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.

January 22nd, 2017

Hello, everyone, and Happy New Year. Yes, I'm a little late to the party, but I think we all know by now that I am incapable of posting consistently. I have some more explicitly Pagan things to share, but first: yesterday, all around the world, was the Women's March, in solidarity with the Women's March on Washington, DC. Things have been looking bad since the election back in November, but to echo the statement made by many others, for the first time yesterday, I felt hope.

I participated in the local march here at school. It's a small college town, but they still had a turnout of at least 1,000 people - we surrounded an entire city block!

Here is the sign I made to carry; in all caps, it says "I'M WITH HER," and then in smaller font, it lists "Black, Hispanic, Arab, Asian, Disabled, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Non-binary, Asexual, Muslim, Christian, Pagan, Hindu, Atheist, Mentally Ill, Lesbian, Immigrant, Buddhist, Sikh, Jew, Neurodivergent, Poor, Middle Class, CEO, Janitor, HUMAN".

And this is me at the Civic Center before the march, with my pantsuit, pussycat hat, "Love Trumps Hate" pin, and asexual pride pin. The local Women's Center was also giving out pins, so I got ones saying "Start by believing" and "I <3 consent".

Beforehand, there were some speeches and even a Native American blessing of the marchers, but there were so many people that I actually couldn't get close enough to hear what was going on. Instead, I met up with some friends, and we checked out the booths of local organizations like the Sierra Club. Gaia House also had a booth, specifically sharing information on their Labyrinth Peace Park.

Then we marched. We only went a little over a mile, but there were so many people that it took something like two hours. While we marched, we chanted things such as, "The people united will never be divided," "Justice - we're coming for it! Freedom - we're fighting for it!" and so on. There were news crews, and people filming, and even a group of frat boys standing outside their house with a megaphone to read off people's signs as they went by.

It seemed like every other car to go by would slow down to honk, wave, or give us a thumbs up. The reaction was so overwhelmingly positive, it was incredible. And it was also clear that people were there marching for a huge number of reasons - gender equality, racial equality, religious equality, LGBTQ+ rights (My favorite sign was held by the child of a queer couple in front of me - it was the pride flag with the words "Toddlers against fascists" on it.), acknowledgement of climate change, and more. I know I marched for all of these things.

I am not necessarily an outspoken person. I learned the hard way growing up that divergence from the norm would be punished by my peers, and nothing about who I am would typically be classed as "normal". As such, I tend to be quiet, and easily steamrolled by those who are willing to speak over me. I am going to end that. In the face of misogyny, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, ableism, Islamophobia, Antisemitism, misinformation, and fear-mongering, we must not be silent. I am not Wiccan, but I do ascribe to, "An it harm none, do what ye will". Or, to put it another way, "Do no harm, but take no shit". I am not going to sit back and take this shit. 

To all those who marched, thank you. To all those who could not march for one reason or another, your resistance is not less important just because it may be less visible. No matter what path you take, we all stand in solidarity against hatred, because we know that we are stronger together.

As scary as it is that this WWII poster is once again relevant, I will close with this final sentiment:

Freedom is in peril. Defend it with all your might.

Scrapbook of Shadows

I continued adding to my little BOS today. I really like how it's developing. Here are a few sample photos. Sorry about the blurriness; the light quality in my living room could stand to be improved.

First, my book blessing pages. On the left, I glued a tag one of my mom's friends made me a long time ago. I wrote a short incantation on it invoking the elements to protect and guard my book. The right page is occupied by an "ancient Egyptian" blessing used on the show Babylon 5 which always resonated with me: "God be between you and harm in all the empty places where you must walk." Cursory research is inconclusive on whether or not the blessing actually is Egyptian or if the show's writers simply made it up, but some sites anyway cite it as being from the 18th dynasty of Egypt. Authentically Egyptian or not, I find the words to be powerful ones.

On the next two pages is a prayer to Athena which I found here. As I am currently developing a relationship with Her, it seemed appropriate to include a prayer to Her first thing. I also glued in a tiger lily petal, and a sunflower petal, both from our garden.

