DIY
This isn’t really “magick” in the strictest sense of the word but if you don’t have a Compass to know which direction is North so you can set up your altar, here’s how to make one:
You will need
- A glass or bowl of water
- A magnet
- A steel needle
- A small torn square of paper (torn is best)
Rub the needle tip on the magnet for a few minutes. Test it by seeing if it sticks to something else that’s metal. When the needle has magnetized, set it aside. Lightly and gently lay the little square of paper in the middle of the water. Ever so gently set the needle on the paper, positioning the needle centered on the paper. Gently, move the needle and paper, which should be floating, around in a circle.
Stop and see what direction the needle tip points. Do this a few more times. If the needle point always points back to the same place ~ that’s North!!! If you think you might forget, place something special on the North corner/side of the room so you will remember. It might be a good place to position your Magical Storage Cabinet. Better yet set up your permanent Altar on your East wall. By the way, when facing North, East is on your Right!!
From: Elemental Magick
The angelic rosary is your first line of defense against unwanted chaos. Why do I use the word “unwanted?” Sometimes a little chaos in our lives is good. It shakes us up; it gets us thinking and hopefully moving.
The recitation of the rosary itself is a lot to remember at first, but with sufficient repetition, it will come easily into your mind when needed.
To make an Angel Rosary, you will need:
- Rawhide string or leather
- 54 small beads
- 6 large beads
- 1 token of the goddess
- 1 pentacle or miraculous medal (or both)
Creating the Rosary:
Step 1: Decide how long your rosary will be. The size of your rosary will determine the size of your beads (or vice versa) — keep in mind that two sizes of beads are needed.
Step 2: Cut the string according to the length that you want your rosary to be. When cutting the string, be sure to cut it longer than you would like to allow for knots to be tied into it as you place the beads on the string.
Step 3: Start at the bottom of the rosary and slide ten small beads onto the string. Lay the string and beads on a table or other flat surface and form a circle with the string. Leave enough string hanging down at the bottom of the circle, as you’ll need this for later. Slide the beads all the way to the top of the circle. Tie a knot between each bead, but make sure there is enough room so each bead can turn. Form a few knots side by side to put space between these ten beads and the next ones.
Step 4: Still using the flat surface, slide a larger bead to each end of the knots you just made. Secure the beads by creating the same kind of knots that you just made for the smaller beads. Be sure to leave some space between the large beads and the smaller ones.
Step 5: Repeat Step 3. Each side of the string should have equal amounts of beads, both large and small. When you come to the end, make sure that you make final knots in the ends of the last beads so they don’t fall off. Take both pieces of string and join them together. Knot the string and place the very large bead on the string. Form another knot to secure it, then place four big beads beneath it and form a knot at the end of the last bead. At this point, you can run the string pieces through the pentacle or token of the Goddess.
You could use smaller beads between each bead if you don’t want to use knots. Don’t worry if you don’t want to be artsy-craftsy. I’ve designed this based in the standard rosary, so you can purchase a regular rosary at any inspirational store and adjust it for your needs by removing the cross and replacing it with a pentacle or a miraculous medal. However if you are a Christian and the cross is a divine symbol to you, by all means keep it where it is.
Here’s a basic diagram of a traditional rosary:
To say the rosary:
Because it may seem a little confusing at first, I have put the instructions for saying the various parts of the rosary under the number that is shown in the diagram. This should make it easier to visualize the sequence.
Note: The numbers 7 and 8 both point to the same place, so I omitted the number 8 below.
Once you have the rosary in your hand and begin the sequence of prayers it will become easier and easier to remember what comes next.
1 – One
Begin by making a banishing pentagram on the pentacle, medal, or cross and saying the Angelic Alignment:
- I align myself with universal harmony.
- I align myself with the Goddess.
- I am in alignment with the God.
- I am in alignment with my guardian angel.
- So Mote it Be.
2 – Two
On the first bead, recite the Invocation of the Nine Choirs:
- Brilliant Seraphim I call to thee
- Circle round, bring love to me.
- Mighty Cheribum guard my gate
- Remove from me sorrow and hate.
- Thrones stand firm, stable be
- Keep me steady on land or sea
- I call Dominions, leadership true
- May I be fair in all I do.
- Circles of protection, Powers form
- Help me weather any storm
- Miraculous Virtues hover bear
- Element energies i summon here.
- Principalities bring global reform
- Bless the world and each babe born.
