But first, some reading links from the good ol' Witch's Voice website:
Teacher's Bill of Rights, by Meph http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=ustx&c=words&id=10549
We Are Fragile, by Leandra Witchwood http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=uspa&c=words&id=14207
I Am A Witch! Hear Me Roar!, by Diana Midnight http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usor&c=words&id=14282
Becoming a Buddhist Pagan, by Colin Bondi http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usor&c=words&id=13501
Enlightened Behavior: Kindness, by Xinea http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=uswi&c=words&id=13127
Intolerance: A Curable Disease, by Kestryl Angell http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usok&c=words&id=13484
Just Think Happy Thoughts!, by Bob Makransky http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=gtxx&c=words&id=14356
Karma, the Rede, and the Left Hand Path, by Grey Glamer http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usga&c=words&id=13129
Reincarnation, by Ashley Rose http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usnv&c=words&id=13542
Reincarnation & Witchcraft: A Logical Approach, by Eldyohr http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usca&c=words&id=8113
The Karma Hypothesis, by Truth Is Pagan Media that Bites http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usny&c=words&id=13961
The Ethics Of Magick, by Frances http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=ausa&c=words&id=8684
The Law of Return and the Wiccan Rede, by Rebecca Ivy MoonPanther http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usva&c=words&id=13094
What is Safety in Magick?, by Lady Abigail http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usin&c=words&id=13318
What Really Is Charity?, by Anniekate http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usmn&c=words&id=13022
Why I'd Want Darkness In Me (Or, At Least, Not Mind It), by Fire Lyte http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usil&c=words&id=13743
Karmic Mechanics, by Sede http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usny&c=words&id=11204
Upon Memes as Basis for the Threefold Law, by Grey Glamer http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usga&c=words&id=12585
The Primordial Image: Archetypes, by Vikki Bramshaw http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=ukgb2&c=words&id=13592
POST ABOUT BALL LIGHTNING
I saw what was possibly ball lightning once when I was a teenager in Mackay, on the central Queensland coast (in the early-mid 70s). I had the habit of going out to look at the stars, which started out of interest in celestial navigation (I was interested in sailing, and used to borrow my father's textbooks from when he was learning that in the air force at the end of the Second World War) but that was soon overtaken by an appreciation of the sheer beauty of them (I wrote a poem about their beauty once [1]), and was doing so this night, so I know it was clear - and there were no thunderstorms about, as I used to be fascinated by them as well :)
As I turned, I saw a glowing ball about half a metre (roughly two feet) in diameter near the eaves of our house. We were living in a "Queenslander", where the house is up on stilts to (a) give a shaded, cooler area underneath in summer, and (b) keep the house above floods - which we had every wet season, so the ball would have been around six metres (say ... twenty feet) off the ground. It moved at about walking pace around the side of the house out towards the street in front of our home. I ran through underneath the house, but it had disappeared when I got there a few seconds later. (I didn't follow it round the side as I was barefoot - as usual, in those days! [2] - and we had bindiis (prickles) on that side of the house - and, often, flying foxes in the brazil nut trees.
It was a fascinating experience, and I had the feeling that there was something sentient associated with the ball lightning - not that the ball of light itself was sentient, but it felt more to me at the time that the lightning was an expression of something sentient - and benevolent. If I had to make a guess, I would have said it was almost like a viewing device from some other realm ...
I also had my best UFO sighting under similar circumstances: outside looking at stars in central Queensland, when I had the feeling I was being looked at. I spun round, and saw a bright red light, about two or three times the size of a bright planet, probably at least several kilometres away, shoot straight up into the sky until it disappeared. [3]
[1] I'm rather pleased with the poem: it's here if anyone wants to waste a minute or two: http://musingsofkayleen.blogspot.com/2008/03/on-night-of-dark-moon....
[2] My sister and I used to show off in front of the tourists by casually walking barefoot across the hot bitumen roads in summer :) My sister didn't like walking through flood water to get to school, though, because she could feel the tadpoles and frogs ...
