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 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.

March 27th, 2016

I got to do some painting today! After being up past 3:00 this morning finishing up a project (better to be up late on a weekend than during the week, in my opinion), I've been able to spend most of my afternoon just relaxing and working on a piece I've been wanting to do for some time now.

I thought I had posted pictures of a picture frame I painted over the summer in offering to Athena, but I can't seem to find that post now. In any case, I had painted the frame, but at the time, had no picture to put in it. I was planning to draw something the following day, but life got in the way as it has a tendency to do. When I was home for spring break last week, I picked up that frame and brought it back to school so I could finally make something to put in it, and I had the opportunity today.

This is my painting of Lady Athena, and it isn't very big (5x7, I think?), so it only took a few hours, but I really liked how it turned out. It's not easy to tell in this picture, but some of the gold on Her armor is metallic paint. The whole painting is my own design, done in acrylics on chip board.

And here it is in the frame. I didn't consciously intend it, but it rather looks as though the feathers around Athena are floating down from the owl above Her. 

September 25th, 2015

Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither are my architecture models.

I've spent so much time this week working on a model of the Temple to Athena Nike that I pretty much haven't done anything else, but as of this morning, I finished it.

My ARC History professor should be happy with it, and I think the goddess is, too. If I get it back, I'll probably put it on my altar as a place to give offerings. 

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. 

September 8th, 2015

It's been kind of a long day here, but my roommate offered me tea and I've been researching Japanese incense, so I've finally relaxed a bit. I found this site, Shoyeido, through HolisticAlchemy on YouTube, and I have to say, they have some gorgeous incense and incense holders. Also, Japanese incense is pure all the way through; that is, it's not a dipped wooden stick. Because of this, they produce a lot of fragrance with very little smoke. This particular brand ships out of Kyoto, and has been a producer of high-quality Japanese incense for 300 years. I would definitely be happy to order from them in the future!

In other news, I was walking to dinner after work tonight, and I found a big piece of pampas grass lying on the sidewalk. It was exactly the sort of thing which would work with my Mabon altar, so I picked it up. The whole stalk was a bit big to carry into the dining hall, but a piece of the top came off in my hand, so gratefully I took that with me. It's sitting on my altar now, and I'll have to take a picture later, but it was just a really pretty natural offering, and I was glad to stumble upon it. 

September 1st, 2015

It's been an interesting day, and I have some news, but I'm probably going to wait to share that on here until I've got all the details hashed out. I did think that I would share a picture with you all, though.

This is where I ended up putting my dragon statue I bought Saturday, on a shelf over my desk. I've attached some warding to the statue, and put an offering of water in the glass dish. He wanted some crystals set around him, so I put a Black Onyx and two Tektites on the shelf as well.

On either side of the statue, I have two Japanese amulets for academic success; to the left is my green Maneki Neko, and to the right is a little mini shrine-shaped amulet I bought at Meiji Jinja in Tokyo.

I also have two little shells sitting there, although they're hard to see in the photo. One shell is holding water, and the other is holding salt. I don't have a Kamidana at this point in time, although I would like to acquire one. In the meantime, I am using the shells to hold offerings to the Kami.

August 26th, 2015

Okay, I won't be posting this until I get out of class, but this was hysterical, and I just have to share.

Today, as part of my Architecture History class, we went out on a hike around the campus and my professor was explaining the stories behind the styles of some of the buildings. This one draws on some Greek architecture:

The photo is hard to see because it's at a distance, but in the center over the door is a broken pediment, a shield, a shell, and a cornucopic vine of the sort that were hung on sacrificial animals. Such a carving was a repeating motif throughout Hellenic Greek architecture. 

My professor explained this, and then held up a model of the Parthenon of Athens. He had one student hold it, and others play the role of a priest, a sacrificial oxen, and a virgin maiden. He then had them recreate a ritual sacrifice to the goddess Athena Polias, with the "maiden" (portrayed by a good-natured boy) walking up to the temple model throwing rose petals from a basket, while the "priest" mimed slaughtering the "oxen" on a black stone altar. 

I will say again that we were doing this little example of Greek ritual in the middle of campus at 12:30 in the afternoon.

I did collect some of the rose petals after the fact, and I will be putting them on my altar.

August 8th, 2015

What an exciting day! I bought my first laptop this morning, and also restocked on poly pellets for my weighted blanket. I had requested Athena's help in finding the right laptop for the right price, and I was able to get exactly what I needed.

As a thank-you offering, I actually painted this picture frame last night and am adding it to her shrine (temple?) today.

