Thursday, March 20, 2014

Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for...


  1. Experiencing the joy and serenity of Muir woods and the redwood trees
  2. Spending time with good friends, sharing experiences and wisdom and joy
  3. The shadow work course that I am undertaking and the healing it is giving me
  4. Warm sunny days and cool evenings
  5. Slowly feeling more at home within my own skin.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Persephone

(Source: http://www.citelighter.com/history/history/knowledgecards/persephone)

Deity Name
Persephone
Pantheon
Persephone is a goddess of the Greek Olympian Pantheon
Native Origins
Persephone is a strictly Greek goddess, Although she was later incorporated into the Roman pantheon as Proserpina.  She is the daughter of Demeter and Zeus
Correspondences
Day of the week
Persephone is often associated with Monday.
Flowers and Herbs
The following Flowers and Herbs are found to be associated with Persephone: grain, lily of the valley, spring flowers, pomegranates, narcissus, lavender, ivy, daisy, mint, reeds, willow tree.
Fragrances and Incenses
Spring fragrances such as narcissus, lily, hyacinth, vanilla but also earthy fragrances such as amber, and bergamot are all associated with the goddess Persephone.
Crystals and Gemstones
Citrine, Peridot, Green Tourmaline, Topaz, quartz, agate, black onyx, pink tourmaline, sapphire, obsidian, mercury, coral, agate, and jasper are all stones that can be used in connection with Persephone.
Foods
Food associated with Persephone include: pomegranates and grains, both of which are associated with her connection to the harvest seasons.
Sabbats
As a maiden goddess Persephone could be called upon at Imbolc or Ostara.  With her mother Demeter she could be used as part of a Mabon celebration or even Samhain.
Metals
While there are no particular metals said to be associated with Persephone, as a queen of the underworld, and through her link with Hades you could almost use any kind of precious metal that is dug forth from the earth such as gold, silver etc.
Aspects
Persephone as a Kore, is a maiden goddess, however when she descends to the underworld she is a Queen, and therefore is more representative of the Mother aspect.  She is a goddess of spring and rebirth, wisdom and innocence as well as death and spiritual connections.
Favored Offerings
Some of Persephone’s favored offerings would include: pomegranates, spring flowers, grains.  The ancient Greeks also used to have precious gems engraved as offerings and honoring of the goddess Persephone.
Myth & Legend
The myth of Persephone’s abduction is well known.  Persephone (Kore) was a child of Demeter and Zeus who often played with her father’s other daughters Athena and Aphrodite and was generally the perfect daughter.  As Kore approached womanhood and grew more beautiful she attracted Hades attention who sought Zeus’ permission to marry Persephone and was granted it.  In secret the two plotted for Hades to kidnap Persephone.  One day as she was in the meadow playing as usual a narcissus caught Persephone’s attention and when she plucked it from the ground a hole to the underworld opened up and Hades emerged stealing her away to the underworld to be his wife.

When Demeter realized that her daughter was missing she searched desperately for her daughter.  Deeply in mourning for her daughter Demeter roamed the earth in the form of an old lady carrying a lighted torch.  Eventually the goddess Hekate instructed Demeter that she should seek the sun god Helios for information, he in turn informed Demeter of Persephone’s kidnapping.

Demeter begged Zeus for the return of her daughter a demand the Zeus eventually was forced to give in to because Demeter’s sorrow had left the land barren and without crops or livestock the people could not honor the gods.  Hades, however, did not wish to give up Persephone and because Persephone had consumed some pomegranate seeds he could demand that she must return to live with him in the underworld for a certain amount of time each year (myths vary as to whether it is a 6 month split, a 7/5 split or a 9/3 split).

Monday, March 17, 2014

Musing Monday - I am Bleeding

I am currently undertaking a shadow work course.  One of the activities for the course is to choose a word to accompany the phrase 'I am'.  Today's word was Bleeding...here is what came to me.

I am bleeding
Bleeding little pieces of my soul
Slowly dripping from the many wounds I’ve never taken the time to heal
Drip…drip…with each step I move monotonously forward tuned out to my body
To my needs, to my souls cry, to the wild, deep, dark within
That place that has hidden me, protected me, been denied by me
To the shadowy sentinels that have stood watch over all my hurts
And who hurt now, bleeding, waiting, wanting to be a part of me.