Long-time readers may remember the posts regarding the Celtic tree months I did several years ago. I collected a lot of information, but it never made its way into my working BOS. Today, I dug up those posts and summarized their contents. I also took some leaves belonging to the trees under discussion and pasted them in. The birch leaf was wide enough that I created a foldable insert for it so that it would not cover up my writing. I also used a crayon to do some leaf rubbings on the right page, but the thickness of the paper stopped that from working very well. The tree month section spanned several pages, but those aren't finished yet, as I'll be adding more as I come across trees of the right varieties. 

Seven new pages today! That's pretty good, I think, and I like how they're looking!

August 16th, 2015

While looking for some other things upstairs, I stumbled across a little BOS my Aunt C gave me when I was six. It's a black volume which she personalized with inserts on the inside cover. When she gave it to me, I only vaguely understood the intended use, so mostly I scribbled all over it. The scribbles, however, were done in pencil, so I was able to erase them and now I can actually use it, after like 13 years. Perhaps there's some significance in that, now that I think about it.

This evening, I decorated the title page. I think I'll use it as more of a spell and prayer book, as opposed to a formal BOS with ritual instruction and the like. Maybe one day I'll even show it to my Aunt.

On the left page, two triquetras frame a pentacle. Below, an insert reads:

Presented to:

{Name}

From:

Aunt C

Yule of 2002

Across the bottom is a triple goddess symbol made of Celtic knotwork, with a Tree of Life in the center.

On the right page, the alchemical symbols for air, water, fire, and earth go across the top. In the middle, another inset reads:

Book of Shadows

What Witches Need 

In Order To Be Witches

{star}

On the bottom is a Green Man face. 

I chose to use the fuchsia as it matches the color of the names which I mostly erased from the photo above. 

Now I'm working on the next two pages, which will hold a sort of book blessing. I am interested in trying to make a sort of scrapbooked BOS (a Scrapbook of Shadows?) - I've seen some beautiful examples, but never really got around to doing anything to that effect.

July 12th, 2015

Destiny came over for a while this afternoon, and among other things, we decided to make God's Eye crafts. We found some redbud tree sticks out front of my house, and then I had no shortage of yarn for the actual construction.

Mine is the green, and hers is the blue.

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The history of the God's Eye amulet is an interesting one. I've used them in the past for altar decorations at Mabon or Samhain, and have seen them conflated with the Egyptian Wedjet (Eye of Horus) elsewhere on the internet.

While they may serve similar purposes, further research tells me that the God's Eye is not Egyptian at all, but actually originated in the Americas. The jury is out on whether the design comes from the Pueblo people of present-day New Mexico, USA, or from the Huichol people of Sierra Madre, Mexico. Either way, similar crafts were produced across much of the region for spiritual and decorative purposes.

The more correct name for the God's Eye is Ojo de Dios (literally "Eye of God" in Spanish). To the Pueblo, they were tokens of celebration or blessing. Often, they were given as gifts and/or were used to bless a home. From the 1500s - 1800s, they were found along trails or places where people worked to "see" things not visible to the mundane eye. To this end they had a protective quality. They were made meditatively, either in solitude or with others, and the making was a spiritual undertaking.

The Huichol and Tepehuan natives used the Ojo de Dios as a ritual, magical, and cultural tool. They referred to them as Sikuli, which meant that the crafts symbolized the power to see that which is unknowable. Meanwhile, the four corners represented earth, air, fire, and water. Sikuli, along with other objects including feathers and arrows, were left in sacred caves as offerings to the gods. 

Some Christians have appropriated this craft as a symbol of their single, all-seeing god. 

Making and Ojo de Dios is simple. The materials are only sticks and yarn, although a drop of glue may be helpful for children. Cross the sticks, and wind the yarn around them as seen in the diagram:

They can be further decorated with beads or feathers, as desired.

Place on the altar, or hang near a door to bless and protect a space.

August 4th, 2014

Happy belated Lammas to everybody! Why didn't I post sooner? I'll tell you why! Because the first weekend of August just passed, and you know what that means. Yes! It means that I just spent all weekend at the local World of Faeries Festival!
Once again, it was an amazing experience. There are few things more novel to a Pagan living in a Christian household than getting out for a weekend to mingle at a predominantly Pagan-run event. For the 10th anniversary of the Faery Fest, the theme was Year of the Dragon. There was two days of great music (if you've never heard of Randy Granger or Frenchy and the Punk, check them out), a quest game for the children, bubbles, sword fighting, fresh air, and sun. I got a complimentary wholeness blessing, and even saw a hummingbird winging its way over the flower garden. As per my usual, I bought a bunch of new accessories and several new stones, but before I get into posting about those, I want to share some pictures.

