J Is For Jinx

From a cute little kids game that some of us have played to causing bad luck, a jinx is considered to be a pretty serious event.Just a quick search on Google will show that not only is a jinx taken seriously; it's also something that we need to work to remove. I found spell kits, ritual baths and jinx removing wash all available for purchase. Just look at what's available on eBay.Jinx is definedtwo ways. First as a noun, it's a person, think or influence to bring bad luck. As a verb, jinx means to bring bad luck, for example: "Steve has jinxed my trip this weekend." I was surprised to find out that some believe that the word jinx might have originated from a cult associated with my Goddess Hecate. There are many pages on the net that reference the following quote:

From Wikipedia:One interesting passage exists suggesting that the word "jinx" might have originated in a cult object associated with Hecate. "The Byzantine polymath Michael Psellus [...] speaks of a bullroarer, consisting of a golden sphere, decorated throughout with symbols and whirled on an oxhide thong. He adds that such an instrument is called a iunx (hence "jinx"), but as for the significance says only that it is ineffable and that the ritual is sacred to Hecate.

Hecate and jinx magic seem to be go hand in hand. This page references the "Iynx" a magical wheel named for the daughter of Pan, which is also linked to Hecate. Included is reference to the 3rd century poem by Theocritus where both Hecate and the Iynx are combined to jinx another.

One cannot have a discussion about magic and jinxing without someone bringing up the rule of three. I'll just comment as I have heard so many times.

"A witch that cannot hex cannot heal."

If you believe that jinxing is black magic or a part of something "darker" one could say that it's not really that much different than a hex. In my opinion it falls in the same category. I would say it's no different than binding or blessing. Basically we're using our energies to change an outcome. By definition a jinx would be a "bad" outcome. However I believe that no matter what magic you practice at some point someone may be "harmed" by that magic. Much like beauty, it's all in the eye of the beholder.

Namaste and Blessed BeSosanna)O(Read Confessions of a Modern Witch

Summoning Hecate An Enhancement

To improvement your gift to summon Hecate, Emperor of the Night, try this:

Dry dandelion roots, next gash and spike them to foster beads, forming a ritual necklace to wear when job Hecate. Howl - or guess - Hecate's name as you spike, flood, and chaos each bubble. For best consequences, flood the neclace at night by firelight.

Substitute way to improvement your collaboration with the Emperor of the Night is to practice the Hush of the Night Thoughts. It's a very simple yet closely powerful meditation, surprisingly when knowledgeable for an open epoch of time" Of "

Tags: invoking love power orphic invocations love angel power job your summons goddess border on goddess summons aphrodite summoning hecate circle feats operations witch magic tree love opening rune wicca love spellsandmagic

Origin: magick-keys.blogspot.com

Hecate Greco Roman Goddess Associated With Magic And Crossroads

Hecate by Sandra Stanton

http://www.thaliatook.com/AMGG/hekate.html

"Be comforted. I am here to guide you through the dark."

Hecate is the Greek goddess of the crossroads. She is most often depicted as having three heads; one of a dog, one of a snake and one of a horse. She rescued Persephone from the Underworld. Hecate is said to haunt a three-way crossroad, each of her heads facing in a certain direction. She is said to appear when the ebony moon shines.

Hecate - William Blake

Greek mythology combined in her person aspects of the moon, earth and underworld, with power over the sky, earth and sea; she was also associated with witchcraft, magic and the supernatural.

Hekate ">Hecate Chiaramonti 1922

Hecate, is guardian of the household, protector of everything newly born, and the goddess of witchcraft

A beautiful and powerful goddess in her own right, the Greek goddess Hecate was the only one of the ancient Titans who Zeus allowed to retain their authority once the Olympians seized control. Zeus shared with Hecate, and only her, the awesome power of giving humanity anything she wished (or withholding it if she pleased)."Hecate (Hekate), a primordial Goddess whose genealogy goes back to Her birth which is said to be at the beginning of time, is a goddess shrouded in mystery. She was originally the Goddess of the wild places, childbirth, and the crossroads. These are all considered to be in between spaces that have been associated with the spirit world, and because these in between spaces are thought to be the places where the veils between the worlds believed to be at their thinnest, they have also been associated with witches, magic, and ghosts. It is from these links that Hecate gained the titles of Queen of Witches, Queen of the Dead, Mistress of Magic, and Queen of Ghosts to eventually become the Crone Goddess. Witches have long evoked her to make their spells more powerful. She is also associated with divination for it is believed she can cut through the darkness, bring visions, call back the past, and reveal the future.

