covenrochester | Entries tagged with workday

This is the flyer for our next free community lecture.

Although we have had several practical, hands-on workdays making a variety of herbal medicines, this lecture will primarily be theory, based on the work of Wise Woman Elder and Priestess, Susun Weed.

There will be some practical information on nourishing herbal infusions, electuaries (medicinal preparations using honey or nut butters as a medium), and tinctures, but no hands-on work.

*** Blessed be to those who serve the Great Mother and the Horned Father.

* Copyright to Coven Rochester

Coven Rochester will be hosting its next workday on October 20, 2024, from 2-5 pm. The topic will be The Varied Forms of Divination. I imagine the topics to be covered will be something like this:

By the Law of Correspondence:
-- Astrology (Horary, Natal, Electional, Mundane)
-- Palmistry (Cheiromancy and Cheirognomy)
-- Physiognomy, Phrenology, Feet, Eyes, Forehead
-- Numerology, Acrophonology
-- Geomancy
-- Signs and Omens: By Birds, Haruspicy
-- Graphology

Direct Psychic Perception:
-- Scrying: Crystal, Water, Fire, Mirror, Black Mirror
-- Psychometry
-- Telepathic Games of the Sangoma of Africa
-- Familiar or Ancestral Spirits, Sciomancy, Seances, the Dumb Supper
-- Precognitive Dreams and Dream Spells
-- Dreaming True Potions
-- Dream Interpretation
-- Pendulum/Dowsing Rods
-- Ouija Boards, Planchettes, Automatic Writing
-- Divine Inspiration: Oracles, Sibyls, and Prophets

Image-Finding:
-- Tea Leaves
-- Cloud Gazing
-- Fire Embers and Ashes
-- Smoke
-- Wax in Water (Ceromancy)

Sortilege
-- Cards: Tarot Cards, Playing Cards, Oracle Cards, Witch Cards
-- Nordic Futhark Runes
-- Celtic Ogham
-- Dice and Dominoes (Cleromancy)
-- Bones
-- Lithomancy: Witches' Runes or Precious Stones
-- Bibliomancy: The Bible, the Works of Homer, the Aeneid, the Dictionary
-- The Ifa of Africa, Kola Nuts
-- I Ching, Wen Wang Gua of China
-- Parlor Games, Tables of Fate

Once the participants have a broad grasp of the various forms of divination, we may have future workdays where I teach one specific form.

* Copyright to Coven Rochester
** Blessed be those who serve the Great Mother and the Horned Father

Another Herbal Workday has been scheduled.

I'm not exactly sure what the preparations will be. Given that it we will not have had a full flowering of plants, we will be somewhat limited compared to the last Herbal Workday, where we had fresh Comfrey, Hypericum, and Motherwort right out of the garden. Still, I envision the following preparations to be quite possible:

Stomach Syrup
Elderberry Tincture
Healing Mouthwash
Garlic Syrup or Garlic Honey
Arnica Liniment
Rose Vinegar or Rose Liniment
Sleep Pillows
Slippery Elm Lozenges
Echinacea Root Tincture
Plantain Liniment
The Feverbreak Potion
Horehound Cough Syrup
Horseradish Tincture

We will not make the Feverbreak Potion, itself. Rather, we will compile the dry ingredients to send home with you, along with instructions in how to make the potion when it is needed.

Elderberry and Echinacea Root Tinctures can be used after six weeks, but they will be at their strongest after one year.

Garlic Honey and Horseradish Tincture are ready within 24 hours. The Syrups are effective as soon as made,l as are the Mouthwash, the Pillows, and the Lozenges.

So, it will not be a waiting game for everything.

Yesterday's lecture was, for such a dark topic, enjoyable . . . mostly because I tried to add some levity to it.

Here was the first page of the lecture.

There was a second packet of spells.

A Fake Book of Magic

A Real Book of Magic

The next workday topic was suggested by a former participant in other workdays: The Theory of Dark Magic.

