Truth Spells Pt 2

Tigers Eye

Thur, 15 May 2003

When the question ‘how to find out the truth’ was first posed to one of my mailing lists, I tried to formulate a cogent response and the only thing I could think to say was Tigers Eye.  Feeling that this wasn’t exactly the best of answers I tried to find a book in my collection that could help.  I was surprised to find that many of the “classic” texts for Wicca/Paganism did not include any spell workings for Truth. Most did not talk about it and references to herbs, minerals, deities etc… were scarce. I continued to think about the question and could only come up with more questions:

1. Are you looking for self-truth?
2. Are you looking for truth in your dreams?
3. Are you trying to get other people to tell you the truth?
4. Are you hoping to be able to tell when people are lying?
5. Are you trying to discern truth in the stuff that you read?
6. Are you trying to find truth in your craft?

I have continued to wrestle with the question of truth and have finally found some answers for myself.  First, though I thought I should define truth.

A Definition of Truth according to Dictionary.com:
truth (tr th)
n. pl. truths (tr thz, tr ths)
Conformity to fact or actuality.
A statement proven to be or accepted as true.
Sincerity; integrity.
Fidelity to an original or standard.
Reality; actuality.
often Truth That which is considered to be the supreme reality and to have the ultimate meaning and value of existence.”

Therefore, our search for truth encompasses not just honesty, but sincerity, timeless qualities, reality, actuality, and fact.  This definition of Truth opens up a lot of different options for spell workings.

Relating to Truth

I relate to the world in many ways.  Each of these ways intersects with Truth.

Physical Truth

Are my physical senses giving me authentic or real information about myself and the world around me or have I been conditioned to ignore what it is saying?  The body knows truth that our conscious self does not.  If we do not listen to that truth the problems get worse.  For instance, headaches are usually a symptom of something else wrong with the body.  I have been having frequent stress related headaches.  If I treat the symptoms with various analgesics the pain will go away temporarily.  Continued stress could lead to other difficulties like ulcers, illness etc…  In fact, I was out with a serious flu bug for a week recently.  It was then that I realized that I had not been listening to my body and de-stressing.  Listening to what your body says is a way to learn truth about yourself.

Are the objects (house, furniture, clothes, stuff) in my life true to what I need/want/accept about myself?  Are objects manifestations of self?  Is our society so geared to having objects that we do not see their transitory nature?  I have no words of wisdom here, only questions.  I feel that our physical environments are important.  I feel that mine should be clean and peaceful.  It doesn’t have to be fancy or “done” it just has to be mine.

Is my job supporting my efforts to live in a truthful manner?  Am I comfortable with what I’m selling/doing?  In my job, am I, as Leroy Eldridge Cleaver said “Part of the solution or part of the problem”?

Am I doing right by the environment?  If I am in an area of the country where recycling is an option am I doing it?  Am I reducing the amount of water I use? Composting?  What are the truths of living in the physical world that I do not own up to?  And conversely, what am I doing well.  If the reality of our environment is that of finite resources, what am I doing with that truth?

Turquoise

Social Truth

Am I honest and truthful in my interactions with others?  Do I have a series of masks that I use to keep others from seeing the truth?  I know we all have masks, but how closely do our masks represent ourselves?  I definitely have a “work mask” that I use, a professionalism that keeps people at a narrow distance.  I’d like to believe that the mask is an honest one; it displays certain facets of my personality to their best advantage and to my fiscal advantage.   The use of masks is more benign than outright lies or falsehoods that we might use in our lives.  How much time do we spend telling tales?

Are others truthful and honest with me?  Am I gullible or culpable in believing what others say?  Isn’t it okay to maintain a degree of gullibility in order to retain innocence?  Is cynicism the goal?  Do I associate with or befriend those types of people who would harm me on a regular basis?  These are questions that must be answered individually.  If you see a pattern, go get help!  Everyone will run into chronic liars or tale-tellers.  Some are more genial and harmless than others.

