On the Genius Loci

In going back to my roots there are a few truths that i feel every craftworker needs to at least approach as their practice evolves; and the foremost of these is the incorporation of the genius loci.

I believe, or rather i know from my own work, that all of nature is sacred and can teach us. In this, no one place is inherently more sacred than another. The presence of the divine can be felt in the entirety of creation even if we fail to notice. It is the ephemeral thread that we call the web of life and also the primal force that gives rise to the power behind the craft.

I say this and i ask that you hold two images in your mind. The first is the heart of any city you choose in all it's concrete splendor. The second is the heart of an ancient forest. Both beautiful in their own ways, both bound by inherent rules, and garner specific emotional reactions when you enter them.  These feelings are felt to varying degrees by everyone, practicing or not, and are our spirit's reaction to varying forms of the genius loci; the spirit of the place.

I do not claim to know various dryads, gnomes, fae, etc. Actually i'm not even saying they exist (thats up to your experiences). What i do know is that just as we have consciousness, so to does nature and there are places where that consciousness can be readily accessed for assistance. These are places as i will describe shortly per my own experience, that you know your in when you've entered on.

Now i will differentiate some vocabulary: Sacred v. Consecrated  v. Powerful

Sacred Space (SS) So I did my duty as it were several years ago now and studied everything i could get my hands on in terms of Wicca, no particular tradition, and one of those things that bothered me was the whole use of the Compass to create "SS." My studies indicated that the circle holds three key purposes, namely:

     I. Create a cleansed and consecrated space to focus you will and energies
     II: Create a spiritual barrier to protect/filter out any neg. spirit or energy from interfering
     III. Create a pocket reality of sorts where you are between this world and the otherworld, there by making accessing and channeling energy, or communing with the divine much easier. (takes a breath)

So first, while i like this explanation its a bit watered down for simplicities sake. As i said, all of nature is sacred, even where we've muddled it royally. So if i need to work in sacred space, my kitchen or the woods are equally sacred, but my kitchen has a stove, and heat in the winter, and a roof... you see where I'm going. Would i go out if i wanted to.. yes and i do but its not necessary for much of the work i do. (See my circle casting section for a more complete explanation.)

Now consecrated space is a bit different. We humans like to delineat jobs for ritual areas (like my kitchen).  a better example of this is a church or cemetery. Nature doesn't function this way, that beautiful glen where you did that ritual an hour ago might just be a dining room for a hungry bobcat, or shelter for a herd of deer. The best we can do is borrow the space from the species that call it home and to do this you should convene with the Genius Loci.

This brings me to the idea of powerful space. Places where the spirit of the land is so strong its palpable. Think about the chill people feel when they talk about hauntings. Or better yet, think of a time when you were out in nature and experienced something so beautiful everything else in your life just stopped for a minute. This sensation of awe is the retain of our etheric bodies sensing the genius loci.

An Experience ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As an undergradate i often found myself studying beneath a particular oak tree on campus largely because of the focus it appeared to instill in me. During renovations is was pruned extensively and that feeling that i had sensed began to recede back into the earth. When it was gone, i moved on and forgot about it for a year. My last year in college was far from stressful and i wasn't on campus much between classes. i had been walking as i had on many occasions to the campus center from the theater and crossed part of the campus i had rarely cut through if at all. nothing outwardly special i thought, but i suddenly got goosebumps and that familiar feeling came over me. It had stopped me dead in my tracks. 

By this point id say about half of you know the feeling I'm talking about. That sensation when your in the thick of ritual within a circle. The other half, well you're probably thinking I'm crazy, but meh. back to the story.

So i look around, getting my bearings and i notice it. There in the middle of the campus is a ring of oak trees and I'm talking naturally occurring from before the school was built. Sure there was a tarred path through part of it at an odd angle but it was there. The energy of the place as palpable as someone standing just a little too close to you.  That was and is a genius loci, and about as close to a Gibbs slap up the backside of my head as i've ever experienced from one.

Working with a Genius Loci - Powerful, Patient, and Conscious ----------------------------------------

Nature spirits are fickle by our standards, remember that they are not bound to physical laws. IF you cut down a forest and build a shopping mall (twitch), the spirit of that forest isn't going to die, it'll be pissed but it will find another way to express itself and try to teach us youngsters a lesson. Think about those tree roots cracking the sidewalks or the picture above, it'll find a way and it certainly has the time to do so.

This being said all that creative energy is an exceptional opportunity for us to augment our craftwork with a spiritual turbo drive of energy and understanding of a spirit that may have existed for as long as the earth itself. But in order to do so requires mutual trust. One cannot go around ordering and commanding spirits of nature to do their bidding. I always cringe when compulsory action comes up in a ritual i find on the net or in a book. I mean really, if you were at a hotel and needed assistance getting from point a to b. Would you call up the concierge and demand they assist you..? Do i need to tell you what will happen..? I know its a broad generalization and that not all backgrounds act this way, but i ask you. would you invite any person, let alone spirit, into your home without... i don't know, have some sort of rapport with them to begin with..?

