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May 17 through May 23, 2021

We'll have two major planetary shifts this week as the Sun moves into Gemini and Saturn turns retrograde. The Leo Moon on Monday and Tuesday adds confidence to our movements, enabling us to speak up and move on decisions we've been on the fence about, so use these first two days of the week to power through! Wednesday and Thursday we'll be operating under a detail-oriented Virgo Moon, making mid-week the perfect time to address health or financial concerns. The Sun will enter Gemini on Thursday, kicking off a four-week cycle of social interaction, processing new information, and exploring innovative ways of getting our needs met. The weekend unfolds under a loving Libra Moon, adding a soft flow and focus to our lives. Interacting with our loved ones, restoring beauty and balance to our homes, and practicing the art of simply “being” are all themes this weekend. On Sunday, Saturn will turn retrograde in Aquarius and spend the next four months insisting we look at financial and boundary issues, free ourselves from limiting mindsets, and find new ways to manifest more stability and security in our lives.

Sacred Sprays for Magical Self-Care, by Katrina Rasbold

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

One of the easiest ways to change your energy is by using sacred sprays. You can purchase these through online or brick and mortar establishments, but it is even more fun to make your own. Admittedly, my favorite is Pastor Davis 7 African Powers, which we call "The Holy Aquanet" at my shop because it is in a fat aerosol can. I have been unable to duplicate the scent, and we use it to seal our magical work, especially a spiritual cleansing.

For most people, sacred sprays create an immediate effect. I like to spray it into the air above me and then let it rain over me in a soothing rush of scent. For that moment, I can merge with the energy of the spray and give myself over to its power. That boost can carry me forward for several hours. I keep small bottles of magical sprays in my car to cleanse and refortify me after I have been out in the world too much and I am "over-peopled." It also comes in handy if I have a negative energetic encounter somewhere. The spray will reseat me and bring me back into myself.

There are sprays dedicated to refreshing you, calming you, protecting you, grounding you, and empowering you. The good news is that you can make the sprays yourself if you do not want to buy them. The outcome is a product that belies the simplicity of the process. The sprays discussed here are all safe for skin, fabric, and pets.

Why Do They Work?
The power behind sacred sprays is four-fold. In most cases, the recipe is a long-established, traditional combination, so there is power in using the same components that magical people have put together for hundreds of years. There is the natural power inherent in the ingredients, such as the magical properties of the herbs and stones used. Next, the fact that you are the one creating the mix, so your personal energy invests into the process. Lastly, there is the power of aromatherapy, both from a traditional standpoint and as elicited from your own conditioned triggers. If someone you love(d) always wore rose scent, then that will likely have a positive effect on you. If you had lavender in your garden growing up, then that may immediately relax you above and beyond its natural properties.

What Do I Need to Make my Own Sprays?
To make magical, sacred sprays, you will need to following items:

• Eight-ounce plastic spray bottles: In our post-COVID times, obtaining spray bottles can be a bit of hit and miss, but you can usually get a set of eight-ounce bottles on Amazon or even at your local dollar store. The eight-ounce bottles hold a good bit without becoming cumbersome to hold. I recommend a spray bottle with a fine mist rather than a utility bottle for cleaners and such (Those tend to give a fire hose effect that is not always pleasant).
• A large bottle of vodka: You will not make a superior product using expensive vodka, so leave the fancy stuff and get the cheapest you can find.
• Essential oils: There are numerous resources on the internet to tell you the magical properties of different essential oils. Most of the sources are consistent with their information. You can follow traditional recipes or you can experiment and make your own, using the magical properties resources as a guide to create the effect you want. Make sure the oils you use are skin-safe and not caustic.
• Dried herbs, resins: Dried herbs support the essential oils in the fulfillment of your goals. As with the oils, you can find information on the properties of resins and herbs through a quick Google search. Only use herbs if you are creating a "mother bottle" (more on that in a bit) and be sure to strain out all herbal matter before you put the liquid into the spray bottle. Herbs tend to clog the tube to the sprayer.
• Small stones: I put small stone chips, usually 1-2 depending on the size, in the bottom of my spray bottles not only to add their own energy to the process, but also to assist with the mixing when we shake the bottle to blend the oils and the vodka.
• A small funnel: It is much easier to pour the vodka or the spray mix into a spray bottle if you have a small funnel.
• A mesh strainer or cheesecloth: You will need this if you have a mother bottle of spray and need to remove herbal matter before putting the liquid into the spray bottle.
• Paper towels or shop towels: I recommend having a whole roll. It is rare for spills not to occur.
• A pipette to add oils: This lets you add oils a few drops at a time. Oils have different intensity levels, and it is easier to add more oil than to take it out after you add it.

