Air Altar - As promised

Also very late - but again lost USB cable :)

The dragons and the angels have always been located on this bookshelf so I decided that as winged creatures they could stay there.  Yes, I know dragons are usually associated with fire but I don't think you can really assign dragons to a element as such so this works for me.

I decided to do a painted board as the central focus, the choice was made because this way when I am done with my focus month (and I plan to do one for each element) I can hang the boards on my ritual room walls.

There isn't usually a red candle burning here, these image just happened to be taken on Imbolc night when I had a tealight burning in every room of the house to welcome back the sun.

Imbolc Altar

Okay, its very late but I only just relocated the usb cable for my camera.

February's Full Moon

Full Snow Moon

Other Names: Hunger moon, Little Famine moon, Bony moon, Ice moon, Budding moon, Wind moon, Storm moon,

Generally named the snow moon because the month of February was when the heaviest snowfalls occurred.  Other names reflect the difficulty of hunting and finding food sources during the harsh winter months.  Each name has a specific cultural/geographical significance and sometimes it is hard to get a true feel for the season following a calendar name that doesn’t match so I know some people who name their own moons and others that don’t name them at all.  Personally, living here in California I’m leaning towards the Chinese Budding moon name as its definitely turning into spring here, no snow to be found :)

When working with the moon this month why not take the time to harness her energies to help promote your own self love.  Acknowledge yourself for who you are, see your perceived flaws as part of what makes you perfectly you.  Embrace the promise of warmth to come by shedding a little warmth on your own soul and self.

Child Within

I don’t know about anyone else but I often find myself awed by children.  It may sound a little strange but I sit and watch how children play and interact and I am in awe but also saddened that so many of us seem to have lost as we’ve gotten older. 

The mind of a child is an extraordinary thing the ability to really ‘see’ the world around us, to connect to levels we no longer seem able to as adults.  To feel completely uninhibited by societal constraints and ingrained perceptions.  You see young children happily play with each other no matter physical appearance – they are accepting, they live for the joy of play and the connection with another.  I have a niece who has several physical handicaps (she was born 15weeks premature) and she has gone to the park and had children unknown to her previously embrace her unconditionally into their play.  They help her despite the fact that she can’t really walk, they only see another free spirit, they don’t see the physical shell.

This kind of perception is something we lose in our adult life and it is something that I think draws us to a spiritual path.  Many pagan traditions emphasize a universal interconnectedness that many long for as adults.  These traditions offer us a chance to embrace a path that helps us to reconnect with this mental state we held as children. 

To cast aside the social restraints on behavior and thought patterning that we have grown up with is difficult, it is something that I strive towards every day but it is of vital importance to truly embracing our spiritual path.  Until we can let go, embrace our spiritual selves, connect with inner child, we will struggle to truly grasp the world.

So dance, sing at the top of your longs, paint, color in, skip down the street, embrace others as fellow spiritual beings and cast off the shackles of societies expectations.