Connecting with a local spirit takes time needless to say.  baby steps is my advice to a beginner. Find a spot out in nature that speaks to you and is safe for you to be at. Have a picnic (clean up after), meditate, read a book, or simple observe with all your senses. look for signs that the Genius Loci may have noticed you and take a mental note, record your immediate feelings. When you leave, thank the land for its time in a way thats comfortable for you. This is a spirit we're talking about so words aren't necessary its the feeling you leave behind that matters. But promise to return. Time isn't all that important to a land spirit but this is a friendship your building above all else.

The next time you visit, begin the same and spend some time just embracing the green earth. Lie back and feel the sun, feel the earth beneath you. One particular exercise that might be helpful is to place your palm on the trunk of a nearby tree, or the roots if your sitting, and visualize your consciousness as energy mingling with that of the tree and traveling down into the roots, connecting to the rocks and streams, flowers and stones. All the while focusing on your intentions, friendship, understanding. Don't force a conversation this is just saying hi a bit louder. At this point if you haven't already, you've got its attention. But again, our relationship with the green earth is a bit muddy so relax and be honest there are no secrets at this point. After a few minutes (only if nothing happens), politely ask for a more overt indication of awareness. Again be mindful of all your senses.

I would suggest you practice this over several weeks, slowly introducing yourself to the spirit, perhaps bringing a recording of a favorite song, or singing. Talking to it about you day, etc... And when the day comes that you walk into that area and get an immediate sensation, like when you walk into a room and see a friend you haven't seen in ages and they're as glad to see you as you are to see them. Then your ready to talk about borrowing energy for spellwork and/or assistance with a particular problem.

As Always,
Solstice

Going Back to the Basics

So its been two years, and i really don't have much of an excuse. I finished my masters though so props to me. But anyways i though id get back to blogging and resurrect this niche, i also have a slightly newer blog, "thecardreaderscorner.blogspot.com" dedicated to cartomancy and my exploration into HTML coding... lol.

 But to the point. If your like me and spend a considerable number of years studying the craft and all things witchy, you undoubtably have a mishmash of beliefs, a small library (virtual and bookshelf) of related books, and a small handful of BOS's in various degrees of completion; i have about five, and a knack of procrastinating when it comes to organization. lets not mention the "bookmarks" of shadows (copyright me) on firefox... now thats a real mess. given this i decided that now that i have the time to do so i should realistically start to whittle down my beliefs and practice in my current BOS as it still contains my year and a day study of Wicca, which although beautiful in many ways, is just not of me.

Now as i sat there posts out of my book, reference materials at the ready, i realized id bitten off way too much for one sitting. For example lets take a look at herbalism. I happen to love my herb garden and change it up every year. Granted i don't make sachets or dream pillows, but i make all manner of teas, lotions and salves. Now when it comes to recipes I've got a bit jotted down just about everywhere but the basic information... no. you would think that at some point id copy it down and looking back i think i did back in grammar school but do i have it... no. and thats just the beginning. 

My hope is that i can use this blog to record myself as i rebuild my practice and help anyone else in my boat or just beginning to do the same. The goal is a post every few days, id say everyday but.. well, you know. Tomorrow ill be starting off with a large part of my own work while i was on campus; the Genius Loci, as well as the place of ancestral spirits in craftwork. 

-Solstice 

 PS: also, and i realize very few people have perused my little corner of cyberspace, if theres anything in particular you'd like me to discuss in a post, or questions you'd like to ask, please do so. Id be happy to help.

Music Theory - "M"Theory -

This won't be a post about chord construction or the applications of the circle of fifths; it's going to be about how i connect to the world around me and, by that virtue, to magic, to god, and to the great web that encircles us all.

I've always fancied myself a musician. i can play the piano, and sing, and even my latest love, the violin, i play fairly well, but its the reason that im drawn to music that is the topic of discussion here. I believe that in the beginning god, whatever god is, (lets look at the divine here as simple a sentient power in the void) reached out and in doing so sent out a ripple of power, a vibration in the stillness, a sound that would condence and be modled by new sounds, some its own, some its echo, some likewise from the divine. this this would have been the first song, the first chorus, from which the Creation myths of the world are derived. The voice of god manifest as the physical universe. Now, bear with me, in christianity, the christ is considered to be the word of god (who was present in the beginning). note that words are by definition constructs of the will, shaped by power, and directed by sound to become understood.  This is how i believe the divine functions in the physical universe; by way of song.

Thus it stands to reason that each aspect of creation is composed, of at least, one piece of a greater composition, each new aspect coming into existence to subtly or magnanimously alter the tonal quality of the whole. Now you may be wondering how this applies to the topic at hand and its actually quite simple for anyone who's read sheet music. You can call out the beauty, sadness, jubilation, or frenzy of a composition if you have the skill to do so, and likewise i believe that every aspect of creation has a corresponding musical value. By tracing tonal paths along the web of life, and connecting to those aspects which are involved you can draw their influences closer to you. This is simple form of magic, the power of words, of vibration. But it's more than that as well.

