Lyn Thurman February, 2010

Here in the UK we’ve had, so far according to the weathermen, the worst winter for 30 years.  A few days of snow brought much of the country to a standstill with people stranded in their cars and schools shut for days.

It was the first time my children (the eldest is 11) experienced what it was like to walk in snow and ice.  And yet when I was a child snow was a regular part of winter and I remember, not fondly, walking to school with cold, wet feet and wishing for the sun to reappear.  I have to confess to feeling pretty much the same way as an adult.

But with this rather unexpected winter-like behaviour in winter, it got me to think about the cycle of the seasons and how winter is a truly beautiful time of the year.

On the first day of snowfall the world as I knew it turned white.  A pure, brilliant white made from millions of unique flakes that had danced down from the heavens to land on the earth.  The ground, trees, cars, roofs were all covered indiscriminately.  And everything was chilled, frozen, in stasis.

It’s during this season when we’re all given a fresh start.  It’s the time to move with nature at her slowest pace; to hibernate away from the cold and to reflect on what you want to achieve during the coming warmer months.  We need to take our cues more from Mother Earth and dance her dance.

The snow didn’t last very long here – it was gone in just over a week.  And although it did cause some disruption, I enjoyed the opportunity to experience both the bitterness and beauty of the season.

Tags: thoughts, view, witch

• Articles

Hearthkeeper October, 2009

Blessed Samhain all of you and Blessed Beltane for those in the Southern Hemi. Wow has it really been a year… I started writing these article last October.. and how scared I was that they would bomb… but you seem to like them and I enjoy writing them for you..  so here we go..

Here is some basic Samhain correspondences to work with

Oct. 31st – Samhain (All Hallow’s Eve)

Altar Decorations: Pumpkins, gourds, seasonal fruits and flowers, a statue of the Triple Goddess in her Crone phase, broom, acorns.

Herbs:, dittany, flax, heather, mandrake, mullein, oak leaves, sage and straw, mugwort.

Spices: Thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper,  poultry seasoning

Incense: sage, apple, mint, nutmeg

Gods & Goddess’: The Crone, Hecate (fertility, moon-magic, protectress of all Witches), Morrigan (Celtic Goddess of death), Cernunnos (Celtic fertility God) and Osiris (Egyptian God who represents death and rebirth).

Colors: Black, Orange, Red, White

Gemstones: onyx, obsidian, hematite

Food: Apples, Pumpkin pie, nuts, cranberry(scones or muffins), ale, cider, mugwort tea, mead and meat

Tree: Birch, oak, alder and walnut

This Sabbat as well as the whole month of October is a time of change. The veil is thinning and contact with our ancestors is becoming easier and divinations of all kinds seem to work better now. It is customary to set an extra place at your supper table on Samhain Eve in honor of the departed. This is not a scary time, rather a time when the veil is thin and we can spend time with the spirits in warmth and love.

But this is also a time for the living. A time to prepare for the cold season, harvest the last of the summer crops and save them for next year, a time for family and friends to become closer, planning inside activities to enjoy while it snows; a time for cleaning and settling in, for putting away the summer and storing for next year.

So we will start here… contacting the ancestors and go on from there

Samhain Meditation

To prepare for this meditation, have your cauldron or bowl ready.

If you will be outdoors have small sticks that you can light for a fire in the cauldron.

If indoors, a votive, and a fire brick to put under your cauldron.

Place paper and pen near the cauldron.

Visualize yourself walking in a place of nature. This may be a place you already know, or it may be somewhere you create in your mind. Be aware of the crispness of autumn, the chill in the air, the changing colors of the leaves, the seeds that fall from dying flowers, the pine cones and acorns underfoot. As you walk, you come to a stone circle with a low stone altar with a large cauldron sitting on it in the center. On the altar you see articles that you know belonged to, your deceased ancestors, family members, and friends.

Next to the cauldron is a small collection of wood ready to be lit. Light the fire. (Or candle, if indoors).

This is your opportunity to contact anyone from your family, or among your friends, that you wish. Think of why you want to contact them. Is there any unfinished business with anyone that you would like to take care of now? Do you wish to ask forgiveness of anyone? Is there someone you need to forgive? Do you want to tell someone how much you love them and miss them? Do you wish to ask for help or guidance?

Next to the cauldron you see paper and pen. Sit quietly, take your time, and write letter. Allow yourself to experience any emotions that arise as you do this. When you have finished your letter or letters, burn them in the cauldron. As the flame turns them into smoke, know that as the smoke rises it carries your message. (If indoors, be careful).

Take a few more minutes to sit quietly before the cauldron. The cauldron represents the womb of the earth,  to which we return in death to await rebirth. Gaze into it. This is a time to receive messages. Take your time. You may have a thought, or image, come into your mind. You may receive the answer to a question, or be given some wise advice. You may not get your answer right now, it may take a few hours or even days for you to understand.

When you are ready to leave thank your ancestors for the help they have given, tell them you love them and know they will be there for you always.. Leave the circle, returning by the same path you took before. Take the blessings of the cauldron of life and rebirth with you.

Samhain for Family & Friends

This is a non-ritual way to celebrate Samhain, and children can join in.

You will need:

A candle for each individual to be remembered (small birthday candles or tea lights to be very effective)

A cauldron or other fireproof container filled with sand

A photograph or other mementos, or the name of each individual written on

paper

Apples

Food including pumpkin soup, pie, and so on

Tarot cards, scrying tools, and other divination tools.

