New Year, New Resolutions - The Pagan Experience WK 1

 First, many thanks to the lovely Robin Fennelly at The Magickal Pen for beginning a weekly blog event called The Pagan Experience.  As mentioned previously I have been informed by the PTB (Powers That Be) that I need to deepen my understanding of my Faith which I intend to do by making myself write down parts of it.  To that end, here goes.

Resolutions - What are your intentions for this new year? How will you find the resolve to bring them into your manifest life?


Let's ease into things with a list:

1. 13 Full Moon Spells
2. 13 God Spells
3. All 52 Pagan Experience Posts
4. Maintain seasonally or magically appropriate Altar Space
5. Open and Honest communication

And now for a bit of 'how':

1. Posts are already scheduled, just have to be re-scheduled (due to the Pagan Experience being Monday's instead of Fridays) and written
2. Already have a list of pantheons and about half of the deities picked with corresponding intentions
3. 1 done, 51 to go :)
4. Get the decor of the house involved and also my 8yr old
5. Working on this... always working on this

A is for Avalon - Pagan Blog Project 2015 WK 1

EDIT: This was intended to be the first of the 2015 Pagan Blog Project posts however I have found out that the lovely project has come to an end.  As of now the archives are still up so you can click through some really inspiring blogs.

However, I have stumbled upon The Pagan Experience blogging project for 2015 and will be trying them on for size as I still am feeling called to improve my understanding of my own beliefs by writing and sharing them with others.

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Greeting Card by SilkAndArt

A is for Avalon

When I hear the word Avalon my heart reaches out to a place shielded in mist and just outside of this world.  In meditation I can remember the stunning blue worn by the Priestesses and the burn of muscles from the first walk up the hill.  I remember the scrying pool of deep black water reflecting the flare of candles or the glow of the night sky.  I remember the bitter cold of the solstice vigil and the blasting heat of the mid-summer fires.  I remember blood and politics, fearlessness and intimidation, peace and manipulation, love and loss.  But most of all my heart is called to the circles within circles centered at the heart of the hill and the rings of mist and water that keeps Avalon apart.

Greeting Card by MiaBradburyArt

Much like the island of Atlantic, in our time the island of Avalon is a myth with dubious historical record or significance; even the connection to Arthurian Legend and Glastonbury Tor can be argued (here's the Wikipedia link).  However the myth of an island run by magical women separated from the mundane world by the mists is a powerful one and a brief search on Amazon shows just how many people have been touched and called to share their Avalon experiences.  The Sisterhood of Avalon has also been reborn as a Celtic Women's Mystery tradition focused on internal work and connections to the growing sisterhood.

Avalon Votives by ArtisanWitchcrafts

For me Avalon, in my meditations and magical workings, is peace and separation.  I call the energies of the mists and the island when I want to be secluded from the mundane world and be able to really focus on what I am doing at the time.  I call when I need the strength of the female bond of sisterhood for guidance or healing.  Unlike calling on the God or Goddess, Avalon comes to me with human messy energy that is flush with emotion and the trials of life; it makes my heart sing with joy and weep with loss all at once which just makes me feel free.

Pagan Blog Project WK17 and 18: I is for Ireland and Italy

Apologies for the late postings, sometimes life gets in the way.  Please stop by here and give a shout out to help an independent pagan publisher keep the works of the elders of this time in print.  And now to the letter I.

Ireland and Italy are the lands of (most of my) ancestors.  While my personal praxis does not typically include work with ancestors, I do feel a deep pull to both of these lands.  When people talk of them or when I see pictures I feel a call, deep in my spirit, to go to these places, walk the earth and touch the waters.  It's like they call to my memory.

The cliffs of Ireland call my name every time I see them, every time I hear them sung of and every time I see the white of water crashing along her edges.  I remember the way the air tastes and the smell of the old ocean along her shores.  I've never been there in this lifetime, but I remember the sound as the sea hits the land, and the smell of fire on the wind.  Does Erin call to you too?

Near Glencolmcille fine art print by Darcilina of Depictions by Dolge

Can you taste the excitement in the air mingled with the dust?  Can you hear the roar of the crowd above the ringing of metal?  Can you see the knowledge of death or glory in the eyes of those called or driven to fight?  I remember it all and every time I see the Colosseum it comes back.  The gods of Rome are familiar to me but they are not what calls, it's the city itself.  Do ancient walls speak to you as well.

