Welcoming the Spring

Greetings all,
this is long overdue but better late than never. Spring as I'm sure you'll agree is a time of frazzledness, increased activity and generally having too much going on. But we always find time to herald the welcome of Springtime, as I've done in two events in different places at the end of last month.

Ostara with Swansea Pagan Moot
Me? Lead a ritual? Really? Not a most comforting notion, as even though alas I'd lead the Imbolc ritual, someone else wrote it. So I rifled through every past Ostara ritual I'd done, and soon I was tottering to the Works to stock up on a couple dozen plastic and polystyrene eggs , a few buckets of paint and some permanent markers, not odd at all, I'm sure the cashier thought to herself. For the University's Ostara talk we painted eggs in the spirit of the season, and some people came up with some quite imaginative designs. The leftover eggs were saved for later pursuits...
When the Sunday evening of the 25th March rolled round, despite heaving traffic in Mumbles we had a good turnout at the roundhouse, we drew symbols on the eggs marking our intent for new plans or ideas, charged them individually and then together in a bowl, and welcomed the Spring with this lovely song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGxQBcit_ps
We rounded the evening off with a bardic circle and some runic galdr chanting. Hail and welcome Spring!

Leaping Hare
The Leaping Hare convention in Colchester is run annually by Colchester Pagan Network and the Pagan Federation. My first experience of it was last year, but this year, held on the 31st March, was even better (better company might have had a small part to play in that too :P.) There were talks on Runic cosmology, the spirit of the 'Leaping Hare', traditional witchcraft and more, far too many lovely things to buy, and Sam's drumming workshop was really fabulous. There's usually so much going on in such a small venue that you won't get to have a go at everything - which lures you back for more next year! My highlight, as with last year, was the ritual at the end to herald the arrival of Spring. As the cakes and wine were passed around the circle the woman standing next to me hissed "What do I say! I've never done this before." It makes me begin to realise just how far I've come on this path, and how much further I have to go.....
http://www.freewebs.com/leapinghare/

Ammanford Goddess temple

Hi all,
just a quick post to tell you all about Wales' new goddess temple.
The temple in Ammanford is a quiet, sacred space dedicated to the goddess run by a group of lovely ladies, who also have a shop downstairs! "The Magick Cat is run and staffed by commited pathwalkers, and dedicated to supplying only the highest quality goods to the Pagan & esoteric community". Everyone give this wonderful shop a visit. As of last week I've been volunteering at the temple on Monday afternoons so keep the candles lit and the incense burning, interact with people if they want, and generally ensure that people don't set fire to themselves. It's lovely to have something like this nearby since as wonderful as Glastonbury is, its such a long way...
The temple is open Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, from 11-4, and workshops and classes are held in conjunction with the shop. Check out their website and facebook, its very well worth a visit :)
2A High Street, Ammanford. 
)O(

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ammanford-Goddess-Temple/231710923577544
http://goddesstempleammanford.webs.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Magick-Cat/247026572028552

My Imbolc 2012

Merry meet folks,
I hope you all had a blessed Imbolc. This is a bit on the late side I know,  but this year's been so hectic that I've decided to break it down into pictures for you. Normally I'll write a ritual for a sabbat, have a little ceremony and Bob's your teapot. This year I've done things a bit differently, in the form of  a series of mini rituals; Imbolc is my big one, having 4 years ago dedicated at this time, so I wanted to make it special. In recent weeks, more than ever before, Brigid has been there for me, and to her I dedicate this.

01/02/12

On the 1st February, the Swansea University Pagan society, which has been growing quite considerably since the end of last year, held the first of the Wicca 101 sessions, a talk about the altar and the current season of Imbolc. Imbolc means 'in milk' and was traditionally the time when the cattle started calving and lambing, and thus giving milk. It is a time of returning of the light, as the evenings get longer and the first whispers of Spring are in the air. 
We introduced to the group the main features of an altar (giving as general an overview as possible given the hundred and one ways of setting one up!), followed by a talk on Brigid, Imbolc traditions from around the world and the significance of Brigid's crosses, which we then made from some colourful pipecleaners.
The Brigid's cross was made by the ancients of Ireland from reeds or sheafs of corn from the previous harvest, and hung over the hearth to protect the home and its inhabitants and ward off evil. The hearth was the central point of the home where the cooking and socialising took place. It represents the solar turning wheel, and also the crossroads, sacred to Brigid. It shows us where we've come from and gets us to think about where we're going. We had a few newcomers to this session and it was enjoyed by all!


