The Rebecca Nurse Homestead, Salem

Systers Wyrd visited Danvers (the old Salem Village) when we were in Salem earlier this fall so that we could see the Rebecca Nurse homestead. What a charming and yet sad atmosphere in this beautiful place.

I just love the view from these old windows.

The rooms are a Primitive lovers dreams come true.

And you have to marvel at the workmanship of these old stairs.

On the back of the house is a built in sundial for telling time. Not sure if it worked well but it she adds intrest to the house.

Mercury Retrograde

The planet Mercury rules all communications of all types; talking, texting, writing, and -emails to suggest a few, and affects our self expression and communication style.
In 2014, all Mercury Retrogrades begin in a "water sign" and end in an "air sign"; liken it to water vapour - water to air.
In October, the Mercury Retrograde began on October 4th and ends on October 25th.
Mercury begins in the sign of Scorpio at 2 degrees; just beginning its descent into the deep of that psychic sign. This early beginning point  might be viewed as "catching sight of something; a barely visible outline of an underlying truth or hidden reality" in your life.
This Mercury Retrograde ends in Libra, an air sign, so there could be real miracles of seeing or enlightenment - the vapour clearing - that leads to peace.

Fraction of the Moon Illuminated - Sept to Dec 2014

Midnight
Eastern Standard Time
Sep.     Oct.      Nov.        Dec.
01   0.37     0.43     0.63     0.70
02   0.47     0.55     0.73     0.80
03   0.58     0.66     0.83     0.88
04   0.69     0.76     0.91     0.94
05   0.79     0.86     0.96     0.98
06   0.88     0.93     0.99     1.00
07   0.95     0.98     1.00     0.99
08   0.99     1.00     0.98     0.97
09   1.00     0.99     0.94     0.92
10   0.98     0.96     0.88     0.87
11   0.94     0.90     0.81     0.79
12   0.87     0.83     0.72     0.71
13   0.78     0.75     0.64     0.63
14   0.69     0.65     0.54     0.53
15   0.59     0.56     0.45     0.44
16   0.49     0.46     0.35     0.34
17   0.39     0.37     0.27     0.25
18   0.30     0.28     0.19     0.17
19   0.22     0.20     0.12     0.10
20   0.14     0.13     0.06     0.05
21   0.08     0.07     0.02     0.01
22   0.04     0.03     0.00     0.00
23   0.01     0.01     0.01     0.02
24   0.00     0.00     0.04     0.06
25   0.01     0.02     0.09     0.13
26   0.04     0.06     0.17     0.22
27   0.08     0.12     0.26     0.33
28   0.15     0.20     0.36     0.44
29   0.23     0.29     0.48     0.55
30   0.33     0.40     0.59     0.66
31              0.51                0.76

A Spell for Balance as we move into our New Cycle

To stabilize your energy, fill a small jar with Earth and call upon Mother Earth by chanting:

Mother Earth, solid One
Kissed by rain, wind and Sun.
Bring stable balance unto me,
As i will, so mote it be.

Keep the small jar close to yourself; in your purse, at home or in the workplace.

Author Unknown

Friday 13th AND a Full Moon!

A tid bit of information; a full moon occurring on Friday the 13th will not happen again until the year 2049. For those who want to cleanse your personal tools and just enjoy the evening, get outside or near a window if you cannot leave your home, and enjoy the Lady tonight. Blessing everyone!

Not sure where this comes from but
it is a lovely image.

Some Beautiful Images for Imbolc

Snowdrops; a sure sign of spring in the making.

Fraction of the Moon Illuminated - 2014

                                                            

 Day    Jan.     Feb.     Mar.     Apr.     May      June

                                                           