"What an odd topic to suggest!" I thought. But as I thought further, the idea appealed to me, as it will allow me to touch on the Theory of Magic, in general, and why Dark Magic isn't such a thrilling option when you know how magic works. This will involve a bit of Cosmology, to start, and how events manifest in our lives.

And then other things occurred to me.

* What is, in fact, a curse?

* What other things besides curses constitute "dark magic?"

* Is a curse ever justified?

* Is there a karmic backlash to worry about?

* Can a curse boomerang back to the curser?

* Can a group be cursed, or only an individual?

* What --can-- one do when faced with a blood-thirsty tyrant or an invading army? Witch History and Lessons from 1588, 1805, and 1940. Invocations of the Heroes. The Last Resort: The Wand of Bone and Field of Blood.

* What if you cursed someone innocent by mistake?

* The Sin That Cannot Be Forgiven, The Stain that Won't Come Out: The Sin Against the Holy Ghost, aka the Offense Against the Mother's Womb

* The Old Prohibitions Against Cursing: Remember how a few years back it was popular to curse then-President Trump? I instantly lost respect for anyone who tried. And I was astonished at the number of initiated occultists and witches (and excluding the legions of fakes) who jumped on the bandwagon and who should have known better. Ditto for the idiots who tried to curse the Moon not soon after. There is an old list of about seven of these prohibitions. Know them, or conjure to your own destruction, I say.

* The Book of Ancient Curses (Hexopedia, Volume 1) . . . the beginning part contains something like a code of etiquette for cursing.

* Lots of Other Options: Protection, Justice, Blessing, Turn-Away Spells, Cross-Not-My-Path Spells.

* The Coven's Spell to Invoke the Goddess as Mother of Justice for All

* The Mythology of Desert Peoples, Demonic Mythology, Grimoire Demons, Dark Things Older than the Cross.

Sunday, November 19: 4-6 pm

Please remember that we are talking about the Theory of Dark Magic. We are not discussing methods of, or instruction in, practicing it. But, even if you are the most powerful and benevolent Witch in the world, you should know the basics, the mechanics, and your history.

*** Blessed be to those who serve the Great Mother and the Horned Father.

* Copyright to Coven Rochester

Coven Rochester will be holding another workday on September 24, 4 to 6 pm. The topic with will be protection magic and spells, mostly traditional in origin. We will cover general daily protection methods/techniques/practices first. The spells will cover a wide spectrum such as protection on a journey, protecting a garden from pests, protecting an object from theft, as well as the usual home protection magics like Witch Bottles. There will be some older spells mixed in, such as a home protection spell from colonial times and a method for making a personal protective amulet from a 19th century witch's workbook. There will also be a discussion of the old witch jewels and amulets. We will not be covering breaking or reversing curses. Participants need not bring anything. There will be a bunch of handouts.

*** Blessed be to those who serve the Great Mother and the Horned Father.

* Copyright to Coven Rochester

A Witch should have a reliable means of divination at her disposal. Each person has different strengths, though. Not everyone will take to astrology, or card reading, or the pendulum. When a new initiate, it is important to consider and explore the various options available. Reading the Bones, sometimes called Osteomancy, is a less common option. Coven Rochester will eventually hold a Workday on the subject. I was fortunate enough to learn a Zulu method and a Cameroonian method from an old Sangoma from central Africa. The photo above is not from either of those methods, but I will interpret it as a general bone reading example, and as an example of what can be told with a small set of bones.

The Seeker is going to come into a large amount of money soon.
His relationship is and will continue to be strong, although he must be flexible in practical matters associated with that relationship. Plans often get formed or cancelled at the last minute, and that will continue.
He is working on a project that has had a false start. It is moving now, but there will be strong delays and interference as it moves forward. Nonetheless, the project will eventually be brought to completion successfully in accordance with the Seeker's wishes, and to his great satisfaction.