Pantheon: - Greek?Roman

Moon Phase: - Triple

Energies: - Witchcraft, huntress, wisdom, birth, life, death

Symbol: Dogs, crossroads.

Plants and herbs

The yew, cypress, hazel, black poplar and willow are all sacred to Hecate. The leaves of the black poplar are dark on one side and light on the other, symbolizing the boundary between the worlds. The yew has long been associated with the Underworld. Garlic, almonds, lavender, myrrh, mugwort, cardamon, mint, dandelion, hellebore, and lesser celandine. Several poisons and hallucinogens are linked to Hecate, including belladonna, hemlock, mandrake, aconite (known as hecateis), and opium poppy.

Resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hecate

http://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-myths/greek goddess hecate.htm

http://reclaimingthedarkgoddess.blogspot.com/search?q=hecate

http://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Hekate.html

http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Mythology/HecateChiaramonti1922.html

http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Mythology/Hecate.html

Happy Matronalia An Ancient Mother Day

Today I bought two almanacs today, The Witches' Almanac and Llewellyn's Magical Almanac. I bought them to better keep track of the moon phases and sabbats. Well along with the traditional sabbats, the almanacs list holidays from different cultures. In both of them, the Roman holiday of Matronalia was listed. I figured it had something to do with matrons (I was right) but I wanted to know more.

Matronalia seems to be kind of a Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, and anniversary of a marriage, and fertility holiday all rolled into one!

Wikipedia describes Matronalia (or Matronales Feriae) as a festival that is similar to Mother's Dayy. The festival celebrates Juno Lucina, the goddess of childbirth ("Juno who brings children into the light"), and of motherhood (mater is "mother" in Latin) and women in general. In the original Roman calendar traditionally thought to have been established by Romulus, it was the first day of the year. As the first day of March (Martius), the month of Mars, it was also the Feriae Marti.

The date of the festival was associated with the dedication of a temple to Juno Lucina on the Esquiline Hill circa 268 BCE, and possibly also a commemoration of the peace between the Romans and the Sabines.

At home, women received gifts from their husbands and daughters (not sons?), and Roman husbands were expected to offer prayers for their wives. Women were also expected to prepare a meal for the household slaves (who were given the day off work), as Roman men did at the Saturnalia. (Hmmm...seems these Romans may have shown at least a little gender equality then.)

About.com seems to describe it more like a combination of Valentine's Day and a fertility holiday. In honor of Juno Lucina's temple foundation on the Esquiline, both matrons and husbands visited the temple, laid flower wreaths, and prayed for the protection of their marriages. Lambs and cattle were sacrificed to Juno Lucina, husbands gifted their wives, girls received presents from their lovers, and mistresses gave their female slaves a feast.

Judith Hallett, Classics Professor at the University of Maryland, describes the Matronalia as a love devotional from husband to wife. "On that day husbands would pray for the health of their wives and give them presents, and wives would dress up...." (Newswise Jan. 11, 2008.) Wives dressed up by dressing down: undoing their belts, leaving not a single knot in their robes, and loosening their braided hair, thereby encouraging Juno Lucina to loosen their wombs and bring forth their "children into the light" -- a phrase attributed to Juno Lucina as the patron goddess of childbirth. (I have to wonder, is this where the term "loose" came from?"

But according to About.com, this beautiful holiday seemed to have gotten used as a political motivation to save. (I guess they didn't have Hallmark back.) The Matronalia gained added favor in the Roman calendar under Augustus' rule (27 B.C. - A.D.14). With a dwindling population, Augustus focused on the sanctity of marriage and procreation by creating new laws governing childbirth, adultery, and divorce. (So does this mean Augustus was encouraging married couples to "get it on" in celebration of the holiday so he would have people to rule?)

It seems this resembalance to Mother's Day is no coincidence. According to Paganwiccan.com, evolved into Mother's Day in Europe, and was shifted to the fourth Sunday of Lent. Although the "mother" her wasn't just the woman who birthed you, it was the church. During the Middle Ages, those who had moved away from home would return on this day to their "mother" church which in turn meant visiting their families who still remained in the village. Servants were allowed to pick flowers from their masters' gardens, and given the day off to return home for this special holiday. This is where the tradition of giving Mom flowers on Mother's Day came from. (So everytime you give flowers to Mom, remember how it was the one day servents got the day off. Nice.)

So as you can see, the holiday of Matronalia was like seveveral modern day holidays rolled into one! Mothers and wives were honored, servents and slaves got treated like human beings for once, and you were encouraged to make babies! I like this holiday!