Snippet from the Demon Feast

I slip my arm through his and nudged him through the grand doors and into the moonlight balcony gardens. The roar of the sea under us was great and the wind whipped across my flesh, instantly cold and utterly satisfying. I sigh with contentment, abandon him, and step up to the very edge of the balcony, the pressed sand wall pushing into my knees. Annoyed, I concentrate for a moment and the sand parts at my will. I take a final step closer, toes curling over the edge as close to the ocean as I could get without being in the water. I take a cool, deep breath and suck in the sharp salt air. Distantly through the roaring of the sea, I hear the dock hands and sailors on the ships that have anchored on the newly built docks, still mostly under construction and barely heard of. Soon, they will be bustling but for now they are empty, dreams that have been birthed but not yet started to live.

He is silent, as always, but watching me. I spin and smile at him. “I miss the sea.”

He waves with his non-sword hand, barely a gesture before the hand returns to a fighting post. Always ready to fight, my warrior. “We’re right here.”

I shake my head and step closer to him. “I miss the sea in my physical form. It’s too far. I need to bring it closer.”

He tilts his head. “You have a plan then.”

My grin is wicked and razor sharp. “Don’t I always?”

Musings on Research

Research comes in two forms. What is consumed by the public and what is consumed by the private sector – the experts and niche interests.

Now, to be clear, note that I am not discussing sources. I’m talking about methods of research and how that research is consumed.

When we read information, it comes from somewhere, right? Someone did a thing and someone, maybe even the original person, wrote about doing it and what those actions and results mean. Someone else will take those results and simplify them for the public consumption. The public, in general, doesn’t care about the details. Not the nitty, gritty details but they do want the facts. People’s attentions are short and their time is precious. If they can’t consume the information in less than ten minutes, they don’t want it.

This extends to research you do when looking into a new topic. If you want to study something new, starting with the public sources is a fine idea – gives you an idea of what others around you may know and what the experts expect you to know -what is the basics of their knowledge and what might be considered true.

When I begin research for a story, I tackle the topic two fold. I consume media on the topic while simultaneously digging into JSTOR and other academic resources for niche details. By consuming media, I’m not just reading what National Geographic or the New York Times has written about a topic but I’ll also watch popular and well-received shows and read similar books.

Because that’s how information works. Media takes facts and turns them into a story, twisting what’s real into alternative perspectives, what-ifs, and maybes. That’s OK. That’s how writing works.

It’s not, however, how true research works. Research should strive to be unbias. It’s a near impossibility, of course, because we’re people and by our very nature incredibly bias creatures but it should be something we strive for.

This comes into play when researching for our pagan and witchcraft practices. What sort of audience was that information gathered and written for? The tone and point of the article matters.  An article written on Heathenism for neo-Nazi sympathizers is going to be very different if intended for liberal modern Heathens who aren’t interested in revitalization or reconstruction. Remembering the intended audience can help determine what purpose the writer is writing the information for and if any information has been ignored or left out to further their point- essentially, what kind of bias they already have.

What kind of research you do, and prefer to do, is entirely up to you. There’s a lot of ways to do research but remember that there are absolute facts – and those facts are interpreted by writers with their own bias writing for specific audiences and niche interests. Just remember this when reading information you intend to use.

The Spirits That Serve and Busy Times

Radio silence was brought about by the busyness of my schedule (which I’ve added to the right menu, I believe). For the moment, I have a reprieve as this is the week of my birthday (June 6th) so much of my time is visiting with friends and family as well as renewing personal protections and goals.

I’m not going to talk about that much. Instead, I’m going to introduce three sets of spirits that work with me. (Also, congrats to me for making 50 posts. For those who caught it this morning, I made and deleted a test post for something that was technically the 50th post. I had to write a real 50th quick post to make up for it).

