Day 46: Meeting the God - The Sage

The sage is the final aspect of the god. He represents prophetic vision, good counsel, and the ability to be self-reflective and develop wisdom. He weaves stories, can laugh at a lifetime of mistakes, and sees through facades of others. The sage is reason, intuition, and sets no time limits or time frames. To him, life is about the journey, not the destination.
He can also be the potential to ruminate on the past.

Some sage gods include Pluto, Balor, Hades, Anubis, and Minos.

Correspondence Table
Solar Phase: Waning sun
Seasonal Phase: Winter
Color: Violet or black
Pagan Celebration: Winter solstice
Direction: North
Time: Midnight
Incense: White sage
Essential Oils: Sage, lotus, pine
Magical Number: 7
Vocalization: Nnnn
Herbs: Holly, mistletoe, pine
Planet: Uranus, sun
Body Part: Head, brain

Day 45: The Provider - Invocation Prayer

This was just like all the other invocation prayers. I lit a red candle, faced south, and while making te magical pass I said,

"By the Oak King and Odin,
By Herne and Helios,
By Thoth and Thor,
And the countless names of power,
By the noonday sun, by hoof and horn,
Come ye father god,
Thy Holy Rites reborn!"

Unfortunately I didn't really feel any presence. Maybe it was because I was distracted by everything going on that weekend. Not sure. It seems like I can sense the goddess better than I can the god. I wonder why.

Day 44: The Provider - Magical Pass

This exercise is like all the other magical pass exercises. It seems bizarre, but I really do feel something doing these. Doing this one made me feel like Uncle Iroh redirecting the lightning in the Avatar series. Unfortunately I couldn't find a picture of how you hold your hands to make this pass. It's basically making a peace sign but with your index and middle fingers together. Then raise one hand so it's about even with your shoulder, and straighten your other arm down. Sorry I am not the best at describing things.

Day 43: The Provider - Intonation

This was the first time I was able to do an exercise at the correct time. Granted, it was at noon so I did it shortly after I woke up, but it felt nice. Facing south, I lit a red candle. For five breaths, I made a long "e" sound with each exhale. I'm not sure if the "essence of this intonation realigned [my] consciousness," but I took stock of what chores needed to be done and figured out what to do when. It seemed easier than normal. Since the provider does what is needed, maybe that had something to do with it. It was interesting.

Day 42: Calling on the Provider

Today, I was to attempt to take actions that benefit others, and do things that need to be done. I continued working on the laundry because otherwise it wouldn't ever get done by anyone else. I didn't get to finish, but seeing how much I accomplished was very gratifying. I didn't notice any changes, really.

Also, I was supposed to call my father on the phone and talk to him about what's important to him. I didn't do this. I felt like it would have been really awkward, and he would have asked why I wanted to know and I didn't want to get into that. The idea of that conversation was uncomfortable. I've never been very good at showing my feelings to my family, and it seems weird to start doing that all of a sudden. It's not like I don't have a good relationship with my father either, we're just not very emotion-y. We can be, but talking about our feelings just isn't something we do all the time.

Day 41: Meeting the God: The Provider

The second aspect of the god is the provider. He represents self-sufficiency, maturity, and action done because action is needed. He is focused, purposeful, and does what needs to be done. He notices limits and guidelines, and also understands the importance of challenging them in a way that benefits society. The provider is the manifestation of the sun's energy and a focused mind.

His dark side appears when we show blind ambition, impatience, and anger. It can also be insistence on rules and social norms. His dark side can also be the potential to be inflexible with rules, jobs, and life in general.

Some provider gods throughout the world include Ra, Zeus, Yahweh, Apollo, Ares, Thor, and Jupiter.

This table shows the magical correspondences to the provider. I have edited previous "Meeting the god/goddess" posts to include the respective tables.

Solar Phase: Full midday sun
Seasonal Phase: Summer
Color: Red
Pagan Celebration: Summer Solstice
Direction: South
Time: Noon
Incense: Frankincense
Essential Oils: Frankincense, chamomile, benzoin, patchouli
Magical Number: 5
Vocalization: "E" as in "heat"
Herbs: Chamomile, hemp
Planet: Mercury, Sun (yes, I know it is not a planet)
Body Part: Neck, throat

Day 40: The Inseminator: Invocation Prayer

Today was the last exercise for the inseminator. This is my favorite part of the meeting the god/goddess exercises. Facing the east, I lit a yellow candle, a pine scented candle (in lieu of incense) and some cinnamon incense. With my hands in the position for the magical pass, I said:

"By Pan and Prometheus,
By Dionysus and Dianus,
Bu Loki and Llugh,
And the countless names of power,
By the morning sun, by hoof and horn,
Come ye fertile god,
Thy Holy Rites reborn!"

