Using Zentangle, to enter trance

These past few weeks, I have been busy researching and experimenting with Zentangle. What is it? Simply put, Zentangle, is Doodling. And why have I been researching and experimenting with this? Because, I have discovered, at least for me, that Doodling or Zentangle, is another way of entering a trance state. This is where the experimentation came in. I spent a while, learning and doing Zentangle. Because I wanted to be sure, that it was legit. And not just in my head, LOL. But in all seriousness, it works.

As you Doodle (or Zentangle), you relax, and enter a state of trance. And, for those of you who want to try it, here is a video

Body oils and powders

Some of you may ask, "Whats so magickal about body oils and powders." Well, to me it means a lot. Not only are you doing your body a favor, by not adding even more toxins and poisons (commercial shampoo's, deodorant, oils ect.) But, they can have a magickal quality and intent to them. Let me explain.

If you make a body powder or an oil, for protection. You can use herbs or essential oils such as Peppermint, Rosemary and Clove in your powder or oil, and not only feel the intent; but smell great! So, for those interested, this is how I make my basic body powder and body oil.

For the powder:
2 parts Cornstarch or Arrowroot powder
1 part Baking soda
Ground Herbs (of choice)
Essential oils (of choice)

Put the following into a container (with lid), and close. Shake vigorously, to incorporate everything. Continue shaking, once or twice a day for 2 - 3 days to incorporate the herbs and oils into the powders.

*If lumps are present, break them apart by using the back of a spoon, your fingers, or by stirring the contents, until the lumps are incorporated back into the "mixture".

An example:
¼ cup Cornstarch
⅛ cup baking soda
1 tablespoon each of Peppermint and Clove ground herb
6 drops Peppermint Essential oil
3 drops Clove Essential oil

For the oil:
1 (4 ounce) bottle of oil
Essential oil (skin safe) of choice

Fill container ¾ of the way full of oil of choice ( I use olive oil, its great for the skin and the least expensive of all the oils, that you can use. But for those who don't want much of an "oily" smell, I suggest using grapeseed oil.) Then, add no more then 45 drops of an essential oil or a combination of essential oils.

An example
1 small (4 ounce) bottle of olive oil
3 drops of each of the following: Peppermint and Ylang Ylang
2 drops of each of the following: Orange and Cedarwood

If the oil is not the strength you like ( in scent), add more essential oils; using a couple drops at a time. You will then want to smell the oil again, after stirring or mixing the oils together.

***Add more drops, mix together and smell. Repeat until strength of scent is obtained. Again, don't use more than 45 drops, as essential oils, are very potent and concentrated.

Remembering information

In the "olden days", from the medieval period (before and after, until recently); Correspondences, Brews,  Oils, Incense recipes, and everything in between, was orally transmitted from one person to the other. During the "witch craze", if you had a grimiore, book of mirrors, or anything related to writing magickal information in a book, that was more proof that you were a witch. And the punishment, more often then not, was death.

The reason I bring this up, is because I have an information book. Of things I find interesting, Correspondences, and other tie bits. I have  hand written every page (except one), and want to make it more decorative/vintage. At the same time, I want to remember it (information and suchlike), by memory. Like it used to be.

Yes, having a book is great. But it is my personal opinion, that you are not always going to have your book on hand, no matter how portable it is. I know I don't. And I do get questions, about correspondences, what herbs or colors are good for such and such, ect. So, how does one remember?
Well, I use chants, rhymes, poetry or anything else I can think of. For example, did you know that the song "Ring around the Rosie" is a folksong about the black plague. There is an article, here.

But I am also wondering what helps you? Do you absolutely have to write it down and keep it in a book. Can you remember it "off the top of your head" and recall it from memory. And if so, how do YOU accomplish this? Tell me in the comments below!

Teaching oneself, the old ways... Skills

In my mind, if you want to learn the old ways, there are certain skills that will help you, start out. The first of these is learning herbalism, or botany. Get a field guide on plants. Learn your local flora and fauna, any stories, legends, and properties. Now, I don't know if this particular skill includes learning the medicinal attributes (as well as the metaphysical), but I include them. If you are not into herbs and plants, you can learn crystals, rocks and minerals or about birds, as an example. Build a relationship with what you are learning, and see if you can implement it into other skills, you learn along the way.