Emotional Truth

Emotional honesty is a difficult question to wrestle with.  When are we authentically experiencing an emotion and when aren’t we and how can we tell the difference.  An inauthentic moment would be when we are watching a sad show and get sad.  The movie is playing to our emotions and we are sad about what we are watching, but the emotion is generated by something (frequently fictional and contrived) outside of ourselves.  Some could argue that we are experiencing an authentic emotion from an outside stimulus.

There is a philosophy that anger is a secondary emotion caused by fear or frustration.  Are we then authentic when we are angry?  This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t get angry, but that we should know the root cause.  What caused the fear or frustration?  Do you believe this?  Please remember these are MY thoughts and you do not have to agree.

How do you tell when you’re in love?  For me, it is a difficult question that cannot be answered with logic and words.  I know when I’m in love because I know.

How do you feel right now?

Intellectual/Mental Truth

How much rationalization/delusion goes into my daily life?  This is the big question I ask myself all the time.  All the others fall under this umbrella.  For if I am deluding or rationalizing about what is true or false then I can ignore the body’s pain, the emotional discomfort and the social niceties.  Am I being honest with myself?

Am I using all of my brain?  Am I still learning?  How much of what I read do I believe? Have I learned the critical thinking skills necessary to effectively work my way through the piles of books I want to read?

Quartz Crystal Cluster

Spiritual/Creative Truth

Am I being honest in my spiritual life?  I think we must ask why we have chosen the spiritual path we are on.  If there is discomfort, what is causing it?  Are we stagnating, learning, growing, working, and/or coasting? Where are we on our spiritual quests?

Have I done the groundwork that will facilitate the acquisition of knowledge via spiritual means?

Am I using my creative gifts in a positive fashion?  Do I know what those gifts are?  I feel that creativity and spirituality are closely tied to each other and so, have put them together here.

Psychic Truth

Are my dreams telling me things that I do not want to listen to, and therefore ignore?  Do I get premonitions, intuitions or other signals that are ignored?  Have I learned how to differentiate between a real intuition or premonition and a delusional one?

I feel that psychic, spiritual, emotional and intellectual/mental are all tied up together.  Each area can affect the other for good or ill.  Careful attention to yourself and what is going on in all of these areas are important.

Remember most of the time the truth is inside of you.  You may need to talk to someone, a friend or family member.  Sometimes you need to find the inner truth by talking to a counselor or therapist.  Prayer and divination can also provide truth.  It depends on how complicated the problem is.  Be certain to use all avenues of problem solving when pursuing the truth.

Useful Spell Ingredients for Truth

Maat

Stones

• Tiger’s Eye – representing the third eye-clairvoyance
• Turquoise – communication
• Amethyst – clairvoyance
• Clear quartz – (quartz is good for everything, it adds a boost to whatever working you want to do.)

Herbs

• Basil – clairvoyance
• Bay – clairvoyance
• Eyebright – seeking truth, clairvoyance
• Marigold – protection, prophetic dreams, legal matters, psychic powers
• Bluebell – luck, truth, constancy, strength

Oil

• Truth Oil from pagan shop, or oil infused with one of the herbs/flowers listed below

Colors

• Purple – finding hidden knowledge, spiritual power
• White – all purpose, but especially good for purification, protection, and truth
• Blue – truth in communication

Bay Leaf Wreath

Day of the Week

• Sunday, to see things clearly, bring them into the light

Goddesses of Truth

• Celtic – Epona
• Egyptian – Maat
• Greek & Roman – Vesta & Hestia
• Hindu – Lakshmi
• Irish – Morrigan
• Native American – White Buffalo Calf Woman (Lakota)
• Tibetan – rDo-rje-rnal-hbyor-ma, Lady Truth

Gods of Truth

• Egyptian – Thoth
• Egyptain – Anubis
• Greek – Apollo
• Hindu – Ganesha
• Persian – Asha vahishta
• Roman – Jupiter
• Santería – Shangó

