Standing Stones: Places of Power, Pilgrimage, and Ritual

 

Travel The Two Realms: The Callanish Stones, Isle of Lewis, 

Outer Hebrides, Scotland

 

Photo credit: Ariella Moon

Have you ever noticed faces in boulders or seen standing stones that resembled people? Spirits embedded in stones may appear alien, their faces distorted like a Picasso Cubist painting. There may be multiple faces and figures on a single standing stone. Some, like some of the Callanish* Stones on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, unmistakably resemble humans who, while gathered in ritual, were struck by a malevolent or accidental spell and turned to stone.

The Callanish Stones were first mentioned in print around 1680 in A Description of the Lewis by John Morisone Indweller There:

 

“There are great stones standing up in ranks, some two or three foot thick and 10, 12, and 15 foot high; It is left by traditione that these were a sort of men converted into stones by ane Inchanter…”

 

I made my first pilgrimage to the Callanish Stones years before writing The Amber Elixir (Book 1.5 in the Two Realms) and returned there in 2017. On both visits, I was so struck by the human-like appearance of some of the megaliths, that I created a subplot in the novella where Merlin’s spell turned two handmaidens of the Lady of the Lake into stone. 

The Lunar Standstill

 

In 2017, famed amateur archaeologist Margaret Curtis was scheduled to meet with our small tour group to discuss her findings at Callanish, which encompasses four sites. I was anxious to hear more about her theory about the Lunar Standstill, which inspired a major plot point in The Viking Mist. Alas, she was ill and unable to join us. Ms. Curtis’s photos of the Lunar Standstill at Callanish, which occurs every 18.61 years, can be seen here. The next opportunity to see this phenomenon will be in 2025. 

 

Ritual at the Callanish Stones

 

A druid friend once told me that standing stones are like acupuncture needles in the earth—they conduct energy, the universal life force known as chi. Having visited major standing stones complexes including Stonehenge, Avebury, and the Callanish Stones, as well as minor stone circles that dot the English and Scottish countryside, I have noticed that many stones feel energetically walled off—shut down.

 

How can you awaken the energy? Enter these sites as the ancestors during the Bronze Age might have—ritualistically. Some stone circles have two obvious Guardian Stones that you must pass between, leaving behind the mundane realm and entering the mystical. Not so at Callanish.

Photo Credit: Dr. Gail Higginbottom and Roger Clay/RCAHMS

 

The Callanish Stones form a Celtic cross (cruciform or dragonfly) with a central stone circle. To enter the main site as the druids might have, access it from the north, away from the car park and visitor center. With this approach, you walk between two rows of standing stones that form a long avenue. (Imagine a cathedral’s nave.) By the time you reach the stone circle with its imposing central stone and cairn, you will have mentally and physically transitioned from the ordinary to the non-ordinary realm.

Photo Credit: Ariella Moon

 

Pilgrimage

 

Like most pilgrimages, the journey to the Callanish Stones is, for most, long. First you have to reach Ullapool on mainland Scotland, then take 2-hour, 45-minute ferry ride (Climb to the top, front room for comfortable seats and a spellbinding view!) to Stornoway, then a 12 mile drive. Or travel to Uist on the Isle of Skye and ferry to Tarbert on the Isle of Harris, and then drive north. Both ferry services accept foot passengers and vehicles. As always when you travel the Two Realms, the journey is well worth your time.

 

 

*Historic Scotland uses a Gaelic spelling, Calanais.

Next Tuesday we travel to Bernera to discover an Iron Age House. 

Until then, stay kind and magical.

Copyright 2022 Ariella Moon

Elayne Lockhart on Sea Witchery

Hereditary witch Elayne Lockhart writes about one of her fondest past life memories in today's guest post, "Sea Witchery." Although there are dissimilarities between sea witches and the Lady of the Lake and water mages in my Two Realms novella, The Amber Elixir, Lockhart perfectly captures the essence of female water magicians when she says, "The sea witch works with the chaotic forces of nature and often walks the path alone." Viviane, the young Lady of the Lake, would heartily agree.

Sea Witchery

When I think of the Sea Witch, I see her standing upon the cliffs, arms upraised, as she harnesses the power form the waves crashing against the rocks below. Sometimes I see her walking barefoot along the beach, whispering words of magic while the light of a full moon casts a soft glow around her.

She makes use of the things cast up by the sea; shells, hag stones, glass fishing floats, hooks, rope sea glass, fishing net, driftwood, seaweed, bird feathers, as well as using sand and sea water. Her magic is tied tot he tides, the moon, fog, storms and the bright sun. She controls the winds.

Her most powerful spells would be performed during the high tides, while banishing spells would be worked when the tides were ebbing or low.

Weather magic is the domain of the Sea Witch. She could tie up the wind in a rope or handkerchief. Sometimes she would give or sell these to sailors. Sometimes, sailors would bring her a length of rope and ask for favorable winds and a safe journey. She would take the rope and depending on the ships destination, would tie 3 knots into the rope, harnessing the appropriate winds for the journey. When the sea was calm and no wind furled the ship's sails, the sailor could untie one of the knots to release the wind that the Sea Witch had captured there.

She could raise the fog for concealment or to cause ships to wreck upon the rocks. The power of a storm could be channeled into a glass fishing float and later smashed to release the porwer for use in her magic.

If you were to visit her home, you might find wind chimes made from seashells, or strung to make door curtains. Seashells are protective as they once protected the creatures that lived with in them. A hag stone (a stone with a natural hole) may hang from the rafters or from around her neck, another protective amulet.