As you can see, I still need to make a picture to go in the frame, but I was very pleased with how it came out. It shows many of Athena's symbols, including olive trees, an owl, a dove, a bowl of gems, Her golden helmet, spear, and Aegis shield, a snake, a spindle, and tiger lilies. I also have quite a bit of Turquoise, which is Her stone, so I plan to put a piece of that on my shrine as well.

August 7th, 2015

After years of a nagging intuition, I was finally galvanized into actively seeking a patron or matron God/dess this past weekend when I found an embroidered Athena drawstring bag at Fairy Fest. I've felt drawn to Her for a long, long time, and finally felt the time was right to reach out to Her, so I bought the bag to give as an introductory offering. Yesterday, I spent several hours researching Hellenic Paganism; while I enjoy practicing as an eclectic, it was important to me that I honor Her in the appropriate manner. I found this website to be an extremely helpful introduction.

I also wanted to give an offering of olive oil and barley, and luckily we had both in the pantry. I set up a small shrine to Her last night. It looks like this:

You can see the oil and barley sitting on the left; I later poured these into the white dish. The back of the altar is adorned with some paintings of mine, as well as several owl images, a few things I've crocheted, and some of my pottery. I put some knitting needles and a crochet hook in one of the pottery pieces. Also present is a tea light, a replica arrowhead, and an award from my high school. 

I wore the flower crown I bought at Fairy Fest, as well as an owl ring, and a red shirt. According to Judika Illes' Encyclopedia of Spirits, red is Her color. 

I had worried that I would not receive a response, but no sooner had I finished introducing myself and giving the offerings than I received an image of Her in my head. She spoke to me for some time, and one of the final things She requested was that I share the knowledge of her power. So - if you are feeling in any way drawn to Athena, then make yourself known to Her! She accepts all honest acts of devotion.

Here's a closer look at the back of the altar:

August 3rd, 2015

It's probably a good thing I took today off work. I was so exhausted from walking around all weekend that I could barely sit up this morning. A shower seemed to take the edge off, though, so that was good. And after taking today for just me, I feel almost completely re-energized.

This morning, I worked more on a weighted blanket project while watching CharmingPixieFlora's YouTube videos. I would recommend them to anyone, but especially to those practicing Wicca or eclectic Paganism. Some of her videos contain more 101-type information, and others delve into greater detail, but even as someone who now considers herself to be pretty experienced in the Craft, I still find it helpful to refresh myself on basic information every now and then, or to listen to a different viewpoint. Besides, she's so bubbly that you can't help but feel happier listening to her talk.

After I got to a solid stopping point, I moved on to researching the crystals I bought this weekend. Expect posts on their properties over the course of the next week or so.

I also finally took some time to reorganize my closet. I consolidated boxes and got everything straightened out, which had the ultimate effect of freeing up a lot of stagnant energy and giving me an extra crate to contain my books when I return to school so that I don't have to disturb the one currently holding up my shrine.

While I was at it, I went ahead and sorted through the things I bought at Fairy Fest.

From left to right, I purchased a piece of Kyanite, a piece of Amethyst Spirit Quartz, a tiny chest with a brass pentacle on top, a little turtle dragon, a Ruby, and a drawstring bag embroidered with the image of Athena and an owl. I also got two little pouches for the Kyanite and the Ruby.

The straw mat the things are sitting on top of is actually a miniature tatami mat that I made in a class while in Japan last summer. I've been trying to figure out what to do with it for ages, and it finally just occurred to me - I can take it with me to school and use it as a tiny altar! I feel like that will be much energetically neater than setting things on the old dressers or desks that the university provides. 

The turtle dragon's name is Frederick. I adopted him from the Dragon Lady at Fest (see more of her work here), and when I told a little girl he didn't have a name yet, she suggested Freddie. He seemed to really like that idea, so I ran with it.

I got the Athena bag not only because it is lovely but also because I think I'd like to start working with her, and it seemed like it could make for a great introductory offering.

I also got this wonderful headdress that my bunny is modelling for me. I love the little horns on it! 

July 22nd, 2015

I had such a productive day today! I found some shell shards while cleaning the other day, so I set them outside with some bread and honey as an offering (and a thank you for keeping me safe from wild drivers yesterday!).

I also got a lot done on my unicorn and fairy cross stitch, and then Destiny came over after dinner. She's going to go to Fairy Fest with me! Whoo hoo!

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.

~~~~~

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.

February 25th, 2015

As a little "thank you" offering, I made a little painting for my altar Monday night. I'd also like to do a bigger one this weekend, if I have the time.

It's obviously a very simple little piece of work, but I feel like it has been well-received. Here's my whole altar at the moment: