Apep: Egyptian God of Darkness and Chaos

(art: Anubis & Apep by: http://darknatasha.com/)

Apep was the god of all darkness and chaos. He was believed to have taken a discarded form of Ra. How he god his form is unknown to us. Apep is the eternal enemy of Ra, the sun god. Serpents were a major nescience in upper and lower Egypt, so they gave the form of a snake to things that were evil. There are many stories about the battles between Ra and Apep. Egyptians needed reasons for things that happened that they didn't understand, like earthquakes, droughts, eclipses, ect… Apep was said to live underneath the world, because of his dislike of the sun. Whenever he would slither out of the ground, earthquakes would happen. When droughts came they thought Apep was strangling the Nile River. The people believed that Apep didn't attack the sun while it was daylight, because they would have been able to see the serpent. They thought that when storms came, Apep was fighting Ra. Ra was so overcome by the engagements with Apep he didn't have the power to light up Egypt. It was the same idea during eclipses, Apep would have swallowed up the sun, and eventually Ra's servants cut him free. Since Apep was thought of as from the underworld, to revive, he only had to wait for the night time. It was from this hatred and dislike of Apep, that the Egyptians came up with a process on how to kill serpents. This method of killing Apep was also used on other snakes. The list was taken from hieroglyphs that were all around Egypt, "Spit Upon Apep, Defiling Apep with the Left Foot, Taking a Lance to Smite Apep, Fettering Apep, Taking a Knife to Smite Apep, Laying Fire Upon Apep." The people needed a way of fighting snakes, so they made it know how to kill Apep. It was in this era that snake charming began to be a major talent. Apep was known to have a gaze that would enchant any man he looked at. Egyptians often tried to counter this gaze with a gaze of their own, thus creating snake charmers. During large banquets dolls and wax figures of Apep were fashioned, and during the ceremony people would demonstrate new techniques on how to kill this immortal god. Apep was also believed to live in the Nile River.

Apep did not have a known family, or any siblings. However he belonged to the "evil cult" led by Set.

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Myth of the Unicorn

The unicorn is a legendary animal that has been described since antiquity as a beast with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead. The unicorn was depicted in ancient seals of the Indus Valley Civilization and was mentioned by the ancient Greeks in accounts of natural history by various writers, including Ctesias, Strabo, Pliny the Younger, and Aelian. The Bible also describes an animal, the re'em, which some translations have erroneously rendered with the word unicorn.

In European folklore, the unicorn is often depicted as a white horse-like or goat-like animal with a long horn and cloven hooves (sometimes a goat's beard). In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, it was commonly described as an extremely wild woodland creature, a symbol of purity and grace, which could only be captured by a virgin. In the encyclopedias its horn was said to have the power to render poisoned water potable and to heal sickness. In medieval and Renaissance times, the horn of the narwhal was sometimes sold as unicorn horn.

Unicorns are not found in Greek mythology, but rather in accounts of natural history, for Greek writers of natural history were convinced of the reality of the unicorn, which they located in India, a distant and fabulous realm for them. The earliest description is from Ctesias who, in his book Indika ("On India"), described them as wild asses, fleet of foot, having a horn a cubit and a half (27 inches) in length, and colored white, red and black.

The horn itself and the substance it was made of was called alicorn, and it was believed that the horn holds magical and medicinal properties. The Danish physician Ole Worm determined in 1638 that the alleged alicorns were the tusks of narwhals. False alicorn powder, made from the tusks of narwhals or horns of various animals, has been sold in Europe for medicinal purposes as late as 1741. The alicorn was thought to cure many diseases and have the ability to detect poisons, and many physicians would make "cures" and sell them. Cups were made from alicorn for kings and given as a gift; these were usually made of ivory or walrus ivory. Entire horns were very precious in the Middle Ages and were often really the tusks of narwhals.

One traditional method of hunting unicorns involved entrapment by a virgin.

In one of his notebooks, Leonardo da Vinci wrote:

"The unicorn, through its intemperance and not knowing how to control itself, for the love it bears to fair maidens forgets its ferocity and wildness; and laying aside all fear it will go up to a seated damsel and go to sleep in her lap, and thus the hunters take it."

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Green Adventurine

(Pictured: My Green Adventurine)

Aventurine is used for Success, Prosperity, Mental Clarity

Aventurine is said to benefit one in all areas of creativity, and imagination, as well as intellect and mental clarity. Lore says that it enhances prosperity and brings career success. It is a gentle stone energetically that gives a sense of calm and balance and enhances happiness. It also helps one to see alternatives and potentials in all situations, giving a positive outlook, courage and inner strength. It is also said to bring luck, especially in games of chance. Green aventurine is also a mystical stone of prosperity. Aventurine bring friendship to one's life. It is also a stone of protection energies. Folklore and metaphysical lore say that physically it is beneficial for blood, circulatory system, balancing blood pressure, sinus problems, nausea, headaches, general health, allergies, eczema, fever, and sleep disorders. Note that healing crystal meanings are spiritual supports to healing and are not prescriptions or healthcare information.

Aventurine is associated with the heart chakra. Different colors of Aventurine such as blue, peach or red, have additional properties and relate to various chakras according to color.

It's worth noting that in the world of glassblowing and lampwork, aventurine is a type of glass. It has a similar look look of the sparkles in the stone aventurine. Glass aventurine has the energies of glass, though, rather than those of the stone.

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Bladderwrack

Also known as: Kelp, Seawrack, Kelpware, Black-tang, Cutweed, Sea Oak, Sea Spirit

Bladderwrack is very Good for healing problems with the Bladder and the urinary tract.

Cletic and Druid Sailors use Bladderwrack to call on the gods Lír or Manannan his son when protection at sea is needed.