Then I was supposed to sit and feel the god's presence. Unfortunately, I didn't really notice anything different. Maybe this means I'm not very in touch with my inseminator side.

Day 39: The Inseminator: Magical Pass

You know the "rock on" sign people make with their hands? That's actually the same gesture used to make this magical pass. It represents the antlers of this young horned god. As I was making the gesture, I could feel the energy between my forefingers and pinkies, like the electric pylons Dr. Frankenstein channeled the lightning through. Very cool!

Now, I mentioned that the inseminator is a horned god. Many people associate that with Satan or the devil. I feel this is best explained in the book.

"The horned god is an ancient pagan deity that predates Christianity and any of its angelic heirarchy. Witches do not either worship or acknowledge the deities or demons of the Christian religion. The horned god as an archetype links back in history to the hunter-gatherer societies. . .In these Old European cultures, bison and deer were often the most hunted food sources. Villagers relied on tribal shamans to spiritually call the food animals to them in the hunt. One common custom in shaminic animal-magic was to dress in the skins (and antlers) of the hunted food animal. Shamans and villagers believed that this activity done in a ritual context would summon the herd animals. Thus, the antlers or "horns" of the shaman became linked with men's rites, magic, and divine activity. The horned god is another name for the male divinity in the Witches' pantheon."

This is what the magical pass looks like when it's made of awesome.

Day 38: The Inseminator: Intonation

This is very similar to the intonation exercises in the "Meeting the Goddess" section. I lit a yellow candle and sat it in front of me, facing east. I took a deep breath, and on the exhale vocalized the sound "ah" (as in caught). I did this two more times, for a total of three. For about a minute I felt something, a change in the energy in me and around me. The feeling didn't last long, but I was impressed nonetheless. I don't know why I've delayed so long in returning to A Year and A Day; I really enjoy these exercises.

Day 37: Calling on the Inseminator

Due to the personal nature of this exercise and it's questions, I'm not really going to say much about it. Moving on!

Day 36: Meeting the God - The Inseminator

Remember how the goddess has three aspects? The god does too. I'm going to be doing the same thing as I did before, only for the god now.

The first aspect is the inseminator. He is youthful, active, sexually motivated, and extroverted. He represents the spontaneity in all of us, and learns from experiencing things himself.
He also has a dark side. That represents our lack of impulse control, self-indulgence, and destructiveness.

Some inseminator gods include Cupid, Adonis, Eros, Pan, and Hermes.

Correspondence Table
Solar Phase: Waxing Year
Seasonal Phase: Spring
Color: Gold, yellow
Pagan Celebration: Beltane - May 1st
Direction: East
Time: Morning
Incense: Cinnamon, pine
Essential Oils: Carnation, cinnamon
Magical Number: 3
Vocalization: "ah" as in "caught"
Herbs: Woodruff, hops
Planet: Mars, Sun
Body Part: Muscles

Day 35: A day of silence and review

So, I did this about a week ago and have been too busy to post until now. I PROMISE I'll post more regularly from now on. Anyway, I was to spend the day talking as little as possible so I can learn the power of silence. Unfortunately, I didn't do too well. Even when I was home alone I'd end up talking to the cat or the rats. Oh well. . .on to the questions.

Was it difficult to maintain silence?
Yes. I would remember that I had to stay silent after I had already said something.
When did I most want to verbally communicate?
When Jason was around.
Did silence help me to notice what was going on in my own body, mind, or spirit?
Not really. I had a hard time maintaining silence.
Did I have times when mental activity increased or decreased?
Yes. My mind nearly shut itself off in German Culture, and I had to think a lot at work.
Did I have times when physical activity increased or decreased in response to silence?
What silence?
How might periodic observances of silence be beneficial to me?
I think it would help me process my thoughts better.

Day 34: Oops.