First, quick information. These spirits work alongside me. They’re not guides in the traditional sense although I suppose they could technically be termed that. They work for me and they get something in return. It’s a pact, not something done because they like me. (Well, they wouldn’t hang around me if they didn’t like me but you get what I mean.) A lot of this is wrapped up in my position on the other side and complicated with secrets and spoilers but essentially, I’m in a position to get them what they want so they work both for me and alongside me for my goals, whichever those may be at the time. I call them allies, vassals, or when I’m being snarky minions (but only if one remember the original etymology of minion being “dear one” and combining it with the common usage of “lackey”).

The Maidens – I have the least control over these spirits. There’s four to five of them, agender although they tend to appear as beautiful maidens for the most part to me. They aren’t hived minded but they think similarly enough, I believe, to be able to know what each other is thinking which gives the appearance of sharing a mind. They’re matchmaking spirits. It’s their thing. They enjoy messing about in the realms of love and aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty to do it. Patient and impatient, they have an Agenda and Plans and those Plans tend to muck up everyone else’s plans. They’re more focused on romance than sex however and that should be remembered. (Not that they don’t also have influence over sex, it’s just not a focus.) They also influence beauty, which is so closely tied to romance. They truly get people which makes them fabulous in other areas of life, like fashion. Honestly, they’re a bit catty but I love them for it. They are fierce entities who champion romance above all else.

Serrah – Serrah’s snarky and is what I’d call a crossroad merchant spirit. This is a spirit that parks itself at the crossroad and either sells wares or gathers and/or sells information at crossroads. They derive their energy from these crossroads and the energy of those passing through the crossroads. Nearly ubiquitous, they have a tendency to come off as slimy car salesmen most of the time. Serrah’s not oozing yet but he can be very smug unnecessarily. Still, he’s (and that’s just the pronouns he picked, he sometimes appears as a woman) very good for folks who owns a business as he can offer advice – for a price. Be sure to check the fine print and watch your words as he’ll use loopholes and mistakes against you far quicker than most spirits that double as guides. You may also want to check for a knife in your back, just in case betrayal is a thing.

The Warrior – Probably the most mellow-tempered and reasonable, the Warrior is just as he sounds: a warrior. Highly skilled, he was originally a human spirit who became something else. These spirits are the best to deal with for beginners as they’re easier to understand. While they aren’t human any longer, they tend to retain enough of their humanity to make it easy to work with. The Warrior in particular beat out several dozen other warrior-eque spirits for his current position. He (definitely prefers male form and pronouns) tends to variate in appearance but is mostly ghostly, which is somewhat odd in my experience.

Fox Guard House – An entire family clan of a spirits. Rather fox-like (hence the name), they are golden and are very similar to light or fire. They appear as bipedal foxes, a little shorter than five feet tall, and nearly identical to one another. Incredibly cunning. Take extreme caution when dealing with them. For a personal example, we made a deal and they were planning, as a whole, to murder me to get a better position, so to speak. I outmaneuvered them, reminded them why I am who I am on the other side, and then raised my original offer alongside the original pact. I fully expect them to attempt assassination again but it’s not a huge priority for them right now. Other lives to destroy elsewhere, for the moment.

So what do I do with these spirits? Since they’re in my employ, they do what I hired them to do. Serrah’s busy building up a port town in the astral, for example. The Warrior checks over battlements and ensures that the Fox Guard House doesn’t put their original plans of murdering me into effect. The Maidens just sit around and cause havoc in the name of love which is actually what I hired them to do. (Yeah, on purpose. It’s a long story) The Fox Guard House does what they can to connive others and be a general pain in the ass for other spirits. (Yes, this was also planned.)

The thing with working alongside spirits is they have plans and agenda to see to. They have desires and goals and because they have those things, they can be worked with like any other being. Just be very careful because cultures are different and that can, of course, cause issue. When making a deal or pact with a spirit, be certain of the terms of exchange. Know what you’re expected to give up and what you’re getting. Know what ways that spirit can backstab you and take off with whatever you were to trade and what you came to get.  Working with spirits is absolute fascination and a lot of fun – there’s so many different things to see, learn, and talk about. I know I wouldn’t give it up for the world.

