September 15th, 2012

It's a beautiful Saturday! I had set-build for the fall play until noon, but after that I got outside for a while and re-colored the deck for my dad. I also saw that woodchuck again; he's been poking into our gardens recently, eating our plants. Anyone have suggestions for keeping woodchucks out of a garden?

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Mabon, of course, is next Saturday, and to get in the Sabbat mood I'm still looking for interesting activities to do. Here are some that I've come across on the vast expanse of the world-wide-web:

• If you follow a Druidic tradition, consider cutting willow wands at this time.
• Apples can be left on grave sites and/or burial cairns as a token of honor and blessing.
• Take a walk in the forest to gather dried seed pods and other organic materials for decoration.
• If you grew fruits or vegetables over the summer, pick a piece of high-quality produce and return it to the land with prayers of Thanksgiving.
• In a meditation, offer thanks to each direction - North for finances, the home, and health, East for gifts of knowledge, South for a career and hobbies, West for relationships, and Spirit for spiritual insight.
• Plan a feast using the produce of the season - squash, apples, corn, bread, and cider. 
• For a protective charm, string Hazelnuts on a red thread and empower.
• Make a wreath out of grapevine, wrap with gold ribbon to bring in the God's energy, and add any desired herbs and seasonal flowers.
• Visit an apple orchard, pick grapes, or harvest pumpkins.
• Make rattles out of dried gourds.

Don't forget the "mundane" stuff, either - just because a tradition doesn't take place in a circle doesn't mean that it doesn't have its own magick.

• Fix up anything in the house that needs to be mended before winter.
• Take a look at family scrapbooks and pictures, and remember loved ones, both living and passed.
• Fill up your bird-feeder, and put some of that dried corn out for the wildlife.
• Consider what you can do to reduce your ecological footprint. Can you use less water or electricity? Recycle more?

April 23rd, 2012

It is, in today's modern age, sometimes difficult to adhere to concept of nature worship. Of course we recycle, we tend a garden, we try to use nature-friendly cleaning products, and all that is wonderful. However, as a student, I am constantly besieged by commitments to homework, family, friends, and the omnipresent television shows, apps, and Facebook. Today, I realized that it has been ages since I was outside for more than a few minutes, walking to the car or back from the bus stop. Some of this is due to the weather; it is only just now spring, and after the recent rainstorms, it has been cold. However, it is nevertheless a personal duty and joy to be outdoors, something I'd rather forgotten. So, after an initial argument, Nick talked me into biking to a nearby business district, rather overrun with trash that had blown off the garbage truck. We took some bags, headed over, and picked up as much of the junk as we could shove into our bags. And here's the funny thing, the thing daily life has made me forget: being outside feels good. It's good for everything. The sun causes your skin to produce Vitamin D, your brain releases endorphins (a natural mood booster), and the natural world helps strip us of some of the toxins that comes from being inside all the time. The body feels refreshed, revitalized. When I got home from school today, my backpack had made my shoulders ache horribly. Now I hardly notice. I think if we all got outside a little more, people might find themselves to be happier more often. On that note, I'll leave a song for you to consider...