Link: Bags....

Read all about it here:  http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/2153

Personally I believe that personal gain is out but using these bags for protection etc is a great idea.  Look at the idea and not the gain side of the article...  people have used them for centuaries.

Extract:

Prosperity's in the Bag: Using Gris Gris to Attract Financial Gain

This article was written by Jude Bradley and Cheré Dastugue Coen
posted under Pagan

Cultures worldwide have long incorporated small bags containing herbs, stones, and other sacred items as part of their belief systems, whether to ward off evil, protect them while traveling, or to attract positive elements into their lives. Egyptians carried amulets for protection and included them in their burial rituals. Native Americans wore medicine bags filled with healing herbs as well as protection items. African Americans collected “sticks, stones, roots and bones” inside flannel bags and called them “mojo” or “gris gris” bags, carried for protection, luck in business, or to ward off evil, among so many other uses. Whatever you call these bags—mojo, gris gris, conjuring bags, lucky hands, or spell sachets—they provide a useful instrument in collecting nature’s bounty to bring about spells and intentions. Gris gris bags are, in essence, a prayer or magical spell you can carry around with you that serves as a reminder of your intention. “The gris gris bag, as with any other talisman or amulet, acts as a psycho-spiritual support; it implies faith,” writes Ray T. Malbrough in Charms, Spells and Formulas, For the Making and Use of Gris-Gris, Herb Candles, Doll Magick, Incenses, Oils and Powders…To Gain Love, Protection, Prosperity, Luck and Prophetic Dreams. “It serves to intensify the faith in yourself that through the help of the gris gris bag you will obtain this or receive that.” Attracting prosperity is a good example. To create a prosperity gris gris bag, either purchase or create a green bag that will hold an odd number of herbs, stones, and items that represent prosperity to you. The size of the bag doesn’t matter, as long as you find it appropriate for the ingredients you wish to include. The best time to create a prosperity gris gris is during a waxing moon, which indicates growth. If your prosperity wishes are linked to the beginning of a project, new job, or new career, a new moon is best, representing the start of a fresh lunar cycle. The day of the week linked to good fortune and prosperity is Thursday, so a Thursday during the new or waxing moon makes for an ideal gris gris creation environment. The list of money attracting herbs is extensive: angelica root, ash, basil, bay laurel, birch, blackberry, black-eyed peas, camellia, cedar, chamomile, cinquefoil, four-leaf and five-leaf clover, cloves, comfrey, dandelion, dill seeds, Echinacea, fenugreek, ferns, fig, ginger, High John the Conqueror root, lucky hand root, mandrake, mint, mojo beans, moss, myrtle, nutmeg, oak, orange, palm, pecan, pine, rice, sage, and vervain. One of the things we encourage people to incorporate into their bags are herbs that resemble money. For instance, on January first, Southerners enjoy Hoppin’ John, a dish of black-eyed peas and rice accompanied by greens (kale, chard, mustard greens, turnip greens), in the belief that this will attract prosperity in the coming year. The greens match the color of money and the peas resemble coins, and a hot slice of cornbread makes it all taste good together. Southern sayings for New Year’s Day include, “Peas for pennies, greens for dollars, and cornbread for gold,” and “Eat poor on New Year, and eat fat the rest of the year.” You can use these same ideas when creating a prosperity gris gris bag. Items to put in your bag that resemble money include large basil leaves, black-eyed peas, dill seeds, mojo or fava beans and pecans, and of course you can add green stones such as emeralds, green aventurine, green jade, or malachite for the same reason. Some stones, metals, and shells containing a history of attracting prosperity include: citrine, clam shell, emerald, garnet, green aventurine, green jade, green tourmaline, gold, lodestone, opal, magnetic sand, malachite, peridot, pyrite, ruby, sand dollar, staurolite, tiger’s eye, and vanadinite. We also love to include items such as actual coins and dollar bills, a rabbit’s foot, or the amount of money needed written on a piece of paper. Magnets, magnetic sand, and a small mirror or a piece of a mirror amplifies the money drawing power. Once you have assembled your ingredients, find a calm and sacred space to create your bag. From a beloved altar to a well-used kitchen table, the space should speak more to your comfort level so that your loving energy comes through. Light a candle that matches your intention, such as a green candle to represent the easy flow of money. While one or more candles may be used, we suggest using three candles—a white candle as the universal color of protection, a black candle to offer acknowledgment and appreciation of the role dark energy plays in the balance of the universe and in spell creation, and a candle to match your intention. As you light your candle(s) you may ask for blessings in the creation of your bag. Place your ingredients within the bag, making sure that only an odd number of ingredients are included. You may read aloud your intention from a prepared speech or incorporate a chant that relates to your intention. These can be as simple as “I assemble these herbs and stones and ask for prosperity” or as elaborate as “Mother Earth, Father Sky, Goddess, and universal spirits, grant me the means to live a healthy, prosperous life so that my family will never want, my work can continue and blossom, and stress will be alleviated from this household.” If you prefer to be silent, visualize yourself as prosperous and happy, always knowing for certain that your gris gris bag will produce. Prosperity can be a catch-all, encompassing wealth, success, and good fortune, so focus clearly on what prosperity means to you as you create your bag. Imagine, in your world, how your success will manifest and be recognized, and embrace the feelings that will come with it. Your gris gris bag is now complete. Place it where you may look upon it easily, enjoy its aromatic earthly scents, and remind you daily that prosperity is on the way. For indeed, it is! RELATED PRODUCTS Magic's in the Bag Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags & Sachets Jude Bradley, Cheré Dastugue Coen $18.95 | Add to Cart Sticks, Stones, Roots & Bones Hoodoo, Mojo & Conjuring with Herbs Stephanie Rose Bird $17.95 $12.57 On Sale! | Add to Cart

