The ceremony that Seshat’s Voice and I cooked up for Litha went wonderfully well. I certainly gained a lot from it, and I really felt listened to…. we did some serious work.
I hope everyone’s ceremonies were as fruitful, revitalising and fulfilling as ours turned out to be!
Bright blessings!
To all my dear friends, blessings, for the Midsummer times are here.
We light the fires of the Summer sun upon the Earth; we sing of the green and the darkness under the trees.
We give thanks, for the cool waters, for the waters from the sky and the waters under the Earth. Thanks for the fires of the Sun and the fires we kindle on the ground. Thanks for the cool air, that lofts the birds and the scents of Summer. Thanks for the warm and fertile Earth, that bears our weight and the life we depend upon.
Goddess, I hail you; triumphant queen of the Midsummer night. You are the subtle moon past full, the silver grasses before the wind, the whispering oak. Lead me out to know the dark and the life you hold so gently by. Cradle me in the stillness at your centre; help me know.
God, I hail you; glorious king. Stand upon the Earth, crowned by the Sun. Now one with your Goddess, spring forward and lead me, Lord of inspiration, fire and feeling. Show me new paths.
As the year burns and the wheel turns, guide us all in love and care; help us fight and be valorous for what is good. Give us the power and the heart to choose the right path, no matter how hard it is to follow.
So Mote It Be!
Bright blessings to all this Midsummer’s Eve.
This last two weeks has been an interesting time. I believe that one should question one’s faith, and not just every now and again; one should seek to constantly be asking questions, challenging assumptions, posing conundrums. This is how we learn, this is how we grow, this is how we avoid the complacency, spiritual sloppiness and arrogance that dogs so many.
Belief isn’t blind; well, not thinking, intelligent belief, at any rate. I know plenty of people of faith who have never read around their subject, who have no three-dimensional view of the space they inhabit, who have never considered an opposing view to the ideas they hold so dear.
If I seek to be challenged, am I playing devil’s advocate, or am I trying my best to understand my place in the world? I think I am.
If I listen, does that make me a weaker person?
I think, unequivocally, not.
I am so refreshed by the renewed ability to think, to argue respectfully with others. I miss this! The last time I got any serious work done on this front was at University. As now, I generally took the lonely path off into the wilds, but learned a lot along the way. I’m cracking my knuckles with glee every time I approach the keyboard now - I want to be up and writing. This renewed vigour is a gift from the Goddess and the God; I am not going to waste it.
This religion seems to emphasise self-discovery, learning, questions and revelation. It focusses on development, on balance, on intelligence. Looking at oneself and the world in this different, stringent way takes guts and it takes character. If you don’t have these qualities in abundance, you soon develop them, or drop by the wayside.
At risk of being a johnny-one-note, I keep coming back to this issue of faith; what is faith’s intrinsic value, and what does it bring to the table other than a vague feeling of well-being? I know what I think; in fact, some of you might well be bored to tears hearing about it! This is, however, a fundamental underpinning to all we do here; if we profess faith, we should be prepared to defend it, if necessary. And if faith is a major component in our Craft, which it is not for some, then we likewise might be called upon by our own brethren to say why.
My feet are firm, I feel strong; the sun is coming up and the breeze off the hills is in my face; I’m on the Road.
Like everyone, we were out in the garden and in the fields this weekend- just too gloriously perfect and hot to be inside, blogging!
I was reading the Llewellyn’s 2008 Magical Almanac in a quiet moment, and there was an excellent article about connecting with the earth. You can’t do this at the keyboard, but I think that many try to. You’ve got to get grubby and feel the soil upon which you stand between your toes. So that piece of reading made me think.
Then, as so often happens, I was given an amazing book about living off the land - ‘Animal, Vegetable, Miracle’ by Barbara Kingsolver (thanks again, M!!). She makes the point early on in the work that there are many children today who have no idea of the life-cycle of a plant, from sprout to flower to seeds, or indeed where vegetables come from. Less so in Britain, perhaps; but in America, there is a whole generation who find the idea that vegetables grow in dirt awful and unhygienic. See also this great post from Starhawk which expands on this point. And that’s all before you start explaining where meat comes from. Animals? Prepare for litigation - you’re traumatising my child!
All the work we did in the garden this weekend got me thinking about food production. We eat quantities of salads and tomatoes all summer long. Why not grow them ourselves? We live in the heart of a busy city - what better way of taking something back than using the free sunlight, water and dirt and producing something worthwhile? I have a blind spot where vegetable growing is concerned. If it’s a plant to please and smell nice, I can manage it. If it actually has to serve a useful purpose, well, something breaks down and I can’t see the point. If you analyse this as an attitude, it’s simply bizarre. So enough shilly-shallying! The thought of being able to gorge ourselves on flavoursome, juicy, tomatoey tomatoes (and face it, when can we buy those is Britain??) as well as putting up gallons of tomato sauce for the winter seems to be enough of an incentive. Plus basil, peppers and chillis and you have all the raw materials for hundreds of tasty meals.
At a stroke we could: reduce the food miles of the salad and tomatoes to nil. Produce properly organic salad vegetables, with probably enough spare to give away or barter for other things. Learn about heritage and rare varieties and grow for flavour, something commercial tomato growers fail to do.
