Merry Christmas!

Enjoy the holiday with your family and friends and I will be back on Saturday to talk with you about the Blue Moon coming up on December 31.
Brightest Blessings to you all!
Celestite

the drumming

Drumming Up the Sun was well worth attending. There was a cloud bank along the eastern horizon so there was no dramatic moment of sudden sunlight, instead a gradual light increasing and lighting the clouds, turning them from grey to pink to white. The weather was mild and comfortable. My sister went with me and we sat with some friends. The drumming was fun. Everyone sort of doing their own thing until the sunrise got close and then the beat synchronized and the sound grew.

Just sitting there, watching the light and listening to the drums, I thought about how people have been gathering on this day for thousands of years to do this.
And even now, when we have scientific explanations for everything, it is still magickal.

December New Moon

If you are thinking about doing a ritual or casting a spell this month and just haven't gotten around to it, think about this.
This month there are two full moons, a new moon and the winter solstice. Think about all the like minded people in the world celebrating these events and using their energy in a positive way. Think of the flow of that energy out into the universe and back. How could there be a better time to join in that energy and participate?
Don't think about it, do it.

If you are working the repeating new moon ritual, here is the link:
New Moon Ritual for New Beginnings

New Moon on December 16, 7:02 am EST

Drumming Up the Sun at Solstice

I am so excited. I am going to the annual Drumming Up the Sun at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
I have never been before.
Drumming Up the Sun is an combined effort of pagan groups in the Denver Metro Area.
It's a BIG drum circle celebrating the dawn on the solstice. Red Rocks is a natural amphitheatre just outside of Denver in the foothills. It is hard to photograph because it is so big. In the photo that center space is the seating area. At the top of that area the lighter stripe is a row of small buildings and the darker red area at the bottom of the seating area is the stage. It has all been enhanced; seats, wings on the stage, lighting etc etc, but the basic area is a natural stage. You can sit in the top row and hear someone speak on the stage with no amplification. The enormous rock formations on both sides trap and carry the sound. Red Rocks is a site of concerts (I saw the Beatles there many many years ago) and is famous for the Easter Sunrise Service, a non-denominational celebration.
These sorts of celebrations are breathtaking as the seating faces east and you can see over the top of the Denver skyline. I think you can see Kansas from there.

It is a fabulous site for something like a solstice celebration. I just hope is it a little warmer than it has been lately. It has been below zero here in the mornings.....need to warm that up a bit to spend a couple of hours standing out in it.

December Full Moon, Oak Moon, Cold Moon

image found here

In December our attention turns to the moon as its influence is spread over long hours and the sun retreats to the shortest days of the year. Your Full Moon ritual might include some expression of gratitude for the closure of the dark time and the return of the light at Solstice. Do not focus on the coming light just yet. This is a time to make sure that long term projects are completed before the Solstice. The is a time of closure, a time to let go of grievances that have affected the past year, a time of accounting for your goals and accomplishments. In preparation for the longer days just ahead, let go of the negative.
I find that meditation and ritual that include the Elements are wonderful for grounding and letting go of negativity. The Elements are here and now, not past, not future, they are the energy of now.

The Full Moon is on Wednesday December 2 at 2:30 am EST
Solstice is on December 21 at 12:47 pm EST
This is a powerful month for moon magick, the Blue Moon is on December 31 at 2:13 pm EST
More on the Blue Moon later

podcasts? a rant, be warned....

If you have been reading this blog for a while, you know that I regularly cruise around looking for and checking out new pagan podcasts. I love the pagan podcasts, such great thoughts, entertaining stories and good music. My current favorite is Witchtalk for the GREAT interviews with well known pagan authors and activists. Ariel is still my all time favorite, his stuff goes on disk so I don't ever lose it. Darkly Fey has switched to the light side with her new Spirits Cast. Mojo and Sparrow, of course, Tommy Elf, Odin, Greywolf and many many more who produce these wonderful podcasts and offer great insight and personal experience.

You know what all the good ones have in common? THEY HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY.
While I love the fact that there are so many podcasts to chose from, we seem to be missing something lately.....namely, something to say!!

I just finished listening to 6, count em...SIX, new podcasts that have more than one episode out and shall remain nameless.
Here comes the nasty ole witch in me, but I just can't help it.....

A message to some wannabe podcasters....

That funny name we use for Halloween is not English, it is a Gaelic term for end of summer and it has a funny pronunciation....it is NOT sam-hane. Look it up, even wikipedia can get it right.

All pagans are not Wiccans.

All pagans are not dualists.

All pagans do not follow the Rede. (and by the way that overused quote is only one line out of a very long and thought provoking piece of writing)

Bashing Christians should be left to those with the wit and style to do it gracefully. A description of giving the bird to an elderly family member who is Christian does not make me like you.

If you can talk for two minutes and say nothing but....hmmmm, ummmm, ya know, like, whatever and f--k, without any thought whatsoever mixed in there, you may win some sort of award but it won't be for broadcasting.

Yelling and cursing repeatedly reminds me of being in junior high and hiding behind the gym to smoke and bitch....not a great endorsement for a podcast.

