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September 18 through September 24, 2023

The highlight of this week will be the Sun's entry into Libra on Saturday, which will mark the start of a new season and a time of astrological "harvest!" Libra is famous for creating loving relationships, restoring balance and expanding our perception to see beyond the obvious to the hidden aspects of any situation. Monday and Tuesday we'll move under a Scorpio Moon, which will either have us exploring the mystical and metaphysical, or throwing all our focus into an intense project. Either way, we will be intent on finding out about and mastering something new. The Sagittarius Moon will cast a light-hearted energy around on Wednesday and Thursday, so we may be more inclined to goof off or daydream than get any actual work done. We'll close the week out under a Capricorn Moon, choosing to focus on our physical worlds and activities that improve our health or security. Capricorn also has its fun-loving side, so don't forget to put aside a few hours for some socializing or relaxing.

Weeds: 10 Magical Resources You Can Find in Your Own Backyard, by JD Walker

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

There is a saying in the gardening community: Grow where you're planted. It means to do your best to develop, grow, and yes, even bloom, regardless of your situation or circumstance.

I like to use this same philosophy when it comes to my spiritual and magickal work. I use store-bought things, and am very happy to have access to them. However, I want my religious tradition to be more than something I buy online or do on one of the eight Sabbats.

I want to see magick in the world around me. So, I often look for supplies right outside my door.

"But," you say, "I don’t have a yard or a garden. Where am I supposed to look for herbs?"

Right under foot, dearie.

I wrote A Witch's Guide to Wildcraft to help folks understand that they can fill a lot of their needs simply by looking at the world around them with new eyes.

Practically every residence, whether apartment complex, rental property, or house, has a yard. Take a look at that grassy expanse. You'll quickly see that it's not all grass. In the case of most dwelling spaces with an accompanying yard, it's not even mostly grass. It is, however, a wonderful shopping space for magickal supplies. For example:

1. Chickweed: This low-growing, fresh green, matting plant is called Stellaria media because of the tiny little star-like flowers it produces. It is a moon herb, good for lunar magick as well as for spells to attract or keep a lover. It can also be used in beauty spells.
2. Clover: Everyone knows clover (Trifolium repens) is a good luck herb. It is also used in magick for prosperity.
3. Onions: Wild onions (Allium canadense) are the bane of any homeowner who takes pride in his or her lawn. But witches use them for exorcism and protection.
4. Dandelion: You know you've wished on a dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) puff ball before! Children everywhere do. Blowing on the puff ball is also said to divine everything from how long you will live to the direction from which your true love will come. It is a good resource for any ritual work done to honor solar deities.
5. Violets: Violas or violets, on the other hand, can be used in workings with Venus, Aphrodite, Inanna, or any deity associated with love. I find it invaluable in mending a broken heart.
6. Grass: Even the grass that is growing in the lawn or the ornamental grasses gracing the landscape border or perennial flower beds have magickal uses. Gather what you need for protection and prosperity or use a handful to make a natural, temporary asperging wand.

Broaden your view and take in the plants that border the yard or that live in the landscape.

7. Hollies: Don't throw away those clippings from the hollies in the shrub border, even the ornamental Japanese hollies (Illex cornuta, I. crenata, etc.). They can be used for protection spells.
8. Honeysuckle: Look into that shrub border for the Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) that has probably snuck in there. It can be used in prosperity and binding spells. With a long enough piece of vine, you can make a wreath to hang on the door or above the altar to attract that prosperity.
9. Ivy: Another common vine is ivy (Hedera). This is a witchy herb if there ever was one. It is a Saturn herb but is also considered feminine in energy. Like all vines, it can be used in binding magick. Ivy has the added benefit of being used for protection and healing.
10. Moss: Even the moss (Bryophyta) that grows along the foundation of a residence or in the shade of a tree has magickal uses. Properly dried, it is a filling for a poppet. Fairies are said to love it, so use it to dress your fairy garden.

Without leaving your immediate area, you've found supplies for everything from spell work to ritual tools. When you respectfully gather your own herbs for your workings, you are connecting with the Divine, however you perceive the Divine. You are one with the Universe. You are a self-sufficient, enterprising Pagan who can stand on your own, regardless of where you are planted.