Link: Lovespells....

Read the whole article on here:  http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/1466?utm_source=emagazine&utm_medium=email&utm_content=february2011&utm_campaign=LEM0211

EXTRACT: 

Love Spell to Find Your Soul Connection

This article was written by Ileana Abrev
posted under Pagan

Once in every lifetime we meet a very special person and with that person we make an indescribable connection, a connection so strong that it draws you together. You can't possibly imagine your life without that person. This connection is the recognition of souls who have shared numerous lifetimes and have learned and grown spiritually together. With this spell you will find and keep that connection. You will need: 1 bag of pink cotton balls 1 white candle 1 decanter of fresh water 1 bowl of soil On Wednesday night go out into your backyard when the full moon is out. Make sure there is no wind. Then, make a large semi-circle around you with the pink cotton balls, and as you do this have visions of the soul who you know is your soul mate. After you have done this, stay in the center of the love circle you have just created. In the middle of the circle and at your feet dig a small, deep enough to keep your candle balanced, then light it and say: "Light of day, light of night Search for my soul mate in the flames of this candle this night." Then, let water from the decanter spill on the ground four tiems, each time saying: "Across the seas find the one that is also looking for me." Now, grab a handful of dirt. Let the dirt spill on the ground four times, each time saying: "Across land, deserts, and mountains, find my soul mate." Once you've finished, sit on the ground with the candle burning just in front of you. Close your eyes and visualize yourself as a bird flying over mountains, water, and land looking for your soul mate, who will soon come to light. from White Spells for Love, by Ileana Abrev

Ileana Abrev Originally from Cuba, Ileana Abrev now lives in Sydney, Australia, where she is the manager of three well-known retail outlets. She has built a reputation for herself as a respected white witch among her customers and clients. With knowledge passed down...  Read more

Happiness....

Read all about it here:  http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/2167

