Mother Mystic's Musings

With the holiday season in full swing, it’s natural that many of us are invited to family gatherings.  These events are not always pleasant occasions for some of us.  It’s normal for not every family member to get along.  Here’s what I do to make the best of difficult situations.  Find the oldest person in the room and ask them how things were done in their “time.”

Usually, it doesn’t take much to get an older person talking about “the good old days”.  Although some folks may go on and on about some uninteresting topic, if you are skillful, you can probably coax them into sharing folk magic tidbits.  Ask Aunt Tilda why she doesn’t put her purse on the floor and you may get a treasury of magical folklore that you had no idea existed!  Of course you don’t want to come right out and state that you’re digging for magickal tips, you have to be subtle about it.  Figure out the best way to phrase your question so that it is open ended and relates to the person’s past.

If there aren’t any elders at your family gathering, then focus on the in-laws.  Every family has their own quirks and what better way to get to know your in-laws than by asking them about their own family traditions?  It’s an easy topic segue from Xmas to New Year’s and many families have New Year’s traditions to bring in prosperity.  If your family members are sensitive to the “magick” word, then find another euphemism.  Your goal is collect folklore and survive the gathering.  Even if Cousin Jane rants on and on about how evil Aunt Gertrude used to make them eat grapes on New Year’s because she was superstitious, you don’t have to disagree to get her to keep talking.  A simple “oh my and what else did she do?” should bring forth a plethora of old family traditions.

Keep in mind not all of what you hear will be new or usable but you’ll get through your gathering with your sanity intact and hopefully more than a few magickal gems of knowledge.  And your family will be none the wiser!

I get many inquiries for magickal and spiritual work but I take on only a few, select cases.  Many people are surprised when I turn down their request or redirect them to another worker or suggest they do the work themselves.  For some workers, the thought of turning down a client’s request for spellwork equates turning away money and money is why they are in the business of rootwork/conjure/witchcraft/magick.  There is nothing wrong with making a living from doing magickal/spiritual work for other people.  There has to be a code of ethics at play however.

No one can succeed with every case and every worker has their limits in terms of caseload.  For a worker to take on clients they don’t have time to do work for is totally and completely wrong.  If I feel a client has a strong chance of success with their case but I know I do not have the time or energy at the present time to devote to their cause, I will pass them on to another worker I feel I can trust.  A good worker will never short-change a client by taking on cases they don’t have time for.  A greedy or needy worker will grab every case that comes across because they want the money and they will do some work…when they can squeeze it into their busy schedule.  Your request might be one of many that are being prayed/chanted over when the price you’ve paid would indicate the worker was devoting a significant amount of time to your needs alone.

Questions to ask your worker up front:  Why do you do this type of work?  The answer will come in many forms but the meaning will be the same…because I love to help people.  How many cases do you take on at a time?  The answer to this should tell you if the worker you are considering is one who simply places multiple requests in a bowl on their altar on which they light a single candle every day or someone who is truly going to put some individual power and intention into resolving your issue.  How long should I expect this work to last?  Will we be in communication while the work is on-going and in what form?  If your worker doesn’t have time to exchange emails with you or doesn’t follow up in some way, shape or form, that is a strong sign of a worker who is overloaded.

I believe one of the most self-empowering things a person can do for themselves is to work a magickal spell to change their own life for the better.  That’s why I prefer magickal coaching over taking on a client’s case.  Once you have worked a spell successfully, you will own those results and build self confidence in your control over future situations.  Yes, Magick is a business but first and foremost, it is an Arte.

Yep, it’s that time of year.  All the psychics, mediums, ghost hunters and wannabees come out of their crypts and promise to produce “messages from the beyond” “manifestation of spirits” and all kinds of stuff they want you to pay big bucks for.  This has gone on for years and I certainly don’t mean to condemn psychics and mediums, being one myself but the marketing and competition this year has really gotten me aggravated.

All right, the economy sucks and there are less dollars to compete for but don’t make promises you can’t keep.  Everyone seems to be hopping on the psychic fair and ghost hunting bandwagon and making claims that are so exaggerated they should be ashamed of themselves.  Come on people!  Most folks who visit mediums do so out of grief –  NOT CURIOSITY.  Yes, the veil between the worlds is thin this time of year but that does not mean you can guarantee Uncle Walter will come through with the exact message you’ve been waiting for.

