Magickal Monday: Litha

We haven't had a Magickal Monday yet, so hurrah! First Magical Monday is about Litha!

Litha is better known as the Summer Solstice. Some call it Midsummer, which is (in my opinion) a wholly ridiculous name since the Solstice marks the start of summer, not its middle. Anyway.

Litha marks the longest day of the year, when the sun shines the most for the whole year. It is directly across from Yule on the Wheel of the Year. It's the celebration of the union of the God and Goddess (and why June is *the* wedding month) and, in some Celtic traditions, it is the other time of the year when the Oak and Holly Kings battle for the throne. At Litha, the Oak King falls and it is the Holly King who reigns.

We celebrate fertility, life, fulfillment at Litha. It is a time of joy and celebration as we bask in the longest day of sunlight, the light of the Lord. It is also the last day of this before the gradual darkening as we move to fall and then winter.

Litha is also a time to honor the faerie folk. If it is your preference to work with these fine folk, Litha is the best time to honor them. You could set up an altar dedicated especially for them, with flowers and colorful, shiny things. Just remember that faerie folk are to be respected; they have a power all their own and shouldn't be taken lightly.

FAF: Mercury Retrograde

Let us speak for a moment about Mercury Retrograde, shall we? Mercury went into retrograde on Wednesday, 26 June 2013. What does that mean? Rather than totally type it all out again, I refer you to John Marani's first post on the topic back in 2011. Suffice it to say, all kinds of communication goes sideways. Things do not happen as planned. People get screwed. Electronics die. It blows.

My brother John eloquently described Mercury Retrograde and its fuckery thus far, or at least how it has impacted him, J Sunny, and their beautiful Momo.

Allow me to share some of my joyful experiences. First, let me say that I was born with Mercury in retrograde in my natal chart. This means, typically, that I am not quite as impacted by the hell that is Mercury in retrograde. Typically.

Let me be clear. Mercury rules the sign of Gemini (my sign). I have the utmost respect and affection for Mercury. He can kick some serious ass when He goes into retrograde. You can't *not* respect that. Day one of Mercury Retrograde was not pretty. It was especially not pretty because I spent it at work, where we do nothing but communicate all. freaking. day. Half the staff couldn't access Outlook, which isn't good because we do a lot of coordinating with outside treatment providers via email. Phone calls got disconnected, group was chaotic, and staff ran around like chickens with our heads cut off as we tried to figure out WHAT THE FUCK was going on.

First we're scrambling to get a refill of a medication. We ask the treating psychiatrist to fax prescriptions to the pharmacy. Excellent, got that done. The pharmacy calls to get the insurance info. Fantastic, check that off. Then the client comes and says that she doesn't want the medication filled at our pharmacy, because she doesn't like the medication that comes from our pharmacy, because it doesn't work.

I'm sorry, say what now?

Yes, we actually had to call and have the refills cancelled. Then we had to call the psychiatrist back and explain the situation, so that the psychiatrist could call the refills in to the client's preferred pharmacy. That was like an hour of telephone tag and voice mails and cursing at the sound of the call being dropped.

Day one, people. Day one.

::headdesk::

Magickal Monday: The Broom Closet

So, Friday I talked about an interaction I had with someone whose response to my openness about being a witch was, well, less than stellar.

I genuinely do not expect everyone I meet to agree with me or like my path. I do believe, however, that they should respect that it's my choice, MY path. Sometimes they find out because they ask. I feel like you shouldn't ask the question if you may not like the answer, because I have better things to do with my time than be bombarded with someone else's negativity over disagreeing with my spiritual path. At the same time, I recognize that a lot of those gut, negative reactions are a product of a media that's portrayed witchcraft and witches with a lot of misconceptions (hello, The Witches, for starters. Which I loved, but that's besides the point.) So, this could be my opportunity to provide some education and clear up some of those... misunderstandings. Like, I really don't eat babies.

Too gristly and not enough flavor.

All joking aside, I am proud to be out of the broom closet.

The only place I am not out is work, whichis a function more of the psychotic processes of some of the clients than anything else. Sometimes it's just easier to change the topic than try to battle an entrenched delusional system. Just saying.

My path works for me. I don't ask you to walk it with me, but I do ask that you respect that it's my choice to walk it. Whatever path you are walking, if it's working for you, that's awesome! If it's not, I hope you find what you're seeking. We all deserve to find the path that brings us peace and contentment, that fulfills us.

Coming out of the broom closet is a big decision. Before taking the leap, take a look at your motivations for sharing. If it's about getting the annoying person to leave you alone or about the shock value, reconsider your choice. Those situations don't usually end well... On the other hand, if you have friends or family who are supportive or at least open to having a dialogue, fantastic! Be honest, but don't bash other religions as you're sharing why this path is right for you.

