Christian legends around the Nativity mythos speak of Three Wise Men or Three Kings who went to visit the newborn Jesus in Bethlehem by following a bright Star.  They’re arrival at the Nativity is celebrated on January 6th as The Epiphany.  They each brough a gift, as the story goes – offerings of frankincense, myrrh, & gold. 

Okay, two resins & a precious metal?  Well, not entirely unheard of.  Back in that time, resins & resin incenses for offerings, oils, and incense were highly prized and super valuable.  They even have medicinal value.  Frankincense has been used to purify the air as an incense, especially in areas where its tree grows.  (Remember, resins are tree resin or sap.)  It is said to have very high vibrational quality and clears away all harmful energies – popularly used or cleansing, protection, & exorcisms.  Myrrh is very similar having properties of grounding & protection.  Its high vibration clears away the old and can invoke the assistance of Guardian Spirits & Ancestors.  It is often used as offerings to gain the blessings & protection of Guardian Spirits & Ancestors, however it is also used in exorcisms. 

These two herbal resins combined raise the energy between heaven/sky & earth and balance the connection-point.  It would make sense to give them as offerings to a special child, or any newborn for that matter – bringing protection & blessings & high vibes.  But, gold?  Well, any parent knows they could use a bit extra prosperity when raising a kid.  In those days, it does seem logical to make a gift of precious metal with value that could bring financial support to a new family.  Energetically, as a precious metal/mineral, gold also has properties of protection and the energy of abundant creation.  For our purposes, though, we shall follow the pattern set by the other two popular resin incenses.
​
Gold Copal is another highly prized resin for its purification properties.  It is almost all about purification.  As much as this high-vibe purification brings blessings and protection, it really clears away all harmful energies, imbalances, and interference patterns.  It’s so strong, it will clear away even some vibrations that are beneficial if their vibration isn’t strong enough to stay – which is okay because those vibes won’t be barred from returning, perhaps even stronger.  This kind of purification is like an all-around “reset” button.  It will only allow the strongest of the beneficial & balanced to remain, wipe the slate, and allow us to intentionally place stronger, more balanced vibes built on a solid foundation of basic goodness.  

For special additions, consider half as much (especially for the spicy herbs) to equal part of some of the following dried herbs:
              Rosemary – healing, purification & protection, especially during sleep & travel; also, blessings in relationships
              Pine – healing, purification & strength
              Patchouli – healing, abundance & grounding
              Cinnamon or Ginger – warmth, health & abundance
              Orange Blossom – energy, clarity, & joyfulness
              Nutmeg, Allspice, or Cloves – energy & protection

And, next springtime, try adding to the Frank-Myrrh-Copal-base some lavender, lemongrass, lemon balm, ginger (again), coconut, or basil.  These herbs have qualities of cleansing, purification, blessings, energy, vitality, refreshment, relaxation, and clarity.  They are both soothing & uplifting in their energies – like a warm spring breeze or the gentle light of a brightening sunrise.

Using Your Blend
Once you have each of the three whole or partially cut resins powdered through your mortar & pestle or a designated spice grinder, blend equal parts of each into a bowl or jar.

Place this blend in charm pouches or fragrance sachets.  Of course, you wouldn’t necessarily have to powder them if you go this route.  Just make sure they’re broken into fragrant chunks, like in the pics I have included.

Spoon over smoldering charcoal in your fire-proof incense burner for smudging & purification.  When indoors, always ventilate properly to reduce smoke inhalation.  This stuff smokes!  Or, throw some on periodically to your wood-burning backyard fire-pit while you sit and enjoy some tea or hot cocoa and star-gaze – especially this year with the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction at the Winter Solstice, visible in the southwest skies just after sunset in the northern hemisphere.

Wishing you very blessed season!  Chin-up & eyes clear, the light is almost returned -- Peace & blessings!