So, you may ask, what are my options then if I do want to hear from a deceased loved one?  How do I avoid getting ripped off?  First of all, lower your expectations.  Madame Whosiwhat is not going to produce a complete conversation with the person you want to hear from the most.  Be open to whoever comes through.  Deceased loves ones do not sit around on the other side waiting for a psychic telephone to ring.  Don’t expect dramatic proclamations. Messages come through in many ways and most mediums are clairaudient, meaning they hear things others don’t.  The things they do hear are often not clear; it’s like listening to a badly tuned in radio station where you can understand every 3rd word.  Those words that do come through may not have an immediate impact on you but will probably make sense later.  Take notes.  Some mediums see spirits or see images that the spirit sends them.  Again, this is not a crystal clear picture like on your tv set.  Images especially can be confusing but much of the time it’s the spirits way of validating to the client that it really is your uncle George or old neighbor Hal coming through.  Many times, one spirit will lead the way for others.

My own experience is to avoid large “gallery” type events like the plague.  A vague, “I have a female with the letter M” will of course get many responses and those who are having the hardest time with grief are usually the ones eager to make ANY connection.  Paying a small fortune to watch someone else grasp at straws to reassure themselves that their deceased loved one is okay is not something I recommend.  Be wary if the medium asks too many questions up front.  The name and date of death is all that is needed.  A picture or something that belonged to the person is also ok.  If the medium asks you questions regarding what she or he is receiving, a simple yes or no response should suffice.  On the other hand, if you go into a session closeminded and refuse to give any information out, determined to “test” the psychic, be prepared for disappointment.

To obtain the best results, relax, be open minded and again, TAKE NOTES.  A mediumship session is highly emotional and some of the signs/symbols the reader sees could have significant meaning on later reflection…meanings you will miss if you forget what was said.  Reputable psychics will allow tape recording of any session.  I always recommend people either take notes or record the session.

Everyone knows the phrase “once in a Blue Moon” but you rarely hear the term Black Moon. Black Moons are the appearance of a second New Moon in the same month and are just as rare as a Blue Moon. As with Blue Moons, Black Moons are a powerful time for performing magic of any kind, with special doors open to other entities and deities. It is a great time for increasing your psychic abilities, opening up your awareness to other beings, and also beginnings and endings. Looking to start a new diet? This is the perfect time for a weight loss spell. Wish to re-dedicate yourself to your path or patron deity? The Black Moon is the time. Have a tough banishing to perform? This is the most powerful time you’ll get in 3 years.
The Black Moon is also associated with Lilith, ancient Sumerian goddess. Lilith has many legends and stories surrounding her. She is associated with Diana, Queen of the Witches, she is allegedly the first wife of Adam who refused to be subservient to him and she is demonized as a seductress. For those who pay homage to Lilith, she is not so simple as that. If you’ve read about her and desire to know her better, this July 30th Black Moon provides you with the perfect opportunity.

You’re looking for insight on situations in your life, or maybe it’s your birthday and you want to know what to expect for the coming year.  You’ve never been to a reader before and you’re confused, should I see a psychic, a tarot reader, a rune reader, an astrologer….?

There are many different forms of divination but those most commonly available to the consumer are tarot readings, psychic readings and palm readings.  Not all tarot and palm readers are psychics and not all psychics use divination tools for their readings.  It’s important to note that before choosing a reader.  The market is currently flooded with people who have taken “certification” classes or memorized “meanings” from books and set up shop as readers.  You’ll find the insights gained from these readers are little different from those free online readings spit out from a software program.  The reason being you must have a psychic gift in order to perform reasonably accurate divination.

Palm readers may promise to tell you your fortune but the art of palmistry is based on character analysis and tells more about the person and their health than their future.  The basic insights gleaned from palmistry are:  how many serious relationships you will have, how many potential children and insights on your mental and physical health.  Palmists who are able to give you other insights are utilizing their psychic abilities; by touching your hand they are making the connection necessary for them provide you with the divination results you desire.

Tarot readers who are not also psychics will interpret the meanings of the cards and nothing more.  While this may at times ring true with what is happening with your particular circumstance, most of the time the interpretation depends on which source the reader used to determine the meaning of the card.  There is no one true way to read a tarot card.  There is no one true tarot deck; there are hundreds of different decks available and each comes with its own little white book of interpretations. Others come with an accompanying paperback book giving the author’s interpretation of what each card means to them.   There are many books written about the tarot and just as many written about how to read the tarot, what spreads to use, what decks are best etc. etc.  Just because someone has studied a deck, read books or taken a “how to” class does not make them a gifted reader.  At best, they are storytellers who compile the meanings of the cards into a narrative.

Psychic readers may or may not use cards, pendulums, crystal balls, dice, shells, runes or other forms of divination.  Some may touch your hand, others may simply sit across from you.  A psychic reader has a special gift – be it clairaudience, clairsentience or another form of enhanced intuition.  Many will have a spirit guide who assists them during readings.

What should you expect from your reading?  Insights on life situations you are facing, things that have recently happened in your life that you may not have fully dealt with, and future events such as relationship/career changes, travel, monetary developments are generally what you will hear.  Many times, your family and close friends issues will appear in your reading.