What I’ve Done/Used

In general my very first answer is the one I use most frequently—Tiger’s eye.  I have a tiger’s eye pendant and I believe it helps me discern the truth when others are talking.  A beautifully striated piece of amethyst would probably work just as well.  Maybe it works because I’m just more aware of the nuances of what someone is saying. All I know for certain is that it does work for me.  I wear it at work a lot, particularly during the time I had a particularly difficult boss.    To find the truth in situations or from my inner self, I use the Tarot, pendulum or muscle testing also called Neural Kinesiology/Autonomic Response Testing. Divination methods are limited and they do not give the complete picture of a situation.  Use your head.  If you think you are living falsely or are being told untruths, then you probably are.

Hugs
Lirala

Truth Spells Pt 1

Fingers Crossed

This post was originally written for an online mailing list. I am including both the question and my response.

Mon Feb 17, 2003

“Hi there I was just wondering if any of you fine witches out there can tell me where to find a truth spell or if it’s better just to make my own. I was considering a wishing well spell because I know those are very effective. But I would love any input you could give me especially. hint… I am looking for something to point me in the right direction or that will help me make the right decision. Not to find out anything for selfish reasons. I have looked for some but been unable to find an applicable spell. Thanks for the help. Blessed Be –A.M.”

Wed, 26 Feb 2003

Greetings,

It’s better to make your own.  Yet, it is useful to look at other truth spells to better know how others have succeeded before you.  Sometimes the perfect spell for someone else can work for you.  Sometimes it needs to be adjusted.

Wishing?  Wishing for what?   Wishing for truth, or maybe wishing for knowledge?  You need to know what you are looking for (truth, knowledge, answers) before you cast your spell.

So it is a spell for decision-making.  Usually a decision is an active process one where you will do something depending on the decision you make.  It isn’t necessarily one of truth, unless you are assessing someone else and their truthfulness about a situation.   Hrmmm…

There are some Truth Spells on the web at:
http://crystalforest.homestead.com/truthspells.html
http://www.crystalforest1.homestead.com/SPELLTruth.html
http://www.spellsandmagic.com/Truth_Spells.html

I hope this helps!

Lirala

Spellwork – Beauty / Glamour

This was originally written for my Book of Shadows in 2003.

Leaves & Lake

Beauty

What is beauty? Is it some standard of physical perfection as defined by societal standards or is it some universal truth? Do we actually believe that underage, undersized, models are beautiful? If so, do we believe they are beautiful because we’ve been told often enough to believe it? What is beauty to you? Unquestioned acceptance of society’s definitions of beauty are too limiting from my point of view. And the current standards do not take into account the intangibles of Presence, Style, Grace, Personality, Wit, Charm, Sparkle or Vibrant Health. The insipid, skeletal beauty of the plasticene, air-brushed model leaves me cold. I do not want to be that and I do not want to encourage that image.

Feeling Good by Dr. Burns

The first most effective spell for beauty is self-esteem. I know you’ve probably heard that before, but even the most beautiful person can be ignored if they do not believe they are beautiful. (They also tend to neglect important things like personal hygiene). There are dozens of books on the market about self esteem I recommend Dr. Burns “Feeling Good.” I also recommend work, school, athletic or other goal oriented pursuits. Nothing builds self-esteem as quickly as success (in my opinion).

The second most effective spell for beauty is to work out on a regular basis, not to lose weight necessarily, but to become the most fit and vibrant person you can be. There’s something about the man or woman who works out. They have a bounce in their step and ability to do and more stamina than the normal couch potato. The key to exercise is to do more than one type, to integrate activity into your life.

The third most effective spell (sorry, still isn’t a real spell) is to figure out what your personal style is. By style I mean, how you dress, what you like, who you enjoy being with. Clothing, accoutrement and other things do say something about you. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you have to spend a lot of money. It isn’t about that. Heck I drove a 1976 Grand Torino around from 1989-1995 because I was too broke to buy anything else. But I tried to keep it clean and it eventually became a sort of trademark. People would know I was at the party because of my distinctive (albeit run-down) car.

