The World Awakens

The wheel turns and the seasons change. The light that returned to the world at Imbolc has grown and the signs of new life are everywhere. I love love watching the trees outside my house at this time of year. They blossom and then the petals fall off only to be replaced by new leaves. All the new green and freshly opened flowers tell me one thing: Ostara is on the way.

Living in the Bay Area, we barely have what most people would call a winter. The trees barely loose all their leaves before they start to regrow them. But our elongated spring has one advantage, we can easily take note of all the little changes occurring in nature without being overwhelmed by them. And this year I have been making an extra effort to notice these small changes in the world around me. As a result, I am mildly consumed by an interest in having a really good Ostara celebration this year. In fact, it mirrors the same drive I had to celebrate Mabon six months ago. And that seems fitting to me.

Scouring the web and any books I don't have packed away in another state for Ostara ideas has been very fulfilling. Although I've mostly come across topics saying to paint eggs, hold an egg hunt, etc., there have been a few interesting ideas. Planting seeds during ritual, making an offering spot in your garden, remembering Persephone's return from the Underworld have all been ideas that have interested me. Especially the planting and gardening. (I have been wanting a garden for many years and actually have an idea on how to have a successful window garden that is cat proof.)

We'll just have to wait three weeks and see where the Goddess guides me.

Well Wishes for a Dark Time

One of my friends and her boyfriend just broke in a rather painful way. She's not heartbroken about the fact that the relationship is over, she's pissed on how he used her willingness to support him and than threw her to the curb. There's more details to this, but that's the gist of the situation and I'd be pissed too if I was in her situation.

I personally think she's better off without him, and to help her along her path I made a scroll with a prosperity blessing on it for her.

Prosperity Scroll

I chose purple and Lavender for this project to promote healing her emotional wounds and to protect her on her new journey. I had her permission to do something like this for her and she was delighted when I gave it to her today. (She's a Nichiren Buddhist, but understands and respects my pagan beliefs.) I hope the good intentions and well wishes I imbued in it are passed onto her.

The Written Blessing

Anointed with Lavender Oil

It's in the Cards

My tarot spread from 2-12-13

The tarot has been calling to me as of late. My deck does not like lying dormant. And it seems to be asking me to learn more about it.

I will be the first to admit I am a VERY novice tarot reader. Yet, the cards have always been accurate and on the spot for whomever I've done a reading for, including myself. I don't view the cards as a foretelling of the future, but rather as a reflection of that moment in a person's life. They give insight to what is going on and help one to sort out any decisions they have to make.

I've been seeing tarot everywhere I go. From one of my favorite blogs, Moon and Shadow, to a new app on my iPhone, to books I have been rereading. And the card that keeps turning up is the Wheel of Fortune. This is also why I want to learn more about the tarot. When a Trump card keeps popping up, one should pay attention to the lesson it is trying to convey.

Lunar Chaos and Winter Retreats

Winter Moon

As much as I love the Moon (as a kid I wanted to be an Apollo astronaut when I grew up, moonstone is my gemstone of choice, etc) the passing of a full moon always seems to bring a bit of chaos to my life. Last night was the Snow Moon and while yesterday was nice a peaceful, this morning has been quite chaotic. I feel klutzier than normal. Timing things is not working in my favor. And the one thing I really want to do on my day off I keep getting interrupted when I try to do—study magic and paganism.

The last one probably bothers me the most. The others are all trivial and in the long run won't matter. But having a good environment to study my craft is important for both learning the material correctly and for my mental well being. I've noticed that my studies bring me a peace of mind I have a hard time finding in our chaotic little house. They also remove me from the craziness of out modern, digitally driven world. And trust me, that can be a very hard thing to accomplish with 4 people running in and out of the kitchen you use as a study.

Recently we took a trip up to the Tahoe area for a few days. Staying in the cabin in the snow was wonderful for the most part. I was granted sight of the beauty that the goddess' touch leaves on the world in early morning. The cabin we were at was next to a creek. Meditating beside the creek and taking in the natural world was wonderful. However, any peace I tried to carve out was constantly shattered by my roommate's 3 year old daughter he brought on the trip. Granted, he was the organizer of the trip and had the cabin connection, but when there's only one kid and the rest of the people are unmarried and childless for a reason, this makes for a less than relaxing vacation.

One thing I did get out of that trip was a huge resurgence in my desire to study the devine and strengthen my connection with the Lady and Lord. I should probably take note from a post I came across this morning on the blog A Heathen's Path regarding Practice Makes Perfect. The post discusses making time and finding ways to observe our spiritual traditions in a world that consumes all our free time and doesn't reflect our beliefs. My efforts so far have been to read blogs and other sources regarding rituals, sabbats, spells, lore, etc. while having breakfast, maintaining a small altar space on the table I use as a desk, taking note of the blossoms and leaves on the trees outside my window, etc. It does bring me peace to notice these things, I just wish I had more time to devote to them. As the title of that post says practice makes perfect and in time, with some dedication, I'm sure I can settle into a few routines of my own.

Out of the Digital Broom Closet

I just made this blog visible to the public. Kind of nervous, but I feel I owe it to the pagan community to  be a visibly active part of it. Afterall, I am a devoted reader of other blogs and hope that others can learn from my experiences as I have learned from theirs.

This also means I need to overhaul the look of my blog. I had originally intended it to be an exploration of "green witchery," but I find that my path seems to be more of a kitchen witch at the moment. (I currently lack any sort of useable outdoor/green space and seem to always be in the kitchen because that's where my computer lives.)

To anyone who stumbles across my humble little blog, I apologize ahead of time for any spelling errors and hope you enjoy what you find here. Blessed Be.

Light in the Darkness

Imbolc Altar

Two sabbats have come and gone since my last post. I had a wonderful little Yule set up on my table and found the perfect bouquet of flowers for Imbolc. Sadly I was not as actively involved with each sabbat as I would have liked. I got sucked into helping my roommate buy gifts for his daughter for Christmas and ended up pulling extra shifts at work on Imbolc. Perhaps Ostara will see me with a bit more time for observance here at home.

However, I am going to the Sierras this weekend for a few days and think that I will take the opportunity to welcome the light back to the world while I am there. This will also be the first time I have had the opportunity to preform a ritual or observance in the snow. The Bay Area rarely gets any snow and it's never truly that cold or dark. Also, I'm turning 30 this year and I feel that I should dedicate my time and effort to improving myself, my relationships and my life. Last summer's trip to Milsap Bar on the Feather River was rejuvenating and allowed me to get in touch with a specific aspect of nature. I feel that getting in touch with another aspect of nature will only open me up further to my own spiritual growth.

Now to look up some rituals (outdoor preferably) that are meant for a snowy place and welcome the light back into the world.