Familiars

We have all heard about Familiars, and their strong connection with practitioners of the craft, but what exactly is a Familiar? And the most important question, how can somebody get one?

To start with, a Familiar is a spirit with free-will, usually in an animal form, that voluntarily decides to help a practitioner of the craft. It is believed that a Familiar provides guidance, protection, physical healing & special knowledge to the practitioner. The stereotypical Familiars are black cats, due to their strong connection to the craft and highly developed intuition. Other common Familiars are crows, dogs, toads, owls etc. Furthermore, Familiars can also be spirits, something very usual for Shamans, for them Familiars are mostly on the Astral Plane and protect them and guide them during their Shamanic Journeys. 

But, let's travel back to the Witch Trials, when Christianity took over and every spirit that wasn't an angel was considered a demon! It was believed that every Witch had a Familiar, and that it was given to them by Satan, in order to enhance the practitioners magickal powers. So, almost everyone who had a black cat or another small animal, was considered a Witch, and went through the Trials. In our days, some people still call them that way, like in The Golden Compass movie, where they call them dæmons, but they are actually Familiars.

A Familiar is recognized by the mutual respect and the connection you feel towards it, and if you don't have a Familiar, yet, here are 3 major ways to get one! First way, it will find you by itself, most of the Familiars just appear in our lives out of nowhere, and you know from the first sight that it's them. Second way, many Familiars are passed by another member of the family, a friend or even a complete stranger. Finally, the third way is meditation, once you feel relaxed and ready to start, visualize a landscape, like a forest, a beach, a river etc. Explore the landscape and observe the astral creatures around you. Pay attention to those that try to approach you and don't hesitate to communicate with them. Once you've explored many different sceneries and have found your familiar, bring yourself back and place something that represents it on your altar. In that way, you will always have it in mind and it will draw your Familiar to you.

Brightest Blessings to you and your little companions on this long journey!

)O(

Pic by Blaise

Written by Domi

Janus

The ancient Roman god Janus is thought by many to be the chief god of the Romans, the Romans named their first month of the year, January, in honor of him He is the god of beginnings, transitions and endings, in this role he is the protector of gates, doorways and passages.

Janus is most commonly depicted as having two faces, one looks back to the past, the other looks forward to the future. He represents the concept of the movement of time, from past to future, so he is the god that stands between time.

In his role as the god of beginnings and endings he was thought to preside over the beginnings and end of wars. He also had roles in birth, journeys and exchanges, both materially and metaphysically.

Janus had no specific priesthood, but the Chief Priest or rex sacrorum, carried out all rites and ceremonies in honor of Janus. He was invoked at the beginning of all rites, regardless of which god was being honored.

The God Janus is the protector of Rome, the guardian of the gates of heaven, the initiator of human life, historical ages, financial enterprises and civilization.

The most widespread myth concerning the origins of Janus tells that he was a mortal from Thessaly, he married and shared the kingdom of Latium with Camese, who bore him several children, among them the river god Tiberinus for whom the River Tiber was named.

When Camese died Janus ruled the kingdom of Latium alone, bringing a golden age of peace and prosperity to the people. He is credited with introducing coinage, agriculture and the law system, as well as being the father of civilization.

After his death Janus was deified and became the protector god of Rome. In legend Janus saved the city from the Sabines, who attacked Rome after Romulus captured the Sabine Virgins. One of the daughters of the guards betrayed the city and let the attackers in. Janus caused a boiling hot spring to bubble up and the Sabines fled the city. This legend explains the reason why in times of war the gates of temples dedicated to Janus were left open, so that the god could protect the city, in peacetime the gates were closed.

Most Romans were simple farmers and working folk, and their homes contained small shrines dedicated to the Lar, the spirit of the household and the Penates, the guardian spirits of pantry and store cupboard. These spirits were aspects of the protective Janus. Invocations would be performed by the Pater Familias, or head of the household, and small offerings would be made to these spirits to bring protection to the household and its inhabitants.