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for...


  1. Spring flowers and the return of color to the world
  2. A home of my own.
  3. Being financially comfortable.
  4. The knowledge that everything works out as it should and always will
  5. Warm sunshine on a very windy day.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

How did you discover your path?

So I'm stealing inspiration from one of the many pagan blog challenges today as my brain isn't quite up to snuff after fighting off a cold and a migraine.

The question - How did you discover your path?

I was never raised in a religious household, I can't really say it was agnostic or atheist even either, we just never talked about religion.  I vaguely recall being taken to Sunday school twice but then we stopped going.  My mother always had some kind of religious tendencies but my father would definitely be described as atheist.  So apart from the odd jaunt to church with friends if I was staying at their homes I never actually encountered any religious teachings.  Yet despite this I never felt any kind of draw towards Christianity, what minor interactions I did have with it just didn't resonate with me at all and most of those I knew who were church going people seemed rather hypocritical to me.

So it comes that I am 16 years old and I don't have a religious system, or a faith system really.  I have always had a vivid imagination and was always drawn to the mythology and tales of the ancient Greeks etc.  So when I met a friend who was just starting in her path into Wicca I became very intrigued.  I grabbed a few books (Cunningham's of course) and began to devour them.  Things made sense and I was in a time of great crisis in my life and the idea of a strong goddess figure was certainly a powerful one.  I began to practice, and like many new self-trained to the path I took a lot of what I read as gospel.  As I developed along my path I began to think more critically and I came to realize that Wicca really wasn't 100% in fitting with my beliefs.  I began to take a more eclectic path, finding things that resonated with me and exploring my own thoughts and ideas until I came up with a path that is my own.


Thursday, March 6, 2014

Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for...


  1. My ability to critically engage.
  2. That hubby is loving his new job.
  3. Sleeping in.
  4. Rainy days
  5. New blossoms.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Who created the Gods?

(Source: http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2013/12/image-of-the-day-cosmic-fog-in-the-whirlpool-galaxy-found-key-to-star-creation.html)

So occasionally I wake up with random thoughts in my head - this was one of those days.  I'm really just typing my thoughts as I have them here so it will likely be disjointed and perhaps contradictory or illogical :)

I've been doing study on Cernunnos lately and it has had me contemplating an idea that I've come back to on and off throughout the years of who exactly creates the gods.  Let me lay some foundation work here.  I believe in a divine source - whatever you want to call it - from which all things emanate and from which all things are connected.  This source is neither masculine nor feminine, it goes beyond boundaries of gender.  This source is a part of each and every one of us, in fact it is a part of everything and in this way we are all connected together.  Now this is a pretty generalized idea that lacks a lot of specifics but I believe that the reason for this is that we cannot actually comprehend this Divine source.  Our human capacity as it stands is simply unable to wrap our minds completely around such an entity/power/idea, so how do we reconcile this?

For me this is where the question who created the gods comes into play.  If we go back far enough into religious/spiritual traditions and systems we usually find evidence of the divine manifesting in everyday things.  Spirits of trees, rivers, the volcano etc are worshiped or honored as something 'other'.  We add significant value to them for their life giving force, their destructive power, their ability to provide us with necessary resources.  We do not fully comprehend these things but we comprehend enough to sense something 'other' within them.  Now, I'm sure a lot of people will call it superstition, ignorance, fear and several other things that basically claim that early man just didn't know any better, and believe me I've read the history books etc that highlight this.  But I have to wonder, if you are living that closely with nature, if it is such a vital part of your survival you must surely be more in tune with its energies than we are today and therefore are probably more aware of the divine source that lives within all things.  I think we find it hard in the modern world to really grasp what it must have been like.  Think about it.  Say you've lived in the city your entire life, perhaps it hasn't been a great life and you've spent a lot of time on the streets, or around high crime areas, in order to survive you've developed an intuition and sixth sense about your surroundings.  You instinctively can feel when danger is approaching, or a variety of other 'instincts' that enable you to survive.  You have an awareness of your world.  Or take farmers, how many farmers can predict the weather better than any degree'd weatherman you've ever seen?  How many of them have a sense of what the land is going to do, or when their animals are going to birth etc.  These are senses we develop because of our surroundings and situations and most of us who live in the modern world have had these senses dulled.  So bringing my tangent back on topic, I feel that the early spirits of the land were our sensing of the divine spark in things, a sense that morphed over time.