New Addition to the Household

3 Comments

I don’t have house spirits. Or, rather, I didn’t. My family has owned this house now nearly a dozen years and we’ve spent a great deal of time chasing spirits out of the house but not a lot of time inviting them in, outside of specific purposes or festivals. Primarily, I don’t allow spirits to remain in the house because I don’t trust them and I don’t like the idea of being watched. When I want to be alone or privacy, I want it in its’ entirety.

However, I started to rethink my position on this. You see, the house is set at the top of a hill in what once was a swamp. There’s so much water in the area, the yard has buried drainage pipes to help keep the house from flooring. In the time we’ve owned this home, it’s flooded four times, twice majorly, and once so badly the entire basement had to be gutted and rebuilt (keep in mind I live in an apartment in the basement). Additionally it rains something like 40+ % of the time in Rhode Island, so we get a lot of water (matter of fact, it’s raining as I type this). The house is from the late 1940s and so is the majority of the plumbing for it. And pretty much every room that has water in it had issues. Some of them are due to shoddy repair work and some of it due to age.

Now, my first reaction is to put spells on ALL THE THINGS! but I don’t like to throw out majorly powerful spells on infrastructure primarily because it has long-lasting consequences and this house likely won’t be in our family in fifteen or twenty years. (Which sounds like a long time but I throw down some powerhouse spells). In addition to setting up spells to allow extra cash to come in to pay for those repairs, I did some “repair” work (which worked but didn’t magically replace faulty faucets or snake the main line. It still wasn’t enough to just replace and repair the issues – I wanted to make sure they didn’t happen again. I had started to feel that my brother and I were so busy chasing out the ghosts and spirits that lived here between the last residents and us that we missed an important step – giving the house it’s own two legs to stand on. Our defenses of this house are something akin to Fort Knox, to the point where visitors can feel it and I’ve had friends had to step into the garden to speak to their guides.

I believed that inviting a house spirit into our home, specifically a brownie, may be a solution to our predicament. (Or a being akin to a brownie. I’m not picky.)

So the first thing to do was to discuss this with members of the household. We all live different schedules and do different things. My brother deals primarily in human spirits. My mother’s an atheist and our housemate is, well I don’t know but a skeptic certainly. I tossed it at my brother who shrugged in general and groused about the potential of tripping over said brownie in the dark. My mother gave me that look parents get when they’re questioning the shit you’re into but they don’t know enough about said shit to be concerned or not. And I didn’t ask the housemate because he moves out in the summer and, with the promotion he had gotten during the time I started and enacted my plan, he wasn’t to return for long after the summer was over. Since everything was OK’d, I moved on with my plan.

I had to consider possible homes for said spirit. Typically brownies live in lesser used parts of the house. A quick mental process of elimination caused me to come up with a solution: the boiler room. We’ve a small room in the center of the basement where the water heater, boiler, and other miscellaneous house guts are placed. This room is also something of a catch-all for shit in my home, containing a chest of paint cans, fourteen sheets of drywall, a few boxes of spare wood, and several buckets of home improvement supplies. All of this, I decided, would need to be gone through before I even thought to invite a brownie into this room. Unfortunately, that’s far easier said to done. The sun and moon are not often in alignment for this sort of thing so I might have used a few persuasion spells to get it all moving. I had to cut the drywall up so it could be carried out by my brother and roommate to the garage where we keep this sort of thing, then marshal out the boxes of wood and set aside what things needed to be brought down to the city’s electronic dump. The home improvement supplies were sorted, condensed, labeled and stacked neatly. I also resealed the window in that room and swept it out. Now it was far roomier and easier to maneuver in, which was a bonus for anyone coming in to check the meters.

Then, I decided I needed to find a bowl I would use specifically for the household spirit. This was, by far, the easiest thing to do. One quick stop to the local used goods store and I had a double handled silver edged crystal medium sized glass bowl for less than three dollars.

