October 29th, 2017

Last night was SIPA's Samhain ritual, which was moved indoors to Gaia House due to the weather - it was freezing cold. There was a big turn-out, so the little building was very crowded.

There were a bunch of really fun pumpkins people brought. I made a Les Misérables carving with the Cosette silhouette, which turned out well, if I do say so myself.

As in other years, we set up an ancestor altar. Tara also established an Honor List, which included both names of those people wished to recognize, and places such as Las Vegas and Orlando, which have suffered devastating losses.

Afterwards, everyone had the opportunity to go through an Inner Circle to contact their personal gods, ancestors, etc.

At the end of the ritual, Tara gifted everyone with a Quartz crystal. I now have one from my first SIPA Samhain (top) and what will probably be my last with them (bottom).

Altar Update

With it now being October, I've updated my altar for Samhain. It was in need of a change, as I hadn't done much to it since the Eclipse.

I've made a sort of ancestor altar toward the front, with the rest of my ritual tools in the back. It's hard to see in this photo, but in front of the cauldron is a black skull candle I bought at Earthbound.

Also from Earthbound is this beautiful display shelf, which I am using to showcase some of my crystals. It has the moon phases at the bottom. I fell in love with it the moment I saw it!

October 15th, 2017

One of the organizations I belong to at school took a social trip today over to a local pumpkin patch. The weather, which had been kind of wet and gross this morning, turned out to be beautiful, and it was a lot of fun picking through the pumpkins with everyone. Pumpkin carving and baking pumpkin seeds are a few of my Samhain traditions, and I always have a great time doing it!

The pumpkins - they ranged in size from little bitty ones to big carving-size ones.

I didn't buy any, but I love ghost pumpkins. They look so neat!

Here's my purchases - a big pumpkin to carve, two gourds, and a mini pumpkin. The gourds I'll be trying to dry out and turn into shakers. I also picked up the "Witch Please" mug today, over at Walmart. They had a whole collection of oversized Halloween mugs, and it just seemed very me.

In addition to the pumpkins, I bought this wire-wrapped tree of life necklace. There was a local artist selling them there at the pumpkin patch, and I'd been wanting something like it for a long time, so I decided to go ahead and get one.

Things are getting spooky here! I've decorated our apartment, and my roommate and I have been getting costumes together. We've also engaged in a bit of spirit work, talking to some of the other inhabitants of the apartment. They seem to be friendly, and like to knock on the walls at night.

A Fun Photo

Andi took this picture of me at yesterday's rock painting event. I like it a lot!

October 2nd, 2017

Had some fun yesterday over at Gaia House with SIPA; they put together a little crafting event painting rocks with fun images, affirmations, etc. The idea is to take the rocks after the fact and hide them for other people to stumble across.

I gave the one with the dragon away, and I'll probably keep the Eye of Horus stone, but the other two I may hide in the courtyard near where I have class.

Virtually any common stone works for this craft - I used river rocks, but there was also some sandstone pieces that came out nicely - and regular acrylic craft paint will stick so long as you let it dry between coats. A final spray-on coat of clear sealant should set it permanently.

September 19th, 2017

SIPA hosted their annual Mabon ritual this weekend, which was being led by a group of Ár nDraoícht Féin druids, which was really cool!

The ritual was held at Giant City State Park, and we had perfect weather - warm, but not humid. We also had a really good turn-out, with around 50 participants, including a lot of first-timers.

We had a visit from a very persistent racoon, who was intent on climbing into the trash can.

The sacred space was in a big clearing and encompassed a tree, cauldron of water, altar, and fire pit.

We were asked to bring water from our watershed, so I did, as well as our favorite glass for the sumbel toast. I brought along my chalice, which has been a bit under-utilized as of late.

The ritual was fairly Celtic in format, but was focused on honoring the Norse pantheon.

After the ritual, I found this stick insect hanging out in the shelter!

August 5th, 2017

Welcome to August, and a happy belated Lughnasadh! My internship continues to keep me very engaged, but, funnily enough, a month after my previous post, I am once again staying at my boss's house. I've actually seen a hummingbird here the last two days at a flowering vine, so that's been neat!

I love those little guys! (No actual hummingbirds in the above photo, I missed her.)

I also spent some time in Pittsburgh earlier this week, and stopped by a bookstore on the south shore. A lot of their selection was focused around social justice activism (a worthy subject, particularly in the current political climate), but they did have a folklore section as well, where I made a very interesting find - a translated copy of the Egyptian Book of the Dead!