How Do I Make the Sprays?
There are two ways to make amazing magical sprays, and both will render excellent results.

Slow and Patient
For this method, you will create a designated mother bottle. The mother bottle is where the spray will cure into a strong concentrate that you can then dilute when the time comes to pour it out into the spray bottles.

Vodka is your carrier. As an alcohol, it evaporates quickly, so you are not left with droplets all over your fabric and skin. I tend to pour out four to six ounces of vodka into a clean cup and use the large vodka bottle itself as a mother bottle. I then use a Sharpie marker to write the recipe for my mix onto the mother bottle once I am satisfied with the outcome.

You can also use a quart canning jar or any other large jar with a lid that seals well. You want to leave room in the bottle for your additions and then you can pour the excess vodka back into the mother bottle to top it off once your mix is right.

For any of the recipes given, you can use the appropriate essential oil, herb, or resin, or you can use a combination of them all. For instance, if a recipe calls for lavender and lemongrass, you can use lavender oil, lemongrass oil, lavender flowers or sprigs, and dried lemongrass in any combination. If it calls for frankincense and dragon's blood, you can use both resins plus the essential oils, or just the resins alone. If you do not use the oils and rely on resins and herbs, you will need to let the spray cure for several weeks to get the stronger results. That is why this is the "slow and patient" technique.

I included recipes at the end of this article. In Conjure practice, the idea is that you use what you have readily available, either in your magical cupboard or what you can easily obtain. This will often influence how you make your sprays. None of the recipes here call for exotic, obscure ingredients.

Clear your working space and assemble your ingredients and tools. Make sure your mother bottle has a large amount of vodka in it, but still has room for your additions. Put in your oils first, then your herbs and resins, then your stone.

Close it up and shake it well. Check the smell. If you have not used oils, you may have to wait a week or two for the scent to develop. You will smell the vodka until the scent leaches out of the resins or herbs.

Put the bottle in a cool, dry, dark place to cure and check it once a week. Each week, it will become stronger until it levels out, usually in two or three months. You will know it is ready to use when you no longer smell the vodka.

When the scent is strong, use a mesh strainer or cheese cloth to strain the herbal matter into a measuring cup or other temporary vessel. Drop the stone into your spray bottle and carefully pour the spray mix into the bottle. Dilute the spray mix with additional vodka if it seems too strong.

Secure the cap onto the spray bottle and enjoy your spray.

Fast and Easy
With the fast and easy method, you must use essential oils as there will be no curing time to coax the scents out of the resin and herbs.

Add your stone first. Pour the vodka directly into the spray bottle, leaving approximately 2" of room in the top to add your oils. Drip your oils in a few drops at a time. Secure the cap, then shake the bottle vigorously. Uncap the bottle.

Close your eyes and center yourself, then smell the product. Does it need more sweetness (add florals)? Does it need more sharpness (try some citrus)? Do you have enough earth tones to it (add herbs)? Keep mixing until you find a blend you love, but carefully note each addition so you can duplicate your recipe later if desired.

You can add resins and herbs to the fast and easy mix, but the herbs will often start to disintegrate over time and clog your spray tube. Resins normally will not do this.

Be careful of adding too much oil or your spray will be sticky. Be sure to add enough oil or your spray will not have scent. In true Conjure, the scent is not the magic. Instead, the power lies in the properties. Admittedly, I am a fan of the smells.

With either method, be sure to shake your product well before using to mix the vodka and oils.

Recipes
We use sprays for many magical purposes. Here are some of my favorite recipes. They may sound simple, but they pack a powerful energetic punch. You will notice that there are no amounts listed for each ingredient. This is because it is important that you find your own identity with the sprays. Hint: start with equal parts of each ingredient and explore from there. When a recipe requires oil rather than the actual ingredient (such as "cucumber"), I have noted it in the recipe. You can use essential oils or fragrance oils but be careful of oils that have a high synthetic chemical component rather than natural ingredients. Synthetics can interfere with the desired magical properties.

Purification Spray: For a Quick Spiritual Cleanse

• Lavender
• Lemongrass

Inner Sanctum: To Engage the Higher Self

• Nag Champa oil
• Dragon's Blood

Motivation: –To Get People or Situations Moving

• Lemon oil
• Orange oil

True Romance: To Manifest or Encourage Love

• Rose
• Patchouli

Healing: To Promote Healing Energy

• Cucumber oil
• Rose

Protection: To Create a Protective Boundary Around a Person

• Dragon's Blood
• Myrrh
• Frankincense

Cut & Clear: To Break the Ties That Bind a Person to Another Person, Behavior, or Situation

• Peach oil
• Cucumber oil

Serenity: To Evoke a Feeling of Calm and Peacefulness

• Lavender
• Rose
• Cedarwood

I hope you enjoy making and using your own magical sprays. They make wonderful gifts and are a fantastic addition to your spiritual cupboard!

