Sextiles, and Lions and Gates, OH MY!!!

The Grand Sextile, also known as the Lionsgate is a big conversation right now. The Moon and planets and whatnot aligning for a 12 hour or so window in such a way where it creates the six-pointed star also known as the Star of David. There are lots and lots of blogs about positive energy and transition, manifestation and realization of goals, and the just all around good vibrations aspect like it is sort of a nice, fluffy astrological Disney trip. Yay (note sarcasm).

There is another side of this for those who are sensitive to big energy shifts, especially when those energy shifts involve “gates” or portals or anything shiny like that. This side is not nice or wonderful or positively warm and fuzzy at all.

For those of us who are way sensitive to these things, there is the manic building of energy where you feel like you cannot ground enough, like your soul is set to vibrating more violently than a cheap motel bed. Violent mood swings, manic shifts, strange swings in your thought processes that make you question just everything in your universe. And then there is the gate itself.

For those who are sensitive to spirits, angels and just any sort of ethereal being, this is not fun. This is like someone yelled “house party!! Free booze” in the middle of a full college stadium. Pandemonium of an epic sort of thing. And for those of us who have been busy and have been neglectful of keeping control of the energy of their space and maintaining the proper shields and whatnot (sheepishly raises irresponsible hand), it becomes like a sort of a cross between Rockfest and a bad acid trip.

I am not writing this in criticism of anyone who is enjoying the shininess of the whole event. And it is a cool, once in a lifetime sort of an event, the alignment of astrological bodies into the symbol that represents Spirit, and the Sacred Union of the Masculine and Feminine Divine energies. For the person who has been paying attention to this coming and have made all the right plans, and has the proper skill and mind set, there could be some very cool things done during this window, epic world changing pieces of magic that legends are made of. 

I am writing so that the other people who feel like freaks because they are not enjoying this festive event don’t feel quite so alone. You aren’t. I am sitting here even as I write this just going out of my skull. Grounding, grounding, grounding and grounding, and not getting much relief. I am refraining from making huge, life altering decisions or operating heavy machinery. It would probably be an awesome time to sketch or paint, except that I can’t keep my hand steady enough at the moment to hold a pencil or a brush (typing is challenging enough). But, I am holding, somehow, by just sheer will, and writing this so that somewhere in the cosmos of the world wide web, it reaches someone who now feels a little less like the lone lunatic. You are not. I am here, my friend, bouncing off the walls right there with you. Hang in there.

Blessings,

Urban Crone... 

The Witch Bag...

One of the most versatile magical objects is a simple bag. These have an incredibly long history. For as far back as people existed, they always found a way to create some sort of bag. These took on new meanings when people started placing sacred, magically charged items into them, sometimes referred to as a medicine or gris-gris bag.

An expansion of this is the Witch Bag, a bag carrying specific objects energetically charged for a single purpose. This is a tried and true piece of Witchcraft that cannot be any easier or cheaper to construct and use.

The purpose of your Witch bag can be anything, including:

Fertility

Prosperity/luck

Emotional healing

Enhance communication/cooperation

Protection

The uses for a Witch bag are really only limited by your imagination and resources.  Witch bags are basically Amulets or Talismans, depending on the purpose. Amulets repel certain types of energy away from you, whereas Talismans attract certain types of energy to you. When you create a Witch bag, this is basically what you are doing.

The Bag:

The bag itself should really be no bigger than a deck of playing cards. Anything bigger really isn’t necessary because you aren’t going to be loading it down with a ton of items. You can buy a bag or sew your own. There really is no hard and fast rule about this, though bags you sew yourself do contain more of your own energy. The color of the bag can be something plain like white or earth tone, or a color that best represents the purpose of the bag. For example, a bag created for prosperity/luck would be best suited in green, whereas a bag created for protection would do well as black. Fertility can be either green or brown since both of these are associated with the Earth and growing things.

The bags can also have symbols on them. The bag I carry for protection has a pentacle on it. You can find bags with symbols on them, or you can paint them on yourself using a paint marker.

Clear Intentions:

Once you have obtained your bag, you will need to make sure you have a clear intent in mind for it. Your purpose for your bag should be very specific. For example, you are making a bag because you need $500. If you are not specific as to when you need it by, you may spend the rest of your life picking up nickels. The purpose is successful, just not how you wanted it. So, the more specific you are, wanting $500 for a trip that has to be paid for in full by August 8^th, the more likely you will get what you need.

Contents:

Your purpose will also dictate what you put into the Witch bag. I am a big fan of the rule of three. It keeps my magic from becoming complicated and cluttered. The three types of things I generally stick to are Crystals, Herbs/Oils and some sort of Token.

