As the Veil Thins

As the days grow closer to Samhain I can feel it. I awoke this morning with a cheerful disposition and found that it was pleasantly foggy and misty outside. Just my kind of morning. That is one thing I miss about being up north in Washington, the cool mornings where curling up with a warm tasty beverage and reading were the thing to do. However, rather than reading books this year I have been reading up on Samhain traditions and am trying to plan another ritual. However, this year's ritual will not be as extravagant as last year's was due to the confined quarters in which I currently reside. I don't know how well the roommates would respond to me doing a full on ritual and I wouldn't be able to have the privacy or quiet I would need for such an undertaking. So the most I am going for will be meditating on my loved ones who have passed, creating a small altar for them, most likely baking something, and doing a tarot reading.

Speaking of rituals, I actually came across and new incense that's perfect for rituals. It's the Sapphire—Devotion one from Magnifiscents. It blends wonderful scents of sandalwood, clove, benzoin, and spices that reminds me of my favorite occult shop. Ideally I'd love to make my own incense, but f that's not an option, this one is a great filler. Also sandalwood is used for purification, clove is useful for vision and cleansing, benzoin provides focus, and spices add to the mystery of the divine. I also believe that incense is a great way to represent air and to induce meditation.

If I don't write again, have a blessed Samhain.

Callings of a Welsh Goddess

Ceridwen and her cauldron.

Ever since I started to learn about the old ways I have wondered what God and Goddess would call to me. For awhile I thought a lot about Brigid and her association with fire, one of my prime elements. Despite her power over fire she didn't speak to me in a specific or special way that I assume the correct deity for me should.

Last night a stumbled upon mention of Ceridwen and there has been a power associated with her name that has stuck in my mind since. I don't know if this is the Goddess calling out to me, but I do know that throughout my life specific things have come to me and stuck with me. This was true when I picked my confirmation name, Augustine.

Augustine had not even been on the list of names I was thinking about choosing, but the name came to me in a dream and even at the age of 16 I knew it was MY name. Upon waking I a made a point to learn more about St. Augustine and found that his path in life spoke to me on a personal level. I no longer consider myself Catholic, but I do still consider Augustine to be my name.

Augustine derives from August, which in turn comes from Latin Augustus. The description in the American Heritage Dictionary for 'August' is as follows: inspiring awe or admiration. For this reason I choose to keep Augustine as part of my person nomenclature.

Back to Ceridwen, her name seems to have a similar power over me and I know it is an important name to me. So I've spent the morning learning about her and after reading her legend, I remember discussing  her in my Anthropology class on religion and beliefs. Ceridwen is both the mother and the crone. She is protective and vengeful. Wise and headstrong. She is exactly like me.

In morned Paganism, Ceridwen is considered the patron goddess of witchcraft with her status of crone and association with her cauldron and brew. Even if she turns out to not be my patron goddess, she is a good one to honor and show reverence to. For these reasons I think I will begin to explore and meditate on her further.

Seasons Change

It's now officially October and while the rest of the Northern Hemisphere is enjoying cooler weather, here in the San Francisco Bay we are enjoying Indian Summer. That right, October hits and we start setting records for the highest temperatures reached this year. Yes, they days are getting shorter and the nights longer, but how is one supposed to celebrate the onset of the darker time of year when it's still 80 degrees out at 11pm? What's even more perplexing is that leaves on trees are changing colors and falling off just like they're doing everywhere else.

Most of what I have learned indicates that pagans and witches are now preparing to settle in for the winter and are focusing on home and hearth more and more. Yet, here it's extremely difficult to. My house is currently too hot to fire up the oven and bake and the temperature calls for iced tea rather than spiced cider. Autumn is my favorite time of the year and thus I am sad that I cannot observe it the way I would like. Yet, there are little things I can do. For example, consuming fruits of the season such as pomegranates, figs and apples, buying pumpkins and placing them around the house in preparation for Samhain, and collecting leaves and making decorations with them. I just wish I could start wearing sweaters, boots and scarves while enjoying the richness and warmth of the season.