Push each candle into the sand-filled container ,light a candle for each individual to be remembered. Place the name, photos, a poem, or other memento against the container of candles. When all are done, welcome the family members that have passed to come and share the feast with you.

After, when everyone is full, read poems, play music, sing, or whatever you like to entertain each other. Any children present may want to put on impromptu plays or read their own poems aloud.

Read tarot cards or practice other forms of divination.

Children may want to use an apple cut in half to make pictures, when dried you can place the names of each remembered family member in each apple..

Here is a Blessing for this sabbat.

Samhain Blessing
May the ancestors deliver blessings on you and yours…

May the New Year bear great fruits for you…
May your granted wishes be as many as the seeds falling from the maple…

May the slide into darkness bring you comfort and peace…
May the memories of what has been keep you strong for what is to be…
May this Samhain cleanse your heart, your soul, and your mind!

Until next time

Blessed Home and Hearth

The Hearthkeeper

Tags: kitchen, samhain, witch

• Articles

Willow Winterborne October, 2009

*The Hedgewitch lives in the space between the Village and the Forest. Between the mundane and the magical. S/He lives with a foot in both worlds.
This column is dedicated to the Hedgewitches of the planet earth.

Working Witch

Ever since I was a child, I have been a Healer. It began in my youth, fostered by programming from the church that it is our right to lay hands on the sick and they will be healed. I had never looked at the process any other way.
When I reached my teens, and money was slim and none, I discovered herbs and began ferreting out their secrets. Having a new weapon against dis-ease, I knew I would be a far better Healer, having both spiritual means, and physical means to help people.

Later, when I discovered my inner-witch (who clearly had been working her own magic for years, unbeknownst to me, consciously) I expanded my worldview, but my mission remained the same.
I just found that I had the ability to make change happen in other areas, as well as physical and spiritual healing.

Discernment became divination. An exorcism, cleansing and blessing. Prayers were chanted and candles and incense were lit. Energy was transferred and nothing had changed, except I now felt personally connected to the Divine, and no longer needed to attend church to fellowship, worship or petition my gods.

I had always been the sort of spiritual warrior who was called upon when someone moved into a new house, and became fearful about sprits and paranormal activities. As a Christian, my duty was clearly to remove the spirit, and restore the home to order. So, it really isn’t that different now, when I cleanse and bless. Except that I have respect for the spirit’s needs, as well.

I have been working as a part time witch for a good many years. I make medicines, read cards, run a small shop and do workings for friends of various sorts.
I never charge for my magic, though, occasionally, I will charge for some materials if I don’t have them in stock (rare. I have an extensive magical cupboard). It goes against my personal ethical construct to charge for magical workings, however I am always happy to accept token offerings from the client, as they are led.
I feel magic has been given to me, freely, and I am happy to share. I have always felt I “worked for the Universe”. And, while the paychecks aren’t steady, the benefits are out of this world.

I always insist on participation (on some level) by anyone I work or read for. Magic is best when engaged in by multiple focused partners, and this always aids in the results.

When someone I know has a problem they cannot manage on their own, through mundane channels, they come to me.

I have done UnCrossings for unfortunate friends. I have unhexed some who had been interfered with. I helped a friend find true love. I have healed numerous friends and family members and have cleansed and blessed countless homes over the years.

But, I have never felt that I was working full time, until lately.

Most recently, several serious situations have arisen in my life where I have been called upon to render magical aid. Some so serious that days worth of layers of magic have been required to remedy them.
I have been working round the clock for a week on a particularly dangerous situation, and while we have come out on the right side of it, it has been nearly all-consuming.
Today, I have been given my next assignment, and it is every inch the doozy the last one was.

It is vital that I remember to remain in my body and feel the sensations as they occur. I have been besieged with fatigue after long periods of energy transfer. I have had to remember to put some energy back. My dreams have been loaded with powerful images, so even while I am sleeping, my spirit is working these things through.
I have been trying to be mindful to eat when I am hungry and to keep my husband fed, during the course of things.

I can tell things have changed on some deeper level, because my husband has asked me for the help on one very specific occasion, and this is completely out of character. He knows I work for people, sometimes. He also knows that there are altars and candles in places, and that this means something. But he never knows what, and we don’t discuss it at all.
He just finally came to a place where he could not solve a serious problem through mundane means, and believed that I could help him with this one. He believed that there was some bad magic afoot and knew that I can help with things like this.

It was a amazing thing, to have him ask me to help him using my magic. He has not made a peep about the incense which burns nearly round the clock. He hasn’t mentioned the strange collections of things on the coffee table out in plain sight. He has been enormously supportive of the work, and has respected the sacred space.
It is its own miracle in the life of a working witch, married to a pagan-friendly but not pagan mate.

My work in his situation has been successful, and he is a believer more now than ever of my “hocus pocus” (to his credit, he did finally stop calling it that the first time I made a healing salve that cured absolutely everything it touched, including a major second degree burn he suffered).

With some spells coming to an end, and new ones being formulated, and worked, I find my life has changed. I am working full time for the Universe. Just as I sort of always wanted to.
As I said, the paychecks aren’t steady. But the benefits…who can argue with miraculous abundance?! Not this witch.

