The Old Laws

These are the Laws of Old. They are the laws witches were supposed to bide by. These were written a very long time ago when things were very dangerous for us. In deed, in some countries is still is! Even here in America we are subject to ignorance and hatred. But for the most part in America we have no fear of being tried and put to death for it. For the most part these laws were to protect us from harm. I present them here for you to read and understand how far we have come and who we are as a people.

Dealing With Stress in Children With Meditation

My children go back to school soon, and they are so anxious. It's stressful for the whole family. Shopping for uniforms, supplies, and just meeting new teachers! I like to help my kids with this transition by helping them to meditate. Here is how meditation can work for children (even my rambunctious two year old and my exploring 5 month old) to help them slow down and think clearly during stressful situations.

Wiccan Funeral Ritual

I am often asked about how a funeral for a Pagan goes. It seems many people don't have one. Mostly because once you are dead you have very little say and most of their loved ones are Christian and bury them in their traditions. If you want a Wiccan funeral service you need to make arrangements before you die legally to insure your wishes are respected. Here is one of the ceremonies I have done. This is the ceremony the individual provided for me to do. 

Lammas Feast

3 of my beautiful gifts from the Goddess celebrate their birthdays between July 26 and August 4! Lammas is my holiday! This year on August 1st we are having a cookout to celebrate their birthdays! I am inviting anyone who wishes to join us and enjoy some good food to come on over! Just email me at dancingmooncoven@yahoo.com and let me know. It will be August 1, 2012 at 4pm. just shoot me an email for location and directions and other info!

Blessed be!
Lady Alice

Protection Charm

This is a pretty powerful protection spell. It should be preformed during the full moon (the next being august 2, full moon schedules) at midnight.

Ritual for Releasing Anger

This was sent to me by a friend the other day because I have been having issues with letting go anger over a bad time in my life. It's not anger towards those around me and I try to hide it but when you have things in your mind that effect emotions others can feel it. No matter how good your poker face is.

Altar Dedication Ritual

Here is a ritual for any new altar you set up.

Superstitions

We tend to be superstitious but I think superstition in more demographic than pagan!

Family Familiars

I have heard a lot of debate over the subject of animal familiars. I've heard everything from evil to lost loved ones. I have had the extraordinary pleasure of having a familiar myself and let me tell you there was nothing evil about him! However, he could be mean when he wanted to! What is a familiar, and how do you get one? Let's take a minute to talk about it!

The Triple Goddess

For witches our Goddess has three aspects, the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone. Following the three  stages of life a woman passes through. Different stages depend on the time of the year and phases of the moon.

Witch's Boards

A witch's board or a Quija Board is not something the dabblers and fools should mess with. They are a gate way between worlds and they invite the spirit entity to communicate through you! In other words possess your body! Just like all magic and rituals in witchcraft they have to be properly opened and closed. Spirits aren't always good and friendly. With this warning there are still those out there who will ignore me, so here is a little information on them.

The Goddess Charge

This is the charge to the Goddess I use from my book of shadows. You should use the charge to the Goddess anytime you do moon magic or rituals and any ritual you want the Goddess's specific aids. You are asking the Goddess to not only bless your ritual but you are also inviting her to use your body as a vessel. You are asking her to flow through you and to allow her light to fill you and flow into your works.

Banishing Ritual

This banishing ritual is one I use to protect my family from specific harmful intent. It should be performed during the waning moon. It is good to prevent harm from happening and to banish any ill will directed towards you. 

A Witch's Secret Garden

Most every witch has an herb garden whether it be small pots on their kitchen counter to flower beds in their yard. If you happen to be one with extraordinary luck to have the space to spread out I would suggest doing so! Some plants return each year or provide all year long. As you plant flower beds around your yard try to look into herbs such as sage, rosemary, and other flowering herbs. Not only will they look nice and return next year, but they will also provide fresh herbs for both kitchen and coven, and they will encourage bees to help pollinate your garden! Here are a few tips for when and where to plant them for the most harmony. Even if it's just some plants around your house!

Candle Working

A little advice for candle preparations.

Why Both a God and a Goddess

I've had many people tell me that they feel that men are looked down upon in Witchcraft. That they feel that women are held above men and just like Christians revere the male deity, witches hold the Goddess higher than the God. While it is true that in some traditions of Witchcraft the high priestess leads the coven, both the male and the female are seen as equals. In my coven I am the High Priestess and I lead my coven, but I am the founder of the coven. I have a council of elders who assist me with the inner workings of the coven and help arrange and carry out different things.

A Ritual for the Loss of a Loved One

No matter the measures we take to prepare ourselves for the loss of our loved ones, nothing will keep us from feeling the pain in our hearts when it happens. Their absence reminds us of how much we need them in our lives. Not a day goes by that I don't find myself wishing to be able to lift the phone to my ear and hear my grandmother's sweet voice or wish I could still hold my son and rub my face in his crazy thick hair! This ritual helps to bring me comfort in times when it is hardest to bare.

When Old Witchcraft Becomes Modern Medicine

Many modern medical practices used to be labeled as witchcraft. The use of "remedies" was looked down upon and discouraged, and even punished. If you were suffering some ailment it was a penance for something you did wrong. The use of minerals and herbs to heal the body was devilry. Even midwives were considered evil because the suffering of a woman in labor was placed upon all women for the punishment of Eve for her part in the Original Sin. Labor pain was a punishment for all women due to one woman's supposed rebellion against the Christian god, and she was supposed to remember this and not try to ease it. (Obviously women didn't come up with this rule and if men had to have pain as well it wouldn't exist!) But however the use of home remedies is just old timey folk medicine! Passed down from mother to daughter or father to son.

The Salem "Witch" Trials and the Truth

Let's take a minute to think about the men and women murdered for being witches during the witch craze of 1692. I have heard a few make the comment that "if we still burned them like we did in Salem..." and I want to set the record straight from my view point on it. First off there were no actual witches put to death in Salem, second what happened never actually ended!

The Horned God

In pagan beliefs the God is usually the most misinterpreted one by other religions. Christians view his stag horns and automatically think SATAN! When is truth the bible never describes Satan as having deer's horns. You have the goat of the Baphomet in the Satanic pentacle, which is a goat not a deer.

Wiccan Wheel Turning 'Round

The wheel of the year is essentially a visual representation of the pagan year. It shows how the seasons are a continuous circle of repetition. When one season ends and another follows it is in a constant loop. So, too, is life. We are born, we grow, we age, we pass, and then we are reborn to begin again. The seasons represent the constant birth, death, and rebirth cycles of both the Goddess and God.