03/01/12
My first mini ritual was that of Brigid's crossroads ritual:
http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/imbolcfebruary2/a/Imbolc_DivRite.htm
I found a secluded spot in the park and set about crafting this Brigid's cross (made from strips of thick paper, which came out better than you'd think.) The past year has been a bit of a rough one, and thinking back to this time last year gives me the shivers. But move forward we must, and this ritual reminded me of that - we don't know where we're going, but the road goes ever on and on....


05/01/12
The next mini-ritual was the Libation to Brid at the Sacred well by Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone, taken from a delightful little book called 'Wiccan Wisdomkeepers' arranged by Sally Griffin. For lack of a well I made do with the stream in the park, and collected water in a small ceramic bowl to use. It involves carrying three stones and some pebbles to the well, kneeling before the well and anointing your forehead, throat and heart with the water, and laying the stones, one by one with an invocation, in a triangular shape. The stones are rinsed in the well and placed within the triangle, with a final prayer. To finish, a nearby tree is decorated with ribbons in thanks.
The privacy wasn't fantastic I must say, but this was very much enjoyable all the same, Brigid being a favourite goddess of mine. I can't find the text online but message me if you'd like it. I also gave some milk to the stream in honour of Brigid. 


Next was the nail-biting moot ritual.
The priestess pulled out due to illness a few days before, and told us the ritual would be cancelled unless someone stepped in as a replacement. So gallantly did I wave my little paw in the air saying 'III'll do it!'
And then there I was, in Pagan Standard Time, frantically printing out ritual guides about 20 minutes before we had to leave for Caswell Bay, and getting myself into the most unnecessary of flaps. Alas, so I was told afterwards, all was indeed hunky dory; I didn't invoke Fire in the North, I didn't go arse over heels casting the circle, no-one set fire to themselves doing the wonderful candle dance, the cakes (seedy buns from the Spar, best I could do on two days notice) remained perched precariously on their paper plate, and I didn't choke over my own words during the Bardic circle.
Phew. All in a day's work. 


09/01/12
My Imbolc celebrations would not be complete without the re-dedication ritual, which I do every Imbolc to reaffirm where I'm going on my path. This in fact coincided with lunar Imbolc, or the nearest full moon to calendar Imbolc, which made it extra special for me. I also announce my magickal intentions for the year, which differ from new year's resolutions because you really are supposed to stick to these! I also consecrated my beautiful Pagan liturgy book which I've dedicated to Brigid, and held a mini ritual. Ahh, sublime.

Until next time folks, merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again. xxx )O(

Medicine and magick with herbs

Hey everyone,
I hope all are well. Just a quick post to share with you one of my main projects this year. I want to complete a project on alternative therapies, a healing handbook if you will, which I hope to publish at some point. I've divided it into two separate projects: Medicine and magick with herbs, and Medicine and magick with crystals, chakra energies, aromatherapy and colour therapy. I think there's a lot more to be done with the former, hence it has its own logbook.

Medicine and magick with herbs
I initially thought I'd just gather information on each herb, put some remedies and spells down, and Bob's your Uncle. But then I reckoned I ought to do this properly, and inspired by translating notes from the Herbs workshop from the witchcamp in Spain, I decided to keep a logbook and try out everything I write about. The idea is that I want to be able to walk the walk, not just talk the talk, and have first hand experience of everything I put down. I also take pictures of every recipe I try and write reviews, what went wrong, what went right, how I could improve it, what to do differently next time. Already some bits have gone great, some a bit wrong, but trial and error doth a herbs guru make!
I never knew there was so much to herbs; herbal oil infusions and digestive teas on the medicinal side, and smudge sticks and herbals pouches on the magickal side have been dipped into and tried out, with incenses, decoctions, tinctures, creams, vinegars, wines, syrups, ointments, salves and much more yet to be explored. It being January, and living in a city, I'm having to buy most of my herbs from the supermarket, which I know is far from ideal, but I think just working with them, getting used to their smell and texture is a great way to begin learning about them before I can hit the hedgerows a few months down the line.
Once I'm on my feet with this one I'll begin the twin project and see how much I can learn about other forms of healing and magick. 