I seek out the divine in beauty, which in and of itself is a complicated discussion, but suffice it to say i find music to be beautiful. it is our small, sometimes futile, sometimes exceptional means of magnifying the chorus that surrounds us. Music, you must understand, in connecting to creation, in adding to its beauty, is to me, the most perfect form of prayer ever conceived of. God is above all else a grand architect and composer. we are all instruments in that way being led, and leading off in new directions. Entropy is after all another from of beauty. The harmony of dissonance. none of us can truly know the mind of god, and truly i dont think i would want to. But still, i find it funny, that even now as i type, these worlds which i derive in my mind are turning and becoming real, and even before i post this a new strand of music is calling out. this my creation, to be read and understood, or be tossed aside. either is beautiful, one is preferable. The choice is yours and yet it isnt, because either way your reaction will ripple in the ether as a new note in the grand chorus. In this way i think that god fixed the election. no matter what we do, and this is the dangerous part of my theory, could be considered beautiful by the mind of god. because there is beauty of creation and destruction, and all of it adds to the chorus which ultimately is praise to god. In this way i believe that Anne Rice got it right in Memnoch the Devil  , i cant seem to find the quote but it was something to the effect of, [the universe is being run by madmen..] i really have to find the rest of it. Lestat was explaining his experiences of having traversed between heaven and hell. maybe ill look for it again in the morning; these late nights are not my favorites.

Pleasant Dreams All,
Solstice                 

The Circle: On Constructing Sacred Space

Well, I'm back in Florida and can I find the essay I wrote up for this post...

Anyways, the circle is a basic component of magical systems derived from the western traditions and can be broken down into several layers of corresponding depending on the tradition you are working in. As i see it, the basic circle has three functions; 1. to provide a place within which to focus, raise, and ultimately direct energy back into the universe. 2. as a place of protection, cut off energetically from whatever might cause you harm or interfere while working, and 3. as a place set "between the worlds" where you can commune with the divine. I'll begin next with a break down of its physical construction followed by its psychological underpinnings.

To clarify i should state that i generally don't construct a circle for ritual purposes but on occasion will if i need the extra focus or protection, either way I use the East South West North : Air Fire Water Earth alignments. Begin with physically cleaning the area, a besom is best i think, especially if it was a gift ( i don't believe in having things if you cant use them for a practical purpose), but i use an old orange dry mop and a dust cloth. you want to cleanse the area and stir up any stagnant energy and blockages in the room. Having a window open is always a plus, as well as a door.  Similarly, you can use floral sprays (florida water) to much the same effect. 

With the room ready, gather any tools you need and place them on your working table. 

(disclaimer: this is one of my methods and is not in any way the only way)

Once grounded, the basic circle, often called walking the compass, three or more times deosil (clockwise) around a central fire. the number three because its the number of manifestation being the sum of power, wisdom, and understanding which we will investigate further in a later discussion involving Kabbalah. The central fire relates to the place of the hearth as a seat of protection, energy, and light.  It is the energy of the hearth that we channel initially to construct the shape of the circle and sustain it. 

It's sometimes called walking the compass because you are symbolically creating a miniature of the universe, demarcating the 4 cardinal directions and becoming the axis mundi of a microcosm (insert scan here). In essence you are becoming the world tree Yggdrasil, your roots reaching down to tap the wisdom of your ancestors, your mind reaching out to the heavens and the realms of the divine, and your trunk, your arms reaching out to the four corners of the universe and connecting to the web of creation. In doing this you center your physical and spiritual being in preparation for your working.   

Once grounded and centered, this is then proceeded by a ritual purification of the circle, usually by smudging with sage or using salt water.  Calling quarters, beginning in the east, and inviting the guardians of each quarter to attend aid and watch over your work. And finally by calling upon the divine and consecrating the circle to the task at hand.

As a tradition, the circle is ceremoniously taken apart in reverse to release the energies gathered and ground any excess that may be present. I should not here that ultimately the purpose of ritual is to achieve an altered state of consciousness within which we can tap into the web more effectively. this is also why it is a good practice to do something entirely physical afterwards, usually eating or drinking something to reassert yourself in the physical; otherwise you end up a bit like someone half awake and not really all there. So with that in mind i put emphasis on the "cakes" in what we affectionately call the cakes and ale portion of post ritual celebrations. its like a buffer between working in the physical and spiritual worlds... Think of coffee hour after church.  Even if you don't fall into the shamanistic side of things and remain firmly planted in the psychological underpinnings of ritual, the donut is still a nice way to tell your subconscious its over, time to take a break.   