Announcing that you are eager to teach me how to be a pagan left me spitting coffee on the computer, but otherwise was not impressive.
I appreciate that you are eager to make a contribution to the community but there is a time to learn and a time to teach.
Try being quiet and listening for now.

So for now I have no new podcasts to add to the list. If you haven't checked out the podcast list, it is on the right hand column. Not all of those listed are on my ipod, not all are personal favorites but all have something to say.

Now I think I will go listen to Druidcast.

Give-away WINNERS

(sorry this is a day late)

Here was the clue for the 'name that herb' give-away:

"Its cry is fatal to all that hear.
But it's a gift to a teacher a child holds dear.
The devil you say you don't believe.
But just ask Adam what he got from Eve."

The herb is Mandrake, also known as Satan's Apple.
Our 6 winners will be receiving their Mandrake in the mail ASAP.

Eva - Netherlands
Lindsey - Montana
Rhea - Illinois
Michelle - Norway
Sara - Florida
Tori - Colorado

Thanks for playing, we will be doing another give-away next month.

Hecate: To Be A Witch

Hecate: To Be A Witch

November Full Moon

image found here

The November Full Moon is the Mourning Moon. This is the time for introspection, transformation and divination. Winter is coming but it will not last forever. If you have a relationship with a dark goddess, now might be a good time to do a special ritual for her, make a special offering and listen to any advice for the upcoming dark time of the year.

2:14 EST on November 2

The Scarlet Witch is doing a give-away!

spread the word...

GIVE-AWAY! In the spirit of Samhain, The Scarlet Witch is doing a giveaway. Search The Scarlet Witch website at http://www.thescarletwitch.com and solve the riddle. Find the common name AND the folk name for this herb. We will do a drawing of all correct entries and six lucky people will receive an ounce of this magickal herb. Here is your clue:.....

"Its cry is fatal to all that hear.
But it's a gift to a teacher a child holds dear.
The devil you say you don't believe.
But just ask Adam what he got from Eve."

Send your answer to journey@thescarletwitch and include a mailing address before midnight on November 9. We will announce the winners here and on The Scarlet Witch Facebook Page on November 10.

Samhain

Image found here

from Irish Samhain [ˈsˠaunʲ], cf. Scottish Gaelic Samhuinn [ˈsavɯɲ], Manx Gaelic Sauin and Old Irish Samain [ˈsaṽɨnʲ] — "summer's end", from sam meaning "summer" and fuin meaning "end") is a festival held on October 31–November 1 in Gaelic cultures. A harvest festival with ancient roots in Celtic paganism, it was linked to festivals held around the same time in other Celtic cultures, and continued to be celebrated in late medieval times.

Samhain marked the end of the harvest, the end of the "lighter half" of the year and beginning of the "darker half". Many scholars believe that it was the beginning of the Celtic year. It has some elements of a festival of the dead. The Gaels believed that the border between this world and the otherworld became thin on Samhain. Bonfires played a large part in the festivities. People and their livestock would often walk between two bonfires as a cleansing ritual, and the bones of slaughtered livestock were cast into its flames.^[5]

The Gaelic festival became associated with the Christian All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, and has influenced the secular customs now connected with Halloween. It continues to be celebrated as a religious festival by some Neopagans.^[3][4][6]

Samhain and an t-Samhuinn are also the Irish and Scottish Gaelic names of November, respectively.

(wikipedia)

As we run back and forth between parties and trick-or-treat and trying to hold serious ritual and celebrate the thinning of the veil, remember to keep things separate. Not all spirits are benevolent and not all gods and goddesses are receptive to being called upon if you haven't introduced yourself previously. If you cast a circle, make it a strong one, call on elements and deities that already know you. Experience the thinning of the veil, but do so with caution and respect.

I plan to do ritual at midnight, the mundane activities will all be over and the power is stronger.

Enjoy the night, everyone.

Samhain is approaching

In my personal practice I tend to focus primarily on the major Sabbats. There is a primal response and at the same time a mystical quality to the shifts of the balance of this planet at time of the equinox and solstice.

But the cross quarter celebrations are also important. They are known as the Fire Festivals and are intended to be just that...festivals.

So I suggest that you think of this approaching Samhein in that way...a Fire Festival. Plan accordingly. Contrary to some things that you will read...try NOT sitting around in meditation and attempting to commune with the ancestors. Instead, invite them to a party. Cast a strong circle, call the Elements for protection, call dark goddesses to open the veil, sing, dance, turn the music up loud, light candles, burn a fire if possible, dance and dance some more. Call the ancestors to join you and celebrate the last of the three harvest festivals.

New Moon Ritual

If you are doing the repeating New Moon ritual...here is the link.
http://apagantapestry.blogspot.com/2009/08/new-moon-ritual-for-new-beginnings.html

Daily Practice

There is always talk on the pagan blogs and podcasts about daily practice. Do you or don't you, why or why not, how to if you want....

Do I have a daily practice? Well, yes and no.
I spend time each day offering time or myself to deity. I spend time each day acknowledging the presence and importance of the elements. I offer casual conversation and my beliefs are part of my life, 24/7.
However, do I perform ritual everyday, no matter how long or short, how complex or how simple?
The answer to this is no, in spite of my very best intentions, plans and the energies that pull at me.

