Unicorn

Symbolic of chastity and also an emblem of the sword or of the word of God. Tradition commonly presents it as a white horse with a single horn sprouting from its forehead, but according to esoteric belief it has a white body, a red head and blue eyes. Legend has it that it is tireless when pursued yet falls meekly to the ground when it is approached by a virgin.

This seems to suggest that it is symbolic of sublimated sex. In China, the animal known as Ch'i-lin is identified by some writers with the unicorn, whereas there are others who dispute this because it has two horns.

It is an attribute of high-ranking army officers and an emblem of uprightness and high birth. Its skin is of five colors red, yellow, blue, white and black; its cry is like the sound of bells. In legend it is reputed to live for a thousand years and to be the noblest of animals. Jung in his work on the relationships between psychology and alchemy, has studied a great many aspects of this faboulous animal, concluding that broadly speaking, it has no one definite symbolic character but rather many different variants embracing single-horned animals, both real and fabulous, such as the sword-fish or certain types of dragon.

He notes that the unicorn is at times transmuted into a white dove, offering the explanation that on the one hand it is related to primordial monsters while on the other it represents the virile, pure and penetrating force of the spiritus mercurialis. He quotes the remark of Honorius of Autun in his Speculum de Mysteriis Ecclesiae, as follows; "The very fierce animal with only one horn is called unicorn. In order to catch it, a virgin is put in a field; the animal then comes to her and is caught, because it lies down on her lap. Christ is represented by this animal, and his invincible strength by its horn. He, who lay down in the womb of the Virgin, has been caight by the hunters; that is to say, he was found in human shape by thise who loved him.' However, in Anitquity the unicorn appears on occasion with certain evil characteristics.

The Physiologus Graecus comments that it is in "an animal fleet of foot, single-horned and harbouring ill will towards men". As Jung has observed, the Church does not recognize this negative side of the unicorn. On the other hand, the alchemists made use of its ambivalent implications in order to symbolize the Monstrum Hermaphroditum.

The Goddess in the Kingdom of Death

In this world, the Goddess is seen in the moon, the light that shines in darkness, the rain bringer, mover of the tides, Mistress of mysteries. And as the moon waxes and wanes, and walks three nights of its cycle in darkness, so, it is said, the Goddess once spent three nights in the Kingdom of Death.

For in love She ever seeks Her other Self, and once, in the winter of the year, when He had disappeared from the green earth, She followed Him and came at last to the gates beyond which the living do not go.

The Guardian of the Gate challenged Her, and She stripped Herself of Her clothing and jewels, for nothing may be brought into that land. For love, She was bound as all who enter there must be and brought before Death Himself.

He loved Her, and knelt at Her feet, laying before Her His sword and crown, and gave Her the fivefold kiss, and said,"Do not return to the living world, but stay here with Me, and have peace and rest and comfort."

But She answered, "Why do you cause all things I love and delight in to die and wither away?"

"Lady," He said, "It is the fate of all that lives to die. Everything passes; all fades away. I bring comfort and consolation to those who pass the gates, that they may grow young again. But You are My heart's desire -- return not, but stay here with Me."

And She remained with Him three days and three nights, and at the end of the third night She took up His crown, and it became a circlet that She placed around Her neck, saying:"Here is the circle of rebirth. Through You all passes out of life, but through Me all may be born again. Everything passes; everything changes. Even death is not eternal. Mine is the mystery of the womb, that is the cauldron of rebirth. Enter into Me and know Me, and You will be free of all fear. For as life is but a journey into death, so death is but a passage back to life, and in Me the circle is ever turning."

In love, He entered into Her, and so was reborn into life. Yet is He known as Lord of Shadows, the comforter and consoler, opener of the gates, King of the Land of Youth, the giver of peace and rest. But She is the gracious mother of all life; from Her all things proceed and to Her they return again. In Her are the mysteries of death and birth; in Her is the fulfillment of all love.

~Source Unknown~
*Traditional Craft Myth

Dragons

The origin of the word Dragon is from the Greek Drakoni, which means "the seeing one". Thus Dragons are associated with the ability to see or perceive phenomenon, particularly above and beyond the normal range of perception open to mere mortals. Thus they represent the unknown within each of us and within each of our lives.