- Glorious Archangels show me the way
- To bring peace and harmony every day
- Guardian angel, Goddess delight
- Gift me with your guiding light.
3 – Three
Say the Prayer of Gabriel on the second bead
- Hail Lady, full of grace, The God is with you.
- Blessed is the fruit of your womb, The Consort and Son.
- Holy Goddess, Mother of Earth,
- Work your mysteries for your children,
- Now and in the hour of our need.
- So Mote it Be.
Say the prayer of the God on the third bead
- As the rod is to the God
- So the chalice is to the Goddess
- And together they are one.
Say the Star Goddess Litany on the fourth bead
- Hear the words of the Star Goddess;
- She in the dust of whose feet are the hosts of heaven
- And whose body encircles the universe.
- I who am the beauty of the green earth,
- And the white Moon among the stars,
- And the mystery of the waters,
- And the desire of the heart of man,
- Call unto thy soul.
- Arise and come unto me.
- For I am the soul of nature,
- Who gives life to the universe.
- From me all things proceed,
- And unto me all things must return;
- And before my face,
- Beloved of Gods and of men,
- Let thine innermost divine self be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite.
- Let my worship be within the heart that rejoiceth;
- For behold, all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals.
- And therefore, let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you.
- And thou who thinkest to seek for me, know thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not unless thou knowest the mystery;
- That if that which thou seekest thou findest not within thee,
- Thou wilt never find it without thee.
- For behold, I have been with thee from the beginning; and I am that which is attained at the end of desire.
4 – Four
The First Mystery: You are now at the point of the first mystery of the angels–Universal love. Meditate on becoming one with the universal energies, opening your heart to divine love.
5 – Five
Touch the Goddess medal to your forehead.
6 – Six
Turn the next ten beads, reciting Gabriel’s Prayer as you turn each bead.
Hail Lady, full of grace, The God is with you.
Blessed is the fruit of your womb, The Consort and Son.
Holy Goddess, Mother of Earth,
Work your mysteries for your children,
Now and in the hour of our need.
So Mote it Be.
7- Seven
The Second Mystery: This is the gift of magick in our lives and the ability to change our circumstances through free will–the mystery of freedom.
- Don’t forget to meditate on the mystery.
- See the beads glow as you become one with this sacred concept.
9 – Nine
Begin with the Prayer of the God on the large bead:
As the rod is to the God
So the chalice is to the Goddess
And together they are one.
Then continue with Gabriel’s Prayer, turning each of the next ten beads as you say the prayer.
Hail Lady, full of grace, The God is with you.
Blessed is the fruit of your womb, The Consort and Son.
Holy Goddess, Mother of Earth,
Work your mysteries for your children,
Now and in the hour of our need.
So Mote it Be.
You have now come to The Third Mystery:
The third mystery is the mystery of your oath. This is the knowledge of and ability to work within the cycles of the universe in service to both the planet and our brothers and sisters.
- Don’t forget to meditate on the mystery.
- See the beads glow as you become one with this sacred concept.
10 – Ten
Begin with the Prayer of the God on the large bead:
As the rod is to the God
So the chalice is to the Goddess
And together they are one.
Then continue with Gabriel’s Prayer, turning each of the next ten beads as you say the prayer.
Hail Lady, full of grace, The God is with you.
Blessed is the fruit of your womb, The Consort and Son.
Holy Goddess, Mother of Earth,
Work your mysteries for your children,
Now and in the hour of our need.
So Mote it Be.
You have now come to The Fourth Mystery:
The third mystery is the knowledge of reincarnation and karma, birth and death, joy and sorrow teaches us that every action we perform has an equal reaction and how to live with the cycles of the seasons.
- Don’t forget to meditate on the mystery.
- See the beads glow as you become one with this sacred concept.
11 – Eleven
Begin with the Prayer of the God on the large bead:
As the rod is to the God
So the chalice is to the Goddess
And together they are one.
Then continue with Gabriel’s Prayer, turning each of the next ten beads as you say the prayer.
Hail Lady, full of grace, The God is with you.
Blessed is the fruit of your womb, The Consort and Son.
Holy Goddess, Mother of Earth,
Work your mysteries for your children,
Now and in the hour of our need.
So Mote it Be.
You have now come to The Fifth Mystery:
This is the Gift of wisdom and power to the hidden children of the Goddess. This mystery teaches us to be humble in our will and use our gifts for the good of all, harming none.