As things changed within society and the world around us changed our senses we began to feel a need to humanize those spirits we had previously acknowledged as a part of the divine.  So the spirits become humanized gods, they become deities of specific places or the more overarching early deities such as Gaia or the early Titans.  That is not to say that the spirits of certain places are not still honored, but it is more often by those of the local areas than as a whole societal thing.  As time continues ideas of gods develop further and we begin to see deities emerge that are associated with ideas or places that are of import to the now.  Deities that already exist are morphed into something else, or adapted, separated our into parts and a variety of other transformations that adapt with society, complex pantheons begin to emerge.

So how does this relate back to my question?  Quite simply I believe that 'we' created the gods.  That is not to say that they don't exist.  But rather that the gods are our own faces applied to a divine presence within the universe.  They are how we have adapted and developed our sense of the divine in relation to how we view its connection with ourselves.  It doesn't matter if you believe it is one god or 500 they exist in that we have created their existence as a way of connecting to that divine.  Of course this then throws up many questions.  If the gods exist because we create them does our lack of worship destroy them?  Can we create new gods?  If we create them how much do they really exist, are they actually gods or just masks?  I'm sure there are more but I'll pick those 3 for now.

If the gods exist because we create them does our lack of worship destroy them?  My answer to this is not entirely simple.  If everyone suddenly stopped worshiping Odin would he cease to exist?  No.  Firstly, because the god Odin is a part of the greater divine and you cannot eradicate that greater source without eradicating all things.  Secondly, if you look around the world the god 'Odin' has many counterparts throughout various cultures, he is an archetype that exists in the universal consciousness and therefore in some sense will always exist.  The historian in me also wants to claim that unless you also manage to eradicate all evidence of his every existing you can never truly remove the idea of him from the world, eventually someone is going to pick it up again - just look at the resurgence of pagan beliefs lately.

Can we create new gods? You know I'm probably going to get shot down for this but I believe you can.  I know, blasphemy blah, blah, blah.  But anyone who has looked at the history of religion can figure out that hey - we created new gods all the time, didn't I just write about that.  But there seems to be this idea that we must honor the gods of the past and all other gods are impostors or a joke - where does that idea come from?  Okay, obviously some religions feel this way, but look at early pagan systems, the Romans conquered most of Europe and into the UK, they discovered new gods they hadn't heard of before, so what did they do - they incorporated them for the most part.  Now before anyone gets up in arms and starts bombarding me with evidence of when the Romans weren't so friendly about others gods, I know that, I'm just talking in broad generalities here - for the most part the Romans assimilated before the Empire got to big for its britches.   So why can't we find new gods today?  For my system you can, the gods are an aspect of the greater divine and therefore if you choose to see that divine in something new and different then go for it.  Heck, look at Cernunnos (see, we got back there eventually) most of the evidence that exists surrounding this deity is sketchy at best, a lot of sources say that the name was more of a title than an actual deity.  But Murray got to talking about his as the witches god and people went with the idea and now he is.  He is a deity in his own right, something that he perhaps had not been previously.  Things change, deities change, the universe changes, the constant is that divine source, the variable is how we choose to interact with it.

If we create them how much do they really exist, are they actually gods or just masks?  Now this is a tricky one for me to answer and I'm not sure I'm going to do it justice here.  I do not believe that the gods exist as stand alone deities, they are aspects of the divine that are manifested through the prism of our reality.  I do not believe that one day Zeus is going to step down from high and visit us all, I don't believe we are descended from gods in any other way than that we share the same divine spark.  I do believe that you can work with separate deities, that they exist in enough of a sense that each has its own attributes and personalities because we have imbued them with these things.  It is somewhat linked to the debate of can you share pantheons.  Some will argue absolutely against it, others say do what calls to you, I'm personally in the later boat.  If you feel called to work with Ganesha, The Rainbow Serpent and Freya then by all means do so, they each have a filter on the divine that obviously works with what you need.  Now, the idea of whether gods with clash is something slightly different for me.  As I stated, I believe there is a certain level of manifestation that we have applied that has focused our ideas.  Just as certain aspects of nature clash, of our own personalities, so too do certain aspects of the divine manifestation.  Poseidon and Athena have been manifested for such a long time with a certain spin on their relationship that it would take some serious effort to break that manifested reality, I'm not saying it can't be done, but don't be shocked if things get a little rocky there for a bit.