How to Create Your Own Happiness

This article was written by Andy Baggott
posted under Self-Help

"In what kind of world do you live?" Ask this question to two people living in the same area and you will most likely get two very contrasting answers. One might see their environment as a rich tapestry of endless opportunity while the other could as easily see the same environment as dark and threatening. What’s more, both perspectives might be correct, with both realities occurring in the same space and time. This is because our eyes take in far more information than our brains can interpret, which means that we have to ignore more than 99% of what is going on around us. "If you tried to analyse every little thing that’s happening to you, you wouldn’t make it across the room when you get up in the morning," says Professor Richard Wiseman, a psychologist at the University of Hertfordshire. However, what we choose to focus on directly affects our perception of reality. We actually construct our vision of reality through guesswork and assumption. Look at any picture and your brain will lock onto certain key features within that picture and then fill in the blanks by either guessing or assuming what the overall picture might be. This way of processing information means that two people can look at the same picture but see radically different images. In the late 19th century, American psychologist Joseph Jastrow demonstrated this fact with an optical illusion called "rabbit-duck" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Duck-Rabbit_illusion.jpg). The picture resembles either a duck or a rabbit depending on how your brain interprets it. Richard Wiseman is one of a number of scientists studying how our brains interpret reality; when he showed test subjects the rabbit-duck image he made an interesting discovery. Some subjects could only see the rabbit while others could only see the duck. However, a small proportion of subjects could see both. Further psychological tests showed that this latter group also tended to be made up of the most creative individuals. Wiseman says, "They can’t stop flipping between the two images. Because what they’re doing is continuously reorganising the stimuli in their minds, they turn out to be far more creative people." It seems that creativity activates our ability to see more than one perspective, which in turn gives us the power to choose what we want our brains to tune in to. Creativity is a consciousness expanding tool that opens our minds to an array of possibilities. If you want to create any kind of positive change in your life, you have to imagine it first. Imagination creates an alternate reality from the one we currently perceive and when we hold an image of improvement and expansion in our minds, we begin to see more than one perspective at the same time. We see life as it is while at the same time seeing how it could be. Like the creative subjects in the rabbit-duck experiment, our brains continually flip between the two interpretations. All we have to do is choose the one that feels best and we will find an immediate improvement in how we are feeling. In this way we can bring about an instant change to our reality. Another key factor in how we perceive the world around us is found in the type of narrative we use to comment on what we see. Contrary to being a sign of madness, talking to yourself is a vital part of how you interpret the world around you. What kind of story do you tell yourself? Is it one filled with hope or dread? It was once thought that the primary use of language was for communication between individuals, but recent studies show that the vast majority of the language we use is internal. According to Lera Boroditsky of Stanford University in California, "On average, 70% of our total verbal experience is in our head." Furthermore, it appears that our internal dialogue has a direct affect on what our brains tune in to. Gabriella Vigliocco of the University College London conducted an experiment where volunteers sat in front of a display of one thousand dots, each of which was moving either randomly or vertically. She found that when volunteers heard verbs associated with the predominant movement of the dots, such as "rise" or "climb," they were more likely to correctly detect the direction of motion. Conversely, hearing the opposite word to the predominant motion made volunteers less likely to detect the movement. Similarly, Gary Lupyan of the University of Wisconsin at Madison and Emily Ward of Yale University showed test subjects a picture of an object, such as a vegetable, in one eye and a mass of random scribbles in the other eye to test whether the scribbles would mask perception. The images were shown for six seconds, during which time some subjects also heard the name of the object, some heard the name of a different object, and the remainder heard nothing. Those subjects who heard nothing on average correctly identified the object 80% of the time. Those who heard the actual name of the object had an 85% success rate, while those who heard an incorrect name only identified the object correctly 75% of the time. We tend to find it easier to spot the kinds of things our conscious minds are thinking about, whether it is an object or an emotion. When our internal dialogue is predominantly fear-based (e.g. worrying about the possibility of illness, poverty, or sadness), we tend to view the world as filled with potential threats to our happiness. Conversely, when our internal dialogue is predominantly joy based (e.g. actively focusing on those things that make us feel good), we perceive a world filled with a rich array of possibilities to further expand those good feelings. Quite simply, if you focus on sadness you will see many things in life to further make you sad, but equally and oppositely, if your predominant focus is on being happy, you will see an endless stream of opportunities to expand your joy. This is why affirmations can be so powerful. By repeating a positive word or phrase to yourself, you set your brain to focus on things that match those positive thoughts. Many of the ideas I share in my book Blissology: The Art and Science of Happiness revolve around activating our imaginations to consciously create an internal dialogue that is predominantly positive and expansive. For in doing so we open our eyes and minds to seeing the best in everything and everyone, and are able to take full advantage of every opportunity for improvement. There is joy to be found in every situation and circumstance. It is right before our eyes if we can just tune in, feel it, and see it. If there is any area of your life that causes you stress or sadness, the key to transforming it always lies first in imagining it the way you would like it to be rather than how it is. When we focus on what is, we will naturally tend to attract the perpetuation of that situation. However, when we focus on what could be, we open a doorway into new possibilities where we get to choose a different way of perceiving and being, where we tell a new story. This is fundamental to changing your reality and creating a life that continually feels good to you. It is possible to have a bliss-filled life that consistently provides you with experiences to further expand your happiness. If we dare to dream of a better life and remind ourselves daily of that dream, there is no situation we cannot change and no end to the improvement we can experience. Sources: New Scientist Vol 207 No 2776 (4 September 2010) BBC Focus Magazine No 222 (November 2010)

Link: Ghosts....