The second is learning a divination method. This could be anything. Cartomancy, Tarot, I ching, Ogham. Pick something that calls to you, or draws your attention. And once you have, start getting to know how to use your tool, start doing reading on yourself, family and friends. Third, learn a form of "mysticism". By Mysticism, I mean to Meditate, Drum, Sing, Dance. The task here, is to "daydream" until you can get far enough along, where you leave your own consciousness. Lastly, do a simple form of magick. This can be a simple candle spell or cord magick. I recommend these to start out with, as other forms of magick such as bottle magick, using poppets and mojo or gris gris bags; are more "complex". The point here is to find a simple form that speaks to you and do it, to discover your own power and how to make things happen for yourself. 

Living Magickally

     When it comes to the Craft of the wise, some people believe that the Craft is a religion. Some believe it is a practice. What is the difference? Well, basically, religion is more ceremonial, and its a believe in God or Gods, and more organized. Everyone pretty much believes the same way. Witchcraft, on the other hand, is more gut or from the heart, more on the fly (random), and not everyone believes or does the same thing. It's what you DO that defines you, not what you believe.
     Regardless, of which "camp" you are in. I think that living magickally is a major component. Living magickally, helps you in so many ways! Some of these ways are subtle, like focus and realizing that everything you do, is magickal. Some are not, and I won't go into that one. You are going to have to realize that one for yourself. So, how do we live magickally? Well here, are some ideas.

~ Saying grace. Honoring the animals and plants that died for your nourishment.
~ Having your morning shower. -----> Purification
~ Talking to your deitie(s) ((if you have them)), you can do this at anytime, anywhere. And talk about anything.
~ Communicating with your ancestors, treating them like they are still in this world and part of the family.
~Drinking water. It is water is essential to our well being, it is the "essence" of life! When you drink water, you can go to a sacred place where sacred water "resides" and put some in a bottle. When you get home, you put a few drops in your tap water. And though the magickal act of contagion; you have ancestral water, to consume. You can also make water sacred by blessing it. Take some water and charge it up with energy/ breathe life into it. Doing this, does make a difference. After about a week, you will notice a difference. I am not going to go into what the difference is. You are going to have to discover that one, yourself.

Simple things like this make you step between the worlds, just a little bit. You start to see things, in a more magickal way/ in a different way or light. The basic meaning of this post, is to make everything you do, a sacred act.

Trance

Another "aspect" that is important in Cunningwork, is trance. But, a lot of people seem to think that trance is hard. Hopefully, I can dispel this "misunderstanding." So, first lets cover what trance is. Trance, very simply, is an altered state of consciousness. An example of this is daydreaming.  The "key" here, is to not try so hard! Because that is what makes trance, difficult. Some people seem to think, that to be in trance, you have to be silent, and unmoving. This simply isn't true! You can be in trance and still be awake and talking.

So now that we know what trance is, what are some easy techniques for inducing trance. Please keep in mind, that these are but a few, of the many techniques, one may use. Here they are:

1) Swaying side to side or back and forth
2) Drumming (I personally love this one, I think its the Irish in me.)
3) Ecstatic dance
4) Visualization
5) Daydreaming and lastly
6) Singing (why? Because when I sing, I enter an altered state of consciousness. The world fades away, yet at the same time, I am still in the here and now. This one maybe just my opinion though.)

How to spot a fake

Now, this post isn't necessarily on the old ways, but it is about psychics. Now, I do believe that you do not need a Psychic to talk to your ancestors, or to remove a curse or put a spell on someone for you. You, as a powerful individual; can do that yourself. You can also, divine your own cards (future) if you like. Though you may not always like what you "see and read". But remember, that the future always, changes. Nothing is set in stone. Regardless of whether you go to a Psychic or do this (readings and the like) as a "living". I think it is important to learn how to spot a charlatan.

Why? Well there are many reasons, I'll list a couple here. The big kahuna is:

1) The so called "psychic" can steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from you. By say things like "You have a curse on you, and only I can remove it." or " I can help you talk to your dead relations, and help you through the grieving process."

2) You can do most of the things that Psychics can do, with a little research and help from a fellow (reliable) cunning man/woman. Now I am in NO way advocating that ONLY a cunning man/woman can "put a spell, remove a curse, talk to the dead, ect" What I am saying, is that with help and guidance, you can do it YOURSELF. The cunning man/woman is only there to help guide your way and show you, that you can indeed talk to your relations (ect). And, that you don't need anyone else to talk to them for you.

Now, i found a video, and while I do agree with a lot of the statements that the video is talking about. I do not agree with all of them. But I think it gives you a "good starting point". Here is the video, let me know if you agree or not and why.