, I am writing to give you a foot in that door so that you can begin to work with, learn from, and be inspired by her. Men and women alike can do this, but if you go for refuge in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha in this way, seeking the way to self-empowerment as a woman, you will get a different, somewhat motherly, somewhat sisterly manifestation of Tara in response.

To begin this practice, print an image of Tara-ma that speaks to you and place it on an altarspace at eye level. Light one candle to the left of it, and a stick of incense to the right. Place an orange in front of her, and begin to chant this mantra: "Om tare tuttare ture soha"

As you do so, try to visualize her sitting in front of you on a lotus blossom. Listen for her voice in response, and watch the way her color shifts as you do this.

Bask in that light, and seek to understand this through contemplation as you go about this process. It won't seem like much at first, but she is a quiet being that becomes louder as attention is given.

Blessings,
SE

Happy Thanksgiving folks! Enjoy your time with your families, stay safe, and have fun!

​-SE

've received the memo from my spirits that there's a topic in desperate need of more discussion, so I write this in service to them. When it comes to building an altar, I've seen little published about it, and for the most part it becomes an insanely elaborate affair when it doesn't necessarily need to be. I hope to offer some inspiration to you through this post.

The altar is a place of worship, condensed power, and operative function. It can take any number of shapes, but the shape it takes depends heavily upon the nature of the works you're looking to do. I'd also suggest considering the shape the work you're planning to do, as that should direct your decision-making process.

A Meditational Altar:
For instance, if you're looking to establish a place wherein you're able to meditate and contemplate at the end of a long day, you really don't need much. I'd recommend finding a small table that allows you to easily see the altarspace and what's upon it while sitting...a coffee table or small end table would do. Upon it, I would recommend placing a visual focus and two pillar candles to be lit when you begin your meditations and extinguished upon your completion. Between those candles, place an incense burner, and behind it an image of whatever it is you'd like to meditate upon.

This can then be consecrated to serve as a meditational focus that assists in advancing your progress. It might not seem like much, but it makes a world of difference and can act as a kind of safe abode for internal exploration.

A Christian Altar:
If, however, you're a Christian and wish for a sanctified place upon which you can set vigil candles, make offerings to YHVH & invoke angels, you'll construct it somewhat differently. I would recommend procuring a statue of a Crucifix, holy water, church incense, an incense burner, a white cloth, white candles, candle holders, and your bible.

Set the Crucifix before you, towards the rear of the altar space, and set the white cloth before the Cross. Upon it place the Bible, placing the incense burner between the Crucifix and the Bible. The candles and holders can be placed around the Crucifix to form a square. Then, sanctify the space with holy water by blessing the four corners of the altar whilst orating the Lord's Prayer in Latin.

Then, whenever you feel like you're under duress and could use some divine succor, return to this space, crack the Bible open to the psalm or passage you're interested in, light incense and read the passage aloud. Recognize that Sandalphon will hear your prayers and send them up through the smoke, and use this as a daily or weekly place of worship that can be of great meaning to you.

A Daemonolator's Altar:
To those of you that are more inclined towards working with powers on the opposite end of the spectrum, I would suggest procuring a black cloth, four pieces of iron, and an image of the infernal. Place the cloth in the center of the altar and set the four pieces of iron at its respective corners. Set the seal of the power you wish to work with in the center of the cloth, with an image of the infernal behind it. 

When you then feel the need to engage in daemonolatry, come to this space and use the being's enn or invoke them through your own oration. Light for them one red candle and one black candle and connect with them as you see fit.

If you feel inclined to increase the power and potency of the manifestation in play, find a metal bowl, fill it with sand, and place upon it lit charcoal and the appropriate raw incense. Use this as a kind of conjurative focus that brings greater manifestations into the space.

A Witchy Workspace:
If, however, you're the sort to lean less towards the heavens or hells, and more towards the Earth and its powers, you can bring that into your space as well. Procure for yourself an earthenware bowl, dry earth from your area. beeswax, tobacco, and copal, and a small receptacle that fits inside the earthenware bowl. Each day, mix up offerings for the powers of place, ensuring that the offering will fit inside the receptacle inside the bowl, being mindful of what you're looking to achieve that day.

You're welcome to place four candles about the bowl, but I would instead recommend being mindful of the elemental nature of the work you seek to do. When invoking powers of Water, purify water and offer it to those powers. When invoking powers of Fire, use a fire-safe receptacle and light a candle to them. Air?...incense. Earth?...fresh flowers.

An HGA Altar:
Finally, I'll talk a bit about an HGA altar, as that's the form of this I find to be most interesting and rewarding, personally.

For those of you who have K&C with your Holy Guardian Angel, this will be relatively simple. For those of you who have not yet undergone either the Abramelin Operation or some variation thereof, you can adapt this to serve you in that purpose.

