Archangel Gabriel

I have been enjoying this blog and am using it not only to speak my thoughts about things I find that are magickal , but I am also using it to research topics I am interested in.

Today I am learning about the Archangel Gabriel.

While I have some knowledge and use my Angel Cards and love them, I found out some interesting things about this Angel’s personality.

GABRIEL

Is the only Archangel that is shown as female throughout the ages. “The Divine is My Strength.” is Gabriel’s motto.

She is the messenger Angel having brought messages to Elizabeth and Mary about the birth of their sons, John the Baptist and also Jesus in the Bible, among others.

It is said in the testimony of Joan of Arc that it was Gabriel who inspired her to go to the King of France and help lead the army to victory.

Gabriel helps with Communication. So if you are having trouble communicating to anyone, call on this special Archangel to help you clear up matters and make speaking and being understood easier for those involved!

I like her a lot because she is also the Angel of Arts and Music and Writers...

and as a performer and a writer, I can see that I will be calling on her a lot more!

She helps give inspiration, courage and limits your procrastination on projects of creativity!

Gabriel can help you find your true calling, your SOUL PURPOSE.

She can help direct you to communicate to yourself to find your own heart’s desire, your reason for being and your RIGHT PATH.

She can help you with detoxing your body of bad toxins, or by helping you detox your life of Negativity! We all need that from time to time, and we should detox now at Eostre/Easter time anyways. It is the cycle of life to do so now. Gabriel governs the bladder and the kidneys, which are our “FILTER”. So it's time to cleanse and detox those kidneys & bladder!

Here is a Detox Fast that is good for 1 day -10 days. I've done it several times over the years. In cleaning out my liver and kidneys (Gods Bless my Liver! :) it has helped me to minimize my Asthma and to not get sick as often with the viruses that everyone else gets.
Click here to get the recipe/directions for the The Master Cleanse.

Hear now Gabriel’s Horn blowing in your ear....make the Judgement Call to LISTEN.

Call on Gabriel to help you with these problems and let this Angel be your guide if you need her.

Now to find the PERFECT angel to call on about disorganized husbands....

PEACE to you my friends~

http://www.mariusfineart.com/Gabriel_info.htm

http://www.angelfocus.com/archangels.htm#Gabriel

http://www.inlightimes.com/archives/2007/03/doreen-virtue.htm

Communing with Cathedrals....and Pirates :)

I just adore Cathedrals and Temples.

They are built with the talent of artists, stone masons and musicians, imbued with the devotion of countless prayers of both rich and poor, and the assembly of wisdom of communities from the Middle Ages forward in time. The smell of incense and candles, the sound of organs, the glint of stained glass all work together to make me just RELAX in their presence! I relish quiet moments in pateened wooden pews, gazing at and adoring architecture the likes of which is, unfortunately, is not built like this, anymore.

My dream is to go to Italy, France & Greece and live, eat and breathe Temples and Cathedrals, washed down with dry red wine and Brie and savored by turquoise water and sprinkled with sandy beach and rocky shore.

How'ere, my dreams will have to wait until I am sufficiently worshiped by a sugar daddy or am out on a Dream Adventure of a Merry Mischief singing tour of Castles.

Does this mean that I have to lay aside my vision?

NAY.

I say "Bloom where you are planted!" There are many gorgeous structures right here on our own continent, aye, even in my own New York State! I have found friends who have the same interest as I in Cathedrals and Temples.

Back in December I visited the beautiful St. Patrick's Cathedral in NYC. It is one of the biggest in the state, and in North America!

My friend Lorie and I had discussions about our joint love of this type of architecture and we have decided to start. What better time is there than NOW?

It was a VERY cold and windy day but that did not stop our adventure today as we met at the appointed time at Denny's in Syracuse for coffee and accompanied by Merlyn's "List" :) After sufficiently girl chatting, getting caught up on each other's lives, and swilling good black joe, we started our Quest in Sooth with a stop at nearby Tipperary Hill, by Coleman's Irish Pub to the 100 year old "St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church" at 207 Tompkins St. We couldn't wait to get in. Unfortunately it was LOCKED. Before when calling to several of these places, they just advise to "stop in".