Next was to do a general sweep of the house and fix any obvious problems. The floors swept and mopped, glass polished, and windows washed. (And, as a bonus, I earned brownie points, pun intended, with my household since I cleaned their parts of the house and not just my own flat).

Once satisfied and ready, I sat down and formally opened my house up to a spirit laying out what I was looking for and some ground rules. Namely, staying away from sleeping people, not to harass the cats, and assisting around the house in cleaning and repairs. In exchange, gifts of honey cakes, cream, and other assorted goodies would be left each night on a specific dish for it. I always have baked goods, honey, and types of milk and cream about so this wouldn’t be an issue. Additionally, I offered said interested spirits the opportunity to spook guests and some residents so long as the tricks are harmless and temporary in nature. I did this specifically because I tend to attract more mischievous spirits and I  don’t mind the mischief so long as they are cruel about it. And more importantly, this is a witch’s house. What else could you expect?

So the question you’ll be asking is: Did it work?

Yes. It took a little while but a few days after the last of the plumbing was repaired, my house was suddenly hit by a series of weird knocking, footsteps, sounds, and so forth experienced by two members of the household. Offerings left were returned diminished – a sign I take as being accepted. And a new presence creeps through the darkened rooms at night, neither friendly nor aggressive, just going about its’ business.

So welcome, spirit, make yourself at home.

Braided Rope Spell for Increasing Business, Good Luck, or Whatever Else

1 Comment
Braided Rope Charm for Bringing Business, Luck, Prosperity, etc.

A simple household charm that just about anyone can do. This is more of a technique than a flat-out spell and is easily altered to your needs.

Heads up for enchanted shit in the pictures and sigils that may be in the background. I’ve included a sort of step-by-step how to below.

 

My entry way staircase with the new spell rope.

First gather your materials. Here I’ve created one to help with business so my choices were a fine mesh gauze gold ribbon and a red silk ribbon, seven bells (five gold, two silver, one blue), and a key. The gold and red ribbons stand for wealth, and the bells were enchanted for various things (example: “may the hearer of the bell always have wealth”). They key is because my business is a home business. It’s braided in to keep the business and home in wealth, protection, and prosperity. Additionally, adding an object on the end gives the rope weight and doesn’t allow it to be swung so easily. Your materials may vary of course but bells (or some type of noise-maker) is required for this particular spell.

As for length or size, that depends on preference. The above rope is a little over five feet tall, larger than I am, but that was by choice. I’ve made similar ones at smaller lengths with no reduction of spell power.

Hanging up your braid, or attaching it to a solid surface, can save a lot of trouble and keep the braid from spinning or unraveling. This is especially true with long braids. The longer the braiding materials, the more you’ll have to ensure that the bottom doesn’t get tangled. Swing the strands out with flourish to keep them tangle-free.

I used a three strand braid for this rope, although I tend to use a four strand braid normally as that gives more substance. There’s subtle details of this particular spell I won’t go into because those are private but there is a specific reason why I chose these materials, this braiding technique, and those bell colors.

I looped the top around a cup to get an even loop to attach the rope to. I have a drop ceiling so mine’s simply attached to a bent paperclip. You can probably use a smaller loop if you’re attaching it by a nail or something.

I typically chant while braiding. Don’t get all discouraged. My chants are typically blunt commands. “This will bring prosperity”. Once I get a few inches braided, I slid a bell onto the smaller red ribbon, and braided around it. When I added the bell, I would declare whatever the bell was enchanted for “All that hears the bell ring, shall have wealth and health” or whatever. Then I keep going.

Once I got to the bottom I tied the end off, added in the key, and worked a braid using the key as the third “strand”, fully incorporating my key (and thus my home) into the spell.

 

The first bell is in place and moving onto the second. Using a clasp like the one above can save the rope from unraveling and causing a headache.

 

Tied off at the bottom but before adding the key. Tying off can also allow you to incorporate new stands as needed. Ignore my ugly hand.