There are several books that have been published on reading the bones. But, as always, it is better to learn from a teacher. There is a trick to reading bones, and you either have to learn it from a teacher, or struggle through long practice until the trick dawns on you.

*** Blessed be to those who serve the Great Mother and the Horned Father.

* Copyright to Coven Rochester

Coven Rochester will be having a Workday on Dream Interpretation on August 20, from 4-7 pm. Optional: Bring a dream, written down, double-spaced.

For our perspective on dreams and the Craft, see the post:

https://covenrochester.dreamwidth.org/41734.html

*** Blessed be to those who serve the Great Mother and the Horned Father.

* Copyright to Coven Rochester

The Table, Before We Began

We held an herbal medicine workday today from 12 to 4, and it was a great success in productivity, with the participants learning a great deal about remedies made in the wisdom tradition. We managed to make 10 different herbal products.

-- Elderberry Tincture: This will be ready well in time for the winter cold and flu season! One of the Great Medicines of humanity.

-- Calendula Tincture: Antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral in effects, it has so many uses. Another of the Great Medicines.

-- Motherwort Tincture: Against menstrual and menopausal discomforts, against anxiety and pain, and helps promote sleep. Also a tonic for the heart when used daily. A third of the Great Medicines. We used fresh plant material, as I had sufficient in my garden. It is the blooming tops that contain the medicine.

-- Blackberry Throat Spray: Against sore throat. The recipe may be varied, but it should always contain tincture made from Echinacea angustifola (not purpurea), which has a numbing effect on mucosal tissues. Other ingredients included home made blackberry brandy, raw and organic honey, and Yarrow Tincture.

-- Healing Mouthwash: We made three variations. In an earlier posting, I gave the recipe for the one I use.

-- Toothpaste: A Sage-Myrrh toothpaste flavored with Mint. Also included Calendula and Yarrow Tinctures for broad spectrum coverage against bacteria in the mouth.

-- Plantain Liniment: There was sufficient Plantago major in the yard that we were able to use fresh! Another of the Great Medicines.

-- Cramp Bark Tincture: For stopping cramps and muscle seizures anywhere in the body. Good against menstrual pain and female pelvic congestion. Viburnum opulus by name, you may know it as the Snowball Bush. Alas, you must be taught when to harvest the bark in order to secure the medicinal virtues.

-- Hypericum Lotion: May be used as a sun screen. Against nerve pain and muscle pain. It will stop the development of Shingles if applied to the affected body part when you sense it potentially coming on. Another of the Great Medicines.

-- Comfrey Lotion: Another of the Great Medicines. I had sufficient in my garden to bring fresh. For repairing the skin, joints, and ligaments.

As you can see, we seemed to focus a lot on the Great Medicines. That was not purposeful. It is simply that the Great Medicines are so effective and have such varied uses, that they naturally find a place in witches' apothecary cabinets.

I also reported on recently making a Thyme Lotion from Thyme in my garden. It has been found effective against yeast and fungal patches on the skin.

I've had so many good ideas for the next workday, it is difficult to choose the next topic!

*** Blessed be to those who serve the Great Mother and the Horned Father.

* Copyright to Coven Rochester

Inasmuch as the Coven is meeting only once per month, I think it may be a good idea to have a continuing series of workdays on various topics. Also perhaps once per month. Optional, of course.

A WORKING MAGIC CIRCLE: For creating a strong, but easily built, magical circle without resorting to the Grand Magical Circle, which we usually cast for coven meetings. I cast a working Magic Circle almost every night. It is quick and efficient. The formula is from ancient Egypt, but it would be recognizable to most western occultists and witches.

We are having a practical Herbalism day on 24 June, but I think it would be worth having a day of theory:
HERBALISM THEORY IN THE WAY OF THE WISE

DREAM INTERPRETATION: A Conversation with the Goddess. An easy method. I was astounding myself after working on only four dreams. I would dream something, record it, and then analyze it later on. During the analysis, I would have an AHA! moment when I realized what the dream really meant, as opposed to its surface symbols.

