By Fire Well and Tree

 Well, of course I got behind. But instead of giving up (as I am so close!) we'll just get caught up um...soon. :)  Cheating a BIT today, and using my "standard" daily devotional prayers, maybe punching them up a bit.  On most days it's a quick saying of the last two lines (bolded), but if I have time it's the full thing.   Nature Spirits Spirits of Rock and Soil of Leaf and Stem Of Skin and Blood Of Light and Shadow of Hearth and Home Natures spirits I give thanks for the night And ask your blessings, protection, and wisdom for the day.

 Oops, I missed last night. Stormy the cat was INSISTENT that I put my tablet away for some laptime.  So I am doubling up. Prayer #1 is for last night's new moon.  I like to merge ideas from a variety of sources for my lunar rites (when I do them....that's another post...). I look to 1) the moon names from various indigenous tribes.  I am on their land. I am living with their spirits, ancestral and otherwise.  When I go to someone's house, I like to follow their rules and customs, and frankly I see this as no different. (If you want a lecture on what the term "appropriation" ACTUALLY means, the tl;dr is...this isn't it, but I'm happy to go on at length in the comments if anyone wants to go there...) So first, this is the Beaver Moon, attributed in one source to the Algonquin. Technically they lived north of here (side project...figuring out those that are more locally specific).  The Almanacs that have adopted these talk about the full moon, but I'ma t...

It has been a while.  We had a death in the family.  And I could not regain my equilibrium to be able to do my spiritual work.  That is, of course, the time one most needs it...however that is also easy to say and believe when you are not living it. So this evening, after the grove rite, after my spouse had gone to bed, I decided to do some work.  I actually decided after the latest death of a family member of a friend.  This year, 2015, has been particularly hard in this realm.  People I know have lost loved ones.  WE lost a loved one.  I had decided I was quite done with all this loss and was going to give the Lord of the Dead a piece of my mind. I drummed myself to the Underworld, this time trying to be purposeful and methodical as I went through the steps.  (I tend to jump from place to place, or "bamph" as one friend called it.  I always feel I should slow down though.)  I got to the bridge, crossed, found the gate open as ...