I hear and read many people in similar circumstances who chide themselves for being too busy or a little lazy or not dedicated enough.

I have always felt that this was not the answer. Maybe those answers apply to some, some of the time. But there is more to it for some of us, for many of us.

T.Thorn Coyle wrote about this recently and her words helped me put into words the feelings that I have about this.

Fear.
Fear of the unknown. Fear that those powers are really real. Fear that taking that last step, that moving from 99.9% dedication to the goddess to 100% commitment will set in motion unstoppable changes in our lives. So we dither on the edge of the precipice.
I think there is a special, individual, unique time that we are each invited to step off that ledge.

'when you have come to the edge of all light that you know
and are about to drop off into the darkness of the unknown
faith is knowing one of two things will happen:

there will be something solid to stand on
or you will be taught to fly'

Patrick Overton

NASA will bomb the Moon 10/09/09

More info here

I have always been a sci-fi fan. I think exploring the galaxy is our destiny. I wish we had a less destructive mentality about it.

additions to the blog

I added a couple of widgets to this page that you might enjoy. The are feeds from two other great blogs; Pagan News.com and Hedgewitch Inn.
I found the Pagan News.com widget at Candles & Wicks and while I was installing it I also found that Hedgewitch Inn had one. They are at the bottom of the page so that they can run in a larger size and both have lots of good info that changes daily.
Thanks to Candles & Wicks for finding this great widget.

Full Moon and raising energy

Music is a great way to raise energy for a ritual or spell. This is one of my favorites from Blackmore's Night and seems to be just right for a Full Moon Ritual.

Moon....

The very best site I have ever found for information on Full Moons and New Moons.
I am going to find a place for this in my sidebar.

Light Weaver

October Full Moon, Blood Moon

Sunday, October 4, 2009 at 2:10 am EDT

Also called the Falling Leaf Moon and Hunter's Moon. This is the time of new goals, protection, resolution and spirituality. The night of the Blood Moon is a great time for divination.
This is a good time to reflect on the past year and to evaluate your accomplishments.
Also a good time to concentrate on removing stress from your environment.

announcing a new project!

I want to announce the opening of a new online magickal store.
Three old witches....and this is supposed to be a description of our wisdom and experience, NOT a physical description!
got together to open an online store. We will be offering classes, readings and some really great supplies; herbs, oils, potions etc.
The website is only partly done but we decided to go live with it anyway. The Facebook link is over on the right hand column of this blog. You can link to the photo or HERE to go directly to the site.
Even if you are not interested in the store, if you become a 'Fan' on Facebook it gives the page a little free advertising time on the site, so anybody who wants to help out, we appreciate you doing that.
We are excited about this and plan to have fun and give good service to our customers.

The Scarlet Witch

a couple more podcasts

Podcasts are coming and going so fast right now that I am not posting about them until they have put out more than a couple of episodes and managed to maintain an interesting show.
I have a couple to recommend ...

Mooncircles

If you have read my previous posts on podcasts you know that I am not overly fond of multiple hosts. There are a very few shows that manage to pull this off. I am glad to say that Mooncircles is one of them.
This is a great podcast, good converstion and good topics. This podcast has been around for a while and I hope it continues for a long time. I am really enjoying it.

A Pagan in the Threshold

This is a fairly new show but off to an excellent start. Meadowmoon has decided to go back to the beginnings of her study of paganism and witchcraft and fill in the holes. Like many of us, in her enthusiasm for her new path a few years ago, she skipped over some things. She is sharing this new beginning with her listeners. She found a series of text type books that she has selected and is using as a guide to help organize this path of study. If you are new to the Craft, or even if you are not, you will enjoy this show.

Both of these shows are available from their own websites and from iTunes.

Hecate: The Burning Times -- Yes Again

Hecate: The Burning Times -- Yes Again (link)

And just when I was thinking that I had a nice, quiet week with a lot of the insanity in my own life calming down.
This is a MUST read. Perhaps all of us bloggers could coordinate a ritual and stir up some magick from a far flung group.
If you are interested, let me know and we will figure out how to coordinate something.

Bast

I confiscated the dining room table for a desk. Since I actually had a little unclaimed space I decided to put something honoring Bast in my work area. A friend gave me this lovely little incense burner. I added a candle for her and a candle that I use in ritual and was very happy with the result. Then a statue of Bast that I found on ebay arrived. I had intended to put it on my main altar, which is in my bedroom, but it just looks perfect here with the incense burner. I was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful the statue is and I love the end result and having this little mini altar to Bast right where I work.

Mabon

In the northern hemisphere it is the time of the autumnal equinox. The balance between light and dark, day and night, summer and winter. The days will start to grow short at a seemingly accelerated pace, heading for the winter solstice.

Many legends, myths, festivals and rituals revolve around this day, but we are not the only ones to observe this change. Nature around us is preparing for winter; predator and prey, all are aware of the need to get ready or begin to migrate to avoid the coming winter.

Pay homage to Hern, lord of the forest, at your Mabon ritual and share your feast with some of his creatures.
Get outside, walk in the leaves, feel the touch of winter in the wind, watch the geese circle high overhead. Think for a moment about how many times this change has come to this planet.....be part of it.

