Sacred Bullsh*t

Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens - Tea Houses

Hello again!  Merry meet!

Do you and yours have a special place you meet when you all want to get together?  A person's home?  The park?  A garden?

Well, if you could not tell already, this entry in my journal will be all on meetings.

Now, there's always a BIG question of:  I'm solitary, do I need a coven; do I need to go to meetings?  The answer is simple: Not if you do not want that.  Your Path is your own, make it what you need.

In my coven, there are two women who prefer to act as solitary witches, however, they will attend a summer meeting when all of our Pagan friends get together to have a pot-luck picnic.  They are always more than welcome to join in on our usual meetings, but they know that it is not expected of them if it does not feel right.

Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens - Tea Houses

Now, at this point, I'm sure you're saying, "How in the world can she call that a coven if there are solitary witches?  If they don't all believe the same thing?  That doesn't make any sense!"  Well, once again, the answer is simple:  Believe what sits right with you, and that's our common belief.  We refuse to force our ideals upon one another, save for that one subject.  If it does not sit right in your heart, you do not need to feel like you have to believe it.  We all have a love for one another, regardless of belief, and is that not what traditionally bound us together in the first place?  We are not a cult, and I do not force anyone to believe exactly as I do, I feel as if that would be wrong of me in my heart of hearts, and that is that.  We learn from one another.

So, back to the journal, some of you might be wondering why I've chosen the lovely title of "Sacred Bullsh*t", well, sometimes, people call the talking part of their meetings "sacred bullsh*t".  Whenever my coven gets together, the sacred bullsh*t part is when we do any rites or ceremonies, and then we all sit down to talk and catch up over "cakes and ale", which, for us, tends to be whatever we all bring to eat or drink with one another that day.

During a meeting, usually there tends to be a few main points covered:  Meeting and Greeting, Sacred Bullsh*t, Cakes and Ale, and Parting.  Meeting and Greeting is when everyone is arriving, you hug or kiss and say your hellos to one another, and get settled into the area, drawing a circle and such.  Sacred Bullsh*t, as explained above, is usually the ritual or rites, ceremonies, etc., and what happens each time depends on the occasion.  Cakes and Ale is the fun part, when all business is set aside and you can catch up with your fellow coven members whilst enjoying something tasty.  Our coven usually has each person bring a food or drink to share with everyone, in sort of a potluck way.  And finally, Parting, the part where we all say our farewells and disperse the circle.

Stan Hywet - Birch Alley

We usually end up meeting at a park or at someone's house, but it as always been my wish to have at least one meeting at the place pictured above, Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens.  There, they have a huge mansion you can tour, as well as MANY gardens to sit in or photograph.  The Tea Houses (see photos above) is actually a place where many people choose to get married at Stan Hywet.  They have them walk down Birch Alley, the path that leads to the Tea Houses, as their Bridal March (see photo beside).  But those paths are also good for just walking together whilst you talk.

Growing up, I spent a lot of time at Stan Hywet, and I even wanted to get married here one day, however, my wish to hold a meeting there still stands above that.  I've always wanted to show my friends the beauty and wonder of this place.  It's definitely one of the ideal meeting places, in a garden, in my opinion, especially if your group is aiming to be one with nature during your meeting.

Well, that seems to be all I can spout about gardens and meetings as of right now.  So, once again, thank you or joining me.  Many blessings to you all!

☽⚝☾

Imbolc - 2014

Image from Google Image Search.

Hello again!  Merry meet!  Many blessings to you on this auspicious day!

I pray everyone is having a blessed Imbolc (or Candlemas), and that Brigit is smiling upon us all today, whether you celebrate this day as hers or not.

My coven and I, as usual, will be practicing on the weekend.  As I've said before, we tend to follow the rituals from About.com's Pagan/Wiccan section, with a few modifications for our own beliefs, so we will be doing many crafts and eating some of the foods set out on this page.

Also, as I've said before, even if you DO follow this journal and practice Paganism or Wicca, please DO NOT feel obligated to follow our exact practices.  Everyone has their own Path in life, even members of my own coven follow different Paths than myself, once beyond my teachings.

Image from American Girl.

Now, for those of you who don't already know, Brigit (also Brighid; Brigantia; Brigitta; Brighit) is the Celtic "goddess of fire, the forge, hearth, poetry, inspiration, healing, sacred wells, and midwifery," leading her to be a patron goddess of women in childbirth.  She and her two sisters, also called Brigit, are what's known as a Triple Goddess, and she was considered the Triple Goddess of the ancient Celts.  She has come to be celebrated on February 1st or 2nd, during Imbolc/Candlemas, due to her connections to fire, light, and new life.

When I was younger, I found many of the teachings of the history of Imbolc to be very interesting.  Many different cultures all around the world had their own way to celebrate on this day.  The Romans, the Egyptians, and the Celts all had their own means to present this day as auspicious in their own histories.  Even the early Christians used it as a gateway to convert Pagans to Christianity, since this was a day where many Pagans were first initiated themselves.

