Showing posts with label greek. Show all posts

Using Pendulums

 Using Pendulums - Connecting with Divination Tools


A pendulum is a divination tool used for spiritual guidance, decision making and energy management. Pendulums can be made of any weighted object at the end of a chain or string that can create a constant movement. We don’t really know how long pendulums have been used in human history but we do see them being used as divination tools in ancient Egypt and Rome. Pendulums have also been used for mapping locations for gold or oil and even to help locate missing people and things.


Pendulums can be used in spiritual guidance by asking yes/no questions and determining the answer with the swing or with the assistance of a spirit board. A spirit board is usually a board with the letters of the alphabet and numbers, as well as the words, yes, no, maybe and ask again/later. Similar boards are used for Ouija sessions. The pendulum is held from the tip of the chain/cord and allowed to dangle over the board. The diviner asks the pendulum a question and based on the correspondences on the board, the message is delivered.



Dosing is another great use for the pendulum. Dosing can be conducted by walking in a space holding the pendulum and watching for changes in the device. Any changes are noted and the object of the divination session is located where the pendulum changes occurred.  This can also be conducted by holding the pendulum over a map and using those locations to find the missing objects or locate items such as mining locations, missing people or water. The USGS has a section on their site dedicated to water dowsing or Water Witches.


The first step to working with any divination source is training. Take the time to learn the history of the pendulum. Think about how it was used in antiquity. Who used it? How did it come to be a commonly used divination device?  Next, take some time to connect with  your tool. Hold it, use it, make sure it is something you like and can connect with. I have several different pendulums I work with but one that is my favorite. It is reliable and always seems to be ready to provide and answer for me. 



Finally practice, practice, practice. This is the best way to learn how to use your tool and how it will perform for you. The only way to get better at what you’re doing is to do it repeatedly. Try some of the exercises below to work with your pendulum and how to become a skilled pendulum diviner.



Namaste

Sosanna




Rev. Renee Sosanna Olson - RSM, PMI-ACP

Ordained Spiritual Counselor

Certified Holistic Wellness Coach

International Yogi Certification

Certified Crystal Master & Aroma Therapy Practitioner



Exercises

  1. Attune your pendulum

    1.  Ask your pendulum to show you how it will reveal the answer of yes.

    2.  Ask your pendulum to show you how it will reveal the answer of no.

  2. Now practice with your pendulum with a list of yes or no questions.

  1. Should I accept this position?

  2. Should I use this crystal?

  3. Should I continue on this path?

      3. Journal

  1. Jot down your questions and answers

  2. Rate your accuracy

  3. Repeat your questions to get better at your craft



Recourses

Crystal  - https://www.etsy.com/listing/1114280646/chakra-dowsing-pendulum

Merkaban Orgone - https://www.etsy.com/listing/1114279006/merkabah-orgone-pendulum

Boards - https://www.etsy.com/listing/1164712022/tempered-glass-pendulum-board




    

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Learn From the Past...




Over the past few months it has come to my attention that there is a blog out there that takes each post I write and creates a counter post. They take what I say and twist it around to basically claim that I'm a fake witch who doesn't follow traditions.


Let me clear this up for those following at home.  I do not follow a path of others. I do not follow deity nor do I claim to.  In my blog author profile as well as ever place where I have an "ABOUT ME" section I do not claim any tradition or path.  I think for myself and use the past as it should be used. As a record of those who lived before me. I do not base my day to day life on something written a down eons ago by people who believed the earth was flat.  I do not conduct my business based on mythology around women with snakes for hair or magical shoes with wings.

I also do not spend my days writing blog post after blog post professing some  magical knowledge of gifted to me from ancient tablets or believe that I am some all knowing all seeing mystic. You see, a lion does not need to tell you they are a lion. You can see they are a lion from their eyes.  You can see the lion's sleek body in action. You can see by the hunt that it is indeed a lion.  Anyone who needs to spend relentless hours telling you that they are an all magical being is either trying to convenience you or themselves.

