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).

November 23rd, 2016

Happy Day-Before-Thanksgiving to those of you reading in America. I got home from school last night, and it's smelled like apple pie here all day long - I'm really hungry now!

I also wanted to share these cool new crystals my grandma gave me.

This one's a Selenite tower; I have a pair of them now, but the other is at school.

And then this is a massive Rose Quartz generator point - it's literally the size of my hand! I think I'm in love.

I hope you all have a good week and enjoy the festivities. Things have been hard for a lot of people lately, but maybe a little food and thankfulness will go towards some sort of resolution. And if you're out there knowing you have to spend the holidays with prejudiced, bigoted people, then know that I am sorry, and I hope things get better soon.

September 24th, 2016

Yesterday, I discovered something really cool on my desk in studio. Apparently one of my professors had been cleaning out her office and found it; she wasn't interested in keeping it, so she brought it into the studio room and a friend suggested that it might be something I would like. It was a nice surprise coming back to class. My grandpa passed away Wednesday, so I needed the smile.

According to my professor, this is not any sort of ancient artifact by any means, but it was actually produced in Egypt on papyrus - probably a touristy souvenir, but there's not really anything wrong with that. A bit of digging around on the web told me that the image is of the goddess Hathor and the pharaoh Seti, who is offering her food. The original image comes from a carving in the Temple of Abydos.

The scroll sort of likes to curl in on itself, so I'm not really sure what the best way to display it is. Right now I have it sitting on my desk, but that may change.

As for tonight, I'm gearing up to go to SIPA's Mabon ritual in about an hour, after which the current plan is to camp out. The weather's supposed to be great, so I'm looking forward to it.

August 17th, 2016

It's as hectic as ever here, and no less stressful where family matters are concerned. I drive down to school tomorrow, so it isn't likely to get any less busy. That being said, I have a few photos I wanted to share.

This is a Selenite tower; my mom and I were at my grandma's house helping her pack to come stay with us for a few weeks, and I happened across this sitting on a shelf. My grandma knows how much I love crystals, so she let me keep it. I'd thought about buying one while at Fairy Fest - I'm glad now that I didn't!

Later that same day, we stopped at a McDonald's for lunch. I took a few minutes after eating to poke around in the garden beds, as they had stones instead of mulch, and I found this shell fossil. The photo came out a little blurry, but it's really well-defined.

I'm hoping this school year goes better than the summer did. I'm also still trying to get information on my new crystals together to share, so we'll see how that goes.

January 16th, 2016

So a funny thing happened last night. My mom and I had some friends over for a little party, and during our grab bag game, my mom ended up opening a bag to find an exact duplicate of the incense box I gave as a gift at SIPA's Yule ritual. I ended up "stealing" the box from her (trading her a picture frame I'd unwrapped), and now I don't have to debate with myself over whether it's worth buying myself one!

The universe provides, indeed. I just think it's such a cute little gift set, with very pretty colors. I'm not sure when exactly I'll be able to burn any of it, but maybe over the summer I can try using a bit outside or something.

SIPA Yule 2015

Some pictures from the ritual yesterday! It was held indoors at Gaia House, although at a balmy 65⁰, we could pretty easily have had it outside. 

Table decorations for the post-ritual potluck.

Holly leaves inscribed with some Japanese phrases denoting what I want to grow in the coming year. (Other people used runes, but Japanese felt more applicable to my practice.) They say, よろこび (joy) 愛 (love), and 平和 (peace). The one saying joy I wrote in yellow, hence the fact that it doesn't show up in the picture. 

One of the members brought her pet Tegu, named Walter! I got to hold him - he's a real snuggle bug.

Getting ready for the gift exchange.

A Yule Carol booklet, with lots of the rewritten classics.

My gift from the gift exchange - three colored glass jars!

They look so pretty on my altar!

SIPA Samhain 2015

Wow. I cannot even begin to describe tonight's Samhain ritual. It was just so cathartic on so many different levels.

