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Site updated 30 Dec 2009 POPULAR PAGES folklore, legend, fairies, dragons and more
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HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all. May it be joyful and prosperous, filled with happiness and abundance. Click here to read NEW YEAR LETTER
For a short time period I include below a load of NEW YEAR MAGICK for all the family......enjoy.
The Origins of New Year Magic New Year marks a time of new beginnings, a time to wipe the slate clean and to make resolutions. Although the year begins at different times in different societies, its significance is the same. From when Man first began to measure time, the New Year marked a significant watershed in the Wheel of the Year and often coincided with the Spring or Vernal Equinox. In Europe, New Year was marked by the Spring Equinox and did not move to the first of January until the Gregorian calendar was introduced in 1582. Eleven days vanished from the calendar and Christmas Day changed from January 6 to December 25. However, the new calendar was not adopted in Protestant England until 1752 and in Scotland the emphasis is still on Hogmanay or New Year rather than Christmas. Whenever New Year fell, there was a traditional flurry of sweeping and cleaning on New Year’s Eve, the emptying of rubbish and ashes from the old fire of the year and the settling of accounts. Different Dates Some primitive tribes have several New Years depending on the arrival of shoals of fish or animals to be hunted or on the growth of different crops. Often the yearly arrival of certain stars in the sky marked the date. For example, the Egyptians watched for the rising of the Dog Star, Sirius, which presaged the flooding of the Nile when new life was restored to the land. In Oceania, the New Year is marked by the coming of the constellation of the Pleiades which coincides with the annual time for sowing. In the New Hebrides, turtles’ eggs are harvested and among the Dayaks rice is planted when these stars appear. The Celtic New Year, the modern Halloween, began the eve of October 31/ November 1. In the Isle of Man a Mummers’ Hogmanay dance at Halloween recalls this earlier connection. Among Native American peoples, there were different beginnings to the year according to the location and life of the tribes. For many it began at the Spring Equinox, for others in autumn, at snow fall, with the rutting season, the migration of animals or the New Fire Festival. However, the celebration was always a renewal not only of the year but a re-enactment of the birth of the people and the cosmos itself. In the re-enactment of the original Creation through ritual, it is believed that its powers are regenerated, bringing down blessings of health, abundant crops and fertility on the tribes. Hogmanay One of the places where the New Year is most enthusiastically celebrated is Scotland. Like much of the Northern hemisphere, in Scotland New Year’s Day occurs on January 1. The name Hogmanay comes from the old solar hero giant of the North Hogmagog. The ancient custom of New Year fires to burn out the Old Year has survived in Scotland and other areas of Celtic, Scandinavian and Teutonic influence. The fires purified the New Year, kindled new energies and burned all the old bad luck. In the older calendar, the New Year Fires were originally lit on what is now the Shortest Day and so were also a magical device to persuade the sun to shine again. Feasts were held because if the year began with a good fire and plenty of food, sympathetic magic (in which you act out what you want to happen) decreed that it would continue to yield prosperity and abundance. Nuts and eggs were often given as symbols of the fertility of the coming year. New Year Fires In many cultures fires are extinguished and re-lit at midnight at New Year, to symbolise new life. In the Grampian region of Scotland, fireballs made of wood and cloth soaked in paraffin and bound in wire mesh, are whirled around heads and limbs in the Hogmanay procession. At midnight the fireballs are hurled into the sea, a survival of an earlier custom of offering alcohol, food and coins to the sea gods. The Flambeaux festival in Tayside in Scotland involves birch poles, topped with blazing hessian sacking, which are hurled to make a fire at midnight. In an earlier version, participants were dressed as animals as part of the old animal purifying/fertility ceremonies. Dressing up as animals on New Year’s Eve, especially bulls and goats, has links with the old Horned God fertility worship. The mediaeval Christian Church so disapproved of such antics that it decreed a three-year fasting penance for those who indulged in them, although in remote areas until the end of this century, the parson might well have joined in. Bell ringing, the sounding of hooters, cannon fire, fireworks and in more recent times car horns at midnight goes back to the primitive belief that malevolent spirits assembled at celebrations, especially at transitions in the year. The noise drove them away. First Footing In places influenced by Celtic, Scandinavian and Teutonic customs, all the doors of a dwelling are opened just before midnight by the head of the household to let out the bad luck and then closed. A dark-haired man, representing the New Year knocks at the front door on midnight. When the First Footer is admitted by the head of the house, he offers bread to ensure food for the household all year, a piece of coal for warmth and a coin for prosperity. He then leaves by the back door without speaking and re-enters the front to a chorus of ‘Happy New Year’. There are many variations of this ceremony. In Dundee and other fishing communities in Scotland a herring is given to the First Footer. An older Scottish First Footing also goes back to the Horned God ceremonies. A young man, covered in a cow hide runs round the outside of the house, while his fellow revellers bang sticks on the walls. On being granted entry to the house, the leader of the bovine revellers chants: ‘May Hogmagog bless the house and all that belongs to it cattle, kin and timbers. In meat, clothes and health of all therein, may fortune abound.’ New Year Rituals Cleansing Rituals All cultures use water and sometimes fire to purify homes for the New Year. In the Highlands of Scotland, it is said that you should drink from a dead and living ford, one over which funeral parties pass, and sprinkle it around your home without dropping the cup. All exits are sealed and juniper berries are burned till everyone is coughing heartily. The home is thereby purified for the coming year by fire and water. Good fortune will then follow. Deflowering wells The first water drawn from a well on New Year’s Morning will bring great fortune and happiness. The person who gets the ‘cream of the well’ sprinkles hay or petals on the surface to let others know the well has been deflowered. Divine Food It is believed that it is especially lucky to eat cheese on New Year’s Eve, particularly the pungent type saved from Christmas. In Scotland it is eaten with gift cakes, a literal translation of Hogmanay from the Norman French, for a triangular oat or shortbread biscuit. Plough Monday In the Northern Magical tradition, Plough Monday was the first Monday after Twelfth Night. It goes back to the Norse and Teutonic traditions and involves a decked and beribboned plough led by an old woman, called Bessie, a form of the Celtic Callieach Bheur, the old Goddess of Winter. She represents the hag aspect of Mother Earth who in Spring will become the Maiden Goddess. In England, the Morris Men would perform sword dances in the fields to mark the death of the old year and the fertilization of the fields. The day was also called Distaff Day because it marked the occasion when women took up their spinning and weaving once more. Their distaffs were decorated with scarlet ribbons in honour of Frigg, the Norse Mother Goddess who was patroness of housewives. Walking Stones and Fairies Standing stones are believed to have the power to move on New Year’s Eve and Day. The Rollright Stones in Oxfordshire in England are said to drink, move and eat at midnight on New Year while in Scotland the Stone of Quoyboyne walks to the nearby Loch of Boardhouse. It is said that if mortals watch the moving stones, they will be spirited away forever, for standing stones are doorways to other fairy worlds. Wassailing the Apples The wassailing of apples took place on the eve of Twelfth Night and is still practised in different forms all over the world. Cider was poured over the trees in orchards and the trees beaten with sticks to awake the sleeping fertility of the tree. A wassail bowl, made of apple wood, was carried by revellers from door to door to drink the health of the householders and bring luck to their homes. Wass-hail means good health. Beehives and barns were also wassailed and in later times guns were fired at the trees to encourage growth. New Year Superstitions
New Year Divination Whenever New Year is celebrated, it is traditionally powerful for divination, especially at midnight on New Year’s Eve as the dimensions part. Candle Wax or Egg Divination This can be used for seeing whether New Year Resolutions bear fruit or for predicting whether hopes for the coming year will be realised. Either light a pure white candle at midnight on New Year’s Eve and let the wax drip into cold water or prick a hole in the first egg laid on New Year’s Eve and let the egg white trickle into very hot water. Another traditional method is to melt tin over a flame and cast it into a bucket of cold water. As you let the wax fall, think of any New Year Resolution you have made and ask what the New Year will bring. The wax, tin or egg white will form a shape or perhaps two or three and answer your question. For example, a boat or plane might suggest that you would have to travel far to achieve your ambition, a baby that there may be an unexpected arrival in the family that may change your plans. Below are listed thirty shapes that might answer your questions about the next twelve months. If your picture is not listed, trust the first image or words that may come into your mind. The meanings I offer are just one way the images have been interpreted for New Year Magic. Follow your own intuitions. An apple: your venture will bear fruit, especially if connected with love. An axe: you will need to fight for what you want and clear a lot of dead wood. A baby: an unexpected new arrival in your immediate circle may change plans. A bear: you will meet someone who will use his or her strength to help you. A boat: you may find happiness overseas. A broom: you will be preoccupied with domestic affairs. A cat: you will find an independent side to your nature. A coin: new ventures will bring prosperity. A church: matters of the spirit will be at the fore. A cloud: any problems will be temporary. A crown: you will be meeting important people who can further your plans. A dog: old friends will be loyal to you in any difficulties. A dome: you may get an opportunity to visit exotic places. An eagle: you will fulfil your ambitions if you aim high. A flag: you will have reason to celebrate a victory. A fox: beware of false friends. A gate: you can overcome any barriers in your way. A goose: take notice of any warnings you are given. A heart: a friendship may develop into love. A horseshoe: unexpected luck may help you to succeed A house: a house move may be imminent. A kite: you will get the freedom to follow your dreams. A lion: if you keep your courage, you will succeed beyond your dreams. A mouse: pay attention to detail and you will win through. A nest: you will achieve material security. A nut: a small scheme will grow and flourish, especially concerning money. A plane: you may travel a long way from home to find happiness. A rose: new love and perhaps a permanent relationship may follow. A snail: says that success will come slowly but you will reach your goal if you are patient. Naming Your True Love Wait until the turning of the year and use a small bible and your door key. Find the Songs of Solomon Chapter 8, verses 6 and 7 and recite the words: ‘Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm, for love is as strong as death. ‘Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man would give all the substance of his house for love, he would be contented.’ Place the key at the appropriate section while you write the letters of the alphabet, shuffle and place them face down in a circle at random. Remove the key, place the open Bible in the centre of the circle and tie the key on to a long red ribbon. Holding the ribbon with your wedding ring finger, walk around the circle clockwise. The key will swing on the chain. Continue walking round and round until the key remains still over one of the letters. The letter to which the key is pointing is the initial of the first name of your true love. To find the initial of the surname of your love, collect the letters once more, shuffle them and replace face down in the circle. Recite the verses again then hold the key over each letter in turn until the key stops swinging. You will find that it stops quite definitely over one letter each time. Replace the key in the Bible, tie it with the ribbon and place it next to your bed. You will dream of your love and he or she will reveal the full name. HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010
Now, back to the main homepage text....... One of the main purposes of this website is to provide information on a variety of topics connected with spirituality, magick, mythology, healing, ancient cultures and the paranormal.