Here is an article I found today:  http://www.llewellyn.com/_theme/eblasts/emagazine/html_archive/llewellyn_feb_2011.html

Extract:

Ghosts or Demons?

This article was written by Rich Newman
posted under Paranormal Phenomena

If you hunt ghosts long enough, you’ll eventually run into this situation: a client who believes his or her home is under demonic assault. It’s always a tricky situation, and it’s always difficult to bring a resolution to these cases. More often than not, what you will be dealing with is a simple haunting—though this may not be evident at first look. You will have to go past the religious leanings, the paranoia, and (possibly) the hysteria that’s typically clouding an otherwise manageable case. So, why do people often believe they are experiencing demonic infestation? Well, there are a couple reasons for this. The first is often the religious beliefs of the household. If the clients attend a church that promotes the idea of active demons, demonic possession, and infestation (or attended such a place in their youth), they will often be quick to jump to the conclusion that they are under just such an assault. Another key factor is the overall fear level of the household. Not everyone is as thrilled as ghost hunters at the prospect of encountering a spirit! If the clients are afraid of what’s happening in their home, they can often come to think of these occurrences as a kind of negative activity. For instance, a door slamming is now done "in anger" rather than it, perhaps, being the simple act of an entity to get some attention. Nine times out of ten, once you remove the fear factor from a household, you will then be able to help the inhabitants understand the benign nature of what is occurring around them and to bring about a resolution to their haunting. Interestingly, though, there are a few key concepts that come from the "demonic infestation" theory that deserve a closer look. Famed Roman Catholic exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth has stated on more than one occasion that he believes all ghosts to actually be demons that are attempting to gain the confidence of the afflicted—with the intent of eventually possessing that person (you can read about this in his book, An Exorcist Tells His Story). Let’s say, just for the sake of argument, that this is the case. It would certainly illuminate several unique situations that involve some hauntings: Ghosts being in multiple places. Since investigators believe that spirits are often attached to a specific property because of environmental factors (such as the presence of limestone, nearby water source, etc.), there has never been a good explanation as to why some ghosts are seen in multiple places. The spirit of Abraham Lincoln is just such a ghost. Clearly, there is only one Abraham Lincoln. So who are the other spirits? Imposters? If each of these haunts is being visited by a demon pretending to be Abraham Lincoln, it would certainly explain the multiple appearances of the former president. Why do ghosts only haunt certain places? Not every place that has experienced a death is haunted. This implies that there has to be some sort of factor involved with the afterlife that causes some spirits to stick around while others do not. Is it choice? Paranormal investigators believe that many spirits choose to stay because they are in an environment that they love—but, clearly, many also stay in environments of horrible trauma, or where vicious acts have occurred, and where people have even experienced heartbreak and loss. If ghosts are demons, this situation becomes clearer: spirits do not linger after death. All these "ghosts" are simply demons pretending to be the living—and these beings would clearly thrive in an environment that’s seen a lot of terrible things. The Philip Experiment. During the 1970s, a group of Canadian parapsychologists decided to invent a ghost. They chose a non-haunted location, made up a name/age/background for their fake spirit, and proceeded to perform a typical paranormal investigation. Imagine their surprise when, after a few days of work, they started getting activity in the place—including communications from an entity that corroborated the Philip back story by pretending to be him. Was a ghost manufactured from nothing? Of course not. Was it a demon lying to the investigators in an attempt to interact more with them? Hmm… Haunted people. We’ve all seen the movies and heard the stories: some people seem to be afflicted their entire lives by spirits (wherever they go), while others never encounter such a thing. Why? If we are to believe Father Amorth, it could have everything to do with the fact that these people are "obsessing" or "paying attention" to those of the otherworld. This is said to be one of the steps of possession, along with "invitation" and "infestation." And it goes to reason that these same people would spend more time dwelling on the subject of ghosts than those who had never seen one. This all supports the progression of invitation, infestation, obsession, and possession. Why do ghosts wear clothes? This is usually followed closely by, "Why do ghosts appear as one certain age—one that’s often not the last age they attained?" For most ghost hunters, there are simply no logical answers to these questions other than "they can appear however they want to." If, however, ghosts are demons purposely attempting to appear to us in a way we will accept them, the answer becomes clear: it’s all a charade in an attempt to get us to interact with them. So, do I believe that all ghosts are in reality demons? Not at all. I’ve now written two books for Llewellyn Publishing on ghosts and ghost hunting (The Ghost Hunter’s Field Guide and Ghost Hunting for Beginners, which will hit shelves September 2011)—not demons and demon hunting! But I do believe it is important that paranormal investigators keep an open mind. After all, until we have scientifically explained exactly how and why ghosts exist, all theories are still open for discussion. Does this mean that we all need to take a lesson in exorcism from Father Amorth? I’d have to vote "no" on this as well. Let’s leave the religious rituals to those who specialize in such things and concentrate on performing a sound paranormal investigation. As I stated before, most instances of demonic infestation usually pan out to be hauntings. Of course there’s nothing wrong with wearing a cross or other religious medal while investigating either…