Often symbols of greed or lust, Dragons can represent unresolved personality conflicts within our psyche. They can represent the dark side of our souls. Like the far side of the Moon, our souls aren't dark because they are evil, but because they are challenging us to explore, become illuminated and achieve a fuller understanding of our lives and destinies.

In astrology, the symbol of the Dragon is extremely important in a natal chart. The Dragon's Head or North Node, as it is known, represents the karmic equation of this lifetime, the sets of lessons which we as spirit beings have each elected to come down here to earth again to learn. The Dragon's Head is not a planet or a fixed star, but a mathematical point formed by the intersection of the Moon's orbit across the apparent path of the Sun through the zodiac. The Dragon's Tail or Southerly point of intersection represents the baggage we bring with us from previous incarnations.

The Dragon constellation lies immediately above the North Pole. Due to precession of the equinoxes, the most northerly point has shifted from Alpha Draconis, which was the pole star at the time of the building of the Great Pyramid at Cheops, and is now Gamma Draconis. The pyramids were built to bring down cosmic energy from this constellation, and radiate the energy across the earthly dimension.

The shifting of the zodiac signs and the shifting of the constellation Draconis synchronize with evolutionary changes in the spiritual direction and level of humanity. Thus the Dragon represents our evolutionary path as beings, with as many twists and turns in our history as we can see in the body of the Dragon itself.

In Greek mythology, Hercules overcame the Hydra, the monster with nine heads. Jason and his argonauts overcame the Dragon of Colchis to be able to steal the Golden Fleece. In Norse mythology, Thor slew the Great Dragon whose body stretched around the world, striking the beast upon its head with his war hammer. Siegfried slew Fafnir the Dragon in The Ring of the Nibelungs, an opera composed by Wagner, who drew on his source from ancient Teutonic and Icelandic legends.

The Christians adopted the symbol of the Dragon as a symbol of evil, sometimes representing the Pope, sometimes Martin Luther, depending on inclination, but always as a symbol of 'the other side' which they feared and did not understand. The Vikings adopted the Dragon as their symbol, carving a Dragon's head onto the bow of their ships.

In many legends Dragons are represented as robbers and abductors of women. In Greek mythology, it is Perseus who rescues Andromeda from being chained to the rock. In many other folk tales, it is the Dragon which steals light, water, or some other element. On the other hand, Dragons have also long been regarded as guardians and custodians. In the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh, we have the Great Serpent which lies coiled at the base of the Tree of Life.

In the ancient school of mysticism known as the Qabbala, we come across pictures in which the Great Serpent coils around the Tree of Life, a glyph in which the planets, zodiac signs, and Major Arcana are laid out as a map through which the Path to Enlightenment is shown. In this system, the Serpent is a symbol of Wisdom. As it moves through the branches of this Great Tree and crosses over each of the paths, it shows us how we may bring about our own spiritual evolution. Initially, its movement through the Tree causes us to confront our own psychological weak spots or blind spots. When we have reconciled those contradictions, we then follow its upward movement and thus balance our spiritual energies on a higher plane. We continue our ascent by being aligned with the mighy creative powers of the universe.

The Dragon is there to tease us, to provoke us, to stimulate us to a higher plane of being, to force us to look within. Above all, the Dragon is a symbol of our need for mystery and magic in a modern world.

The Year 2000, the first year in the next millennia, is the Year of the Dragon. This is deeply symbolic, because we as a race of beings will be very much at a crossroads in terms of our evolution as a species. Are we going to continue in our same ways, collectively or individually? Or are we going to take a quantum leap of faith and consciousness which the Dragon, standing at the corner of this point in human history, is there to suggest we take?

Shell Correspondences

ABALONE:
General use. Use to contain empowered herbs, stones, and other magical uses.

CLAM SHELLS:
Used for purification and love. A small clam shell may be etched with a rune and made into a potent talisman.

CONCHES:
Love magic.

CONE SHELLS:Used in protective spell crafts.

COWRIES:
Cowries are specific tools of prosperity and money; many cultures once used them as money. Some contemporary religions associate cowries with goddesses and with female mysteries. In this respect, they're fine for enhancing spirituality.

LEFT HANDED WHELKS:
Use for making dramatic, positive changes in your life.

LIMPETS:Courage, confidence, physical strength.

MOON SHELLS:
Psychic awareness, purification, and peace.

OLIVE SHELLS:
Healing.

