September 30th, 2015

Just thought I'd share a couple of pictures from our Mabon ritual. I'm not positive whether it was the group's photographer that took these, or one of the other members, but in any case, it wasn't me.

Our caller for the North.

That's me in my blue cape. The little grill by my feet is where we were burning things, and the basket in the middle is where we were putting our produce.

Center of the Circle, altar, etc.

There's going to be both a Samhain party and a ritual next month - I'm really hoping to go to both! 

September 28th, 2015

Last night's Blood Moon was so amazing. I don't even have words, so I won't bother trying to describing it. I've been in such a peaceful place all day today, it's been lovely.

I got a few grainy photos of the moon on my phone, so I'll share some of those.

This is a shot of the moon around 7:45, before the eclipse. There was just a really nice view of it over the neighboring building.

This is the moon around 9:00, when it was about three-quarters of the way eclipsed.

And this is the moon around 9:15, almost fully eclipsed.

My mom got this amazing shot of the Super Moon effect back home.

She also got this fabulous image of the moon in eclipse. If only my camera-phone took pictures that crisp....

Shopping Haul

I did some shopping today! 

In order to celebrate my new job, and also just to relax a bit, I went out and bought some things at Earthbound that I've really been wanting.

First off, they had this amazing candelabra which I've been eyeing since last fall, and I finally just had to have it. It's completely my style, and just very bright and cheerful, so I'm glad to have it, even if it was pricey.

I got this cool candle at a discount, and it's actually a bit brighter purple than it appears in this photo, but it's a four-sided pyramid carved with an eye, and I think it'll lend a really interesting energy to any psychic work I delve into.

I got one of the best deals on these. They're 100% pure essential oil diffuser bottles, originally priced at $16, but they were on clearance for $4 a piece, and I got the second one at an additional 50% off, so I only paid $6 for the pair. The brand is rareESSENCE; on the left is the peace scent (frankincense, myrrh, palo santo), and on the right is the clarity (eucalyptus, sage). 

I also walked over to Goodwill and picked up a few things. This is Zen: An Ancient Path to Enlightenment for Modern Times, by Peter Oldmeadow. It looked interesting, and it was only $1.

This book, also, was $1. It is Medicine Woman, by Lynn V. Andrews, and is an autobiography. Again, it sounded interesting.

And then last, but by no means least, I picked up a frame for a very cool piece. This poem was written by Travis, of the Pagan Scholar YouTube channel. I won it in his giveaway, and wanted to be able to display it appropriately. It's a piece of blackout poetry, and basically turns an old Bible page into a unique, Pagan-ish poem!

Natural Beauty

I've taken a couple of pictures the last few days of some beautiful things I've seen here at school, and so I thought I would share.

A sunset from Friday night.

A butterfly at Habitat for Humanity yesterday.

A goofy squirrel eating a nut this afternoon.

I've also seen our local groundhog running around a few times, but so far, I haven't been able to get a picture.

September 27th, 2015

It's the lunar eclipse tonight, everyone! Tonight is the Harvest Moon, "Super Moon", and Blood Moon eclipse all at the same time. It is also the end of a four-year astronomical cycle, called a tetrad. You may have noticed we've been having a lot of eclipses recently; two last year, and tonight will be the second this year. These four eclipses happen about every 11 years, and are significant to different groups for different reasons. 

Some Christians, who take the Bible more literally, consider it a sign of the Apocalypse, as noted in the New Testament. Apparently, there's also a pastor who's claiming that they represent the fulfillment of a prophecy in his denomination. 

The Inca believed that a jaguar attacked the moon during this time, staining it red, while the Mesopotamians believed that it was a sign their king was in danger of demonic attack, and so they would install a surrogate king for the length of the eclipse to bear the brunt of any injury. To the Hupa Native American tribe, of northern California, the belief was that the moon had forgotten to feed his pet mountain lions, and so they attacked him.  

On the Pagan side of things, eclipses can be considered an entire lunar month compressed into one evening, as the moon waxes, reaches full, and wanes as the eclipse occurs. Therefore, magick done during this time can really pack a punch, although one should be certain that one knows what one wants, as the effects can really be far-reaching. 

At this time, as this is the end of a moon cycle, and also of the summer season, magick is best centered around banishing and letting go. I know I'm planning to continue the work I began at Mabon, releasing old energies and moving past some things. I'm hoping to go out tonight and actually see the eclipse, but it's supposed to be cloudy all day, so I don't know if I'll be able to.

