June 21st, 2017

Happy Litha, Midsummer, Summer Solstice, and whatever else you might like to call today! I have been very engaged in my summer internship, hence my lack of posts, but I did want to take this opportunity to recognize the shifting from the light to the dark half of the year. My internship has revolved around rebuilding homes which were destroyed last year in a flood, and this week in particular has really represented a culmination of energy as walls and roofs have been raised.

My fellow interns and I drove past a deer this evening, which stood and stared through the car window for several minutes. It did not occur to me at the time that it was the solstice, but in retrospect, it feels like a good omen.

May the summer treat you kindly. May the warm rays of the sun uplift your spirits, even as the days begin their slow descent towards the equinox. Let the fields and all your labors be bountiful, act with love in your heart, and be Merry Met in the season to come.

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.

August 21st, 2016

I've moved back into school, and start classes again tomorrow. While I still have a little time, I've been trying to research some more of my stones for you all.

~~~~~

Sunstone

Physical Characteristics: Sunstone is a type of plagioclase feldspar, and can be colorless, yellow, red, or copper-colored.

In Nature: Goldstone has been sold as imitation Sunstone, due to the fact that Hematite inclusions common in Sunstone can have a similarly glittery effect. This effect is more properly termed Aventurescence, as it is in Aventurine.

Chemical Composition: (Ca, Na)(Al, Si)2Si2O8

Mohs Scale Hardness: 6 (medium)

Can be Found: Southern Norway, Sweden, USA, Siberia

Healing Properties*: Sunstone increases bodily warmth, and improves metabolism and digestion. Use it to relieve Seasonal Affective Disorder and nightmares, as well as chronic sore throat, cramps, and other aches and pains.

Magickal Properties: Sunstone is a crystal of originality, revealing and nurturing one's talents. It is similarly a stone of independence, and can help one to reduce emotional dependence on others. It helps people establish boundaries and learn to say "no". Use Sunstone to remove emotional "hooks" or "cords" from the energy field binding oneself to others.
Sunstone offers energy and vitality, and as such can be of use to those developing an exercise regime, or whose careers are fast-paced and high-energy. In the workplace, Sunstone fosters opportunity and promotion.
This stone alleviates stress and fear, including fear of the dark, small spaces, and other triggers.

Chakra Association: Root (First) Chakra

Element: Fire

Energy: Projective

Planetary Association: Sun

*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!

July 30th, 2016

I'd like to share a cool weather charm I learned to make while in Japan. I used it today, and it worked... well, like a charm!

These little guys are called Teru Teru Bōzu (照る照る坊主), "teru" meaning "shine", and "bōzu" meaning "monk". The ones in the picture above are fairly elaborate, decorative varieties, but the ones I learned to make were quite simple.

You need:

• Two (2) sheets of paper
• I used regular printer paper, but cloth or tissue paper is probably more traditional
• String or a rubber band
• Marker(s)
• Other decorations as desired

Begin by taking one sheet of paper and wadding it into a firm ball. Take the second sheet and pull it tightly over the ball to make a sort of ghost shape, with the ball-containing end becoming the head. Tie a string or rubber band around the charm to hold the ball inside the second sheet of paper. (Ever make ghost lollipops for Halloween/Samhain? It's the same principle.) Then draw on a face or otherwise decorate.

These "shining monks" are weather charms which became popular in the Edo period and are still used today. I was taught to make them by some high school students in a Japanese farm town. The Teru Teru Bōzu are hung up outside under the eaves to keep away rain before big outdoor events like school picnics and etcetera. They can also be hung upside-down to invite rain during a dry spell.

We were supposed to have big thunderstorms all day today, but it was my town's annual summer parade and carnival, and I really didn't want the festivities getting rained out. I set out my Teru Teru Bōzu (pictured below), and while we had some pretty dark clouds go by for a while, we never got rained on, and actually had some sun and blue sky by afternoon!

Apparently, there is a traditional nursery rhyme (warabe uta) which can be sung along with their use. I'll add the translation under the YouTube link.

Lyric Translation:

Teru-teru-bozu, teru bozu
Make tomorrow a sunny day
Like the sky in a dream sometime
If it’s sunny I’ll give you a golden bell.