I'm not sure any of the above makes any sense to a mind other than my own - but there it is, my rather long winded take on who created the gods.

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Epona

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epona)

Deity Name
Epona, “The Great Mare”, “Divine Mare”, “Mare Goddess”
Pantheon
The Goddess Epona, while traditionally stemming from Gallic origins is generally perceived as Gallo-Roman in nature.
Native Origins
The native origins of Epona are Gallic origins, although she is one of the only goddess to be completely incorporated into the Roman pantheon when they expanded in to Gaul and beyond.
Correspondences
Day of the week
While no specific references could be found to a day on which Epona would be honored if one was to take into account the associations of agriculture, creativity, fortune, hope, protection and banishment of negativity than Saturday would be an appropriate day.   Thursday is another viable option as it is associated with harvest, riches and fealty.
Flowers and Herbs
Flowers and herbs associates with the goddess Epona are: Roses, coltsfoot, purslane, vervain, and grain.
Fragrances and Incenses
Some of the incenses that could be used in working with the Goddess Epona are: rose, sandalwood, sweet grass, and null.
Crystals and Gemstones
There are many crystals said to be associated with the goddess Epona.  Some of these stones are: cat’s eye, ruby, azurite, obsidian, moonstone, obsidian, carnelian, chrysophase, shiva lingham, smokey quartz, rose quartz, bloodstone, unakite, rhodonite, and garnet.
Foods
Given her association with horses, harvests and fertility it makes sense that food involving grains, carrots, and apples would be appropriate to the goddess.
Sabbats
The goddess Epona, as a goddess of harvests would be called upon during the Autumnal Equinox.
Metals
While I couldn’t find any references to metals it would seem logical that given the time period in which Epona came to be so popular that Iron would be an appropriate metal.  Epona is associated with wealth also so gold might be another viable option as it is something we have come to associate as a symbol of wealth and power.
Aspects
Epona is a goddess of many areas, she is said to be a goddess of Fertility, abundance, the moon, creativity, and freedom.  Epona is also a Protector of horses and things to do with them.  Finally, there are some references that link Epona to the underworld.
Favored Offerings
Given Roman connections favored offerings could involve wine and mola salsa (salt and flour cakes), as well as roses and grains.
Myth & Legend
There are actually no surviving myths about Epona and so we are left with evidence of her worship in various different aspects throughout Celtic and Roman world and she has even been linked to the Welsh goddess Rhiannon.  There are some brief mentions of her within the works of Juvenal, Apuleius, Minucius Felix, Prudentius and Fulgentius but little else remains.  Juvenal writes of Lateranus who refused to offer sacrifice to any deity other than Epona while working in the stables.  Apuleius mentioned a shrine to Epona found within a stable in his work “The Golden Ass” as does Minucius in “The Octavius”.  About the only surviving story of Epona is that of her birth.  It is said that a man by the name of Phoulonios Stellos was entirely uninterested in women and instead mated with a mare.  The product of this union was that the mare birthed a human daughter whom she named Epona.