Happy Mabon!

I love fall...

which is rather odd, considering that I am not crazy about winter. In this area the days are still hot, but the breeze has a hint of the coming winter. The nights are cool and crisp and we are due for the first frost.
We do not have the wonderful colors of the Midwest here, once you get away from the city. Landscaping has brought all those colors to our neighborhoods, but the native colors are greens and golds. Sunflowers, wildflowers, aspen trees, cottonwood trees against the backdrop of pines and evergreens.

one small random political thought....

Why are the people who were against bailing out the banks and the auto companies so concerned about protecting the insurance companies?

repeating New Moon ritual...

If this looks familiar....it's because you read this blog! This is the same ritual that I posted for last month's New Moon. It is a recurring ritual that I am going to do for a few months. New Moon is on September 18 @ 2:44pm EDT.



You will need:

One candle to honor the Goddess in her new moon, blue or white is nice, any color is fine. I have a large pale blue/green candle that I use for all moon rituals.

Incense or sage for cleansing the area.

A small unused notebook and a pen.

Four items to honor the elements.
I sometimes use:
a small bottle of sand for the element of earth
a feather for the element of air
a red candle for the element of fire
a small cup of water for the element of water

When I am in a candle mood I use candles for the elements:
brown or green for earth
yellow or pink for air
red or orange for fire
blue or white for water


Cleanse the area with incense or sage. I create sacred space by simply grounding and centering and visualizing an area around myself filled with energy, closed to random or chaotic spirits and open only to those I invite.

Call the Elements.
I start with Earth. If you are using candles, light them as you call each Element.
Calling them can be as simple as 'I call the Element of Earth to attend and add energy to this sacred space' or as elaborate as you wish.

After calling the Elements, take a moment to honor Goddess, ask her to look favorably on this ritual that you offer up to her and light the candle for her.

Take a few minutes to sit quietly. Reach out to the Elements for additional energy and power. Fill the space around you with their power and energy and reflect on the new moon as an opportunity for new beginnings. An opportunity that we are offered over and over again.

Take your notebook and write something along the lines of:
I will manifest these things that I desire and need in my life and I will do so without harm to anyone else.

Then begin to write down what you need to create in your life. It can be a few things or many. Large or small, tangible or not.

Concentrate on manifesting these things in your life without harming anyone else.

Release the energy that you have created with this work and send it out into the universe to do your bidding.

Thank the Goddess for her presence in your life and put out her candle.

Thank the Elements for loaning you their energy and ask them to return to their own realms, putting out their candles (if any).

Bring yourself back to normal time/space, ground the energy creating your sacred space.
_____________________________

On the full moon take your notebook and cross off any items that have manifested in your life since the new moon. On the next new moon create a new list, leaving off the things that have already arrived. Do not just cross off and add to the old list, each new moon write down the new list.

On her blog Liz has a cleansing ritual bath that would be a wonderful way to prepare for this ritual. Check it out at Lizzie's Logic.

Mary Travers

1936 - 2009

I found a wonderful podcast!

On Blogtalk Radio..... Witchtalk with Karagan. This is a fabulous show.
I download it as a podcast, but you can also listen live on Blogtalk Radio and take part by joining the chat room.

This is a two hour interview show. Karagan is a great host, with an interesting way of expressing himself (he is Portuguese). He is an Alexandrian witch with a great understanding of many paths.

Some recent interviews include Oberon Zell, Selena Fox, Raven Grimassi and Christopher Penczak. Two hours is a lot of time for an interview and a lot of discussion.

You can download this at iTunes or the Witchtalk site. I highly recommend this show, especially if you are interested in what some of the high profile people in paganism are doing, thinking and writing.

You can also find information about upcoming shows on Facebook.
Seriously, check out this show.

new moon coming up

The New Moon is on Friday September 18. For those of you taking part in the recurring New Moon Ritual for New Beginnings, I thought it would be nice to give you a heads up instead of startling you at the last minute.

For anyone who is interested in starting a continuing New Moon ritual, check out the post on August 21 for the one that I am doing.

Hecate is at it again

Some gorgeous pictures announcing the arrival of autumn...
Hecate: Mabon Approaches

Three Sisters Garden

Harvest time is also the time to plan and prepare for spring planting. Making sure you have and protect the material that you will need to save through the winter to have on hand in the spring.
Many modern gardeners are planning for spring even before they harvest this fall.

Three Sisters is an ancient way of planting, well documented to have been used by many Native Americans. The three plants support each other as they grow. The roots are left intact in the ground after harvest to enrich the soil in three ways and the harvest gives you three foods that compliment each other nutritionally. As you can see this would not take a lot of room, just a corner of your garden or yard would yield quite a lot of food. Click on the image for a great article on planting the Three Sisters in your garden next year.

Please participate

Go to Owl's Wings for some important information.

September Full Moon, Harvest Moon

This Full Moon is the first of the Harvest Moons. Harvest is celebrated throughout the fall. This is also a time of balance, the autumnal equinox is September 22. Let this be a part of your life and let it be reflected in your rituals and spells as we approach the equinox. The flow of energy is resting, Light and Dark are in balance.
September Full Moon is a time to clean up clutter: physical, emotional or spiritual. The dark and cold are approaching, now is the time to put things in order and finish tasks and projects.


