Familiarity~Trading
Places
By Ame Dyckman, Divine Feline by Steelgoddess
Greetings, human kittens! It’s me, your bewhiskered buddy codenamed The Divine Feline. While my witch is outside gardening in this beautiful weather, I have something important to tell you and your familiar:
You two could really use a bath.
Before you start hissing, allow me to explain--I’m not getting catty about your hygiene! There’s no soap or (shudder) water involved for the bath I mean. The bath I’m thinking of is a moon bath!
Bathing in the light of the full moon (believed in ancient times to cause insanity, hence the term, lunacy), is actually a wonderful way to energize your psychic self. Just as moonlight can recharge a crystal’s magickal abilities, it can recharge yours! Since it works on animals as well, when you take a moon bath with your familiar, you’ll both be boosted—and ready to try a new fabulous exercise I’ll share with you in just a moment…
Summer is an excellent time for moon bathing--it’s nice and warm outside for you poor bare-skin beings! Mark your calendar for these important dates:
July’s full moon (the Mead Moon) will occur at 5:21 AM EDT on July 7.
August’s full moon (the Wort or Herb Moon) will occur at 8:55 PM EDT on August 5.
September’s full moon (the Barley Moon) will occur at 12:03 PM EDT on September 4.
But, don’t let your tail droop if you have a calendar conflict--while the height of the full moon’s “power-up” prowess is at the exact moment of fullness noted above, the nights before and after will work nearly as well. This flexibility comes in handy when the official full moon moment occurs during the daytime--as this year’s July and September moons do--which can make feeling the moonlight more of a challenge. (Besides, there’s nothing like “Bath Night!”) So, now that you know when, let’s look at how you take a moon bath!
First, kittens, you’ll need to get your parents’ permission if you’ll be staying up past your bedtime. So, get their green light for your late-night moonlight!
Next, be sure to respect your familiar’s sleeping habits. Diurnal familiars (animals most active during the day) may need more gentle coaxing than us night owls. (But, if your familiar actually is an owl, they should be raring to go!)
When you’re both ready, step outside!
The point of moon bathing is to absorb as much moonlight as possible. Shorts and tank tops are great--but think about wearing your swim suit. It’s up to you--just go with whatever you're comfortable with.
Now, bathe! I don’t mean pretend to scrub under your armpits (or anywhere else!). Simply relax and let yourself and your familiar share a nice “soak” in the lunar glow. Feel the moonlight tingling on your skin and envision it settling over both of you in a soft, shining layer. Then, see this energy sinking in and merging with both of yours, enhancing your magickal endeavors in the month to come.
Once you’ve merged a little bit of the moon’s energy with yours, you can also try merging a little bit of your consciousness with your familiar’s—and vice versa! If you’ve been practicing the Psychic Communication Exercise I told you about last Spring Equinox, and your familiar is still relaxed and happy, give the Trading Places Exercise a try.
With your familiar facing East, clear your mind of all thoughts except your familiar. Next, look into their eyes, and “tell” them—via your thoughts—what you wish to attempt.
If they respond favorably, take a deep breath, then slowly exhale. As you do, visualize a teeny bubble of your awareness floats out on your breath, and is inhaled by your familiar with their next intake of air. Then, with their next exhalation, visualize a teeny little bubble of their awareness floating out, to be inhaled by you.
Continue looking into your familiar’s eyes, letting their awareness bubble expand in your mind, as yours expands in theirs. You should receive images from your familiar as you do with your Psychic Communication Exercise, but these images should be stronger, allowing you to not only “hear” what they are thinking, but also see what they are seeing and feel what they are feeling, as if you’ve momentarily swapped a part of your senses.
While at first your link will end when you end the direct eye-to-eye connection, with practice and meditation beforehand, ultimately you’ll be able to maintain the link during physical or astral separation. Finally, thank your familiar, and before you head back inside, be sure to thank the moon for her energy (and the excuse to stay up late)!
Speaking of heading back inside, I see my witch coming back from the garden. And, she’s carrying something.
It’s a plant.
It’s… it’s…
Fresh catnip! Gotta go!
Until next lesson, kittens! Have a divine time until we meet again.
Your familiar friend,
The Divine Feline