 

 

Use the key as the third “strand” and braid around it. At the bottom of the key tie off and you’re done.

And you’re done! I tied it off and stuck it by the door (as seen in the first image)

Because this one’s set for business, every time I make a sale, I’ll ring the bell. In the past I’ve used a household one for luck and protection that I rang before leaving the house every day.

Other ideas:

  • Add charms, beads, or whatever to the braid as you go for your intent.
  • Soak the ribbon or braiding material in enchanted oil or water to absorb more of a kick
  • Write sigils or spells on the braiding material
  • Don’t like braiding? Macrame, crocheting, or knitting work just as well!
  • Enchanting the bells to ring when there’s danger is really common and a great way to make a protection rope.

 

Vigils at the Crossroads

I don’t mention it much but I live at the intersection of several crossroads and some of those roads are corpse roads. My house sits on the corner of four streets, which may sound like a regular crossroad but isn’t.

Corpse roads are roads used to transport the dead to their final resting place. Traditionally they’re old dirt roads or paths. Sometimes these roads were only used for transporting the dead, depending on local tradition and superstition. Most of the traditional corpse roads have been lost to time but new ones are around. I live behind a funeral home and one of the streets my home is situated on is a shortcut to and from the highway.

Legends surrounding these corpse roads are numerous among a lot of different cultures. I recently read several Russian fairy tales along the same vein but it is common in cultures that transport their dead, especially for burial. Vigils next to the dead are also very common, usually so spirits won’t possess the deceased’s body.

When I say four streets I mean four SEPARATE streets

This is the best I could get of the crossroads ridiculousness I speak of. The white and brick house with the pink and green trees is my actual house so you can see how convoluted the streets are. There’s the street the house faces and the street to the right of it. The street on the right splits at my driveway into two other streets (behind my house and where the blue bin is). The funeral home is on the same side of the street the photo was taken on.

In the past I served as a medium to spirits and deities. I don’t do this much anymore for a wide variety of reasons but I still have the knowledge and capability to do so. However, I thoroughly enjoyed doing the works so I continue it privately now and my family home is perfectly situated for this.

Since I live at crossroads and corpse roads, it’s pretty spiritually active around here. There’s a lot of energy given our proximity to running water (two blocks away), the ocean (.8 miles), schools (three of them within two blocks), a main thoroughfare (top of the street), plus the funeral home (in front of my house) and a social club (end of the street). There’s a huge sewer network under my house (which is why it floods so much), plus we’re on the top of a hill. In fact, the roads are so ridiculous around my house, to back out of my driveway you need to back into an intersection.  It’s a busy road for not being a major road, both spiritually and physically. Spiritually, we get a lot of paranormal events from ghosts to non-human spirits. These beings are always transients and I guess we’re something of an inn. I tend to deal with the non-humans and my brother, the Necromancer, takes on the humans.

However, the crossroads and corpse roads are also a place for beings to linger. Lost or simply unwilling to move on, these spirits hang around and drain at the energy. Children, already more susceptible to possession and influences by spirits (however rare it may be), are especially fine targets. To protect and preserve the clarity of the energy and land, I hold vigils at the crossroads every so often.

There’s typically four or five a year on various dates (often in the spring where funerals are most common as burying the dead was not feasible in the winter in ye days of old). During the vigils I put myself into a state of being that allows for easier spiritual communication. Sometimes that’s fasting, other times it’s using entheogens, or hours of meditation. The method depends on my mood at the moment so it’s not something that’s specific. I meet with the spirits that linger and attempt to get them to move on – whether that’s to pass from this land into the next to just to go haunt some other location depends on the spirit themselves. I’m not one to force a spirit, human or otherwise, to do something they don’t want. If a human spirit understands that they are dead and they’re still not ready to move on, I’m not going to force the issue unless they start hurting people or other spirits. Then I turn into a dragon and start destroying things, so to speak. I’m protective, what can I say?

