White Sage, Common Sage & Rosemary

White sage (Salvia apiana) is a plant native to high desert, and grows mostly in California.

For hundreds of years, white sage has been regarded as a sacred, cleansing, purifying, and protective plant.

The leaves of the plant are a whitish-green, and just by rubbing the fresh leaves between your thumb and forefinger you release a refreshing, cleansing scent.

Native Americans used and use White Sage to cast off evils spirits and negative energies.

White sage is used in rituals and ceremonies for protection and get rid of negative and toxic influences.

The White Sage plant is alive, it has it's own energies, offering protection, and clearing. 

Sage Smudging is a ritual where the leaves of the Sage plant are burned, and the smoke is brought into areas where clearing and protection are needed.

As the leaves are burned, the smoldering leaves smoke attaches itself to any negative energy in the area, object or being. As the smoke clears, the spirit of White Sage carries with it the negative energy that was once attached, back up to the Spiritual Light.

You can perform this smudging ritual on anything or anyone that needs a clearing.

You can use White Sage to help you clear a room, a building, or a property of any negativity.

White sage can assist you in releasing energies and thoughts that no longer serves you. You can use Sage to help you cleansing unknown energies from a stone, or something that you received as a gift.

Once you have lit the smudge stick and there are flames, blow them out quickly. 

Do not let it flame burn.

Once it is lit, and the flame is blown out, it will smoke.

The movement and release of the energy comes with the smoke and not with the flame.

The use of dried white sage however, is a 2,000 year old Indigenous practice. The shamans used dried sage plants on their fires as a ritual.

Any conflict, anger, illness or evil was absolved by the sage smoke, cleansed from the energy field of a person.

You can smudge whenever you feel the need to do so.

* When you move into a new residence.

* When you begin a new job or start your own business.

* Before, but especially after a visitor enters your home.

* After an argument or any illness.

* Upon returning home from crowded situations.

We've been busy harvesting our Garden Sage, our White Sage and Rosemary to make smudge sticks.

The Garden Sage Or Common Sage is a close relative of White Sage, and has many of the same beneficial properties as its cousin, White Sage. Common Sage originally comes from Europe, and its medicinal and magic uses date back to the Middle Ages. 

White Sage is the main event when it comes to smudging.

Versatile and effective, perfect for any smudging ritual—cleansing, healing, protection and meditation.

Rosemary may be a culinary herb but it's great for smudging.  It clears negativity, inspires confidence, and invigorates the mind and body.

Rosemary is an Old World herb with a long history of use in incenses and rituals.

Which Witch Are You?

Actually, there are many paths to travel in Witchcraft.

You already know what you’re drawn to, what calls you.

Here’s a partial list of Witches and what they feel connected to…

Perhaps you’ll find yourself here.

TRADITIONAL WITCH

Traditional witches focus on the old ways–the ways that came before witchcraft based religion. Ancestral folklore and the historical accounts of witchcraft are important to traditional witches, as they want to honor the old ways of practicing their craft.

ECLECTIC  WITCH

The eclectic witch draws inspiration from the many different types and styles of witchcraft and infuses them into their craft in a wonderfully blended mixture. An eclectic witch tends to make their own path, and it varies depending on the individual witch.

KITCHEN WITCH

Kitchen witches work much of their magick in the home or in the kitchen, and love to bake, cook and welcome new guests. The home is the focal point of their magick, and the offer a warm, nurturing and beneficial environment for anyone in it.

GREEN  WITCH

Green witches are drawn to the energy of earth more than most. They use plants, herbs and flowers in much of their magick and are often practicing their craft in gardens, wooded areas and anywhere that contains natures essential energies.

SOLITARY WITCH

A solitary witch chooses to practice their craft alone. Where many witches will be drawn to gather in a coven. Generally, solitary witches choose to work their magick alone, because they feel a strong connection to their craft early on and have less of a need to work with others.

HEDGE  WITCH

Hedge witches practice astral projection and other forms of communication to “jump the hedge” between this world and the spirit world. They send and receive messages between both worlds more easily than other witches.

ELEMENTAL WITCH

Elemental witches work their craft heavily based on the four elements of water, fire, earth and air. They call on the elements to bring about their magick and incorporate these elements with various items that represent each element respectively.

DIANIC  WITCH

Dianic witches worship the Goddess Diana through three aspects of the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone. Typical Dianic witches have heavily feminist values and infuse their craft with these values as well.

SEA WITCH

A sea witch practices their magick as they draw power and inspiration from the ocean and the moon. It’s the deep mystery and steadfast energy that draws many sea witches to this type of witchcraft and they often use elements of the ocean as tools in their practice.

CEREMONIAL  WITCH

Many witches prefer the aspect of ritual more than others. These witches are often referred to as ceremonial witches, and they invoke many different spiritual aspects in their ceremonial magick to assist them in their practice and spellwork.

SECULAR  WITCH

Witchcraft doesn’t ask for any specific belief system to be followed, and that goes for witches who are secular by their nature as well. Secular witches don’t attach spirituality to their craft or worship spiritual aspects to gain power from them.

HEREDITARY WITCH

The hereditary witch is one that is born into witchcraft is one way or another. They are part of a lineage of witches and the craft has been passed down and accepted by them.

COSMIC  WITCH

Cosmic witches use the stars, cosmos astrology and astronomy to work their craft and look to celestial energy to bring power and purpose to their work. Cosmic witches are generally infatuated with cosmic events.

