Hermes candles

I took the day off work today and had the house to myself. So I used this opportunity, which just happened to be on a day of the full moon, to do some crafting....candle crafting that is. I had decided to make what I wanted to call "Hermes candles" as a way to open gates to the Upperworld and Underworld.  Working with herbs that would help connect to spirits and connect to Hermes as a gatekeeper and messenger between the three planes of the world tree. I chose to work with three herbs....Mullein, Wormwood, and Yarrow. 

I began working each individual herb in the mortar and pestle. As I pressed the pestle into the herbs, I asked the spirit of each herb to be present; and to ignite the properties that I needed present for my intentions. I thanked the herb for its help with my workings. 

Once each herb was ground individually, I blended the three together. I believe this is an important step in the enchantment process. As I blended with my hand, I was enchanting the herbs with my intention; speaking my desires to them and believing it to be so. 

Setting the herbs to the side, I prep my containers for the finished product. I chose these nice black cups because they would go nice with the black color of the wax I chose. Plus, they just looked really cool. 

Once the black wax was melted over the stove, I stirred in my herbs. Stirring in a sunwise fashion...still focusing my intention and asking Hermes to bless my working. 

Once I felt the herbs "cooked" long enough and the candles were ready to be poured, I carefully divided the wax into the cups. I removed some of the excess herbs, but let most of the herbs go right into the candles. And then I just watched and waited.  

After the wax hardened, I was pleased with how the candles turned out. The top wasn't really smooth, but it gave it sort of a bubbly, witchy brew look to it. 

I can't wait to use this now and incorporate it into a ritual. But I'm going to wait and use this in the dark moon. Until then, it's going to look great on an altar. I believe I will keep only one. The others may be reserved as birthday gifts for my bewitching friends. 

Until next time...blessed be and happy crafting!

Pick A God. Any God.

Pick up any book or go to any website that talks about different gods, and you may be instantly overwhelmed. Multiple pantheons, with multiple gods and goddesses within those pantheons.  So many personalities, histories, myths and legends. 

When first starting out on a pagan path, one of the first things many seekers feel they need to do is select a patron god and/or goddess. This alone can feel synonymous to visiting the food court of a busy shopping center. A bunch of pushy vendors offering free samples to  win you over. 

So it may seem when researching the vast array of pantheons within various belief systems, pagan or otherwise. (I say this because depending on your definition of paganism, some gods may not fall under that category.)

The question remains...how does one go about choosing which god is right for me?  The short version to this question, in my experience, is that we don't choose. But rather, the gods choose us. Firstly, we must determine our overall view of deity. I personally have a polytheistic view of deity, with the belief that each god or goddess is operating under his or her own personality.  With the understanding that each god(dess) was birthed from a divine source, and are connected to each other in a way that is beyond our finite thinking. I personally do not believe that the gods are simply an archetype or characterization of a thought form. 

If a pantheon speaks to us, do we limit ourselves to one or two gods?  Do we try to learn everything about as many gods as we can?  In my opinion, the answer to both of these questions is no. Those who know me, understand that I have a close relationship with Hestia. However, Hestia has led me to a relationship with a few select others within the greek pantheon. As well as introducing me to a goddess of an African religion. 

I think it's more important to develop a close relationship with a select few gods and goddesses, rather than keeping a different god on the sidelines for every different situation that arises in our lives. 

Understand that I'm only giving my opinion based on my personal experience. 

For me, I've found that Lady Hestia is very powerful in her own rite, and has been faithful to bring comfort, guidance, and a helping hand when needed. She has even been gracious enough to direct me to another deity who would be more beneficial for a particular need. 

Bottom line is this...try to avoid what I will call the "iPhone mentality" when it comes to working with deity. "Oh you're having car trouble?  I've got a god for that."  I would rather have a close relationship with a select few benefactors, rather than choosing my gods from a book based on the need, like picking out shoes from an online catalog. 

On a final note, if you are going to work with a divine source, whether it be a one time thing, or regularly; be respectful, give reverence and make an appropriate offering to give thanks for any help you are given. But then again, that falls under paganism 101. 

Last Night's Altar