I know the life of a working witch is not for everyone. But I believe if you have a gift, it is up to you to share it with those who do not. Even if you are in a place where the idea of someone asking you to help them through magical means seems absurd, just wait.
People tend to notice what we can do. And even the pooh-poohers come around when they need some help they can’t ask anyone else for.

If you are open to this life, it will find you, and you will have more work to do that you have time for. I only know this, because it has happened to me.

Praying you all are finding work for your magical hands to do!
Bright Blessings!

Tags: hedge witch, witch, working

• Articles

Willow Winterborne September, 2009

*The Hedgewitch lives in the space between the Village and the Forest. Between the mundane and the magical. S/He lives with a foot in both worlds.
This column is dedicated to the Hedgewitches of the planet earth.

September 2009
Harvest Time!!!

It is that profoundly magical season of harvest here in the hedge, and the abundance has amazed me beyond my wildest dreams.
My garden has been a constant source of joy and lessons learned.
The watermelon and cantaloupes, unsown by me, came to life on their own, because we left the seedlings where they sprouted.

It was a teetering balance of my way, and Nature’s way.
In the end, I caved completely and allowed the weeds and plants to grow side by side.
The weeds provided a soft landing spot for the pumpkins and melons, and they had perfect skin as a result.

And as I render these gifts of Nature into usable food products, whole and natural, I am reminded of the lessons of Mabon, and the feasts of Thanksgiving.
My ancestors worked diligently, nearly year round to ensure the food supplies would continue through the long months of winter.
They toiled in their gardens, hung hand-washed clothes on a line, chopped, split and stacked wood for the ever present fires, and canned and dried fresh foods.
As I engage in these activities, even as a modern witch, I am reminded in a deep down cell-remembering way, of these industrious people who came before me. It makes my spirit rejoice to repeat the actions of my foremothers and to feel the satisfaction of having accomplished so vital a task.

In this season of harvest, I am grateful. I am reminded of all I have been blessed with, and all I anticipate to come.
The very act of growing food, harvesting and preserving it is hopeful, and spawns fresh hope when the food is consumed.
It is an opportunity to bless the stores that they might last until the next harvest, and bring needed blessings in the months to come.

Mabon is often referred to as Witch’s Thanksgiving, and for me, that is exactly how I celebrate it. I prepare a feast to celebrate the coming of the dark months of the year, the warmth of our home and the abundance of blessings contained therein.

As well as a time of joy, there is an undeniable sadness associated with this time of year, for me.
When I see a bright yellow school bus, or smell a freshly sharpened number two Ticonderoga pencil I am overcome with a wave of bittersweet nostalgia. A falling leaf; a mud puddle; a ripe orange pumpkin…these things hold a sort of wistful sadness for me.

But again, I am reminded of the time of year. The dying back. Things being cleaned, dismantled, stored for the year. Bright green things turning crisp and brown.
Of course there is sadness. It is Nature at work, and we can feel it stir in us, even before the first leaf falls.

Each year on my path, as I observe and fall into deeper rhythm with the cycles, I have a deeper appreciation for the Natural occurrences that mirror a metaphorical reality. Not a circle, for I never return to the same place again, but a spiral, which allows me to see the places I have visited before, again, with the fresh eyes of new experience.

As we raise our chalices in celebration of the season, and remember the sacrifices which were made in order to bring about not only this harvest, but those to come, may we join together to commit to care for one another. To use our abundance to bless those less fortunate.
To make humanity our business, and to care for those we find along our way.
To simplify our lives so that we have time and energy for the truly important blessings in them; the people we love and who love us.

Happy Witch’s Thanksgiving, and Happy Harvest Season to all!

May your table be heaping;
Your larder quite full;
The blessings you’re reaping,
as Autumn now pulls,
be stacked to your rafters
with plenty to share.
~May the mission we’re after
be one of Care.

Brightest Blessings of the Season

Tags: hedge, home, house, kitchen, nature, witch

• Articles

Willow Winterborne August, 2009

*The Hedgewitch lives in the space between the Village and the Forest. Between the mundane and the magical. S/He lives with a foot in both worlds.
This column is dedicated to the Hedgewitches of the planet earth.

Sitting On A Dream

I wish I had more clues to the mystery of My House to share with you. But, then, that’s what this month’s column is all about…

To sit patiently with a yearning that has not yet been fulfilled, and to trust that, that fulfillment will come, is quite possibly one of the most powerful “magic skills” that human beings are capable of. It has been noted by almost every ancient wisdom tradition.
~Elizabeth Gilbert~
(thanks for such an apt quote, SatiMidnight!)

The theme of the past month, for me, has been sitting on a dream. Knowing, waiting, believing. All without the usual “hurry!” attitude.
It is human nature to identify and then attempt to possess things which we feel are meant for us. I am very human in my pursuit of possession of My House. I do yearn to climb her stairs with baskets of folded laundry and to make a fire on her hearth. To fill her rooms with thick, perfumed smoke as I consecrate and bless her, and sleep deeply inside her walls.

Yet, as great as the temptation is to ‘wish away’ the space of time between now and the day I hold those magical keys in my hands, I have been mindful of the urgency not to.