Above all, we’re putting in place a system of seasonal growth for benefit and food, which will teach us more about our land and the uses it can be put to; and it will teach our young sprout that food doesn’t come from the supermarket - it comes from the earth.
My parcel from the online garden store turned up this afternoon, while I was having a coffee with an old colleague who turned up to fit a new Sky dish (this town is so small… the last time I saw him we were working at the same car dealership!).
The parcel was a great excuse to get out into the garden and dig. My son covered himself in mud and water, happy as a sandboy, and I planted a Viburnum opulis, which comes out in large white pompom flowers, and has red berries in winter; 6 Kniphofia, or Red Hot Pokers, 3 Dahlia sensation, a Blueberry bush and 6 assorted lucky dip tall perennials. The garden can only benefit - and that goes double for me.
The lawn goes down in the next month. I can’t wait until I have a lawn, so I can lie under my Rowan tree and look up at the sky through the leaves. Looking up at the sun, the clouds, the moon and stars…
I’m looking forward, also, to being able to use the garden far more as a room. None of the rooms in the house has ever felt quite right as a ritual space - I feel that the garden might do very well in this regard. Plenty of lanterns, plenty of night-scented plants, plenty of shelter, plenty of privacy. Perfect. And I can chalk a pentagram on the terrace.
My co-attendees at the lecture were S and K, who cooked me dinner afterwards. Absolutely lovely to see them - and looking forward now to Beltane and another gathering!!
I was thinking about the folk I know on this path; all of them have developed or are exploring handcrafts or talents, small and large. Dear Fox has opened Shades of Midnight, her new online shop, and her beautiful wares sing out her care and her good thoughts for those that buy them. I look at beweaver’s amazing and intricate embroideries and applique work, and marvel at the intricacy and the attention required to produce it. Witchypoo’s hand dyed and spun wools are made into gorgeous and useful knitted items. Glen and Willow Goldentree and their wonderful work in wood. PiedPiper can turn her hand to most anything; crochet, embroidery, knitting and painting.
The making of these items serve multiple purposes for the maker; it’s art, and abstractly beneficial as creative expression, it’s a form of therapy and of positive use of creative ideas that might otherwise go to waste; it’s a form of worship for the Goddess, using Her gifts for her further glory, and finally it’s a means of making a little money. That item was purposefully last; I don’t think any of these people seek to make money only from these things; it’s a tangential benefit at most.
Cruising about the net I have come across many sites where people seek to make money directly from the Craft. For example, the sale of spells and so forth. Have a read of this person’s site and look at some of her wares for sale. Apparently, love, a better figure and so on are just a haunted ring away.
I really dislike this. It seems to me to be completely at odds with our spiritual aims. It’s like selling Holy Water. In the Middle Ages priests would be charged with the crime of Simony - illegally selling Masses. What is this except for peddling the divine, brokering the link in order to make a quick buck? There’s no difference at all between this and selling your services as a witch.
I’m seeking actively to develop my skills in the creative sphere… I’m no great shakes but I can turn out a nice prayer string and take a good photo. Perhaps, if I hit on a real talent or unique product, I could think of selling them. But I’d never offer what few skills I have as a witch in return for money. It’s a dirty bargain, and even if I got paid, I have a feeling I’d come off worst in the deal.
I’d like to know how those that do sell spells and so on feel about what they do. How do they justify it? If you can buy spells and charms on Ebay, then you know that the market must be there! And what about those that buy? One site I found had hundreds of satisfied customers. Am I alone in finding this ever so slightly bizarre? Perhaps these people are the modern cunning men and women, providing magical help in return for considerations in cash or in kind. Whatever, I still don’t like it.
Forgot, in my general air of pervasive sturm und drang, that I spent a little of yesterday moving irises to their new home in the garden, from a patch of earth we’re turning back into a lawn. The wind was bending the rowan tree above me; the sun was warming my back and drying the earth as I dug. That was my Eostre. Right there - surrounded by the garden that I love which is made to the glory of the Goddess. Silly me!
Thank the Goddess, mine arrived yesterday!
The Mercian Gathering is a three day pagan camp and moot run by the Hearth of Arianrhod; luckily for me it’s within 2 hours drive and I can’t wait for it. A whole weekend under canvas, eating rubbish and doing witchy things with my witchy friends and colleagues. Stamping about in boots and drinking mead and dancing, drumming, praying and learning. Buying too much on the wonderful craft stalls. Getting Reiki done. Having my face painted and acting like an eight-year old.
It’s a wonderful chance to meet new people and to relax. And believe me, people, I need to relax. Those that know me say it’s my worst feature, my lack of calm.
Well, we must wait till September; but there’s a load of wonderful things happening before that. I would like to make Mercian 2008 the pinnacle of a really good witch-year for me. I’ve earned it!
My dear PiedPiper has given me a real gem, a present beyond price - while we were out together over the weekend, she secretly snuck away and chose me a fluorite egg, perfect and small, able to be hidden in the hand, and with a universe of refraction and inclusions to meditate upon. It is such a positive little stone, and so powerful, it doesn’t need to be any bigger. I feel it to be extremely comforting.
I have been carrying it in my trouser pocket this morning, letting it warm and attune; this sort of thing never used to be my province but I find myself persuaded. If a concerned friend provides you with an amulet on which their concern is focussed, and you feel it to be doing you good, then there’s no downside. I only wish a picture could be posted; but it would be impossible to show how beautiful it is.