Full Moon September 04 at 12:03pm EDT

getting back on track with Pagan Prompts...

Prompt: Deities and Pantheons
Taken from multiple suggestions and my own list, this week we want to know about the god(s) and/or goddess(es) with which you work.
Do you have a single patron god and/or goddess? Or do you stick with a certain pantheon of deities?
How did you come to connect with these deities? Did they choose you or did you choose them?
If you are comfortable with it, please share a story about connecting with these deities, what it is that draws you to them, or even how they have helped you in this life.

My journey started with Gaia in a somewhat nebulous state. Just the idea of a sentient energy source that binds us together. Through my Wiccan time the archetypes of Goddess and God and their ritual dance through the year made sense, but still was somewhat formless to me.

Since then I have come to realize that there are all manner of deities, spirits, ancestors, elements, spirit guides that are available for us to interact with.
My practice has settled into a much more concrete practice. While I still think of Goddess as nature, as the universe, I have found entities closer to home to converse with in a more day to day practice.

I have found that there is a difference between calling on a goddess and trying to establish a relationship and having a goddess knock on my door. Big difference.

I have let myself re-establish the wonderful and natural relationship with the elements and spirit guides that I had as a child. The four spirit guides that I talked to as 'saints' in my childhood are still with me, stronger than ever.

My everyday practice is right now dominated by Bast, who burst on the scene not too long ago (and without invitation I might add). The elements are part of daily practice, my four spirit guides and the Trickster are also always available.
-----
If you would like to read more on my thoughts on the Elements, scroll down the right hand column to Labels and you will find 8 previous blog posts on this topic.
There is also more information about spirit guides and about Bast at stumbling upon the path of the goddess

Find Pagan Prompts here

more politics, please read

Once again I am sending you to Hecate's blog. If I ever decide to quit yakking myself I may just leave this blog up as a permanent link to hers.

http://hecatedemetersdatter.blogspot.com/2009/08/in-short-word-without-too-many.html

warning: one of those political rants...

I have had my knickers in a twist over the health care reform "debate." The fear mongering is way over the top, the sense of entitlement is astounding, but the worst, the very worst is the people showing up at town hall meeting with guns.

This over the top behavior and the daily news media analysis there of is out of control. My reaction to it was a huge amount of negativity of my own.

I have and I will continue to write and call my representatives to voice my opinion about what they should do. I am open and honest about my views on this issue.
But I am over the so called debate.

The American people will get what they want and deserve and I include myself in 'they.' If they really want real health care reform they will make it happen and if they want to step aside for a loud mouth with a gun who wants to intimidate them into shutting the hell up....then they will get more loud mouths with guns making decisions.

We all make our own world.

A new moon ritual for new beginnings

You will need:

One candle to honor the Goddess in her new moon, blue or white is nice, any color is fine. I have a large pale blue/green candle that I use for all moon rituals.

Incense or sage for cleansing the area.

A small unused notebook and a pen.

Four items to honor the elements.
I sometimes use:
a small bottle of sand for the element of earth
a feather for the element of air
a red candle for the element of fire
a small cup of water for the element of water

When I am in a candle mood I use candles for the elements:
brown or green for earth
yellow or pink for air
red or orange for fire
blue or white for water


Cleanse the area with incense or sage. I create sacred space by simply grounding and centering and visualizing an area around myself filled with energy, closed to random or chaotic spirits and open only to those I invite.

Call the Elements.
I start with Earth. If you are using candles, light them as you call each Element.
Calling them can be as simple as 'I call the Element of Earth to attend and add energy to this sacred space' or as elaborate as you wish.

After calling the Elements, take a moment to honor Goddess, ask her to look favorably on this ritual that you offer up to her and light the candle for her.

Take a few minutes to sit quietly. Reach out to the Elements for additional energy and power. Fill the space around you with their power and energy and reflect on the new moon as an opportunity for new beginnings. An opportunity that we are offered over and over again.

Take your notebook and write something along the lines of:
I will manifest these things that I desire and need in my life and I will do so without harm to anyone else.

Then begin to write down what you need to create in your life. It can be a few things or many. Large or small, tangible or not.

Concentrate on manifesting these things in your life without harming anyone else.

Release the energy that you have created with this work and send it out into the universe to do your bidding.

Thank the Goddess for her presence in your life and put out her candle.

Thank the Elements for loaning you their energy and ask them to return to their own realms, putting out their candles (if any).

Bring yourself back to normal time/space, ground the energy creating your sacred space.
_____________________________

On the full moon take your notebook and cross off any items that have manifested in your life since the new moon. On the next new moon create a new list, leaving off the things that have already arrived. Do not just cross off and add to the old list, each new moon write down the new list.

On her blog Liz has a cleansing ritual bath that would be a wonderful way to prepare for this ritual. Check it out at Lizzie's Logic.

New Moon and a birthday

New moon was this morning at 6:01 EDT.

I really need a new moon ritual for myself and I will try to come up with one to share with you in the next couple of days.