The place I live now (a mere 3 blocks down on the same street as my beloved House), is really quite lovely. It possesses every characteristic I painstakingly added to my list when I was conjuring a new house prior to our move. Not the least of which is a brand new central air/furnace which keeps the temperature roughly 50 degrees cooler inside than out, this summer.
It also has my garden out back, which met my every criteria when I asked for it. It overflows with vegetation and the promise of an unprecedented harvest.
I really have no reason at all to even want to move, except that I know my Dream House is just 3 blocks down. So close, and yet, so far away.

In my desire to be united with My House, it has been so tempting to feel “rushed”. Like meeting your soul mate and not being able to build a relationship with them…yet.

When our family came for the long Fourth of July weekend, we were crammed to the rafters in our current modest-sized home. I spent half my time wishing we were in the spacious new House, and the other half being grateful we didn’t.
I had such trouble imagining my whole family ‘camping out’ on the first floor because the upstairs isn’t quite inhabitable, yet. Well, not by Mother-in-Law standards, anyway.
I also was grateful that the house we were all in had the glorious amenity of air conditioning, so we all slept comfortably, unlike the sweltering temps in the completely un-air-conditioned House.
I was grateful for the appliances and plumbing which accommodated the whole lot of us with well-maintained ease, unlike the new House, in which the kitchen sink shoots straight up in the air when turned on.

As I yearn to spend the evenings on the grand wide screened-in porches of the new House, I am also thankful I have a beautiful yard and bug-proof gazebo right here, 3 blocks down, to enjoy.

I have forced myself not to allow the yearning for what will be to eclipse the wonderful blessings that are now.
And it has been a challenge, to say the least.
But I know in my heart that to rush is to miss the numerous blessings along the way. To hurry is to discount the journey.
I also keep well in mind how nice it is to flip a switch and have power come flowing into my light bulbs. To enjoy clean, modern conveniences not long forgotten or having had to be scrubbed, remodeled or repaired.
The challenge to restore the Old Girl is daunting, and I know it will consume my every waking hour, not spent at work, from the day I get those keys in my hot little hands, on.

So, as I wait, to watch the mystery unfold, I remind myself, often. Life is good right now. There is no rush to the future. There is no need for haste or anxiety.
Enjoy living in this present moment. This air-conditioned reality. This solid, clean, modern home.
There will be plenty of time later for scraping walls and sweeping endless piles of remodeling dust.

I am excited for what is to come. But I will not allow it to preclude my happiness right now, in this moment.

Perhaps this is not the next-installment of the mystery I was hoping to write about. But it is the next stage of the journey that carries me closer to my Dream manifesting.
I pray that all of you are in dogged pursuit of your Dreams, and that you are taking the time to be mindful of the blessings right under your nose, as you pursue them.

Brightest Blessings All!
Willow

Tags: green, hedgewitch, home, magic, magick, witch

• Articles

Diakonissa Sr Pamela May, 2009

May has always been known as the month of Mary, the mother of Yeshua/Jesus. In fact, the main verse of a long-beloved hymn, sung during the crowning with roses of the statue of Mary in May entitled “Bring Flowers of the Rarest” is, “Oh, Mary, we crown thee with blossoms today, Queen of the angels, Queen of the May”.
There are several feast days of Mary that are celebrated in the Church in May. May 12th is the feast day of Our Lady of the Divine Shepherd, May 15th is in honor of Our Lady of Fatima, May 24th for Our Lady, Help of Christians and May 31st celebrates both Our Lady Medatrix of All Graces as well as Our Lady, Virgin and Queen.
Devotees of Mary Magdalene celebrate two beautiful feast days; May 1st is the Feast of the Sacred Bride and on May 15th, the Festival of the Sacred Marriage.  The Flowering of Divine Union, the beautiful ritual found in The Holy Book of Mary Magdalene by Jennifer Reif, may be performed on this day.
The feast day of St. Sarah the Egyptian, who to many, may very well have been the daughter of Yeshua/Jesus and Mary Magdalene is on May 24th.
All of these days may also be considered feast days of Holy Sophia as in the Esoteric, Gnostic and Christo-Pagan traditions, both Mother Mary and Mary Magdalene are considered to be either incarnations, archetypes or emanations of Sophia as both Mother/Barbelo and Daughter, however one may choose to perceive them.
May is also the traditional month of marriage.  Certainly Beltane is the Feast Day of the Sacred Marriage, the Divine Union reflected here on Earth.
Most Pagan religions had God/Goddess consorts. Isis/Osiris, Odin and Frigga (or Freya), Zeus and Hera, Mercury and Rosemerta and Yehovah and Asherah are an example of Divine Unions.
Esoterics and Christo-Pagans also have a pantheon of Divine Consorts, a Triple Divine Consort, if you will. They consist of, as emanating from the androgynous Barbelo; the Sophia/Christos, Mother Mary/Joseph and Mary/ Yeshua/Jesus.
The May Queen’s Consort, Joseph, wasn’t as much largely forgotten in dogmatic teachings, as he was separated from Her. Dogma taught us that theirs was not a marriage in the fullest sense. It was as if they were married ‘in name, only’.
Joseph no longer appears in the bible after Yeshua is twelve years old, when He is found in the temple by his parents after they had been searching for him for three days. This led us to surmise that Joseph died between the time Yeshua was twelve years old and the time he started His public ministry.  We were led to believe his death took place shortly after Yeshua was twelve. But, no-one really knows whether that was so or not. There were 18 years between that particular scene in the bible and the beginning of Yeshua’s ministry.
The May Queen and Her consort could have had a long-lasting, full and successful marriage. Or, She could have had a short and loving marriage.  The point is, the May Queen had an husband, a Divine Consort. Their marriage, as well as the marriage of Mary Magdalene and Yeshua was a bringing down to Earth in archetype of the Bridal Chamber of the Christos/Sophia.
Some scholars are now of the consideration that Yeshua/Jesus sent out his disciples in pairs of two, not as two males, but as male/female partners, consorts who preached His teachings and ministered to the people in His Name.  They are of a further mind that His teachings were actually about Sacred Partnership.  This is an area in which the author intends further study.
The Queen of the May’s joyous celebration may take place on either May 1st or May 15th. The priestess would wear a crown of roses or  other flowers in her hair and be dressed all in white.
Hymns are sung, the rosary (I substitute the word ‘children’ for ’sinners’ in the traditional Hail Mary prayer) and/or the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary (a prayerful list of Mary’s attributes) may be recited followed by the placing of a small crown of roses on the statue of the Blessed Mother Mary.  Many, at least it used to be so years ago, will carry a vase of a dozen roses or other of Her flowers into a church and place them at the base of Her statue.
Meditation could center around not only our Heavenly Queens, Sophia and the two Marys, but also the importance of Sacred Consort-ship.
Mother Mary’s colors are blue and white. Her flowers are red roses, white lilacs and white lilies.  An enclosed “Mary Garden” may be planted at this time. The garden’s flowers could include roses, violets, morning glories, summer flox and peonies.  St. John’s Wort is an herb in Her honor. Mayflowers and lily of the valley are Her wildflowers.
Rose incense and rose quartz would complete ritual items for Her feast day. An angel cake topped with strawberries would be a delicious finale to the feast.
The celebration of the Queen of the May is a living, albeit veiled, Goddess-centered tradition, a Tradition that has been continuously practiced for almost one thousand years. While stemming from the Church, it has many Pagan elements.
Our Queen also took part in a Divine Marriage. The Queen had a consort and so the Month of the Sacred Marriage reminds us to ponder Her own marriage as well as that of Her Son and Daughter-in-Law,  reflections of below and above.
A picture of the work of the artist, Claire O’Hagan in decorating the Queen of the May statue in Ireland may be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May%5FQueen.
–      Blessed Be during the Month of Our Queen.

