spell a day

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Spell a Day – March 1st 2016

Month Number 3 begins my Gentle Readers. March, the start of the year according to older calendars was a month of change and transition. Poor Julius Caesar had a bad day on the 15th, the infamous “Ides of March”. Some calendars used to also hint that the last three days of the month actually belonged to April. Perhaps Mars, who the month is named for, thought they were his in the spoils of some war.

This is the month of Ostara for earth based faiths. Time to glorify the Lady and welcome in Spring with colored eggs, symbols of rabbits, and much revelry. Personally, I am looking forward to Cadbury creme eggs. My favorite Easter candy.
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MMMMM, creme eggs. *drooling*

March 1st is also National Pig Day in the United States. A couple of sisters founded this day in 1972 to celebrate “man’s most intellectual and domesticated animals.” I don’t know about that, but I do know that
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Thanks Jayne Rockmill

I am not saying that we shouldn’t celebrate the Pig. I am just going to do it with bacon on my cheeseburger.

Also, I think this will be the last Official Spell a Day post. I have looked ahead and there is a lot of repetition in themes. There are only so many times I want to comment on cutting ties or prosperity/wealth spells. So while I may still refer to the Spell a Day, I am going to start calling these On this day posts and expand upon other events of the day. Births, deaths, events, traditions. All sorts of fun stuff. Until next time my Gentle Readers.

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Spell a Day – Feb 29th 2016

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Thanks to Quotes Giant for this image.

Thank you Julius Caesar for the concept of Leap Year. You have royally screwed over so many poor children born on this day. Truly, isn’t it horrible to only get a birthday every 4 years? A baby born on February 29th 2016 will be unable to buy alcohol until until 2104, which is how long it would take for us to have 21 leap years. This is because the year 2100, while divisible by 4 and 100, is not divisible by 400. This means the Gregorian Calendar says, No, there is no leap day this year. (Yes my Gentle Readers, I am aware it doesn’t work that way for people born on February 29th.) In the US, Great Britian, and Hong Kong, a leapling, or leap year baby, would turn 18 on March 1st of their 18th year.

Tony Robbins, motivational speaker, was born on this day in 1960. so that makes him a whopping 14 years old. HAHA. I couldn’t imagine taking advice from my 14 year old self.

There is an Irish legend, that We are to blame St. Brigid for leap days, as she struck a bargain with St. Patrick to allow women to propose to men one day out of every 4 years. This Ladies’ Privilege day may not be a real privilege to some. Thank goodness we abolished the silly notion that only men can do the proposing right?

Good thing for Leap years though, without them, today would have been July 15th, 2017, over a year and 4 months into the future. In my neck of the woods we are talking winter in July. Not my kind of party thank you very much.

Well, hope everyone enjoyed some humor today as we “leap” further into 2016.  And for those married or contemplating marriage on February 29th, the Greek would advise against it.

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Spell a Day – Feb 28th 2016

Time to take stock of where we are so far this year my Gentle Readers. We are 2 months in, one-sixth of the year is over. How is everyone doing on their goals for the year?

Here was my list I made:
1 – I want to finish the rewrite/editing of my first book so that the improved second edition can be released. – The second edition is at my editor friend getting looked over, hoping for a spring release.
2 – I want to self pub my novella (still in the editing phase). – I have the edits back, just haven’t worked through them all yet.
3 – I want to finish, edit, and self pub my the second book in my Family Heritage series this year. – Waiting on feedback to the extended ending of book 1 so I can flow it right into book 2.
4 – I would like to make some major progress on my high fantasy (think Tolkien) series. I have the skeleton of a realm, deities, antagonists/protagonists. Just have to finish plotting and then get to work fleshing out the stories. I haven’t quite figured out if it will be a series of short stories/novellas, or if each set of characters will end up in their own full blown novel. Since they will also overlap I have to make sure my outlines are complete for consistency. – Tabled this one for now.
5 – I plan to get myself down in weight before summer. I have at least the 20-30 to lose that I want to, so from there I will evaluate what I still can lose healthily. – Still holding steady where I was at the beginning of the year. At least I haven’t gained back any of the 30lbs I lost last year.
6 – I want to blog at least once a week, if not more often. I will be looking for topics to discuss. As part of this I want to do at least 2 book reviews a month. I need to get a submission page setup for anyone interested in having me review their work. – So far this is going well. I am averaging at least 1 book a week and my Spell a Day posts seem to have gathered some avid readers. I hope everyone is enjoying them.
7 – It would be nice to put together a book of poetry as well. I have a notebook almost full and a thumb drive with a few dozen from when I was younger. Just not sure if I have enough that would be of interest to others. The ones I have blogged here have received favorable reviews so perhaps there is potential in others as well. – This is buried under the other writing projects.
8 – I want to bring down and gain a better handle on my temper. I am not a homicidal maniac, but there are times where a cooler head would be a better face to present. I have noticed my son picking up some of my habits and I hope that if I can break my cycle, I can help him to not struggle like I have. – Things seem to be going well in this category. No blow-ups. 