Undaunted, we asked at the school and one of the teachers suggested we knock on the Rectory's backdoor, as possibly there may be someone there today and would hear at that entrance. No Answer. We were going back to our cars, unfulfilled, when on a whim, I suggested, "well, let's try the front door. It can't hurt." We knocked. Nothing. So with the cold wind blowing, we turned to leave...just as the sound of a lock and door opened. It was Father Michael and after we asked him if we could see the church, he said, "Come back on Sunday." We explained that we were from out of town and would love to see the inside. He graciously agreed and let us into a most beautiful sanctuary.

The entire front altar was a wall of icons and fresco! It was gorgeous and Father Michael filled us in on some of the history.

It was built by Ukrainian immigrants who worked hard at their low-paying blue collar jobs in mills and factories in the late 1800s. "We have 3 services on Sundays, one of which is in English, one is 1/2 English & 1/2 Ukrainian and one is spoken and sung all in Ukrainian. The one at 11am is a beautiful music service! You should hear the choir! All in the language of home." We took some pictures, lit a candle and left a small donation and thanked him for his generous gift of time with us!

We then stopped for gas for Lorie's car. I stood chatting with her at the pump, so happy we were to have had that experience! Just then a car pulls up, a man rolls down his window:

"I really like your bumper sticker, Surrender the Booty!"

He winks at us.

We laugh. I said, "Aye we are Pirates" (for of course, we ARRR")

"You girls are dancers?" (I guess all these diet and exercise changes are paying off! :)

Laughing, we said, "No."

"Do you have a card?" (we are assuming at this point he wants to hire some Pirates. But what he really wants to hire is...) Then he sort of leers at us.

"Um, NO. But thanks anyways!"

"Can you give me your number?"
Laughing again, still pumping gas, Lorie says "NO."

"How about I give you MY number?"

I look at him and say in my best piratical voice, "Wrong kind o' BOOTY, mate!"

He drives off, a bit dejected, but he tries a couple more times to persuade us to no avail. Aye, well, ye can't blame a fellah fer tryin', eh?

Lorie and I decide it's now lunchtime and we go back up to Coleman's for a lovely lunch of salad and broiled scallops ...A lunch fit for a PIRATE :) We enjoy the company, the food and the piratical joke of the day.

Next stop we try is the beautiful double-spired, Sacred Heart of Jesus Basilica at 927 Park Avenue in Syracuse. This church was named a "Minor Basilica" in 1999. The term "Basilica is a special designation given to certain churches because of their antiquity, dignity and historical importance." This particular Basilica was founded in 1892 by Polish immigrants and construction began in 1907 here in Syracuse.

This time we were lucky to find the church OPEN!

Only a couple of meditative parishioners were there and we wandered and admired the altars, stained glass and artwork.

This beautiful building is laid out in the traditional form of a cross in pure Gothic style. The spires reach 212 feet and can seat 1000. They have 5 services on any given Sunday! I read online that the stained glass windows here were imported from Germany.

The Stations of the Cross were framed sculptures in gorgeous Gothic frames that date from 1910.

While we were there one woman walked up to the altar and wiggled her fingers at us, and smiled and started playing piano as her gift of worship. It was truly a magic moment.

Sitting with my kindred friend, eyes full of glorious architecture and sunshine streaming through intricate stained glass...and bellies full of a Pirate's lunch truly made for a magickal day!

We have decided that this day was such a hit, that we intend to continue and seek out more "Treasures all around us" in the form of local Cathedrals and Churches!

Next Adventure day will most likely lead us to The Zion Episcopal Church in Rome....ah...

ROME, NEW YORK.

We will keep you informed and visit and report back after we imbibe in wine and cheese and PRETEND it's ROME, ITALY :)

Psychic Phone Call

image: epic mahoney

Psychic Phone Call by Merlyn

Cosmic phone
I hear you calling
I answer
but don't know what to say

Except "I'm here. I'm listening...."


Psychic Phone Calls............

I get them all the time.

Otherwise known as RADAR LOVE

Yesterday, I saw a car that reminded me of someone....
just then a song came on the radio that reminded me of the SAME person....
followed by another song that brought the same person to mind....
while still following that same car....