These vigils last typically twenty-four hours and can be very boring. Bound to not leave the area, I tend to amuse myself (and those I’m keeping vigil for) by singing, dancing, reading out loud, or telling stories. Most often, I listen, pour drinks of purified water and clear alcohol, and lay out offerings of coins and snacks. Divination is also incredibly common, since some spirits have difficulties in speaking through a medium.

At the end of the vigil, I “reset” the area, not exactly cleansing the area but more of dispersing negative energy clumps or untangling clogged energy to get it moving better. It makes the area feel better, safer, and more exhilarating for the spirit.

I really enjoy these vigils not only as a service to my community but also as a way of connecting to spirits around me. It’s one of the rituals I’ve developed that I intend to continue no matter where I live or what the future may hold for me.

 

Play the Fool

April Fool’s Day is April first as my readers well know and a simple cursory Google search will reveal that April Fool’s Day is amazingly older than many imagine. While it surged back into popularity in the 1950s, scholars believe that the core theme of the festival is  far older and may be linked to the Roman festival of Hilaria or the Feast of Fools.  In my own anthropological and folkloric studies, I find that a feast or festival during which merry-making and playing the fool is actually fairly common world-wide, although the dates and purpose varies as wildly as the methods of which the festival is celebrated.

Running on that linked topic, I bring up the court jester. The often motley dressed entertainer of royals, nobles, and common folk alike. In Medieval Days and Ways by Gertude Hartman(1) writes the following:

Nobles were also in the habit of keeping a fool – or jester – to provide entertainment. He wore a cap and bells and a costume, half of one color and half of another. During meals he told jokes to amuse the company, and his antics and capers were a source of much merriment.

Telling jokes was not the only thing jesters might do. They often could juggle, perform acrobatics, told or made up stories, sing or play an instrument, sleight of hand or magic tricks, or perform a myriad of other entertainer’s roles. Such jesters were widely sought after and were regarded like prized pets. Even jesters with a limited repertoire were sought for as entertainment was hard to come by and travel was not something many attempted to do.

While the court jester was an entertainer and did play the fool for the amusement of their audience, the court jester often had a deeper, more involved role. Many of the best or most cunning of jesters only played at being a fool and instead could criticize the court (but not too much or risk punishment) and were sometimes used to deliver news others feared to do so. Some scholars go so far as to separate fools into the natural fool or licensed fool. Natural fools were often people with deformities or mental challenges whereas licensed fools were a profession, skilled entertainers and clever men who tread the line to mock nobles, court policies, or general politics. Early political satire, so to speak.

I could keep going, there’s a great history for jesters and fools and there’s several guilds of jesters out there for those folks who are looking to get into a new trade. (And it’s serious business competition, just like any other entertainment field). Jesters are a common literature troupe, having appeared in all sorts of media including the book series A Song of Fire and Ice, the TV show Game of Thrones (2), and the video game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (3).

Of course, I have to mention the Tarot. The first card in the Tarot is The Fool and often the Fool is represented not only as the beginning of a journey (often a journey or plunge they’re unaware of) but also the careless naivety of youth, an escape of the real world or responsibilities, foolish bravery (or not knowing to be afraid), and even the beginning or the end of everything. This last interpretation actually has historical relevance as the Fool card is set something apart of the rest of the Arcana, given the number zero but often mixed up when in discussion. Waite talks about the Fool between Judgement and the World. (4) In addition, some version of the Tarot give the Fool other card numbers.

Death also is sometimes seen dressed as a Fool in some Tarot decks. This heralds back to the idea that death is the ultimate equalizer and Death always gets the last laugh. The Death card is one of the most varied in appearance in the Tarot deck so this shouldn’t come as a surprise to some. Additionally, Death’s way of clearing the field or humbling everyone is akin to the jesters role in being able to mock everyone accordingly.