A few other updates, my home office is done and so is the nursery. We are all ready for the new baby to arrive in April. I am excited and scared all at the same time. That’s all for now my Gentle Readers. Take stock of where you are and keep striving for those goals.

 

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Spell a Day – Feb 25th 2016

Prosperity: The state of being prosperous.

Why do we torture ourselves like this with our words?

Prosperous: successful in material terms; flourishing financially.

Ok, now that that is out of the way Gentle Readers, today is supposed to be about a prosperity altar, in order to bring prosperity to your home. I wonder how many times I can get away with using the word prosperity before the lynch mob shows up?

So, this goes along with yesterday’s post in my opinion. No spell or ritual is going to force financial success into your life. Unless you believe God grants prayers for winning lottery tickets, then you are just incredibly lucky. If you feel this will happen to you (that God will grant you the winning numbers of you pray hard enough), then you are just a special kind of snowflake and we all love you. Now please, take your crayons to the table and stop eating them.

What it takes to become successful is hard work, determination, maybe a little luck, but it is more about seizing an opportunity when it is presented to you. Take that big risk and place your bet on yourself. The only sure thing is how much effort you are willing to put forth to reach your dreams and goals.

I’m not going to continue to beat this horse today my Gentle Readers. Go out there and make this a day that you chase your dreams. As they say, Reach for the Moon and even if you fail, you land among the Stars.

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Spell a Day – Feb 24th 2016

Money, my Gentle Readers is the topic for discussion this time. It is abundantly clear as I stare down the next two months until my second child is born, that I clearly do not make enough money for all of my wants and desires. So we have to start with the Needs and work our way down the list.

To this effort I have obtained an Amazon Fire Stick in order to hopefully eliminate my satellite bill. Anyone who has cable/satellite is familiar with how it just seems to keep going up. We will see how my “cutting the cord” experience goes. I have read some blogs of those who have done it and it seems doable.

As for a spell to bring you money, honestly I liken them to those Facebook posts that say, “Like/Share after commenting Amen and Jesus will send you a basket of money”. Sorry Folks, doesn’t work that way. I am not entirely sure magick works that way either, but it doesn’t stop people from writing rituals and spells, selling charms and potions, that are supposed to bring the user wealth. I think the only way to obtain wealth is to work hard, and perhaps be at the right place at the right time. Developing a positive outlook and keeping one’s eyes open for opportunity is a good practice to develop.

Oh, and if you like and share this post after commenting “Money” a stack of cash will show up on your doorstep.

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Spell a Day – Feb 23rd 2016

Terminalia, an old Roman festival, was traditionally performed on the last day of the Roman year (Guess what, it was February). This was done to honor Terminus, the God of boundaries. His name, in Latin, actually means Boundary Stone. This was the guy you went to when you were trying to divide your land from your sneaky neighbors. This practice is believed to date back beyond 700BC to the reign of Rome’s first kings. Someone was worried about claims on their land I think.

The festival of Terminalia had neighbors laying garlands upon the boundary stone between their lands. They would erect an altar and make offerings. I think a wall or fence would have been more effective honestly.

Picture this: A rampaging barbarian is pillaging his way through the countryside with his clan. They come upon this strange pillar of stone covered in garlands of flowers. I don’t see him turning to his fellows and saying, “Gee whiz guys, they put this pretty rock up here and covered it with flowers. Maybe we should turn around and just go home.” No, he’s going to bash the rock down and stomp the flowers on his way to the house where he can loot the family who put their trust in a rock. Now, if once said barbarian touches the stone he is struck dead, then it might work. I just don’t see something like that happening here folks. If I am not around after this, it means Terminus took offense to my flippant scenario and struck me down.