It should also be noted that while lunar eclipses are often called "Blood Moons" for the reddish color they turn as light refracts through the atmosphere, the general name of the October full moon is also the Blood Moon, and these events are not the same thing. 

September 26th, 2015

It was a little surreal to just sit and relax this afternoon after being in a constant state of motion all week, but I did make myself take some time to recharge. I ended up doing a page in a Japanese brocade-pattern coloring book that my mom sent me in the mail.

Complex patterns like this, as well as mandalas and similar, are great tools for active meditation; that is, if you find it difficult (as I sometimes do) to calm your mind just sitting still, then coloring is a good way to center and focus while still doing something.

Now, I wasn't doing this as a meditation today. Instead, I sat watching some YouTube videos by other Pagans and just generally trying to expand my knowledge base. Still, in the future, I may very well use it as a meditative technique. I may also cut up a page or two and paste smaller drawings into what I've decided to call my Scrapbook of Shadows, especially if I need decorations for pages on Shinto deities, practices, etc.

September 25th, 2015

Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither are my architecture models.

I've spent so much time this week working on a model of the Temple to Athena Nike that I pretty much haven't done anything else, but as of this morning, I finished it.

My ARC History professor should be happy with it, and I think the goddess is, too. If I get it back, I'll probably put it on my altar as a place to give offerings. 

September 20th, 2015

I went out for a walk after lunch today to collect some leaves for my Mabon ritual, and I actually ended up finding all kinds of neat things.

I saw a bunch of birds, including two large hawks or vultures, I'm not sure which, and a hawk at the top of this tree. I also went down by the creek again and spotted more frogs. 

Here's my altar after I added my findings to it. My basket of leaves is in the back. On the left is a big piece of shelf fungus, and next to my little wreath is a collection of seed pods and acorns. I also found a piece of sycamore bark, which I'm now using as a stand on my desk to hold some offerings. 

This was the other thing I discovered: a tiny bird skull. It was lying in a pile of cicada exoskeletons, and I felt drawn to keep it, so I added it to my basket. It's now in a Ziploc bag where it will stay for a week or two, to be sure there aren't any organisms living on it. 

SIPA Mabon 2015

Yesterday was so cool!!! I really had a blast, and definitely hope to participate in more of their rituals in the future!

I left to meet my ride at the Gaia House around 3:00. I brought my food, of course, some extra plates and utensils, and my ritual robes, as I was unsure if other people would be wearing them or not. While I was there, one of my friends (who also needed a ride) offered me some fresh honeycomb.

I've seen it on occasion packed in jars of honey, but never fresh out of the hive, and I'd certainly never tried it. I thought it was really good! The beeswax has kind of a toffee-like texture and it is edible, although you can also press it against the top of your mouth to squeeze out the honey and then discard the comb if you like. I just went ahead and ate it.

That white box is the Gaia House beehive. I'd noticed in the past that they seem to have an awful lot of bees flying around the place, but I had no idea it was because they actually cultivate a swarm. They have to take honeycomb out every so often, and I guess I showed up on the right day!

We left for the state park circa 3:30, and it took another half hour to get there. We three were the first to arrive, although the others started getting there soon after. This open area in the trees was where we did our ritual. I didn't take any pictures of the actual ritual setup as I wasn't sure it was allowed, but they did have a photographer there, so theoretically there will be pictures on the Facebook page eventually that I can share with you all. Apparently they're a little behind getting things uploaded.

This was the shelter they reserved for dinner (that's my stuff sitting on the table).

A tree across the road covered in ivy.

We set up a lot of tiki torches. One got planted at each of the Quarters and Cross-Quarters around our circle, and then we had a bunch more canisters but no posts for them, so we just set a bunch of canisters on the tables to keep the bugs away from the food.

One of the girls found this tiny peeper tree frog!

Dinner, or "what I took my first time at the buffet to leave food for everyone else before I got seconds and stuffed my face".

Their banner, which they hung on the side of the shelter.

I got talking with some really incredible people over dinner. There were people of all different paths present: Wiccan, shamanic, Norse, Celtic, eclectic, etc. I decided not to wear my robes, although I probably should have, as it got really cold once the sun went down, but I did wear my blue cape, which got a lot of compliments. 

Ritual started at 7:00. The produce items we brought all went into a big basket in the middle of the Circle, which we empowered to attract even more abundance, as we were donating the food to a food pantry, and wanted to encourage it to draw additional food to feed the hungry. I wish I would have known we were donating the food - I thought it was just for decorative purposes, so I only bought one pepper, but I would happily have bought more to donate. 