Colosseum Fine Art Photograph by Julie Smith of Julie S. Photography

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PS: All product images are from amazing etsy.com sellers who have been notified.  If you are so inclined, please click through and check out their wares.

PPS: Please remember there are two giveaways going on right this second!
Enter here to win a full printable Book of Shadows set from Faeriegill's Needfull Things and Wishes.
Enter here to win a Tarot Tip Sheet just for spreading the word about an Independent Pagan Publisher.

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Pagan Blog Project WK15: H is for Humor

Again I tip my hat in appreciation of google's auto fill feature as it has enabled me to pick a topic for this week, though I had to ignore the first option of holidays for this week at least.

Pagan Humor, otherwise known as the jokes only a little over 0.2% of those in the US get.

First I would like to direct you all over to the Pagan Humor Library.  Which has many pages like the two shared below.

The Safe Witch Kit (which actually has some great ideas, lol)

Want to be a Witch, yet don't want dangerous items in your home? We've assembled this comprehensive kit to meet the beginning Witch's needs, without compromising safety.

logo © 2000 Faerie K.

Includes: 1 Rubber Athame. Painted black handle, silver blade. Very flexible. You can swing this about in Circle with no fears about hurting anyone!
Exclusive! The incredible Collapse-a-Wand! Hand-wrought of authentic wood-grained expanded foam, with a special adhesive patch for attaching the Power Stone of your choice (see below).
2 Battery-operated Candles (1 black, 1 white). No more concerns about flowing gowns catching fire.
1 package Glade Stick-ems. Fresh, floral scent, without the concerns of burning incense. No messy ash to clean up!
1 shaker Mrs. Dash. Get all the flavor and zip of salt, without the sodium!
1 Quality Fold-a-Cauldron. Easy-to-assemble, genuine simulated cast iron corrugated material. Complete instructions.
1 Fabric Rainbow Disk. No sharp corners to be concerned about. The perfect centerpiece for your own Altar. No worries of offending anyone, as could happen with those misunderstood pentagrams.
3 Assorted colors soft vinyl "Power Stones." Focus the energy of crystals. Perfect for attaching to your Collapse-a-Wand!(Choking hazard. Not recommended for children under 3 years of age)
1 Booklet, "How to Be One with the White Light, Because There Is No Dark Side, Luke" subtitled: "The Absolutely, Completely Comprehensive Guide to Everything Possible that a Witch Needs to Know to cast Any Spell at All"
BONUS! Order now, and we'll send you our exclusive Fill In The Blanks Book of Light! All the spells you'll ever need, and YOU fill in the names and dates! Quality softcover binding.
All packaged attractively in a lovely carry-case, which unfolds to become your altar cloth.
Rush out and get yours today!

-- by René Friberg, aka RaeVynn Sands

And the ever popular Light Bulb Jokes

How many Chaos magicians does it take?
They don't need to--they are used to working in the dark.
How many Solitaries does it take to change a light bulb?
Who cares!
How many Witches does it take to change a light bulb?
Depends on what you want to change it into.

And now I direct you to some damn funny products!

CernunnosT-Shirt by Vermorlian

Zen Drud Button by PaganChick

Taste Religion T-Shirt by Youniquepagan

PS: All product images are from amazing etsy.com sellers who have been notified.  If you are so inclined, please click through and check out their wares.

PPS: Enter to win one handmade item up to $15 in value from a pagan-run small business here.

Pagan Blog Project WK13: G is for Gifts (part 2)

So I sit here at the beach and think about what I had planned to post, psychic gifts, and I find I would rather post about the beautiful gifts that Mother Nature provides us with on a regular basis.

Have you ever watched the sun set on one side of the house and then watched the moon rise on the other side of the house out form the ocean?  I'll give you a hint, it's amazing. 

Did you know that the circulatory system of tuna works backwards in order to keep the brain warm and reaction times faster?

Have you ever studied the cellular structure of phytoplankton?

The natural world is the most amazing gift we have ever been given.  Thank you, divinity.