The evening started off sharing an organic pomegranate with some new friends.

The site looks so different from how it did at Mabon, with all the leaves changing colors and falling.

We hung a pair of tarps across the front of the shelter to provide some privacy from passing traffic.

There was a potluck dinner, to which someone brought these adorable zombie cupcakes. The meat cleavers were candies.

Jack-o-Lanterns

A better picture of my Harry Potter pumpkin

Sacred fire

More pumpkins

Wolf pumpkin; we actually heard a pack of coyotes barking and howling during the ritual!

Group ancestor altar

(Blurry) image of my part of the ancestor altar.

I was also gifted with an absolutely gorgeous Quartz point, which I will cherish. 

I won't get into the details too much here, because it was an extremely personal ritual, but it was something special, that's for sure.

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!  

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.

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.

June 12th, 2015

I've started reading my new book on Celtic mythology (and actually, I also picked up a new text on Native American legends at Goodwill today, as if I didn't already have an enormous waiting list), but I thought in the meantime I might talk about a book which is more personal.

Title: Greek Myths
Author and Illustrator: Marcia Williams

This large paperback was a gift from my Aunt C when I was very young. It tells eight of the Greek legends: Pandora's Box, Arion and the Dolphins, Orpheus and Eurydice, The Twelve Tasks of Heracles, Daedalus and Icarus, Perseus and the Gorgon's Head, Theseus and the Minotaur, and Arachne vs. Athena.

Each story is neatly summarized in easy-to-read text with full-color comic illustrations. Williams does not shy away from the graphic nature of a lot of these myths, and presents them in a way which avoids being unnecessarily gory but does not water them down for young readers. Also, the comics are very sarcastic, which adds another level of delight to the pages. Even labeled "Age 5 and up", I found myself chuckling at a lot of the drawings as I was rereading it.

I've had this book literally for years. I'm not entirely sure when I was given it, but I probably wasn't older than three or so. The corners are dog eared, and for some time it was up in my brothers' room for my siblings to read, but a while back I went searching for it to return to my collection.

Aside from being a great book (if any of you have kids or siblings you'd like to expose early to mythology, this is a good starting point), it holds a very sentimental place in my heart, knowing that even back then, my Aunt was there to support and encourage my interests. One of my early memories is of sitting on our rough apartment carpet with the bright pages spread out before me, the book almost bigger than I was at the time.

I will be writing more reviews here soon, though I'm not quite certain when. We have a very busy weekend coming up, and then I'll be camping for a week without internet access. In the meantime, here's a little last food for thought.

THIS CANDLEWICK BOOK BELONGS TO:
{Name}
Because you're never too young
to start learning your myths
Love, Aunt C

June 4th, 2015

It's been a quiet day of crafting for me. I made a birthday gift for my mom, and then decided I could finish up an older project (by "older", I mean "abandoned for two or three years"). I made three of these little knitted bunnies ages ago and started on the green one, but then lost motivation halfway through. Later it occurred to me that the colors I had picked at random were actually elemental colors. 

I went ahead and finished the green one today, and now I have them situated around my room according to their corresponding direction.

Green, of course, is earth and North, yellow is air and East, red is fire and South, and blue is water and West. 

If anyone else is interested in making their own elemental bunnies (they also make great herb satchets, cat toys, etc.), the pattern is available for free download here.

April 7th, 2015

My afternoon class got cancelled, so I decided to use the time to get caught up on a few things. One of those things includes finally getting around to researching the properties of Chrysanthemum Stone. I received my piece of it as a gift from my grandma several years ago, and neither of us knew what it was. Then I got Judy Hall's The Crystal Bible, and came across an entry about it. Now, an eternity later, I finally got my information on it consolidated.

Chrysanthemum Stone

Physical Characteristics: These stones are most commonly black with white inclusions, although the matrix surrounding the "chrysanthemum" may also be dark brown or red.