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Title: The Egyptian Book of the Dead: (The Papyrus of Ani) Egyptian Text Transliteration and Translation
Author: E. A. Wallis Budge
Date: Printed 2016, first published 1967

This text divides into three parts: an introductory section, the transliterated hieroglyphic text, and a translation of the text.

The introduction provides a wealth of background information on the context for the Book of the Dead; there is discussion of its known versions and variations, Egyptian funeral ritual, the gods discussed throughout the text, places mentioned in the text, and etc. The transliteration provides every line of hieroglyphics with a word-by-word translation below each character, and then the final section provides a comprehensive English translation of the entire text.

Overall, this is an excellent resource. It is highly academic, so it is full of citations, and parts of it read a bit dry, but in my opinion, having access to the full hieroglyphic text of the Book of the Dead is a must-have for anyone interested in Kemetic Reconstructionism or other Egyptian-based path. I found that just by reading the transliteration, I was beginning to pick up a few things about the language.

There's a lot of valuable information in the introduction, as well - I was excited to see a full ritual for funerary rites, complete with a description of when and what to give as offerings. It was just as helpful to have the full translation; perhaps obviously, Ancient Egyptian grammar does not correspond smoothly to English grammar, and so reading the transliteration is slow and somewhat confusing. The translation is much more palatable.

I do not have much in the way of criticisms for this work, except for one issue. In a few places in the introduction, the author has a tendency to suggest that polytheistic religions are "less evolved" than monotheistic religions (read: Christianity), and that the Egyptian religion was impressive despite being polytheistic. That kind of condescension rubs me the wrong way, and it continues a racist, Western narrative that white monotheistic religion is superior to indigenous polytheistic beliefs.

All in all, I'm glad to be able to add this text to my library. It was instructive, and I think it has a lot to draw on for ritual and meditation purposes. If you are interested in Egyptian mythology or practice, the Book of the Dead is a cornerstone of our understanding of Ancient Egypt and their practices - you should definitely check it out, but prepare yourself for some dense content.

July 2nd, 2017

I'm staying the weekend at a gorgeous house (it actually belongs to my boss's family) which is totally Pagan aesthetic #goals, despite the fact that they're staunch Christians. I would love to have a place like this one day.

Over one of the doors is this saying:

Níl aon tinteán mar do thinteán féin

This is an Irish phrase meaning, "There's no place like home". Literally it translates to "There's no hearth like your own hearth". Sounds like it could be a nice house blessing! 

Another blessing I found is the following; I wanted something that I could write on the subfloors of the houses we're building (everyone was invited to write down well-wishes for the families), but figuring out what to put proved to be a bit of a trick. The families are Christian, and I want to respect that, but I also wanted to be genuine about what I was writing. I think this (allegedly Celtic) blessing gets the best of both:

Bless this house and those within.

Bless our giving and receiving.

Bless our words and conversation.

Bless our hands and recreation.

Bless our sowing and our growing.

Bless our coming and our going.

Bless all who enter and depart.

Bless this house, your peace impart.

June 21st, 2017

Happy Litha, Midsummer, Summer Solstice, and whatever else you might like to call today! I have been very engaged in my summer internship, hence my lack of posts, but I did want to take this opportunity to recognize the shifting from the light to the dark half of the year. My internship has revolved around rebuilding homes which were destroyed last year in a flood, and this week in particular has really represented a culmination of energy as walls and roofs have been raised.

My fellow interns and I drove past a deer this evening, which stood and stared through the car window for several minutes. It did not occur to me at the time that it was the solstice, but in retrospect, it feels like a good omen.

May the summer treat you kindly. May the warm rays of the sun uplift your spirits, even as the days begin their slow descent towards the equinox. Let the fields and all your labors be bountiful, act with love in your heart, and be Merry Met in the season to come.

May 20th, 2017

Fairies

There are fairies at the bottom of our garden!

It's not so very, very far away;

You pass the gardner's shed and you just keep straight ahead --

I do so hope they've really come to stay.

There's a little wood, with moss in it and beetles,

And a little stream that quietly runs through;

You wouldn't think they'd dare to come merrymaking there -- 

Well, they do.

There are fairies at the bottom of our garden!

They often have a dance on summer nights;

The butterflies and bees make a lovely little breeze,

And the rabbits stand about and hold the lights.

Did you know that they could sit upon the moonbeams

And pick a little star to make a fan,

And dance away up there in the middle of the air? 

Well, they can.

There are fairies at the bottom of our garden!