Monday, March 3, 2014

Learning to love ourselves



Ah the things we lose as we grow older.  It is funny how we are all so eager to grow up and then when we finally get there we wish we could go back to being that child again.  I wonder how much of the draw many have to pagan paths is that desire to connect to the love and acceptance that we had for ourselves and the world during our childhood.  Our paths certainly embrace the connection to the inner child, to ourselves, to our world and to a general acceptance.  That is not to say that perhaps other religions don't offer this also, I just don't know them well enough to comment.  One of the things I do love about my path is that it does force me, as part of my spiritual journey, to really look into myself and to learn once again to accept with complete love who I am.  This is not easy work.  We have learned over and over to judge ourselves, to feel ourselves as something less than we should be.  Sometimes we have gone through events that have taught us to fear and hate our bodies and ourselves, sometimes we suffer illnesses that we have difficulty learning to love as a part of us.  Whatever the root cause, the work involved is often intense, it is a journey, a hard one and a spiritual one.  There are no real answers as to how to do this, for each person it is different.  For me one of the greatest keys is to remind myself of those people in my life who do love me for who I am. if they can do it, why can't I.  Given my path I also try to remember that all things have beauty and all things are divine, therefore I am both beautiful and divine.   It is not our nature to all be the same, how boring would that be anyway, we each have our own unique spark - that inner star- that is solely our own and we should honor it by loving it, by loving us and by casting off fear.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for...


  1. The rain that is falling on our parched earth.
  2. The increase in my fitness levels.
  3. The carry-on effect of a spiritual kick-up-the-pants that is PCon.
  4. Getting to the ocean.
  5. all the extra time I'm getting to spend with hubby.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Do you have to do spells to be a witch?

Do you have to do spells to be a witch?

This is a question I saw posed elsewhere and it got me thinking.  The assumption was that a central part of being a witch was casting spells, which seems to me to say that you are not a witch if you don't cast spells.  Now I have some serious issues with this idea, in fact I think it is completely wrong.  While I can certainly acknowledge that in the mind the correlation between witches and spell casting is popular I don't believe that you have to cast spells to be a witch.  Maybe the key lies in identifying if there is a different between magic and spells.

 One can perform simple acts of magic without having to be performing a spell in my opinion.  You can add magic to your cooking through the use of a few words and some herbs or by stirring the pot a certain way.  You can say a few words when searching for a car park, draw on the strength of the earth to fill you with strength when facing a troubling time, or hundreds of other instances where you choose to enact a little magic in your life, are these spells?  Some would perhaps say yes, in which case I guess you would have to say that spells are a part of everyday life for a witch.

For me personally I define spells as something more elaborate, something that you put time and effort into creating, enacting and following up, they have structure.  I can count on one hand the amount of times I've actively worked a spell.  When I've taken the time to create, prep and perform a working for a particular purpose.  What makes these spells different from simple acts of magic for me?  A spell seeks to make a significant change and therefore needs to be imbued with significant power.  When you first begin the process of deciding to do a spell you are starting the process of building power towards your desire.  The entire process is a building of magic and the spell is the focus for that magic, it is a ritualized act and therefore is something that should be used sparingly in my mind.

So for me the answer is simple - you do not have to do spells to be a witch, nor is your level of 'witchiness' dictated by the amount of spells that you do.  But I'm sure not everyone would agree with me and that's fine too :)

(source: http://www.yourwitch.com/)