Tags: christian, mary, witch

• Articles

Willow Winterborne May, 2009

*The Hedgewitch lives in the space between the Village and the Forest. Between the mundane and the magical. S/He lives with a foot in both worlds.
This column is dedicated to the Hedgewitches of the planet earth.

May In the Hedge: Be The Mountain

In my study of yoga, I found some underlying principles which are generally Buddhist in nature, that  fascinated me, ever since.

There are 4 basic principles:
1. Love
2. Joy
3. Compassion
4. Equinamity

Now, these first 3, I have them licked! I love love in all its many forms. I have no trouble incorporating love into my life, whatsoever.
Joy! What a wonderful gift and blessing, and I engage in active joy all the time.
Compassion- I am empathetic, so comapssion, a no brainer for me.
But when I got to equinamity… I didn’t even know what the word meant.

After looking it up, I wasn’t sure I really knew what it meant, either.

equa·nim·ity (ek’w? nim’? te)

noun
the quality of remaining calm and undisturbed; evenness of mind or temper; composure
(as copied from yourdictionary.com/equinamity)

This is not the same as being in a peaceful place. This is calmness and deep composure, despite the circumstances. No matter what.

The Buddhist description of this state of consciousness is Being the Mountain.
On the mountain, the winds blow fiercely, and the snow falls, sometimes covering the peak for months at a time.
But the mountain never responds, because it knows that all that is meant to be simply is.
The mountain doesn’t complain, or become afraid, even while glaciers might scrape its face away.
The mountain just is, regardless of the conditions.
The mountain enjoys a state of non-sentient equinamity.

Now, as a sentient being, I have considerably more trouble with this concept of equinamity.
I am rather reactive, it turns out.
I tend to fret and to become enflamed and to respond outwardly, as a rule.
So, the idea of being able to truly Be The Mountain is one so alien to my consciousness.

Yet, I am curious about it, and even sense a growing desire to be the mountian.
I have elected to actively explore this concept in my own life, and to use “Be the mountain” as a mantra when things become emotional for me. It is such an easy and basic visualization. Just Be the Mountain.

In my life, I have recently become aware of some serious problems with the folks I hold dear, and the opportunities to practice equinamity have been abundant. Organ transplants, Cancer, and serious addicition have come to call just as the winds and snow call on the mountain. This is my time to practice.

In my case, the ‘winds’ are always accompanied by a physical sensation. A tightening of the chest. An unconscious holding of the breath. My muscles tighten and seem to be bracing for something.
As I become aware of the stress building in my body, I am reminded to recognize the sensation, and underlying emotions and then release them through the breath.
In this way, I give myself permission to notice my thoughts and feelings, and then allow the sensations of response to pass from me.
I am not holding my stress in parts of my body which then suffer physically for it.

To practice equinamity is not to be unaware, or in denial, about the conditions. It is to acknowledge the conditions and then to allow the response to them flow out again, like the tide.
I am, clearly, no expert, and am just barely even aware of the full impact of what equinamity can do for a life if applied mindfully. However, I do know that equinamity has come to me as a tool to utilize in my personal practice, as I begin to understand it.

