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April 18 through April 24, 2022

The Sun will move into Taurus on Tuesday, turning our attention to our physical and material worlds for the next four weeks. Taurus is an earth sign and so will channel the Sun's energy into tangible change, alerting us to where we need to up our game in regard to health, finance and security. This is often a time of attainment, where after much effort, we will reach important goals. (For example, graduating from High School or College or finally purchasing a home or other big-ticket item.) The week starts off with a Scorpio Moon on Monday, where things might seem a bit ethereal, but take heart, as once it moves into Sagittarius on Tuesday, things will become much clearer. Thursday and Friday are the days to mark your calendar for productivity, as the Capricorn Moon can aid in any projects or work obligations you've been meaning to get to. We'll relax over the weekend under an Aquarius Moon, seeking out friends, family and new acquaintances to connect with and share fun times with.

Two Quick Rituals for Your New Home, by Gwen Raven

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

I love rituals. I'm especially fond of small, quiet, personal rituals, which have a way of being profound and meaningful precisely because they aren't overly complicated. In my years of practice, I've discovered simplicity nearly always works best for my personal rituals. Don't get me wrong, I do love me some bonfires and drumming and hundreds of gyrating witches making magick deep in the woods, but those rituals aren't always practical on a Tuesday afternoon!

I recently moved into a new home, and I wanted to celebrate the move with a ritual. In different times, I imagine there would have been a big housewarming party. There would have been guests, lots of food, plenty of wine, a fire pit blazing away, well wishes, and a collective house blessing ritual. Of course, with the pandemic, none of that could happen safely. But moving into a new home is an important rite of passage, and I felt compelled to mark the transition with a ritual.

In fact, I did three rituals over the course of a few weeks. Each ritual took less than fifteen minutes and used materials I had on hand. There was no elaborate set up, although if you wanted to recreate these you could certainly add all sorts of pomp and circumstance, fancy circle castings, wear your best ritual outfits, and use liturgy from any magickal tradition of which you are a part. I didn't do any of that but I certainly encourage you to.</p

New Beginnings: A Ritual In An Empty House
The day I got the keys I went over to the house. It was empty. Silent. None of my belongings were there. No pictures on the wall, no favourite pots and pans in the kitchen. Just bare walls and empty rooms.

I'd brought a few basic magickal supplies with me:

• 1 4-inch white candle
• 1 candle holder
• 1 bunch of fresh herbs tied together (rosemary, lavender, mint, and basil)
• 1 little plate to catch any ash from the herbs
• 1 lighter

I stood just inside the front door and gathered my magickal bits and pieces. The candle was securely placed in the candle holder. I lit the candle with the lighter and placed it on the floor. Next I grabbed the herb bundle. I'd made this myself earlier in the day out of herbs I regularly use in spell work and that I love to cook with. These herbs are my favourites, and I have personal associations with each herb.There are traditional magickal correspondences, too:

• Rosemary for cleansing
• Lavender for tranquility and compassion
• Mint for clear communication and abundance
• Basil for love

I lit the bundle of herbs, put them on the little plate so they could smoke safely, picked up the candle holder and walked about my new home. I went from room to room, letting the smoke waft in closets and cupboards and window and doorways. It's well documented that memories are more likely to be triggered by familiar smells than by any other sense. The house began to smell familiar and that was the point.

While smoke filled the house, I spoke out loud to my new home and let it know I was moving in. I told my new home how I would bring love and laughter and joy and compassion and abundance and love and the occasional argument and misunderstandings and great food and beloved friends and witches and magick to this place. I invited the house to share with me the magick it knew and to lend me protection. I asked the house to keep me and my family safe and warm.

After spending time in each room and wandering through the front and back gardens, the candle melted down to virtually nothing and the herbs had given up their smoke. I left the herb bundle remnants in the kitchen, thanked the house, told it I'd be back the next day with boxes, and locked the door behind me.

Making A Home For The Gods
After the hard work of unpacking boxes and finding spots for books and clothes and kitchen stuff, I started to think about setting altars. The ancestor altar came first, then the kitchen altar. Soon it was time to set up altars for the house gods. I think it's worthwhile to introduce the gods to their new surroundings. At the very least, I needed to reset their altars, so I might as well make a ritual of it.

I work with several gods who are important to my practice. Once such god is Cernunnos. I have an amazing statue that puts me in mind of Cernunnos, sculpted by Christopher Orapello. I tuned into the god and asked what sort of ritual he'd like. I listened for a few days, had a dream or two and came up with this simple ritual to honour his wishes. It's a ritual you can repeat easily or adapt to fit your needs. It's one of those, "you can't really do it wrong" rituals. Again, it's not based in any particular tradition, but rather it's a mash-up borne of a couple of decades of practice. It goes something like this:

I placed the statue of Cernunnos on a redwood table in the back garden. I faced the statue towards the back fence, which is covered with grapes and jasmine and other vining plants I haven't yet identified. There are agapanthus and calla lilies and clover and mosses and all manner of plants growing just below the vines. The whole area was verdant and thriving with bees and birds and buzzing things and crawling things—just the sort of place Cernunnos would like.

I grabbed my mortar and pestle, herbs, oils, and essences I thought Cernunnos would like and headed out to the table. Here's what I said next.

"Cernunnos, close friend, trusted advisor, welcome to your new home. I've spoken with you in my dreams, remembered what you love, and prepared a spot in this garden for you."