Some folks never really leave the closet. This is true for more reasons than I can list here, but the bottom line is that it's a personal decision that shouldn't be made lightly.

Bright blessings!

Free for All Friday

Can we just have a WTF moment, please?

I joined some coworkers and friends for a happy hour to celebrate a coworker's promotion to another program. We go to this great place called San Antonio's (go, if you've never been cause it's tasty, tasty food).

We're having a great time, socializing and laughing. We talked about traveling abroad, dream travel destinations, and how sad we were that the coworker is leaving us. SNIFFLE!!!!

At some point, the conversation turned to astrology - my sign means this; oh, you're a this so you must be like this; that kind of thing. I mentioned that astrology is more than one's sun sign, that you have to take into consideration the rising sign, the moon sign, and the relationship among the planets and their position in the stars (see, John, I can talk mildly intelligently about the topic now!) and all that jazz.

A friend of the coworker's, whom I met for the first time last night, asked me if I was "into all that astrology stuff." I told her I like to learn, that I've learned a lot from my dear friend and brother who has studied astrology for nigh on forever and has been a tarot reader for 20 years. She had an odd expression on her face and just said "Oh." Then it came up that I am a practicing witch.

I kid you not, she put her hands up and said, "Oh, that's too much for me. No thanks."

Crazy stupid woman say what?

I let it go, because it was clearly not worth a discussion. Her nonverbals were SCREAMING "OMG OMG I'M AFEARED NOW." Yes, I just used "afeared." Deal.

It does sometimes still astonish me how closed-minded and reactive people can be about this topic. This was a fairly well educated person. And yet...

Like I said, a WTF moment.

Happy Friday?

Y is for...

Today is day twenty-five of the A to Z Challenge!

We're almost there. :-)

Today's topic is Yule, or the Winter Solstice. This is the second Sabbat of the Wheel of the Year (the first was Samhain).

Yule is the celebration of the rebirth of the God, who as I mentioned in the Samhain post, died at Samhain. It's the longest night of the year, but it is the joyful celebration of the light's return. Many of today's modern Christmas decorations and symbols do harken to the time of this pagan holiday: evergreen boughs (the Druids believed they symbolized immortality), candles (the return of light and the Sun), the Yule Log, the decorated evergreen tree.

For me, Yule is a time of celebrating what I have and the promise of a new start. It's the opportunity to thank the God and Goddess for shining Their light into my life. It is joy and laughter and music with the people who mean the most to me, my family. Yes, it is also a time of gift-giving, but it's important to remember that the gift we are giving symbolizes the gift of life of the God. By giving a gift, we are honoring the person who is receiving it, because they are important to us, and we are honoring the Divine.

U is for...

It's day twenty-one of the A to Z Challenge.

I'm going to talk about Unicorns today. Originating in European folklore, the unicorn is a mythical creature, often described as a white horse with a spiral horn emanting from its forehead. Some stories described it as having a goat's beard, cloven hooves, and a lion's tail.

The unicorn gained popularity in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. It was believed to be a fiercely wild, graceful and pure beast, unable to be tamed save by a virgin. The alicorn, or the horn of the unicorn, possessed magical properties to heal sickness and cure any poison.

In many pagan traditions, the unicorn is a symbol of purity and innocence. It may represent the innocent joy of childhood, for example. As their horns were believed to have healing properties, you could invoke a unicorn for healing.

Interesting fact: the horn of the narwhal was often ground and sold as a ground alicorn.

So, touching back on the innocence of youth part... :-)

When I was little and we were stationed in West Berlin, I read every book in my school library. One of my all time favorites was The Unicorn Treasury by Bruce Coville. It's an anthology of poems, short stories, and book excerpts whose subject matter is unicorns. I could not get enough of this book as a child. I checked it out over and over. As an adult, it's one of a very select number of childrens' books that I sought out and bought. Thank goodness for Amazon, who had it!

Do you have any interesting unicorn stories, dreams, or memories? Or do you prefer a different mythological beast?

S is for...

It's day nineteen of the A to Z Challenge!

Today's topic is Samhain. In my household, Samhain has two meanings.

First, it's the first Sabbat in the Wheel of the Year. It's considered the pagan new year. Samhain falls on 31 October, when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest and when the Lord dies so he will be reborn at Yule. Samhain is a very reflective and personal holiday. It's a time when we examine ourselves as honestly as possible and decide what the things are that we need to release or shed. It's when our old self dies so that our new self can progress. It is also a time of sacrifice, because the Lord sacrifices himself so that his rebirth can occur. Sometimes, in order for us to move forward, we have to sacrifice something - a long-held habit, an old belief, a relationship that once brought joy and now only brings sorrow. I mentioned the veil between worlds being at its thinnest? Well, Samhain is a great time for divinatory work because of that thinness. Set a place at your table to honor your ancestors, those who have already crossed to Summerland, and ask for their guidance for the coming year.

