From Tigerlily, a potter and artist, I received an amulet of the Goddess with a serpent twined around her, made from fired and glazed clay.
From Larry, “The Fur Guy”, a Pheasant wing feather fan for smudging, and a Crowfoot holding a crystal sphere (which grabbed me with an insistence I haven’t felt in years)
From Don & Daniella Waterhawk, a large shell from the ocean.
From Lila, a generous bag of loose White Sage.
From Steven, a substantial rod of Selenite, which immediately sang in my hand.
From Midnight, two of her custom blended essential oils.
To begin, I took down my altar and prepared to physically cleanse the altar, tools, and space. I started with the large picture window that my altar faces. After cleaning the glass, I replaced the window decorations. A Celtic knot pentagram is placed in the center of the window, with a sun catcher of a fairy on one side, and a sun catcher of dragonflies on the other side. A gold and crystal butterfly lies above the pentagram, and an Austrian gazing crystal is suspended below the pentagram. An amethyst-tipped wand is attached to the window with a suction cup, and below that is suspended a new Green Man medallion made from green glass.
The altar got arranged around the idea of “Unity with God & Goddess”. A candle in a ceramic chalice stands at the center of the altar, representing the unity of the fire and air, earth and water. It also represents my own inner fire, cupped within the cauldron of my spirit. The crowfoot tool and Serpent Goddess amulet lay to the left and right. In front and along the left side I said a variety of stones that spoke to me and wanted to be there: Chalcedony, Quartz, Labradorite, and Fluorite. A agate dish of sea salt and the shell filled with white sage were placed together in front, cradling the “Great Rite” oil blended by Midnight.
The Goddess side of the altar was laid with a new Goddess tealight holder, as well as a glass bowl filled with healing stones, with larger stones placed around it. The God side of the altar holds the glass dish filled with crystal sands, containing a clay mandala medallion for holding stick incense and a figure of the Sage watching over it. The leaf-bladed Athame I made from sculpy lay alongside.
The “Great Rite” oil had recently been charged and energized with the focused intent of opening awareness and connecting the wearer to the energy of Divine. Once the altar was set, I grounded and centered myself, then anointed my chakras with the oil. I burned a stem of white sage and smudged the altar and window, using the new pheasant wing fan. I smudged myself, and used the sage to create sacred space, since that scent always has the power to bring my awareness immediately into the sacred.
I lay down and sent energy to each of my chakras with the Selenite rod, awakening the oil that I had anointed myself with. Holding the Serpent Goddess amulet in my left hand and the crowfoot tool in my right, I began to rhythmically tap each of my chakras with the crowfoot, to break up any blockages or negativity bound there. Starting at the crown, I tapped for a few moments on each chakra until I felt a rushing release of energy race down my spine and ground into the earth. When done, I meditated a few moments, gently expanding my awareness of the breadth and depth of my connection to Divine.
I replaced the tools on the altar, and spent a final few moments reflecting on the sense of gratitude I have toward the abundance I have received.
~Flame RavenHawk
August 2, 2003