In Nature: Sources on both the composition and formation of Chrysanthemum Stones differ in explanation. The matrix can appear as a mineral called Xenotime, limestone, or clay, while the interior may be Zircon, Celestite, Calcite, Andalusite, or etcetera.

Chemical Composition: Various

Mohs Scale Hardness: 3 - 4.5 (low)

Can be Found: Japan, China, Canada, USA

Healing Properties*: In matters of health, use Chrysanthemum Stone to ease problems with the skeletal system, nails, and eyesight. It can also help to dispel abnormal growths. Those who struggle with depression or anxiety may find that this crystal eases some of the symptoms. 

Magickal Properties: The name comes from the Japanese 菊石, or "kiku-ishi", which literally translates as "Chrysanthemum Stone". The crystal's black and white nature lend it associations with harmony and balance. It brings joy and enthusiasm to one's life, and makes a great gift for one starting out on a new path. Heightening one's energy vibration, these stones can cause more meaningful synchronicities to occur around their bearer. As such, they can bring prosperity and general good fortune. They may also be used in the same vein to encourage manifestation. It has been said that the floral nature of the crystal inclusions can help those struggling with self-esteem issues to open up and "bloom". Use this stone for reflective meditation when one needs to open pathways to happiness and contentment. This can also have a grounding effect.  

Chakra Association: Seventh (Crown) chakra

Element: Water

Energy: Projective

Planetary Association: Neptune

*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!

March 16th, 2015

I realized that I have never posted pictures of all of my dreamcatchers, so I thought I might do that today, and also explain some of their history. In order, from newest to oldest, these are mine:

Made by my friend Destiny, she gave me this as an early birthday gift just last Friday.

A gift from my grandma, I received this one perhaps a year or two ago. She wasn't sure I would want it, so take from that what you will about her understanding of my interests.

If you dig way back through my posts on this blog, you will see that I went to Niagara Falls a few years ago. There was a Native American woman there selling traditional, handmade dreamcatchers, and I was more than happy to purchase one.

A Yule gift from my Aunt C, I've had this one for probably four or five years now.

My oldest dreamcatcher, I purchased this one while on a sixth grade field trip to Springfield. As I recall, I got it in a gift shop located in a reproduction of Abraham Lincoln's home town.

~~~~~

Dreamcatchers were originally created by the Ojibwe-speaking people of the North American Great Lakes region, primarily in Canada, but extending south into the American states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and etcetera. The Ojibwe words for dreamcatcher include asabikeshiinh, the inanimate form of the word "spider", and bawaajige nagwaagan, meaning "dream snare".

In the 1960s and 1970s, during the beginning of the Pan-Indian (later the Pan-Aboriginal) Movement, Native Americans sought to unite their efforts for the protection of the rights of native peoples in the United States, and the dreamcatcher became a symbol of the First Nations. Some Native Americans, however, do see dreamcatcher as being over-commercialized, or even culturally appropriative, and it is important to bear that in mind.

According to Ojibwe legend, Asibikaashi, or Spider Woman, cared for the children of the native people. As the Ojibwe people spread across North America, it became harder for Asibikaashi to look after all of the children, so the mothers and grandmothers made magical webs for the children by tying sinew cord around willow hoops. The dreamcatchers filtered out bad thoughts, only letting good ones enter the mind during sleep.

The willow frames were traditionally either round or teardrop shaped, and the string tied in a fashion similar to snowshoe webbing. They could then be decorated with feathers and beads.

~~~~~

I am not Native American, and the brief history presented above was researched entirely on the web. It is not my place to comment on the trend of non-Natives using dreamcatchers, but I think it is important to remember that they are special objects and deserve to be treated as such. If you want to buy one, support actual Native Americans and purchase from them rather than getting cheap knock-offs, if at all possible.

January 31st, 2014

WHOOPS. I just found out today, after being informed by my few friends who stalk this blog, that I haven't actually posted anything in 2014 yet. I guess I just had some posts planned out and they never made it up. Sorry about that! In remedy of this sad fact, here's an update on those metaphysical moments that continue to be interspersed with the mundane reality of school, rehearsal, and work.

