Review: Triskelion Botanicals (and some thoughts on dream states)

A couple of years ago, I had a client begin behaving in an erratic way. He was interfering with a settlement offer that seemed wildly in favor of a large group of people--including him. I was stymied: how could someone act so adverse to his own interests?

One afternoon, sleep came over me. In a dream or dream-like state, I saw the troublesome client collecting money in a way I had not known about before. Realizing the litigation resulted in an unexpected side hustle for him, I understood why he was resisting the settlement.

I went forward in my case with a better understanding of the interests involved. Called on his motives, my client did not deny what was happening. I was better able to assist everyone in the complex situation.

Although I did not take any elixirs to bring on the dream state above, I inadvertently bit into an herb bundle I was carrying (using my mouth as an extra hand) the previous night. Perhaps the juices I released (enough to make my mouth numb) brought on the revelation.

I am not including the ingredients of my accidental "dream elixir" here--it was random and not collected for that purpose. A few of the items are reputed to be poisonous. It is far better to concoct or buy something with a specific purpose in mind in terms of physical health and intention. I am also not declaring what happened to be a dream, remote viewing, or or astral projection--I am just glad to have experienced the phenomenon as I did.

Since that experience, I have sought it again with no success. Likely, I need to need to have the experience before it is granted again.

Although I haven't taken a second flight, a pleasant stop along the way of trial and error has been Dreamwork by Triskelion Botanicals. Triskelion is a great little herbal shop with a lot of heart--the proprietor is a friend of mine and truly cultivates magick and healing as she grows, gathers, dries, mixes, and brews in her corner of the world. Many of her herbs are wild-gathered, and all are free of chemical treatment. They are made with intention in a home setting filled with love and good vibes.

I reserved my two samples of Dreamwork for nights when my agenda was not crowded, and when I did not feel pressure about the next day. I didn't want to arrive in court "hung over" from a night flight, and I didn't want to push away experiences in favor of a good night's sleep. I also eschewed the elixir on nights when I was drinking or needed to take medication--Dreamwork shouldn't bear the blame for drunken escapades!

My first adventure began well before bedtime. I had a relaxed evening of productive journaling and introspection. Dreamwork helped me reach a state of relaxation while still being able to create and solve problems. The second adventure resulted in a very sound night's sleep, and it was much needed at the time. I did not remember a single dream. However, the next night, without more elixir, I had vivid dreams that I remembered and recorded. Both the journaling and the second-night dreams were helpful in resolving challenges I faced at the time. I credit Dreamwork with the sound night's sleep that set me up to enjoy a night of continued effects with the clear, memorable dreams.

I recommend Dreamwork. First, it is a safe alternative compared to biting into an herb bundle prepared for another purpose. Secondly, the "worst" outcome seems to be a sound night's sleep--something we all sorely need. Most importantly, it leads to restorative imagining, sound sleep, and helpful dreaming. I am going to continue experimenting with Dreamwork, varying when I take it.

Night flights, remote viewing, or just rest and clarity--all can benefit us as we go about creating, crafting, hexing, and blessing.

If the Creek Don't Rise (Book Review)

CONTAINS SPOILERS

If the Creek Don't Rise isn't a "witchy" book, unless you consider the high level of faith it takes to keep going with absolutely nothing. The title sentiment was also expressed by my Grandma as, "If I live . . . ". (Perhaps hearing, "If I live, we'll . . . " as the condition under which we would do things as mundane as making cornmeal mush made me prone to reach for a protection amulet and some lavender salt!)

However, magik is more expressly present in the book in the voice of Birdie Rocas, the neighbor (and protector) of the protagonist, Sadie Blue. Sadie Blue is in an abusive marriage, and, as such, needs a bit of help with details like delivering the baby her husband killed in utero or whipping up some hemlock root poison for . . . those who need it. Birdie Rocas tells us that her last name means crow, and that some folks call her a witch--a good thing for hunting ginseng (apparently because her appearance scares those who would steal her valuable harvest). When Birdie scrys for a dead body and the killer turns up dead himself, one begins to suspect she uses her magik for more than hunting ginseng.

Magik is sprinkled throughout the book as charms, amulets, potions, and folk wisdom. However, Birdie does share her scrying method:

--Fetch shallow bowl the color of blood

--Put on tree stump

--Pour spring water one finger width deep

--Kiss and put on personal amulet (Birdie's is a horn-shaped amulet)

--Make repeated "X" with thumb on forehead until coated with oil from skin

--Rub oil on item belonging to person you seek (handy to have crows to retrieve these for you!)

--Drop item into water

--Watch for answer to form

Although Birdie seems to get her answers, she leaves us with some lingering questions and an observation:

"Why are young girls dumb and men surprised?

"What does evil look like to crows from up in the sky?

"They're brave to play hide-and-seek with the dead."

While by no means a craft "how-to" book, this novel includes a few pages worthy of any book of shadows. It is a respectful window into the misunderstood and sometimes-popular world of granny magik or hoodoo, and deserves to be read.