Interview with Rich Newman

An Interview with Author Rich Newman

View Author's Profile

1. Your new book is titled The Ghost Hunter’s Field Guide. What initially drew you to ghost hunting and the paranormal?

When I was a teenager, I briefly lived in a home in Missouri that had a strange and subtle haunting; every night my bedroom closet door would open by itself. You could actually hear the door knob jiggle, then turn, and the door would swing up with a long groan. Though it didn’t happen at the same time each night, it never failed to occur. But nothing else happened in the entire home! The mystery of investigating the ongoing activity and trying to uncover why it was happening was my initial draw to the paranormal.
2. In recent years there has been a spate of ghost hunting shows on television. Do the investigators on these shows do the field of ghost hunting justice?

That’s a tough question. Not every investigator agrees on (or uses) the same types of ghost hunting techniques—though these days there’s probably a program that appeals to every style of ghost hunter. I believe that the actual investigators on the shows do their best to stay true to their own style of investigation. If there’s a flaw to the programs, it comes from the producers of the shows. Their need to provide "entertainment" to viewers often causes a lot of disingenuous moments, encourages the exploitation of controversial methods, and creates a lot of misconceptions about how an investigation is often conducted.
3. How does one become a ghost hunter? Are there any recommended "tools?"

For those who are simply interested in the paranormal and want to experience haunted places, there really are no requirements. Grab a copy of The Ghost Hunter's Field Guide, pick a location that’s close by, and go! Your best "tool" in this instance is yourself. Learn how to conduct a silent vigil and stay tuned to what’s going on around you. If you decide this is something you want to keep doing, you can then think about investing in some basic equipment (audio recorder, digital camera, EMF detector, etc.).
4. The Ghost Hunter’s Field Guide includes haunted locations in all fifty states for ghost hunters to visit. Have you personally been to each location?

I wish! Honestly, I don’t know that it would be possible for anybody to visit every location in the book (there are over one thousand) unless they had the time and money to make it a full time vocation…though it sure would be fun trying! I have visited a fair amount of the listed locations, but I have relied on the expertise of numerous other reputable paranormal groups for verification of these hauntings, as well as the locations themselves.
5. Is there any one state or region that you would consider to be more haunted than any other?

Not at all. Over the course of my research, I quickly figured out that some states are better known for their hauntings than others. And, certainly, there’s more available information for some regions versus others. But once I started delving a bit deeper into each state, tales of the paranormal began to surface. Discovering these new ghost stories and learning about each area’s haunts was one of the best parts of writing this book.
6. What advice do you give to those who are just beginning as a ghost hunter?