OYSTERS:
Love and good fortune.

TOOTH SHELLS:
Money.

SAND DOLLARS:
Wisdom

SCALLOPS:
Useful for spells involving travel and movement.

Primal Scream Therapy

Every man and woman is made up of a complex system of needs, desires, emotions, and perceptions that thrive on being acknowledged. When these are not acknowledged, not fulfilled, there is often unrecognized pain or tension. The force of this repression has a powerful influence not only on the mind, but the body as well, contributing to illnesses and emotional distress. Primal screaming helps people to dig deep within themselves, to re-live and to release the pain and tension long held inside. The act of screaming, which has the power to carry us back to our emotional roots, can offer a means to experience, and finally express, the deep rooted source of discomfort. The aftermath holds only the memory, not the suffering.

Primal screaming is simple and can be done alone, by anyone, inside or outside. Each individuals primal experience is different because our memories differ. You can begin by focusing on a particular negative memory or experience, and bring forth the feelings that resulted. As your emotions guide you, you may want to scream loudly, or simply cry out. The physical action of screaming can release further pain and tension; negative experiences, possibly forgotten, might rise to the surface. Acknowledging this long-buried discomfort in a personal way frees your emotions from the shackles of negativity, and opens the door to a wondrous range of positive emotions, self-awareness, and contentment. At the same time, emotional trauma can have an intense effect on hormonal balance, the immune system, and other systems of the body. During primal screaming, the release of the core distress can be liberating for the body as well as the spirit, and physical symptoms can be relieved!

Through primal screaming, it is possible to connect with parts of oneself that have gone unrecognized for many years and to access feelings and memories that have been long hidden. Society often demands that we quiet our negative reactions, rendering it invisible and unacknowledged. Primal screaming is an outlet that can heal the soul, helping negative feelings give way to genuine emotional freedom.

For more information, visit Primaltherapy.com

Spell Troubleshooting

We all have those times that we do a spell and for some reason something just isn't right. There's something that we haven't done correctly or we were so overcome with emotions that we forgot something entirely. Here is a small list of suggestions of things that you can do and check to make sure that things are in order.

MOON CYCLES
Keep track of what moon cycle we're in when you're going to do a spell. To some people this is a technicality when actually it is very important. How can you ask for the help of natures forces when you aren't working with her?

WATCH YOUR CANDLES!
Are you blowing out your candles? If you are this may be your problem. Wither snuff them out or allow them to burn themselves out. Candle snuffers are fairly inexpensive and are completely invaluable if you are squeamish about putting a flame out with your fingers. The thing here to remember is that by blowing out the candles you are mixing fire and air magic. Fire magic brings energy, passion and power whereas air magic brings peace, tranquility and calmness. The complete opposite. So together they cross out each other, hence, crossing out your spell. Also use a lighter to light the candles and not matches. Matches contain sulphur which is used in banishing spells.

FOR THE GOOD OF ALL
Remember the Rede and the three fold law. And don't forget that everything you do, both good and bad will come back to you times three. If for any reason you are unsure if it is for the good of all, don't do it. End spells by saying "if it be for the good of all, so mote it be". This protects you and all involved if the spell isn't meant for the good of all.

MEDITATE DAILY
Meditation is good for stress release, relaxation and connecting with your higher self. These are all things that are key to effective spell casting. If you can't relax, you can't concentrate. And if you can't concentrate on what you are doing, the spell isn't going to work. It's also advised to meditate before any castings. You can also ask the God and Goddess for assistance and guidance with any spell working problems that you are having while you meditate. Keep a journal of your meditations and see your progress.

HAVE CONFIDENCE
You need to have faith in what it is that you are doing. Have faith in your abilities. Otherwise it's not going to work. You're sending out negative thought energies by thinking that you messed up or that it isn't going to work. This mixes with what you put out there and hinders the positive energies from taking form.

ALWAYS WORK WITH THE MAGIC CIRCLE
Cast a circle for every magical work you do whether it's a simple candle spell, divination, whatever. You are calling spirits and energies for assistance and without any form of protection you can possibly have negative things enter your work too. Look at the circle as a security blanket for magic.

CLOCKWISE!!
Movements within the magic circle should always be in a clockwise motion. This includes casting, dancing and what ever other moving you will be doing. When uncasting the circle go counterclockwise.