Traditionally, the colors used today are red and white, and many times has wreaths with candles sticking out from them placed on the altar or around the home.  When I learned that tidbit, it made me think of Saint Lucia, a Swedish saint from the American Girl doll Kirsten's world.  In it, Kirsten wants to be Saint Lucia and wear a white robe with a red sash, and put a wreath of candles upon her head to deliver a tray full of yummy things to eat and drink to her family members.

Image from American Girl.

 Today, we will be eating our own yummy things, like Braided Bread and, my personal favorite, Fish and Chips.  I absolutely love cooking, and I definitely enjoy sharing a meal with friends, so any chance we can get to have a meeting with everyone's delicious ideas, we go for it, and Imbolc certainly isn't one that's left out from the group.

And, on that tasty note, I shall take my leave.  I have bread to bake and fish, I pray, to cook properly!

Many blessings to you, once more!  Until next time!

☽⚝☾

Sources:  Zell, Wigington, and American Girl.

Black Moon Month

Image From Google Image Search.

So, since there are TWO, count 'em, TWO New Moons this month, the internet is all a buzz with the words "Black Moon".  This has many people asking the question, "What in the world is a Black Moon?"  Well, to put it simply, it's the opposite of a Blue Moon.

Now, if you have absolutely NO IDEA what a Blue Moon is, I'll help you, it's when two Full Moons happen in one month.  So, a Black Moon is when two New Moons happen in one month, and this January is no exception.  Tonight, the moon will, once again, be dark.  Honestly, I think the whole subject is fascinating, however, there is very little to find on such a subject, if anything at all.

Some people speculate that it is a prime time to use magick, others say that it's a bunch of hogwash, so really, it is what you make of it.  Use it to your advantage and find out, or let it go, there is, after all, another chance to try it in March of this year. 

If you want more information about New Moons, Full Moons, and the like, check out Moon Giant, they have all sorts of cool information on all the moon phases, as well as calendars that tell when the phases were and when they will come.

That's all for this entry, unfortunately, as I have never heard the term before this year, I still know very little on Black Moons.  Hopefully my next entry on them will be more informative.

Thank you for joining me!  Hope to see you again next time!

Many blessings!

☽⚝☾

Coded Messages - A Witch's Secret Keeper

Image from TCDC Resource Center.

The first thing I learned as a child witch was to keep my messages between fellow witches in code.  It was always important to my teachers to keep our witchly secrets safe, so, whenever my fellow young witches-in-training and I needed to get in contact, we would use coded messages to pass to one another in the "muggle" school hallways.

The very first code we used was the Mage's Sigillum Mysteriorum from the book Wizardology.  We had this code memorized like it was nobody's business, quite literally.  Every day, we would pass notes back and forth, all unreadable unless the person looking at the notes knew this code.  I barely remember it now, but then, it's been 8 or so years since I used it last.  I found it very useful as a child.

In the Tabs section of this blog, you'll come across a Tab labeled "Alphabets".  Inside that tab, there are two of the most known Code Alphabets used between witches, Elder Futhark and Theban.  Of the two, the most used one is Theban, however, there are many who choose to use the Futhark Runes for their actual meanings in messages, instead of spelling each thing out individually.

Now, I, personally, have never used Theban for messages, however, I have tried to at least memorize it... With no prevail.  Runes, on the other hand, come easier.  I almost have their meanings memorized, actually.

Runes

Image from Google Image Search.

Each rune both stands for a letter and has its own meaning.  The letters correspond to the written in Anglo-Roman script.  The meanings of each rune are used for divination, however, that's a whole other journal entry.  Please notice:  Not all runes match a letter, however, so runes that are sufficient replacements via the sound are used twice or put in parenthesis.

Below, you can find the 2 page worksheet I made to practice Runes:

Just click each to enlarge and then print on standard 8.5in x 11in printer paper.

Theban

Image from Google Image Search.

For Theban, each symbol represents only a letter, and some symbols can be used as other, similar sounding letters as well.  Please notice:  There is no 'X', nor did I present an 'X' on the Alphabets page of the journal.  Any added letters, as above, are in parenthesis.

Below, you can find the 2 page worksheet I made to practice Theban:

Just click each to enlarge and then print on standard 8.5in x 11in printer paper.

Please feel free to use the sheets, but remember, they are for home-use only.  I don't want to see anyone re-uploading my worksheets as their own for money.  In my teachings, the sale of services is against my Path, and I would hope anyone who shares this would do as such to keep them free for everyone.

Well, as always, thank you for joining me once again!

I hope you found something useful in this journal entry, and if not, I hope you stick around until you find something that is!

Many blessings to you!

☽⚝☾

The Cold Moon

Image from Google Image Search.

Did anyone see the moon last night?  Was it perfectly full for you?  Was it almost there?  Well, tonight, it is the first full moon of the year for where I live.  The Cold Moon.