12 – Twelve
Begin with the Prayer of the God on the large bead:
As the rod is to the God
So the chalice is to the Goddess
And together they are one.
Then continue with Gabriel’s Prayer, turning each of the next ten beads as you say the prayer.
Hail Lady, full of grace, The God is with you.
Blessed is the fruit of your womb, The Consort and Son.
Holy Goddess, Mother of Earth,
Work your mysteries for your children,
Now and in the hour of our need.
So Mote it Be.
13 – Thirteen
We are now back to the goddess medal and at the conclusion of our meditation sequence. End with the Statement of Divinity.
- A great sign appears in the heavens.
- It is the Goddess clothed within the sun, the moon under her feet.
- And on her head a crown of twelve stars.
- The God stands behind her in his glory
- With his hands resting upon her shoulders
- And together they are one.
- So Mote it Be.
Finish by making the sign of the equal armed cross.
Here’s a nice little tutorial on how to clean bones you may have collected to use for making runes, dice, divination tools or for other magickal purposes.
Use a very sharp boning knife to remove the bones you need from the limb. Be sure to remove any excess cartilage or shreds of flesh. Always practice basic knife and kitchen safety.
The bones can be cleaned a number of different ways:
- Boil in water for between 15 minutes and half an hour.
- Soak overnight in bleach (bones will smell like bleach for some time afterwards).
- Pour hydrogen peroxide over the bones and watch it foam. Continue to pour until foaming ceases.
- The natural method:
Place in a safe area outside (safe from wandering domestic and wild animals) where ants or other carrion-eating insects can reach the bones. A glass jar with large holes in the lid is recommended. Let the insects clean the bones for you. This is a time-consuming yet very effective method. - A modification of the above (natural) method:
You might be able to find information on ordering special beetles to clean the bones. I don’t really know anything about them, but, there are supposed to be beetles that eat flesh off any sort of skeleton that are used within the medical/taxidermy professions. Supposedly, that’s how anatomical human and animal skeletons are cleaned.
A butcher/taxidermy worker suggested boiling the bones in something called “sal soda”.Apparently, that is what they use in his taxidermy shop in order to clean skeletons for hunters. It is supposed to dissolve tissue and cartiliage into a gel that can be rinsed off. He gave me a large bag for free, and it worked quite well on the first batch of bones I used it on.
After doing any of these methods, you may have to remove extra “shreds” of flesh. I tried a combination of the above methods, and found that bleaching the bones overnight, then boiling them in sal soda for about twenty minutes was the best method to get clean, white bones. If you overboil the bones, they will dry out, and the outer calcium covering will flake away. They are still usuable if this occurs.
What is sal soda?
Sal soda is sodium carbonate, the same chemical as washing soda. Sodium carbonate typically comes in three forms – washing soda is the decahydrate, which is usually in the form of colorless crystals that look a bit like crushed ice. If left in the open air, these lose water and become the powdery white monohydrate (the sal soda mentioned above). Soda ash is the anhydrous (waterless) compound.
Sodium carbonate an alkali, so it will be good for stripping away greasy substances such as fat and marrow. Don’t use it with aluminium vessels or cutlery, and try to keep it off your hands, though it’s not as nasty as sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) which is often used for unblocking drains.
NOTE:
Be careful when using caustic substances – be sure you read and follow the safety instructions that come with them.
To make a colored candle, use a white tea light candle. These are the really small candles you can find in packages of 6 to 12 at the dollar store. They sit in little aluminum containers.
Take the candle out of the container, and carve the sides of it into the shape of a 4 petaled flower, or 4 leaf clover. Hollow out a small space on the top of each petal. Put the candle back into the aluminum container.
Being very careful not to burn yourself, or start a fire, hold a crayon of the appropriate color over the little hollowed out space and heat the end of the crayon so that it drips colored wax into that little hollowed out place. One or two drops is fine for each petal. The color will blend and melt as the candle burns.
You can also put small pieces of crayon in a metal spoon, and hold the spoon over a candle flame to heat and melt the crayon wax, and then pour the melted wax into the places you hollowed out of the tea light.
It’s better to use the cheapest crayons you can find – crayola crayons do not seem to work as well. Also, try not to play with the melted wax once you have your candle lit. If any extra wax goes up on the wick, the candle flame will get really small and could burn out.
I think it's time to go shopping... maybe even buy some really cool stuff at one of my online shops!!