Welcome!

Me in my steampunk Time Faery costume, holding an adorable little woodsprite critter made by the esteemed Dragon Lady. I, unfortunately, did not have the means to pay the adoption fee, but if you'd like to see more of her work, check it out here.

Water Faery.

Statue Lady.

Dragon ice cream.

One of the vendors with Tommy, the Peregrine Falcon.

The fairgrounds.

Bird Man dances.

Friends appear in unexpected places.

A mermaid!

Additionally, it seems only fair to help spread the word about some of the wonderful vendors. Besides the Dragon Lady, whose work is linked up above, I got the business cards of several other people. Not all of them are necessarily Pagan, but they do high-quality, handmade work.

• Eliza C. Stockfisch: watercolor and digital artist, custom masks, and crafts. www.etsy.com/shop/eis4artist
• Annette Powell: fairy houses and gardens. etsy.com/shop/fairyellagarden
• Christina Loraine: paintings, art, and magnets (animals and dreamscapes). etsy.com/shop/ChristinaLoraineART
• Catherine B. Torres: Goddess gowns, vests, corsets, and soy meditation candles. swsilverlark@gmail.com
• Crystal River Gifts: crystals, jewelry, oil, candles, incense, etc. 1 (244) 535-8708
• Joe and Lisa Rothengass: wire wrapped and beaded jewelry, stones and crystals, stone readings. www.maplehousearts.com

August 18th, 2012

I just finished cleansing the house! After the events of yesterday, and the passing of one of my dad's good friends, I thought the energy really needed to be cleared, and it already feels way better in here! Energy cleansing is an important part of regulating the health of a household, and should be done after a bad fight, break-up, divorce, death, or other negative occurrence. It can also be done even when nothing bad has occurred, to keep the positive energy fresh and flowing. All you need is some salt, water, and a bell (but you don't even need that if you can clap your hands). Bless and cleanse the first two. Put three pinches of salt into the water and stir, while consecrating the mixture as holy water. Then walk into the room where the most negative energy is clinging (if, for instance, you are cleansing after an argument, go first to the room where the argument took place). Dip your fingers into the holy water and draw a banishing pentagram in the air. Say something along the lines of:

"I cleanse this space of all negativity, in this world and in the astral. Nothing evil or nasty, real or imagined, can ever abide here. So mote it be." 

Then sprinkle some of the water three times in a counter-clockwise circle. Ring the bell or clap your hands until the energy in the room has been raised to a normal, positive level. Repeat the procedure in every room of the home. Note: energy should always be cleansed after a new home, apartment, dorm, etc. is purchased. Old negativity from the previous owners can hang around otherwise.
Now that I'm home, and have some time to do so, I can finally finish off my running gemstone presentations with today's final stone (for now), Unakite.

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Unakite

Physical Characteristics: Unakite appears as a pink stone mottled with an  olive green. It may look almost mossy, and have little pink showing. If there is no pink, however, the stone may not be Unakite, but green Epidote.

In Nature: Unakite is an altered granite composed of pink feldspar and green Epidote, mixed with clear quartz.

Chemical Composition: SiO2 + Ca2(Fe,Al)Al2

Mohs Scale Hardness: 6.5 (middle)

Can be Found: South Africa, the USA, Brazil, and China

Healing Properties*: By releasing emotional trauma, the whole body is impacted, with healthier organs, muscles, and other tissues. Unakite is important to a safe pregnancy, aiding healthy growth of the infant, and, if one is underweight, can help one reach a safe body mass.

Magickal Properties: Unakite provides balance between the mundane and spiritual lives. It helps remove obstacles to personal growth, allowing one to let go of pain and anger. The stone builds self-confidence, strengthens courage, and allows one to really take control of one's life. Additionally, Unakite can be taken into difficult situations, to retain one's personal power. Unakite also has associations with finding lost objects, gardening, and attracting spirit guides.