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

I have this strange feeling that we need to move from our current home. I feel like there is so much negative energy here dragging my family down. The house seems dark all the time; one room in the house in particular really scares me. We do not use the room as I don't want anyone to sleep in it. I close the door of that room every night so nothing can come out and disturb my family at night. Is this strange? I want us to sell the property or at least move out. What should I do? When offering your advice, please note that I do not want to have any contact with spirits. What can I do on a physical plane to improve this situation? Thank you kindly!

Amy

Susyn:

I believe you have answered your own question: The only way to improve this situation on the physical plane is to move out of the house. Though this may sound like a rather drastic solution, it's the best way to go in your case.

You didn't mention how long you have lived in the house, but it seems like this dark energy has been there since you moved in or perhaps very soon thereafter. The bottom line is that it is controlling your world and occupying your every thought, and giving it this much attention and energy will just encourage and empower any spirits involved.

The fact that only one room seems to generate fear suggests that your house may be built over a vortex, which is an opening where entities from another dimension can enter this one. Unfortunately, if this is the case, it's next to impossible to clear it up. Even if you hired a shaman or exorcist to clear the home, you would still live in fear that these spirits may return.

While you may not have encountered specific spirits or hard evidence of a haunting, you must trust your instincts and how this house makes you feel. If there are dark energies dwelling in your house, you or other family members could begin to suffer health problems such as depression, insomnia and low energy. Your ability to function in the world and feel joyful will diminish. I have seen situations like this where the dark energy resulted in the break-up of a marriage or led family members to turn to addiction.

Given current economic conditions, you may find it difficult to sell the house, so you may want to consider renting it out. If you adopt this plan, you won't have to compromise your financial situation in order to move.

You must also be careful not to pack up any negative entities and take them with you to a new home. Because of this, I recommend you smudge your home and belongings before you move. The ideal way to do this is to smudge each room and box as you pack. I would then perform this cleansing ritual again once you move into your new home, first in each room and then with each of the boxes before you unpack them. From what you describe, I'm sure that the trouble is connected to the house you live in now, but smudging is always a good idea.

I truly believe that you will feel instant relief once you have changed residences. Though moving can be a daunting task, it will be worth it. Within a month, you'll feel more energetic, joyful and renewed. Youíll immediately notice improvements in your family members as well, and you'll all be able to return to living a balanced, peaceful existence.

*****

Oceania:

I suspect that you are a sensitive person who can pick up on energies around you, and that you aim to please and tend to set aside your own needs to accommodate others. Physical spaces like homes are like theater stages; over the years, dramas take place with many casts of characters. Stories are layered through time, so if youíre tuned in, you can pick up on echoes of past energies.

The important thing to realize now is that this is YOUR time in the space. Claim it as your own. Your reluctance to take your turn is about YOU, not the house. Moving wonít make a difference because no matter where you go, there you are! The house is the canvas upon which you express your identity, values and outlook. Donít let the house overpower and define you. Wrangle and tame it so you can mold it into your own work of art.

Claim it as your sanctuary. March into that scary room and show it whoís boss. Your avoidance of the room is an example of you avoiding conflict. You close off from things that intimidate you instead of facing them with your powerful, radiant loveliness. This is not about the house being too dark; itís about keeping yourself in the dark. No matter how many times you move, youíll manifest dark, scary homes until you face and conquer the skeletons in your closet.

Here's the thing: I donít think there ARE any skeletons aside from your conflict avoidance. I sense a strong, feminine woman who tends to skulk away quietly and apologetically instead of kicking the closet door open and coming out swinging.

Darkness is the absence of light. Strut down the hall, bust into that room, and turn on your high beams. Bring a boom box and blast some empowering music like 76 Trombones, Weíre Off to See the Wizard, Michael Jackson dance tunes, Queen anthems like We Will Rock You or We Are the Champions - whatever turns you on!

Jump, twirl, stomp and be sure to sign along! Lay down a blanket and have an indoor picnic, and then hug every family member and tell them how much you love them. Invite them to shout, scream or read a poem out loud to imprint their energy in the room. Grab some scissors and cut positive images and words out of magazines and thumb-tack them to the walls. Use crayons or water colors to add flowers and hearts to the decor. Stick glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling. Hang a psychedelic mobile. Leave photos and special mementos in the room. Let it teem with life - YOUR life!

It ís not the room that needs to be escaped - itís the Warrior Princess in YOU that needs to be embraced. Go Warrior Princess, go!

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.