Blue Moon 2015

What a weekend it has been! A blue moon, Lughnasadh, and Fairy Fest, all overlapping one another!

Destiny came over on Friday and we got all our costume things sorted for Fest. We also did an Esbat ritual to celebrate the blue moon, which was her first time doing an Esbat as well. I won't get into all the details, but we got dressed up in some robes of mine and some pieces of magickal jewelry - a pentacle and Tangerine Quartz necklace for me, and a silver wolf necklace for her.

My phone doesn't have a front-facing camera, so my selfies always turn out a little blurry-looking. I thought this was a cute pre-ritual picture, though.

We enjoyed a nice ceremony where we did some spellwork to further our long-term goals, and then afterwards we took leftover cookies and juice outside for offerings, standing under the moon for a while. It had what looked to us like a blue halo around it, and was very bright over the neighboring houses.

As always, my camera-phone utterly failed to do the phenomenon justice, but the pure Goddess energy was really spectacular.

The next morning, we had to be up quite early for Fairy Fest. Lughnasadh dawned bright and clear this year, and for once we had an actual harvest to honor - our tomato crop has delivered in droves now that my dad and brother built them a planter box. 

As you can see, the tomato on the left was bigger than my hand. We've also had bowls full of cherry tomatoes, and as of yesterday several more large heirlooms have come into ripeness.

I took this photo of a (very short) sunflower soaking up the morning rays after I paused a moment outside to set down a bit of toast in offering. Destiny and I enjoyed the light for a bit, and then it was off to Fairy Fest! 

July 31st, 2015

I'm so excited - this weekend is Fairy Fest! And, as if that weren't enough, Destiny is coming over tonight to stay the weekend, and it's a Blue Moon Esbat! So much going on; I love it. I've gotten to start some crystal research, too, which is good since I'm sure I'll get lots more little beauties this weekend.

Blue Calcite

Physical Characteristics: Generally opaque and with a texture describable as "soapy" or "waxy", Calcite is white or clear in its pure form, while the presence of other minerals can turn it grey, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, and even black.

In Nature: Calcite is a carbonate mineral, and is common in sedimentary rocks like Limestone. It is often the primary constituent of the shells of marine organisms (e.g. plankton and bivalves) and the hard parts of red algae and sponges.

Chemical Composition: CaCO3

Mohs Scale Hardness: 3 (low)

Can be Found: Worldwide, including Mexico, Africa, and North America

Healing Properties*: This stone helps one get the rest one needs, especially when recuperating from a period of illness. It is a good choice for long distance healing work. Use it to strengthen the bones and joints, or to heal complaints of the throat and head. Paired with a blue or purple candle, its healing properties are especially strong.

Magickal Properties: Blue Calcite soothes anxiety and calms its bearer. It is a great facilitator of communication, particularly when people hold opposing points of view. It encourages people to speak honestly and to reconcile their differences. 

It is also a powerful psychic stone which can be used to enhance astral travel, channeling, and dream recall. Activating intuition, it can likewise improve one's experiences with meditation. The stone draws upon both its psychic and communicative properties by strengthening telepathic and thought-transference skills. 

Additionally, it can be used as a purifier, clearing the energy of a person, room, etcetera.

Chakra Association: Fifth (Throat) and Sixth (Third Eye) chakras

Element: Water

Energy: Receptive

Planetary Association: 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!

September 1st, 2012

The first of September! Where did summer go? Funny how that happens, isn't it? Anyway, today I did my Blue Moon/Esbat ritual. I had hoped to do so yesterday, but just as I'd started, mom and dad called me to do something else.

Today we discovered that we have a new resident in our backyard - a chubby little woodchuck found the abandoned rabbit hole under the shed and seems to have moved in. He's been busy all morning eating the tall grass around the shed.
The word "woodchuck" actually comes from the Native American name for the animal: wuchak. According to the mythology of the Algonquin Native Americans, Grandmother Woodchuck was a very wise creature who adopted Glooskap, an Algonquin equivalent to Hercules, who frequently fought monsters to make the world safe, but ended up getting into trouble from which Grandmother Woodchuck had to save him.
Because the groundhog (another name for the woodchuck) hibernates during the winter, the animal is symbolic of understanding the cycles of life, death, and rebirth. It is further representative of the ability to know when to "go underground", or to back up from a situation.
Do you have a groundhog living in your neighborhood? Consider what he might be trying to tell you.

August 31st, 2012

A very happy Esbat and Blue Moon to all! A Blue Moon, for those who don't know, is the second full moon to occur in a month, something that happens every two to four years. The term "Blue" Moon comes from ancient calendar makers. They denoted the full moon in red ink, but on the rare occasion that two full moons happened in the same month, the second moon was colored in blue. It is a time of exceptional power, and so is best used in regard to long-term goals or projects. It is also an excellent time for divination. So go out tonight, my friends, and revel in the Lady's glory. Remember:  

"If if that which you seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find it without.

For behold, I have been with you from the beginning, and I am That which is attained at the end of desire."