Diocletian in 303 AD tried to use the festival of Terminalia to begin his culling of Christianity. I think we all see how that worked out for him. It is interesting that back in 500-600BC, mystics of the time checked to see if all the Gods of the altars on Capitoline Hill were content to have them moved for the purpose of the building of a new temple. Terminus apparently refused permission so they built the temple around his original altar.

Anyway. Today’s spell involved spilling some wine or herbal concoction along the boundary of your property or space to infuse it with protection. Personally, I think a fence is better protection from neighbor’s dogs or rampaging barbarians. The festival and feasting sounded like a good time in Rome’s early years. Perhaps there would be something to preventing the invasion of negative energy by blessing your boundaries or maybe just your altar space, if you have a permanent location setup.

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Spell a Day – Feb 22nd 2016

Tea. Green Tea, Black Tea, Earl Grey Tea, Oolong Tea, or my personal favorite, old fashioned Southern Sweet Sun Tea. Where you take the giant glass jar, load it up with water, Lipton Tea bags and sugar, and set it out in the sun to brew. Once it is good and strong, you add ice cubes and stick it in the fridge. That takes me back to my childhood. Ah, a Carolina summer and a big glass of sweet iced tea…

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Wait. Sorry about that Gentle Readers. I got distracted a moment. Today we are talking about tea. The origins of Tea are shrouded in Chinese history, with accounts dating back to at least 2700BC where it was a touted as a medicinal drink. Several legends, a couple thousand years, and the introduction of European traders to the region and we have an explosion of all things Tea.

Many people find Tea to be a relaxing beverage, something to calm the nerves and get you to settle down and just exist. A coworker at my day job enjoys several cups of hot tea throughout the day. He’s a little funny about his tea but he is a good guy. I don’t drink much hot tea, but my wife likes a cup every now and then, not so much right now. She is pregnant and the caffeine is not completely good for a developing baby so she has had to give up most of her herbal teas. Good trade off though in our opinion. We have been trying for so long.

GAH! There I go again, off on another tangent. Where I am going is that having a cup of tea can be very relaxing. Green and Black tea in particular are shown to have many benefits in fighting carcinogens, high blood pressure, arterial problems, and helping to lower stress levels. Sip a cup of your favorite tea and let the benefits soak into your body, pushing out the negative. Check out this blog that gives some suggestions for teas to try. Once I went to this little new age shop (I am sure you can find them in any largish city) where you could blend your own tea ingredients. I was having trouble sleeping so I took a little Chamomile and Lavender, threw in a little lemon for flavoring. Take a cup of really hot water and steep it until the water is cool enough to drink. I had one of those tea ball strainers like this one below I found on Walmart.com
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Was a great blend, but I never could duplicate it a second time sadly. It was very relaxing and helped with my sleeplessness I was dealing with at the time. Regardless of your feelings about new age/neopagan religions, if you want to find a good tea, you should check out their shops. In person is great because you can see for yourself the freshness of the ingredients and perhaps even try a sample. Online shops would due in a pinch if you know what you like.

Until next time Gentle Readers, I raise a cup to your health and well-being.

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Spell a Day – Feb 21st 2016

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Amethyst. A pretty purple stone associated as the birthstone of February. I am particularly fond of a creation story based on Ancient Greece. The tale comes to us compliments of Remy Belleau, a French poet. Dionysus, the God of wine and revelry, hotly pursued the maiden Amythste. Amythste flatly turned down the God’s advances, wishing to remain chaste and pure. The Goddess Diana, hearing the maiden’s plight, turned her to pure white stone. Out of respect for her wishes and beauty, Dionysus poured wine over the stone as an offering, staining the crystal purple. What a beautiful love story right? In actuality, this tale is not part of Ancient Greek writings. However, in the story of Dionysus as told by Nonnus, the Titan Rhea does gift Dionysus with a stone of amethyst to protect his sanity. I still like Remy’s version better, but I am a romantic at heart.

Amethyst is the birthstone of two of the most important women in my life. My grandmother, who helped raise me and I still look to her teachings for guidance in my life. The other being my beautiful wife.

The pretty purple stone is also associated with psychic powers, and is supposed to have a calming effect. For that reason I kept a small amethyst crystal cluster similar to the one pictured above on my desk at work for several years. I don’t know if it helped or not. It now resides on my home office desk where it reminds me of the important women in my life whose birthdays are in February. Sometimes belief in something is as powerful as the object actually having power, similar to a placebo effect.