Then I poured olive oil, scented with lemons into my mortar. To that I added dried patchouli, and fresh basil, and lavender gathered from a favourite plant. I added vanilla extract. I poured in red wine. I mixed these ingredients and a few others I'll keep secret, and pounded them with the pestle until they made a thick paste. I smeared the mixture all over the statue. Then I found a spot on the earth, at the roots of several vines that called out to me. I spread the remainder of the herb and oil mixture around the base of the statue.

"Here is your home among the creatures of this place. Among the vines and plants. You are covered with the herbs and oils sacred to my practice. I offer them as gifts to you. As devotion to you. Stay here as long as you like. There is a spot inside the house if you ever wish to come inside, but for now, please watch over this 'forest' and those who inhabit it."

With that, I washed my hands, went back into the house, and set up his "inside" altar, which is nothing more than a green cloth on a flat surface in my office.

I've checked in with Cernunnos a few times since then. He still wants to be outside. He's requested meat, boar meat to be exact, and some red wine. And a fire. Those wishes have yet to be fulfilled, but I'm working on it.

Why Are These Rituals Important?
From a very non-magickal perspective, what I did was burn some herbs and cover a statue with pesto.

From a magickal perspective, what I did was introduce myself and my gods to the neighborhood. I asked permission to work magick here. I entreated my gods and the house to meet up wherever it is that houses and gods meet up and get to know each other, so we could form (or deepen) mutually beneficial relationships.

Much like casting a circle or setting sacred space, the rituals I performed were about making a container and asking allies to participate in the magick to follow.

The rituals created space to mark the rite of passage of leaving one place and finding myself in another. The rituals used familiar ingredients and symbols and words. The result of these simple, quick rituals was comfort. I feel more comfortable in this house. I feel like a house has become a home. And that's a good thing.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2021. All rights reserved.

For as long as I can remember, I have been petrified of flying insects that make any kind of buzzing sound. This is my only phobia. I absolutely freak out when I hear that noise in spite of being rationally aware that insects can't harm me. I have been led to believe that I may have had a past life as one of the children of Israel held captive in Egypt, and I wonder if this could have anything to do with a plague of locusts. What can you tell me about this and how can I erase this irrational fear? Thank you for the work you do!

Love,
Mags

Dreamchaser:

Mags, I just love your question. We all have irrational fears from past lives. One of mine is of fire. It turns out I was burned at the stake, so that makes sense to me. In your case, you have had a few past lives that involved buzzing insects. The one you mention was not really the worst. The locusts descending on Egypt scared you because it was so loud, but the locusts did not harm you or your family.

I am very hesitant to say this because it sounds like such doom and gloom. You asked, however, so I will tell you what I hear: You are most afraid of the buzzing sound because it reminds you of the flies that were around you when you lay dying in at least three different lives. One was on a battlefield when you were a male soldier. Another was in a desert, where you had been left to die. In yet another, the buzzards and/or vultures had already started to feast on you, so you can imagine how traumatic THAT was. You associate that buzzing with horrible death.

I have always been terrified of snakes. When I say terrified, Mags, I mean I stop breathing, stop moving, time itself just stops. I started to realize, however, that the more spiritually evolved I became, the closer I could get to the snakes at the pet store. One day I was standing in line there and I turned around and a man was holding a corn snake directly behind me. The first thing I noticed was the incredible coloring on this snake's body. I then noticed the fluidity of the snake's movements. I had a sudden urge to reach out and touch it like I do every other animal that I am allowed to touch. Trust me though - I resisted that urge!

I then started to look at the other snakes in the store and notice their coloring, etc. I realized that they were not going to hurt me. I realized that they are much like a Great White Shark or any other misunderstood creature. If I am going to say I live in the NOW with everything that is, I guess I better figure out how to get along with everything.

I've told you this story because I want you to try to stay present in the NOW so you can really see insects and appreciate their coloring and the way they move. If you learn about your nemesis, especially as a being that shares this Universe with you, you are less likely to be afraid of it. I wish you loving encounters!

*****

Astrea:

Mags! You've lived a lot of past lives. With your birthday, there's NO WAY you could be here for the first time! The plague of locusts in Egypt is probably just ONE experience that has built this phobia and fear into your Harmony. There must have been several incarnations where you encountered noise at a higher level than most people can stand. If you examine this, you'll find that it's more than bug noises: trains, loud cars - anything uncomfortably loud is going to upset you. Bugs are just one manifestation of this for you.

Many Geminis seem to live around lots of noise. You draw it to you for some reason. Whether it's a past life issue or current life issue doesn't really matter; I see noise following Geminis around. The double energy that you have around you makes things that are noisy seek you out. How many times have you been watching television when the phone rings, and then sirens tear down the street while you're trying to have a conversation with someone? Then a dog starts to bark, the cats in the neighborhood start a fight - it goes on and on!

You can't go through life worrying about buzzing insects, and you can't wear earplugs all the time. I recommend you find and see a local past life regressionist who can help you find out why the bugs bug you so much! That lifetime in Egypt is a great place to start with someone who can guide you in exploring where all of this began for you.

If there isn't anyone specializing in this kind of therapy in your area, you can begin to discover these past lives for yourself by using ordinary Rider Waite Tarot cards and a lovely book by Edain McCoy called Entering the Summerland. The book itself is about Death, but it's not depressing. In the appendix, you'll find a system for discovering your past Incarnations with Tarot cards. As a first step, this system works well and is very accurate. If you can't find it in the store, your local library should have a copy.

While all the information you get from whatever path you choose will be ENLIGHTENING, I must warn you, Kiddo. I don't feel that Egypt was the ONLY unpleasant encounter you've had with insects during other Incarnations. Prepare yourself before you begin for some unpleasant images, and remember: the truth may be upsetting, but it will ultimately set you free.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.