The other meaning is my baby girl, Samhain.

Damn adorable, isn't she?

My Samhain came to me by pure happenstance. She was found in Occoquan and rescued by 13 Magickal Moons. I was taking classes at the time and got to meet her. I thought she was darling, but I had lost my Sheltie earlier that year and I'd always believed myself to be more of a dog person than a cat person.

 My Gaia Athena was a beautiful girl. I loved her fiercely for 10 wonderful years. She was loyal and playful and a little weird. So, a perfect fit for me. I miss her every day.

Well, Samhain was having none of my "I'm not a cat person" rhetoric. She would sleep on my purse until it was time for me to leave. She would climb in my lab while I was sitting and talking with Samantha and the other store owners. The final straw, though, happened one afternoon, around Samhain (the holiday). One of the old store owners was holding her; the woman came over to talk to me and, while we talked, Samhain climbed out of the woman's arms and into mine. She looked up at me with her pretty little panther face and pretty eyes and, for a moment, I saw my Gaia baby. I knew that I was not only meant to bring this little black ball of fur home, but that Gaia was okay with it.

Hallo.

If you're read Pieces of the Soul, you know I grieved hard. You also know that I love my Samhain just as fiercely.

Every Samhain in my house is a little extra special, because it's when I honor the memory of Gaia and I honor that Samhain came into my life.

R is for...

It's day eighteen of the A to Z Challenge!

On this eighteenth day of the challenge, our subject will be reiki.

Reiki is universal healing energy. One who had been trained, has received several attunements, and has mastered the symbols is called a Reiki Master.

Energy healing can take different forms. It can occur through raising energy (like in a drum circle) and then directing the energy towards a specific person or place (like the city of Boston). Energy healing can occur through the "laying on of hands," also this kind of energy healing involves directing one's own energy into a person or place for healing. As such, it's very draining.

Reiki, on the other hand, is tapping into the energy of the universe and then directing it for healing purposes. If you give reiki, you also get reiki (I love that part). It doesn't require physical contact. Meaning, reiki can be sent from a distance. This means I can send reiki to my sister, Lana, in Arizona AND to my sister, Nikki, in Myrtle Beach without getting tired and needing to recharge.

Do your homework. Meet with a reiki master and see how comfortable you are with them. If you aren't comfortable, move on to someone else. Reiki is like any other healing practice: boundaries should be well defined, expectations should be clear, and confidentiality paramount. It's also emotional, hence stressing being comfortable with the person sending/giving it.

Namaste and bright blessings in your healing journey!

K is for...

Hello, and welcome to day eleven of the A to Z Challenge!

Today's topic is knitting.

Thus far in A to Z, we've covered a pretty eclectic sampling of interests in my spunky little corner of the world. Today, we're going to be exploring one of my creative outlets.

When I was little, I'd watch my mom make afghans for servicemen and women who served under her, primarily when they were expecting a child. It was soothing, watching her knit - the sound of the needles as they brushed against each other, seeing the individual skeins of yarn blend to create a new pattern of color.

It wasn't until I was in high school, she taught me to knit. I made my first blanket over a series of weeks. I even took it to school to work on after completing my midterms. I can remember sitting in my Biology class, waiting for everyone else to finish with the exam, and knitting.

I've since taught my sister the basics of knitting and she has long since surpassed me in skill. I've never made anything other than a blanket. One of these days, I might learn. Maybe. I still enjoy making blankets. I enjoy seeing the possibilities and picking the colors and then being either pleasantly surprised when it's better than I expected or, in two cases, horrified by how awful and frighteningly bad it can be.

My current project is an Elemental blanket for the element of Air. My sister, Riz, and I did some several years ago. The Earth blanket didn't turn out right; she and I disagreed on what colors to use in the Air blanket (she made it, so it was yellow and white). While Yellow is traditionally the color used to represent Air, that's never worked for me. The Spirit blanket was an in-reality-absolute-nightmare result, although the concept was good. Plus, she gave away the Water blanket (that's a whole, long drama that I'll spare you) despite it being PERFECT. I decided to recreate the Elemental blankets, starting with Air.

Yes, that is a huge knitting needle. It's a size 50.

I decided to start with Air because it's my primary element (Gemini is an Air sign). Plus, I wanted to prove to my sister that it would be as cool as I thought. Damn, if I wasn't right. She wants it now, ha! 

I'm about two-thirds done.

Color scheme is supposed to be like a stormy, cloudy sky...