OK Universe!

I texted this person who was far away:
"I saw a car that looked like yours....and heard two songs (and named which songs)...Are you psychically calling me?"

The answer came back immediately: "Yes I am. I need to talk to you. Call me."


The lesson here, my friends, is just to LISTEN to the signs you see and hear...

You too, may be getting the psychic phone call.

My advice?

PICK UP :)


This Public Service Announcement has been made for "Your Greatest & Highest Good."

F is for Frankincense

I'd like to ramble about one of my favorite smells in the whole world.

FRANKINCENSE.

It is an exotic resin from the East and comes from the scraggly Botswellia tree.
They strip the bark from the tree and the resin "bleeds' out and hardens into "tears". These rock "tears" harden into the resin that is burned. The Botswellia tree is known for being so hardy that it can grow in the even the most inhospitable climates, sometimes out of solid rock! Amazing!

The resulting aromatic smokey resin from this Mediterranean tree has been used in spiritual practices for thousands of years, being mentioned repeatedly in the Bible, the Talmud and the Koran.

It was one of the Gifts of the Magi, those Wise Magic Men from the East who noted the birth of Jesus in the stars. It was a gift of great importance, right up there with GOLD and costly Myrrh.

I cannot sing the praises of Frankincense enough! It is truly a most wondrous scent!
To describe it, I would say that it is woody with a sweet, heady perfume that lingers. When I smell it, it causes me to instantly relax, much like Nag Champa incense and Dragon's Blood resin do when I burn them. I like to use Frankincense to cleanse my home, and it fills my house with an earthy goodness and grounds me.

It is reminiscent to me of the quiet solitude of Cathedrals and brings about a reverence and a spiritual awakening.
There is definately an aged wisdom and depth of spirit embodied in this resin. It cleanses and relaxes and opens up your mind, body and spirit to receiving goodness and virtue. This woody scent from the East is as old as Mount Sinai and enhances the connection with the Divine and will help you connect with your inner peace.

Frankincense also prepares you for sexual ecstasy! It heightens awareness and elevates personal and spiritual feelings! It accelerates spiritual growth and helps with meditation. It clears the crown Chakra.

When I say "it grounds you", I mean it. You feel like you can move mountains and you can conquor the world in quiet ways of a sage wise Yogi. Frankincense releases any negative energies within you or your environment.

The perfume that is my signature scent is (and always will be ;) Patchouli. But lately, I've found a blend of Patchouli with Frankincense that my friend Ditchy Witchy makes and sells at her store Earthcrafter (you can find her and her shop on my FB friends). Both of these scents go very well together. I enjoy wearing them and people enjoy the scent of me when I do. They also seem to relax.

Frankincense.

It's not just for sweet and pure baby Messiahs, anymore :)

No, it's also for those of us who wish a depth of spirit, need real time grounding and reality and who keep an eye on the heavens and reach with their hearts.

Use this wonderful resin the next time you want to freshen your home, cleanse your heart or give your spirit a lift.

How? Just get a small disc of charcoal, light it on a fireproof dish and when it's cooking good, add a couple small rocks of Frankincense on top of the burning charcoal.
Waltz it around the house, or just let it burn in the room you are in.

Soak it up. Get a lovely smudge going for yourself and RELAX in the ways of the Ancients.

Drop your worries and your cares.

BREATHE and ENJOY!

The Fae exist~

Even if you don't believe in them...

Fairies exist.
How do I know this, so emphatically?

I have seen them.

(Here is where some people stop reading. "She's crazy", or "She's a kook" will probably be muttered before they click delete...and that's OK by me... that means less muggles to deal with.....)

I have seen 2 in my lifetime, but have had several visits from the Fae in addition to this

Once on my honeymoon with my new husband (and he saw it too) we were staying at a B & B where we got married. Harry and I had opted for a small private intimate wedding ceremony on the lawn late in the afternoon. We were so much in love. After our vows and promising signatures, we had cocktails and cake with our witnesses and spent the rest of our evening making love in a most beautiful antique room, with my special picked aromatic flower bouquet to scent our room. It was late in the evening when we came up for air :) We had champagne and played guitars and sang in our room and were so content with life and love.