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Thoth

(Source: http://www.aquarianradio.com/2013/04/11/3235/)
Deity Name
Thoth, the Great Measurer
Pantheon
Egyptian
Native Origins
Egyptian, his primary temple was in Khmun (later known as Hermoplois Magna)
Correspondences
Day of the week
Wednesday is said to be the sacred day of Thoth.
Flowers and Herbs
Drawing on the planetary association of Mercury it could include: fennel, mint and parsley.  If we were to include his moon aspect then perhaps the following would also be appropriate: hyssop, rosemary, moonflower, moonwort, garlic.  Almond and hops are also associations I have found.
Fragrances and Incenses
As he was linked to the planet Mercury than cinquefoil, fennel or anise would be appropriate fragrances.  Musk is also said to be associated with the god Thoth.
Crystals and Gemstones
I found one source that claimed opal was his gem stone, but as the Egyptians had no source of opals I could find reference to I find this hard to reconcile.  Flourite would be more appropriate if the connection was described as a rainbow like stone.  Purple was a color associated with him and it is possible that amethyst could be a stone of association as it did exist, although was very rare
Foods
Given that Thoth is a god of Egypt it is plausible that foods from that locale and time would be appropriate such as beer (although it was nothing like our modern beer), dates, figs, legumes, bread, wine etc. 
Sabbats
You could call upon Thoth during any of the equinox sabbats as he is a god of balance and these are times of balance.  Thoth is also a god of wisdom and divination so you could call upon him during those Sabbats when divination is a key part such as Samhain and Beltane. 
Metals
Given his origins metals that could have been associated with Thoth would be gold, copper, silver or bronze.  Both gold and silver were associated with the gods and so these are most likely.
Aspects
Thoth is represented as a creator god as well as a Moon god.  He is believed to have been the inventor of language, scribe to gods and patron of scribes, invented astronomy, geometry and medicine, and maintained the balance of the universe as a mediator. 
Favored Offerings
Traditionally the scribes in ancient Egypt used to offer daily libations of a drop of water before commencing work.  Given the importance of water in the life of ancient Egypt I could imagine this to be a respectful offering.
Myth & Legend
Thoth has been credited with the creation of the 365 day calendar.  It is said that Thoth gambled at dice with the moon (Iabet) and having won asked for 5 days as his prize.  These five days he gifted to the goddess Nut who had be separated from her lover/brother Geb and cursed with the inability to give birth on any day of the month within the Egyptian calendar.  The 5 days gifted by Thoth would allow Nut and Geb to procreate as those days belonged to no month.  During those 5 days Nut is said to have birthed Osiris, Horus the elder, Set, Isis and Nephthys.  The addition of these 5 days also set the Egyptian calendar into the 365 day cycle. 
Many of the myths in which Thoth features contain a role of arbitration between the gods.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for...


  1. Chocolate - sometimes it makes everything better
  2. The rain we receives yesterday - it wasn't enough but its a start.
  3. E-book loans from the library
  4. The help and support of new friends
  5. Reconnecting with old friends.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

In honor of the rain

In honor of the rain that finally fell today...

The barren ground laps eagerly at the moisture falling softly from the sky.
Plants and trees breathe in deep and flex their roots as they are nourished from above.
And the wildlife ventures out to play and glory in the rains sensing they wont stay long.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Ishtar

Source: http://ancientpeoples.tumblr.com/post/26838754545/ishtar-is-the-assyrian-and-babylonian-goddess

Ishtar

Deity Name
Ishtar, Light of the World, Leaders of Hosts, Opener of Wombs, Righteous Judge, Lawgiver, Goddess of Goddesses, Bestower of Strength, Framer of All Decrees, Lady of Victory, Forgiver of Sins, Torch of Heaven and Earth.– Also known as: Ishara, Istar, Istaru, Aschtar, Aschtart, Geschtinanna, Nins-Anna.  She is the counterpart to the Sumerian goddess Inanna, and is also linked to Astarte, Arinna, Tanit and Anna
Native Origins
Akkadian, Assyrian, Babylonian – her holy city was Uruk, town of the Sacred Courtesans.  It is said that she originated as Inanna among the Summerians and was adopted by the Babylonians and Assyrians and became Ishtar. 
Correspondences
Day of the week
Friday
Flowers and Herbs
reeds – symbol of fertility, rose
Fragrances and Incenses
Juniper
Crystals and Gemstones
Sacred Stone is Lapis Lazuli
Foods
Apple, wheat,
Sabbats
While she is often linked with erotic passion and is mother and lady of light and therefore could be called upon at Midsummer and also with Ostara, her role as luminal goddess and one who journey’s to the underworld would perhaps see her best called upon at Samhain.
Metals
copper
Aspects
Ishtar is a mother/fertility goddess, but she is also lover and warrior
Favored Offerings
Oil, Wine and things made with lapis, symbols of fertility and light
Detail at least one Myth & Legend about your chosen deity
The descent of Ishtar is perhaps the most popular myth regarding the goddess, although there is quite a bit of uncertainty regarding the various alterations that take place throughout the myth over time.  The key aspects of the myth that remain true throughout all versions are that Ishtar descends to the land of the dead which is ruled by her sister Ereskeigal.  In order to be allowed entry she was required to remove an item at each of the seven gates (crown, earrings, necklace, breast ornaments, girdle, anklets and bracelets, loincloth, until she stood naked and free of all accouterments as she passed through the final gates.  Ishtar was then held captive or killed and while she was so fertility was removed from the land.  The gods then demanded her return to the earth that it may be fertile again and Ereskeigal gave up Ishtar and allowed her to return to the world, regaining all her possessions as she passed through each gate. 