How should you prepare for a reading?  First of all, relax!  No ethical reader is going to give you dire news and send you on your way.  It is difficult to read for people who close themselves up and try to shut the reader out, seeming to “test” the psychic abilities of the reader.  You’re wasting your money and both yours and the reader’s time if you’re going in with that attitude!  I once had a client book an appointment for a mediumship reading and as is my custom, I instructed the client to bring a photograph or something that had belonged to the deceased person.  When the client arrived, not only did they not bring anything, they refused to give me the deceased’s first name because “they didn’t trust psychics”.  Well, why bother coming then?

Even if you are only having a reading for fun, you’ll get the most out of your session by being relaxed and open minded.  Don’t worry about what the cards look like, listen to what the reader is telling you.  Take notes or better yet, record your session!  Also, think of questions to ask beforehand.  If you’ve booked a half hour session and the reading seems to be all about your family and friends but you really wanted to know about your backstabbing co-worker, speak up!  I know for myself, if I don’t write down my questions before hand, when I go see a doctor I tend to forget them and suddenly the appointment is over and I don’t get my information!  Psychics are not mind readers.  They relay the information that comes to them.  If what you’re hearing isn’t what you came for, tell your reader and ask your questions.  Although the information they are giving you is certainly valuable (and you may not realize it until months down the road), don’t be afraid to ask the burning questions on your mind!

So, you’ve been dumped…or you’ve done the dumping or maybe you’ve both come to the conclusion this just wasn’t the right time/person/wasn’t going to work.  You’re in pain.  You can’t sleep/eat/focus/breathe.  Your head wants to move on but your heart won’t let you.  What’s going on my friend isn’t just the end of a relationship, you may have become addicted to that person.

Quitting a relationship is akin to quitting smoking.  You pace, you go through withdrawals.  You try to distract yourself but you’re drawn back time and again.  How do I make this stop?  Is there a patch for emotional pain?  Well, kind of, there are drugs for mood disorders and there are doctors who will prescribe sedatives and anti-anxiety drugs to help you through a rough patch but do you really need to resort to that for a break-up?  In many (but not all) cases, I’d say no.  If it’s a long term marriage, there are children involved, a history of abuse then by all means seek professional help.  This advice is aimed at those going through a run-of-the-mill break-up.

Make it a clean break.  Get everything of yours back from the other party, especially pictures.  Give them everything of theirs back.  Delete their contact information from your phone/address book.  Clean your house with lemongrass and pine. Rearrange the furniture if you can or redecorate if possible.  Thinking about changing your looks?  Many times after a break-up the first thing people change is their hairstyle.  This can be a good thing but don’t do anything drastic.  Whatever you do, make sure you’re doing in a positive way.  Don’t chop off your long lovely locks simply because your ex loved your hair.  If you’re tired of brushing those tresses and feel it’s time to make way for a new you then go for it!  But here’s a small but powerful thing you should do before you start making changes to yourself.  Take a spiritual bath.  Cleanse away all remnants of your romantic feelings, your emotional pain.  Grab some lemon balm, hyssop, salt, mint, vinegar and make a tea to be used in your bath.  Make it a good, long soak.  Wipe yourself downwards, and concentrate on removing all traces of attraction to your ex.  Concentrate on clearing your emotions so that you will be open to moving forward with your life.  When you are finished, let yourself air dry and powder yourself with lemon and mint scent powder.  You should be feeling stronger, clearer and ready to move forward.

As a psychic reader 99% of my clientele ask if a) the person they are currently involved with is the one   b) the person they just broke up with was the one or c) when are they going to find the one.  A lot of the time the answer to a) and b) is a definite NO and the answer to c) isn’t given during the reading because it’s clear the client needs to focus on other areas of their life first.  What bothers me the most is the people who are stuck in bad relationships or can’t move past hurtful break-ups because they are convinced that the person who is treating them so horribly is their soulmate.

Having been married and divorced twice, having counseled hundreds of people in emotional pain,  I can speak from experience that bad relationships and break-ups are no fun and it can take a toll on your health.  I can also state equivocally that your soulmate, twinflame or true love will not beat you,  break up with you via text the day after assuring you that they truly love you, get another woman pregnant or get pregnant with another man’s child or play any of the head games people play all they while claiming that they “love you, you’re the one, you truly get me” yadda yadda HORSESHIT!