As Always,

Solstice  

July - The Blessing Moon

Blessed Be to all who wander into my little corner. I may be stereotyping here, just a bit, but it is true. Ultimately i believe that the goal, the charge of all witches is to honour and preserve the balance. this of course means we accept the good and the bad of life. July brings us the Blessing moon, a tranquil companion and a great time for reflection and mediation on the blessings in our lives. For me, my family obviously, my nephew on the way, (although signs point to it being a niece despite the ultrasounds), good health, and more recently thrifting for witchy finds. it may sound funny but i think its one of those things we all do. you'd be surpised just what you can pick up at thrift stores, from tools to full cabinets, bottles of every shape and size, and candles of course. Did a simplified esbat in the pool under the moon  listening to some music. Actually got to see the moon rise and arc across the sky, which was actually a first for me as its not possible from home.

Contemplating a small besom i opted not to buy while i was out... my mom's friend jean actually bought me a bleated birthday present. Its a rustic, sudo-gothic jewelry box straight from one of grimms fairytales. really just a small cabinate with 8, 5x6 drawers. great for stroing little things i come across. not really deep enough for storing bottles, maybe essestial oils, maybe, but i doubt it. all the same i love it and will find a purpose for it when i get it home.

gonna end it here and continue on in the morning with a brief discussion on circles.

all the best,
Solstice 

Beltaine

Granting that most, if not all of you reading this already know about this wonderful festival, i'll be brief. Beltaine, no matter the pronunciation, is a cross quarter day that falls between Imbolc (the Spring Equinox) and Lughnasadh (the summer solstice), and lies directly opposed to Samhain. As such it is a feast day of love and life. It is the rise of summer to greet spring and take the throne as God, embodied in the life giving sun, joins in union with the earth below to grant life.

Workings related include fertility, prosperity, blessings, and purification. This is a time of joy and mirth no matter where you are, which is hard at present, as it's been raining since this morning and through the night. I would have entirely missed it had i not been presented with an over the top and in your face reminder of its power. There is a bush i pass every day on the way home from work, the gym, or the grocery store. I remember it because it blooms incredibly vibrant purple flowers, which it had not yet...  until today.  i had been stopped at the stop sign down the street and was taken aback by it. Up until then i had been straining against the tiresome and depressing atmosphere outside, and the work i still have to do. But then, in that small instant, everything was good. It suddenly hit me that it really was Beltaine and there would be no ifs ands or buts about it. I had no party to get to, or shmancy ritual prepared, but all in all, it was a good day, and that's enough for me to be grateful for.

Solstice

Divisions and New Beginnings

Easter has come and gone and i have to say that it finally feels like spring. the trees finally have that golden green glow that means new life. So far, my garden is lackluster and truth be told, im not sure what im going to do with it just yet. my blueberry bushes are sprouting leaves, as are the blackberries, and the wedding-bells are just over a foot tall. They had been spreading like crazy over the years and earlier, around mid march, i corralled them in with a recycled brick circle ( affectionately called a crop circle by my sister).

But on to Easter. To the ancient greeks, it meant that Prosephone, daughter of Demeter, had once again returned to the world, and to the (pardon the generality) wiccan community the goddess is once again youthful and full of life as the now reborn god is growing into adolescence. The generic myth is actually quite poetic and beautiful. To Christians, this is a time of rejoicing in the Resurrection of Christ after his crucifiction and death. Again, the promise of life.

Now you might be asking where i'm going with this. In the Orthodox Church there is a great emphasis on Mary the Virgin Mother of God, who we call the Theotokos. Always she is referenced as our greatest protector, consoler, and emmisary to God.  She takes the role of the balancer in my mind. There is iconography of herself arms open, the infant Jesus within a circle within her. It is through her that we were given a mortal born but deified creation; and i cant help but wonder if her role would have been different had the church not been patriarchal.

In any event,  ive gone off on a completely different tangent that i had planned... i was actually going to talk about powders and folk beliefs... meh, next time. But anywho, i gues what im working on conceptually is the nature of the holy spirit as a femenin principle. In the way the Trinity, for me, gains some clarity. God as Father, Child, and Spirit, where that spirit gives rise to creation and takes on the role of Mother.

... I'll get back to you
Solstice

Solstice En Absencia

I first wanted to apologize, not that anyone really follows this blog or anything, but it felt like i should just to clear the air. Ive been away from this blog for months now and it actually began because of a login problem between google accounts. Still, i have a hard time imagining it's been this long. what began as an irritation soon lapsed into me considering my path, as i often do, and what it means to me; why i do what i do. It's funny because i have pictures i should post from Samhain.

i remember back in early November, during that odd period just after the 31st. i was reading up on bogs on a different blog site and was putting together a piece for my refference bos. i had been making a lot of head way in my personal one as well and had just purchased a replacement as it was just about full. and then, everything just stopped. i had just bought new candles, cleaned my altar, scraped off the old wax to get ready for the new, and then nothing. i had lost touch with my path; because i realised ive always been following two.