We also did some banishing, writing down things we wanted to be rid of in our lives and then dropping the papers in a small bonfire. Though the Samhain ritual next month will likely be intense, and will presumably involve getting rid of a lot of negativity, the idea was to take a first step here at Mabon to lighten that load. 

I helped out with the Cakes and Ale segment, distributing cups of cider while another girl passed out mini cornbread muffins. 

As we were standing there in the dark, we could hear a drumming group performing at a local festival, which as far as background noises go was not a bad one to have during ritual. We could also hear the insects, of course, some frogs, and at one point an owl hooted.

After the ritual was concluded, I stood just looking at the stars for a while. I don't know if the view was quite as incredible as it is in the Boundary Waters, but it was still really something. One gentleman there pointed out some constellations to me, and I actually looked up in time to see a shooting star go through Cassiopeia. A Mabon wish was really the perfect way to tie up the evening. 

September 19th, 2015

I made a salad last night.

I hope it tastes okay, but it came out looking pretty good, so I've got my fingers crossed. I'm meeting the group at the Gaia House at 3:00, and then we're driving over to the park for the ritual. Really looking forward to it!

September 17th, 2015

I got ingredients for the ritual potluck today! Neither my roommate nor I have a car, but my roommate's friend was willing to give us a lift to Walmart this afternoon, so I picked up food, some hair ties, and a birthday gift for my little brother.

I meant to take a picture of the ingredients before I put everything away, but I forgot, so here's a not-especially-flattering look into my mini fridge. I'm going to make a salad with fruit, so I bought romaine lettuce, a package of strawberries, a package of assorted fresh fruit, and a raspberry vinaigrette dressing. Hopefully people like it!  

September 16th, 2015

I'm very excited - I'm hoping to go to a group Mabon ritual this weekend with some community members and other students on campus!

The ritual is this Saturday at a nearby state park, and we'll also be enjoying a potluck dinner and maybe camping, although that will depend on site availability. I volunteered to help distribute food for the Cakes and Ale ceremony, and we also were asked to bring a piece of produce to put on the altar besides our potluck dish.

I'm planning to bring this red bell pepper; originally, I had just been going to get an apple or something, but the campus' sustainable garden was selling these today for $0.25 each! 

As for dinner, water signs (I'm a Pisces) are supposed to bring a vegetable/side dish, so I'm going to go to Walmart tomorrow to get some things for a salad. I'll keep you all posted!

September 12th, 2015

I went on a field trip today! It was for my Architecture History class, and we went to check out a gorgeous Romanesque and Byzantine cathedral, and then we went to a cemetery.

I know it's not quite Samhain yet, but it certainly felt like October today, and it seemed appropriate to wander the grounds a bit. My professor described the architectural precedents for a lot of the mausoleums, and I tried just to honor the local spirits with a small offering when we got off the bus.

The newer area was designed according to Feng Shui principles. For instance, this fountain has a line running through it to mark the Northern direction. Theoretically, it would also align with local dragon energies. However, my professor explained that this area was actually built over an old garbage dump, and therefore has too much bad Chi to really fix with Feng Shui.

Here's a family grave marked with a Celtic cross, and which also has a statue of Grief personified.

This cemetery had a lot of obelisks, and apparently those are usually used for burying Free Masons.

We saw tons of really neat things today, but this mausoleum was possibly the most interesting to me personally. It's designed in an Egyptian style, and there's actually sphinxes on either side of the doors. The symbol in the center, with the sun disk, wings, and serpents, is actually the emblem of the goddess Isis, and is used on Her temples in Egypt. 

I was originally supposed to go on a camping trip this weekend with a local Pagan group, but it ended up being cancelled for a variety of reasons. Because of work and my field trip, I wouldn't have been able to go, anyway. However, we're supposed to be having a Mabon ritual next weekend, so I'm looking forward to that!

September 8th, 2015

It's been kind of a long day here, but my roommate offered me tea and I've been researching Japanese incense, so I've finally relaxed a bit. I found this site, Shoyeido, through HolisticAlchemy on YouTube, and I have to say, they have some gorgeous incense and incense holders. Also, Japanese incense is pure all the way through; that is, it's not a dipped wooden stick. Because of this, they produce a lot of fragrance with very little smoke. This particular brand ships out of Kyoto, and has been a producer of high-quality Japanese incense for 300 years. I would definitely be happy to order from them in the future!

In other news, I was walking to dinner after work tonight, and I found a big piece of pampas grass lying on the sidewalk. It was exactly the sort of thing which would work with my Mabon altar, so I picked it up. The whole stalk was a bit big to carry into the dining hall, but a piece of the top came off in my hand, so gratefully I took that with me. It's sitting on my altar now, and I'll have to take a picture later, but it was just a really pretty natural offering, and I was glad to stumble upon it. 