Pagan Blog Project WK13: G is for Gifts (part 1)

Ahhh, the fantastic powers of Google auto-fill.  When one enters 'pagan g' and pauses (skipping past the inevitable variations of 'pagan gods') the first interesting computer generated possibility is 'pagan gifts'.  Perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is presents followed by powers (psychic gifts ect.); both interesting to dive into, one this week and one next week.

Beltane Greeting Cards from FifthRealmPress

Different cultures and different families all seem to have different customs and traditions with respect to gift giving, and let’s be clear – the giving is the important part.  My family is a card family, meaning that I have always received a card for Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, St. Joseph’s Day, Easter, my birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving and (of course) Christmas, signed and stamped and typically through the mail.  My Godmother made it a point to send me a gift box for every made-up holiday that I was in college and my mother is doing the same for my cousin.  My daughter receives cards and notes the whole year through from my Aunts and Cousins and even from my parents who we see in person every Wednesday.

Web by VisionsInPrint

Each of these cards is physical representation of a connection between (at least) two people.  Many pagan paths place quite a bit of importance on the power of connections.  Each of us tries to make a personal connection with the divine and typically an energetic connection with people we share ritual with.  Energy work and healing are both dependent on intra and interpersonal connections.  Perhaps you’ve never thought about it but choosing to give a gift is initiating a connection.

Some of the cards and letters that I have received over the years have been saved and when I think of them or especially when I take them out, I feel that old connection between myself and the other person.  My spiritual sister has cards from me tapped to his door, keeping my connection with him present in his life.

If cards are a minor physical representation of a connection, gifts can be a major one.  Many of the pieces of my altar were given to me as gifts either from people or the universe; every time they are taken out I remember where it came from and my attention strengthens that connection that exists between myself and the giver.  When I use pieces from my magical tool box I choose them because of the connections and these connections add layers to my magick.

As a pagan when I choose a gift for another practitioner I do so with thought and care so that when they use what I have given them, their magick is also strengthened by the connections between us.

Pentacle Altar Table by Luna Enchantments

 

Pagan Blog Project WK12: F is for Festival!

So when you type 'pagan f' into google the first auto-fill is Pagan Festivals so I thought I share a few of them.  Unlike conferences such as Sacred Space, Changing Times Changing Worlds, Pantheacon, and Between the Worlds (just to name a few) pagan festivals tend to be outside over a long weekend and involve camping, fires, workshops, big ritual and fellowship (read drum circle).

Here are some festivals in the Mid-Atlantic area that may be of interest.  If you know of any I missed, please let me know in the comments!  Even one day festivals would be wonderful to know of.

Fertile Ground Gathering - Prince William Forest Park, Triangle, VA, May 3-6
Mountain Mysteries Beltane - Heavenly Acres Campground, Stanardsville, VA, May 4-6 
Pennsylvania Faerie Festival - Spoutwood Farm, Glen Rock, PA, May 4, 5, 6
Greenbelt Green Man Festival - Roosevelt Center, Greenbelt, MD, May 11-12
Maryland Faerie Festival - Camp Ramblewood, Darlington, MD May 11, 12, 13
Blue Ridge Beltane - Stoney Creek Resort, Greenville, VA, May 11-13
Fires Rising at Four Quarters - Four Quarters Farm, Artemas, PA, May 30 - June 3
Free Spirit Gathering - Camp Ramblewood, Darlington, MD, June 12-17
Shenandoah Midsummer Festival - The Land Celebration, Gore, VA, June 22+24
Drum and Splash - Four Quarters Farm, Artemas, PA, July 4-8

All these events offer a low key but high impact experience that combines fellowship and nature.

See you there!

Pagan Blog Project WK09: Elements and how I view them

So... I am a solitary eclectic (which perhaps we will re-visit next week) and when I do magick it’s typically elemental based but are my elements the same as yours?  It’s a standard joke/truth that when you ask nine pagans a question you get thirteen answers so here are my elements.