Create a sigil or image that to you encompasses the essence of your HGA and make that the centerpiece of your altarspace. Under it place a deep purple cloth shroud, then collect and place upon your altar items that speak to you (and your HGA). They can be crystals, sharp things, candles, witchy tools and herbs, the works...its all you, but you want to make sure that this space is sanctified according to your needs and wants. 

I generally like using the Stele of Jeu as a manner of invocation when creating and consecrating this kind of space, as its tech that can be reoriented towards one's higher operative powers with relative ease. If you get it right, this place should sing to every aspect of your being...you'll feel it. 

The whole point is to get creative while having a place that works for you and your spirits. You can get as inventive as you like and use that interest to show care and consideration for the spirits. It earns some serious brownie points and generally streamlines the magicospiritual process.

Just a couple of inspirational ideas to get you started. ;)

Enjoy!
-SE

Greetings folks. I hope the day is treating you well. For those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving, good luck to you where the week's processions are concerned.

Today's post surrounding the empowerment of women is a bit darker, and a bit less serene in its way. I'm here to talk some about a Goddess who was repeatedly wronged, as she essentially became the gold standard of fighting to keep her husband despite his rather numerous iniquities. For those of us who are aware of Grecian stories, Zeus' unwillingness to keep his bits in his toga is a rather well-understood point. As such, I am here to speak of Hera.

Hera's husband tended to mess around rather frequently, to the point where she was consistently driven into a rage as a result. Zeus did a fair bit to earn her ire, but through all of this she remained loyal to him, punishing his lovers but always serving him fairly and faithfully despite his many acts against her. Hera is essentially a goddess of monogamy, marriage, fidelitous love, and righteous jealousy, being willing to fight tooth and nail against other lovers and the spawn of those illegitimate liasons.

Thus, if you're in a position where you must fight for your husband or boyfriend, seeking to defend your relationship since outside forces, Hera can be invoked and brought to bear in a meaningful way. If you find that someone's interested in taking your man, call out her name and bring that influence into play such that she might help you to convince him to stay AND incline your rival to take her leave.

To invoke her wrathful form against those who would enroach on your relationship or marriage, lay out a bed of cumin, place upon it a candle and then light in Hera's honor. Say the following words of prayer:

"Hera, great goddess so famed,
Help me to hold onto my claim.
Another seeks to steal my spouse,
Bringing strife and discord into my house.
Render (name of your partner) obedient unto me,
And from this parasite (the name of your competitor) set us free."

Burn a photograph of your enemy in the flame. Then, fold up your partner's image, bind it in red string, and burn the ends of that string in the candle lit in Hera's honor. Carry it in your bra until your competitor has been dealt with.

Hera will, if so inclined, handle this matter for you.

Do note, if she does not do so, then you must understand that she did not see your hold on the man in question as valid. If this happens, then you've been given a clear sign to move on. This will inform your interactions with him going forward and give you the opportunity to leave behind that which does not serve you.

Regards and luck,
-SE

Hello there folks and Happy Friday.

Following the ongoing process of empowering women through ritual and song, Pallas Athena has asked that I share her hymn and speak to her virtues.

Athena is, in this form, the Goddess of intellect, strategy, and research, known well for her warlike tendencies and utter mastery of the battlefield. She is powerful, sage, and inspiring to man and woman alike, to the point where my brilliant dog is named after her. 

To say that I very much love Athena is an understatement, and I hope to share her gifts with you through this process. She can, as her attributes would suggest, be conjured by all those seeking to progress further in the business world, as the boardroom is the new battlefield, where lives and livelihood are lost and gained.

If you find yourself beset by others with no way out, call out to her using this song. Light a mixture of Frankincense, Myrrh, and Cedar Leaf Tips for her, then repeat this oration as many times as you feel is necessary:

"Only-Begotten, noble race of Jove, blessed and fierce, who joy'st in caves to rove: 
O, warlike Pallas, whose illustrious kind, ineffable and effable we find:
Magnanimous and fam'd, the rocky height, and groves, and shady mountains thee delight:
In arms rejoicing, who with Furies dire and wild, the souls of mortals dost inspire.
Gymnastic virgin of terrific mind, dire Gorgons bane, unmarried, blessed, kind:
Mother of arts, imperious; understood, rage to the wicked., wisdom to the good:
Female and male, the arts of war are thine, fanatic, much-form'd Drakaina, divine: 
O'er the Phlegrean giants rous'd to ire, thy coursers driving, with destruction dire.
Sprung from the head of Jove, of splendid mien, purger of evils, all-victorious queen.
Hear me, O Goddess, when to thee I pray, with supplicating voice both night and day, 
And in my latest hour, peace and health, propitious times, and necessary wealth,
And, ever present, be thy vot'ries aid, O, much implor'd, art's parent, blue eyed maid."

She manifests subtly, but strongly, shifting your words and impressions for the better, but also inspires one to achieve where one might otherwise sit back and see what happens. Athena is active, piercing, and wonderful.

H tan h epi tas.
-SE

*Note: Credit for the Orphic Hymn goes to Theoi.com.

