CONGRATULATIONS to Margot Orleans for winning Rita's "Name My New Oil Contest"......

Triskele

I would like to congratulate Margot Orleans who is the winner of Rita’s “Name My New Oil” contest. After many suggestions (thank you to you all) and much deliberation I went back over all the names and “Triskele” is the one that “was the one.” I knew it was meant to come from someone else.

Triskele is a triple spiral found in celtic artwork. There are many different speculations of meanings behind this symbol but it’s truest meaning is unknown. However it has been associated with the “three realms” – land, sea, sky, or sometimes for “threefold” deities, and even said to represent the nine month period of pregnancy…since the sun takes a fourth of a year to go from the celestial equator (an equinox) to extreme north or south declination (a solstice), and vice versa. During each three-month period, the sun's path across the sky appears to form a closely-wound quasi-helical shape, which can be likened to a spiral, so that three spirals could represent nine months, providing an explanation for a link between fertility and the triple-spiral symbol.

Triskele is a blend of three essential oils and the meaning behind this oil is a personal one for me and for each of you that chose to wear it, you will know why.

It is a magical scent and oil that has been designed to provide you with hope when you are feeling down and to take you by the hand and lead you to see the light rise on a new horizon, to better your self and to bring "better" things into you...job, friends, environment, energy etc. It kind of makes me feel the kind of quiet you feel when you are laying in the grass on a spring day, alone, a little breeze, and you are just watching the clouds go by, making shapes of them and then a small tear runs down your face - but in a good way. Release and rebirth via the “signs.”

The properties of this oil are to calm the soul and help to (1) solve problems of the heart, (2) inspire passions of spiritual transformation and the courage to overcome fears, and (3) to increase good fortune through intuition and psychic development. YES it is something you will need and you will know “when” you need it. It is indeed true to it’s name 3x3x3 spirals, as is the magic of life.

Rita’s Triskele Oil comes in an 1/8 perfume roller bottle measuring about 2 ½ inches tall with cap on and as always made when the moon is right.

Imbolc & Spring Cleaning!

Imbolc is one of the 4 principal pagan holidays falling at the beginning of February or at the first local signs of spring. Most commonly it is celebrated on February 2, which falls halfway between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox (in the northern hemisphere).

Imbolc is also dedicated to Brigid, the goddess of poetry, healing and smithcraft. As both goddess and saint she is also associated with holy wells, sacred flames, and healing. The lighting of candles and fires represents the return of warmth and the increasing power of the Sun over the coming months.

Fire and purification are an important aspect of this festival as is the ritual of "Spring Cleaning" ~ preparing your home to welcome spring. To celebrate this holiday you should start with a ritual cleansing of your home and with the full moon falling on January 30th, February 1st would be the PERFECT time for your house cleansing.

Hilda's House Cleansing and Blessing Juju wash, spray and sprinkle is the perfect way to get you started on your Imbolc ritual. With your purchase you will receive a house cleansing ritual spell with detailed instructions. Camphor and charcoal is also available for purchase upon request or included in Hilda's Spell kit.

Blessed Be and enjoy the returning light.

Gone for the Holidays...

Rita's Spiritual Goods is gone for the holidays and will return for all of your juju needs on January 5th.

Wishing you all a Merry Yule & a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year. I look forward to seeing you in 2010 with a whole bunch of brand new juju products to help fill your world with love, light and good energy.

In the meantime, prepare for Imbolc early with Hilda's House Cleansing and Blessing JUJU! Everything you need to spring clean.

NAME MY NEW OIL AND WIN FREE STUFF!

So the thing is, is that I really big into "signs" - I may not always get them at first or follow them like I should so that's why I think they come in "3's." The first time you get one you may be like "hmmm, that's interesting..." the second time you may be like "weird, cause the other day..." so by the time the 3rd one comes you are like "OMG! You'll never believe..." It's their way of saying "Um Hello? Are you listening to me?"

So here at Rita's I have decided to keep a few signature oils, washes and sprays so that people can always come to me for that specific scent with a purpose, that they can get nowhere else. I don't want to become bogged down with trying to do too much because I feel I can give more good energy to smaller more specific items, plus then it leaves me the freedom to create one of a kind witchy crafts and juju bringing fresh unique things into our worlds. Right?