Water:  I am a water person to the core (pay no attention to the Taurus birthday).  I constantly feel the flows and work with the energy.  I love it’s destructive and creative powers, even in the smallest volumes.  The ocean drives the systems of the planet just as our blood surges through our bodies.  I do see emotions as water; they ebb and flow, are adaptable to surroundings, take the shape of a container, and can be calm on the surface but contain hidden depths.  However, I live on the East Coast of the United States… water is not west of me, its east.

Stormy Seas by Yulia Kazansky Art Studio

Fire: Ok, so I might be a bit of a fire person too (what Taurus birthday?).  Have you ever noticed that fire is always consuming the material world from both ends, but provides us with something intangible yet so vital?  Passion and willpower are very similar as people can be consumed by them yet will provides the intangible drive to achieve things great and small, both creatively and destructively.  When harnessed, fire and passion are great creative forces that build and shape our world however when mis-directed or un-controlled they will consume and destroy.

Bon Fire Print by CapturingEssence

Earth: I have been told that I embody many earth-y qualities, yes I am a Taurus, but it’s not an element that I’m innately connected to.  The solidness and grounded-ness of the material world is not all that easy for me to connect to and I have no idea.  To me earth represents life, greenery, growing things, providing nutrients, even in the harshest of climes (see also lichens and extremophiles).  Did you know I have a black thumb; I’ve even killed an air fern.  Even in the most beautiful stretches of earth I’ve ever seen (Arizona) I just wanted to get to the next ocean.

Ides of Earth by SeeBee Photography

Air: Riiiiight… this element is my least favorite to call in ritual or hold energetic space for in circle.  It constantly eludes me.  I appreciate its life-supporting mass around our planet and I respect its unpredictable destructive nature, but I don’t get it.  Air, to me, represents that creative and intellectual spark that I just don’t share.  Perhaps I should look into my divination as a path to better understanding of air.

Rotating Tornadic Severe Supercell Thunderstorm by ScenicSurroundings

And for the record, my favorite on-screen representation of all four elements is Avatar: The last Air-Bender the animated series.  There’s a lot to learn from watching the four nations interact, even if it is a kids show.

Avatar The Last Airbender set of 4 buttons by ManicMarch

PS: I’m hosting a giveaway for pentacle earrings here.  Win a spell kit from me here.  Win a reading from me here.

PPS: All images are from amazing etsy.com sellers who have been notified.  If you are so inclined, please click through and check out their wares.

Pagan Blog Project WK08 - D is for Dragons

Welcome to this weeks edition of the Pagan Blog Project.  I hope you'll take a moment and check out the post just previous to this as there is a tie-in... Dragons.  There are pretty ones there and I'll talk about them in a witchy context here.

Yup, Dragons... what a lame topic (lol)...

So instead of focusing on Dragons in Myth I'm just going to tell you my own Dragon myths and it's up to you to discern fact from external truth from internal truth from fiction.  Ready for a random ride?

1) Once upon a time there was a Dragon Prince who wanted to be a Priestess.  It was known from his birth that he was his fathers favorite and the eventual heir to the crown of the Dragon Court, however his heart was always called to the life of a Priestess.  He marked the cycles and changes of the Court and the world and felt the pull to serve the Great Dragons, but he feared deep inside that it was not to be.  Due to his disappointment he outwardly became the most precocious and frustrating child known to Dragonkind, but underneath his arrogant and ignorant exterior he observed, cataloged, learned and waited.  When his Father finally forced his hand and gave him the Throne this Priestess turned King demonstrated such a deep understanding of the Court and the way of Dragons that none could stand against him, though they tried, and none could move against him from the shadows, though they tried.  He will rule with head as he must and heart when he can, knowing that his time to serve the Great Dragons is but delayed.



 2) Once upon a time there was a Bastard who took the throne, once.  The King of the Dragon Court had many children, most of them bastards, but there is only one known as The Bastard.  If the Bastard had been legitimate perhaps the Heir would have been free to follow his calling, but we'll never know for certain.  The Bastard, motivated by the scorn of the Throne, dedicated his learning to politics and martial weapons and became the most feared potential opponent of his father.  This fear was well grounded as one day the Bastard used all his skill, defeated the King, sent him to the the dungeons and claimed the Throne, for at least a little while; a feat not matched before or since.