There is a touch of fall in the air already and I usually feel invigorated at these subtle changes at this time of year. Right now I just feel exhausted. Time to reach deep and connect with Elements for energy and grounding, use the new moon for a fresh start and look around at the changes as the Wheel turns again.

Today is also the birthday of Ann Moura, one of my most favorite witchy authors.

Author of Grimoire for the Green Witch, one of my favorites as well as Green Witchcraft: Gold Magic, Fairy Lore & Herb Craft, Green Witchcraft II: Balancing Light & Shadow, Green Witchcraft III: The Manual. Also Green Magic: The Sacred Connection to Nature and Tarot for the Green Witch. There are several others, I hesitate to try for a complete list. I have enjoyed everything that I have read by her, learned from it and treasure it.
Happy Birthday Ann.

cross posted with stumbling....

Reading blogs and reading my own email and sometimes even the comments on my blogs, I realize that it is difficult for us to leave behind the concepts of deity that we are surrounded with in this society. I am talking about the role of the minister, rabbi, imam, priest, preacher.....and unfortunately the perceived role of the high priest or high priestess.

Do you still, sometimes, think of your deities as being 'over there' or 'out there' or 'up there' and they speak to an intermediary who will tell you what they said?
This is one reason I left Christianity.

I speak to my goddess.
I speak to the elements.
I speak to the spirits of the land
I speak to my spirit guides
and
THEY SPEAK TO ME.

If some little voice inside your head is right now going ....yeah-but....please take a deep breath, tell yourself out loud that you do not need anyone to speak to deity for you and say something out loud to the deity or element of your choice.

We are so conditioned to believe that someone else may speak to deity, but we, individually, do not. People with tin foil hats might speak to deity (or aliens) but we do not. Ministers and other clergy who are somehow morally superior may speak to deity but we do not. The high priestess may speak to deity, but we do not. We can grovel and beg and pray, but we do not converse.

Please leave that thinking in the closet where it belongs. If you want to have a personal relationship with deity, spirits, ancestors, elements or anyone else, you can do it. It is not weird, you are not crazy and there are no special requirements.

I found a book that can help you along this path, if you are interested but still skeptical or hesitant. Michelle Skye's book Goddess Alive is primarily a series of guided meditations and rituals to help you connect with deity. She focuses on the Celtic and Norse goddesses and their associations with sabbats and esbats. I recommend that you check this book out, it might be available at your public library. If a different pantheon is calling to you, this might still be helpful in showing you how to research and write your own meditations and rituals to connect to a particular deity. If you are seeking Celtic or Norse goddesses then she has done the hard work for you.
If you decide to use this book, please let me know what you think and whether or not it helped you.

myths, legends, gods and other stories...

Some historians, studying some cultures, support the idea that the myths of that culture are actual tales of heroic deeds, base battles for power and idyllic portrayals of life rather than that they are simply made up of whole cloth.

So if say, Celtic or Egyptian pantheons and mythologies are actual (if more or less embroidered) histories of a dim past; then when we honor what we call deities from these pantheons, are we actually calling on our ancestors?

Oh my gods!

ohmygods.co.uk

gaia

calm down and carry on

Hecate

According to The Wiccan Book of Days (Gerina Dunwich)....

"On this date, the major pagan festival of Hecate is traditionally held at moonrise. Hecate, the mysterious goddess of darkness and protectress of all witches, is a personification of the Moon and the dark side of the female principle."

Hecate is not a deity that I work with personally, but I much admire her from afar.

an Award!

The awards that bloggers give to each other are always fun.

Liz at Lizzie's Logic sent me this one. Thank you so much, Liz.

The most fun part, and the most difficult, is picking three blogs to also award this to. Just three is the hard part.

Backtracking a little I found that some of my favorites have already received this award, so that helps a little.

With this award, I am to:

Include the award in my blog post.
~ Link the nominees within my post.
~ Don't forget to mention the person who gave you the award.
~ Let my chosen winners know that they received The Domestic Witch Blog Award by commenting on their blog.

So, here are the blogs that I award this to:

Confessions of a Kitchen Witch

Crafty's Cuppa Coffee

Hedgewitch Inn

Happy Birthday, Carl

Today is the birthday of Carl Llewellyn Weschcke.
Without him your metaphysical bookshelf would be very bare.
Take a minute and say a thank you.

Llewellyn Publishing was originally started in 1901 by Welsh Astrologer Llewellyn George who published astrological handbooks. The first Llewellyn Moon Signs book was popular with the public (and not just astrologers) and Llewellyn Publications began expanding and publishing more and more on occult subjects.

Llewellyn George died in 1954 and Carl L. Weschcke bought the business in 1961. Since then it has continued to grow, expanding into many realms of alternative healing, religion and philosophy. Carl Weschcke is an elder and former high priest of the American Celtic Tradition of Witchcraft. He has been a long time supporter of the pagan movement, pagan festivals and pagan publishing. His son holds a masters degree in publishing, works for the company and hopefully Llewellyn Worldwide (as it is now known) will continue to publish alternative information for many many years.

Thank you Carl and Happy Birthday.

connecting to the Earth

The Great Sunflower Project

Paganism is Earth Centered.

