It’s Time to Invite in the Clear and Bright

Despite the chill felt in the bones of late, the sun is returning, gently teasing the earth back into life with sunny afternoons.  As we track how the lengthening days move across our landscapes here in the Northern hemisphere, lighting up our green spaces for minutes longer each day, we look forward to shedding the wintry layers and feeling the warmth of the sun on our backs.

Meanwhile, now that the indulgences of the festivities are over (well my Quality Street box is empty, don’t know about yours) and we are coming to the end of the season of Air, a period of rest and reflection; there is much we can do to prepare ourselves for the busy times to come.

Now is a good opportunity to wipe away the sleepy dust of hibernation and dig out the blender from the back of the cupboard.  The time to shrug off any wintry baggage making us sluggish, with a gentle cleanse and re-education of our taste buds, and a recharge of our vitamin stores.  

So here are some ideas of ways you can nurture your physical and magical self, to get fighting fit for all that the coming year will bring.  

Cleansing Teas

When you rise in the morning, instead of reaching for the caffeine, prepare a herbal tea.  This will help to clean the palate, rehydrate the body faster, and the liver likes it too.  Your drink can consist of any number of wonderful herbs, fresh or dry, though fresh is much nicer for flavour.  You may have noticed the nettles are beginning to grow their tender young leaves, so enjoy the benefits of this amazing plant.  Here are a few suggestions: –

Nettle                  Lemon Balm

Mint                    Thyme 

Dandelion          Meadowsweet

White Clover     Add a slice of Ginger for extra zing.

Slices of Lemon and/or Lime are also really good, best when using warm water in order to retain the maximum Vitamin C content.  Allow your tea to steep for a good 8 – 10 minutes, and while that is brewing you have time for your morning devotions – Lady’s Prayer and Sa Re Ga.  My brew in the picture is of nettle, mint, and ginger. 

Smoothies

This is where you dust off that blender, and not the juicer, since we want all the goodness and soluble fibre of the plants and nuts.  Smoothies are filling and satisfying, and you can create a lot of variations around your favourite tastes and/or allergies.  They work especially well if you turn at least two days of your week into ‘meat & wheat-free’ days for a couple of weeks; replacing one meal in those days with a healthy smoothie.  Your gut will truly thank you, and your immune system will lap up the antioxidants.  Always use raw fruit, vegetables, salads, and herbs, and source the freshest ingredients for the maximum vitamin and nutrient value.  Try not to peel fruits such as pears and apples.  To reduce oxidisation, aim to drink your smoothie soon after it is made.  I like to add walnuts to my smoothies for added benefit and creaminess, though if you have a nut allergy try oats soaked overnight in oat or almond milk and drain before adding to the other ingredients.  Nuts and oats are not a must, though they do help to satisfy you for longer. 

There is a great deal of science out there supporting the huge benefits of including these fresh ingredients in your diet, should you wish to research this for yourself.  As a lover of smoothies, I can say hand on heart that they help with cravings, bloating, sluggish transit, fresh breath, clear and bright eyes, clarity of thought, and good energy stores.               

Here is one of my favourite combinations – Kale (yes raw Kale), Celery, Pear, Kiwi, Ginger, Banana, Walnuts, Coconut Water, Pressed Apple Juice.

NB – No brands or large manufacturers were harmed in the production of this article!  Yum!

Magical Tools

Then we turn to our allies, those energy-laden tools lovingly sourced or crafted to assist us in our work as magical practitioners and healers.  If we have been spending time cosied up whilst setting our intentions and planning for this new year’s journey, then now is also a good time to give our magical working tools a cleanse/consecration and re-charge.  By now we probably have a good idea which of our tools suits us best in the way we perform our magical rituals and ceremonial and healing services, and so a de-clutter and space-clearing can be useful.  Perhaps there is a moot or group near you that can organise a share or swap session.  Though take great care how you dispose of a tool that contains any part of you!

You want to perform a ritual for this work, so choose a time when you will not be disturbed and gather your chosen tools, crystals, feathers etc. for cleansing, together with the items to be used in the ritual – such as candle, water, salt, incense, and your words.  

Prepare yourself for magical working by cleansing and creating a sacred space, and grounding and centring yourself.  Here I have set up in front of my altar, Cerridwen taking centre stage.  With several sets of tools for various occasions I need to do this in relay, and I use a simplified version of a rather longer Wiccan ritual that some of you may be familiar with. 

Start by lighting your candle and your charcoal disc or incense stick.  

Call in your guides, ancestors, deity, spirits of place, and directions, in a way that feels right for you.  

Take a pinch of salt and add it to the water thereby becoming Earth and Water, then take a pinch of loose incense and add it to the charcoal thereby becoming Fire and Air.  (If you cannot burn incense in your space, then use a candle and feather.)  

Either pass the item over the water or drip it from your fingers over the item and use your own words such as “I consecrate this … and I charge it with the energy of Water and Earth, that it be made sacred”.  Then repeat the action over the smoke or candle and feather, using similar words for Fire and Air.   

Focus on your intention to clear each item of negativity, and to imbue it with the power and energy to assist you in your work.  Speak to the spirit of each object and realign your connection.  

Once your tool has been cleansed and recharged, keep it apart from the rest on a clean cloth.  Once the work is complete, remember to store your magical items safely away from your mundane objects.

Thank and release all those whom you have invited to witness your ritual and take down your working area – in gratitude.  And breathe!

This method can also be used to take ownership of a new tool, thereby banishing the energy of a previous owner.

 

I hope you have enjoyed reading my simple and heartfelt suggestions, to ease you back into the lighter, brighter days.

 

A Priestess Healer in the Avalon tradition.

A Priestess of Goddess Cerridwen.

A Death Priestess.

A holistic therapist.

A Founder member of the Bristol Goddess Temple.

 

I work consciously with the gifts of Mother Earth to support my healing, ceremonial and spiritual work, through the guidance of my teachers and held by the fellowship of my sister circles.

 

Ruth Llyn Cogan

Merry Meet & Blessed Be