The myth of Ishtar’s descent is very similar in many ways to the story of Persephone and Demeter as it tells of the variations in the seasons.  There is a further alteration of the myth that states that Ishtar as descending in search of her lover Tammuz and yet another that states that when she returned she found Tammuz ruling rather than mourning and so she sent him down in her place and therefore he was only her consort for ½ the year which gives the fertility of the seasons.  The key here is the link between the goddess Ishtar and fertility.

Links have also been made between the 7 gates and the 7 chakras, that each item and gate is linked to a particular chakra.  What I find important is that Ishtar had to remove from herself all her worldly power and symbols and present herself naked and humble and in her trials within the land of the Dead she was reborn and able to emerge renewed into the world and into the power she possess.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for...


  1. My immune system that allowed me to fight off the bugs going around at the moment.
  2. That my hubby got a great internship with his work that will make him happy and increase his skills.
  3. Getting to spend 2 days with my husband
  4. Rediscovering yoga
  5. My peacock colored scarf that just makes me smile from the colors.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Some old writings

Found some old writing that I did several years ago and so I am sharing some of it here.

What is Magick?


The first new plant at winter’s end.
The blooming flower that breaks the trend.
The scent of Yule in the air.
The foal playing with the mare.

The caterpillar that has learnt to fly
Dancing clouds in the sky.
The sun that beats upon your face
Spider webs like intricate lace.

Faeries glimpsed in the eyes of a child
Walking forests tranquil and wild.
The moving power of the sea.
The thrumping sound of the tree.

The turning of the seasons each year.
A frosty morning bright and clear.
The autumn leaves that fall to the ground
You can’t deny that magick is all around.


(9/2/09)


Creation


Darkness ruled, like the nighttime sea
Alone in its swells was the one named She
Embodiment of all

Loneliness threatens to overwhelm
Another soul is desired in this realm
She weeps

Tears of her soul coalesce
Forming to matter at her request
He is born

Of her soul yet apart
Full of joy and open of heart
He embraces her

The two are joined as passion flows
Between them life begins to grow
Birth of the universe

The universe swells and increases in size
They’re driven apart to opposite sides
Balance is held

Forever to seek each other’s company
The universe is balanced by their flow of energy
They are deity

(2/25/10)

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for...


  1. Warm days full of sunshine
  2. Having not caught the various bugs currently going around
  3. My new dishwasher
  4. The cat finally sleeping most nights on the her blanket on the bed instead of me
  5. Spending time with my hubby

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

The 13 goals of a Witch



A little discussion on the 13 goals of the witch and what I think they mean.