When I was determining and designing my calendar, I wanted to set aside a special time for the Fool. My festival, simply called The Fool, takes in all of the above into account. The festival, starting March 30th and running until April 3rd, is a time set aside to be the fool. While fun and games likely will be taken into account, so are acts of wild and foolish bravery. This festival is a time to break out and try something new, ride that nervous thrill of something something so stupid and yet amazing. It’s also a time to set up and consider the world around me and the politics and relationships that affect me. While taking stock, I might even take a few pot shots at people, in the name of satire (not that calling people out on their shit is something I’m accustomed to doing but I make a point of it during these days to try and pass it off as both criticism and a joke).

During this time, entertainment is the highest order of the day, mixing media at will. As a symbol of the medieval origins of the festival, I often accompany this with ‘hidden’ foods like pies, ravioli, or tuck into surprising flavors into what appears to be a normal dish. Food that appears as something else like cupcakes or cakes decorated as fast food or something else is another favorite of mine. I also wear colorful clothing, often in bright or contrasting color as well as don on jingling jewelry in addition to my normal bell jewelry. On occasion, I’ll even put my hair into unique styles to create an illusion or just for the look of it.

Specifically, it’s a time to also play the fool. During these days I endeavor feign ignorance or innocence, if only to see where it gets me, or to behave in a foolish way (such as doing something I wouldn’t normally do). In company, during these days I make it a priority to entertain as needed.

This kind of festival is not only a huge stress reliever but also somewhat necessary now that spring’s come to the Northern Hemisphere. People want to shake out the cobwebs of both their homes and their spirits and my The Fool festival is perfectly designed for just that.

  1. Hartman, Gertude. Medieval Days and Ways. Macmillan Publishing Company. New York. Original publication: 1937. Edition publication: 1965. Pages 48-49.
  2. There are several jesters in George R.R. Martin’s works and other characters who are forced into the role of a fool. I won’t say much since case of spoilers but it’s a total THING.
  3. Circeo anyone?
  4. Waite, Arthur Edward (Waite, A.E.). The Pictorial Key to the Tarot. U.S. Games Systems, Inc. Stamford, Connecticut. Original publication: 1910.  Edition publication: 2000. Pages 152-155.

I would also like to apologize for the silence around here. My shop had a sudden burst of complicated orders and it was hard to keep up and not drop other things at the same time. As of this posting, I’m currently several states away from home serving as priest, healer, confident, and spiritual balm to a client and their family. It’s very high stress but it seems the worse has passed and I’m now ready to publish the above piece which I wrote a while back. Thanks for your understanding in this.

 

The Awakening is Upon Us

On my spiritual calendar, “The Awakening” starts March first and is pretty much from there out the time where I start flinging magic around to encourage plant growth. Typically, I start spring cleaning as soon as the snow is clear of the ground, finally air out the house, and fold away “winter” clothes. Spiritually, I go around and say hi to nature spirits and a solid goodbye to Jack Frost.

However, it’s also a physically hard time for me. Spring is so close I can taste it and yet at the same time my body’s still in winter mode, sluggish and hibernating. (Yes, I know there’s a disorder relating to the seasons and it’s likely linked since I’ve had this issue since high school but I haven’t been diagnosed so let’s leave that at the wayside of this post, shall we?) I wake with the sun at this time of year and that does me no favors if I’ve gone to bed only four hours before.

Tumblr followers will have noticed I’ve been both away and not. I do check my blog feeds but conversations seem so…pointless? Yes, pointless is the appropriate word here. Most conversations – and almost all arguments – in the community are circular at best, either rearing up to a place where no one is in the right because these are spiritual experiences we’re talking about and therefore currently unable to be confirmed outside of scientifically questionable methods like divination. Or, they are history repeating itself, the same damn argument or conversation three or six months later that has been already discussed and, likely, settled.

This is part of the community. Everyone discovers things at different rates and finds different importance in it. But this time of the year it all seems to be pointless. I see a lot of talking but no doing and that’s spiritually frustrating because of all the times to be willing to do something, this is it. Plant a tree, plant a flower, start earmarking what to wild-harvest. Take walks outside despite the cold and get a little dirty. Most of you talk about being close to nature but do shit about it.