3) Once upon a time, between the world of mortals, lay the Courts of The Fae, the Wizards and the Dragons (among others).  These courts intersect the world of mortals in dreams and myth and sometimes in blood.  There are mortals among us who carry the blood of the Courts, some more than others thanks to intersecting lineages.  Some mortals can call to the Courts and even exist in them in the between.  Interestingly enough, the Courts have only an uneasy alliance as they wait for the end to the Reign of Angels and Demons and the beginning of the Reign of Elementals.

4) Once upon a time, when Dragons rules the skies and Atlantis ruled the sea, the people of Atlantis and the Dragons of the moral world were at peace.  Specially chosen Priests of each race even bonded into a fighting pair of Rider and Dragon to protect their homeland and peoples.  As the end of the Reign of Elementals came to an end, heralding the Reign of Angels and Demons, the balance of the two Atlantean races shifted and man begin to believe that they were more equal than the dragons that shared their land.  Thus came about the end of a great nation and the presence of dragons in the between of the mortal world.

Pagan Blog Project WK07 - D is for Daily Ritual

Do you have a daily ritual?  I'm sure the answer is yes if you think about it; it probably involves brushing your teeth, combing your hair, possibly a caffeinated beverage of some sort.  Just google 'daily ritual' and you will be directed to an amazing number of sites that offer something to improve your life as long as you do it every day.  Unfortunately the top ten results have little, if nothing, to do with someone's spiritual practice.  I know I personally keep better balance in my world if I am checking in with the PTB* on a regular basis. 

Every time I get in my car I am reminded of the triple faced goddess to whom I owe allegiance because hanging off my rear-view mirror is an amazing piece of art crafted just for me by Anne from her shop Artisanne.

It's an amazing piece that reminds me of my goddess and the power of the sea all at once every day.  Even if I don't intentionally say hi when I step in the car, as the car moves around the first turn out of my development I automatically reach out, stop it from swinging and smile to remember the amazing divinity in my life.

As strange as this my sound, my daily afternoon cigarette is also a moment of divine contemplation for me on a daily basis.  In the hectic pace of the day I take that 5-7min out, install cancer and yet enjoy the divine within and without.

I plan on adding one more Daily Ritual to the routines, and this one with my Munchkin.  I would like to, after teeth are brushed but before story time, take a moment to teach her how to pray.  I want to teach her that praying is a way to have a conversation with your Gods/Goddesses thanking them and saying good night, after all Thor is kinda like a grown up.

-Kat


*PTB = Powers That Be, my slang and less that devout term for the divine.

Pagan Blog Project WK02 - A is for Altar

A Few Notes:  I guess I will be posting twice on Fridays, but that's OK because those of you interested in the Pagan Blog Project posts will also get to benefit from being exposed to:

• beautiful things from crafty witches 
• a monthly give-away (still time to enter) 
• pagan organization features (next week).

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I miss my altar.

When I was in college I had less space but I guess I also had less stuff taking it up.  I had two milk crates stacked up with books in the bottom one, altar stuff storage in the middle and an ever-changing altar on the top.  It seems like my magic was ever-present and much more organic as it was changed, reinforced and supported all the time because my altar was in the center of my collegiate crossroads crucible.

Then I graduated, got a job, got married, moved out of my 'rents, eventually had a little one... and somewhere along the way I lost that physical manifestation of my magic and my faith.  I tried to re-capture it a couple times.

• I asked the (now ex) husband for a third bedroom for all my witchy stuff, but that's not in the center of my world
• I have all my witchy books in those same milk crates, but they're sitting un-read and the cat's window seat is on top of them
• I have an heirloom bookshelf that holds all my stuff (cause I'm totally a stuff witch), but the top is for lamps and boxes and bottles... not an altar space

Thankfully I'm finally with someone who actually does support all the witchy stuff I do (and there's a lot of it) up to and including setting up an altar with me on the top shelf of our new bookcase.  It's tall enough that the munchkin will have trouble grabbing things.  The shelf space will be tall enough for candles.  I can re-arrange it whenever I want.  My DBF gets to add his stuff to it too.

And most of all it's in the center of my little apartment world, a place I can re-assert my magic and faith everyday without penciling time into my (ridiculous) schedule.  I am so excited.

**Imagine a picture here that I will add when I finally get home**