In order to grow you must learn. We must learn from the past and take those things that have value.  We must toss away the rest. As humans, our past is filled with inequality and hatred. Wars and death. Famine and destruction all based on religion. While we have some good, the majority of this world's heartache is directly related to deity worship. This is because those who follow these paths for the most part have a "my way or the highway" mentality. They have no space in their brains for learning and growing. They grab their precious scrolls and condemn those around them for not following as they do.


This week when I saw the new post related to mine, I thought how simple. All those text they cling to and yet, here a strong willed open minded witch shakes them to their core. My ability to stand fast and strong in their direct attacks makes them so fearful they must still attack my work on things that have absolutely nothing to do with them.  How small they must be.  So this post my dear, is for you. This is directly for you.  You do not scare me. I know that my strength and passion for life scare you. My open willingness to embrace the magic that I control. The forces that I work with directly make you scared.


Image result for hubris
The virtues I follow are a list of attributes that make me a better person. They are not intended to ridicule others. They aren't used as a crown or a cloak to strut around and say "Oh, look how much better I am than X."  When you strut around that way, that's pride.  That's arrogance. No matter how many ancient scrolls you wrap that shit in, it's still ugly.



You must learn new things to grow and evolve; learn from the past but live for the future.


I am lion, hear me roar.




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And Her Hair is Like Snakes…

Hecate is a pre Greco-Roman goddess referred to in the Chaldean Oracles as the mother of souls or as the Cosmic World Soul.  In several references to her she is said to have “hair like snakes” or “hair of snakes”. 

“Hecate appears as a gigantic woman, bearing a torch and a sword. Her feet and hair are formed of snakes, and her passage is accompanied by voices of thunder, weird shrieks and yells, and the deep baying and howling of dogs. Her favour was propitiated by offerings and sacrifices, principally consisting of black lambs.”
From: Berens, E.M. The Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome. New York: Maynard, Merril, & Co., 1880. Text in the public domain.  (Source - http://ancient-greece.org/culture/mythology/hecate.html)

“You who wield terrible black torches in your hands, you who shake your head with hair made of fearsome snakes, you who cause the bellowing of the bulls, you whose belly is covered with reptilian scales and who carry over your shoulder a woven bag of venomous snakes" (IV, 2793-2806).
(Source - http://www.granta.demon.co.uk/arsm/jg/hekate.html)

At first our thoughts might be about Gorgons.  The most famous of the Gorgon was Medusa.  Perseus removed her head and used it as a weapon to turn opponents to stone.
Romans referred to the Celts as having “hair like snakes”, however there is no actual source materials for this claim by Caesar.  There are coins that show dreadlock type hair on Celtic figures after the Roman expansion.  (Source http://www.knottyboy.com/learn/dreadlock-history/ )


Hair like snakes is not only referenced in Greek/Roman sources but also in the Christian tale of Samson and Delilah. 

“And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.”  Judges 16:19 KJV


James the Just, brother of Jesus, was said to have worn them to his ankles. 

The Hinu god Shiva, responsible for creation and destruction is said to have jataa, or dreadlocks that fall around him.  Sadhu and sadhiv holy men and women allow their hair to dread and follow a path of spiritual enlightenment.




Egyptians mummies are said to have been found with dreadlocks but there is no evidence to support this.  However the Islamic Mouride Brotherhood in West Africa embrace their strong hair or ndiange.(Source - http://dreadsuk.com/content/40-dreadlocks-origins.html ).  

Mummies in Peru have been found with dreadlocks and have been referenced in a book by William H. Prescott in 1843.  Prescott wrote,
"On the summit he was received by six priests, whose long and matted locks flowed disorderly over their sable robes, covered with hieroglyphic scrolls of mystic import."
(Source - http://dreadsuk.com/content/40-dreadlocks-origins.html )

One cannot have a discussion on dreadlocks (hair like snakes) without mentioning the Rastafarian movement.  This movement was embraced by or seen as a way to liberate native Caribbean and Ethiopian slaves from their European slave owners.  In the 1930’s Marcus Garvey led the Universal Negro Improvement Association in an effort to unify blacks against their oppressors back in their home lands.  In the late twentieth century awareness was brought to the movement by the legendary Bob Marley. Dreadlocks have played a role in many parts of our culture today.  In literature and mythology.  In religion and even in human rights.  