I want to scream this but reel myself in. I understand, full-well, that my path and holidays hold no significance to anyone else and it’s not true. Plenty of people do things and just don’t mention it online. I get that wholeheartedly because I’m the same way. Private practices are private for a reason.

Ah well, this post as gone well into the realm of rambling and clearly waking up as the sun rises each day is not doing me any favors. I leave you with this to ponder: spring is close in this hemisphere and if you work with nature at all – or plants or local spirits – perhaps holding an afternoon ritual or giving up an offering could do wonders for your spiritual relationships.

Why I Hate the Current Usage of the Word “Godphone”

2 Comments

I wrote the following post a while back and never published it. Since I was recently asked about godphones so I’m posting it here so I can link it then I’m heading off the internet for my Silence Festival until Monday. Warning for cuss words which are abundant. Continue reading →

Silence Festival

The Silence Festival is coming up quickly on my personal calendar and for once I’m looking forward to it. Between February 21st through February 23rd, I am to be silent. This is more than just not speaking to people. It would have to be to be meaningful in today’s technological world. No posts are to be made, unless they are scheduled or queued. Social media is to be silent. No emails are to be sent, no texts, and to even keep writing to people to a minimum.

I also keep my consumption of directed media to a minimum. No reading of blogs, emails, or letters. Movies or TV (except for documentaries), video games (except for simulation games with no prose driving it), and music (unless educational and requires no speaking on my part) are to be banned as well but I’m allowed to listen to the radio as I don’t have a choice of what that radio plays. I can read books but not novels. Annotated fairy tales are OK, as they’re more scholarly at that point than not but mostly I’ll read scholarly materials.

Additionally, I will cast no spells, do no magic, read no one’s future. I will not astral travel and I will not speak to spirits. Essentially, the same rules as above applies. This is both easier and harder than it seems. It’s easier because that’s three days of spiritual laziness but I’ve been doing magic for so long that simple, everyday tasks are boosted by magic. I use magic to make water boil fast and spells to make my plants grow healthy. For three days, none of this can happen.

There are exceptions to this. There would have to be given how many people rely on me. If someone’s in danger or I need to give information to someone (like a nurse at the emergency room or firefighters) then I have to respond. This isn’t just practicality, this is part of the festival, to speak only when necessary. More than that, I feel that the goal I’ve charged myself with – to help them when asked to do so  and to protect as much as I can – supersedes all of my religious festivals and holidays. Spells to protect people or to be done in an emergency is also an exception. Likewise, I cannot help if I’m struck with a vision of someone’s future. That’s out of my hands.

Why would I put myself through this? I rarely do anything that doesn’t have a point to it in some way. This is the best time to take a breath. To simply breathe and focus on myself. To step back and remind myself of that I came from isolation and isolating myself is comforting, basic, natural state for me. I use words so often, I speak, sing, write, and do magic constantly, to fill the silence and loneliness I grew up with. With none of those things to do, I will instead do little crafts to amuse myself, window shop, and sew. Cooking and baking will fill the gaps of boredom eased by scholarly books. I will think and I will write. I have a novel to finish after all and I’m so close I can taste the resolution. Three days of silence will be perfect.

February is the perfect month for this. The coldest, driest, and bitterest of months for many, it it a silent month in and of itself. Often in New England we are encased in snow and ice. There is no where to go and nothing to do. It is a quiet month only broken up by Valentine’s Day and a few other civic holidays. Crocuses are about to bloom and crack through wind-swept icy covering of snow, bright purples against brilliant white. On March 4th, The Awakening begins on my calendar and I saw goodbye to Jack Frost for another winter and welcome the dawning of life again in the coming spring.

The Silence Festival is a time for personal introspection, to plan my final hurrahs for winter and Jack Frost before spring comes again, and to rededicated myself to whatever I need to do. This is a time to remind myself that I am the most important person to impress for myself, that only my opinion matters to me in my life, and no one can or will control my life but me.