Teru-teru-bozu, teru bozu
Make tomorrow a sunny day
If you make my wish come true
We’ll drink lots of sweet sake.

Teru-teru-bozu, teru bozu
Do make tomorrow a sunny day
but if it’s cloudy and I find you crying
Then I shall snip your head off.

The Sun Goddess

Today I finally finished reading The Sun Goddess, a book I started at the beginning of the semester. I would just like to say straight off the bat that this was an excellent book, and I would highly recommend it.

I came across the text after watching The Pagan Scholar on YouTube. The fellow who runs the channel, Travis, is an academic who reads and reviews scholarly works on contemporary Paganism. He had reviewed a title called Eclipse of the Sun, a book on sun goddesses, and I was really interested in reading it. However, when I went to order some books with a giftcard, I couldn't remember the title, nor could I find the video he talked about it in (I now know it was "Ouch, My Paradigm"). I ended up looking at other books on sun goddesses instead, and decided that this one looked promising. I ordered it, and am nothing less than pleased with it as a scholarly examination of the sun goddess narrative.

Title: The Sun Goddess: Myth, Legend and History

Author: Sheena McGrath

© 1997

Sheena McGrath is a practicing Pagan now living in California. She has been involved in groups in England and Canada, and has her degree in medieval studies.

McGrath's book opens with a proposition: that modern Pagans (and non-Pagan scholars, for that matter) who automatically associate the goddess with the moon and the god with the sun are looking at mythology too one-dimensionally. She proposes instead that the majority of pre-Christian Indo-European religions worshiped a sun goddess, with a corresponding moon god. She then goes on to prove this thesis with evidence from a plethora of Indo-European cultures, citing language, migration patterns, iconography, and surviving verses and folklore; she makes a compelling argument suggesting that, historically, the Greeks and Romans were really the odd ones out in terms of assigning gender to the luminaries. 

McGrath begins by introducing the reader to the Indo-Europeans, describing how and where they lived, how language patterns (and in particular, gendered language regarding the sun and moon) changed, and why she chose to compare their mythologies. Namely, Indo-Europeans prior to Christianization had a mythological cycle which was identifiably similar across political, cultural, and ethnic boundaries.

She then launches immediately into describing known sun goddesses from across Western Europe, talking about what we know of their worship, the symbols they used, and what remains of their stories. McGrath starts with Sól in Germany, then moves to Sunna in England, and continues with Freya in Scandinavia, St. Lucia in Sweden, and Œstre of the Saxons.

Next, she looks at Eastern Europe, beginning with the Baltic Saule. She talks at length here about the myth cycle, comparing it to trends in other regions, and in particular examining the frequent pattern of a moon god who seduces the sun goddess' daughter, the sun maiden, as well as twin sons of the sky god who are to be the sun maiden's husband(s). McGrath examines some known sun maidens, and includes in her list Auszrine. She also describes the horse and the swans as being significant examples of sun goddess imagery.

The following section traces sun goddesses in Slavic mythology, looking at Solntse, who between Her and Her sun maiden daughter also fulfill a role in the cult of the dead. McGrath further describes Slavic goddesses of the solstices, a mysterious solar goddess frequently depicted on traditional wedding embroidery, and how even in the Catholic church, the Virgin Mary has come to have solar aspects in Russia.

Then McGrath moves to the Celts, pointing out Grian and Graínne, as well as goddesses of hot springs like Sul, and fire goddesses like Brigit. The Celts also worshiped a series of horse goddesses, and McGrath reiterates her position that equine goddesses usually have a solar aspect. These include Áine and Macha. 

She also covers Arinitti and Nikkal of the Hittites, Arevhat of the Armenians, and Mtsekale of the Georgians.

While McGrath does acknowledge that the Greeks do not generally support her proposal (and indeed, notes that part of the reason for the dominance of the moon goddess, sun god narrative is a fierce historical obsession with neo-classicism), she does point out that it's not all so cut-and-dried as Helios or Apollo as the sun god with Selene or Artemis as the lunar goddess. McGrath brings up references to a female Helia, as well as the the strong solar imagery associated with Pasïphae (who mated with the very lunar bull in the story of the labyrinth). Other Greek women associated with the sun include Circe, Medea, the Hesperides, Eos, and even Helen of Troy.