Chakra Association: Unakite is best synchronised with the Third, or Solar Plexus Chakra, and the Fourth, or Heart Chakra.

Element: Fire, Water

Energy: Projective, Receptive

Planetary Association: Mars, Venus

*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!

Travel Altar

Well, I did it! I rummaged through my closet, stored altar supplies, and the dreaded coat/backpack/jacket/random-thing-someone-didn't-want-to-put-away rack to find all the supplies and a carrier needed to construct my travelling altar.

Top middle (North): A small makeup mirror, an itty bitty brush for a besom, a polished rock, and a salt vial.
Top right: Gold pouch to hold the vials, rock/crystal, and shell.
Right (East): Feather and wand.
Bottom middle (South): Yellow tea light and a pocket knife.
Left (West):  Snail shell and empty vial for water.
Top left: Tarot deck and book.
Center (Spirit): My God and Goddess statues flank a white tea light in a ceramic holder with a tiny crystal set in front.

 

And all that fit into this small canvas shoulder bag that I got as a prize from the library years ago. Later, I'll bless and consecrate my travel altar as part of my Esbat ritual.

August 2nd, 2012

This is quite the jam-packed week, here, magickally speaking! Yesterday was Lammas, today is Esbat, and tomorrow I'm going to Hazelnut's house for the Fairy Fest.
Rather hilariously this morning, my mom and I were driving my dad to work when I told mom that Hazelnut wanted me to head over at around 4:30 tomorrow afternoon. My dad had no idea what we were talking about - he didn't realize I was going to be gone this weekend, even though I've been planning my trip for almost a year! Also exciting, to me at least, was the realization yesterday that we have a second litter of wee baby bunnies inhabiting the backyard. I was watering the hostas, when BANG - this itty bitty fluff ball came barrelling out from under the plant, saw me, turned around mid stride and dashed into the neighbor's yard. Nick spotted him again this morning, so we all headed out to see him. So precious.
For Esbat today, I'm listening to some of my favorite Pagan tunes and watching some Youtube videos by other Pagan web-goers. One in particular has me interested - creating a travel altar. I'm familiar with the concept: a small, portable altar tucked in a purse, bag, or even a tin, containing all the basics for a ritual. I have a very basic version that I kept in my school locker last year, but I got some great new ideas and now I'm considering expansion options.

~~~~~~~~~~

A travel altar could include:

• A cloth to set everything up on
• A God/dess representation (statues, two stones, two tea lights, etc.)
• Small vials for salt, water, sand, etc.
• A feather
• Miniature wand
• A pocket knife (for an athame)
• Tarot Cards or other small divining set
• A few other tea lights or birthday candles
• Matches
• A sea shell
• A mini broom for a besom (many stores sell these and brushes with their larger counterparts)
• A small notebook for journaling
• A small crystal

If you intend to set up a travel altar, bless and consecrate the supplies, as well as the bag they are to be carried in. Then, any time you're on the road, you can take an altar with you, without having to pack up your home altar,house shrine, etc.

This is a travel altar designed by Dancing Goddess Dolls:

To see more, visit this link.

Lammas Bread and Protection Spell

Lammas is celebratory of the first harvest of the year, which more often than not largely involves gathering up the grain: maize, wheat, barley, etc. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that baking bread with this freshly-harvested grain is a typical activity of the Lammas season. Hundreds of years ago, the first loaf to be baked was broken into pieces and crumbled into the corners of the granary, or other grain-storage facility. This was intended to protect the grain against pests, spoilage, and other forms of damage. An adapted version of this Anglo-Saxon charm is a great way to involve the whole family in the Lammas ritual - even young children can help measure the ingredients for the bread (not to mention all the help with crumbling the bread later!).

