Life and Time

She changes everything she touches.  Everything She touches changes.

This chant has been on my mind lately.  And the “She”, to me, is Time.

This post has been in progress for a while now.  I have been thinking about where I began on this path so many years ago, what I wanted from it, what I hoped to find in the online Pagan community, what I wanted from life in general, and how all that differs from where I find myself now.

(Photo credit: AlicePopkorn)

I think it safe to say that I have moved pretty much completely out of the “Maiden” phase of my life (if you subscribe to such a theory).  I don’t go looking to be different, to carve out my identity, to find a place and a path that is just the perfect fit.

I’ve done that.  For years I did that.  Even when I first started trying to make my own way, I was still searching.  Still hoping for someone to tell me I was doing it right.  Trying so hard to live up to some imaginary standard.  Am I eco enough, am I liberal enough, am I honourable enough, am I artistic enough, am I enough?  It gets to the point where you feel like you’re drowning.

And then, as they say, Life Happens.  Things change, and you find yourself without the time to worry about such things.  My life smashed my thumb with a hammer and brought me back to hyper focus.  I could no longer force myself to care about the things that used to occupy my mind in my youth.

I lost all interest in the things that made the Pagan Community tick.  Aside from the constant fighting and outrage over the misrepresentation of the week, the addiction to study and record keeping lost its lustre for me as well.  My sought after project, creating a big book of shadows to pass down to my children, became less and less important once my children actually arrived.

These days, I’d rather capture their smiles with my D80 while running in the sunshine or run with them, than think about herbal remedies or crystal healing.  When my baby is cutting a tooth, I reach for the gripe water – the same brand that my mom used when I was a baby.  When my little girl scrapes her knee, polysporin goes on the bandage.

There are no poultices or potions.  The only thing I still really make myself is hand lotion.  The only remedy I really use is honey for a sore throat.

Does this make me less a Witch?  Does the lack of a practise or the lack of a solid theology make me less of a Pagan?  Does it matter to me any more?

The last one I can answer: Nope.

The practises I used regularly in my youth can still be called on when needed.  I can still move energy through my body with a single breath.  I use it when I need it (and with a teething baby, trust me, it’s needed).

These days I don’t like to think in terms of differences.  I like seeing how many “New Age” practises have been accepted into the mainstream, and just are generally accepted parts of life.  I like thinking about people as fundamentally the same.  We all think, we all feel, we all need.

La luce calda del tramonto (The warm light of sunset) “Earth Day” (Photo credit: fabry … )

So where does that leave us?  This blog has evolved slowly over the years, and will probably continue to do so.  I have been thinking about what it would take to finish the Wheel of the Year page.  And whether I should keep it as a reference.  Beltane is coming up.  Hopefully, we will be done with snow by then.  We’ll see.  I have a new book I’m reading for an Animist Book Club dealie.  Keep ’em peeled for a post on that.

I may or may not post more on FB.  I am tending to prefer IG for my social media right now.  Now that it is starting to get sunny and warm, I will have more to post.  I’m also going to start-up the 52 Weeks of Calgary BP again.  Stay tuned.

Thundering Gales: The Storm Moon

The February full moon is known as the Storm Moon.  In my random, pre-article web poking, I discovered that Storm Moon is not the most popular name for this Esbat.  The most common name appears to be the Quickening  Moon.

This name is associated with the season of Imbolc and the quickenings of new life – in animals and in the earth Herself.  The first signs of spring are starting to appear, and we use this moon to work our fertility or growing magics.

The other more popular name is Snow Moon.  This is likely due to the fact that in much of North America, more snow tends to fall in February than in any other winter month.

Gluten-Free Cakes & Ale

Last year at about this time, I found myself bemoaning the lack of options for gluten-free Pagans when it came to ritual fare.  Since then I have found myself on something of a mission to make sure that those of us on a gluten-free diet can still enjoy a fully decked out Sabbat celebration as well as any other Pagan/Witchy gathering.

First up was my Imbolc article with an almost completely gluten-free menu.¹  I also want to add recipes of my own that I have used and perfected (more or less).  This post is the first.  After so many test batches that I think my little one will be forever addicted to “scones”², I give you gluten-free ritual cakes.

Having Second Thoughts …

Wheel of the Year: Imbolc

February 2nd¹ marks the Festival of Brigid.  Also known as Imbolc or La Fheile Bride.²  It is one of the four Fire Festivals or Greater Sabbats of the year.  The word Imbolc comes from Oimealg meaning ‘ewe’s milk’ as it was the time of year when domestic livestock, specifically sheep, would be lactating and preparing to give birth.

To be honest, I’ve never really had much of a connection with Brigid.  I’ve been inspired by the idea of her on numerous occasions, but I’ve never felt the devotion or closeness to her that her followers describe.

For me, Imbolc is the time of year to begin preparations for spring. I restock my supply of ritual/spell candles, bake something tasty, light a candle and make my first visit to the local nursery or garden centre.  I usually manage to pick up a hyacinth or a crocus for my indoor garden.  This year, the local nursery is still closed, so I picked up a little crocus plant at Safeway – the blooms are already open and a rich delicious purple.

Deep Winter: The Wolf Moon

January’s full moon is commonly known as the Wolf Moon.  This name has been attributed to Native American tribes, but it would appear that this attribution is somewhat of an urban legend.  According to Wikipedia, the Algonquin name for the January moon translates to:

“sun has not strength to thaw”

While there is only speculation as to where the term Wolf Moon came from, it is believed in some circles that the wolf represents the ‘night’ of the year.¹  Other names for the January full moon include Old Moon, Snow Moon, Alder Moon and Cold Moon.

Moon Magic and the Lunar Year: Esbats

THE MOON

From our earliest childhood we are mesmerized by the silvery beauty of the moon.  As large in the night sky as the sun is in the day, the moon has provided inspiration to artists, musicians and magic workers for thousands of years.

I remember the first time I pointed out the full moon to my little one.  She sat staring up at it through our frost covered window for a good ten minutes, chanting “Moon! Moon!” over and over.  Eventually she fell into silence, but would not let me close the curtain.  She wanted to watch the moon.

Now she is in love with the shapes of the moon and stars.  She is always the first to spot a crescent moon anywhere and on anything (including the cat’s claws).  She has a toy that projects stars on to the ceiling in the dark, and won’t go to sleep until she has picked out the moon amongst them.

Witchy Wednesday: Current Moon Phase

The waning crescent.  The waning moon is a time of banishing, endings and release.  It rises in the east only a few hours before dawn, and sets before sunset.  This leaves the nights of the waning moon dark and mysterious.

The waning or old moon represents the Goddess in her crone aspect, or deities who tend to wear the guise of a crone – think Cerridwen, the Morrighan or Hecate.

This is the perfect time to work magic related to contraction or endings – break bad habits, release negativity, end destructive relationships or reverse any spell work that is no longer needed.

Inner journeying or shadow work will also be particularly powerful during the waning moon.  Turn your focus inward and meditate on issues of self-development.  This will help to set the groundwork for the energies of the new moon.

The waning crescent lasts roughly 7 days between the 3rd quarter and new moon.  The easiest way to tell if the moon is waning is to go out and look at it.  If you can cup it in your left hand, the moon is waning.  If you can cup it in your right, it’s waxing.

The moon phases for 2013 can be found on the Lunar Calendar 2013 at lunaf.com.

Moon displaying a 17% waning phase (Photo credit: Wikipedia)