Tim Gunn's Guide to Style

Style begins on the inside. What clothes make you feel good, beautiful, hell-on-wheels, effective, or exotic? What are you trying to say with your clothes and in the words of Phil McGraw, “how’s it working for you?” Shopping at second hand stores is a good thing. Think of it as recycling. Look for cheap but good accessories everywhere. There are many good books about clothing and style on the market. I have thoroughly enjoyed Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style by Tim Gunn, Dressing Rich by Leah Feldon, The Bombshell Manual of Style by Laren Stover, and any book by Edith Head the big time Hollywood fashion designer of the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. Many books on style can be found in your local library on this topic.

The three effective non-spells above are the only permanent way I know to achieve true beauty regardless of what you’ve been gifted with physically. However, I do know a way to create a kind of glamour temporarily.

Glamour

A glamour is an illusion that is based in reality. It is a way of making people see what you want them to see. It does not change hair color, but it can hide flaws or imperfections. By concentrating on what you want people to see (the good) you camouflage the bad. Women use this in a straightforward manner when they choose clothes that emphasize their best qualities.

Ruby Slippers

My first glamour came about because of a pair of shoes. I loved them. They were 4 1/2 inches high and had 2 braided straps, one across the toes, and one across the top of the foot. I knew they made my feet look good. I was obsessed in my thoughts with how my feet looked. It projected. I projected those thoughts that I had absolutely perfect feet (and they are nice feet) outward towards those around me. I was in college and hung out with a group of guys on a regular basis playing RPGs. Not once had they ever commented on my feet. The day of the glamour we met up to play games and they started commenting individually and quietly. It was not just because I was wearing unique shoes; it was also because I had my feet in the front part of my head. The thought that I had great feet pulsed with my thoughts and ran like background music in my thoughts. It was not a conscious thought, but a substratum throb.

I realized later that I could choose one piece of my physical self and by making this good part really stand out all the rest was perceived as perfection also. Feet, necks, breasts, legs, eyes, any body part can be made the focus. My original glamour efforts were towards attracting men. Now I know that glamours can be used during any human-to-human interaction. A glamour is one part self-belief, one part projection, and one part delusion. Another part of the shoe glamour was BELIEVING I was beautiful, desirable and absolutely the best thing on the planet.

Herbs for Crafting

Music can be very influential in putting on the glamour. Preparation, bathing, ritual and dressing up can be useful for bringing the glamour together. A glamour is not an everyday, day in and day out kind of thing. Use it sparingly. If used everyday it would lose its impact and vigor.

A Puerto Rican friend of mine told me once that women from his island would dress nice, but not all the way to the nines everyday. That way when they really wanted the guy to notice they had some room for improvement. Wear makeup lightly, wear comfortable clothes and be at home in your own skin. Then when you want the glamour the attention, the spotlight you can put on all the makeup, shoes and clothes and then focus. Choose one spectacular part of yourself, the curve of your neck, the length of your legs. Focus; think about how beautiful that part of you is. Picture the attention being focused there. And amazingly that is the part that will start the attention, and the rest of the package will be considered astounding.

Eventually I learned to use glamour in job interviews. Before going I would meditate on how I was competent and professional and pushing that visualization out towards the interviewers. This time it wasn’t a specific body part but an overall image adjustment. I wanted them to see the aura of competence.  I have used this technique on many occasions and for many reasons.  Do I want to seem polite, worthy, smart, charming, knowledgeable?  I have used it with all kinds of people, shop clerks, men, women, children, mechanics… I have not yet figured out how to make it work with animals, perhaps because they do not have the ability to self-deceive. I wonder if people know that they see, only what they choose to see, or what is chosen for them to see.

Saw Whet Owl with Mouse

The reality is YOU make your own reality. Who do you want the world to see? What do you want people to focus on?  Make the choice yourself.

In the picture on the left, are you focusing on the tree, the owl, or the mouse?