I know many of us have issues in our lives and in the lives of our loved ones which can stress us out to the point of madness. I pray that the gift of equinamity can help to bring about a deep calm in your lives, as you work through them.
Just keeping the visual of the mountain in mind can help remind us to breathe and release, when stress begins to mount in us.

If there are those who have walked a Path that has allowed them to master equinamity, I would love to hear from you, as I am always excited to learn from the experience of others.

Brightest May Blessings to you all!

Tags: buddhism, hedge, witch

• Herbal

Witch1979 May, 2009

Concepts of Deity

As mentioned last month, divinity can often be a touchy subject.  Ask ten different people what their definition of the divine is and you are likely to get ten different answers.  Is there a God?  Is there a Goddess?  If so what are they like?  Every soul will ask these questions in their lifetime and either accept established doctrine or come to their own conclusions.  Spiritual growth is our quest for understanding of that which is greater than ourselves. And while we may arrive at ideas which are universal, the journey is, by necessity, personal.

Wicca is not a religion that promotes dogma or rigid notions on what deity is or is not.  Instead it offers a general framework of thought that most Wiccans share, but which is by no means written in stone.  Like any pagan path, the Craft embraces diversity.  The most fundamental concept is that of immanence.  In contrast to the monotheistic faiths, Wiccans do not consider their gods or goddesses to be “out there” somewhere.  Rather they are here, in the most immediate sense, and in all things including ourselves.  Transcendent deity is the common idea of a powerful figure in the clouds far removed and above humankind.  Immanent deity is also powerful, but it is not separate.  This is difficult to truly grasp because it is beyond the intellect alone.  One analogy is just as all cells of your body are part of you, we are all part of the divine.  Or to state it another way, we each have an inner God, Goddess, or Higher Self within us upon which we can call because we are part of the whole.  Deity is part of nature, or rather is nature, and as natural beings we are constantly in communion with it if we accept that it is so.

The next basic concept of Wiccan deity is that it is dual: there is a God and a Goddess.  There is wide variation and emphasis within the traditions here, but the basic model is that of complementary forces whose combination produces life as we know it.  Remembering that these are immanent forces, the God and Goddess are not a superhuman man and woman.  We may personify them as such in order to relate to them, but when we speak of Wiccan deities they are first and foremost the most primal of forces in nature.  Their interaction is necessary for life, time, and growth.  Without the light of the sun or the rain from the sky (the God) the seeds of the earth (the Goddess) would lie dormant and sterile.  Though we say God and Goddess there is no gender bias between them.  It would be just as accurate to envision deity as twins of the same sex, as many cultures have done, and arrive at the same ideas.  The important point is that they are dual in order to express their interaction.

Beyond the two teachings of immanence and duality there may be little in common for divinities between individuals in the Craft.  Everyone will attune to these greater forces in their own way and this is as it should be.  Many if not most Wiccans find that they connect with the pantheons of a particular culture.  The God and Goddess are seen as universal deities that can be personified and related to more easily as a particular god or goddess from ancient myth.   For instance, groups with a British Traditional focus may invoke the names of Aradia and Cernunnos.  Classical pantheons may choose Diana and Pan, or Demeter and Dionysus.  The list is endless.  It can also vary with the intent of a particular ritual or magical working.  Perhaps I may call on the Goddess as Brigid at the Imbolc sabbat, but as Venus if I am in need of a love spell.  All of these gods and goddesses are faces of the larger deity they personify and none are incorrect.  Meditation upon the greater forces of God and Goddess is the surest way to find your own connection and know what works for you.

Besides calling on specific deities it is also popular in Wicca to represent the deities according to the archetypes of the Horned God and Triple Goddess.  Both of these motifs were common in ancient mythologies as expressions of fertility and immortality, survival and continuation of life being vital preoccupations.  The Horned God rules the wild forests and the animals therein.  He is the king of all noble beasts who is born at midwinter of the Goddess, grows to maturity to become her partner/consort, and gives his life in the autumn so that life may continue.  His cycle follows the solar cycles and the harvest, and he is reborn each year as the child conceived by his union with the Goddess.  The Triple Goddess reflects the threefold face of maiden-mother-crone, also reflected in the lunar cycles/phases.  The Goddess does not die each year as does the God, but instead shows these aspects in turn as part of the yearly cycle.  She is the maiden in spring, the mother after her union with the God going into the summer, and the crone in the waning months of autumn.   As he is reborn she is also renewed and they are young together once again in the new year.  These patterns are mythological expressions of the cycles of nature that we experience, and their popularity in Wicca is understandable given that they aid us in our attunement with them.

Knowledge of the divine is a goal of any religion.  Wicca may acknowledge deity as an immanent duality, but that cannot answer the question of what the experience of divinity is.  If my deity is immanent, is it a force outside of me or just a higher part of me?  Does calling on the divine entail reaching outside to the universe or within myself?  Are their gods/goddesses/angels/fairies/etc in the world or are they my projections?  I make no claim to have any answers to these questions as I am still seeking answers myself.  And I have a feeling that the answers I arrive at can be different from yours, and we can both be right.  To a certain extent it doesn’t really matter.  Whether the forces we work with in Wicca are inside us or out in the world, we have the ability to harness them for ours and other’s betterment.  In that sense the God and Goddess are most definitely “real” because we can see their effects every day.  I like to think of them as forces I may never comprehend, but that I can work with when in need and learn from at all times.  My Goddess is not above me in judgment, but I sit at her feet in deference as a student to a wise teacher who would seek to learn great wisdom.  May she grant me the understanding that I may prove a worthy pupil.

