July 2012

July, 2012 Volume 1, Issue 1

• Please see our website at www.elementalmagick. wetpaint.com • If you would like to contribute to the newsletter or have suggestions, please contact Maxine at byers83854@msn.com OR Janie at Janie_bass@yahoo.com

Elemental Magick Monthly Newsletter Upcoming Events 7/31 eve to 8/2 eve: Lughnasadh 7/31 eve to 8/6 eve: Mid-Summer/First Harvest/Lammas 8/1 Full Moon (Grain-Harvest/Thunder Moon).

Lughnasadh Articles: Cernunnos

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Broom Closet

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Aloe

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At Lughnasadh, it's time to celebrate the first harvest of the year, and recognize that the hot summer days will soon come to an end.

Board Meeting 4

The plants of spring wither and drop seeds to ensure future crops. Grains are ready to be harvested and the fruits are ripe for picking. We can give thanks for the food on our tables.

Lughnasadh means the funeral games of Lugh the sun god. The funeral is not his own, but the funeral games he hosts in honor of his foster-mother Tailtu. Traditional Tailtean craft fairs and Tailtean

marriages are also celebrated at this time.

As autumn begins, the Celtic Sun God enters his old age. He symbolically loses some of his strength as the Sun rises farther in the South each day and the nights grow longer.

Many Pagans celebrate this time to remember its warmth and bounty in a celebrated feast shared with family or community.

Save and plant the seeds from the fruits consumed at this time. If they sprout, grow the plant or tree as a symbol of your connection with the deities, spirits, or just as part of the

universe.

Traditional foods this time of year can include apples, pears, grains, breads and berries. Herbs and flowers, all grains, grapes, heather, blackberries, sloe are also often included in Lughnasadh celebrations.

The gemstone for Lugh is carnelian.

By Crafty Witch

Elemental Magick Newsletter

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God of the Month: Cernunnos the Stag Lord Cernunnos was worshipped by the iron age Celts all across Europe as late as the first century AD, and his worship must have begun centuries before that.

The Celts had no written language of their own, and although their druids could write in Latin and Greek there are no writings with their knowledge to be found today. Therefore people today have nothing in writing about him at all.

“I am a stag of seven tines��

Everything we know about him can only be guessed at from the iconography: the images of him created by the Celts themselves.

The Celts made numerous models, or icons, of their various gods, and there are over 60 depicting Cernunnos, from all over Europe. We only know his name because it is carved on a single one of these, made by sailors from the Gallic Parisii tribe. An early image of him that has been found was carved on rock in Northern Italy in the 4th century BC. How widespread the use of this exact name was is unknown, it is possible that this was the name for this antlered god to noone but the Parisii themselves, but the structure of the name suggests otherwise.

Cornu in modern French means "horned, because

modern French has grown from the Latin language imposed upon them by the Romans, it stems from Latin roots. So Cernunnos is a Roman name meaning Horned One, and was probably the new Romanized name given by the Gauls to all their very old horned gods, in which case its use may have been widespread throughout Gaul after it became a Roman province.

The images of him are unusually consistent. His main attribute are his horns, those of a stag. He is usually portrayed as a mature man with long hair and a beard, and wears a torc.

Cernunnos is nearly always portrayed with animals, in particular the stag. He is also frequently associated with a unique beast that seems to belong only to him: a serpent with the horns of a ram. The ram-horned serpent is particularly interesting. The serpent occurs in myths all across the world, and is nearly always associated with knowledge. Usually these associations are purely pagan, but remember that it was a serpent that tempted Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge. It is also commonly associated with death and the otherworld, and is hence described as cthonic.

The following poem of obscure origin but definitely Celtic could be about him.

I am a stag of seven tines, I am a wide flood on a plain, I am a wind on the deep waters, I am a shining tear of the sun, I am a hawk on a cliff, I am fair among flowers, I am a god who sets the head afire with smoke.

I am a battle waging spear, I am a salmon in the pool, I am a hill of poetry, I am a ruthless boar, I am a threatening noise of the sea, I am a wave of the sea, Who but I knows the secrets of the unhewn dolmen ?

The Lord of the Animals.

The Lord of the Hunt. The Stag Lord. The Horned God of the Hunt, The Lord of the Forest...of all the Celtic divinities none has caught the imagination of modern pagans so much as Old Horny himself.

By Jessilyn Maxwell

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Elemental Magick Newsletter

Living Out of the Broom Closet I understand that for safety reasons many pagans are still in their broom closets and only peek out every now and again. Having been out for some time now, I occasionally forget that. For those of us out we need to live in a way that those who are peeking feel safe enough to step out a bit. With witch hunting becoming a fun family activity for some churches again we do need to be cautious, and we will never ever convince everyone that we don’t worship their Satan.

Remember we aren’t working to convert, just to take away fears. You are all thinking that it would be easier to convert aren’t you? Life is a challenge this is just another one.