Don’t believe the hype. Being a successful ghost hunter isn’t about being on television programs, buying an arsenal of gadgets, or even "becoming" a psychic of some sort. It’s about unraveling a mystery through solid research and investigation—and, hopefully, experiencing a bit of the paranormal for yourself. But then, this is all covered in my book Ghost Hunting for Beginners, which is being released by Llewellyn this September...

Thought for the day...

This is a great site for positive thoughts:  http://positive-thoughts.typepad.com/positive-thoughts/2011/01/so-if-youre-waiting-for-tomorrow-why-not-do-it-today.html


EXTRACT:

So if you're waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today?

If I knew it would be the last time, I could spare an extra minute or two to stop and say "I love you," instead of assuming, you would know I do.
For surely there's always tomorrow to make up for an oversight, and we always get a second chance to make everything right.
There will always be another day to say our "I love you's", And certainly there's another chance to say our "Anything I can do's?"
But just in case I might be wrong, and today is all I get, I'd like to say how much I love you and I hope we never forget, Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, young or old alike, And today may be the last chance you get to hold your loved one tight.
So if you're waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes, you'll surely regret the day, That you didn't take that extra time for a smile, a hug, or a kiss and you were too busy to grant someone, what turned out to be their one last wish.
So hold your loved ones close today, whisper in their ear, Tell them how much you love them and that you'll always hold them dear, Take time to say "I'm sorry," "please forgive me," "thank you" or "it's okay".
And if tomorrow never comes, you'll have no regrets about today.

Link: A spell a day.....

Read all about it here:  http://www.llewellyn.com/spell.php?spell_id=4345

EXTRACT:

Create a Sit Spot    (This post was originally written by Abel Gomez on January 26, 2011 )

January 26

Color of the day: Topaz
Incense of the day: Marjoram

Magic is rooted in observation and interaction with the natural world. Sometimes our greatest lessons in magic come from just sitting in nature and opening our eyes to the vast intricacies of nature. Permaculture, an emerging system of ecological design, also observes the patterns of nature through the use of a sit spot. In this area, designers tune in to the patterns and wisdom of nature for deeper understanding of the land they wish to work with. Create your own sit spot today. An outdoor ritual space works great, but if you don’t have one, look for a wild place near your home. Visit this place as much as you can. Allow yourself to be open to all that nature can teach you. Listen. Weave magic in this place. Call to the gods and spirits of the land as your allies. Awaken to your connection to all things.

Moonphases chain

Read all about it on Amulets by Merlin's Blog 

You will love to buy one of these from Merlin!

EXTRACT:

In Astrology, those born under different Lunar phases(Lunation) are said to have specific qualities:

Within the first quarter: (similar to Aries) they will probably prefer to take the initiative and will be ready to look for new interests in life, new people and new ideas.

In the second quarter: (similar to Leo) The person will be locked into their goals and have a strong need to create a legacy. They have a charisma drawing others to them, but instinctively use others rather than help them.

In the Third quarter or Full Moon: (like Libra) The person will need friendships, colleagues and relationships, and will relate well to others; easily able to achieve a balance between want and need. They will either be drawn to highly successful people or achieve success; both with the help of others.

In the third quarter (like Capricorn) they will often have clairvoyant insight and follow hunches rather than be logical; and will finish projects others start; reorganizing and sorting out problems left by others.
Many civilizations have relied on a lunar calender. In China, the ideas are broken down to seven and a half day patterns

First quarter (new): The first quarter symbolizes birth, renewal, sowing and awakening, and is associated with spring.

Second quarter (waxing): The second quarter symbolizes potency, maturity, full growth and development, and is associated with summer.

Third quarter (full): The third quarter symbolizes organization, harvest, collection and storage, and is associated with autumn.

Fourth quarter (waning): The fourth quarter symbolizes completion, conclusion, hibernation and rest, and is associated with winter.

Much is written on the subject and include nodes, mansions or nakshatras, lunation and so on. For those who love Luna in her many aspects, I have created the Moon Phase Chain. Each link is carved front and back with craters representing the lunar surface, each in a phase: full, waxing and waning, gibbous and crescent. I make a variety of sizes from earrings and bracelets to full necklaces and belly chains.

Support a great artist and buy one from Merlin -

"If you would like a Moon Phase chain made for you, please visit Merlins website featuring the Moon Phase Chain as a bracelet or longer as necklaces."