September 25th, 2016

I just got back from camping out after SIPA's Mabon ritual - it was a very nice evening!

The site for this ritual was over at Devil's Kitchen Lake, on a little peninsula. It was sunny, and very hot - almost 90⁰!

Near the tip of the peninsula was a little shelter with picnic tables, where we eventually set up food for our potluck.

There was also a big stone fire pit, so some of the guys got wood together to build up a ritual fire later in the evening.

This is more of the lake - it was a very pretty view!

Somebody brought bubble wands, so a couple of us stood around for a while blowing bubbles.

I was borrowing the group leader's tent after she kindly agreed to lend it to me, and I ended up pitching it to the side of the trail with a nice view of the water.

There ended up being quite a good amount of food for the potluck, between cakes and mashed potatoes and pasta and fruit. I brought peanuts in the shells, because they're fun to crack open and also make good offerings.

One couple brought this large cow's skull to rest among some of the harvest offerings people brought.

There were also two little dogs, who quickly became good friends!

Starting the fire...

Sunset...

Some toads, who all things considered were pretty good-natured about being handled.

The ritual Circle, outlined with tiki torches and with the fire pit in the center.

The focus of the ritual was balance, recognizing the things which we meant to accomplish this past year and did not, and releasing that energy. It was simple and to the point, which worked well for the intended goal in my opinion. I volunteered to do Quarter calls for West; it was my first time taking on a role like that for a public ritual, so I was a little nervous, but I think it went well.

The stars last night were beautiful - there were so many, and it was such a clear night that there was really good visibility.

And then this image is from this morning, standing on the fishing pier and looking out over the lake.

View from the pier back towards the campsite.

The Samhain ritual will be held at this same spot, so I'm looking forward to that.

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! 

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. 

July 10th, 2015

My spell from yesterday manifested, so now I'm happy to share it with you all. I made a lot of it up on the fly, but it worked out even better than I had hoped! This was my first time trying a poppet spell, but I had read a lot about them and felt comfortable with the idea.

This spell was specifically geared towards helping my girlfriend get her hair cut how she wanted it, but could be easily adapted to any spell where the desire is to manifest a physical change in one's appearance. As such, it is not a glamour spell - this one is to change your appearance, not to change other people's perception of it. You can do it for yourself or for others, but the instructions here are written in the style of doing it for another person.

Because poppets are a particularly potent form of magick, I was careful to fully cleanse and consecrate my work space before even casting a circle. If you are experienced in poppet magick, then feel free to work at your own discretion. If you, like me, are new to the concept, cleansing the surrounding area with the elements is a good place to start. Without further ado...

~~~~~
Hummingbird's "Changing Your Look" Poppet Spell

Materials: 

• Fabric scrap
• Should represent the person in some way; it could be their skin color, favorite color, a scrap from an old shirt of theirs, or etc.
• Marker
• Gingerbread cookie cutter (optional)
• Needle
• Black thread
• Stuffing material
• Cotton balls work well for this
• Lavender (optional)
• Slip of paper
• Scissors
• Something to represent how the person looks now and how they want to look
• In my case, this was brown yarn for hair. 
• A picture of the person

Cast a circle. If you so choose, you can invoke a deity or deities at this time. Fold the fabric scrap in half and draw the poppet shape on it, either by outlining the cookie cutter or by free-handing a basic human figure. Sew about 3/4 of the way along the outline, leaving the last section open. As you do so, you might recite a chant of your choice. I used Starhawk's classic Kore Chant, since it is literally about changes. 

Carefully cut out around the poppet shape and turn it right-side out. Stuff it with cotton, and if you wish, add some lavender to ease any frustration or anxiety associated with making the change. Also, write the individual's name on the slip of paper and stick it inside the poppet*. Then, finish sewing the remainder of the poppet closed and tie off the thread.

At this point, you should add whatever decoration you're using to represent the person's current appearance. In my case, I sewed on several lengths of yarn to show my girlfriend's hair at its original length. Then, stating your intent out loud, ritualistically alter the appearance of the poppet to show the desired look. I did this by cutting the yarn into the hairstyle she wanted.

Finish up by tying the poppet to the image of the person and stating out loud that they are now bound together.

Thank any deities or spirits you have called, and release the circle.

To dispose of the poppet after the spell manifests, see this post.

*In this case, the paper is the taglock. Therefore, you're best off using the person's full name. Alternatives include adding a lock of hair, fingernail clippings, or etc. but unless you are doing the spell for yourself, these can be hard to come by. A second, small photo of the person would also suffice.

January 15th, 2013

Eek, it's finals week! I've got tests Wednesday through Friday, and although for the most part I'm feeling pretty confident, I have had some trouble the past two nights getting to sleep and staying asleep, and then even once my brainwaves have slowed down to a sleeping state, I keep having nightmares. As such, I've decided to make and empower a sleep sachet, and call upon the Baku, a Japanese Shinto spirit who eats nightmares and turns them into happiness and good fortune.