  1. Know Yourself: it is vitally important that we learn to know ourselves, not just our strengths and weaknesses but who we are, how things affect us, how we learn, how we think and so forth.  I believe that a spiritual study is very much linked to a psychological study, in order to fully embrace our spiritual path we must know ourselves completely, we must take those journeys within ourselves, play with our inner child, to communicate with our higher selves, to understand the balance and interconnectedness between the three selves.
  2. Know your Craft: In life you never stop learning, as a witch you should also never stop learning, but you also need to remember that learning is not just reading but doing.  You cannot be a witch by reading a bunch of books and never putting anything into practice.  You must support your training through action.  If you do not practice how can you know what works and what doesn't?  What one person claims to be the truth may not be so for you, by taking the knowledge you gain and applying it you deepen your understanding of the craft and your own beliefs and skills.
  3. Learn and Grow:  This is tied in with Know your craft, learning is essential to growth.  That having been said, learning is not just taking down information as dictated, it is about critical thinking.  Too often I have seen people walk this path who claim beliefs and knowledge and yet when questioned are unable to explain why.  As witches we need to be able to know the why of things, how they are connected etc.  Debate is a good thing, healthy debate challenges you to think for yourself.
  4. Apply Knowledge with Wisdom: I’m probably reiterating a lot from the past two points here.  It is not a sign of wisdom to claim knowledge blindly, restating what someone has said or written without understanding the content or having applied any critical thought to the idea yourself is the opposite of both knowledge and wisdom, you are a sheep who follows along with the crowd.  
  5. Achieve Balance:  Now this is one I struggle with and work on repeatedly, sometimes I’m better at it than others.  Life is balance, we see that every day in the world around us, and our lives should also be balanced, we should balance the spiritual and the mundane.  We should balance our spiritual study, it is very tempting to dive head first into all the new and shinny things we want to learn about and thus burn ourselves out and master nothing.
  6. Keep your words in good order:  Words have power, power we often don’t even understand, and not just the words we say, but the words we think.  For a witch your words are vitally important, they are a reflection of your intent and your true self, it is one of the reasons I believe we should write our own spells, prayers and rituals – because they then come from the heart and the intent within us, they don’t have to be perfect, rhyme or be full of flowery language, they just have to reflect our intent and self.  We should also be careful with promising too much, with saying we will send energy etc and then not doing so – if we give our word we need to ensure we follow through.  Finally, words can be harmful, especially to ourselves, our negative thinking can wear us down and block our energy centers, it is important that we become aware of the negative voice that lives inside and that we learn to deal with it – not by ignoring it, but rather by tackling it head on, dealing with the issues it is stemming from and letting go and moving forward.  
  7. Keep your thoughts in good order:  Similarly to what I stated above, thoughts can be detrimental and we have to watch those negative thoughts in order to keep ourselves balanced.  We also have to be weary of our anger and how we hold on to resentment.  Our thoughts have power, they have an energy and where we direct that energy is where it goes.  Too often we spend too much of ourselves being angry, being hurt, being resentful and it drains us.
  8. Celebrate life: It is so important that we take time to connect and to experience, to dig our toes into the sand, to lay upon the grass or to smell a flower, we should delight in the wonders and beauty of life.  To play and enjoy like this is to engage our lower selves, the inner child, sticky one and it enriches our lives.  We should also take the time to celebrate the many moments of note in our lives and the passing of those we love through the celebration of their lives.  We are here to experience and we should revel in those experiences.
  9. Attune with the Cycles of the Earth:  Given that our belief system is based on an agricultural and lunar cycle witches usually celebrate the changing of the seasons and the cycles of the moon.  However, given our modern society it is difficult to tune into these things – fruits and vegetables are available all year round, and artificial environments created through central heat and air and lighting make it difficult to sometimes notice the changes in the seasons.  This is where taking time to be outdoors helps, noticing those little things such as the sun rising later, the leaves changing, flowers blooming etc – this is how we feel the changes. 
  10. Breath and Eat Correctly: Breathe is important, it is our life source and through it we can control ourselves.  By breathing deeply and calmly we can control our fears or anxieties, we can feed our bodies so we can maintain exercise and we can nourish our mind.  Through breath we can also raise energy and align ourselves.  Because of this mastering breathing correctly is a vital skill to a practitioner (well to everyone really).  Food nourishes our body, gives us energy and connects us to the energies around us and for this reason it is important that we eat foods that are good for our energy sources, with sufficient healthy energy we are better able to accomplish our desires.  
  11. Exercise the Body: Not only is exercise good for you, it is a way to connect to your body, to raise your energy levels and even to connect to the Limitless.  Through the movement of the body we can worship, through exercise we can remove stresses, engage our muscles and experience the world through action.  By partaking in fun activities such as dance, hooping, playing in the park etc we can engage our inner child.
  12. Meditate:  The mind is one of our greatest tools, through it we can achieve almost anything.  What is important with meditation is to remember that it isn’t just sitting chanting Om or listening to a guided meditation, it can encompass things such as art, dance, yoga, walking, Tai Chi, etc, the key is to let the mind go, to not think and also not force something to come through.  
  13. Honor the Goddess and the God: What I call the Limitless resides within all things, it is neither male nor female, human nor animal, nor plant it is the energy that exists in all.  That said, we should learn to recognize and honor this energy in all its manifestations.  We should care for the earth and each other; we should take care of ourselves as well.  I attempt to be mindful of how I interact with the world around me and I understand the presence of the Limitless in all.  I believe that we are all made up of the same energy, however, I also believe that we have free will and choices to make that affect how our lives go, the lessons we experience and how we interact with the world.