 Next up will be either Earth or Water. I'm torn because I really want to see if the yarn I picked this time for Earth is better than the last one (the color scheme was like camo and I do not *do* camo). I also really want to see how Water turns out because it has blues and I think it's going to be really, really pretty. Well, we'll see.

Do you do crafty things with your hands (besides write, for all you writers out there)?

I is for...

Hello, and welcome to day nine of the A to Z Challenge!

Today's topic is Imbolc. Imbolc is one of the eight solar holidays, or Sabbats, that witches and Wiccans celebrate during the Wheel of the Year. In witchcraft, we honor the life cycles of the Goddess through the phases of the moon. We honor the cycles of the God through the Sabbats. Four fall on known solar holidays (Winter Solstice or Yule, Vernal Equinox or Ostara, Summer Solstice or Litha, and Autumnal Equinox or Mabon). The other four are sometimes referred to as the cross-quarters, and fall on specific dates: Samhain (31 October), Imbolc (2 February), Beltane (1 May), and Lughnasadh (sometimes called Lammas), on 2 August.

Imbolc is the first hint of spring, before the weather changes and after the days start to lengthen (this starts at Yule, or the Winter Solstice). Imbolc is a time of new beginnings, the first plantings of crops, and this makes it an ideal time for dedication or initiation.  The goddess mostly often associated with this holiday is Brighid (interesting, I know, given that it's supposed to be celebrating the life cycle of the  God, yes?) Witchcraft is about the balance between the two, the Lord and Lady, and you cannot honor one without honoring the other. While Brighid is the goddess often associated with this holiday (especially in historical contexts), we honor the God in his youthful or Wild One phase: freely playing, exploring, creating, and reveling in the magic of being.

For me, this Imbolc was an opportunity to rededicate myself not only to the Divine, but also to writing.

For you witches out there, what was meaningful about Imbolc for you? For you non-witches out there, did you learn something new today? :-)

Sedona

So, this is post 2 in the vacation in Arizona series.

When last I left you, my small but loyal readers, I had safely arrived in Arizona with my sisters and niece. And some seriously impressive views.

We started our first day in Sedona early. By early, I mean sunrise.

View from our hotel

How gorgeous is that, I ask you?

We had a very busy day.  We had a lot places to hit.

Here's one, from the trail.

We hiked around Cathedral Rock and took a zillion pictures.

Okay, maybe only approximately 400, but still. A lot of pictures.

Om

 I got to meditate at one of the energy vortexes. It was a truly amazing experience and there are not words for how clear and strong and peaceful I felt after my meditation ended.

I was skeptical going to Sedona, hearing all this talk about "energy spots" and how "amazing the energy is" there. Anyone in the pagan community will understand when I say it sounded "woowoo" to me. For a witch, I have a pretty good head on my shoulders. I'm practical, I think things through, and if it sounds to out there... well, let's just say I am not one to jump on the bandwagon.

I don't know if it's healing, or if the energy spots can really be "masculine" or "feminine" (seriously, I saw a website that said that). What I do know is that I felt great while we were there. I felt amazing after meditating. That's good enough for me.




We also went to the Chapel of the Holy Cross, which was very small, but absolutely lovely.

We ate lunch at a fantastic restaurant at the Tlaquepaque shopping area. I had flautas. They were awesome. Yum. Sorry, distracted. Where was I?

We did a lot of shopping, actually. More interesting, however, was the fun before lunch and shopping. We stopped by Center for the New Age. Yes, we did some shopping there, too. We (and by we, I mean Riz and me) got our auras photographed.

Take a moment. Go ahead and read it again. I know. I just finished telling you I had a pretty good head on my shoulders and that I don't really go for that woowoo crap. Now I'm telling you I got a picture taken of my aura.

Oh, there has to be a really inappropriate joke there somewhere, but I just can't think of it.

Well, it helped that the woman who took the photos and then reviewed them with us, Jamie, was also quite grounded and practical. I sat on a little sofa, placed my hands on some biofeedback plates, and *SNAP*, photo done. Then she went over it with me.

I am, apparently, the poster child for aura photos. So said Jamie. This is because all the things that she saw for my 'life path' I was already doing. BOO. YAH. That's right. I'm awesome.

What? I am.

Next up was Rizzie and she was dead on the mark about her, too. Two for two. Not one iota off. I must admit, I was impressed. So. If you go to Sedona, have an aura reading with Jamie. I'd love to hear what you think!

Aren't they cute?

Of course, the best part of the day was that it was spent with Lana and Mia.

Mia is full of energy and a super expressive face. She had us in stitches ALL DAY LONG. Seriously.

All day.

Sigh. I miss her.






Well, on that sad note... I think I'll wrap up Day 2 of the Arizona vacation. Tune in for the next installment!