The owner of the establishment showed us earlier how to find our way up to the catwalk outside to enjoy the scenery. We walked up through the attic and out onto the huge roof to the turret at the top where there was a perch for viewing the surrounding countryside. We were very high up on the 4th floor of a mansion roof top. On top of a hill we could look down to the Erie Canal and see for miles. It was a beautiful moonlit night, and we were admiring the other wedding that was going on down below us. There were limosines and ballgowns and tuxes galore down below, being a much fancier and expensive event than ours was. Still, here we were, up on the turrets, looking down and feeling blissful just being there and together. It was a beautiful dark summer evening and the stars were out.

All of a sudden, "something" flew down off the weathervane close by us, and flew in a big loopty-loop around us. It was a Bright Golden color. It kinda reminded me of the gold of the statue of Prometheus in Rockefeller Center. Whatever it was, it was about the size of a Barbie. And sorta looked like one too. It left a trail of gold as it whizzed by us. Then it was gone. Evidently, it had been sitting on the weathervane all that time...just watching us.

"DID YOU SEE THAT?? It was a fairy!" I exclaimed to my new spouse.

"I don't know if it was a fairy, but I saw SOMETHING weird."

"It was GOLD! It had BARBIE LEGS and WINGS. OMG. It was amazing!! It was a fairy! A fairy!!" I was jumping up and down. I felt our union had been blessed, indeed.

Later on, as I was researching this area, of Little Falls NY where we wed, I found that there was lots of historical writings on the fairy lore being quite common here.
I also found a passage in an old book that said, "When there be two weddings on a midsummer night, the fairies will observe and bless one and not the other." I felt very blessed indeed.

Now this story about seeing the next one is a bit different. Let me preface this by saying that I love the Fae. HOWEVER, they, like other wild things need to be free and outside. While I love them to pieces, they don't make good house guests INSIDE the house.

Harry & I had been high speed dubbing some of our Merry Mischief Music for some seniors who didn't have cd players and wanted cassettes. You know what high speed dubbing sounds like? Really, really fast chipmunk music. Also please note that our back door didn't shut well. Our back yard is full of all sorts of life, being on a wetland, it is teeming with activity.

I walked into the kitchen to prime the cassette with the next blank tape, and that's when I saw it.

A Red Undine.

If you don't know what that is, it is a Water spirit. VERY Mischievous.
Drawn to "Merry Mischief's" high speed dubbed chipmunk music no doubt.

While I was mesmerized that it had come inside, it disappeared just seconds after I saw it.
And it disappeared into my house. Somewhere.

Now, I didn't mind a fairie in the house up until this point. I mean, it was only having fun, right?

But a "fairie's fun" can be very disruptive and even downright mean. At first I thought it was cute that things went missing, then it got worse. Things like missing keys can be a nuisance but bankbooks and checkbooks and missing paychecks got to be pretty inconvenient.

It got so bad that I flat out shook my fist (at no one in particular) and said, "Alright, it's not funny anymore. Cough up the things you took. You are no longer welcome here with these antics".

And shortly after this teary declaration, we DID find the bankbooks, checkbooks and several uncashed checks ALL TOGETHER in a place that neither of us had access too. FREAKING WEIRD.

I went and found my grandfather's iron horse shoes from the Cavalry, and nailed them over the inside molding of each door, both front & back. I then placed a fairy statue I got for a gift out on my front porch. It had its arms stretched wide and had these brass tulips that would "ring" when it rained (supposedly.)

Oh it did get much more quiet and it was calm once again. However, I noticed that the fairy statue the following day on the step. It had NO HANDS. They hands had been broken off. They didn't fall off, nor were they laying on the ground by the statue. They were Gone.

And then I realized that it was a message. The fairies were telling the other fae, "Hands Off" when it came to our house.

I thanked them with milk and cookies.

We've been friends ever since.

Like I said, wild things will never be domesticated, nor do you really want them loose in your home.

It's a matter of safety.