CORRELLIAN WITCH

Correllian witches follow Wiccan tradition of the line founded by Caroline High-Correll. The tradition is based upon the teachings of members of the High-Correll family.

GARDNERIAN WITCH

Gardnerian witchcraft is a Wicca school of witchcraft that became know in the 1950s when Gerald Gardner began teaching what he had learned in his own journey. Gardnerian witches generally have strong ties to nature and strongly ritual based.

ALEXANDRIAN WITCH

Alexandrian witchcraft is a Wiccan tradition that was founded by Alex and Maxine Sanders Maxine Sanders in the 1960s. Alexandrian Wicca is similar in many ways to Gardnerian Wicca, and receives regular mention in books on Wicca as one of the religion’s most widely recognized traditions.

WHAT KIND OF WITCH AM I?

By now, you’re probably feeling a bit of information overload.

If this is you, take a deep breath, trust your intuition and allow time for your journey to unfold.

You’ll find yourself being drawn toward elements and tools from each type of witchcraft above, and maybe even elements that aren’t included!

The beauty is in the process, and you’re in the right spot if you’ve opened your mind to the possibility that there’s something more for you in this world and that you can make a bigger impact with your craft.

Experiment, learn, grow and use your heart to guide you over the next several months. And as you do these things, keep your mind open to these different types of witchcraft to cultivate a new level of respect for yourself, the earth and the power that you have inside you.

Source: The Witchcraft Way.

The Colors Of Jesus

First off, what we think is academic, because we aren’t believers of the Jesus narrative.

But, be that as it may, the argument of Jesus and color continues with those who do believe the story.

There are those who think the European Christ statues should come down because he is too light skinned.

As far as we know, there isn’t a description of Jesus that can be found from a time before about the second century. 

As you can see in the above photo, ancient graffiti isn’t any help either. 

The text reads: “Alexamenos worshiping God.”

Then here we have this image, possibly the oldest surviving attempt to represent him, Jesus is clearly being depicted as a Roman of Italian or Greek extraction. 

But how did they decide on this image?

Remember that Jesus had previously been depicted as an abstract symbol or arcane combination of letters.

Many churches and cultures do portray Jesus as a brown or black man. 

Orthodox Christians usually have a  different version to that of European art.

A church in Africa, you’ll probably see African Jesus displayed.

But in most, if not all Christian churches Jesus is a white guy.

If people are made in Gods image and if God is always default white, it’s rather difficult to unravel who’s who.

Maybe Jesus was Asian...some people think so.

Then below we have, it’s either the Asian Moses or Asian Jesus/Moses receiving tablets of some kind.

Not sure about who’s doing what here.

So what was Jesus suppose to look like? 

The Bible offers few clues as to his physical appearance, but we are told he was a Jew living in Judea during the first century. (he also lived in Japan, but that’s another post)

Jewish studies professor Deborah Forger thinks that he most likely had olive skin, brown hair and brown eyes.

Then there’s the discussion that Jesus could have been black.

But when white Christians hear this they often say, "He may not have been white, but he definitely wasn't black!"

We are told the Bible says that black people lived among the Israelite population, so why not?

As people are looking for Jesus, his color, his ethnicity, his true identity, isn’t it odd that the most well known individual to ever walk the earth, isn’t well known at all.

Author David Fitzgerald writes:

“The further we go back in Christian history, the more diverse it appears, and the less likely it began with a single founder. Instead there are abundant indications that its origins are tied to the pagan mystery faiths.”

Fitzgerald points out that Philo of Alexandria (c.20 BCE - c. 50) A writer, political commentator and well known Jewish statesman, perhaps the greatest Jewish philosopher of the Greco- Roman world knew nothing of Jesus.

Philo was one of the best known writers in the ancient world, with commentaries on politics and current events.

He had great interest in religion and he wrote about it.

But he says absolutely nothing about Jesus, or about Christianity.

Philo would have been there at the time and place of Jesus. 

He lived before, during and after the time of Christ, and he knew all about Jerusalem.

So when Jesus starts teaching and has his procession into the Holy City, driving the moneychangers from the temple, the big trial and  crucifixion, resurrection and ascension into heaven, the two big  earthquakes, the darkness, and all those dead coming out of their graves on their way to Jerusalem – Philo would have seen all of that, he was there.

But apparently Philo wasn’t impressed with any of the Jesus events.

He never mentions any of these exciting things.

And as David Fitzgerald points out, “this absence is particularly strange considering what a huge influence Philo had on Christian theology. The early Christians were Philo’s biggest fans.”

Our point is this, people can argue all day long what color their deity is, but wouldn’t it be wonderful if believers just had more tolerance for differing beliefs?

Additionally, wouldn’t it be even more important to know if their deity actually exists?

The Burning Times

The Burning Times is a Canadian documentary about the witchcraft trials & persecutions that swept through Europe in the 15th-17th centuries. 

This was a period when those accused of being heretics or witches were tortured & executed, often by fire.

The tragedy of the Burning Times was that women and even some men who were considered allies and healers to their communities were betrayed and turned into the Church for being Satan's soldiers. 

The Church preached that anyone with supernatural abilities, in many cases (particularly midwives) with the knowledge to heal, was working for and with the devil and acquired these superhuman abilities by making a deal with him. 

The documentary is about an hour long and you can watch it:

Watch Here

A lot of people are asking about the opening music, it is haunting and beautiful, isn’t it?

It’s called “Tango to Evora” by Lorena McKennitt.