Bladderwrack is the “Herb of the Sea”. Also known as Sea Spirit or Sea Oak, Bladderwrack has an abundance of magickal uses. Ideal for water elemental workings, Bladderwrack is an herb of protection. Because it grows in the sea, it possesses protection for anyone on or flying above the seas and oceans. Throwing or blowing Bladderwrack to the sea summons the spirits of the ocean water who will come to your aid in your magickal workings of all kinds. Ideal for sea and wind spells.

Scatter Bladderwrack or place in an offering bowl at your place of business to attract customers. It also helps bring and keep good vibrations and positive energy flowing into and around your store or place of business. Excellent for money spells and lunar magick, always incorporate blends and/or candles with Bladderwrack when doing money workings.

A visionary plant, Bladderwrack is a beautiful and loving herb to use for Goddess workings, enhancing psychic powers, and working with ancestral spirits. Bladderwrack attracts the essence of nature and all the elements.

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Saci-Pererê: Brazilian Myth

Saci-Pererê was a slave child on the first “black ship” to ever visit Brazil.  However, he was treacherously murdered, and powerful magic brought him back in his current form: a one-legged imp with magical powers.

Saci loves three things more than anything else: tobacco, puzzles, and tormenting travelers in the Brazilian wilderness–particularly Gerard van Oost and Oludara!  He can hop on his one leg faster than most people can run, and can even “hop” through space, teleporting from one place to another at will–a power which allows him to drop in on our duo much more often than they’d like.  He isn’t an official member of The Elephant and Macaw Banner, but don’t tell him that!

Saci-Pererê is undoubtedly the most famous character in Brazilian folklore, and is sometimes used as a symbol of the country itself.  In The Elephant and Macaw Banner series, the myth of Saci lives on, but with new dimensions to his history, powers, and personality.

Gerard and Oludara know the source of Saci’s power, but if you want to know as well, you’ll need to read “The Fortuitous Meeting of Gerard van Oost and Oludara”.  And for those who enjoyed the imp’s antics in the first story, don’t worry; you haven’t seen the last of Saci-Pererê!

(Pronunciation: Sah-SEE Peh-(d)eh-(D)AY .  In Portuguese, the “r”s are somewhere between English “r”s and “d”s)

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Pendulums: An Introduction

(Pictured my Travel Pendulum Board and Turquoise Pendulum)

Welcome the world of Pendulum Boards.. also known as Spirit Boards, and Talking Boards.

Pendulum Boards are pretty much the same as Ouija Boards only smaller and round. Where Ouija use Planchettes, Pendulum Boards use Pendulums which is where the boards get their name from.

Like Ouija, Pendulum Boards allows the person to communicate with the spirits, though unlike Ouija, you only need one person to use the board instead of two.

The board pictured is my own Pendulum Board. Well, one of them at any rate. I have several, this one is my traveling board >~.^<

Today well go into the board itself and how it differs from other ways of Divination and Scrying.

A Pendulum Board functions best with simple yes or no questions, though asking it more complex questions is possible, it takes patience. You also need a steady hand to ensure your pendulum doesn't swing before you ask the question. You want your pendulum perfectly still and centered before you start to ensure that the results are accurate.

When you ask the question, you don't need to move your hand at all, it's best you don't so that your results aren't influenced. The pendulum will swing on its own after a few seconds.

Always begin with a question you know the answer to so reliability can be checked. Just like Ouija, some Pendulum Boards will attract a trickster and that's never good.

While anyone can use Pendulum Boards, they seem to work best for those who are in tune to the spirit world, or at least riding the veil.

Your pendulum can be made from any material, though according to certain lore, different crystals are best used for different types of questions. we'll go more into that tomorrow when I start on the different kinds of Pendulums used.

Pendulum Boards don't have to be made out of wood, they can be made from paper, or any other material, just like Ouija can.

Like Mirrors, Crystal Balls, the elements, etc, Pendulum Boards can be used for scrying. However, unlike the above mentioned, Pendulum Boards obviously can't show you what you're scrying for, they can tell you though.

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Celtic Zodiac: The Deer

Deers held a special meaning for the Celts. They believed they were part of the fairy world and had magical powers.

Celts thought deer lived deep in the forest so that they could have secret knowledge.

As one of the oldest animals in existence, the deer was a symbol of life, fertility and vitality. Their antlers were a symbol of the tree of life.

The White Stag symbolizes:
Grace
Speed
Beauty
Kindness
Vitality
Fertility
Gentleness
Spirituality
Watchfulness
Communication

Deer appear throughout Celtic mythology. For example, a deer pulled the chariot of Flidass, the Celtic Goddess of Wild Things. However, it is the white stag that had the most significance.

The Celts believed the white stag was a messenger of the gods. Whenever a white stag was seen, it was thought that important things would soon follow. We can see evidence of this in the legends of King Arthur where the appearance of a white stag sent the Knights off on spiritual quests.

The Celts also thought the white stag appeared when one was doing something forbidden, such as when Peredur entered the Castle of Wonders at the house of the Lame King.

Cernunnos, the Stag God, was of particular importance to the Celts because their survival depended on their success in the hunt. Cernunnos, as the ruler of animals and the Celts relationship with them, could grant a favorable hunt, thus ensuring the Celts survival.

Cernunnos’ appearance represents the balance of Man and Nature. Part man, part animal, he bears the antlers of a stag on his head, marking him as a mature leader with the ability to protect his realm.

Celtic stag tattoos represent the masculine, power, strength, and fertility. They can also incorporate the
importance of the white stag to the Celts, whether as a symbol of the Celtic Birch zodiac sign or as the mythical white stag who was a messenger of the gods and a symbol of spiritual quests.

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The Four Elements