Blessed be and have a good Imbolc )O( xx

2012

Happy New Year all,
as we stumble into the new Gregorian calendar year, predicted to bring about great changes in the way we view religion and spirituality, and our attitude towards our planet. This year, here in the UK we've got the Queen's diamond jubilee, the Olympics in London, and various apocalyptic catastrophes of some description or other around Yuletide to look forward to. For many of us the new year began at the winter solstice, or at Samhain, and for me it begins at Imbolc, the arrival of the beginning of Spring, and the time I dedicated to my path. But what does 2012, and the new year, mean to you?

The Year of Change
We hear of it from time to time, carried on the breeze; The Mayans foretold of it, Nostradamus predicted it, indeed daft movies have been made about it - time to brace yourselves for the apocalypse/ impending doom/ end of the world, thing. But my money's on there being a more positive outcome to December 2012.
In August 1987, people gathered at sacred sites all around the world to take part in the Harmonic Convergence, marking the beginning of a 25-year cycle to 21st December, 2012 that would signal the end of the Mayans' 5,000 year calendar, the end of this age....not, erm, the end of the world. These ideas were promoted by Jose Arguelles, who describes the upcoming event as a 'period of dramatic evolutionary change affecting the whole planet,', a gateway for change as it were. I believe, folks, that we are being called upon to change our ways NOW so that a healthy, unpolluted planet can be passed onto my generation and the next generation, and the next. After all, it is not the planet that is in danger; She can regenerate and start again without us - it is ourselves that we have put into danger through over-consumption, greed and rapid depletion of the Earth's non-renewable resources. 2012 and 2013 are predicted to be years of a shift of consciousness and a rapid change in peoples' view of the world around them, for the better.
Thinking of my mindset this time last year makes me want to bash my head against a wall repeatedly; my expectations of the coming year were so headache-inducingly optimistic that it makes me want to shake my January 2011 self by the shoulders and perhaps give her a wake-up slap. An unwritten New Year's resolution  this year for me is to stop wishing for a perfect and rapidly progressive year, as after all, every year has its great moments and its downright rotten moments (of which there were more of the latter in 2011). But I am game for the idea that there's a lot I can achieve this year, the end of which is meant to mark the beginning of a new age. Perhaps I will begin to come into my own and all the hard work will begin to pay off. Who knows what we can expect?
On the more practical side I want more than ever to put in the most effort I can to learn form the lessons of the Fifth Sacred Thing, to do more than my part to work towards a more sustainable future. I want to grow some of my own food, make more of my own clothes, to finish old projects, to learn and teach to the best of my ability. I've said these things pretty much every year since I started on my path but this year I mean it! This year of all years. I have hope that those who lack guidance and have been feeling lost will come into their own, the idle will be granted motivation to do something positive for the community, the grieving and the broken will find strength and compassion from the Earth's energies to take with them into the new age. I daresay I'm beginning to sound a bit too optimistic again, but I think we can make the Earth a better place to live - after all, its not the end of the world.....


In love and light, a blessed 2012 to you all and courage to put into place what you want to achieve. xx BB )O(

Witchfest

Hello all,
this is just a quick update of the shenanigans and goings on of my first Witchfest last weekend. At the end I've included a video made by the fabulous Olivia, enjoy!

Witchfest
'Humpspohiujbwadhv,' was precisely what went through my mind as the alarm went off at no later than 4:45 am. Olivia appeared to be bouncing off the walls, but I had a hard time dragging my half awake body to Swansea train station, but a beautiful sunrise appearing over the misty fields made it worthwhile. Despite a slight tube-related kerfuffle, we made it to Croydon bang on time and met up with a fabulous teenage witchy Essex bunch. We went to the lovely opening speech and blessings, then hit the stalls. I spent disappointingly little in comparison to my last festival escapade at Barefoot, but was very pleased with my new rune bag, runic lore book, and one of those gorgeous leatherbound journal jobbies. No bookshelf is complete without at least one, particularly not mine. I ended up bumping into all sorts of unexpected faces; someone I met at Barefoot festival, a woman I'm pretty sure I recognised from an Open University documentary I saw a while back on Village Witchcraft, and an old friend I hadn't seen for at least a year. I also ran into a pair of less than lovely faces from the past, but fortunately claws remained retracted (physically, anyway), and thus all was good in the hood. Filming and taking photos was strictly prohibited, but Olivia being the awesome camera-wielding ninja that she is, managed to get enough footage to make a 10 minute video out of it (with a section including yours truly where, not wanting to regurgitate Tiffany's response to 'what do you like most about Witchfest', she had me waffle on about Runes instead.) There was a great range of talks, ones I attended including Phiona Hutton's whisperings in Avalon, Ronald Hutton's Ancient Pagan Britain (which was so popular that there were hardly any seats left when I got there), and Moving Magic, taught by a loud Scottish guy who shared with us some fantastic techniques for circle casting, spellwork and raising energy, all based in movement. But by far the best was the one about the obstacles and difficulties faced by teenage witches, which I was told by one of the lovely speakers might well have been a pretty boring talk, but alas it was met with standing ovation. I was rather impressed. Following the talks, the musical entertainment commenced, and we watched the beginning of the brilliant Daughters of Gaia performance, before having to leave early and say our fond farewells, until next year....