Instead of hair, writhing snakes fell down in curls around her (Hekate) neck  and some of them coiled over her shoulders.  Source - Drakon: Dragon Myth and Serpent Cult in the Greek and Roman Worlds, By Daniel Ogden.

 Many people choose to wear dreadlocks for many different reasons.  Some for combined reasons.  I started my deadlock journey because first they are really cool.  I love the way the look and the different styles.  Then as in so many other aspects of my spirituality I learned more about Hecate and how she was referred to as having “hair like snakes”.  This made my transition from straight hair to dreaded hair a bit more spiritual. 

I have found that they are work.  I have to spend time taking care of the and sometimes it hurts. I've come a very long way with my hair and I get a lot of strange looks in the small town I live in.  I have read comments that I have no right to have dreaded hair and others that say, to each their own.  To mean, being able to personify the five virtues of Hecate are something I strive every day to do.   Doing it with “her hair like snakes” makes it even better.

         
Pre-locks
Dreadlocks - 9 Mons Old

I think the biggest thing is to make sure that you're doing it the right and healthy way.  Take care of your hair.  Use natural products and don't wax up your head.  That stuff is bad for you.  Be respectful of others and when someone asks you why you want dreadlocks be strong enough to say exactly what you mean.  If you think that they rock and you like them that's a great reason to have them.  If it something more personal explain that to people.  I think that if we shared a bit more of ourselves with each other we would spend less time trying to kill each other.

My dreadlocks are still babies at only 9 months old, but you can see my full dreaded journey here. I'll be uploading new photos monthly.




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Pagan Blog Project 2013 - Q is for Queen of the Witches – Part II



Last year for the Pagan Blog Project letter Q, I did a blog post on Q is for Queen of the Witches.  I went back to re-read the post to see where I was then and how I may have changed my perspective today. 

I noticed this this week is the week of August 13; a day in which many followers/devotees of the goddess call the Day of Hecate.  This day is often used to make offerings to the Goddess in the form of a Supper prepared for her.  It is then left at temples or crossroads.

I have issue with the use of a particular day being attributed to the goddess Hecate, as she predates our current calendar is very difficult to say which day would be a particular holy day.  Hecate has been called a Greek Goddess, a Titan as well as being the daughter of the goddess Asteria. 

Even following the phases of the moon to worship can be questionable because we are not in the exact same position to see the exact same skies of those in antiquity.  Still to me, I believe that when you feel that need to conduct rites and rituals, those are the times to conduct them.  Don’t wait for a particular day or month.  Some say that full moons are better for this and new moons for that.  Yes, these can indeed be better, better in the sense that your mind is more focused on cleansing when you see a new moon, or ready to channel the moon’s energy when it is full.  But when your mind is ready is the best time to feed it.

A few years ago I had someone message me frantically because they didn't have a blue candle to finish a ritual.  They needed a corresponding candle color immediately.  I gently explained to them, the color of the candle, is there only to remind you of what you’re doing.  It is there to remind you to focus your healing energy by showing you the color blue.  The candle could be any other color you have, as long as you focus on healing, it will always be blue. 

At first I was met with annoyance and was told I couldn't possibly be a “real witch”, but as we continued our dialog I explained that the candle had no power.  The power came from within.  She was the tool, the fire and the force of the magic.  The candle was merely a tool in her box.  Finally she understood and the rites were completed.

So, looking at the 13th of August as “THE DAY” for Hecate, leads me down the same road.  I believe this day was created as a reminder for us to give back to the world, give back to our community and give back to our deity what we have collected.  It’s not so much the day we need to observe but all those aspects of the Queen of the Witches that we want to admire.
Hecate is followed by all types of people, from nontraditional solitaries such as myself, to full on covens who see her as the Crone aspect of the Triple Goddess.  No matter how we celebrate her mysteries we all embrace her.

I think since this time last year my perspective remains the same.  Celebrate the deity not the ritual.



Hecate Mistress of the three ways
Offerings at the crossroads, you find
Hecate, Light bearing Queen
Come forth and enlighten my mind.
Hecate, Queen of the Witches
Give power to my magic this night.
Hecate, Keeper of the Keys
Unlock your power and bless this rite.

Namaste & Blessed Be
Sosanna

)O(
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