Tea Time with the Witch: A Little of This, A Little of That

Cafe-du-Matin-Print-C102639061.jpg tea time 1 picture by witch_of_endore

So much going on, where to begin?…First, there are issues with the webhost of my website, The Witch’s Corner.  Some people have uninterrupted access to my site and others do not, including me.  First they said it had something to do with the ISP, then it was the DNS, and since I have no access to Webs at all, I can’t get into the support forums to figure it all out.  It wasn’t that long ago that we experienced similar problems, which knocked my site out for a week.  This has spooked me sufficiently enough that I’ve been moving the contents of my site (from a cached page) over to Yola– mostly to use as a backup url, just in case this should happen again.  But if this occurs too often, I may have to make Yola my permanent home.

If your access to The Witch’s Corner is uninterrupted– good for you!…The url is:  http://ladyamythyst.webs.com

If you are one of the unfortunate few, like me, who can’t bring this site up using the url above, here’s the links to the Yola sites I’m in the process of creating– remember, this is a project that’s under construction.  Because of the massive amount of material I’m transferring, I’m actually setting up two websites at Yola that are interconnected.  One contains my tarot reading page, along with wytchy merchandise from Wytchy Wares; the other site contains information on witchcraft, cyrstals & stones, metaphyscial laws, rituals, spells, all the “other stuff”:

http://cauldronmagick.yolasite.com

http://thewitchscorner.yolasite.com   (This site is not published yet, but hopefully it will be very soon, hang onto this url)

My Newsletters:

Because of other writing obligations, my newsletter will be going out quarterly in 2011.   That means I’ll be putting a newsletter out for March, June, September, & December.

Thank you so much for your support & your enthusiasm. Below are links to last year’s newsletters and my newsletter archives: 

March 2010

April 2010

May 2010

June 2010

July 2010

August 2010

October 2010

December 2010

March 2011

Newsletter Archives:

Newsletter Archives 1

Newsletter Archives 2
 

This Thursday I’ll be having Ladies over to the house for a little Wytchy Mischief.  That’s about all I can say on the topic, other than it rightfully deserves to be capitalized.  The girls and I will probably be tidying up the house on Wednesday, the day before– when company comes I like candles lit, incense going, and soft ambient music in the backgroud…Let the fun begin.  🙂

As some of you might know, the oldsest cat we have in the house passed away last Friday– Tatters.  Dr. Kent estimated that he must have been around 13 years old, and he was positive for feline AIDS.  That cat spent most of his life roaming this neighborhood as a feral cat, until one very cold winter night, he decided to gird up his loins and come in to sit for a spell.  He stayed.  We saw him through his last month of life, most of which he was actually enjoying, lolling around on my daughter’s bed pretending to be a house cat.  His health decline and death was very fast and unexpected.  I believe he found us for a reason…when we were needed.


 

Tuesday– what a day!…Mars; red or orange candles; in your face aggressive energy; herbs:  basil, pepper, onion, cayenne pepper, allspice, cloves, cinnamon; number 9.  Warrior energy is on the rampage today– I feel it more strongly than usual.  Light a red candle and flex your muscles…both magickal and mundane.

Tarot Card for the day:  The High Priestess (R)

You’re not listening to that little voice in your head– it’s trying to tell you something, but you may be trying to drown it out with common sense and reasonable explanations…and these things don’t always work in certain circumstances.  Shhh…listen, what is it telling you to do?

The High Priestess today has a sense of calmness about her, almost an arrogance– the good kind– in being solid about who she is, what path she wishes to tread, and where she’s headed in the future.  Under certain conditions, she has the knack for being in control without giving the impression that she is– very clever!

Blessings,
Amythyst Raine

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Welcome to My Wytchy Realm

The following is an overview of my website:

The Witch’s Corner

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Follow the url to enter this magickal realm:

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com

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The Triple Goddess

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The Maiden

The maiden is overflowing with all of the possibilities of the future. Within her are the seeds of what will be. She is the fresh dawn of a new day. She is strength and tenacity and power. She is unbridled enthusiasm and wonder and hope.

The Mother

The mother is ripe fruit hanging pregnant from the vine. She is the foundation, the nurturer, the protectress. She is fortified with strength and placid with the calmness of a sunny day. She is who we turn to for stability and reassurance.

The Crone

It is the crone we seek in the darkening twilight. We find comfort in her quiet presence and yet we are challenged by her intuitive knowledge and aware of the darkshadows she casts…forcing us to seek the light and answers.

© Amythyst Raine 2007

Reconnect with the Goddess:

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/thegoddess.htm

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Divination

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Divination brings to mind the stereotype of the gypsy woman ensconced in her tent, peering intently into her crystal ball—and that may very well be an accurate picture somewhere in the world. I grew up in my grandmother’s house, surrounded by books on astrology, numerology, handwriting analysis, dream interpretation, etc. The world of divination is a natural one for me.