BUT as it would be I may have to add ANOTHER signature item to my shop. (This is where the sign part comes in). So I have been bombarded with requests from people to create more health and healing products, which I am and will be out in the New Year, but while I was working on this I started thinking about a sort of oil that I could create that would be in the same vein but yet more for mental clarity...

Sign #1
Anyway I have also been working on my Beltane products (yes I know it is like 5 months from now but it is my favorite holiday and makes me HAP HAP HAPPY and this year I am soooo excited to share MY beltane juju with you - totally side tracked but not really). So I had to order a specific oil to help create my Beltane "scent" and when I received the package the order was wrong, I got an oil that I have never heard of before. So I called the company and told them I received the wrong order and they said "no problem, keep it and we will send you the correct oil."

Sign #2
Once they told me to keep it I decided to open it and smell it. When I did I almost dropped to the floor. It was this one particular note of a scent that I knew almost 18 years ago. A scent that used to be given to me by one of the few people who could see straight through me into my soul. One of those people who knew what I needed when. So in smelling this I knew I had to recreate this oil from my past.

Sign #3

...it's not here yet , but my instinct is that it is supposed to come from someone else as did the start of this whole process.

I will "know" it when it when I hear it. I want YOU to name this oil. The oil is a blend of 3 essential fragrances and the meaning behind this oil is a personal one for me and for each of you that chose to wear it, you will know why. It is a magical scent and oil that has been designed to provide you with hope when you are feeling down and to take you by the hand and lead you to see the light rise on a new horizon, to better yourself and to bring "better" things into you...job, friends, environment, energy etc. It kind of makes me feel the kind of quiet you feel when you are laying in the grass on a spring day, alone, a little breeze, and you are just watching the clouds go by, making shapes of them and then a small tear runs down your face - but in a good way.

So with the above description I ask you to help me name this magical oil as I think it is meant to be the last part of "3" or I never would have thought of doing such a thing.

WIN FREE STUFF.

If I choose your name you will win the first bottle of "....." dressed up in a mini kitschy witchy cauldron along with some miscellaneous samples and other goodies from Rita's.

If I choose your name it becomes property of Rita's Spiritual Goods.

So good luck, and thank you for being a part of the "signs."

The contest will end when I have the name!!!

You can convo me with ideas at www.ritaspiritualgoods.etsy.com on our facebook fan page or facebook group Witches.!.

New Year's Eve Rituals

Spend the day on December 31st by taking some time to be quiet and reflect on the year that is drawing to a close. Think about the people that mattered most to you, your greatest accomplishment, challenging difficulties and the lessons you learned.

Take a ritual purification bath. Feel free to anoint yourself with your favorite oil. Contemplate the patterns in your life that keep you continuing a redundant cycle. Contemplate people on your life that wear you down or make you feel bad. Write them down and prepare to leave behind with the old year. In your cauldron, grill or fireplace, safely burn the paper. As you watch the paper burn, concentrate on the release and remember you are opening space for new ideas, people, and opportunities to enter your life. Burry or flush the ashes when they are cool.

Another good ritual to bring in the New Year is to take 3 white candles, dress and bless them, and light one for your guardian spirits, one to welcome new into your year and one to represent the earth and to keep you grounded.

Share this evening with those you love, it is a night to draw on others positive energy to help empower your new dreams. It is a night to celebrate new life!

YULE

December 20 ~ 23

"Yule, also known as the Winter Solstice, is the longest night of the year. The mother goddess births the sun, and the light slowly begins to re-emerge.

Hopes of Yule

The night is long and the snow is on the ground, old man winter breathes heavy, as the wheel turns round. But the Goddess brings hope with the birth of the light, and in a short time the days will burn bright!"

~ Sister Speake

These cards are the most beautiful and well spoken pagan greeting cards I have ever found. My sister sent them to me for each holiday of the year one year and I treasure them all. I had to share them with you, if you are looking for the perfect holiday card...please check them out!