The dialect in the book is southern Appalachian. It will sound "off" to readers from Kentucky or West Virginia. It does not seem to be intended disrespectfully.

Those of us not apt to find a hag stone shaped like a horn might appreciate a commercially-produced amulet like Birdie's:




(Note: links are designed to make me richer than a moonshiner with a revenuer cousin!)

Utterly Wicked: Curses, Hexes & Other Unsavory Notions by Dorothy Morrison--Book Review

From Dorothy Morrison's website . . . see link below to order the book. 

"It is good for us crones," said the fellow witch. She was recommending I read "Utterly Wicked" by Dorothy Morrison. "As they say, 'Cause no harm, but take no shit," she added.

I leaned in on my cane, clutching the Not My Fucking Problem spray I had just purchased and taking in the title: Crone. Although I am clearly a Queen, a title too often forgotten when it comes to describing women who are not maidens and not mothers, I let it sink in. I decided "Crone" was a compliment, and kept the lightening bolts inside my fingers.

I made my way to a bench and used my phone to order "Utterly Wicked: Curses, hexes & other unsavory notions":

With Amazon Prime (Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial), the order arrived quickly, though I suppose the smart crone, needing to hex in a hurry, would read online (which also reduces the price of the book) using a service like Kindle: Join Amazon Kindle Unlimited 30-Day Free Trial.

Dorothy Morrison describes her audience in the introduction, and, like this blog, it is ". . . for those folks who are sick and tired of swallowing the bullshit served up by other people. It is for those folks who are fighting mad and livid pissed. Yes, it is for those folks who are tired of taking a screwing at every turn, who are ready to wage war, and who have finally mastered the gumption to do something about it."

My only criticism is that some of the spells call for animal parts, and I prefer vegan work. However, one can always look for vegan substitutes, as I did when substituting human feet charms for chicken feet.

Morrison includes spells directed to legal disputes, including an "Opposing Attorney Hex." The hex is not too different from some of my work, but Morrison includes incantations--something I normally do not include as part of my work.

This is an excellent resource for composing work in an area shunned by many witches, cursing and hexing. It is for those of us who have what it takes "to become the things that go bump in the night."

Happy bitchcrafting! May all your unsavory notions come true!

(I may become very rich if you click on the affiliate links in this article.)

Solar Eclipse Magik - See the Light Spell

Old diagram of a solar and lunar eclipse from a French text.

Even the most mundane people have become fascinated with the August 2017 solar eclipse--it is a spectacle in terms of infrequency alone.

In my own magickal system, I have decided that the rarity of the solar eclipse corresponds with the rarity of justice. Bad law can take a long time to undo. In 1857, the Supreme Court approved segregation in Plessy v. Ferguson. The case was overturned in, arguably, 1954, with Brown v. Board. Anyone familiar with the planet from which we will be viewing the eclipse knows that the civil rights cases are largely a dead letter in 2017, but Brown still has symbolic value in overturning Plessy and perhaps providing a goalpost of decisional thought to which the courts will one day choose to return.

It took nearly 100 years for the second of these two seminal cases to overturn the first, and the current solar eclipse is the first of its kind for nearly 100 years. NASA has a good (if ethnocentric) overview of historical events around past eclipses along the "track" of the coming eclipse: NASA Eclipse History, The changes between the last eclipse and this have been . . . astronomical. 

I have decided to incorporate this rarity and the view of an eclipse as a full year in a short time to complete a work calling for an unusual circumstance: for a public figure to take back a public attack on me. However, you could do work for a positive outcome in a difficult pending case, for an enemy to relent, or for a complete reversal of power and fortunes.

Here are materials for a similar working, if you want to bring about a similar transformation.

Ingredients:

Dolly - I am using a corncob one similar to that pictured in the successful Shut Up and Scratch Spell here. By luck, I stored my corncob a bit too well and it is turning rancid from having moisture locked in--which coincides with the rancidity I feel currently affects my target and needs to be removed. You can make your own, purchase one for magik,

or even buy an inexpensive fashion doll as advocated by Dorothy Morrison in her wonderful (soon-to-be-reviewed here) book

Herbs - I have decided to make my own special blend that has worked in the past--very hot pepper (ghost pepper from my garden), black pepper, cumin (these will be applied around the tummy to inspire a feeling of discomfort and feet to inspire a feeling of needed action). I will first soak the belly down to the feet in commercial hot sauce. Then, I will use witch's salt (likely, my own blend of lavender and salt) around the mouth and head to inspire truth-telling

Candles - candles used in this spell will be all white, bringing truth and light where there has been slander 

Intention - my intention will be for the party to feel upset and discomfort, knowing the true horror of what he has done, until he is compelled to retract the statement. So mote it be

I am not a chanter, but some might find words they want to use. Utterly Wicked, above, has many good suggestions.

"I Saw the Light" is an old hymn written by Hank Williams, Sr.--no proponent or example of the changes we need in our world. However, my grandfather, a true fighter for justice and truth, often played and sang the song. May this eclipse cause the many bleak, vile forces prevailing today to see the light and change or be brought to light and repudiated, sent back to haunt the sad eras of history to which they belong.