Caught Again

It has been quite a while since I composed a blog. For several weeks, I was unsure of how to proceed, or even if I should; but I feel it is necessary to share my experiences (and mistakes) with others. So, here goes.

I have been feeling "off" lately, though I could not explain why. Several times, I would find myself thinking things that would never have come to my mind without being planted there. I took it as the fluctuating hormones of my cycle and pushed it aside. Tonight as I sat at my laptop, contemplating the vastness of existence, I began to feel "off" again. This time, instead of pushing the feeling away, I analyzed it. In doing so, I recognize its source, and I cannot say that I am very happy about it.

For those of you who read my blog Something's Missing, you will know that I have been longing for my past connections with the supernatural. I so desired to reconnect with that part of my life, that I posted it for the world to read - almost as a wish or prayer for the connection to be rekindled.

Ever heard the saying "Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it?" Well, I got it. The "off" that I have been feeling lately is an entity I encountered during my Naval training...and not a particularly friendly one, at that. I am unable to do much tonight, but tomorrow I will be banishing evil from my house and then protecting it.

I have a few spells in mind to use, but they will need to be adapted to suit my needs. Once I have done that, I will post them (just in case someone else has need of something similar). Specifically, I will be making Holy Water for the first time and using it in the protection. I'm still trying to figure out the banishing ritual/spell. It should not be too difficult to find, though.

This is only the start, however, since I do intend to leave my house, and will need to have some sort of protection to keep on my person as well.

I will let you know tomorrow or Saturday how everything goes.

Blessed Be

Book of Shadows

I started working on my Book of Shadows today. Years ago, I remember thinking a Book of Shadows (BOS) had to be a huge, leather-bound book. It had to be filled with parchment paper and I would write in it all of my spells and thoughts on magick, but it would have to be written with an old-fashioned quill pen in perfect, even handwriting. It's entirely possible that I watched too much "Sabrina: The Teenage Witch" and "Charmed" when I was younger. I have since learned that the medium doesn't matter so much as the intent. So, without further ado, here's how I set up my BOS.

Materials:
1 - 2" Black Binder
1 - Silver Sharpie
2 - Packs of Sheet Protectors
1 - Pack of Binder Paper
2 - Packs of Dividers

With the silver Sharpie, I wrote "Book of Shadows" on the front cover. Then I opened the packs of sheet protectors and put them inside the binder. I printed out the Wiccan Rede and slipped it into the first sheet protector. I have also printed out a few spells, meditations, and general guides (meanings of colors, different crystals and stones, and a few other tidbits) that will also go in. The binder paper is all the way at the back, so that if I have notes to write or if I want to write or modify a spell, I can use that and then put it in a sheet protector. For the dividers, I have written on the tabs a few different sections for easy reference (basic rituals, cleansing spells, general information, meditations, tarot readings, tools, runes...).

It really is much easier to put together than I had originally anticipated. And, of course, what I did may not work for everyone, just do what is comfortable for you and within budget. There really is no need to break the bank buying a special journal to use if you don't have the money for one. Especially at back-to-school time, when many stores are having sales on everything I used for my own BOS. What's really important in all of this is that, no matter how you do it, your BOS works for YOU.

Blessed Be,
NightDancer

Something's Missing

I recently joined a great community for Pagans called WitchForum.net. There are a lot of really great people there and those great people are full of great information (which they are willing to share). Everyone has been very nice and helpful. I find myself drawn to their supernatural and paranormal encounters section and tonight, as I was reading some of the various topics other users have posted, I realized that there is something missing from my life. Story time!

I grew up in the same house my mom grew up in. It was a neighborhood I always felt safe in. Our neighbors were the same couple that had lived there since my mom was a child, so we were all very close. As I got older, I became aware of strange things happening in the house and around the neighborhood. I could go on forever with the stories, but I will just say that many of the strange things were supernatural in nature, and I was not the only one who saw them (or heard them; or felt them).

During my Naval training, I was stationed at a base that had been an airfield (I have mentioned in previous posts) and I had some pretty terrifying encounters with the supernatural while I was there. I went to the Mediterranean on my first ship. Though the ship was relatively safe (it had been commissioned the same year I joined), the same cannot be said about the all of the ports we visited. I saw several shadow people in Venice, as well as having a creature I could feel but not see physically attack me at one of our stops in Spain (I had three claw-marks across my back to prove it).

I bought a house in Virginia while I was stationed there. My ex talked me into it; I wanted the cute ranch-style house, but he insisted on a too-big, two-story duplex. I could not look at or go near the detached garage without feeling like it was watching me (with sinister intent). Early mornings, when I would wait for my friend to pick me up from work, I would sit on the front porch steps and watch cat-sized shadows dash back and forth across the street.

My second ship, significantly older than the first, was haunted by multiple spirits. The most notable being that of a young girl with curly hair. During a Tiger Cruise, she was playing in one of the ladder wells near the armory. She lost her grip and fell. I never did see her, but I knew several who did; she liked to play hide and seek or step out and scare people who went further down than the armory.

Finally, when I was discharged from the Navy, I returned home. The house I am currently living in is only about 20 years old, as is the rest of the neighborhood. It is a beautiful house and I love it, but there is something missing. All my life, I have been surrounded by the supernatural and it just does not exist in this house. I find myself missing the sinister feeling I would get when my "stalkers" were near; I would always cast a spell of protection or warding or banishing to get rid of them for a while, but they always came back. I miss watching the shadow-creatures playing in the moonlight. And I miss feeling anything supernatural happening.

Perhaps when I move I will find a house with a bit of history to it so I can grasp that supernatural presence again.