The more we show the rest of the world they have

nothing to fear from us the safer we will all feel. It doesn’t take much either; all of us have it in us. This is my boon of all of you for the next year, to make our part of the planet safe and hope it spreads across it faster than a virus.

A few of my thoughts on the how to’s start with a smile. Even if you’re grinning like an idiot, it still puts people at ease. It is the very best defense even, no one expects you to smile when they are trying to hurt you. Smiling is warming and inviting, not only to the person you are smiling at, but to you as well.

Another idea is to always be seen with a positive attitude, be sitting in the mud changing a tire, and be cheerful about it, even

if it’s not your tire. Again this benefits you as much as everyone else as positivity attracts positivity.

And with the above, practice kindness. Aesop said that “no act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted” and I agree. The kinder you are to others the more comfortable and relaxed they are.

If none of the above work against someone who has decided to dislike you, it still worked for you and made you a better person.

You kept the negativity away, you were still kind, and it truly hacks off those that hate for no reason.

By Crafty Witch

Scents of the World: Aloe It’s a fairly certain thing people will know this plant, especially if you’ve ever gotten a sunburn!

Aloe (Aloe vera) is a succulent plant with a short stem and long fleshy leaves with spines. In the summer, aloe will have spikes of yellow tubular flowers. In warm, dry areas, it’s a popular ornamental plant.

Aloe has a great reputation as a medicinal plant. Its use has gone

back several thousand years as a treatment for various skin conditions, wounds, and burns. The gel from its leaves is an anti-inflammatory, and helps to promote effective wound healing. The gel is readily available at stores, and can be used on a wide variety of ailments, such as acne, dermatitis, nettle rash, psoriasis, and shingles. It’s also a fantastic moisturizer – my sensitive skin can never be without it! For all these

reasons and more, aloe ought to be a common remedy in every household.

The living plant itself is magickally protective.

When grown indoors, it guards against evil influences and prevents household accidents. In Africa it is hung over doors to drive away evil and to bring good luck.

Mexicans used aloe similarly when they made wreaths of dried garlic tied

“The living plant itself is magickally protective.”

Elemental Magick Newsletter

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ALOE.. Cont…. with pictures of saints, packets of herbs and lodestones, and clumps of cut aloe. Having one growing on or nearby your altar helps protect a magickal practitioner when working with spirits.

Whether you’re using it for magick or medicine, it’s a wonderful plant to have around.

Aloe is fairly easy to grow indoors. You can buy them at nearly any store with a garden section.

When you buy one, make sure to plant it in a pot with holes for drainage.

Use a potting soil that is designed for cacti; it must be well-draining. Water it infrequently, but give it a generous amount when you do. This will help

mimic aloe’s natural habitat. In the summer, you may choose to place it outside to get more sun.

It may even bloom! Do make sure to bring it back indoors in the fall. You’ll have a lovely protective, healing houseplant all year long!

Gathering of Friends April 2012 Merry Meet again, ALL MY SISTERS AND BROTHERS!!

I know it has been a very long time since we have used these pages and I am very sorry to you all for the long gap in contact, however, I hope to rectify this in the future and will begin now.

The first announcement I need to make is that our twice a month Daytime Gatherings will now be held on the 2nd and 4th WEDNESDAYS of each month from 11 am to 3:30 pm. Arrive when you can and leave when you must.

We understand that this change has caused some of our members problems and we are very sorry but it was necessary to maintain our Gathering space. As always we eat and chat from 11 to about 1, Circle Ceremony is at about 1, followed by discussion, training, crafting or whatever we've decided to do that day. It

is possible that, depending upon our activity for a day we may begin it earlier but I will do my best to insure everyone is made aware of this in suitable time.

Another change is that I will be posting our discussion topic ahead of time here on these pages along with an "outline" of information that will be covered. This way EVERYONE will have a chance to read up on the topic, gather your own information and we can all participate. So here goes!!

APRIL'S DISCUSSION is on the MAGICKAL GARDEN There are may forms of gardens and many ways to garden and I am not a "trained" horticulturalist but I've gardened on and off for many years. My beloved Grandmother was an avid gardener and I loved being with her, listening to the drone of the bees and fluttering of the dragonflies. I look

back on those endless days some 50+ years ago with fond memories, remembering the things she taught me and her love of the magickal garden she passed on to me.

I would guess that each of us have had, in our youth, a grandmother or grandfather, aunt, uncle, mother, father or older neighbor who was a total wonder in the garden.

Every gardener has THEIR OWN WAYS OF DOING EVERYTHING! Just like rituals and spell work, gardening is highly individualized and what works for one gardener may not (and probably won't) work exactly the same way for another. I took a leap of faith this year and joined the local gardening club which I do recommend for you if you have never gardened before or if you are new to your area as there is much basic information that is necessary to understand BEFORE sticking plants or seeds into soil.