It's like being adopted in a way. If you were an orphan or abandoned on the streets of Sao Paolo or Madras, or on the streets of where ever there are little kids running around, you would be "free". You could go through life listening to no one and exercising unrestricted free will, free instinctive will.
If you had a developed intellect, then you could exercise an intellectual will. You could do anything that you wanted to do, absolutely anything. Of course you would find that as you attempted to fulfill your desires, you were limited, sometimes prevented, by the natural forces within and without. But you could attempt anything.
If you were fortunate enough, foster parents might come along to help you. They would adopt you and take you into their home. Your new mother would begin to lovingly guide and direct your life. She would tell you, "You can play as you like in this room, but not in the others." She is a wise mother and knows that you are accustomed to having your own way, so she lets you play freely within the confines of your own room.
But if she catches you playing in another room, she might say firmly, "You may play in your room, not here in this room." You have lost your "free will" in being adopted by a mother and father, you are a part of their family now, and your well-being, your education, your training all now come under their will, to which you must adjust yourself and obey. They will watch over you and discipline you morning and night. They will protect you from getting into trouble with your "free will".
It is the same when you evolve a relationship, a personal relationship with the Deity Lord Ganesha. He will not allow you to use your free will to get into difficulties. Guiding your carefully and protecting you along your way in your natural "karma" through life is His concern.
Little by little, slowly, imperceptibly a relationship evolves, a very personal, loving relationship, between the devotee and the elephant-faced God. Psychic protection is granted, physical protection, mental and emotional protection are all granted as boons by Him.
He will not allow His devotees to use their free, instinctive willfulness to make more "kukarma" by getting into difficulties. Rather, he will guide them carefully, protecting them every moment along the way so that their natural birth karmas may be worked through and "sukarma" created by right living. This is His main concern. Lord Ganesha loves and cares for His devotees. Once the devotee is connected to Him through the awakening of the "muladhara chakra", loneliness is never experienced.
Ganesha is a truly wonderful, loving God. He has an extraordinary knack for unweaving complicated situations and making them simple. He can unweave his devotees from their karma, simplifying and purifying their lives. But this only happens after they have established a personal relationship with Him. Soon thereafter, changes begin to happen in their lives; and when they go through difficult times, they no longer become angry or live in fear or worry.
When difficult times come, they know it is because they are being unwound from accumulated and congested, difficult karmas or being turned in a new direction altogether. They know that at such a time they have to consciously surrender their free, instinctive willfulness and not fight the divine happenings, but allow the God's divine will to guide their life. Such is the spiritual path of total surrender, know as "prapatti."
"from "Loving Ganesa"
by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
An alraun is a herbal root found in human form, or carved to be, and used as a magical talisman. The most famous of such roots being Mandrake, but many other roots have been used in history as well including bryony, dandelion, thistle, as well as tree roots. Don't snub humbler roots than Mandrake (whose reputation was significantly blown up by medieval herbalists to charge a large sum). Did you know the oft-hated dandelion belongs to the dark goddess Hecate and has powers of divination and summoning spirits?
In Germanic folklore, it was the local village wise woman who created alrauns. The word "alraun" itself is derived from "rune" which is an old Germanic and Celtic term for mystery, magic, and secrets (1). In 1700s Germany there were witches who called themselves Alrune believing it was the name of a goddess of the crossroads (3). Once an alraun is made it belongs solely to the maker or the receiver and is not to be seen by any other soul. It was once common in both Pagan and early Christian times for alrauns to be passed on within families at the owner's time of death. The alraun was considered the protector of the family. Alrauns, being made from chthonic roots, provide a link to the ancestors and deities of the underworld. They act as confidantes, advisers, seers, as well as familiar spirits. Alrauns are called upon for love, fertility, help during childbirth, divination, good health, prophecy, protection, as well as cursing and harm.
HOW TO MAKE AN ALRAUN
YOU WILL NEED:
* "A digging stick or gardening gloves"
* "A libation or offering"
* "A sharp ritual knife"
* A wand, staff, or a sigil powder
It is best to craft an alraun in winter or spring as that is the best time for transplanting without shocking the plant. To make a plant root alraun, seek out your intended plant after the new moon and draw a circle around it in the dirt with your finger, wand, or with a sigil powder. Let the plant know you are a witch and make your intent for it to come across strongly so it readily agrees. Then carefully dig up the whole plant without breaking any of the roots or bruising any leaves. If there are any separate root offshoots, carefully break them off and leave them behind leaving a live plant in place of the one you took. If not, leave a suitable offering. Some plants prefer whisky, wine, or mead while others may simply prefer water or a physical object. Pour the libation or bury the offering in the hole you've made without looking and walk away without looking back.
"Fresh Dandelion Roots"
You can either take the live plant home or take it to where you will be transplanting it. If your root doesn't already have a human shape to it, carve it into the opposite sex of yourself with your ritual knife. It can also be carved into a hermaphrodite. Be careful not to remove any of the small roots at this time and don't over carve the root or you will kill it. A rough semblance is good enough. Now it is time to transplant. It is best to plant an alraun near a crossroad, but if this isn't possible your garden or a pot will do (2). Water the plant after transplanting and leave it be for three weeks to a month or more. If the original leaves die, do not despair, it is because all its energy is going back to the root to heal from your carving - the root is still alive and growing. Once a week, before you dig it up again, feed it either a mixture of milk and honey or milk and a drop of your own blood if you will be keeping it for yourself.
On the next dark moon, dig up your root, and again leave an offering behind in the hole without looking. Now you can take your root home and wash it. Remove any excess hairs or growths that distort its human shape. Loosely wrap it in a cloth of natural fibre inside a paper bag and leave this somewhere warm and dry. In a month you should have a perfectly dried alraun. Wrap it in black, red, or white linen, wool, or silk and place it in a small box. The cloth is its funeral shroud and the box its coffin. Hide the alraun away in a dark place until you call upon it. When you do, offer it milk and honey, or wine, or blood depending on your purpose. Treat the alraun as a beloved child or family member. Speak to it sweetly. It is incredibly dangerous to throw one away or sell an alraun for less than you bought it for. It is a sentient familiar spirit and not a curio to be tossed aside. The alraun has the power to bless or curse its owner so think carefully on your intent before making one.
"Alraun Coffin Interior & Shroud"
"Alraun Coffin Pyrographed with Dandelions"
REFERENCES ">Houghton Mifflin Canadian Dictionary of the English Language. Markham, Ontario: Houghton Mifflin Canada Ltd, 1980.
* Huson, Paul. Mastering Witchcraft: A Practical Guide for Witches, Warlocks, and Covens. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1970.
* Pennick, Nigel. Practical Magic in the Northern Tradition. Leicestershire, UK: Thoth Publications, 2002.
* Thompson, C.J.S. The Mystic Mandrake. New York, University Books, 1968.
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