Eros~ God of Love & Passion

A Prayer to Eros
(by Merlyn)

Oh beautiful God of Love and Lust
Eros, Cupid
Thou dost make me Wanton...
Make me stupid
For the want and the wish
for any dish
that thou dost take aim at for me
Prithee my Lord...
Aim thy arrow well
Neither donkey nor ass
Craft a love for love for me
Make him handsome
Make him true
I beg ye often, I beg of you....

There are mixed stories for the beginnings for Eros:

Eros was a Primordial God of Creation. In the beginning, there was Chaos, there was Gaia (Earth) and there was the Abyss and there was Love.
I like this idea. It satisfies somehow....seems right. Symbolically that's about right.

There is also this Myth of his creation: Eros was the son of Aphrodite (Love) and Ares (War).
And man oh man, that makes sense too! (If you've ever been in love...you know it walks a fine line between love and hate...the bigger the love, the wilder the emotions on both sides).

Oh and Eros is the Greek name for Cupid. The silly little Cherub who has his quiver full of wandering arrows. He sometimes aims true, and sometimes misses. Ah love.
As Nicholas Cage's character Ronny Cammereri in "Moonstruck" says:

"I love you. Not like they told you love is, and I didn't know this either, but love don't make things nice - it ruins everything. It breaks your heart. It makes things a mess. We aren't here to make things perfect. The snowflakes are perfect. The stars are perfect. Not us. Not us! We are here to ruin ourselves and to break our hearts and love the wrong people and *die*. The storybooks are *bullshit*. Now I want you to come upstairs with me and *get* in my bed!"

And that's just about right.

I have always adored Eros in all his forms, be they the Innocent Love of Cupid's Valentines when we were 8 and opened those mysterious white folded envelopes to reveal "I think you are Sweet, Be My Valentine"....

to the Lovesick Arrow stabbed wounded Heart throbbing for your love to write....

to the Sexual Erotic Love of Wanton Pleasure and Fulfilment ...a crescendo of desire!

Yes I adore Eros in all his forms.

So did Psyche. She was a heroic human woman whose beauty made Aphrodite jealous. She told her son, Eros to go "shoot an arrow at her to fall in love with a horribly UGLY creature". And he went dutifully to do so....but when he saw her, HE, EROS, fell in love with HER!
(who shot who with what arrow?? :)
They run off together. Eros and Pysche.

The only deal is that Eros tells her that he will come to her in Darkness so that she would not die when he is revealed to her. She goes along with this for awhile...but then one night, she longs to see her LOVE. So she shines candlelight on him and admires his ultra beautiful form.

He is exquisite. She knew it inside her heart and she trembled to see him.

He awakens when a drop of wax from her trembling falls on him and burns him. He flies away, injured that she doubted him, and has seen his true form!

She mourns his loss....she wanders aimlessly. (How lost we are without Love...)

Finally Aphrodite sets some "Herculean" type tasks for her to complete in order to find Eros again....

This WOMAN had a HERO journey!

She only had 4 "Simple" things to do:

*Sorting out barley, seeds, millet and beans from a HUGE pile. Thankfully, ants helped her.*Attain some Golden Fleece from aggressive rams who would kill her.
*Fill a vase of water from the River Styx
*Bring back some lotion from Persephone who lived with Hades.

Oh isn't it the truth?

Don't WE have to sort out the chaffe and the good when in love? Don't we compartmentalize and do our likes and dislikes and pros and cons with our love and loved ones?

Don't we also have to wait sometimes till the beasts of the field go to sleep and we pluck the golden fleece from the reeds, taking what is good, what is ours without being killed and losing our power?

Don't we also have to face our fears of death while in love? Don't we have to face being lost in love while also drinking deeply from it?
and Don't we also have to go to Hell and back to really get the balm and salve we need from Love in order to find it?

INDEED the trials our own psyches have to go thru to find love....

Oh yes Eros and Psyche DID marry!!

They had a child named Voluptas ....you may know her as PLEASURE :)

And they lived Happily, Lustily, and Lovingly EVER AFTER.

THE END.


All the images in my blog are Googled under that particular subject

StoryBook Club tracks Banshees!

Last night's StoryBook Club Meeting was all about learning and researching the old Irish legend of:

BANSHEES
I'll tell you straight up that research was hard to come up with on this Supernatural phenomenon! We all had a spartan time unearthing the appropriate info! (and there are Storycologists, Librarians and Booksellers in this club!!)