Easy to find inspiration if you live in a rural setting, more difficult if you are a city dweller.
But there are organized, community ways to get involve in appreciating the Earth and sharing this appreciation with others and not just other pagans. I just heard about this one on NPR today.

This is a great project, unfortunately I found it kind of late this year. You can still run out and do this, get your kids, friends, neighbors to do this, if you have any sunflowers in your area. Wild sunflowers grow along the roads here so there is still plenty of time in areas like this.

For next year, plant a few sunflowers in your yard or in a big pot early in the spring and sign up to be a bee counter.

No matter how urban, how densely packed, how concrete the jungle where you live, you can still do this and connect with other bee counters all over the world.

The Great Sunflower Project

additional bee watching project

Great Pollinator Project

This one isn't flower specific, it involves watching how many bees come to any flower anywhere in a 30 minute period. Like the Sunflower Project, you can find all the info on the website and download forms and info.

Pagan Tapestry is not Magicka School

It is not any school at all, it is also not the initiatory path of a Tradition.
It is my own musings, thoughts, practices, ramblings...offered up to my deities as part of my spiritual practice.

I do very much appreciate comments and questions, although I most often have no answers for the questions. I do enjoy seeing the growing list of 'followers' although that is simple ego...we all like to think someone wants to listen to our ramblings. Mostly I enjoy just the thought that the Pagan population is growing every where, including the blog-o-sphere and spilling out onto many, many blogs.
I do even appreciate the comments of Granamyr, although my frustration and hers clearly spilled out in the comments on the Full Moon post. She is probably not the only person frustrated with my lack of response to simple questions, so I offer this explanation for this blog for anyone who is puzzled by what seems like the refusal to answer a simple request.

This blog is about my spiritual path, it is about feeling and experiencing and connecting. It is about reading and hearing from many other sources about traditions and experiences and practices. It is ALL, in one way or another, about my relationship with deity.

It has NO basis in fact, scientific explanation or a well layed out path of learning and knowledge.
It is hit and miss and substance and fluff.
It is about EXPERIENCING and experimenting.
It is about how incredibly hard it is in this techno/scientific society of ours to just sit still and BE.
Think, enjoy, experience, FEEL...without analysis or explanation or even a good reason.
If there is something on this blog that prompts you to ask...how, or why, or if...that works.....I suggest that you TRY it. EXPERIENCE it for yourself, don't ask someone else for an explanation. Or don't. Whatever suits you.
But I am not here to teach anyone else 'how' or 'why' or 'if'
Part of my practice is to encourage you to find out for yourself. Beyond that...nothing.

Corn Moon, Full Moon, August Moon

This is the moon of the early harvest. This is the time to collect your magickal herbs and store them for the winter or share them with others. I have basil drying on the porch right now. Since my lavender didn't bloom, probably because I planted it late, I am going to pick up a bunch of lavender at the Farmer's Market this weekend.
This is a good moon for acquiring, gathering and storing. It might be a good time to go for a promotion at work, to celebrate a friend's success, or just to appreciate how this planet just keeps shoving gifts at us over and over again.
It is hard to imagine while it is 90+ degrees, but the Wheel is turning and the seasons are changing. If at all possible, go outside to celebrate this full moon. If dancing naked around the bonfire is against the zoning ordinances in your neighborhood, then just sit outside and enjoy the moonlight. Many covens, including my own, go to quiet public parks for full moon rituals, that is a wonderful way to celebrate the goddess.

Do something, don't let another Full Moon slip by while you decide what to do.
Don't have a ritual?...try this...
Light a single white candle.
Raise your hands to the sky and if you can see the Moon, embrace it. If you cannot see the Moon, visualize it.
Say out loud...

"Mother Goddess, I stand before you, your daughter (or son).
I am a Follower of the Old Ways, a worker of Magick, a Seeker on an old Path in a new world.
I call on you every month when the Moon is full as my ancestors have done through all of time past and will do until the end of time. I celebrate your presence in my life. This is a promise that I have made to you and that I keep to the best of my ability."

Start with that or say any damn thing you want to say; sing, dance, sit in a chair, meditate, do something, SAY something.

pagans and christians

According to the Atheist Foundation of Australia, neo-Paganism is slowly replacing Christianity on a worldwide scale.

http://www.atheistfoundation.org.au/articles/pagan-connection

goddess

lughnasadh

I am not going to try to top this...read and enjoy

The Gods are Bored

and I am off to the Farmer's Market.....as previously planned and posted!

I got mine, so screw you....

"The New York Times and Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox lead with new polls that show the American public is growing increasingly concerned that an overhaul of health care would have a negative impact in their own lives. The NYT highlights that the percentage of Americans who describe health care costs as a threat to the economy has gone down in the past month, suggesting that the public isn't buying one of President Obama's central arguments for the plan. The WSJ points out that last month respondents were evenly divided on the merits of the overhaul but now support has declined, particularly among those who are already insured."

Slate Magazine

anybody placing any bets on this mess?

panel discussion from the Florida Pagan Gathering

If you like panel discussions with some pagan elders, you will love this...