You cannot think how beautiful they are;

They all stand up and sing when the Fairy Queen and King

Come gently floating down upon their car.

The King is very proud and very handsome;

The Queen--now can you guess who that could be

(She's a little girl all day, but at night she steals away)?

Well -- it's Me!

-Rose Fyleman

May 19th, 2017

It's a cold and wet day here after a week of lovely weather. I'm curled up inside with a blanket, but in the meantime, here's some photos from our garden.

These colorful flowers are the centerpiece for the patio table - they look like little flames!

Something about this always reminded me of a zen temple.

A friendly slug!

I've had a fairy garden established in our backyard since I was little, and at times it has been quite elaborate. Usually, though, it's a pretty subtle way to honor the Fair Folk. I got that statue cleaned up yesterday (she was a bit muddy), and added some new stones.

Close-up of the fairy sitting area.

May 18th, 2017

Apophyllite

Physical Characteristics: Apophyllite refers to a specific group of phyllosilicates (sheet silicates formed in parallel layers). All phyllosilicates are hydrated minerals, Apophyllite being a variety which contains water in its chemical structure.

There are technically three varieties of Apophyllite, each varying slightly in chemical composition: Fluorapophyllite (white, colorless, yellow, green, or violet specimens), Hydroxyapophyllite (white or colorless specimens), and Natroapophyllite (brown, yellow, or colorless specimens). Heating the crystal causes water loss, which in turn can cause it to flake apart.

In Nature: This crystal is typically found in vesicles of Basalt or other volcanic rocks.

Chemical Composition: (K, Na)Ca4Si8O20(F, OH)•8H2O

Mohs Scale Hardness: 4.5-5 (medium)

Can be Found: India, Germany, Canada, Norway, Scotland, Ireland, Brazil, Japan, United States

Healing Properties*: Placed on the eyelids, Apophyllite is thought to reduce eye strain. It relieves anxiety and stress, and can also reduce allergy symptoms. Apophyllite is a common tool in Reiki healing.

Magickal Properties: Apophyllite is perhaps best-known for being a high-vibration crystal. The stone's energy is uplifting, and is often used for removing energy blockages and for helping its bearer grow spiritually. It opens the Third Eye, and in so doing furthers psychic development; use it to enhance clairvoyance, for dream work, for astral travel/projection, meditation, and similar exercises. The stone is ideal for scrying, in part because many specimens contain prismatic defects that help the mind relax. It also opens the Crown Chakra, making it easier to contact spiritual guides, angels, and other higher powers.

The water content of the stone improves its energy-conducting capacity, which may be further enhanced by the shape of the crystal (e.g. a pyramidal form). To cleanse and empower a room with Apophyllite, create a crystal grid by placing one stone in each corner of the room and another in the room's center.

Generally speaking, it is inadvisable to cleanse hydrated crystals with water. As heat can damage the stone, it is likewise inadvisable to cleanse Apophyllite in direct sunlight.

Chakra Association: Third Eye (Sixth) and Crown (Seventh) chakras

Element: Air

Energy: Receptive

Planetary Association: Mercury

*Magickal healing should never take the place of seeing a doctor and following any recommended prescriptions, actions, or other advice. Magick works best in tandem with physical efforts, anyway, so don't skimp on those check-ups!

May 17th, 2017

I don't believe I ever shared a photo of it, but one of my birthday gifts this year was a piece of Polychrome Jasper from Rebekka's store carved in the shape of a heart. Now that I've had a little free time over my summer vacation, I finally got around to researching its properties.

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Polychrome Jasper 

(aka Desert Jasper)

Physical Characteristics: Polychrome Jasper is so named for the myriad colors it can contain, the list of which includes red, brown, purple, yellow, grey, and teal. These colors are the product of mineral admixtures, usually iron oxides.

In Nature: Jaspers are micro-crystalline, fine-grained, and opaque stones. They are comprised of massive (i.e. formed in a mass) formations of Chalcedony Quartz.

Chemical Composition: SiO2

Mohs Scale Hardness: 7 (medium-high)

Can be Found: Madagascar

Healing Properties*: Use Polychrome Jasper to boost your energy; it may be helpful for managing chronic fatigue, exhaustion as a result of a mental illness, or similar conditions.

Magickal Properties: Polychrome or Desert Jasper is a figure stone, which is to say that certain specimens may appear to show images of people, animals, landscapes, or symbols, and one's associations with that image can impact the properties of the stone. The properties can also vary based on what colors are present (see below). 