Read: It is still an elusive & mysterious thing.

We did find some consistencies though in what we DID find:

Banshees are an Irish female apparition that "announce the approach of Death" with their high pitched mournful screams. It is said that a Banshee can take the shape shifting form of a beautiful woman OR an ugly hag.

Her screams are said to be heard village wide, and even the DEAF can hear them.

Their wails are said to bring grown men to a cold sweat and to strike fear and terror into all.

Banshees, being most likely "Keening Women" (women who were Hired to come and mourn at funerals so your lost loved one would seem "more popular") who had died but had been cursed to weep and mourn in grief for all eternity for their "false grief" during life. We found it somewhat poetic, that. Don't you?

Also, there are NO MALE BANSHEES. Only female.

We think this is because women were only allowed to show emotion. Not men. Unfortunately.

And other questions arose...

With all this "over the top" weeping and wailing....
isn't it healthier to purge like this...
and to have a grand wake and get drunk, like the Irish did...
rather than "repressing grief" like our society does today?

But more so...

Do you really want to be warned when it's "Your Time" to go?
Does it help?
OR
Does it make you so freaked out to hear the Banshee that you actually have a heart attack & die?
Sort of "self fulfilling prophesy?

Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

Our StoryBook Club members were UNDAUNTED in their interest and in their love of story!

We met together armed with food, folklore and forbearance!

Here's the beautiful table that Stephanie set at her place tonight:

She started with her family's Irish tartan...
then added gauze for the Banshees lovely white dress and hair...
Funeral flower vases.....
There were Goddess cards to protect us...
and her Irish china did abound at her very comely and comfortable cottage!
Food offerings from all of us on this Irish night were:

Irish Guinness Stew with bread and melted cheddar, Irish Soda Bread, Creamed Cabbage, Irish Brownies, Irish Pie, Gift bags of goodies, Jamesons, High Balls (an old favorite of my mother's time: which is basically "whiskey & Ginger" and a favorite of mine as well. YUMMY!)
Mmmmmm!! It was all soooo delicious!!!

For entertainment, we read and discussed all about Irish and Scottish Banshee folklore, we were treated to an original poem from Michael:

The Banshee’s Wail ~ by Michael King

The Banshee wails outside the door,

A sign that hath not come before,

She cries a warning of what’s to be,

To tell them of their destiny.

The eerie sound floats upon the breeze,

And like a spectral dagger slices through the trees,

It stirs up life within the ground,

And gathers energies from all around.

She comes not from a point of sky,

But surrounds the house with a mournful cry,

Then she appears from out of thin air,

To mourn the loss of someone there.

Throughout the ages, she hath wailed her cries,

And with tattered cloak wipes tearless eyes,

A church bell tolls your final hour,

As she turns to summon the Coach de Bower.

(Awesome! Thanks for sharing, Mike!!)

and some song lyrics from an old Celtic song were shared from Stephanie....
and Merlyn brought her guitar and played and sang 2 Banshee songs.
(Would you believe, she actually had 2 Banshee songs in her repertoire? :)

YES.
There was appropriate screaming and wailing involved.

And rightly so.

We ended up the evening, with much hilarity and lurid storymaking

(I did say that this was a StoryBook Club but kids weren't invited, right? :)

Swearing, sordid sign language, drinking whiskey and sipping assorted teas and watching a Special episode of "Charmed" called "Who's Barking Now" where Phoebe is turned into a Banshee.
Also, Merlyn was inspired to regale all with a rousing round of "The Good Ship Venus" as long as we were in our cups and reveling. Nothing like a rowdy, bawdy song to really make the evening a "HOWLING" success!

Quite a wild, fun evening to be out on this waxing Gibbous moonlit night!

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Next Month's theme (after this month's savage and raw Banshee....)

We decided on something rather more loving...
"Warm & Fuzzy" and for Easter and Springtime for April's Theme:

"The Velveteen Rabbit".

A story about being "Real".Till then~

We are all back safe home in our beds....and the Banshee has stopped her wailing.

As we pull the safe covers over our heads....

We hope you find your "Happily Ever After".

THE END.