The Barbed Pentacle: rituals

Showing posts with label rituals. Show all posts

Friday, April 13, 2012

Melt Me!: Hot Wax Rituals, Giveaways, and Product Reviews

It's time for a new round of giveaways and drawings. This time there will be two, yes two, drawings.
First Drawing (April 13-May 13)
This drawing is open to anyone who is a PUBLIC follower of "The Barbed Pentacle" by May 13. All of the names of my public followers will be placed into a hat, and someone other than myself will drawing out the lucky name. If your name is drawn, you will win the Barbed Pentacle prize pack that includes a small strap from Sub-shop.com (perfect for discretion while traveling), and two wax play pillars, in Barbed Pentacle colors, from Erotic Sensations.
Second Drawing (April 13-May13)
This drawing is opened to any who contacts me via Facebook, Twitter, or Google+, or who emails me at chirp_sparrow@yahoo.com. All you have to say is "enter me in the drawing". Click here for links. The winner of this drawing will win a fabulous prize pack of hot pink, royal blue, and yellow pillar candles from Erotic Sensations.

Erotic Sensations candles are really wonderful. I product tested one, and I have to say, they blow dollar store candles out of the water. The candle melts quickly, the wax is soft and velvety, and they are almost smokeless. There was some slight redness left on my skin after play, but it dissipated with in a minute or two. No burns at all!

What should you do with the candles that you win? Add them to your rituals! A whole section on Hot Wax Rituals has been added to the BDSM ritual section. Just scroll down until you get to Johnny Cash. Happy waxing!

These folks wax before they ride:
Erotic Sensations eroticsensations.us
Tonia Brown www.thebackseatwriter.com

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Blessed Be Thy Feet, Part 7: Dancing on Kristallnacht

Dancing is used all over the world to induce pleasure. Pleasure for the spectators and pleasure for the dancers. Dance is a social act but also a religious act. Dance in a religious context is often employed to induce ecstasy. The physical exertion releases pleasure chemicals in the brain which often makes the dancer feel jubilant and closer to Divinity. To heighten these feelings and to stimulate the brain to release even more pleasure chemicals, some groups, like the Fakirs, add an element of pain to the dance ritual. Most famous and most often portrayed in popular culture is the fire walk or dance. However, equally employed is glass walking and dancing. Glass walking and dancing is moving out of the realm of exotic religious practices and side shows to find its way to Fetish events and even main stream belly dancing shows.

Glass is a unique medium to use in ritual dance because it encompasses all of the elements: sand to make it with, fire to transform it, air to give it shape, and water to cool it. The website "Life Events" makes all kinds of health claims about glass walking/dancing and about napping on a bed of glass (which I imagine would be similar to sleeping on a bed of nails). According the the website's author, walking on glass acts as reflexology and improves your internal health (I would surmise that walking on anything bumpy would have the same effect). The glass from wine bottles is what is recommended for the healing bed.

"The juice of grapes are like tears form Earth....Preparing the Bottles: 40 to 50 wine (or champagne) bottles should be soaked in water to remove any paper labels. Use fairly large bottles so that the pieces are not so breakable once they are in small pieces. Heat the bottles in an oven (at 400 degrees) for 15 to 20 minutes. Place them in a canvas sack and use a hammer (iron skillet) to break them into small pieces. Wear gloves and eye protection. Remove the bottle necks.

Making and Using the Bed: Use a wood frame or place the glass on a tarp with an old blanket to give a little cushion. Spread the glass to about a 8 cm (3 inch) depth. Use a folded hand towel for a pillow and a sheet for a bed cover. Use a separate towel to brush off glass that sticks to the skin. Be careful not to step on the splinters that appear at the edge of the glass.

We ask our spiritual teacher(s) to bless the glass, use a smudge stick and recite healing mantras to energize it before first use."

The author suggests this chant as an appropriate healing mantra or opening blessing: "I have a key. I may do anything I want. My body is elastic and flexible. I give all of my pain, illness and discomfort to the glass."

Martina, who graciously shared her story in a previous post, uses glass dancing in Wiccan purification rituals.

"Coven members bring bottles and break them before the dance (wine and beer bottles) and spread them out on a tarp. I lay down with bare back on the broken glass, and each of the coven girls puts one of their feet somewhere on my body, so that the glass can pull anything impure from their bodies into mine. I then stand on the glass and each of them adorns me with something that will assist in pushing or driving all impurities out of me and into the glass through bare feet as I dance. (nipple clamps, added weighs or brass bells, or a thorny wrap around waist, hips, ankles, something that adds an element of pain to the dance) Then I dance on the glass while they drum and chant until they tell me to stop."

While glass dancing isn't for everyone, nor is it necessarily safe, but other materials can be substituted for glass if you wanted to give it a try. Obsidian or volcanic glass is a good substitute, as is lightening glass, pumice, gravel, and wood chips. Depending on why the dance is being performed, different gemstones with the appropriate correspondences can be used as well.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Blessed Be Thy Feet, Supplement B: Pedicure for the Sole

Our dead cells not only contain the physical memories of the time they were a part of our bodies via the DNA of which they are made, but they also contain a psychic memory. Both positive and negative emotions, memories, and energy are stored in dead cells, particularly dead skin and nail cells. The dead skin on the soles of our feet probably store the most psychic build up. To combat this, treat your feet to a magical pedicure. If possible, do this with a partner so that you can fully relax (and then return the favor). However, this is also a good solitary ritual.

Set up a relaxing ritual space in an area where you will be able to soak your feet. Call in your deities and elementals as you would for any other ritual. Breathe deeply, and at each step of the ritual make sure to think about your intent.

If you do not already have pedicure items, visit your local pharmacy or dollar store. Ritual tools, in this case pedicure items, should not be expensive. If your budget is super limited, only get nail clippers, a nail file, and clear fingernail polish. If you have a little bit more money, invest in a foot file, pumice stone, or a Pediegg.

Step 1--Removing negativity

Start by clipping your toe nails. As you clip, say one thing for each nail that you are letting go of. After you're done, collect the pairings and save them to bury after the ritual. There are many traditions about what to do with nail pairings, but giving them back to the Earth keeps them out of the wrong hands and is easy. Plus, the earth is a good neutralizing element for the negativity you are removing from your life. Then file your toe nails. As you do this, focus on how you can file away any rough edges in yourself that may be getting snagged on the fabric of your life. Finally, take your Pediegg (or you can use your nail file in a pinch), and file away the dead skin on your soles in counterclockwise circles. In most traditions, widdershins or counterclockwise is the direction for banishing. Think about removing all the negativity that your feet may have accumulated as the dead cells are filed away. If you wish, you can chant.

Step 2--Healing

In a large basin or other foot soaking vessel, prepare a foot soak. The easiest foot soak is warm water with Epsom salts. However, any salt will do. Don't spend money on this step. Just use what you have in your kitchen. Salt and mint is a good revitalizing foot soak. Salt and rosemary or tea tree oil is an excellent anti fungal soak. Salt and oatmeal is good for soothing itchy skin. Be creative and experiment. Don't be afraid to use aromatherapy. As you soak your feet, meditate on healing any ailments you are experiencing physically as well as emotionally/spiritually. Envision the warmth from the soak moving up your body to heal and strengthen you. Finish this step by rubbing lotion on your feet. Any lotion that you want to use will work (if you don't have lotion, you can use cooking oil, butter, or Crisco). Rub the lotion on the top and bottom of your feet in a clockwise or deosil motion since you are attracting healing into your life.

Step 3--Attracting Magic

Now comes the fun part. Using color magic, choose the color of nail polish that will help you attract the good things you want/need in your life. If you need money, choose green. If you are a student, choose yellow. If you are not really into nail polish or you can only afford to buy one shade, go with clear. Just like a white candle or a quartz crystal, clear nail polish can be used to represent any color. As you paint each toe, envision yourself walking towards what you want to attract to your life. If you are looking for money, see yourself walking into work and later walking into a bank to deposit the money.

To end the ritual, give thanks to your Deities and close up your circle. Once your nails dry, don't forget to bury your nail pairings.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Blessed Be Thy Feet, Part 4: No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem!

For many of us, going barefoot during childhood was a way of life, especially during the summer. Our mothers would admonish us to put on shoes and we'd laugh. Eventually, though, we grew up and donned the footwear that best suited our needs. Tight shoes for formal occasions, rubber shoes for gym, and flip flops for the summer. Some people, however, have reverted back to their childhood ways and go barefoot everywhere. These people, commonly known as barefooters or in some Pagan circles as Earthwalkers, go barefoot a majority of the time: summer, winter, city streets, stores, restaurants, etc. Some of you may laugh, some of you may roll your eyes, but the Barefoot community is growing, not just for humans but for horses as well (I kid you not!).

I got started on this path about feet because a fellow sister-in-arms who reads this blog is a barefooter. I'll share her story and exploits in a future blog. I also heard a Micheal Sandler, who is a barefoot advocate and runner, do an interview on the radio and my interest was piqued. He wasn't Pagan, and he seemed fairly main stream. However, when I requested an interview, I received no response (shame on you, Micheal Sandler!).

Micheal Sandler's site: runbare.com

While there are many sites and researchers who do not promote running or simply going barefoot because "it's dangerous", a fair amount of research has been done that proves that going barefoot and running barefoot is healthier for humans over all. According to the researchers at Harvard's Skeletal Biology Lab, running barefoot tends to make people land on their fore foot to mid foot, which is more natural and healthier for the foot than landing on the the heel.

Just like with any movement, there are lots of groups springing up to meet the demand for education, publicity, and fellowship. One of the many out there is the Society for Barefoot Living. Their site has a lot of good information, but the site hasn't been updated since 2010. Some of the information about laws may be outdated. There are also tons of Yahoo groups for barefooters out there, but I've found that they were either non-active or didn't want me in their group. I was really curious about the group Spiritualbarefootlifestyles, but they seem to be dead. I joined several months ago, and there has been no activity. It's a shame because they taut themselves as for "Pagans, Wiccans, Spiritualist, 'Mystics', and the like who enjoy being barefoot as a lifestyle or as a part of worship."

So where does that leave Pagans in the barefoot movement? Well, to be honest, I'm not really sure. From my brief survey of folks from several different paths in different parts of the United States, there doesn't seem to be a large Pagan presence in the Barefooter movement. In the Southwest, people don't go barefoot much because of scorpions, snakes, and nasty sticker plants. In the Midwest, it's usually too cold. In Hawaii, nobody would respond to my emails. What I have found, though, is that a lot of Pagans will take their shoes off in circle, so that they "can feel the Earth energy and connect" or something like that. I've also had several Pagans tell me that they've noticed that people will go skyclad in circle but still wear shoes. That's a little like wearing utilitarian socks during sex: visually unappealing and just wrong. If you'd like to get started going barefoot slowly, see Christopher Penczak's book The Inner Temple of Witchcraft for a nice Earthwalking meditation.

Extras