Then the text moves on to India, where the sun god, Surya, has an aspect, Savitar, which is sometimes addressed as female. There is also his horse goddess wife, and a daughter, Suryaa, a sun maiden who marries twins, as in other Indo-European mythologies. Then there is Tantra, a fire goddess, and Ushas, goddess of dawn.

The next few chapters restate much of what has been said already, but categorizes information differently so that if one were looking for a specific piece of information, it would be easier to locate. One chapter discusses the relationship between solar goddesses and mazes, while others discuss the moon, sky, and thunder gods.

The final sections of the book switch from scholarly research to application, a pleasant surprise for me, as I had not expected this book to contain any information on ritual. McGrath provides a very simple ritual structure, and then offers several guided meditations and rituals by which to honor various sun goddesses and moon gods. 

Whew. If that seemed like a long summary, it's because it was. This is not an especially thick book (177 pages, not counting appendices or the bibliography), but it is dense. There is a ton of information here to read through, all of it very completely researched. If I had one criticism of the book, it would be that the organization of chapters felt, at times, a little arbitrary, but that is a small, small complaint. The book is fully cited from other reputable researchers (including references to Eclipse of the Sun, which makes me chuckle), and I learned an incredible amount about goddesses I had never even heard of before. 

Not only that, but this issue of assigning gender to the sun and moon (which in and of itself I feel is a fairly unnecessary practice, but that's a topic for another time) is an important one, because when we as a community get into this practice of automatically pairing the moon with women and the sun with men, we start leaving the door open for stereotyping and misogyny. 

Why? Because it's never really just that we pair women and the moon, is it? We pair women with all of the other metaphysical associations we have with the moon, namely passivity and receptivity. Meanwhile, men get paired exclusively with the active, sending energy of the sun. This type of binary thinking isn't beneficial to anyone of any gender, because no person exhibits one sole type of behavior all the time, and to suggest otherwise is ultimately limiting. 

Therefore, for that and other reasons, I feel that books like this are really critical for breaking the paradigm in contemporary Paganism, and coming to realize that mythology is complex, and that no one single narrative will ever fit every culture, nor should it, and nor should we try to make up or twist facts to suit a limited world view. 

9.5/10, absolutely read through this if you have the chance.

February 27th, 2016

It was a beautiful day today. I spent the morning volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, and it quickly warmed up from 35⁰ to a lovely 60⁰. I'm feeling a really strong push to start delving more deeply into Shinto mythology, as I want to more closely approach Amaterasu Ōmikami, but I also don't know where to start. I may see if I can find any good websites to get a jumping-off point for more reading.

January 20th, 2016

This was meant to be posted yesterday, but funnily enough, I was reading and forgot. Over the holidays, I received gift cards for Barnes and Noble, and I was able to use them to acquire some books I've been wanting to read for a while now. Three of these are applicable to the contents of this blog, and they all just arrived, so I thought I would share, that you too may experience the joy of new books vicariously through me.

Now, I say "new", but I actually bought all of these used. You can get a lot more bang for your buck that way. I started off with D. J. Conway's Moon Magick, which I've seen several very complimentary reviews of on YouTube. I also picked up a second Conway book, Dancing With Dragons, which has been on my "to read" list for years. I saw it ages ago in a bookstore, thought it looked interesting, and have never been able to get a hold of a copy. 

The last book I picked up was The Sun Goddess, by Sheena McGrath. I had seen a review for a solar goddess book which sounded really informative, but when I went back to look it up, I couldn't find the review anywhere, so I'm not positive this is the same text. Still, it sounded like it had a lot of really interesting content.

I will be reading these as I have time over the semester, and will certainly review them when I've finished!

Natural Beauty

I've taken a couple of pictures the last few days of some beautiful things I've seen here at school, and so I thought I would share.

A sunset from Friday night.

A butterfly at Habitat for Humanity yesterday.

A goofy squirrel eating a nut this afternoon.

I've also seen our local groundhog running around a few times, but so far, I haven't been able to get a picture.

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! 

Tangerine Quartz

Tangerine Quartz

Physical Characteristics: Crystal specimens may range from pale to very dark orange, and appear translucent. 

In Nature: Tangerine Quartz forms in the presence of Hematite and water. The Iron in the Hematite oxidizes, covering the crystal in a thin coat of rust.