Written by DragonJewel
(pic taken from Wikipedia)

Elements

Fire

The fire signs are dynamic, and have the hot attributes of their element. They are often unpredictable, volatile and temperamental, they can suffer from a lack of self control and self discipline These fiery aspects make them passionate, adventurous and enthusiastic, they will often be initiators, sometimes rushing in without thought. However, they are also extremely intuitive and have the ability to trust their gut, which lends a stabilizing influence to their impulsive natures.

Water

The water signs are the most emotional and intuitive of the signs. They are prone to deep thinking and soul searching, they are good at dealing with others and understand the motives and needs of others, this makes them empathetic, caring and helpful. Others find it easy to open up to the water signs, this can make them manipulative, and they can also be prone to gossip. They are possibly the most psychic of the signs. It can be difficult for water signs to contain their emotions and they can be moody and self destructive. Their empathetic natures can lead them to be easily hurt, especially when they feel others don't realise how deeply they are involved emotionally. This can cause them to become resentful and unappreciated.

Air

Air sign people are free spirited and unpredictable, they can be volatile and tempestuous and are often eccentric. The are also thoughtful and clear sighted, however, their thoughts tend to be at a higher level, above the mundane, and they can be prone to losing themselves in the love of thinking at the cost their physical comfort. They are imaginative and creative whilst being logical in their thought processes, being happiest when lost in thought and solving mysteries. They can appear dreamy and often can seem to be low achievers in the mundane world. They can often be lacking in emotional depth and be distant in the dealings with others.

Earth

The most solid and stable of the signs. Earth people are dependable and dislike change. They are the people most at home in the physical realm and are grounded in their element. Perseverance enables them to reach their goals and reap the rewards for their labours. The most practical of all the signs and enjoy material comforts. They can become materialistic and possessive, but also extremely loyal, taking their responsibilities seriously.

Written by DragonJewel

Astrology: The Cardinal, Fixed & Mutable Signs

Cardinal Signs

Cardinal/Element

Aries/Fire

Cancer/Water

Libra/Air

Capricorn/Earth

The word cardinal comes from the Latin Cardinalis meaning principal of ivotal. The cardinal signs mark the beginning of the seasons and are initiators of change and action, they symbolize the primal energies of unformed thought, the seeds of future actions.

Cardinal signs predominant personality traits enable them to attract people and ideas to support their efforts. The take on roles of leadership and are outgoing and dynamic. The carry the energy and excitement of new projects and are enthusiastic in their dealings, giving those around them an energy boost and sense of conviction.

Fixed Signs

Fixed/Element

Leo/Fire

Scorpio/Water

Aquarius/Air

Taurus/Earth

The fixed signs set things on a stable footing and direct energies towards a tangible goal, falling in the middle of the seasons. The fixed personality is happiest when taking projects to the next level and their gifts are most effective when they are able to explore the deeper aspects of ongoing projects. They tend to prefer solitude and have great perseverance enjoying a sustained challenge. The fixed signs will stick it out until the end, but can also have difficulty letting go. The can be rigid and inflexible in their attitudes and dislike change. These traits can lead them to be stubborn and petulant, especially when they feel frustrated in their efforts.

Mutable Signs

Mutable/Element

Sagittarius/Fire

Pisces/Water

Gemini/Air

Virgo/Earth

The word mutable comes from the Latin mutabilis meaning change.

The mutable signs embody the energies of transition from one phase to the next and fall at the change of the seasons.The time when there is a restlessness of impending change.

Mutable signs are changeable in nature, which makes them flexible to new ideas and projects, they can see new ways to solve old issues, bringing people and ideas together to form a whole, the conclusion of the ground work and transition from new and unformed, through stabilization and towards evolution.

Their adaptability makes them able to deal with crises while remaining focused, they thrive in chaos and can navigate a path where others fail to see the way through.

These traits can lead them to become restless as they wish to move from one phase to the next, they can see the road ahead and are anxious to forge ahead. Their adaptability can lead them to have a changeable personality and weak sense of self identity, causing a lack of personal direction.

Written by DragonJewel