Tradition is a big deal to me, especially family traditions, and that means baking the new years bread, dying the eggs fro the easter breads, easter dinner at one in the morning with my family, church on sundays, festivals, and dancing. and i began to realize i want that same thing for my children one day, that feeling of community that comes from our traditions. we have a lot of folk beliefs too, that get intermingled with magick from the old days, so i had that to look to as well.

its an odd sensation when you wear a cross after wearing a pentagram for so long. i found that the pride, balance, and strength i drew from my star has lessened over the months. ive become quieter, more irate at times too, but i blame that on my lapse in communication with the divine. ive felt lost too, trying to capture the feeling i had, that connectedness, from when i was in third gear. i really want to strike a balance between the two paths so i can be content again, but its not easy, as im sure anyone whose ever tried can reiterate. but im trying, so that has to count for something.

If youve taken the time to read this far, i wanted to thank you for entertaining my ramblings. ive been burnt out, i recognize that now, and i hope that should you ever find yourself in need of guidance, look to the gods, to god, to the divine, or what ever you call it, because when all else fails, They will always listen and speak to you.

As always,
Solstice

Monthly Meanderings and Spiritual Crossroads

So here I sit in my parents house down in Florida, i packed light this time b/c i knew i wouldnt be down long. i grabbed by book and a deck of cards and left everything else up north. its been odd and i hadnt realized just how much i had gotten used to having ritual space. my altar is my ground, the place where i focus my thoughts and meditate on what i believe and what i want to do... without it ive been a bit sluggish. id like to blame my lack of exposition here and in my Book on that but its deeper and more concerting. i believe that everything i write within it must be a heartfelt reflection of my path and to be fair its still too wonky to nail into a concrete form. Am i pagan, yes. Am i a witch, yes. Do i have a ridiculously complicated view of the divine, maybe. but thats not it.

My problem stems from an online class i took on wicca and the books ive read over the years on witchcraft. my own practice is one of give and take based on what ive found to be expressive in nature, a craft based on my own experiences with the divine and magick. ive tried to expand on it over the years but every where i read it was the same. i even told my friend while in the shoppes of salem so. after a certain point you can open any book on modern witchcraft and wicca especially and their all the same. wicca especially seems watered down for the masses. and when i try to apply what i learn it amounts to very little if anything in my personal book.

Is it wrong of me to want some meat and potatoes with my craft? I certainly dont think so, and i entail no offence to my readers  when i say they'res something off with modern magick. while i believe there is a certain amount of personal will needed, intention only goes so far. magick is about communication with the divine and the forces of creation. building a bridge of communication, a working vocabulary with the universe.

Im looking for meaning, a deeper meaning than ive found in my books or at the bookstores. its about the experience and until i can resonate with a set of practices my book will remain a series of ethics, tables, ritual work, and prayers. i hold it in my hands and feel proud of my accomplishments, of everything ive written and made, but it also feels shallow because im on such shaky grounds with my practice.    

Mercurys Gone Retrograde...?

If nothing else i found it humorous that i can say this, and it's a convenient cop out for my post Lughnasadh frustrations. But before i get to that some pictures!!

 Harvested in the morning for a kitchen charm to promote health and love, the ritual itself was short but meaningful to me and  the bundle is tied with nine knots in a red thread that i've kept in the drawer since Imbolc.

 Yay, fixed the time stamp!!! this is my seasonal alter that blends in with the mantle, stay tuned for updates.

My personal alter from yesterday, it kind of clamshells into a semicircle for the actual working space. my smaller bos is the book standing up  and is where i keep my everyday musings, journals, and ritual notes. My big bos in any incarnation is usually only out like this on the sabbats, otherwise id have nowhere to function... >.<

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So back to my story. ive felt awful most of the day,  tired and more than a bit lazy, which i blame mostly on being a little overzealous during yesterdays ritual and not properly grounding afterwards. im such a noob sometimes, but eh it happens to all of us once and a while. that besides everything else my minds been a maelstrom of activity and frustration  at naming God.

Blame my christian upbringing but  i have some qualms about putting a name to God in general as i hang my hat with some Wiccans in that i view all god/goddessess as emanations of God/Goddess, and that they inturn are polarities of the One. In my head it all makes perfect sense but throw some names into the batter and it all goes down hill.

For me I first understood "god" like the depiction from the tv series Joan of Arcadia. a being beyond our comprehension capable of being everywhere and nowhere, wear any face and voice it chooses, beyond gender and yet gendered. so i fit well with the monotheistic take on wicca, but deep inside i wanted more.

im a very visual person, so ill site Harry P. Book 1 and the Mirror of Erised. i wanted that feeling of the gods, divine parents and cocreaters standing at my sides ready for counsel. i wanted them to be sentient and individual beings. but even then when i work with them together one always seems hollow, as though the divinity rests in one and then the other. its a bit of a conundrum for me.

but then i think, well... they're emanations arn't they? so are we in a way, just further removed from the true nature of "god" and we are sentient individuals. so it works, but the more i try to personify the deity the more wrong it feels, because to me they are much more than us. It gives me a headache sometimes that im technically a mono, duo, pan, and polytheist all at the same time...

with the exception of two goddesses that im perpetually drawn to despite my nature. Hecate and the Morrigan. of all the stories i know these two are the only ones to ever elicit feeling from me. Being greek ive know about hecate for years and my own gifts engender admiration and reverence for her and she sometimes feels so real that i dare not ask for her assistance. the morrigan is an odd one or me. Crows are a fact of life for me ever since i was little, they follow me everywhere, so much so that ive even gotten good a mimicking their calls. but quite frankly the morrigan scares me royally and despite that  i cant stop but be drawn to her.
\

Long story short ive taken a few steps back and realised i have some growing to do. with few exceptions im uneasy about locking the Gods into named people. ill just have to find another way to embrace them.