Chemical Composition: SiO2

Mohs Scale Hardness: 7 (high)

Can be Found: Worldwide, though most mining occurs in Brazil

Healing Properties*: Mentally, the stone boosts self-esteem and brings a sense of empowerment. It may be helpful in recovering from shock or trauma, or can be employed as a more general pick-me-up. Like many orange crystals, it engenders feelings of happiness and positivity.

Magickal Properties: In addition to Quartz's general properties, this stone is especially notable as an emotional healer and for sparking creativity. Use Tangerine Quartz to foster relationships and to release self-deprecating or limiting patterns of thought. It may also be useful as a tool of manifestation, especially when one's desires correspond to one of the stone's other properties (e.g. manifesting a completed project, new relationship, etc.) 

Chakra Association: Second (Sacral) and Third (Solar Plexus)

Element: Fire

Energy: Projective

Planetary Association: Sun

*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!

February 8th, 2015

Way back at the beginning of last semester (I'm going to guess sometime in September?), I was walking across campus when all of a sudden I was struck by an incredibly powerful impulse to just stop and turn. To my delight, I discovered that the tables being set up outside one of the lab buildings, which I had only vaguely noticed out of the corner of my eye, were covered with crystals. As it turned out, the geology club was hosting a rock sale, and I, being the crystal witch that I am, was drawn over there like a moth to a light. I ended up purchasing a chuck of Orange Calcite, about half the size of my palm, for only $3.

Because I am a lazy person, I set it on my dorm room altar but then never did any actual research into its properties. I finally got around to doing that a week ago, but for the aforementioned reason of "I'm lazy" and also because of an obnoxious pile of homework, I never got around to typing up that research. Here it is now, finally.

Orange Calcite

Physical Characteristics: Calcite comes in numerous colors, including white, red, grey, green, blue, yellow, and orange. Its texture tends to be smooth, with a soapy or greasy feeling when rubbed.

In Nature: The Calcite family is a very common group of minerals, and they are found in igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. The mineral is the primary constituent of limestone and marble, and can be used to neutralize acids.

Chemical Composition: CaCO3

Mohs Scale Hardness: 3 (low)

Can be Found: Madagascar, Brazil, India, Germany

Healing Properties*: Because of its joyful, sunny energy, Orange Calcite can help to ease symptoms of depression, anxiety, or seasonal affective disorder. Use it also to strengthen brittle hair or nails, as well as to heal ulcers or diseases of the spleen and kidneys. 

Magickal Properties: Orange Calcite stimulates the Sacral Chakra. Its playful energy lifts the spirits and increases appreciation for the sensuous, be it a piece of music, a soft blanket, or a nice back-rub. The stone helps its bearer to remember that pleasure is pleasure - if you deal with insecurity during sex or other forms of physical intimacy, this mineral can help you to feel more comfortable and confident. It could also be useful to LGBTQAIP+ people who are struggling to come to terms with their sexual or romantic orientations. For those seeking creativity, Orange Calcite could give you the stimulating boost you need. Develop your creativity or break out of artist's block with this stone. If you're feeling low on energy, Orange Calcite can help to return your sense of vitality. 

Chakra Association: Second (Sacral) and Third (Solar Plexus) chakras

Element: Fire

Energy: Projective

Planetary Association: Sun

*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!

February 4th, 2012

A blessed (and belated) Imbolc to everyone! I stayed over at Hazelnut's house last night, and after dancing in circles around her room for about two hours, we did a lovely Imbolc ritual together. We lit seven candles (six white and one red) and read an invocation of the element fire over each to usher in the warmth and life of spring. Then we meditated for a while and enjoyed some delicious spice cake her mom made. Recipe, please? ;)
Today we walked to a half-dozen thrift and antique stores to browse, and found some really neat stuff. One shop had a mini cast iron pot on three legs that Hazelnut thought would have made a perfect cauldron, but it was $18, and a bit more than she wanted to spend on one item. We also found a pair of adorable rabbit candlesticks (Ostara, anyone?), a statue of a stag, and a few dream catchers; I was quite shocked by the number of witchy items that turned up. However, in the end, we got and split a pair of small bottles made of recycled glass, and a pair of tea-light holders. Mine is a sun, and hers is a moon.