Generally, Polychrome Jasper is a stone with fiery energy, associated with action, passion, and liveliness. It can be a powerful tool for transforming one's life trajectory into something more desirable; it can be used similarly for new relationships. Additionally, use Polychrome Jasper for grounding, and for finding peace and self-worth during difficult times.

Color properties:

• Red/Red-orange: Enthusiasm, physical and spiritual vitality
• Rose: New love, romance, and/or relationships
• Purple: Awe, mystery, dream interpretation, renewal
• Teal: Temperance, restoring calm, relieving stress, overcoming conflict, protection in the face of cruelty
• Yellow: Happiness, cheerfulness, contentment

Chakra Association: Root (First), Solar Plexus (Third) chakras

Element: Fire

Energy: Projective

Planetary Association: Earth, Mars

*Magickal healing should never take the place of seeing a doctor and following any recommended prescriptions, actions, or other advice. Magick works best in tandem with physical efforts, anyway, so don't skimp on those check-ups!

May 15th, 2017

I am home for a fraction of the summer, but at the end of this month I am heading out of state for an internship! It's hard to say how much I will get on here when I'm working full time, but there's lots of natural area around there that I would like to explore and share with my readers.

And now for an assortment of updates...

Last year, I acquired a prickly pear cactus at a native plant giveaway that was happening at school. I re-potted it, but was concerned that perhaps I had done something wrong because of how little it was growing. However, my worries were assuaged by coming home to find this:

It's got the tiniest little cactus pad growing out of the top of it! I'm so happy!

Also, the peonies are blooming, which for me is the surest sign that it's summer.

I did run into a bit of a snag on my way back from school - my pentacle and triquetra ring, which I've been wearing every day since I bought it over a year ago, fell and got irretrievably stuck in the moving van. I must have tried to pry it out for over an hour, but no such luck. To me, that meant that either it was just that ring's time to go, or that it had gotten too overloaded as a protective talisman.

Either way, I knew I needed a new one, but I did not have a lot to spend on a relatively "frivolous" item. I ordered the ring pictured above from New Frescos; I'd never ordered anything from there before, so I was not sure what the quality would be like, but it's a sterling silver piece and it's really nice! I think I overestimated the size just a tad, as it's a bit loose, but that was my own fault.

Otherwise, I've been getting a lot of yard work done, mostly repainting things like the porch railings and trim, so that's been keeping me busy.

April 27th, 2017

We all know by now that I am a sucker for crystals, and last week, the lovely Rebekka of bekkathyst.com had a really great coupon running. As a result, I bought myself some little treats to get me through the end of the semester.

I got another Aquamarine and a Rainbow Moonstone, and then I also got a new crystal - Apophyllite. I'm looking forward to researching its properties.

April 23rd, 2017

Orthoceras

Physical Characteristics: Orthoceras fossils are the remains of slender, elongate shelled animals, which look similar to related nautiloid cephalopods, making identification difficult.

In Nature: With a name meaning "straight horn", Orthoceras is an extinct genus of nautiloid cephalopod, specifically of the variety native to the Baltic States and Sweden. It lived during the Paleozoic and Triassic periods, and is typically found in a limestone matrix.

Chemical Composition: CaCO3 matrix, with a fossil of varying mineral composition

Mohs Scale Hardness: 7.5-8 (high)

Can be Found: Baltic States and Sweden

Healing Properties*: Orthoceras fossils have been used to lessen the symptoms of anxiety and depression, and to heal conditions related to the spine and to aging.

Magickal Properties: Like with many fossils, Orthoceras is rooted in energies pertaining to time; it can assist in past life discovery and meditation, moving past old traumas, and in working through transition periods. It is likewise a stone of business success, promoting prosperity and financial stability. In energy work, Orthoceras can assist with the development of psychic abilities and in Reiki healing.

Chakra Association: Root (First) chakra

Element: Earth

Energy: Receptive

Planetary Association: Earth

*Magickal healing should never take the place of seeing a doctor and following any recommended prescriptions, actions, or other advice. Magick works best in tandem with physical efforts, anyway, so don't skimp on those check-ups!

April 9th, 2017

Bismuth

Physical Characteristics: Bismuth is a brittle white metal, but when oxidized will display iridescent colors ranging from red to yellow to blue. Its iconic stair-stepped shape results from a higher growth rate along its outside edges than on its interior. The metal is also strongly diamagnetic, meaning that it is repelled by magnetic fields, and is one of the principal components of MagLev train systems.