Please do not hesitate to email or comment below if you have questions or suggestions. 
​I’d love to hear from you – Cynthia (cynthia@cassadaga.com)

​Possibly the most talked-about of the Psychic Sciences and psychic gifts is clairvoyance – the ability to receive messages from Spirit and information from the Universal-etheric via visions.  In fact, we have many terms to describe this gift or one who has it, including “second sight”, “seer”, “crystal gazer”, “diviner”, and “clairvoyant”.  A clairvoyant is one who has “clear vision” or “clear sight” when receiving messages, channeling Spirit, divining potentials, or downloading information from the ethereal.  

What does this have to do with “scrying”?  To Scry is to utilize the faculty of gazing and un-focusing the eyes in order to see a clairvoyant vision.  It’s a divination practice that has been used for thousands of years because… truthfully, how many of us have at any point in life caught ourselves staring out at the rain or sun, into a puddle, into our cup as we stirred, into the campfire?  Although our daydreaming may have gotten us in trouble a couple times, it may not have given us a “clear sighted vision”.  Then again, maybe it did – whether or not you recognized it as such.  How many times did you catch yourself in this staring-off state to jolt back to what you were doing and find that you got the inspired answer or idea or solution you’d been looking for – either externally noticing something in your surroundings that clicked the “ah-ha” or internally conjuring the idea?  This is a kind of natural, creative state of inspired clairvoyance.  Like reading & counting, but not being an author or mathematician.  This is also the same kind of basic trance-like state in which a clairvoyant will receive a vision or visual message. 
​
By calming the mind, relaxing the eyes (or in some cases, closing the eyes) and drifting into a trance-like state of altered consciousness, a clairvoyant will be an open channel to receive – though we should note two things, altered consciousness does not mean incoherent, and an open channel is not an unregulated or unprotected channel, or necessarily a clear channel.  I make these distinctions because this is where natural ability and years of experience meet professionalism or social ethics.  Everyone has the natural ability for any of the faculties described by the Psychic Sciences.  Many people have had experiences with their own intuitive & psychic abilities – facets of consciousness we tend not to pay much attention to; but, not everyone has trained themselves or trained with a group of like-minds to learn to express their gifts accurately, specifically, safely, and conscientiously. 

However, back to my point, the principles of clairvoyance – which we have covered – suggest that the essence of scrying is a method of practicing, developing, or inducing clairvoyance.  Often called crystal-gazing and bringing to mind images of a Gypsy woman in front of a crystal ball, scrying is a method of un-focusing & relaxing the eyes, as previously described, to receive a vision but utilizing the energies of crystals or reflective surfaces which can effect an external vision – not solely in the Mind’s Eye of the Seer.  A slightly hypnotic trance can allow another party to also see a vision, like a guided meditation, similar to that being described by the Scryer.  Eventually on the path of Psychic-Intuitive development, you will strengthen the awareness of the connection between yourself and Universal-etheric/Divine/Spirit to the point of not needing a tool or a focal point for yourself but rather as practice or as a way of letting someone you may be "divining" for, or reading for, a way of relaxing & participating. 

​It’s the season of Family!  From honoring deceased relatives & loved ones on October 31st, to gathering together and sharing in November & December, this is the season that is all about family, friends, & community.  Whether you go your own way or get wrapped up in social engagements, we are always surrounded by the energies of others – in life & in Spirit – and we can easily forget to take time for ourselves.  

Moving through Autumn, we recall what has happened this year, we tend to evaluate where we're at, look ahead to where we are going, and begin to make some adjustments to our course – hopefully to keep ourselves more on-target, even if it still seems so far away. As we walk into our holiday seasons of gratitude & sharing & compassion, we also prepare to withdraw & take more time for home & family & self. In today's industrialized societies & modern conveniences, we still have work & school, less of a tangible food harvest & not as much for weaving that new blanket this winter and spring clothes… But, we reap our harvest rewards in different ways. We spend holiday & new-year “vacation" times differently. We share generously with communities, groups, family, or friends in different ways.