Mighty Oak

Today was a beautiful in Central Florida, so I headed to one of my favorite spots, Gemini Springs.

The Sun was shining & I quickly settled in to spend some time with my new friends, the oak trees:
 

 My favorite tree:

When we 1st met, I went to sit in the center of this oak.  Because of my arrogance, I was thinking about what I could gain from being close & inside this magnificent being.  I immediately felt like I was intruding.  Upon looking around, I saw hundreds of footsteps & even some carving in the bark.  Now, I visit the tree & offer it healing energy & honor while picking up trash that others leave.  We are becoming fast friends & I always feel welcomed by this beautiful tree.  I make sure to be completely calm & centered before I approach this very sensitive & abused being. 

Here are some quick impressions from visiting these Mighty Oaks:

Resilliant

Strong

Prolific Reproducer

Heavy & Hearty Bark

Adaptable

Water Loving

Hefty,Not Showy

Sheltering

Nourishing

The oak is home to resurrection fern, Spanish moss & bromiliad plants.  He offers food to animals in the form of nuts. 

I like to meet & get to know a plant prior to looking it up, so when I got home I pulled out Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs, here is a bit of what is listed:

Oak is masculine, associated with the Sun & Fire.  He is associated with the deities Dagda, Dianus, Jupiter, Thor, Zeus, Heme, Janus, Rhea, Cybele, Hecate, Pan & Erato.

Oak's Powers are Protection, Health, Money, Healing, Potency, Fertility & Luck.

Some say the words oak & Druid are related.  Religious idols were fashioned from oak & witches often danced beneath the branches.

A few magical uses for Oak:

Oak is used magically for protection.  One form is to make an equal-armed cross with 2 oak twigs & red thread, hang it in your home.

Place acorns in windows to guard against lightening.  

A piece of oak carried is said to protect a person from all harm.  

Catch a falling oak leaf & you're protected from colds all winter.  Or carry an acorn for good health, youthfulness, fertility & strengthening sexual potency.

Carry any piece of oak to draw good luck.

Speaking of good luck, here is the path I found on my way home:

Wild & Bright Blessings!

~*Rhi*~

    )O(

Sweet & Simple Samhain

Goddess of Darkness
God of Light
Guard me & mine this Hallowed Night.
Protect us from any and all harm
Be it so from this simple charm.




Happy Samhain everyone!!!


*~Rhi~*
    )O(

Make a Witch Bottle for Samhain

Samhain is a common time for the making of witch's bottles to protect the home from being entered by malevolent spirits on All Hallow's Eve.  Witch bottles have a long history.  There have been witch bottles found dating to the 1600's in England that are still intact!

Historically, witch bottles contained items such as rusty nails, urine, thorns, hair, menstrual blood, shards of glass, wood and/or bone.  Some bottles even contained fingernail clippings, hair or urine from the person believed to have hexed the person making the bottle.

The purpose of a witch's bottle is not only to protect from magical attack, but to send the negative energy back to the originator.

To make a witch's bottle, you need a ceramic or glass jar or bottle with a tight-fitting lid.  If your bottle opens, the magick is said to be gone.

Fill the container with items like:

• Rusty nails
• Spanish moss
• Tacks, broken glass, other sharp materials
• Pieces of broken mirror
• Something personal of you...hair, nails, saliva, etc.*
• Protective herbs
• anything that strikes you as protective

Light a black candle & charge each item according to the intent as you place it into the container. You may also program your bottle to recharge from the energy it absorbs, be it sunlight, moonlight or the negative energy sent its way. My bottle is charged in the name of Hecate as she is goddess of the waning moon & one of the patronesses of Samhain, which will add much to the banishing aspect of the bottle.  Now, use your black candle to drip wax over the sealed lid (this is why I used a bottle, not a jar, this isn't the easiest step!).

Burying or hiding your bottle is an important aspect of the spell.  If you choose to bury, pick a spot that isn't likely to get disturbed by gardening or other digging - a broken witch bottle is a broken spell.  I'll be burying mine under the hedgerow in a few moments.

Here's the incantation I'll be using:

Precious bottle I charge you now,
Negativity & evil do not allow.
Guard this house, me & my dear
Whether or not we are here.
Safe & secure we shall be
As you absorb the energy.
Within the earth you shall remain
Your power grows with any bane.

For highest good I do pronounce
This witch's bottle guards my house!


*Be very careful with vinegar & urine in your bottle...sometimes bottles with these elements can explode!

Happy Samhain!

~*Rhi*~

   )O(