A Brief Stroll

It's been really hot here the last few days, but it finally mellowed out some, and I decided just to walk around a little before going back to my room after dinner.

There's a small drainage creek behind the dining hall where I did a few rituals last year, so I walked down there to visit. There were a ton of frogs! I never actually saw one because they moved so fast and were so well-camouflaged, but they were jumping all over the place, splashing the water. 

On the way back, I also happened across this - squirrel fur!

I wanted to pick up a piece for spell work or to put in my Book of Shadows, but it looked like it might have had bugs on it, and I didn't have a plastic baggie or anything to scoop it up in. If I remember, I might see if I can find some tomorrow morning.

September 7th, 2015

Today I tried making a carved apple head! I read about them a long time ago in a book of witchy crafts, but then I was reminded of them about a week ago when Ember HoneyRaven did a video about making some.

That's how mine turned out. Apple heads are great decorations for Mabon and Samhain altars and generally for throughout the autumn season. To make one, you only need:

• Apple(s)
• A knife
• A peeler (optional)
• Lemon juice (optional)
• Paper towels

First, peel the apple. This can be done with a peeler, or a knife. Either way, be careful not to cut yourself. Then, take the knife and carve the outline of the main facial features into the apple.

Once the outlines are there, dig out the eyes. Those should be deeply carved. Also carve around the nostrils, though not as deeply. Add definition to the lips, and create a deep mouth cavity. If possible, over-emphasize all the features, because the apple will shrink as it dries. If desired, ears can also be carved on the sides, and one can add eyebrow ridges and cheekbones by carefully shaving away apple. 

Once the face is finished, rub it with lemon juice to prevent the fruit from browning.

Dry in a dehydrator, in an oven at 150⁰ for one hour, or over the course of several days in the sun. When finished, one can add a hanging string to the stem. 

For a visual tutorial, check out my video here:

September 6th, 2015

I've been watching a lot of YouTube videos on my day off, and also did quite a bit of work on my "Scrapbook of Shadows". Here's what I was working on.

I added some more decor to my Celtic tree month pages. We have some holly trees by my residence hall, so I picked one up and pressed it. The other lead is a piece of ivy from our garden at home. I'd like to add more to this still, but this is what I've got at the moment.

Here's the last Celtic tree month page. It definitely needs some plant samples, so I'll have to either find or draw some sometime. The right page is adorned with packaging from a bar of soap I got at Fairy Fest a few years ago. I added a tiny feather I found coming back from brunch this morning, and also wrote in a summary of how to make a magickal hand wash as demonstrated by Ashera Star Goddess on YouTube.

I have these pages mostly covered up because a lot of the information is pretty personal to me (not that you could read it, anyway, as blurrily as my laptop took these photos), but these pages were about my power animal, or patronus, the Hummingbird. 

Here's a detail of the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird I drew in the corner. 

I also put up another video today, talking about how I got into the Craft. If you're interested, a lot of it is things I haven't talked about much on here. 

September 5th, 2015

Title: Astral Travel for Beginners: Transcend Time and Space with Out-of-Body Experiences

Author: Richard Webster
©1998

I picked this book up at a thrift store over the summer and read part of it, but only just got around to finishing it this afternoon. Astral Travel for Beginners covers a wide range of subjects, and provides both a comprehensive guide to basic astral travel and also insights into hypnosis, remote viewing, and other psychic phenomenon.

The book is divided into fifteen chapters, the topics of which include:

• Astral travel requirements
• Involuntary astral travel
• The astral world
• Your first astral travel
• Advanced astral travel

and so on. Drawing on a wide variety of sources, Webster cites recorded examples of astral travel occurring throughout history and around the world. He defines terms like the "astral plane", "silver cord", and etcetera, He also discusses concepts of bi-location, astral doubles, and doppelgangers. 

Webster goes on to describe relaxation techniques to incite one's first astral travel experience. He does this in stages, beginning with the very basic "mind travel" and moving on to ways by which to completely separate the consciousness from the body. For more practiced astral travelers, Webster suggests how to visit other countries, times, and even planets. He further provides additional methods for achieving astral travel, should one be inclined to experiment, or if more "standard" techniques are unhelpful. 

For those interested in astral traveling while sleeping, the book contains a script one could record and play back before going to bed. There are also scripts for people who would like to work astral travels in a group, or as a couple. The book concludes with a discussion of how Numerology can enhance astral travel, along with a few of the author's personal experiencing teaching workshops and assisting clients.