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

Given the law of attraction, I know that it's foolish to talk about what we don't want in our lives. What I'm not clear on is when talking about what we're going through in life turns into complaining. I have friends with whom I share the daily ups and downs of life, and some of them sound and feel like complainers while others don't. I'm trying to live a complaint-free life, but I'm not sure where to draw the line in terms of what I share with others because there are some things that it does seem to help to talk about, such as not being able to get an insurance company to listen to you, and how to handle that. Your insights are appreciated!

Jo

Astrea:

In Yiddish, there is a wonderful word for a certain type of complaining: kvetch. Kvetching has been honed over thousands of years into a fine art form. It's not just complaining about personal problems and the lack of understanding others give us - the kvetcher even complains about complaining, and about how OTHERS complain too!

If the Rolling Stones' I Can't Get No Satisfaction had been written in Yiddish, it would have been called I Love to Keep Telling You That I Can't Get No Satisfaction, Because Telling You That I'm Not Satisfied is the Only Thing That Can Satisfy Me.

Trying to get help with an insurance company might require the aid of a professional, and in that situation, you're certainly NOT complaining. There is a time and a place to discuss your material problems and the events of your business life with people who can assist you in doing something about whatever is wrong.

Legal situations require lawyers. Health situations require doctors. A psychotherapist can help with emotional pain. Telling someone who can actually assist you in solving a practical problem doesn't qualify as complaining. As long as the person receiving the information may be of assistance, that's a fair conversation; you are using the Law of Attraction by calling on someone who can help.

Destructive whining and complaining occur when a person tells another person something the other person can do absolutely nothing about. One of the best examples of this is the person who constantly whines, I'm tired. What can anyone do about that?

The other person can't rest for the complainer, and can't give them the time they need to get rejuvenated. There is absolutely nothing that someone else can do to control another's fatigue. When we complain about things just to complain, nothing constructive comes of it.

It sounds to me like you and your friends fall somewhere in between valid communicating and kvetching. If friends who qualify as complainers are draining your energy, simply limit the amount of time you spend listening.

You know when YOU are going on and on about something no one can do anything about but you. When you catch yourself doing this, start problem-solving instead of feeding negative situations by repeating your complaints again and again.

We all whine and complain at times, but we can all use the Law of Attraction wisely to draw what we desire into our lives too. If you spend your time in gratitude, before long you won't have anything to complain about at all.

*****

Susyn:

It can be confusing to determine the difference between simply venting and falling into a pattern of negative thinking or complaining. We all need someone we can discuss our struggles with, whether it's to identify them and see if we can come up with a solution or discover a way to accept what's happening.

It's also a vital part of our spiritual path to learn to look at these instances from a higher perspective, and to identify if there is some part of ourselves that may need to change its habits of word, thought or action.

Some people love to report all their troubles or difficulties to anyone within earshot. The problem here is that whatever we dwell on becomes bigger, so if we are focused on negativity or upsets, we begin to see more things to complain about everywhere.

It's important to choose the right person to share our problems with. We all have friends who tend to agree with us, back up our positions, or confirm that we are indeed in the midst of a hard time. While they may validate what we are experiencing, they could cause more harm than good if they encourage us to feel sorry for ourselves, or worse yet, powerless.

We all must choose how we'll confront difficult situations in our lives, but sharing them with a friend or spiritual advisor we can trust to be honest with us is the best way to transform our problems into gifts. Wise helpers will offer ideas, shift our perceptions, or suggest options for change we may not have considered.

Take, for example, the insurance company you mentioned. Your struggles with them aren't personal, and it's likely most people who call them have similar experiences. If you take an incident like this to heart, the situation will throw you off your spiritual center, and could grow worse if you keep focusing on the person or situation causing the problem.

Often when these things happen, it's simply our inner knowing urging us to change in some way. For example, if you can't get someone to listen to you, it's time to stop talking and take action. Whether that means addressing your problems with a different agent, changing insurance companies, or standing back to let things resolve on their own, the bottom line is that you'll have to find another way to solve the trouble. This will empower you and instantly turn things around.

Raising our awareness, avoiding negative thinking and looking beyond the immediate situation to realize the deeper purpose behind our troubles are all positive ways of dealing with the frustrations life tends to toss our way.

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.