Journal for the Month of April:

I am gearing up for Beltane at the end this month, and the flowers are finally starting to bloom!  This is truly a beautiful time of the year (excepting my allergies), and I am really aiming to stop and smell the roses so to speak.  Even in hard times there is so much beauty in nature that we can enjoy for free.  Sometimes I find it even more important to see these things when things are tough, because it helps me to remember that there is a greater world out there and maybe my problems aren’t as long-lasting as they feel at the moment.

Anyways, I should have more to report next month, I have a vacation coming up in which I plan to cram as much reading and meditation as possible.  I think I’ll throw a little bit of gardening in there too; my herb stocks are quite low!  Here’s wishing a merry Beltane to all!

Until next month, blessed be! )O(

Tags: craft, how to, magic, magick, New, witch, witchcraft

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Hearthkeeper May, 2009

Merry Meet and welcome to this months notes.. I apologize that chaos has ensued and I was unable to get my column in on time last month… and Loki is still hounding me.. but I am working around that.

I want to talk to you all this month about the seasons. Renewal and death.. as that is the season we are in now. It has just passed Ostara in the Northern Hemi and Mabon in the Southern Hemi, Beltane is fast approaching in the Northern hemi with Samhain coming on for the Southern hemi.

While we Northerners are preparing to plant and be fertile, We Southerners are settling in to the death of the year; the time when things get ready to rest for the coming season. But in reality it is just different stages of growth. For there always needs to be a time of rest . when you gather your strength for the great push towards fertility.

At this point many of us are doing the same things, raking the gardens, preparing them for the coming seasons, tending the plants, either new sprouts being hand tended in our homes or the aging almost finished plants of the end of the season. We are also tending our lives as well. Cleaning up our past issues, shaking things out and seeing what needs mending and care. Looking for what we can cut and get rid of as well as what we may need to plan on planting there for later.

Here are some herbs to assist in the “clean up” either to prepare to plant them (fresh herbs are better) or drying and saving for the year.
Agrimony
Protection, banishes negative energy, sleep
Benzoin resin
Prosperity, astral projection, purification.
Blessed Thistle
Purification, hex-breaking, protection from evil- removes unwanted influences, particularly of malevolent intent. Strew to cleanse buildings or rooms, beneficial in healing spell

Burdock

Rinse with a root decoction for ridding oneself of a gloomy feeling about yourself or others.
Cedar
Home purification, good fortune, luck.
Clove
Banishing, love.
Copal resin
Purification, cleansing.
Dandelion Leaf
Divining,Used in Samhain rituals. Sleep, protection, healing. A very nutritious and universally beneficial herb.
Dried Fig
Fertility, love spells- excellent ingredient in spell bags. Divining. Sacred to Dionysus, Juno and many others. Recommended for a Beltane altar. If placed on the doorstep before leaving it will ensure you will arrive home safely.
Hyssop
An excellent purifying herb. Use in purification baths and spells. Associated with serpents and dragons, and can be burned as an incense to call on dragon energy. Aids in physical and spiritual protection.
Rosemary
Cleansing, purification, exorcism

Sage
Purifying, use as incense during sacred rituals-walk the smoke to the four corners of the room to repel and rid negative energies and influences. Especially good when moving into a new home.
Scotch Broom Leaf
A Druid sacred tree. Use in purification and protection spells and scatter to exorcise evil spirits. Burn to calm the wind. The branches are used to make traditional besoms. Its smoke is a sedative. Use in moderation, can be toxic.

St. John’s Wort
Health, protection, strength, love divination, happiness, exorcism. A Druid sacred herb. Use in protection and exorcism spells and incenses of all kinds. Carry to strengthen your courage and conviction. Burn to banish negative thoughts and energies.
Valerian Root
Use for dream magick and sleep protection baths. Keep in the home or grow in the garden to aid in keeping harmony. May be used to purify a ritual space. Useful in consecrating incense burners.
Yarrow Flower
Use to dispell melancholy, negative energy, lingering sorrow, or depression. Carried as a sachet or amulet it repels or rids of negative influences. Aids in divination. Good remedy for colds. Opens the pores and purifies the blood. Said to prevent baldness as a hair wash.
These are just to name a few. I am sure that you all have some wonderful herbs I may have missed or even never thought to use.
I have used some of these in Rituals, ritual baths,sprays to disperse quickly and evenly around the house, mop water and just dotted around the room if I felt it just needed a boost. You can make sachets to place under cushions and pillows, to place in your dresser drawers, even to carry in your purse or pocket.  I will end this for now as I do not want to run on and on and on. As is my way..LOL

Until next time

Blessed Home and Hearth

The Hearthkeeper

Tags: cottage witch, green witch, herbs, magic, magick, witch

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David J Mehling April, 2009

Like many others my age, the first witch I saw on TV was Samantha on the show Bewitched. But there was real life witch in my area whom I saw on TV several times. Jeffrey B. Cather RN, better known as Lady Circe of Toledo, OH, was respected by the media when they turned to her as the unofficial representative of the Pagan community. She was well spoken, knowledgeable and had an air of leadership about her. When I saw her on TV in the 70s and 80s, I was not yet studying the old ways, but it was in the back of my mind and the knowledge that such people existed kept the spark of my interest alive. When she passed away in 2004, I read she was a WW II veteran and since this was before the VA decision to add the pentacle as a symbol of belief, I’ve wondered if her headstone was ever changed.