FUTHARK RUNES: I was tired of reading nothing but Runes 101 books, so I followed a ritual given by my teacher to contact the Spirits of the Grandfathers of the North to teach me what I was unable to learn anywhere else. It worked. They came to me, and I learned. I've also studied all of the hidden rune codes. When my mind was aflame in an oracular sense, I could also write out the divinations in skaldic verse.

TAROT READING: Get rid of the Rider Waite-type decks. They are just images substituting for crystal-gazing. Learn to read the world by Planet, Sign, Number, Element, as the Wise have done for centuries. The older I get, the more I realize how easy Tarot reading really is.

TRADITIONAL SPELLS and ANCIENT WITCH CUSTOMS AND CULTURE would be two other good topics. The "Eight Sabbats" is a relatively modern thing for the Craft, maybe only in the last 200 years or so. Older forms and lineages mainly did the four Fire Festivals. The use of such terms as Litha, Ostara, Mabon, in the Craft is as recent as the 1970's. They are not found in Witches' writings or books of shadows before that time.

Within WITCH CUSTOMS, I would include many things that I learned from my old Witch Mother: creating one's own WITCH CARDS, the making and use of POPPETS, and a method of spellcasting she called PATHWORKING (not the guided meditation stuff you are thinking of). I have never seen these topics addressed ANYWHERE in print in the way she explained them. THE RED THREAD, THE STANG, SITTING OUT, MAGIC IN THE WOODS, and READING THE BONES are also all good Workday topics.

*** Blessed be to those who serve the Great Mother and the Horned Father.

* Copyright to Coven Rochester

The Coven will be having an herbal medicine workday on June 24, from 12 to 3 (or 4 . . . depends on how much we get done). For certain, we will be decanting a batch of Tincture of Cramp Bark (Viburnum opulus), and making another batch.

Comfrey (Symphytum uplandicum, etc.) leaves are already out, so those could be made into a liniment, an oil, an ointment, or a lotion. I also have dried Comfrey Root to supplement the initial extract by oil (the root will make the medicine stronger).

I have a pound of Marigold (Calendula officinalis) that should be made into Tincture. Some could be made into an ointment or lotion.

I have lots of Elderberry, and those could be made into Tincture or Syrup against the winter months.

We will probably make a batch of Herbal Toothpaste and Mouthrinse, just because I will probably be ready for some by then. Those use the plants Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), Calendula, and Cayenne (Capsicum annuum), Cloves (Syzygium aromaticum) or Peppermint (Mentha piperita). I also have a pound of crushed Myrrh (Commiphora myrrha) and a pound of Sage (Salvia officinalis), and those are often ingredients in old toothpaste recipes.

Plantain may also be ready to be harvested by then. If so, that could be made into liniment or ointment.

Sadly, our own Hypericum plants will not spring back this year. The Yarrow bed has overtaken it. Fortunately, however, I have contacted a Green Witch in the Northwest, who will be sending us some of her (properly made) Hypericum Oil. That could be made into Ointment or Lotion.

I also have fresh Oregano, Mint, and Lemon Balm. Dried Roses from last year. Dried Hops from last year. Dried Lemon Verbena from last year. With some fresh Rosemary from the store, some of these ingredients could be made into a dried tea blend Against Headaches. Other combinations could make a sleep pillow (or sock).

Stomach Syrup, against all digestive upsets, is also easy to make -- Ginger, Fennel, Mint, Honey, Brandy.

Lots to do, and this is the best way to learn. From Witches, amongst your people, hand to hand, and mouth to ear. Ask questions, get answers, go home with medicines and remedies.

*** Blessed be to those who serve the Great Mother and the Horned Father.

* Copyright to Coven Rochester