Greetings folks & Happy Holidays! The celebrations of year's end are soon to be upon us, and I hope you're each enjoying the festivities.

Today, I'm here to talk about Idun, wife to Bragi & goddess of apples. Specifically, the apples that grant eternal beauty and immortality, as they are the food of the Gods in Norse mythology. She's rather sparsely known these days, as her role seems to have been largely downplayed in what lore we still have access to, but she's also one of those quiet deities who doesn't have much to say. Idun is subtle, but quite important from what we know.

You see, there's a story about how Loki tricked her into leaving Asgard to find fruits that were supposedly well beyond the measure of what was present within the castle's walls. When she left, the lack of her presence was deeply felt, and the Aesir began to feel their age creep up to them. Their skin crinkled and wrinkled, growing gray as their hairs, and weakness began to set in, for the one who created for them a life-preserving bounty was no longer present.

This was, of course, rather noticeable, and made each of these beings feel most inclined to rescue her from Thjazi, he who swept her away via Loki's trickery. Idun was ultimately rescued, and at the journey's end Thjazi's eagle form was consumed by fire (its a very cool story), bringing back to Asgard the divine boon that was the fruits of Idun's labors.

I mention this here to convey the subtle, substantial importance of such a goddess in life. As with apples, prosperity can go unnoticed by those who possess it until that good fortune is gone. This is a lesson and reminder that one should be careful with their boons & honor those responsible for maintaining them.

Likewise, if prosperity is something you seek to create, call on Idun. Ask her to grace the opportunities you're looking to cultivate with plenty of fertilizer, and request that she help you to know, instinctively, when its time to harvest. That might not seem like much of a boon, but boy howdy, it very much is.

So much of gardening relates itself to timing, and the same can be said for creating a career and making the most of it. To invoke Idun's aid, set out for her a bounteous offering of nuts (almonds and cashews in particular), figs, apples, pears, and licorice root, say a short prayer to her that's from the heart, and then reflect upon your feelings and insights over the course of the day.

Idun takes some time to get used to hearing, as she is quite soft spoken. "Listen", internally, for things that seem a bit glossy and gilded around the edges, as I find those thoughts and insights are most often from her. ;)

Blessings,
SE

Greetings folks, I hope the week is treating you well & that your preparations for the holidays are going well at this time. Its been a busy week here at SorcerousEndeavors, but I've gotten another push to write. This time, we're here to talk about Lilith, a much maligned, frequently misunderstood goddess of rather middling repute these days.

This is one of those household names that people seem a bit afraid to speak, which makes good sense given how polarizing an entity she tends to be. There are quite a few stories that have been written about her to date, but the general understanding from a Biblical perspective is that she was the first-made woman who was meant to be a bride to Adam. As the story goes, she was unwilling to lay under him for the sake of lovemaking, and thus went off to seriously upset God and pledge herself to Satan. I'm taking some liberties here, as I don't find her to be adequately depicted by the portrait painted by masculine authority in the days when the mere mention of coitus was taboo.

She is, however, a very strong deity in her own right, and she marches to the beat of her own drum. To say that Lilith is an empowering entity for women is something of an understatement, as she's most interested in her own delectation and doing things her way. When I was heavily involved in the fetishistic leanings of the D/s community, her name came up frequently as a oft-invoked Goddess by slaves and mistresses alike, citing her ability to create a sense of power in situations wherein a woman might feel underappreciated or downplayed. Not ironically, this is the perfect context to meet her in, too, as where else might one see such a power struggle in such a visceral, potentially ugly light?

I've been working with Lilith on and off for years now, and she's an impetuous, willful entity who is both an initiatrix and a challenger of substance. For me, she acted as a kind of gatekeeping entity, creating change by throwing me into the thick of what was going on, forcing me to find my way and challenge my own perceptions in the process. To put this into an example that will be more easily grasped, imagine being in a situation where you're deliberating on whether or not you want to ask someone out...other deities might inspire them to love you from afar or otherwise change their disposition towards you. Lilith will fling you into interactions with that person, creating an environment in which she can actively glamour you and change the way others respond to your words and deeds.

Its a confidence-building experience, to be sure, but it can also be threatening and a tad terrifying. There are easier roads to travel than working with her, but if you've been stuck in the sidelines for the vast majority of your life, she's one way to achieve a kind of personality makeover. Lilith is not a wallflower, and she's pretty well disinclined to let you be one. 

With her comes the ability to be embrassed, yes, but also the ability to make use of your embarassment towards productive aims. She will catapult you into the thick of it, and she is a remarkably rebellious spirit, but that's part of what makes Lilith herself, and its that temperament that can create the strongest of beneficial changes.

Lilith will, in corelation to this tendency, force you to develop spiritual chops, so to speak. If you're not terribly comfortable or skilled within the Art, she'll use her influence to bring you down that road. She teaches glamours, sex magic, bits of tantra, self-confidence, and in her way she's got a strongly therapeutic side for those who have been victimized in their lives.

To connect with her, you will print or trace the following sigil:

Consecrate the image as you see fit, and then say the following:
"Lilitu, Lilitu, Lilitu
From this place I call out to you.
Shrieker in the night, whisper in the dark
To your shapely form and taloned feet we hark.
Entreat with me and enchant my position
Such that the changes I seek come to fruition.

I seek...[note carefully in rhyme what it is that you wish]
Lilitu, Lilitu, Lilitu
Thank you for your presence
I honor you with incense."

Light a stick of lust-inspiring incense for her, fold up her seal and place it in your pocket. Carry it with you.

If you've done this correctly, life will take some interesting turns for you. Take note of each of these developments, as you will wish to grant her accolades in a semi-public fashion for having done so. She craves this validation, so be sure to do so.

Most importantly, enjoy! Have fun with this!
-SE

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

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.