~~~~~~~~~~

Baku's Sleep Sachet

• A piece of blue or purple cloth, at least 4" X 4"
• Scissors
• Ribbon, possibly matching the color of the cloth
• Rosemary (dream recall)
• Lavender (peaceful sleep)
• Tumbled Agate, Amethyst, and/or Geode
• White slip of paper
• Pen

First, cut the cloth into a square if (like me) you just grabbed a weirdly-shaped fabric scrap because it was on hand. Remember, keep it at least four inches on each side!  Then, using the scissors or another, similar implement, make holes around the fabric's edge, spacing them evenly. This way, the cloth can be turned into a draw-string pouch later. In Circle, cleanse, consecrate, and empower all the supplies. You might recite an empowering invocation that draws on the associated powers of the herbs, and stones, for example, asking for protection from night terrors while bestowing kind, insightful dreams and restful sleep. Place the herbs and stones in the center of the fabric. Then, on the slip of paper, write the following, three times: "ばく, 食べて ください." This is Japanese for "Eat it, Baku!", the spirit's traditional invocation. If desired, say the invocation out loud as it is written. The Japanese phrase is pronounced "Baku, tabete kudasai." Next, roll up the paper and put it in the center of the cloth, also. Thread the ribbon through the holes cut previously, and draw tightly closed. Then say a final blessing over the pouch, perhaps holding it in your hand: "Through this cloth, magick seeps to bring me a good night of sleep, and dreams that come be peaceful and kind, remembered tomorrow in my waking mind.". The sleep sachet is done. To use, just set it either under your pillow or next to your bed. Sweet dreams!

Moon Garden

In honor of Earth Day, you may consider planting a Moon Garden. Given the choice, I'd probably turn the entire backyard into a garden (but somehow I don't see my parents going for that).
A Moon Garden is one filled with those plants that have white or light yellow/pink flowers, many of which are nocturnal in nature. The best known of these is, somewhat obviously, the Moonflower. The Moonflower is a climbing plant, cousin to the Morning Glory, whose flowers only open at night. The white flowers smell slightly of lemon, and, when open, are about 5 - 6 inches in diameter. Phlox, one of my favorite flowers, has a nocturnal variety, called the Night Phlox. These smell like honey, and open at twilight. A final intriguing such plant is the Angel's Trumpet, which opens in the evening in a horn shape, with a strong, floral scent. One could also consider mixing in non-flowering plants with silver leaves, such as Lamb's Ear, or diurnal white flowers to continue the look in the daytime.
To make your garden, check the planting instructions of all species you intend to plant. Make sure that the garden size you plan on can accommodate your new friends. Then, if not already available, dig the area for your plants, or, if space is limited, purchase pots. Consider making your garden circular or in the shape of a half or crescent moon. Plant your plants, add any stepping stones or statues (preferably keeping to the white and silver theme) as desired, and then hold a small ritual outdoors to dedicate the space to the Goddess.

Feeling creative? Design a Sun garden to complement it!

April 8th, 2012

Hazelnut had some very exciting news for me early last week. Apparently, there is a holistic center near her house practicing everything from reiki and massage therapy to acupuncture and chakra balancing! Even more exciting, the building holds a free drum circle the first Saturday of every month, so we decided to go and check it out. The group is led by a woman named Wendy, who follows a Native American-based path, so before the group opened she led a small blessing outside the place, calling upon the spirits of each direction and giving an offering of ritual tobacco. Then, Hazelnut and I, along with the other group members, of which there were about 10, got into a circle and drummed for about an hour and a half. It was moving, both physically and spiritually, and was an all-around great experience. Many of the drums there for use had been made by Tom, a group regular, and were simply gorgeous. None of them were extensively adorned, but the simple naturalness of the drums was beautiful. He also made a number of drumsticks, and little feather decorations. He had tied the feathers with rawhide, and each came with a glass bead that he had also made. Everyone received one of these to take with and enjoy. I'm putting mine on my altar, perhaps with my BOS. The group ended at 8:45, at which point I returned home. Has anyone else had the opportunity to go to something like this? If so, what were your thoughts?