Rita's also has some wonderful one of a kind Yule gifts still available wrapped in kitschy little witches boots stockings, perfect for that magical someone in your life! Get yours before they are all gone!

Witches Boot Mercury Retrograde Gift Stocking Set

This gift set is for Mercury Retrograde protection and concentration and is a ONE of a kind...and you know how insistent I am in preparing yourself for a Mercury Retrograde! The next one falls on Dec 26th and brings us right through to the New Year, so it's a perfect gift just in the nick of time!!!!

1 Kitschy Witchy Boot Stocking
1 Rita's Mercury Retrograde oil in 1/4 ounce bottle
1 Rita's Mercury Retrograde Spiritual Mist Spray
1 Sage wand

The felt Witch's boot is approximately 9 1⁄4" H and 6" W

Witches Boot Yule Gift Set

This gift set is for YULE and is a ONE of a kind...I made the Yule sprinkle and oil for myself and to gift to my friends and family and have one left over, so here you go!

1 Kitschy Witchy Boot Stocking
1 Rita's Yule oil in 1/8 perfume roller bottle, all comforting evergreeny wintery smelling.
1 Rita's Yule Mojo Herb FIRE sprinkle, filled with frankincense, peppermint, anise, pine, evergreen, cinnamon, and much more!

LOVE Witches Boot Gift Stocking

These are perfect gifts for the witch in your life and come in an adorable kitschy witch boot you can hang above your Yule fire!

This gift set is for LOVE and comes with the following:
1 Rita's LOVE Oil
1 Rita's Rough Rose Quartz
1 Bag of Rita's LOVE mojo herb blend
1 Bag of dried Frangipani
1 Black silk/felt heart Mojo Bag
1 Mojo making insert

The felt Witch's boot is approximately 9 1⁄4" H and 6" W

The smell of my Love oil is to die for! Warm luvy vanilla-y rose-y and magical mystery scent. Yummy.

Sabbat Heirloom Altars

Inspired by the birth of my little fairy bug and in the same vein as the German tradition of a birthday ring, Rita’s brings you The Sabbat Heirloom Altar. An interactive altar piece for pagan’s who wish to hand down the traditions of their holiday celebrations to their children.

Rita’s Sabbat Heirloom Altar was designed to create a family tradition for you and your children for many years to come. It is a symbolic way to celebrate each Sabbat, season or special occasion. It can also act as an everyday altar for those of you who may not have the space or place in your apartment or home for a permanent altar.

The Heirloom Altar consists of a 12” wooden lazy susan (yes, now you know I am originally from the Midwest) and 25 interchangeable altar ornaments, all witch crafted and hand painted, and a description of each holiday and what each ornament symbolizes. It makes a BEAUTIFUL centerpiece for your family table or decoration throughout the year.

There are 5 magnetic holders around the star and one placed in the center. The center holder can also be interchanged with any ornament, but is suggested to keep the light there, “centered.”

On each sabbat holiday you can replace or interchange the ornaments to symbolize what that holiday means.

As you place each piece you can teach your child about the meaning behind each one and the holiday they represent. As your child learns about each holiday, they will truly look forward to placing the ornaments that belong to that holiday each year they come around. Children can spin the altar around and replace each piece for each Sabbat celebration. Some ornaments double up and can be used on a few different holidays and some ornaments are unique to only one holiday, but it is up to you and your imagination to which combination you choose. You may choose to create your own variations on this tradition, even have your children pick their favorite ornaments to putout on their birthday months or for special personal rituals. Each ornament has a magnet base so they are easily placeable and interchangeable.

The Sabbat Heirloom Altar comes with instructions and descriptions beautifully printed out on parchment paper one 12” Lazy Susan and one of each of the following interchangeable pieces for a total of 25 pieces:

Apple

Fairy

Rita Goddess

Bird

Bee Hive

May Pole

Tree

Pine Cone

Broom

Green Man

Stonehedge

Winter Man

Candle

Witch

Yule Log

Sun

Cauldron

Daisy

Tea light Holder

Corn Doll

Sunflower

Ghost

Egg

Pumpkin

Rabbit

The pictures do not do justice to the beauty of these altars!