The holidays are a particularly exciting time of year, but the next few months thereafter still retain some of the gift-giving spirit as we get together with those we could not meet with at Yule. My high school's production of Arthur Miller's The Crucible ran Wednesday through Saturday of last week, and my dear Aunt C and her girlfriend came to see the show. We exchanged gifts with them at the same time, and I received a very fancy new camera (now maybe I can post pictures for all of you that aren't terrible) and a handmade "elf coat". She took pieces of old sweaters and created a somewhat Tim Burton-esque button-down piece. The hood is really long, almost down to the floor - that's it wrapped around my neck like a scarf.

My Aunt also made my mom one (pictured right). It's incredibly cool-looking, super warm, and I think it would make a great dress-coat for wearing in ritual on days where I just don't have the motivation to dig formal robes out of my closet.
Also after the holidays, I found myself left with a ridiculous number of Barnes and Noble giftcards, with which I bought almost a dozen new books. Most of these were fantasy (Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Jim Butcher, etc.), but I also made a purchase of Scott Cunningham's brilliant Crystal, Gem, and Metal Magic, which I consider to be a very comprehensive manual on the subject of working magic with minerals, as well as his Wicca: a Guide for the Solitary Practitioner which is just such a staple title for we Pagans that it seemed a crime I'd never had the opportunity to read it.

December 25th, 2013

Merry Christmas to all those of the Christian faith, most of my family included. I got a lot of wonderful presents from my parents and Santa, but there were a few in particular I wanted to share...

I received Llewellyn's 2014 Faerie calendar, with illustrations by Linda Ravenscroft, and The Crystal Bible, by Judy Hall. The former included this great picture:

The label read "Titania and Puck". After playing Puck in our school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream this year, I was especially appreciative thereof.

I spent most of my day reading my new book and marking the stones I already own with sticky notes. It gives a little bit of physiological information about the individual crystals, but most of the entries are delegated to explaining the metaphysical properties they have, and how they can be used in healing. The book also has an index with lots of great information, including zodiac associations, divinatory meanings, and more. Each stone is illustrated in full color.
Other than the obvious reason of "now I have a Pagan resource regarding minerals", I'm incredibly pleased with my gift because it enabled me to identify a very unusual stone of mine.
I was given one of these by my grandma earlier this year:

Neither of us had any idea what it was. Then, reading through the appropriately named Bible today, I learned that it is what is called a Chrysanthemum Stone. Look it up! Or don't - now that I know what it is, I can do a proper post about its properties in the near future. I also decided to try one of the crystal layouts recommended in the back of the book. It was a chakra layout, and a reasonably simple one at that.
I took a lie down on the floor - my bed is really too soft for this sort of work - but a firm mattress or mat would work just as well. The book said to lay a brown stone in front of the feet, a red one at the base of the spine, an orange stone below the navel, a yellow one on the diaphragm, a pink one on the chest, a blue one on the throat (don't move around too much or it'll slide off), and an indigo one on the forehead. Then place a violet stone above where your head is laying, and a white or clear stone above that. I chose to use Andalusite, Red Jasper, Carnelian, Citrine, Rose Quartz, Turquoise, Lapis Lazuli, Lepidolite, and Clear Quartz, respectively. Then I put in my headphones and played some quiet New Age music while I meditated for about 20 minutes. It was ridiculously relaxing and insightful, and it seemed to clear up both my headache and the back pain I usually get from lying on the floor. I'm definitely going to have to get into the habit of working with my stones more frequently!
And then, finally, I figured out why I've been feeling somewhat off-balance all month. After Thanksgiving, I moved my mini shrine to make space for my Yule tree. Unfortunately, I never thought to change the orientation of the things on the shrine, so that my objects for water were pointed South instead of West, and so on. I about clapped myself on the forehead when I saw that, but it's all fixed now and the energy imbalance is corrected. What a day!