Now, everyone has a different name for this moon.  Some call it the "Winter Moon" or the "Old Moon," some even call it the "Wolf Moon."  According to the Celtic Myth Moon site, every moon has at least nine different groups of people calling it different things each month.  Some repeat, while others find their way to a different month than most.

As it is the first full moon of the year, I was hoping to perform a small ritual, however, as it is a Thursday, I may need to wait until this weekend.  Mine and my coven's rituals usually follow the examples left to us by Patti Wigington on Pagan/Wiccan About.com.  Despite the different name for the moon in this ritual, I plan on following this one with my fellow witches.

Image from Google Image Search.

Rituals have this wonderful ability to be performed by yourself or in a group.  I know some witches who take these and alter them to fit their needs, or who completely write their own using the same guidelines, as well as witches who get together in a gaggle of giggles and try their best to not "mess up" as they follow the lines given to them.

I remember the first time my coven and I did a ritual.  It was Yule, and it was a giggling disaster.  It was just before most of us turned 21, and we had all the supplies and things we needed to complete the ritual, even the cloths for our hair to represent the three aspects of the goddess, but we kept messing up the words that none of us had time to memorize.

At the time, we were horrified, thinking that we had messed up so badly we would need to do it again, but then, our coven Druid spoke up, saying the goddess would appreciate laughter returning in the dark times, despite our words being "the wrong ones", and that she would still hear our prayers to her.  We agreed, and it was then that we truly realized we had not "messed up", we had just simply found a different way to go about the same thing many Pagans near and far were doing that very night.

When we began to practice more openly, I learned more about the other Paths people take, and we infused more of that acceptance into our rituals and meetings.  Even within our own coven we have many different Paths with the same main ideas.

But!  Back to the moon!

Do you plan on holding a ritual?  Did you already have one or are you postponing it until you can?  What are you up to tonight?  Leave a comment and let us know!

Thank you for joining me!

☽⚝☾ 

Planetary Personology

The planets are involved in many things when it comes to Traditional and New Age Paganism, as well as many well-known religions of the past.

They are said to tell us ourselves, helping define our persona depending on what day we were born, what sign we were born with, and what planet we were born under.  If you look up your birth date, you could find your planets and cross check them with the information below to see if there are any similarities.

The Planets

Image from Google Search.

"The Sun - Represents yourself, ego, structure, and personality." (If anyone ever told you your "Sun Sign," they are probably explaining this.)

"The Moon - Represents your feelings, unconscious, and dreams." (What moon were you born under?  Did you know it makes a difference via the time of day?)

"Mercury - Represents logic and communication.

Venus - Represents love, romance, social interactions, and the feminine side.

Mars - Represents aggression and forcefulness, the masculine side.

Jupiter - Represents optimism, expansive attitudes, luck, and the "big picture."

Saturn - Represents responsibility, limitation, and realism.

Uranus - Represents psychic powers, unpredictability, and higher thought.

Neptune - Represents spirituality, religion, and fantasy.

Pluto - Represents money, sexuality, and the dark side."
(Goldschneider)

Example Time

So, if you take my birthday and time, for example, you would find that I was born on a Saturday and I am a Taurus.  This would make my ruling planets Saturn and Venus.  Now, does this make me a logical romantic?  Not at all, really, however, I am a hopeless romantic, who happens to be practical in most parts of life, so I guess it works in its own little way.

How do you know what day you are born on?  Ask your parents!  Look at your birth certificate!  Find a calendar from the year you were born! (Or, you know, Google it.) 

Well, that's all for now!  Thank you for joining me Inside My Journal!

☽⚝☾

Inside My Journal

A new journal.  A muted-colored red leather, stitched in soft red threads, with a white silk ribbon as a bookmark.  It's quite a beautiful sight, and a far cry more beautiful than the old composition notebook I used to use for this very same subject.

It came to me on December the 21st, 2013, Yule of 2013, and I have been writing away in it every day since.  Copying down old notes, correcting those my child-self did not know any better to write correctly, and scribing new ones to sit along-side all those things I've learned in the past eight years has been more than enlightening for my now older, Pagan self.

That was a book that I never let anyone touch, and one I've certainly never lent it out to my fellow witches and wizards.  Now, its successor sits atop my blog, open for all to see.  Inside, every bit of knowledge I have acquired, and those I am acquiring still, pouring themselves out and onto these web pages for all to read.

Page 1.  My simple table of contents.  Well, the first half of it, really, but still, there it is, the first page of my journal.  Some of those things there are things I will cover in these online pages.  I don't know if everyone would find the same Latin words and phrases useful as I do, nor is it good to share your spells with anyone other than your coven, in my intuitive feelings.  However, many of the subjects listed here I do hope to cover in the coming year, and the years following.  This journal is a cover with replaceable inserts, the perfect thing for a note-taking, High Priestess such as myself, so I'm sure this wont be my last table of contents photo.

So, here's to a wonderful 2014, and many blessings to us all.

Thank you for reading.

  

☽⚝☾