Lughnasadh - Lammas

The harvest time has come again, raise your glasses high. The day has come, the horn it sounds, Lughnasadh is nigh. Gather round the fires bright and dance and sing with mirth. Gather round with family true and bake the breads of rye. The sun is strong and hot and bright though the year is waning on, rejoice in skill and talents true, for this is the festival shining bright; this is the day of Lugh.

So for many of us Lughnasadh started at sundown today and continues into tomorrow until sunset, but the time of the celebration is not what i find to be important, rather that we celebrate in the truest form that our hearts are capable. For me, as the grandson of a candlemaker i enjoyed a ritual I've neglected for too long. my grandfather left me with a glass candle that I re-pour annually as my representative on my altar. its one of my dearest possessions.

 I'll be trimming the wick during the ritual ive planned to rededicate the candle's purpose and again i apologizes for the date tag. while the wax was setting i was getting nostalgic and decided to break out the old salt dough recipe for a new alter tile. 

I was a little impatient, and as I'm sure anyone who's worked with this stuff can tell, it takes a long time to set up. it was already late and hot in the house so i really ddnt want to use the oven. so i chanced using the microwave. It actually worked pretty well, but i had to stop because the center was starting to bubble. It wont be ready for painting tomorrow but i doubt the Gods will hold it against me. i was debating whether or not to carve or paint it after, might do both, but ill blog about it after.

So until the morrow blessed be. ill post pics of my own and my household altars tomorrow.

My Ongoing Adventures in Book Binding and BOS Compilation

So heres an update on my current Book, or BOS. Ive been sewing books since i was little and recently due to a need for a more flexable record book, have delved into post binding. it taken 4 attempts to reach my latest and im quite proud of it.

 pardon the date, i never remember to set my camera so its a given for most of my pics, though saying this ill just go and set it now so i wont forget.

 Here's my baby, leather bound and all new... you've got no idea how much i prayed while assembling this. i used a spray adhesive that gave me no wiggle room so once on that was it. luckily the post holders were spaced almost perfectly. 

 the spine was tricky in that i never quite got the glue to set right but i still like the way it turned out. i ended us doubling the thickness of the spine to give it more weight and holding it is very gratifying. its light, without the pages and even then much lighter than the wood case i was preparing to cut.

 Here open, the pages fall over the post holders and i realized while making the last prototype that they can be cut back to improve the paper fall. oddly enough for anyone who loves books like me, each time the book opens the spine gives a nice creak that i find marvelous. and while the posts are visable for the time being, once at capacity they should be unnoticeable.

Here standing, you can get a sense of the spine hinge and depth. its been a fun and daunting project but im happy with it. i havent added marking ribbons yet but will do so when i find the right ones. its far from being full though and about half of it is typed for space and legibility's sake. the rest is scribbled and scrawled and illustrated as best i can. ill be posting some of my manuscript pages here as soon as i get a proper scanner.

 Till next time, Goddess Bless.

A Day in Downtown Salem

Hey guys, well, anyone actually reading these.. >.< Anyways, after many years and some finagling i got to spend the day in Salem, Ma. with one of my closest friends. She lives there and made it a point to give me a grand tour since the last time i saw the sites was about 15 or so years prior. Didn't go to the museum but the shops more than made up for it. We grabbed lunch at a Thai place, Bangkok Paradise, excellent Pad Thai, and it doubles as a club at night... i grabbed a flier. After that we hit the shops and i can tell you it took almost all my self control not to just buy everything in sight and i had a goal to maintain. store to store i was mesmerized by the music and the sights, the curios and the candles, some things i had only seen on the Internet, Dryad Design plaques for example. And chime candles, no where else have i seen so many, usually they're ridiculously hard to find.

Of note was the bookstore we stopped in. She warned me before going in, knowing how much i love books and i couldnt believe my eyes. Picture it, columns of books stacked and piled high from floor to ceiling with little hallways where they left voids. it was like a hoarders paradise of books. just be careful how you pull them out or a book-a-lanch will ensue. i ended up grabbing one, "Celebrate the Earth" from Laurie Cabot. I thought that with Lughnasadh around the corner some light reading would inspire me. As to Cabot, i paid a visit to her shop while in Salem. Understandable i know there is some dissension about her but without meeting the woman i can only go by her creation. The shop is quiet and actually quite beautiful though the particular incense burning was a bit much for my lungs. I left a bit dizzy but really no worse for the wear.