Sea witchcraft and The Fifth Sacred Thing movie

Greetings friends,
Today I want to talk about a branch of witchcraft I knew virtually nothing about before my recent move to the seaside, and also an exciting project launched by my favourite Pagan author and teacher, Starhawk.

Sea witchcraft
I've been meaning to write about this fascinating topic since I moved from a quiet village in Suffolk to the bustling Swansea seafront just over a month ago. From the first time I stepped out onto the beach during the heatwave at the end of September (which has since rapidly subsided into the grey, cold, wetness that we were expecting), I knew I'd come to the right place for University. Sea witchery isn't a popular or well publicised path, but after a quick walk around the seafront I realised what a huge potential there was for it in my practice.
In days gone by, witches who lived by the sea were called upon by sailors to conjure favourable winds for safe passage over the oceans; they were attuned to the power of water and specialised in controlling the weather. Nowadays sea witches tend to be solitaries who use all types of water and weather magick as a central feature in their practice. Everything from the weather, the tides, water in its different forms, the properties of differently shaped shells, and different types of seaweed etc. can be used in sea witchcraft. The sea witches' tools are made as much as possible from things that can be found on the beach; work is in progress at the moment on a driftwood wand with a seaweed handle (rather than leather or suede etc) and a long shell point (rather than a crystal), a candle made from a bowl-shaped shell, beach runes painted on small shells or stones, a dreamcatcher made from seaweed, driftwood and seagull feathers...the possibilities go on. Given that I couldn't do this topic justice with my ramblings here in my blog, I offer you the most extensive and comprehensive website I've found on the subject, which makes great reading for any witch, particularly those living by the sea....
seawitch.org


In the news
"Where there's fear, there's power," Witches say.
In 1993, when this blogger was but a wee tot, Starhawk, Wiccan author, teacher and activist wrote a novel about a ecotopian San Francisco set in 2048.....in this city the concrete streets have been torn up for gardens and streams which flow freely between the rows of homes, children are brought up speaking at least 3 languages in schools where knowledge is taught in a hands-on basis, and anything that must be learned by heart is set to music; cars have been largely done away with and public transport run on vegetable oils; every home has a garden big enough to grow food to feed each household, and each family and collective is interconnected; the city's defence is managed by women who dedicate their lives to 'dreaming and listening'; music, arts and cultural and religious diversity are valued second only to the four sacred things of Earth, Fire, Water and Air - things so important to life that they cannot be owned by anyone. But an ever-lingering threat lurks outside the city's perimeters - the fundamentalist, militarised nation that dominates the rest of America and threatens attack to reclaim the city for their own at any moment. The main theme then that Starhawk explores in her novel is this: 
How does a society rooted in peace defend itself against violence, without becoming what they're fighting against?
Now Starhawk is working on making the novel into a film, to try to bring her message to a wider audience. Film making isn't generally considered a very green or sustainable industry, but she has created a 'Green Plan' in an attempt to set new standards for environmental accountability in film production. The Kickstarter campaign launched over the summer to raise funds to start the project exceeded its target and now the exciting task of casting, set and costume designing and bringing the novel alive is under way. Below I've included some useful links for the project, general information on what its all about, how to get involved if you think you have a skill that you can contribute, and a video by Starhawk about her vision for the film and for the future of our planet.
I hope that some of you will be inspired to get involved in some way and support this wonderful woman's work, as I have time and time again. A blessed Samhain to you all, Blessed Be. )O( 
"One act of courage can change the world." -Starhawk


http://www.starhawk.org/writings/fifth_sacred_SFvision.html

http://fifthsacredthing.com/home/about/