On her altar, she might have a starfish or sand dollar (pentacle), a piece of driftwood for a wand, shells to hold sand, salt and sea. She may have a glass fishing float to use for scrying and another hag stone for seeing spirits.

A fisherman's net may be draped in one corner or she may wear a shawl in a fishnet pattern. Nets were used to 'tangle' up the energy of another or used to 'capture' a goal.

The Sea Witch works with the chaotic forces of nature and often walks the path alone. Not many choose the path of the Sea Witch today, but you can use some of the ideas in this post to bring a little Sea Witchery into you life.

Copywrite 2015 by Elayne Lockhart

About Elayne Lockhart

Elayne Lockhart was raised in a family of healers, herbalist, psychics, card readers and magic workers. She brings these gifs and talents into everything she does. Elayne’s family has walked the path of the Witch for 140 years. 

Connect with Elayne Lockhart

web: https://www.anenchantedlife.org

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In the Amber Elixir, an Arthurian tale of magic, fairies, shape-shifters, and the quest to win back a forbidden love, readers will meet the Lady of the Lake and Merlin as they have never seen them before, young, impulsive, competitive, and jealous.;

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Spell Struck Now Available in Paperback!

What if the one person who saw through your lies but loved you anyway, 

harbored a secret that could cost you everything?

Spell Struck by Ariella Moon

Book Two: The Teen Wytche Saga

A Magical Young Adult Sweet Romance

Blurb

Goth outcast Salem Miller is charged with fixing Teen Wytche, a half-destroyed, ever-morphing spell book, her last hope for saving her suicidal sister. But on Halloween night, Salem casts a love spell. She asks for a boy who is handsome, magical, and artistic. She doesn’t count on Fate sending Aidan Cooper.

As a child, Aidan thought he was being rescued, not abducted. Now fifteen and homeless, he realizes he was stolen because of his Gypsy blood. His kidnappers believe he’ll lead them to the Grey Grimoire, a valuable gypsy spell book. Madness. The book doesn’t even exist.

Or does it?

Excerpt

Aidan lowered his hand. His finger pressed against my skin, shooting a delicious tingle up my arm. When I didn’t move away, he hooked his finger over mine. My breath caught. We stayed, frozen, hyper-focused, for what seemed like three lifetimes. Then Aidan trailed his fingertips across the back of my hand. The soundtrack, popcorn smells, and theater audience melted into the background. The world narrowed down to the unspoken grief and need entangled in Aidan’s touch.

I rotated my hand so my palm faced upward. Aidan hesitated. Our gazes locked in the flickering light. The spell link humming between us lit up like blue lightning. At least I think it was the spell link. Aidan plunged his fingers between mine. Our palms pressed together, igniting a current. Air shuddered from my lungs. Magic rippled from us in successive waves.

My heart stuttered. My breath ceased. Every cell within me vibrated. Troops of fairies or dragonflies took flight in my lower abdomen. It’s possible blue lightning shot from my boots.

Good thing I wasn’t holding the popcorn.

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3 Ways To Break a Love Spell

Antidotes to Binding Love Spells

Have you ever desired someone so much, you were willing to bind them to you with a love spell? Perhaps the thought of Valentine’s Day has you teetering on the moral edge. If so, remember: A love spell directed at a specific person will not result in true love. Instead, such spells create horrendous karma and bad fortune, and imperil the recipient.

Chances are, the object of a directed love spell will not realize what has occurred, though it may be painfully obvious to others. If you suspect a friend or family member has fallen victim to a directed love spell, turn to one of these ancient Plant magic antidotes.

    1.     Wear or Carry a Fresh Lily.

Lilies (Lilium) are feminine, and correspond to the moon and water. In medieval Great Britain, they were associated with the Virgin Mary and purity. Magically, lilies are used for protection and breaking love spells cast upon a specific person. Some lilies are poisonous.

2  2.     Wear or Carry Lotus Seeds or Pods.

The Lotus (Nelumbium nelumbo, Nymphaea nelumbo, Nelumbo nucifera, Nymphaea lotus) has been used for magical purposes dating back to the ancient Egyptians. Breathing in the lotus’s scent confers protection. Lotuses are feminine, and correspond to the moon and water. They not only break unwanted love spells, but also have magical lock- opening properties.

   3.     Eat Pistachios.

The belief in the love spell breaking properties of pistachios (Pistachia vera) hails from the Arab world. Pistachios are masculine, and correspond to Mercury and air. To break a love spell, pick a magical number of unshelled pistachios (such as seven, nine, or any number significant to you). As you break open the nuts, envision breaking the unwanted love spell. After all the shells have been broken, eat the nuts and discard the shells away from your home.

In Spell Check, Book One: The Teen Wytche Saga, The heroine is desperate to prevent a binding spell from being cast.

Bullies. A secret crush. A traitorous friend.

Halloween looms and so does the anniversary of Evie’s father’s death. She needs to pull herself together or she’ll lose her position as Yearbook Photo Editor, and suffer academic failure. Even worse, Evie will lose Jordan, her secret crush, if she can’t stop her friend Parvani from casting a love spell on him. Despite a falling out, Evie never forgot Jordan. Now they are lab partners and the chemistry between them definitely sparks. Parvani possesses a brimstone-hissing spell book and plans to cast the spell by Halloween. To save Jordan, Evie must join forces with Salem, the school goth.

The clock is ticking. Can Evie get her mojo back in time to check this spell?

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Copyright 2016 Ariella Moon