In relation to my works focusing on empowering women, Artemis made herself known to me and gave me the nod to create a post for her as well.

For those of you unaware of her name or purpose, she is a Hellenic goddess associated with strength of will, the hunt,  ritual purity, as the mother/mistress of all animals, and as a goddess of the Moon. There are times, too, where she is seen as a kind of Vengeful Virgin, as we see in the story when Actaeon saw her bathing in the buff.

As the story goes, she turned him into a stag and set his hounds against him, killing two birds with one stone.

We can see through stories such as these that she's quite protective of her image, but also of those who have been hurt or harmed by another. She can be invoked by those who have been bullied by others, by those who have been backed into a corner, and by those who need help finding direction in their lives after a traumatic event.

To do so, I would recommend that you procure Dittany of Crete, macerate it in a mortar and pestle, then set it on a hot coal for her. Following this, say the Orphic Hymn to honor and invoke her:

​"Hear me, Jove's daughter, celebrated queen, Bacchian and Titan, of a noble mien:
In darts rejoicing and on all to shine, torch-bearing Goddess, Dictynna divine;
O'er births presiding, and thyself a maid, to labour-pangs imparting ready aid:
Dissolver of the zone and wrinkl'd care, fierce huntress, glorying in the Sylvan war:
Swift in the course, in dreadful arrows skill'd, wandering by night, rejoicing in the field:
Of manly form, erect, of bounteous mind, illustrious dæmon, nurse of human kind:
Immortal, earthly, bane of monsters fell, 'tis thine; blest maid, on woody hills to dwell:
Foe of the stag, whom woods and dogs delight, in endless youth who flourish fair and bright.
O, universal queen, august, divine, a various form, Cydonian pow'r, is thine:
Dread guardian Goddess, with benignant mind auspicious, come to mystic rites inclin'd
Give earth a store of beauteous fruits to bear, send gentle Peace, and Health with lovely hair,
And to the mountains drive Disease and Care."

When you've completed the oration, speak Artemis' name and tell her what it is you seek. Light a candle for her and watch the smoke off the coal & the candle's flame for indications of her interest or willingness.

As you are speaking these words and performing this ritual, it is very likely that you will feel a little odd. These rites have a way of inspiring substantial change, and that is as intended.

Enjoy,
​SE

Note: Credit for the invocation goes to Theoi.com.

​Hello there folks,

The holiday season is fast approaching once again, and with it comes the Winter. While Winter's coming down the pipes, I find that there's an element of homemaking and care that becomes considerably more important as a result, so I'd like to talk a bit about what you can do to empower yourself and do this more effectively. 

In the States, there's a pretty strong tradition of the Holidays being a time when women work the hardest. They clean the home for guests, cook meals for family, plan outings and get-togethers, coordinate activities for children, and essentially handle the lion's share of all there is to occur and manage at the home. This is HARD work, its important work, and its something that I don't see a whole lot of chatter about in the magical world.

In the Norse traditions, there's an aged Goddess who is both gentle and stern, wonderful and willful. She caretakes the home, handles the hearth, cooks a hell of a meal, and acts as a wonderful hostess. I received direction from her recently while partaking in a Winter Nights rite to honor the departed ancestors. This Goddess asked that I use my position to empower women, as far too little is known or discussed about female deities that aren't either a) sexy and interesting, or b) associated with childbirth and motherhood. There's not much of an in-between getting explored, yet that is where the real magic of maintaining and growing occurs.

As such, I am starting upon this with Frigga, the All-Mother of Norse Heathenry. She's the wife of Odin, the God of War, the Lead of the Wild Hunt, and a God of Runic Sorcery. She's a badass in her own right: she's as fierce as the day is long, as warm as a fire on a winter's day, and as compassionate and loving as any mother should be.

This is a woman and Goddess I personally look up to, as she's taught me many things that I never thought I wanted to know. I've come to her for inspiration around sewing, painting, cooking, mothering my critters, being a better father, and being a better husband. Now, I bring to you a blot (pronounced "bloat") in her honor that you can perform to bring her influence into your home.

"Frigga, All Mother and Wife of Odin, I call out to you this day.
Come to me and enjoy the warmth of my home and space,
Bringing your gifts of wisdom and mature love
So that I might learn from you and better care for my family.

She of the happy hearth and busy hall,
Breadmaker, seamstress, and maker of mead.
Gracious gifter of bounty and bond,
I ask that you join me and help me
Lead my family rightly."

When you've completed this prayer, light a candle for her, pour her some wine, and then start working on home-bound tasks. Cook dinner, budget, play with your kids, as all of these things are sacred to her and are means of invoking her aid. I most strongly find her present when I'm away from work, focusing on mundane tasks that need doing in a consistent, regular fashion.

When I do so, my home becomes a kind of crossroads, and spirit and human alike are left feeling inspired, happier, and more joyous. Its a simple enough thing, but its simple enough to overlook in turn.

Hail Frigga.
-SE