But divination in this modern time of neo-paganism has come a long way baby.

Tarot cards of all kinds abound and fill the shelves at not only new-age and metaphysical shops, but also at the mainstream bookstores such as Borders, Barnes & Noble, Hastings, etc.

Crystals, crystal balls, runes, quija boards are as popular now as they were in times past—more so, perhaps. I like to think of this day and age as the “New Renaissance” for the occult world.

© Amythyst Raine 2007

At the url below you will find information on all forms of divination with links to pertinent sites, tales of my own personal psychic experiences, interviews with Allison Dubois and Patricia Arquette—the actress who plays Allison in the television show “Medium”, and more:

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/divination.htm

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Spells & Potions

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This is the “meat” of witchcraft, the most fascinating (and sometimes fear inducing) aspect of The Craft for many people. To most of the mundane world the idea that anyone would have the power and the ability to create change using occult means is awe inspiring and often intimidating. The Christian influence in our culture and on our society has taken such natural power away from the multitudes, deeming it “evil”, “sinful”, and even dangerous.

To those of us practiced and gifted in the use of “the black arts”, it carries none of those negative labels. It is awe inspiring, but in an uplifting and promising way. It empowers those who cultivate its secrets and those who learn to use it wisely. It opens doors of dimensions undreamed of; it embraces the forces of nature in all her glory; it wreaks of a time before recorded history…it calls to those of us with the spirit of the Olde Ones, those of us who wish to practice the Olde Religion, those of us who wish to return to these ancient times and reclaim that which is our birthright.

© Amythyst Raine 2007

Follow the url to my online Book of Shadows:

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/spellspotions.htm

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/spellspotions2.htm

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Herbs

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This is the magickal medicine cabinet of the witch, and especially the Green Witch. Those who practice the olde ways have known since time immemorial of the powers contained in the molecules of “the green”. Herbs have been used since ancient times—and still are used today—for their medicinal and healing powers. But the Witch knows that these gentle and lovely plants contain other powers as well…magickal powers to be used and tapped into for spells and potions and rituals and cleansing.

© Amythyst Raine

Follow the url for a list of herbs and their magickal uses:

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/magickalherbs.htm

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The Elements

(Earth, Air, Fire, Water)

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FOR ME: Water is the mist of yesterday and today and tomorrow all wrapped up into one magical moment. Water is dreams and visions and questing endlessly to know the unknown. It is divination– searching for answers and listening to the universe for its response. It is the mystical and the elusive…it slips through your fingers leaving you wet and cold and shivering, knowing that you have been touched by the Divine.

FOR ME: Air is the soft breeze on your face that makes you feel touched and not touched. It is thought brought alive and moved through space and time by the Divine. Air is the part of your mind that is clear and sharp and focused and ever changing, never still and never content, but always swept up within another breeze and moved along on the current of time.

FOR ME: Earth is all the treasures buried deep within the soul. It is the material things you long for and were told you shouldn’t have. It is the security of that which is solid and immovable, and it is “manifestation” into the real world of touch and taste and smell and sight.

FOR ME: Fire is that physical passion so burning that it can consume. It is enthusiasm so powerful that it is what drives you to succeed. Fire is that fiery will that doesn’t allow you to give up in the face of adversity. It is what draws lovers together across insurmountable odds and provokes the passion that fights endlessly for justice.

Earth, Air, Fire, and Water…the four elements from which we can draw power to create magick.

© Amythyst Raine 2006

Follow the url for more information on The Elements, including an extensive list of correspondences and a Quarter Call:

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/theelements.htm

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Wheel of the Year

(Pagan Holidays)

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The Christian “holidays” all have Pagan roots. This is a fact that was constantly brought up to me years ago by a lady who was my friend and a Jehovah’s Witness. It was her oft repeated reason to me why she didn’t celebrate any of the modern Christianized holidays now.

I am surprised by the number of people who do not know this, and even more surprised at how many refuse to believe it. It just goes to show how completely saturating cultural training can be.

I find the history of our Pagan holidays fascinating and joyful and uplifting. I and my family embrace and celebrate them.

© Amythyst Raine 2007

Follow the url for more information on the Pagan roots of our modern holidays, pagan lore, and rituals for celebration.

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/wheeloftheyear.htm

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Chakras

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The word chakra is Sanskrit for wheel or disk and signifies one of seven basic energy centers in the body. Each of these centers correlates to major nerve ganglia branching forth from the spinal column. In addition the chakras also correlate to levels of consciousness, archetypal elements, developmental stages of life, colors, sounds, body functions, and much, much more.