Elemental Castings Podcast

(subscribe to this podcast: via iTunes or RSS)

Episode #19, Florida Pagan Gathering, 7/24/09 download
Paganism: Past, Present and Future: A special podcast from the Florida Pagan Gathering. Thorn talks with Margot Adler, Chas Clifton, Gavin and Yvonne Frost and Lydia Crabtree.

separating the wing-nuts from the Christians....

Sometimes it seems easy to get them mixed up, the wing-nuts are so LOUD.
Good read on Down with Tyranny. I recommend it.

a turn of the wheel

Last year I started this blog just a few days after Lammas.

It has been an interesting year. Sometimes interesting in the way of the ancient Chinese curse..."may you live in interesting times." Sometimes in a more positive way of learning, experiencing and observing.

I have joined a community that I didn't know existed, a community of bloggers who take time out to congratulate, console, encourage and spur each other on to better writing.
I have made friends online, people that I would never have had the opportunity to meet in person.

My spiritual path has widened, taken some interesting turns, run me around blind corners into wonderful surprises. Often these experiences were prompted by this blog, someone else's blog or a comment on a blog.

I am less Wiccan, but more Pagan than I was a year ago. I am just me without stressing over explaining my spiritual path to anyone. I have a new mantra that explains a lot, thanks to Hecate.
'Dogma is not so important, compared to ritual and experience.'

The original intent for this blog has been completed, but I do not feel that the blog is finished. In fact it is just beginning to explore the big wide world of paganism.

Lughnasadh or Lammas

The neo-Pagan festival of Lammas may be based on the ancient Celtic celebration of Lughnasadh.

Lughnasadh marked the beginning of the harvest season, the ripening of first fruits, and was traditionally a time of community gatherings, market festivals, horse races and reunions. Both old Celtic and new Pagan calendars are based on lunar and solar cycles and but others also celebrated the first harvests at this time so it is not positive that there is a relationship between the two festivals. This is another important date that the Catholic Church gave up trying to suppress and started it's own blessing of the wheat on this day.

This year I am planning a day long ritual to celebrate the peak of summer, the first harvest and the turn of the Wheel.
First I am going to go to my favorite walking park and instead of walking fast for exercise (it is 3.5 miles around a small lake) I am going to saunter, take the dogs, watch the water skiers and the runners, the waterfowl (which will be leaving soon), the trees and plants.

Then I am going to my favorite farmer's market, which sells only produce grown on a few neighboring farms and doesn't import anything. I am going to pick up a little of whatever looks good.

For dinner I am going to cook what I bought at the market and offer the day and my appreciation of it to the goddess.

If I had my own garden this year I would offer the first produce to the goddess, but I don't, so this will have to do. And if I lived out in the rural area where I used to live, I would just walk for hours. But the city park will have to do this year.

We don't have to be rural dwellers to appreciate nature, the seasons, the harvest and the deities.

Plan a great day for yourself. You have a whole week to plan.

Lughnasadh or Lammas is next Saturday, August 1.

Way to go, Mark...

From my favorite, out of control columnist.

God is not your bitch

New Moon

Yesterday was the New Moon.

Spells during the waxing moon are best done for attaining, acquiring, new beginnings, new projects.

The first days of the waxing moon are the most powerful for this kind of magick.

Now might be a good time for ensuring continued success at work.
Use a yellow candle for focus. Yellow is the color of the Element Air, of intellect, of confidence and gentle persuasion.

Perform as simple or as complex a ritual as you wish. Ground, center, focus your intent on maintaining or improving your position at work. Visualize your continued success, call on Air to assist and add power. Gather power, focus on the candle, use the color to help you focus your intent, call on Fire to add intensity to your energy. Focus. Send your gathered energy out into the universe to do your will. With harm to none, so mote it be.

podcasting....the good, the bad and .....

Every so often I do a search of iTunes, podcast alley and other sources looking for new pagan podcasts. I nearly always find some, they are nearly always good.

Well, the bad news is, I have to wonder if we are reaching a saturation point. We have lost some really good ones in the last few years....Deo's Shadow, Catnip Brew, The Broom Closet....one fairly new one that I thought would be good has apparently gone....Foxtayle's Pagan Podcast.

It seems that for every one that goes, nowadays several more crop up in its place. Unfortunately, some of the new ones just....well......just aren't great.

I found one otherwise interesting one that explained that witchcraft is the 'left hand path.' *sigh*
I suppose that witchcraft can be the left hand path, but not necessarily and not as practiced within the structure of a spiritual practice, and not as practiced within Wicca.

One of two giggling young ladies who explained that they had nothing to say so they needed emails from fans so they would have something to talk about. Turned out to be true.

Inexplicably, a podcast that reminds me of a rolling frat party, complete with belching into the microphone carries on and on and on.

Several that are two or three people talking to each other with lots of inside jokes and tag lines to personal stories. These are mostly college kids and maybe these shows are appreciated by other college kids and that's fine, but I can't listen long enough to recommend them.

I am so glad that there are so many pagan podcasts that you have to choose, but like any commodity that is overstocked, the quality seems to diminish.

On the good side, I found one jewel of a podcast...Media Astra ac Terra.
Available on iTunes and libsyn. Great information, well thought out commentaries, no drama. This is a good podcast that I hope will continue and become a great podcast.
The show notes are here.
And the link is in the links section in the right hand column.