 01     0.00     0.03     0.00     0.03     0.04     0.11

 02     0.01     0.08     0.01     0.07     0.09     0.18 

 03     0.05     0.15     0.05     0.14     0.16     0.26 

 04     0.11     0.24     0.11     0.21     0.24     0.35

 05     0.20     0.34     0.19     0.30     0.32     0.44 

 06     0.30     0.44     0.27     0.39     0.41     0.54 

 07     0.40     0.54     0.37     0.49     0.51     0.63 

 08     0.51     0.64     0.47     0.58     0.60     0.73 

 09     0.61     0.73     0.56     0.67     0.69     0.81 

 10     0.70     0.81     0.66     0.76     0.78     0.89 

 11     0.79     0.88     0.74     0.84     0.86     0.95 

 12     0.86     0.93     0.82     0.90     0.92     0.99 

 13     0.92     0.97     0.89     0.95     0.97     1.00 

 14     0.96     0.99     0.94     0.99     1.00     0.98 

 15     0.99     1.00     0.98     1.00     1.00     0.94

 16     1.00     0.99     1.00     0.99     0.97     0.87

 17     0.99     0.95     1.00     0.96     0.92     0.78

 18     0.96     0.90     0.98     0.90     0.85     0.68

 19     0.92     0.84     0.94     0.83     0.76     0.57 

 20     0.86     0.76     0.88     0.73     0.65     0.45

 21     0.79     0.66     0.80     0.63     0.54     0.35

 22     0.70     0.56     0.70     0.51     0.43     0.25

 23     0.61     0.45     0.60     0.40     0.32     0.16 

 24     0.50     0.34     0.49     0.29     0.22     0.10 

 25     0.40     0.23     0.37     0.19     0.14     0.05

 26     0.29     0.14     0.26     0.11     0.07     0.01

 27     0.19     0.07     0.17     0.05     0.03     0.00

 28     0.11     0.02     0.09     0.01     0.00     0.01 

 29     0.05              0.03     0.00     0.00     0.03

 30     0.01              0.00     0.01     0.02     0.08

 31     0.00              0.00              0.06              

Why Hermetic Principles

It has been suggested that Hermes Trismegistus, or he whom we called that, was a contemporary of Abraham and an instructor of that age. His Hermetic teachings can be seen embedded deep within any of the world religions of today. Even though it may seem there are great and significant differences in the doctrine of these religions, at some of the deeper levels, there are always certain "correspondences" to the Hermetic teachings; these teachings have grown and evolved into various forms.
Within each generation a number of persons or students open themselves to the teachings; to understand and carry on the knowledge of Hermes. For many years, alchemists attempted to turn base metals into gold. Hermetic alchemy is rather a transformation of the baser consciousness of man to a golden enlightenment; a transformation of the self as Penczak has suggested. The principles taught by Hermes, and those after him, help us to understand how we can transform ourselves, better understand nature at it's most glorious, and grasp the similarities between science today and philosophy of yesterday.
The Hermetic Teachings can be found across the globe in many countries; however, they are never identified with any particular country, nor with any particular religious sect. The reasoning behind this was so that the teachings did not become embedded into doctrine or a specific creed, but remain as a philosophy that transcended this man made structure. At the time of the dawning of Christianity, the teachings were lost under a shroud of theology and it has not been until recently that the Hermetic Principles have re-emerged.

Syster Wyrd, Lorie

Re-Discovering the Hermetic Principles

Some eight years ago, I chanced upon a book written by Christopher Penczak titled "The Inner Temple of Witchcraft". At that time, I had been on a trip with my Syster Wyrd to Salem; the purpose being to discover what had been tempting us for some time. I picked up this book in a shop during one of our last days in Salem and to this day, it remains one of my favourites.
Once home, I began studying it in depth and attempting to open my mind to all manner of things it was suggesting. Being so early in my journey of acquiring "occult" knowledge, I found it hard to grasp certain concepts. But now, some years later and with over a hundred kindred books laid to rest, I find myself drawn back to Christopher's book, specifically to its descriptions of the Hermetic Principles, and to the writings of Hermes Trismegistus in "The Kybalion".
2014 seems a good year and milestone in my search of knowledge to review both works. My hope is to receive and share understanding. I will not promise to anyone dedication to writing in this blog, as let's face it, I am a procrastinator, but I will attempt to as a discipline.
All the best to those out there who trip across my little spot on the vast web and look forward to any and all comments along the way.

Syster Wyrd, Lorie

Beginnings

“There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth...not going all the way, and not starting.”

(Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C.)   Today was a special day; a new year and a new moon. The perfect day to promise yourself a new adventure. I think I will put some thoughts into that over the coming days before the full moon. By then I should have an idea of what that adventure will be. I love this image I pulled from Pinterest. (Originator unknown) A path not yet travelled and one that beckons with the light. A merry start to the New Year and Blessed Be all my friends and family Wyrd!