This definition of chakras is taken from:

http://www.sacredcenters.com/chakras.html

Follow the url for more information on the chakras, extensive correspondences related to the seven chakras, and a link to Ambika Wauters website, “The Institute of Life Energy Medicine”:

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/chakras.htm

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Rituals

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Rituals put a stamp on the passage of time and the progression of our life stages, from a Wiccaning (baby naming) to a death and remembrance ritual, and all those celebrations and milestones in-between. Rituals validate our existence in some implausible elusive way. They bring family and friends together, open doors to the future, and create memories for generations to come.

© Amythyst Raine 2007

Follow the url and you will find rituals for all of life’s passages and links to sites where you can purchase ritual items and clothing:

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/rituals.htm

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Ghosts/Ghost Hunting

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Growing up in my grandmother’s house prepared me for the paranormal occurrences that I would experience in this, my own house. My grandmother’s house was very active and anyone with an ounce of sensitivity to such things was always very aware of it…the feeling of being “watched” when no one else was near you, the hair suddenly standing up on the back of your neck and the sensation that “someone” was standing behind you, unintelligible whisperings in the dark of the night, a blanket being pulled from you by something you couldn’t see, lights going off and on with no explanation—and stove burners doing the same unnerving thing, objects occasionally moving, etc.

Growing up with these occurrences, I thought it was natural—wasn’t everyone’s house like this?

Apparently not, I was to learn as I became older. That enlightenment helped me to appreciate, study, and cope with paranormal activities on a very basic level. It also taught me to conquer any fear.

But witchcraft taught me how to tame these ethereal spirits, how to control them instead of allowing them to control me. Witchcraft taught me it was possible to have dominion over the spirit world.

© Amythyst Raine 2007

Follow the url and enter the paranormal world of ghosts and ghost hunting. You will find a slideshow on ghosts created by me, a list of haunted cemeteries, information on poltergiests, the Bell Witch, TAPS, the “Hauntings Website”; and a section called “Our House”, which reviews our own paranoral occurances that my family and I have experienced.

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/ghostsghosthunting.htm

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My Path

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I am a solitary eclectic witch. My path consists of hoodoo, Wicca, and green witchcraft. I am neither a “white” nor a “black” witch; I prefer to see myself in shades of gray— nothing else on this earth is completely clear cut, the practice of The Craft isn’t either.

I am a hereditary witch, taking after the traditions of my mother, my sister, and cousins. I am now watching my own daughters grow in this path. I was raised by my grandmother, a woman steeped in the study of the occult, yet probably not realizing the title many in this world would have attributed to her.

I am a legally ordained member of the clergy, yet I avoid the usual titles which smack too closely of Christianity for my taste. I prefer the simple, yet deeply meaningful title of “Lady”.

© Amythyst Raine

Follow the url to learn more about my path, with links to sites on hoodoo, wicca, and green witchcraft. You will also find a “code of ethics”, “rules of conduct”, my explanation of the “kitchen witch”, and my feelings on “Hexing and Cursing”:

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/mypath.htm

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Photogallery

I’ve opened a window on this page, a window into my private world.  I have tried to post images on here that I haven’t posted anywhere else, they are exclusive.  I haven’t decided yet whether to continue the Photogallery or relegate it to an archive, but my camera is always ready, and life somehow or other always has something interesting to show me. 

© Amythyst Raine 2007

Follow the url and you will find a slide show, as well as personal photos of my home, gardens, family, & ’stuff’.

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/photogallery.htm

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Monthly Newsletters

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/monthlynewsletters.htm

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/newsletterarchives1.htm

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Follow my raven to the Magick Forest where you can view/sign the guestbook, subscribe to the site, and find links to unimaginable places and incredible people.

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/themagicforestllinks.htm

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Welcome to my website: The Witch’s Corner

I don’t know how I jammed so much into one newsletter, but the June newsletter is absolutely loaded this month.

The highlight is a new section I’ve added that may appear every once in a while called "Hauntings".  This month I loaded up my video/digital camera and my witchlings and we headed to the infamous ‘Barnard Park’.  What’s so unusual about a park, you might rightfully inquire.  This park just happened to be the city cemetery at one time, and when the big move was made to a new cemetery site– not all of the occupants could be located to be moved to their new resting place.  They still reside among the playground equipment, picnic tables, and park benches…and rumor has it that they make their presence known.

You’ll find a June tarot special that will be running for the entire month, as well as a featured item from Creations by Isabella, and a sale special offered from Wytchy Wares.

The June newsletter is packed with information on herbs– marigolds; stones– tiger’s eye; the June moon– the Mead Moon; tarot tips– the nine of swords.  There’s been two new pages added to The Witch’s Corner since last month, and you’ll find links to them in this month’s newsletter.  I re-posted the photos of Isabella’s latest tattoo creations, as well as a link to a video of her at work on this project from my Myspace profile– gotta’ brag on my girl!  I’m so proud of her artistic accomplishments.

Spells of the month for June include a Summer Solstice spell, as well as tips for attracting fairies– taken from my own Book of Shadows.

Enjoy!

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/monthlynewsletters.htm

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