We stopped at a goth boutique too, trying on all manner of hats and victorian coats. I personally loved one that reminded me of Lestat from the Vampire Chronicles and Sam then got me into a tail coat. ahh, if i only had an extra 500 bucks. But anyways, after much speculation i did buy a fedora, the only one that ive ever found that didnt give me the diamondy pilgrim look. So that brings me to my shopping conclusion, the reason i saved my money to begin with. i planned to buy a proper cauldron. id been using a ceramic vase that was roughly the same shape and size. good for scrying and seasonal fruit but not for much else. so i bought it in a leather shop if that doesnt beat all. its a harry potjin 6" x 6" potbell and i got it for 23 dollars without a lid. The seller had pre-seasoned it with olive oil which meant little to me at the time. considering how i intend to use it i doubt there will be much cooking being done, though i would love to learn how to use it like that it will most likely serve the same as my old pot except that now i can use it as a seasonal fire pot and to burn paper during ritual.

Thats really all there is for now, for take care all, and if you get a chance, go to Salem, if nothing else its a lot of fun! 
     

Where Movie Meets Magick

So I managed to see the premiere of you know what this morning, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows II and was fairly impressed and sad at the same time. Showed up last night around 8 with my friends and ramembered to bring my graduation robe and a spare wand. I've never been to a cosplay scene so it was doubly awesome. So many people dressed up and where there werent costumes there were wands, so many wands. Gods I wish my college had a hogwarts day or at the very least a Renaissance fair once a year. But anyways, an era has come to a close and Voldemort is, at last, dead dead. So many moments worth recapitulating but i wont here, not going to spoil it for anyone unfamiliar with the books. The kicker of this is, of course, the full moon, which was technically this morning on my ride back home from Peabody Ma. I have my usual ritual later on but i wanted to talk briefly about my thoughts while i was walking earlier.

When i was small i desperately wanted HP to be real just so i could go to hogwarts, and im sure there are a lot of others who felt the same. we grew up with him in the books and then again through the movies. it's a portrayal of magick that is and yet is not true, lucid dreaming and astral travel aside. we do conjure and bring about change, but our physical world works on subtlety.  we draw influences on the web and cascade that into larger outcomes. looking at the world of Rowling i can safely say that while i would love to be able to physically do what harry and the gang do, im also satisfied with what i have and would ask you to think on that for yourselves.

Thoughts as the New Moon Approaches - May 26 2011

He nourishes the land below and She teaches those who listen to their hearts. He is the Father of all that is; guard and protector of all that yet may be. She is the Mother of Creation; Queen of Heaven and resplendent beacon in the night. Together, They twist and turn in an ancient dance, a circle that has no beginning and no end for in truth they are One. Feel them in the all embracing sun and in the gentle light of the silver moon. And lastly, walk with respect upon the earth beneath you, for it is sacred beyond measure.

At the Doctors Office

So Turns out that after many years of just not really seeing a need, i went for a physical. I figured with Grad school looming and blood work needing to be done anyways, why not? So i walk in and procedure as usual. there i am waiting on the table for the doctor in nothing but my shorts, forgetting that i had my bico pentagram on. like i said earlier im not really all the way out of the broom closet, and it tends to pass under the radar. Most people i know think its just a necklace. It's amazing what people see, or dont see rather when theres no circle as in a true pentacle. So anyways, she walks in and spots it right away ( not like i was wearing much else mind you) and starts going on, giddy with excitement.. "is that like a wiccan thing? are you wiccan.. i mean your religion? Are you a witch!" I'll admit i was taken aback, noone at least to my knowledge had picked up on it like that and i was suddenly unsure of how to answer. I returned that, no i wasn't wiccan.. i dont hold the threefold law as i believe there is no scale on which to judge actions. i simply believe that what we send out returns. the Law of karma.

well, she was caught up in it and went on about how she found a marble pentacle under her carpets and how she brought in a rabbi to check it out. How he explained that it was a protective symbol, which i confirmed and i ended up explaining about invoking and banishing pentagrams... so while i didnt admit it, she knwos im a witch now, which is strange to me since i barely know her.

But anyways, i wanted to post this experience because while i have a deep affection for the label witch, i also, as i realized this afternoon, harbor a fear that i had though i overcame years ago. Witch means different things to different people and i know my family views it in a negative light. I have plans to sit down and talk with them on Samhain but i find myself feeling more trepidation than i expected i would.

I guess this was a needed visit to the doctors' physically and emotionally.

Take care and good night all, Blessed Be. 

Tomatoes and the Half-Lit Moon

So, my garden is doing well considering when i got to plant, late for me, but anyways, we ate our first tomatoes today and they were deliciously sweet. They were cherry tomatoes and i cant way for the full size ones to start turning... yum. our peppers are doing well too, but the show stoppers are the berries. Both of our blackberry and blueberry bushes are overflowing with berries. they've never put out this much before and my mom in particular is very excited. The herb garden is not doing well sadly but there will be a good harvest come fall for basil, sage, and lemon balm. our ferns are ridiculous this year, but it looks like the rest of the herbs just aren't growing all that well this year. So it looks like it'll be the shops this winter for supplies. Come to think of it, the cucumbers and eggplant are fairing about the same... I cant complain though, i just love seeing when seeds turn into plants and the return is so much more than i really ever need.