[3] I also had my greatest disappointment/pleasure around UFOs a few years later in the same town. I used to go for a run every morning, but one morning I felt too tired so went back to sleep - and dreamed of being on board a UFO. I read the next day in the local paper that a silver, cigar shaped "mother ship" had been sighted off the beach I ran to and along ... ah well, I comfort myself with the thought that I visited the astrally :)
I've also read elsewhere that some people have had encounters with what they term "healing balls of light" ... might be related?
CLEANSING CRYSTALS
I'll begin this by saying running water is, in my experience and opinion, the BEST way of cleansing crystals. If I have a crystal that has been doing quite a bit of work, I may soak it in water with a little eucalyptus oil, but then I will wash it thoroughly with running water afterwards. Sunlight can be harmful, but not necessarily to all crystals: some yang energy crystals actually enjoy and are re-energised by the sun, and hindered by the moon.
There are some notes on cleansing crystals as part of the workshop notes at this link: http://gnwmythr.blogspot.com/2007/06/workshop-on-crystals.html
Salt is an absorbing substance: this gives it the ability to be used with the magical intent of absorbing. The key here is using it will magical intent to get the result of absorbing (possibly that could also be thought of as a combination of the principle of "as above, so below" and homeopathy?) Although they're not crystals, I have as set of glass runes that need MAJOR cleansing: they have been left in sunlight, moonlight, buried in the earth, left in salt and now have been left in water - each stage for several months, and each stage started with the appropriate magical intent.
When I studied Wicca (Correllian tradition), salt was used as part of cleansing rituals. The following is from my notes (my apology for it being in somewhat terse notes :) ):
Cleanse (remove negative energies) and consecrate (to prevent returning). Emotions such as anger, fear, sadness can be entrapped in energy, passed on to sensitive people (longer effect if initial emotion stronger – e.g., “bad vibes” at places which have had traumatic experiences; most not that focused).
By salt and water:
- hand over water, visualise yellow-white light from hand into water to force out negativity, 3 Tuathail (anticlockwise/to the north) circles while say“Behold, I exorcise you, O creature of Water, casting out from you any impurities which may lie within!”
- hand over water, visualise blue-white light filling water, 3 Deosil (clockwise/to the south) circles while say“And I do bless and consecrate you to this work!”
- hand over salt, visualise yellow-white light from hand into water to force out negativity, 3 Tuathail (anticlockwise/to the north) circles while say“Behold, I exorcise you, O creature of Earth, casting out from you any impurities which may lie within!”
- hand over salt, visualise blue-white light filling water, 3 Deosil (clockwise/to the south) circles while say“And I do bless and consecrate you to this work!”
- add three pinches salt to water (to make Holy Water) and say“Behold, the salt is pure! Behold, the water is pure! Purity into purity then, and purity be blessed!”
Walk Deosil (clockwise/to the south) and asperge (sprinkle with Holy Water) while visualise filled with yellow-white light.“Behold I cleanse and purify this space.”Turn to face inside of circle, visualise blue-white light and say.“I bless and consecrate this space.”
After reading some of the other replies on this topic I should make it clear that:
(1) sunliught should not affect the colour of amethyst, which comes from the presence of titanium dioxide ... but then again, some forms of wastewater treatment are looking at using titanium oxide and UV, so maybe there is a form of reactivity that I haven't noticed. I suspect that if it is there, it may require long exposure to be a problem.
(2) salt does NOT "destroy" crystals, particularly quartz, which is basically largely a result of igneous activity. Some forms of crystal, such as gypsum, CAN be affected by salt as they are soft and, chemically speaking, a form of salt,
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
This post's photo is yet to be posted.
Tags: crystals, energy, UFOs, about me, Wicca, magic, karma, ethics, past lives,
First published: Wodansdagr, 2nd February, 2011
Last edited: Wednesday, 2nd February, 2011