In Nature*: One of the periodic chemical elements, Bismuth is written with the symbol Bi, and has an atomic number of 83. It is chemically similar to arsenic, antimony, tin, and lead, but curiously has a much lower toxicity. It also has a very low thermal conductivity, and is weakly radioactive, though given that its half-life is a billion times the estimated age of the universe, it is considered stable in virtually all scientific scenarios and is harmless to humans.

*Note: Bismuth's crystal-lattice structure is rarely found in nature. As such, the Bismuth crystals on the market are lab-grown specimens. This does not decrease their metaphysical value, but it is something to be aware of. Websites claiming to sell natural Bismuth crystals are likely running a scam.

Chemical Composition: Bi

Mohs Scale Hardness: 2.25 (very low)

Can be Found: Australia, Bolivia, China, Vietnam, Mexico

Healing Properties*: Bismuth may be used to slow degenerative muscular conditions.

Magickal Properties: With a unique combination of chemical properties and a long, convoluted history of use, Bismuth is a very odd, not to mention fascinating, metal.

It was commonly utilized in alchemical practices, and even had its own designated symbol (see right image) which crops up in the work of such notable scientist-alchemists as Sir Isaac Newton, but records of how or why it was used do not appear to have survived. Modern-day scientists, including Glenn T. Seaborg, continued this ancient tradition by using nuclear collisions to transform Bismuth into Gold as recently as 1980. This website provides an interesting overview of the major alchemical metals, and provides a good background of the associated semiotics and history, but even there Bismuth is not mentioned except in passing.

As with many multicolored or iridescent crystals, Bismuth can be used as a point of focus in shamanic journeying, astral projection, etc. It could act as a focusing crystal in other areas of life as well, and may be beneficial to people with ADHD or other neurotypes characterized by poor executive function. It also enhances visualization, and may improve meditation experiences.

Bismuth reduces feelings of isolation, and can improve connections with other people. Its rainbow colors make it ideal for energy work, and it can be instrumental in cleansing the aura.

Chakra Association: All, but especially the Crown (Seventh) Chakra

Element: Air

Energy: Receptive

Planetary Association: Saturn

*Magickal healing should never take the place of seeing a doctor and following any recommended prescriptions, actions, or other advice. Magick works best in tandem with physical efforts, anyway, so don't skimp on those check-ups!

April 8th, 2017

Happy April! School continues to give me the run-around, but I've worked a couple of spiritual events into my schedule. Last weekend, the city put on an 11 Days of Compassion program, which included a morning walk over at the Gaia House labyrinth. I had to get myself up earlier than I prefer for a Sunday, but the walk was really nice.

All the flowers were blooming, including these lovely tulips.

I was standing in the center of the labyrinth, thinking about how nice it would be if the fountain were running, and then it suddenly kicked on.

Then today, a friend from school drove with me over to a local gem and mineral show put on by the regional Earth Science club.

There were so many cool specimens, lots of which were from the area, but many others of which were from around the world. Crystals, fossils - you name it, it was probably there.

I tried to keep my purchases moderate. I got a piece of Bismuth, a Celestite cluster, a big chunk of Bloodstone, a Rhodonite pyramid, an Orthoceras fossil, and some Fluorite chunks (which were actually free from one of the vendors).

March 20th, 2017

Happy Ostara, and happy 21st birthday to me! I celebrated both events by... doing homework and going to class. Such is the life of a college student. I did get to go out to dinner with my mom and my roommate, though, so that was fun.

This image is by Linda Ravenscroft, as printed in Llewellyn's 2017 fairy calendar - it seemed appropriate for today.

This little wooden sign also seemed appropriate; it was a gift from my mom to her spring baby.

Hiking with SIPA

There were only a few of us today, and it was a bit chillier than expected, but it was still a lot of fun to meet up with some friends from SIPA for an afternoon hike.

This area has loads of parks and trails and state reserves - I've been down here for school for three years and I've barely scratched the surface - so both of the places we went were new to me.

Our first stop was a local arboretum.

There were a lot of pine and cypress trees.

We saw some ducks and a turtle out on the pond.

Apparently, there is also a bamboo forest, which was beautiful, but which was rather surreal because of how out-of-place it felt. There were old sandstone blocks strewn about, perhaps from a long-since gone house, and little tunnels running through the thick bamboo grove.

We also went over to a second, smaller hiking trail which featured a creek (mostly dry at the moment), lots of shelf fungus, and birds including cardinals and a red-headed woodpecker.