As to the moon. I came across an interesting bit on on the half lit moons. when the moon is equally half dark and light the time is ripe for magick to shift the outcome of a situation thats 50/50 to that of your favor. the waxing half to draw a victory, winning the prize,  and the waning half when you don"t want to (ie, when the prize is jury duty).

Thats all for now, I'll dust off my camera tomorrow!!

A Moment in the Sand - A Meditation

So we spent an impromptu day at the beach yesterday. Went up to Salisbury for Tripoli's pizza and ended up walking the beach and soaking in some good old vitamin D. I'm no sun worshiper, if you'll pardon the pun, but i do love the feeling of the sun on my skin, the coolness of the water as it suddenly goes from lapping at your ankles to almost knocking you over. the smell too, there's nothing quite like the smell of the ocean. we even caught sight of a baby seal basking on the sand. Did I mention sand, there's nothing quite like the sensation of hot sand between your toes as you walk. It was amazingly fun, we don't get to go up there as often as we'd like. We ended up driving up the coast to Hampton, and then to Rye Beach. i collected my fair share of shell and rocks, no sea glass though. Finished the day with ice cream from Lago's, my sister loved missing out on that one (work).

Only mildly singed around the edges, I've never been able to tan despite my Mediterranean heritage. Fun fact, poolside 100 degree heat and full sun and i don't burn, here at the beach i don't burn, but working outside my house for ten one day i fry, go figure.

The day finished with thunderstorms, i had to restake my tomatoes this morning from the wind, but i want to offer you something of my day at the beach.

Imagine for a moment that you've just arrived at the beach. You park and open the door, the heat of the day washes over you as the scent of the ocean fills your heart with childhood laughter. You hop out and pull off your shirt, the sun kissing your skin sends a shiver down to the base of your spine. Kicking off your sandels your feet meet the rough pavement and you being your walk. the smell of beach food and sunscreen abound as you walk down the sidewalk to a set of stairs. But the pavement is hot and your feet relax as you step down into the soothing sand, conforming to your every step. You continue walking down the beach, the sand getting hotter then cooler as you reach the wet sand left from the mornings tide.

You reach the water, and look out to the endless horizon. stand here for a moment and listen to the ancient call of the water. this is the same water your ancestors sailed on, the same air they breathed and the same sun at their backs. All things are drawn to the ocean, the cradle of life. close your eyes and hear the gulls, feel the tingle of the sun, and the push and pull of the sea, soft and gentle yet powerful and vast all the same.

Open your eyes and begin walking the shoreline. the day is getting hotter, and you can feel the sweat beading on your shoulders and glistening on your arms, the water is cold at your ankles. a drop of sweat glides down the small of your back as a warm summer breeze greets you, the sweat making it all the more present. Turn towards the sun and feel the sand between your toes. Take a deep breadth and exhale, feeling the pricking kiss of the sun as it melts into your being. Embrace this heat, this warmth. it is a part of you, just as the sea air is a part of you. A primal urge within and a joy that is a gift of the father's love and light. Remain here for as long as you wish before returning the way you came.         

Changing the Water Meter

It all began with a water bill that came to $540.00, when we were in Florida and my dad was watching the house. outrages and curious we investigated to no avail until the consensus was reached that the water company had be underestimating our bill and decided to lay catch up for who knows how long. Given this we decided to fix the problem. You see, our meter is in our basement and looks like something from WWII, pipes and gauges abound and it looks more like something from a submarine than a water meter. they're downstairs now slicing and dicing to replace it with a new model that scans from outside. I kind of feel bad for our water guy, he's been reading the meter in the basement for us since '89.

It's 11:26 but for some reason the time stamp is way off today??

Sticking Your Neck Out

I think that it's fair to say being a closeted witch has its perks. Granted, the majority of my friends know, or at least, assume i practice the craft, but as far as my family and the government are concerned, they're none the wiser. To be fair i'm waiting for the day my mother asks, because i know it'll be her who pieces the puzzle together. It's not like I hide it, my altar is is plane site every time you walk into my bedroom and its been that way since i was small. planning beds for rosemary, lemon balm, and foxglove, and calendula went without incident, although i do admit some pride in then spouting what they're used for. Discussing the pagan origin of holidays as well goes unnoticed. Ive always had an open policy. if it comes up, or they ask, I'' be more than glad to explain, but this ridiculousnesses is getting too far.    

I enjoy the liberties of being closeted at home, but I'm also immensely proud of my beliefs and I'm tired of feeling like a criminal in my own house... thats right my house, and I'm not talking metaphorically. It was left in trust to my sister and I, and since she has a house of her own, it fell to me. There's just something irritating and frustrating about hiding your path in life for fear that it's some deep dark secret, when it isn't and you know it.