My personal aim is to make as much information as possible freely available as it is important to me that everyone should have access to it, regardless of financial status. In our modern world I hope to be able to make a difference to individuals. There are many pages on this site - I hope you do not find navigation difficult. If you get lost go to the SITE MAP I do charge for certain things, like readings and spells and counselling simply because of the amount of time they take. NEW: CREDIT CRUNCH MAGICK A one part home-study course for £5 You may also like my NEW PROSPERITY MAGICK CD Click magick & healing to access my free information on a variety of subjects. Work with each month's energies by visiting Wheel of the Year pages where you will discover seasonal rituals for the current fire festivals, equinox or solstices. See the site index for a very easy to navigate index of all the pages on this site. Alternatively click on any of the main headings at the top of this page, to go to the "index page" for each subject. If you are new to this site or have only just heard about me, read the testimonials; they have all been sent in without prompting. They make me feel that what I do is worthwhile and thank you to all who have expressed your feelings and sent in your kind comments. Also read About Me to see how I got to where I am today.... the leading author on psychic development, angels and many other subjects. I am are constantly updating the website to add new research and discoveries. I also try hard to answer all your emails but sometimes I am sorry to say you have to wait for an answer as I am often away travelling and in some places I cannot pick up emails until I get home. For this reason, I will soon be setting up a FORUM where your questions may get answered a bit quicker (you may find that others have posed the same questions). Your emails are important to me and it is lack of time and not interest that makes me especially slow to reply. READINGS & SPELLS: If you order a reading, spell or past life I try always to do these as fast as possible. However I want to answer your questions as best as I can and devote to you all the uninterrupted time and energy your reading deserves and this can take time. Unless I let you know there is a problem with my schedule and ask if it is OK I will almost always send the reading within 14 days. URGENT READING OR SPELL? If you need a reading or spell urgently perhaps for someone’s special birthday or you have a question about applying for a job that must be answered fast, this is possible. I do, however charge a little extra for this. I do all the readings, spells etc myself. I pick your cards and runes from my sets and write up the reading individually and not from a template. I always promise you total honesty and do not set myself up as a guru or miracle worker. Sometimes no one can understand why the nicest people have bad things happen. I always do my best whether answering an email, doing a reading or casting a spell to offer help of the highest standard. Occasionally people have been disappointed even though I have sent them a number of emails trying to help. This is because they have asked the impossible or have not felt able to make suggested changes necessary to move their lives forward. My own life has not been easy and so I totally sympathise with people struggling. But not even the most powerful witch in the world (and I certainly do not claim any special titles) can turn a faithless or abusive partner who is hell bent on destruction into a knight in shining armour; or the most powerful spell in the cosmos deliver a million pounds by return of post. Magic works within the everyday world and within realistic limitations but it can make that everyday world better and sometimes bring about wonderful changes and opportunities. Equally, as Reiki master teacher and a Druidess, I will send healing if asked but I do not promise cures, only energies that may bring some relief in the best way for the sick person and I ask the angels of the person who is suffering, to bring self healing again in the way and time most helpful.
If you are new to this site (and me) you may find reading the Testimonials page helpful.
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Counselling and Psychic Life Coaching Courses - Online courses on Angels, Magick, Credit Crunch Magick Magick & Divination A vast array of pages on a wide variety of subjects, such as Psychic Development and much more Wheel of the year - 12 pages to take you through the years festivals, rituals and celebrations. Healing Crystals, Herbs, Flowers and Trees A series of articles on healing; natures gifts. Products available on this site and made especially (and uniquely for it). Testimonials Read what others have to say about me My Books available for ordering online through Amazon or direct from the publisher Gift Vouchers you can buy vouchers to send to anyone and they can redeem it (or them) against any product or service directly available through this site (not books as they get sold through third party sites such as Amazon). Its a great way to "club together" for a special gift for a loved one from all the family. FAQs: Often questions I receive by email are about subjects of interest to many people. Therefore, I have included a selection of the most asked questions, so check through before writing as your answer may already be here. Links Page On this page I link to other sites that have products or services that you may find useful.
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