I know I'm not supposed to skip days, but I haven't had time to do this one. Basically, I had to create an altar devoted to Isis, and spend some time contemplating. Between school, work, fencing, and recurring sinusitis, I haven't been able to do that. i can, however, explain a bit about who Isis is.

She is an ancient Egyptian goddess of the sky and earth. She is the goddess of the entire life cycle, birth, growth, and death. Isis rules all natural magic, and one can rely on her when magical aid is necessary. The ancients believed that she had the power to bestow boons upon those who humbly sought her assistance.

So overwhelmed!

I haven't given up on the blog, but I've had so much going on the past few weeks I haven;t had time to do the exercises. Once I finally get rid of this sinus infection and my work hours get reduced, I should be able to get back into the swing of things. It probably won't be for at least anopther week though. Sorry to keep all of you loyal readers waiting!

Day 33: Contemplative Day: The center of knowledge

Each month I'll have a contemplative day. Wicca places great emphasis on direct experiential learning. For this exercise, I had to contemplate the question "What is at the center of knowledge?" Rather than trying to come up with a rational answer, I was supposed to sit with the question in my mind and let my intuition take over. While contemplating this, I feel the answer popped into my head. Life. Life is at the center of knowledge. I'm not entirely sure how it makes sense, but that's how my intuition led me to answer the question.

Day 32: Invocation prayer to the crone

This was the invocation prayer for the crone. Lighting an indigo candle and making the magical pass, I said,

"By Hecate and Hel,
By Sophia and Sekhmet,
By Inanna and Rhiannon,
And the countless names of power,
By the dark moon and buckled horn,
Come ye Crone goddess,
The Holy Rights reborn!"

After a little bit, I was able to sense a change in the room's energy. It was very subtle, but it was there. Makes sense to me though. I wouldn't expect her energy to be really obvious. Like the other invocation prayers, this was relaxing. I really enjoy the ritual aspect of these things. Setting up the space, lighting the candle, it all helps me focus. Very fun :)

Day 31: Magical pass of the crone

Today (well, yesterday) I practiced the crone's magical pass. I didn't really feel anything, to be honest. It was disappointing. Not much more to say on that :S

Day 30: Intonation

I've been doing the exercises on the proper day, I'm just a day behind on posting. Yesterday I had to practice the intonation for the crone. It was the same basic concept as the last two intonations. Sitting in front of an indigo candle, saying "mmmmm" for six deep breaths. Unlike before, I didn't feel anything this time. There didn't seem to be a change in energies at all. Maybe I'm not quite in touch with my crone aspects?

Day 29: Calling on the crone

Today was one of the meditative imagining things. I was to picture myself standing in front of a rickety wooden cottage in a dark forest. An old woman would come out, holding a mirror. Looking in the mirror, I would see an image of myself acting throughout my day form a center of wisdom. Then she whispers a word that represents the trait I must accrue to become my wisest self.

I don't know if I did this properly, but I did come up with a trait. I had a hard time focusing thanks to a Lily Allen song stuck in my head. I pictured the old woman and the mirror, but I couldn't quite focus on a specific image in the mirror. I saw my face, but it was like a close up, I couldn't see what was going on. After some more focusing, the old woman whispered the word "knowledge." I spent some time thinking about it, and I think it means I need to be more receptive. Once I came to that conclusion I felt a change come over me, like a confirmation from the crone. Maybe I did do it right.

Day 28: The Crone

The third aspect of the goddess is the crone. She represents repose, wisdom, and decline. She is the manifestation of internal movement and mystic insight. She is there whenever you act in a level-headed, rational, responsible way. Her dark side represents bitterness, criticizing without noting the positive, and self-sufficiency to the point of isolation. Some crone goddesses in mythology include Hecate, Circe, Lilith, and Fortuna.

As far as my exercise goes, I just had to make note of my crone qualities and be aware of them throughout the day. The next few days are going to be the same as with the maiden and the mother, then I'll do the same thing with the different aspects of the god.

Correspondence Table
Lunar Phase: Waning/dark
Seasonal Phase: Late fall, winter
Color: Indigo
Pagan Celebration: Samhain - October 31st
Direction: West
Time: Dusk
Incense: Mugwort, star anise
Essential Oils: sage, cedar
Magical Number: 6
Vocalization: Mmm
Herbs: Nightshade, fly agaric
Planet: Saturn, Jupiter
Body Part: Eyes