~~~~~~~~~~

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 cups bread flour (have some extra on hand)
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds (toasted)
• 2 tbsp active dry yeast
• 2 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups "scalded" milk (heated to almost boiling)
• 3 tbsp smooth peanut butter
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

~~~~~~~~~~

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Add the peanut butter and honey to the hot milk and stir until combined. Allow liquid to cool to 115 °F, then stir into flour mixture. Knead gently for 15 minutes, adding some of that extra bread flour until a smooth, elastic dough is achieved. Lightly wipe with vegetable oil, cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap, and allow to rise in a warm spot until dough size has doubled. This step may take several hours, so be patient. Then, punch down the dough (gently, again - food doesn't respond well to violence). Shape into two loaves, and let rise again until doubled. Bake at 375 °F until golden brown and delicious.

~~~~~~~~~~

Protection Spell:

Once cooled, take one of the loaves and break into quarters. Step outside the home, and, beginning at the North or Northeastern corner of the building, set down one of the bread pieces. Recite a blessing of protection. A simple version is:
I call on the spirits
Of north, and south, east and west
Protect this place
Use your creativity. Leave the bread for the local wildlife, and continue around the house, repeating the procedure at the four corners of the property. Then enjoy the other loaf!

Extras:

While I am certainly no expert on the subject, bread can be baked in a vast variety of designs and shapes. If one appeals to you in particular, and especially if it reflects a theme of Lammas, go for it! The bread can also be baked in a wreath shape. Holes are cut in the bread, and candles can be inserted. Consider using 12 candles, for the wheel of the year. They don't have to be large; even tea lights in a sturdy glass container will do nicely. Or, just leave the bread in traditional loaves. It's your call.

Recipe/spell from here.

July 8th, 2012

For the past month on the Celtic calendar, the tree of note has been the Oak. Today, however, is the first of the Holly month. Personally, I find this a significant representation of the Oak and Holly King story, as the Holly King cast down his twin not long ago, at midsummer. The Holly month, called Tinne by the Celts, is a time of masculine energy.

Holly, or Ilex, is a genus of 400 to 600 species of flowering shrubs. The genus is spread worldwide, in evergreen and deciduous forms, both in the tropics and in temperate climates. Holly flowers are small and white, usually with four petals. Unlike many species, the members of the Holly genus typically have distinct male and female flowers, which grow on separate plants (there are exceptions, however). Pollination occurs through bees and other insects. The fruits of the Holly, typically called berries, are actually drupes, and ripen in the winter. Because the drupes are available when most food is scarce, the Holly is an important source of food and shelter for many birds and animals.
Mythologically speaking, Holly was considered by the Druids a gift to keep the earth beautiful when the sacred Oak lost its leaves. It was also associated with the aforementioned Holly King, the patron of the Winter Solstice festivals. Later, the Romans hailed Holly as being sacred to Saturn, and so used the plant to decorate images of Saturn and as a method of honoring him during the festival of Saturnalia. Centuries later, early Christians avoided Roman persecution in their Christmas rites by using the Saturnalia Holly. Hence, Holly was adopted into Christian tradition as well. In European lore, although boughs of Holly could be taken for decoration, and the berries used for animal feed, to cut down an entire tree/shrub was considered bad luck. Some people went out of their way to avoid hurting the trees, and believed that they had protective qualities. The Holly was believed to keep houses from being struck by lightning, and was cultivated as a protective barrier. As such, it became associated with thunder gods, like the Norse Thor. Interestingly, modern science has shown this ancient legend to hold some ground - the distinctive shape of the Holly leaves and spines act as a sort of natural lightning conductor, protecting the Holly itself, as well as nearby objects.
In magick, use Holly to access masculine energy, and consider carving masculine tools (an athame handle, wand, etc.) out of Holly. In related fashion, some traditions hold that a proper athame ought to be consecrated with holly incense. Its protective properties remain relevant also; hanging a Holly bough in the home will bring good luck and safety. Holly can be worn as a protective charm, and soaking Holly in moon-bathed water for several hours will create Holly water, which when sprinkled around people acts as a blessing, and when sprinkled in the home acts as a cleanser. Holly is associated with the cycle of life, death, and rebirth, and can be used in a Lammas ceremony as easily as in one meant for Yule. It can help people cope with death, and brings calm, sweet dreams.
Holly is not known for being edible - indeed, eating the berries can cause vomiting and diarrhea. The plant is considered toxic to humans and should not be ingested.

Snow Blessing

This seemed appropriate, given the weather today. Have a safe, blessed winter season, friends.