Weekly Handout 3

PSA Weekly Handout 3

September 29, 2010

Rowan

Folk Names:  mountain ash, witchwood, quickbane, wild ash, witchen, witchbane, wicken tree, wiky, wiggy, roynetree, whitty, wiggin ran tree, roden-quicken-royan, sorb apple, roden-quicken, delight of the eye

Gender:  Hot

Planet:  Sun

Element:  Fire

Associated Deity: Thor

Parts Used:  Wood, twigs

Basic Powers:  Protection, healing

Specific Uses:  Tie two twigs of rowan together with red thread for a good, all-purpose charm.   Use the rowan branches in divining water, as is often done with hazel wood.  It is an excellent protection against lightening.  It is sometimes used to make magic wands.  Carry the wood with you as a good luck god (amulet).  A necklace of the berries is very healing.

Source:  Scott Cunningham - Magical Herbalism

Centering and Grounding

The use of centering and grounding is common amongst Pagans for many different types of magical practice, including divination.  Centering helps to clear the mind and get into a meditative state of mind that is conducive to divining while grounding can help keep you focused on the task at hand.

One way to center is to simply close your eyes, plant your feet and focus on your breathing.  A variant of this is to picture yourself breathing in light and exhaling shadow.

A common way to ground yourself before ritual or divination practice is known as the Tree Method.  To do this, one pictures themselves as a tree growing roots deep into the earth and branches that rise up high into the sky.

Wolf totem

Wolf is the Teacher, the Pathfinder, the guardian of pathways.  He comes to us when we need guidance in our lives and when we need to learn something, either about ourselves or about the world.  He is a symbol of strength, confidence and wisdom.

In history, the totem Wolf symbol appears with the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. Legend has it that the two founding brothers were raised and suckled by a she-wolf.

In Norse mythology, the Wolf is a symbol for victory when ridden by Odin and the Valkyries upon the battlefield.

As a Celtic symbol, the Wolf was a source of lunar power. Celtic lore states that the Wolf would hunt down the sun and devour it at each dusk so as to allow the power of the moon to come forth.

In Asia, the wolf guards the doors that allow entrance to heavenly, celestial realms. The Wolf is also said to be among the ancestry of Genghis Khan.      

Source: animaltotem.com, whats-your-sign.com