Whether you believe in the power of amethyst or not, take time today to acknowledge your inner voice, your gut instinct. When it speaks to you, or manifests in any way, don’t ignore it or be afraid of it. Your inner power is nothing to be ashamed of. It just might help you through whatever trials you are facing. Until next time Gentle Readers. Take care of yourself, and each other.

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Spell a Day – Feb 20th 2016

Today Gentle Readers we are working on growing closer to someone. I think this could be expanded beyond romantic interests. Our world could use a little growing closer to each other. So, in this spirit, I submit:

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Borrowed this from a Blog I found, Me to the Power of We

I haven’t checked out the blog I found the image above on yet, but these words are especially important in our digital age. The world is a much smaller place than it was 300 years ago, at the beginning of the 1900s, or even just 34 years ago when I was born. The power of the internet and the speed of communication available today has opened the masses to peoples and cultures very different from our own. This should be a cause for joy and celebration. However, zealots of any sort can ruin this.

The United States of America has a long and checkered history when it comes to differences just within her own borders. Protestants and Catholics arguing over religion. Let’s not forget the Civil War. Technically it was State’s rights versus Central government, but let’s be honest, the bare bones of the conflict was over slavery. One group’s belief that they can own another person as property, either because of debt or because the person is different. Even today we have a broadening of acceptance for those that are different, yet zealots on either side cannot stop shouting their rhetoric long enough to just mind their own business.

Take one of the most zealot Presidential candidates we have for 2016, Ted Cruz. He actually said, “Gay Marriage leads to Christianity becoming hate speech”. How idiotic can you be? Because two men, or two women, want the same tax and secular benefits of a Man and Woman marriage has NOTHING to do with Christianity. This may be a country that has strong ties to Christianity, but we are not a religious country in the same way that some North African and many Middle Eastern countries are. As someone who has walked away from most organized religion, I think this is where people need a dose of “Mind your own damn business”.  If zealots of any religion (Christianity or otherwise) want to get involved in politics, they can start by paying taxes and giving up their tax exempt status. Once you start contributing other than to line an official’s pockets during campaign time, then you can start lobbying for laws. Until such a time as we are a theocracy, Shut the hell up. I agree with most of the teachings of Christianity/Judaism and even Islam. The three religions are not as different as the layman would believe. It is zealots who think that their interpretation is the only right interpretation that corrupt all three religions. I found this interesting article on some of the similarities between Christianity/Judaism/Islam.

I am not trying to get too political or religious here. I bring this all up to make a point: When we spend all this time railing against the small differences between people, we fail to see the similarities and celebrate the uniqueness in life. Just because someone may have some different views, or fall under a different category as you, it doesn’t mean that they are really all that different. In the words of each of the three major religions of the world, “peace be upon you” –  shalom aleichem in Judaism, pax vobiscum in Christianity, and salaam alaikum in Islam.  Until next time Gentle Readers, learn about your neighbors. Find that common ground (because I assure you it is there) and celebrate the differences instead of condemning them.

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Spell a Day – Feb 19th 2016

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Courtesy of Write Your ScreenPlay Revision Tips

In the theme of a little more spring cleaning (thinking of yesterday’s Needs/Wants/Unimportant post), today it is time to Cut It Out. What is ‘it’ you ask? Great question my Gentle Readers. ‘It’ are the people, habits, or things in your life that are dragging down your happiness. They just aren’t worth the energy and effort wasted on them. Renew that resolution to quit smoking, or to get rid of the negative acquaintance you just can’t bring yourself to stop hanging out with. Misery loves company friends and if you let them drag you down you will just feel as miserable as they do.

Now, before I get blasted about cutting people from your life, recognize the type of people I am talking about. I don’t mean the good friend that is having a tough time. I am not talking about the friend that lost a loved one and is having a rough year. I am talking about the person in your social circle that seems to serve no purpose except to be negative. Perhaps they are a friend of a friend of a friend that just crept in and setup residence in your social neighborhood. You are under no obligation to solve their problems or make them happy. They have to want to be happy for themselves. Decline an invitation or two, or neglect to send one. Perhaps they will see what they are doing by their choice of attitude and make the steps necessary to change for the better. Some people just need that kick in the behind to jump start their own journey of betterment.

I leave you with this one last image, in honor of “Fuller House” bringing back some of the cast from “Full House” for those who are old enough to remember the show that gave rise to the Olsen Twins.

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