Shortly after I was hired by the Postal Service in 1994, I saw a documentary called “Witches, Werewolves and Vampires.” It was more on the lighter side, but I was intrigued by what the Witches were saying about a magical nature centered religion which included a goddess. This was the moment I decided to see if what the Witches were saying was true and if this was something for me. Its funny how the words and attitudes of someone we never meet and who have no idea we exist can change our lives, so perhaps our words and attitudes can in turn affect people we will never meet and may not even know they exist.

I looked in the library in Port Clinton, OH where I was working at the time and found a book, the name of which I have long ago forgotten. It claimed to be about witchcraft, but with instructions to self initiate that included saying the Lord’s Prayer backwards three times at midnight and making a wand stuffed with a blood soaked cotton ball, it sounded weird even in my naiveté. Fortunately it disappeared never to return before I could check it out. Perhaps someone was keeping me from starting out with misinformation.

Eventually I found a few useful accurate books at the library and bought some at a bookstore in another town. But I yearned for contact with a like minded person, someone I could learn from, ask questions, and gain understanding. There was a woman on my mail route I wanted to talk with as she received metaphysical catalogs, had a stained glass pentacle on her door, stickers on her truck reading “witches heal” and “born again pagan” and had a banner in her window wishing “Blessed Samhain.” One day she was sweeping her sidewalk, so I stuck up a conversation, complimenting her on her Halloween decorations. She replied that it was important to her as she was a Witch. I replied that I was a newbie Wiccan and she offered to be of help.

I learned so much from Soraya. She explained the difference between Witch and Wiccan and elaborated on her path of Hedgewitchery. She was the first other Pagan I had met in person, so being a newbie, I tended at first to hang on her every word, something she discouraged. Instead, she encouraged me to listen to different views, try different things and see what worked for me. There was an author whom I idolized at the time, but my mentor had a rather negative opinion of her. I was able to step back and be objective about that author as well as any other. We were comfortable disagreeing agreeably and I never felt pressure to agree with or imitate her. I was a fan of the TV show Charmed and she thought it was stupid. She thought the movie The Craft insulted our religion but I could watch it over and over although I understood how those not familiar with our ways could get the wrong idea. Practical Magic was a movie we both enjoyed.

Soraya encouraged me to interact with other Pagans. She started a local meet and greet called Pagans in the Pub and invited me to come. I was too reluctant to do so and unfortunately after two meetings, it stopped due to lack of interest. She was a member of a Cleveland, OH based group and drove to their monthly meetings. We talked about me riding with her sometime but again I was reluctant. Considering the problems I have now finding the time to participate in Pagan groups, I wish I would have went.

I did manage to find other Pagans online and she pointed the way. She recommended the Witch’s Voice and a few other quality sites as well as setting up her own Pagan message board, Soraya’s Witch’s Tavern. I was one of the first members at her invitation and as I sat at the library internet computer pondering a user name, it came to me, Postalpagan, a name I still use 12 years later. It amused me when she said that some of the other members asked her if it was a reference to the term “going postal”, and she replied that I was her mail carrier. When someone asked her how she changed her hair color like one of the girls in The Craft did, she replied that she started by going to the drug store and buying a box of hair color. One Imbolic morning I knocked on her door because I had been feeling like I had way too much coffee since an early morning ritual. She went through a checklist of the steps of ritual and when she got to grounding and centering at the end, I realized my omission. Once I followed her advice to perform the missing step, I felt myself calm down. One thing she would not do was let me join her in ritual as she said she was strictly a solitary.

Her proudest moment during the time I knew her was the front page story on her in the local newspaper. She had called them about ten days earlier to point out the error in a Halloween article that claimed the Celtic god of the dead was Sam Hain and Samhain was named after him. After she replied yes to a newspaper staffer’s question if she was Pagan, she agreed to an interview at home. The article with a photo of her on her porch swing was published October 23, 1999 in the Port Clinton News Herald. It was spot on both in regards to her personally and our religion. Only one of my coworkers at the Post Office criticized her as eccentric and I defended her even though I was still in the broom closet. In spite of her fears, she did not receive any threatening phone calls or hate mail. I walked into the newspaper office to praise both the article and their willingness to be open minded. Sadly, I found out a few years later from another newspaper staffer, who was Pagan, that they received so many complaints that the editor decided that they would never run another piece on anything Pagan.

A little over two years later, I transferred to Clyde, OH and said goodbye to Soraya thanking her for her help which had meant so much. She encouraged me to keep learning and practicing as well as remaining active at the Tavern. But she soon closed the message board and I heard she moved to North Carolina. I saw her on the membership listing of Witchvox under that state for a while, then she disappeared and repeated web searches have found nothing. If perchance she is reading this, I would like to give her a big thank you for being my mentor and my dream is that someday I could be as helpful to a new Witch somewhere.

Tags: magic, magick, New, witch, witchcraft

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