On the whole, I quite enjoyed this book, finding it well-researched and informative. I also feel confident that given the time to practice, I could find the methods discussed very useful for achieving voluntary astral travel. Granted, the book shows its age in certain ways (hardly anyone uses cassettes anymore, for one thing), but the advice Webster provides definitely continues to hold up.

To anyone looking to start astral travelling, or hoping to expand their knowledge on the subject, I would definitely recommend Richard Webster's Astral Travel for Beginners.

A Package and Some News

Well. I said I had news, and I think it should be okay to share it now. I will attempt to condense a long story to its main points. For a long time, I have felt extremely drawn to the Shinto Kami, and just earlier this week decided that I finally felt ready to begin a relationship with Them. I have felt an incredible sense of peace in the wake of this decision, but I also know I have a lot to learn. I really want to be able to purchase pieces for a Kamidana like the one I blogged about on Tuesday; however, those pieces are expensive. This brings me to my second piece of news.

I got a job!!! I actually scored another library position down here at school, and I couldn't be more excited. I had my first shift tonight, and it was great. I can't wait to be making some more money so I can save up for things.

And finally, I got a really neat package in the mail today from my mom. There were a lot of great things in it, but check out these two handbags.

For some reason, my laptop takes great quality videos but really bad pictures. Still haven't figured that one out. Anyway, mom found both of those at a rummage sale. The red one has a dragon and chrysanthemum pattern on it, while the blue has a lot of kanji calligraphy. They're beautiful bags, and they might be antiques, I'm not sure. I am taking it as a sign, though, that I'm on the right track. It was really the confidence boost I needed to open a package and immediately be reminded of Japanese mythology.

September 3rd, 2015

I actually finished this book last night after starting it Tuesday, but by then it was late and I was too tired to do a review.

The book, which I bought last Saturday at Gaia House's Omni Sale, is Florinda Donner's Being-in-Dreaming: An Initiation into the Sorcerer's World (©1992). I knew nothing about it when I purchased it, except that the back described it as being the autobiography of a woman initiated into a Mexican branch of sorcery.

Now that I have read it, I would propose that the book reads in a similar vein as works like Vladimir Nabokov's Speak Memory; it is neither a dry nor an encyclopediac account of Donner's experiences, but rather comes across as an extended memoir, describing her thoughts, feelings, and impressions, not only the facts of what occurred.

Donner describes how a new acquaintance, Delia, encouraged her to go see a Mexican healer about her intense, recurrent nightmares. From there, she met a group of men and women who professed to be sorcerers, and suggested that Donner had the natural talent for "dreaming-awake", a state of heightened awareness that gives the sorcerers their power. Over the course of many years, Donner repeatedly ran across members of the group, including the new nagual (leader), Isidoro Baltazar, with whom she fell in love. Nearer the book's conclusion, she describes how she finally committed to the sorcerer's path for herself, and how she was eventually initiated into the practice and lifestyle.

The book was definitely not what I had anticipated upon picking it up. In some ways, it felt like reading a fantasy novel, especially as the reader understands the context from Donner's outsider perspective. It is definitely not a comprehensive instruction in Mexican sorcery, nor does it particularly describe a way in which the layman could formally enter into such a tradition. That being said, I couldn't put it down. I will also say that because the book is similar to a memoir, certain chapters tend to skip ahead by months or years, which can be a little confusing, as this is not always clearly explained.

Otherwise, the imagery is delightful, the people involved intriguing, and the discussion extremely feminist. The philosophy of dreaming provides a thought-provoking and gripping core concept for the text. It was an absolutely fascinating read, and one which I would gladly recommend to anyone looking to learn about a magic(k)al system not based out of Western Europe.

September 1st, 2015

It's been an interesting day, and I have some news, but I'm probably going to wait to share that on here until I've got all the details hashed out. I did think that I would share a picture with you all, though.

This is where I ended up putting my dragon statue I bought Saturday, on a shelf over my desk. I've attached some warding to the statue, and put an offering of water in the glass dish. He wanted some crystals set around him, so I put a Black Onyx and two Tektites on the shelf as well.

On either side of the statue, I have two Japanese amulets for academic success; to the left is my green Maneki Neko, and to the right is a little mini shrine-shaped amulet I bought at Meiji Jinja in Tokyo.

I also have two little shells sitting there, although they're hard to see in the photo. One shell is holding water, and the other is holding salt. I don't have a Kamidana at this point in time, although I would like to acquire one. In the meantime, I am using the shells to hold offerings to the Kami.