Ritual, Deities, Magickal Name, Books, and School

I cast my first circle! It was quite an amazing experience. I cast the circle, did some divination (in the form of tarot and my pendulum), meditated, and did the cakes and ale ritual (with bread and juice). I confirmed a few things that I had been thinking on, including my deities and Magickal Name. Here is a picture of my altar set up pre-ritual:

First let's chat about my deities, specifically my patron God and Goddess. I have been called to work with Hecate and Apollo. While previously I didn't know much about them, the more I learn, the more it makes sense that they would be the ones I work with. Hecate, the Torch Bearer, is the goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts and necromancy. While I"m not particularly drawn to ghosts or necromancy at this time, all of the other aspects of her are things I am very aligned with. Apollo is god of prophecy and oracles, music, song and poetry, archery, healing, plague and disease, and the protection of the young. I am drawn to him for many reasons, but specifically prophecy, protection, and healing. I found out while reading more about them, that Apollo and Hecate were sometimes depicted together, which makes sense considering they are known as moon and sun gods. I am very excited to begin working with them and learning more about them.

The next thing I'm eager to talk about is my Magickal Name. At first I went through and listed a bunch of names I liked having to do with Goddesses in mythology. I was watching this YouTube video on Sunday, though, and it made me think about what I wanted to embody, what I strive to be known for, and for me, that is kindness. That led me to the name Charis (Pronounced Care-ISS) Waters. I brought that name into my circle and through divination with my pendulum confirmed that it was my chosen name. I will be honest with you, I didn't finish the entire video on Sunday. I stopped shortly into it where she discussed the need to find a name that reflected who you want to be. In preparation for this blog post, I went back and watched the remainder of the video. Here's where I think it gets a bit freaky. She continues on to discuss numerology. She stresses that it doesn't need to adhere to that but if you would like it to, she gives the explanation on how to figure it out. First you have your birth or life path number. I followed her instructions and found my number to be 9. The next thing she showed how to calculate was my "destiny number," which you get by using a chart that assigns numbers to each of the letters in your name. I calculated them, and my destiny number is also 9. I then used that same system to calculate my magickal name's associated number and IT WAS ALSO A NINE!!! MIND BLOWN!!! Needless to say after that exercise I am confident in my name choice and I also want very much to research into Numerology. 

I have been reading several books on all the subjects. I began by checking out both physical and e-books from my local library but when they took them back sooner than I finished with them I knew I needed another resource. I also have audible, but it's difficult to listen to books that I really need to take notes from. I did some research online and Kindle Unlimited just doesn't have the books that I want to read. While they are available for purchase, they don't come with the membership, so that's sort of a waste for me. I found a great alternative with many of the books I had been looking for called Scribd. It has tons of the materials I want to read and research. It has authors like Raymond Buckland, Scott Cunningham, Edain McCoy, and Silver RavenWolf. If you would like to try it out you can get 60 days free by clicking this link, and I will receive 30 days free if you sign up. My list of saved books is just over 500, so I have a LOT of reading to do. 

In other exciting news, I found a School for Witches. It's 100% online and FREE, which is absolutely amazing. It is a real online school, with papers, assignments, discussion boards, and research. I am very much a geeky Virgo who TOTALLY loves that stuff. I'm in orientation now, but I've already made a list of the classes I want to take (over 300!). I am very excited to dig in and I'll keep you updated on my progress. The name of the school is The Magickal Circle School and you can find them at https://magickalcircleschool.com/. 

Well, that's all I have for now! Merry Part and Merry Meet Again!

Charis <3

Currently Reading: Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft by Raymond Buckland

Currently Listening: Rivers by Allman Brown and Robyn Sherwell

Currently Watching: Bewitched (Corny, I know... mostly I just yell about the blatant sexism)