The type of Crystal will greatly depend on the purpose of the bag. For prosperity, crystals such as Citrine, Moss Agate, Aventurine and Flourite are incredibly useful. Bags created for emotional healing should contain crystals such as Rose Quartz and Blue Lace Agate, which is also useful for bags created to enhance communication. I have Blue Lace Agate in a bag along with Aventurine, Flourite and Amethyst that I use to enhance psychic energy for readings. All bags, regardless of the purpose, should also have a clear crystal point as an energetic amplifier of sorts, to help draw the energy out of the other crystals.

Herbs and/or Oils/Resins are also things that should be in your bag. They should actually be placed within a smaller bag then that bag placed in your Witch bag so they are getting all over the place. Herbs such as Mugwort, Agrimony, and Sage are good for bags designed to ward off negative intentions. Cinnamon and Clove in their whole states are perfect for bags created for prosperity as that is the energy they hold. The herbs you use should be dry to prevent molds. Oils and resins should be used very sparingly as well since they will often react to the other objects in the bag. I usually just put a drop or two of whatever oil I am using on the other herbs I am placing in the bag, and let them air dry for a little bit so things aren’t so slimy.

The final objects you will place in your Witch bag will be some sort of token representing the outcome you are desiring. Tokens can be fancy coins or 4-leaf clovers to bring luck and prosperity. Animal totems or symbols of protective Gods and Goddesses can be used in bags created for protection. For fertility, a representation of a fertility Goddess or a phallic symbol is the perfect token.

 

You can also include symbols and sigils if you have an understanding on how to use them. For example, the rune Fehu can be used as a prosperity symbol. Several runes can be overlaid to create a sigil for protection. This can be written on a stone using paint or even on a piece of fabric or paper and placed in your Witch bag. Again, if you have an understanding on how to use symbols and sigils, they can be an asset to enhance the energy of your bag.

Whatever you choose to put in your Witch bag, you need to do the research to find out what will work best for you. Just a few of each type of item will due to create the right energy for your bag.

Cleansing:

Once you gather all of your items for your Witch bag, you will need to cleanse everything, including the bag, but except the Herbs. Herbs are considered pure energy forms and really do not require any cleansing, unless you were growing them in your bathroom or sock drawer or someplace bizarre. The items can be cleansed in several ways:

Smudging: Sage or Cedar will cleanse the energy of whatever you are using, causing no harm to the items.

Moon light: Moon light is the most gentle and causes the least amount of harm. Place items in the light of the full moon for an hour or so and the objects will be cleansed.

Sunlight: If you are in a rush, items can be placed in direct sunlight for 30 minutes and be cleansed. Keep in mind that certain stones such as Amethyst, Citrine and Flourite react badly to excessive sunlight, so no more than 30 minutes.

Please note that if you are using a token that carries the energy of someone specific, and you want to retain that energy, you should pass on cleansing it.

Once everything, including the bag, is cleansed, you are ready to construct the Witch Bag.  

Construction and Consecration:

Whether you choose to call the quarters and pull up a full magic circle, or you like to keep things simple, the construction and consecration is exactly the same:

1.     Place all the items in the bag and close the bag.

2.     Hold the bag in both hands, or just your power hand (your dominant hand/hand you write with).

3.     Visualize not only the purpose of the bag, but the outcome. Hold that image in your mind. This is the energy of your intent/purpose for the bag so really build up and focus it into an energy ball in your mind, sitting at the top of your head.

4.     Move that energy down through your head, neck, across the shoulder of your power hand, down the arm of your power hand, through your power hand and into the bag.

5.     Keep focused on that energy for a while, visualizing your purpose fulfilled. Feel that energy pulsating in the bag.

6.     Set the bag aside and be sure to ground any excess energy you may be experiencing.

There, you Witch bag is now ready to do whatever it is that you have programmed it to do. Here are a few rules so that all your hard work does not go to waste:

1.     Do not let others handle your bag.

2.     Do not let others open your bag.

3.     Do not open your bag or take any items out of your bag

4.     You may add an item to your bag by consecrating that specific item in the manner laid out above.

Destroying a Bag:

When your purpose has been fulfilled, the job of the Witch bag is done. At this point, all that is left is to destroy the bag. This can be done by digging a hole and empty the contents of the bag into the hole. Toss the bag in and then fill the hole in. You can also dump the contents in a river or deep, fast moving stream, and then toss the bag in.

If you use a token that is very valuable to you, or an expensive crystal that you can’t part with, you can cleanse these items in the manner that I have spoken of. That should remove any residual energy you put into it and make it safe to have around.

Blessings and good luck!!