By Fire Well and Tree

Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/books-in-black-wooden-book-shelf-159711/ I am not sure why I stopped posting... I think I was getting towards where I started the astrology/moon stuff, and thought "Why would I just keep posting the same thing over and over? People can use the labels to look for stuff in they want."  BUT... then I had no idea what I'd even talk about.   And I still don't really, but I am inspired today by a discussion I had this week.  We are starting "newby meetups" at  The Shop .  For some reason there's a huge gap of basic knowledge of Neopaganism.  Part of that, I think, is social media related.  But when I first became interested and then involved, the Internet was barely out of its Bitnet pre-cursor, and the World Wide Web hadn't even been invented. And while that seems like stone-age time technology-wise, it really was only 30 years ago.  So there were two ways to learn.  One, find someone who knew st...

  Day 1:  Offerings to the Fro Ing and Frea, and the corn dolly from my garden.   You can't see it, but the green and yellow candles ARE lit, just super small flames (wick problems).I got Yarrow as an omen. The crystal grid is basically a calendar, with the stone for Haelig (Mabon) on the top (and for the first quarter moon on the inner circle).  The new corn dolly is under the black tulle, kind of. Yay, it's here! As of Saturday (9/23) at 2:50 in the morning Even though my favorite 'slice' of the pie that makes up the Wheel of the Year is now over, officially, I don't dislike autumn.  There's all sorts of secular things I love about this time of year: football, pumpkin spice lattes (don't hate), finishing up the harvest of my garden and cleaning it up for the winter, watching the leaves change color... I swear it's like Mother Earth is putting on her own chunky cardigan. Also I love chunky cardigans. I also love that it's still warm enough to be out...

Borage  Hello!! Post festival droop is a real thing. I had wanted to do a review of the latest  festival I attended, Sirius Rising, but I jumped right into a surprise party planning and execution, and juggling family and misdirection, and haven't had a chance to really GROUND back in to the mundane.  I'll be heading to another one next week, so I need to get some stuff off the blog-plate. First, we moved into both a new calendar month and a new spot on the wheel of the year, at the same time.  The rune pulled at Yule for August was Ingwaz which is about the best rune you could pull for the beginning of the harvest!  Literally the name of an Anglo-Saxon deity, and associated also with Freyr, this rune can sometimes be about fertility but also about the frith and fellowship that comes with the harvest. This is the time for fairs, and I'll do another post some day comparing ancient and modern fairs, but both are about larger communities coming together, to meet, to...

  Photo by Dylan Leagh: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-highland-cattle-on-grass-8954113/ At the new moon, we will actually still be in Aries, and the sun and moon will be conjunct. It is not until April 21 that both move into Taurus, and barely conjunct at that point, I think?  We also had a solar eclipse.  I know there are some who are iffy about eclipse magic, and others think it gives your magic and extra boost. Either way, you can choose to honor the Aries or Taurus.  As I (hopefully) remembered to mention last month, New Moons in Aries represent energy, enthusiasm, and new beginnings. Check your house for where.   New Moons in Taurus focus on the "seeds" planted last month to take root.  Stability, sensuality, and values are part of this sign, and Venus as its ruler brings to mind love, comfort and security. Look to your house placement and see where these seeds are to be nurtured. You could also split that difference. Raise the energy for the new...

For many Neopagans the new year starts on Samhain on October 31.  Because I'm trying to follow a more lunar calendar, my "new year" is going to arrive at the New Moon on October 25 (at 6:49 in the morning).   Moon and month names My usual caveats apply.  This is my interpretations of what I try to focus on in my life, and I hope it's useful. Even though some names may get connected with other moon phases, I start to work with the energies at the new moon, and go throughout to the next. Your mileage will almost certainly vary, and that is as it should be. The Coligny Calendar of the Gauls (and Three Cranes Grove) identifies this month, and this Druid Moon as "Cantlos."  "Cantlos" translates as "Song Month." We have celebrated this many ways, all having to do with singing. From the Farmer's Almanac, we are also entering Beaver Moon.  According to the  Almanac , this the time when beavers were seen to head into their lodges to take shelt...

  Okay, you're right. they're all my favorite.  But Imbolc is different! No, I really mean it.  Imbolc holds many memories of awesomeness on my path, as does my relationship with Brigid (or Bridhe or whichever other spelling you want.) When I first embarked on this path, it was because I wanted to be more familiar with the spirituality of my ancestors. my immediate ancestors were varieties of Christian (Evangelical, Catholic, or Methodist) but i wanted to go back further. One branch was Irish and since that was the cool white ethnicity i explored it. The others were varieties of German and English, which in my mind had historical baggage i didn't then want to engage with. So from the beginning, Bridhe was it.  even when I meandered into heathenry later (having made some peace with that ancestry) and even Vodoun for a bit, she was a constant.  I became a  flame keeper  (next shift February 11).  I made sure I had a fire pit at my new home, I have t...

 This is not the prayer I wanted to write today. :'( Photo by  Polina Kovaleva  from  Pexels Gods of Justice You who hold the balance of the scales You who know that when one dips too low, the other must also dip low to rebalance Unless the other does not  The scales will tip back and forth And slowly settle Unless something disturbs them again Let your voices be heard  In the ears of those angered In the manner in which they will accept your words "Someone must be the first. No matter who started it Someone must say enough And not pile more on their pan And set the tilt in motion again Be the first." So be it.

 Last night was the Witches Ball, put on by  The Magical Druid  which was a lot of fun, but also a late night, so I again found myself behind. This and the last post should put me up to date.   Even though I had to double up, I'm kinda happy I've kept up with it :)  So.... I call out to my ancestors To reach out and join with the ancestors of my community I call out to the spirits of my land Join your blessings with those spirits of my community's lands I call out to my gods Join with the gods of my community to protect us all We are few in number when compared with the whole Yet we connect with land, sea, and sky The core of the earth and the vastness of the cosmos We are strong for our numbers May we use that strength well In service to the spirits And more importantly, each other So be it.