Do not spend one dime of your money trying to bring back these people after they have left you in the lurch.  Do not spend one minute of one day waiting for this person to “wake up” and come back to you and be “the person you truly believe” them to be.  There is a certain class of people who are very effective at playing love games.  They have such a smooth come-on, will have you totally sucked in to believing that this is it, the one you’ve been waiting for and then VAMOUSH!  They are gone, you’ve gotten a break-up text with some lame excuse like “I’m not ready for this” or “something was always missing” or worse, “I’ve found someone else”.  Many people are left thinking, my perfect love has had a breakdown, they need help, this is not truly them. WRONG!  This is the true them, the person behind the mask you fell in love with.  They cannot maintain the facade for very long, the game no longer interests them so they move on to the next victim/target.

Your true Soulmate, Twinflame, True Love will have RESPECT for you.  Every relationship has its ups and downs.  People do break up and get back together years, sometimes decades later.  Does that mean you should put your life on hold in the meantime?  HELL NO!  RESPECT YOURSELF FIRST!  Live your life and love yourself.  No one can love you unless you love yourself first.  If the person you thought was your soulmate “isn’t ready for this” then that is THEIR LOSS and you should go on living your life to the fullest. Live well and move on.

A specialized form of candle magic involves carving your own sigils, symbols or designs into the candle.  The best type of candle for this work is called a pull-out candle, the type that fits inside the glass vigil jars but any pillar type candle will do.  Some workers with artistic talent are able to use tapers or even chime candles but for those of us with not-so-fine manual dexterity we’ll stick with the pull-outs for the rest of this post.

Your candle should be cleaned.  You want to remove any negative energy it absorbed in the store or via shipping.  Wiping it down with Florida Water or Holy Water will do the trick.  For tools, you can use pins, scissors, screwdrivers or wood carving chisels (available at most craft stores) making sure whatever you choose is easy for you to handle.  You will also need glitter, herbs and your magical oil of choice.

I tend to draw my designs on paper first, not only because I want to be sure of the layout but because this can be used as a petition paper later.  Let’s use Success as a purpose, since most people would welcome success in their life at any time.   I would write the person’s birthname, birthdate and draw their astrological symbol.  Then draw a crown and the word success and underneath that the sigil for success.  If I’m satisfied with the layout, I’ll start carving it into the candle.  I prefer to use wood carving chisels as they make wide troughs for the glitter and herbs.  Once I’m finished carving, I take my magical oil, in this case Crown of Success, and rub it into the design, concentrating deeply on the person I’m fixing the candle for and how success will be attained by them.  Then I take glitter and appropriate herbs and sprinkle into the design.  The oil will hold the glitter and herbs in place.

The finishing touch is putting the pull-out into the jar.  My custom is to light appropriate incense and capture some of the smoke into the base of the vigil jar and wave the candle through the incense before seating it into the jar.  Once the candle is seated, I seal the jar with plastic wrap.  The candle is now ready for the client to take home, remove the plastic wrap and light.

You can be as artistic as you want with this, there are many sigils, veves and other symbols you can utilize to personalize your candle and increase its power.

The use of candles to set the mood is pretty widespread. Go into any department or drug store and you’ll see plenty of scented candles enticing you to change your mood, enhance the atmosphere or take you somewhere else you’d rather be. Sounds like magic doesn’t it?

The magical use of candles usually involves dressing the candle with scented magic oils. However, there is a growing industry in the creation of scented magical candles. No need to fuss with what oil to choose or whether or not you dressed it properly, just check the label for the condition you wish to change or achieve and light the wick! I’m of two minds on this. I do use scented candles in my work and I do sell my own private label scented candle line so obviously I’m not going to tell you it’s a bad thing to use them. It’s certainly not traditional magic but more a matter of convenience than anything. It’s also less scary for those who aren’t really into magic. Just peruse the display and pick out the candle best suited for your needs. Do they work? In my experience, they have the same effect as using regular candles and oils for most short-term goals or for work that doesn’t require heavy lifting. In other words, if your man done gone and left you, lighting one scented Love Me candle isn’t going to get the job done. However if the person you’ve just been talking to for a while needs a little push to get things moving in the LOVE direction, then definitely use that scented candle!

I find they work best when you’re focusing on yourself. If you’re having trouble meditating, then a scented candle will help you. If you’re in need of inner wisdom, healing, independence, abundance or just about any positive change in yourself, these candles work wonders.

Let’s talk quality! Not all scented candles are created equal. The scented candle you pick up at Walmart is not the same as the scented candle you pick up at your local metaphysical supplier. Beeswax candles are the highest quality. Those made with pure essential oils will have a better scent and be more effective than a commercial candle made with chemicals. Many metaphysical candle makers include herbs in their candles making them very close to a custom made dressed candle. Be choosy! Don’t be fooled by creative marketing campaigns. Just because a candle supplier has a great marketing team doesn’t mean their candles are any better than Yankee candle. Go into your local metaphysical store and actually look at the candles and see if the scent is strong. Ask others for feedback. Candlemaking is an art. You should be able to feel the magic in the candle.